Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 2
The Eternity Condensed Rules
The ruleset in this document is the barebones ruleset for Eternity, a new GM-less
collaborative story game from Magpie Games (www.magpiegames.com/eternity). The
remainder of the game, including the Age Mechanics for long-term play, is still in
development and will be released at a later date.
We highly encourage you to play the game as written and let us know about your
experiences. We’re thrilled with the response we’ve gotten over the last two years of running
Eternity for dozens of gamers at conventions and playtests, and we’d love to hear about your
group’s story. You can post feedback directly to forums (like Story Games and RPG.net), on
your blog, or in private emails to us. Please email us at [email protected] to let us know
you’ve posted something or if you’d like to submit your feedback more directly.
The Eternity condensed rules are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. In other words, we’re happy to see you
remix it, as long as your work is not for sale and that you allow other people to remix your
remix. If you’d like to put together something for commercial resale based on Eternity, please
let us know. We are happy to grant commercial licenses on a case-by-case basis.
If you have questions or comments on this document, please feel free to email Magpie
Games at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you.
Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 3
Chapter One: Setting
The Vast
The Vast are ancient, alien beings who rule over enormous areas of space that they
refer to as “The Known.” So advanced that they no longer possess physical bodies, The Vast
are essentially gods, able to rework and reshape matter and energy at will. They can move
across the galaxy with a thought, resurrect the dead with a gesture, and destroy armies with a
single strike. The Vast know no limits.
Yet The Vast play a dangerous game when they use their powers. As they alter reality,
they grow more attached to the ideas their powers represent, more united with death when
they strike down their enemies and more connected to creation when they summon something
from nothing. Eventually those attachments become binding chains, with their own
obligations that the Vast dare not defy.
Because they are bound by their actions, though they would never admit that they fear
those bindings, the Vast amass allies to accomplish their will. Their Pantheon—priests,
followers, and children—do their bidding without risking Attachment, carrying out the Vast’s
plans as proxies. At the same time, however, forces mass against the Vast, coveting their
power and seeking to destroy them, Burdens that the Vast bear as they try to work their will
on the world. These two forces, the Pantheons and Burdens, are constantly in conflict,
creating epic stories of love, war, and conquest.
Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 4
The Code
The Vast who choose to live together, usually known as The Collective, live by a set of
laws called The Code. In order to minimize conflict and live peacefully, the Vast who follow
the Code agree to be completely bound by it, suffering consequences if they break The
Collective’s laws.
Although no Vast enjoys following the laws of the group, the alternative, constant and
unending war, is so horrifying that they agree to work together to avoid it. That said, they
spend the majority of their time scheming to get around The Code whenever possible.
The laws of the Code are cumulative, each building on the next. In the unlikely event
that they are ever in conflict—if obeying one law would require a Vast to break another—the
last law in the order holds precedent. Since Contract is the highest law of the Vast, it is
possible for one Vast to bring Cause against another for failing to honor a Contract that
required one of them to break the Code.
The Code Quick Guide:
The Law of Dominion: No Vast shall interfere with the holdings of another Vast.
The Law of Harmony: No Vast shall directly intervene in the affairs of another Vast.
The Law of Limit: No Vast shall encourage The Common to rise above their station.
The Law of Passage: No Vast shall revoke Passage without Cause and Jury.
The Law of Contract: No Vast shall breach Contract without Cause and Jury.
Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 5
Dominion
“No Vast shall directly interfere with the holdings of another Vast.”
Whatever the Vast own belongs to them and them alone. No member of the Collective
is allowed to alter or destroy the property of another Vast including the Archons, Appointed,
and Common that make up a Vast’s pantheon. In short, if it does not belong to you, do not
touch it, alter it, or destroy it.
Harmony
“No Vast shall directly intervene in the affairs of another Vast.”
The Law of Harmony is the central law of any collective. In essence, it is the guiding
principle between the Vast, the rule that keeps them from engaging in constant warfare. Each
Vast enjoys unfettered plans… as long as they don’t interfere with the plans of another.
It is this law that gives a Vast the right to kill the Archons or Appointed of another
Vast. Holdings are protected, but an Archon that interferes with your holdings suddenly
becomes a part of your affairs, giving you the right to enact punishment and pass judgement
on the Holdings of others.
Limit
“No Vast shall encourage The Common to rise above their station.”
Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 6
While this law has many potential applications, the most common finding concerns
Technology. The Vast remember that they were once mortals, eons ago, and fear that The
Common who live on their world might rise up against them. In order to keep that from
happening, The Collective outlaws any World developing more than Rank 6 Technology,
although individual Collectives sometimes raise the Limit higher.
Passage
“No Vast shall revoke Passage without Cause and Jury.”
The Vast get into conflicts. Often.
One of the conflicts that comes up frequently is Passage, the right to travel in a Vast’s
Realm and World. If a Vast offers another Vast Passage, then nothing is hidden and that Vast
may travel anywhere within the Realm or World she likes. Of course, the rest of the Code is
still in effect… but some Vast know how to cause trouble within the bounds of the Code.
In order to minimize these conflicts, The Collective must hear a trial for any Vast who
wishes to withdraw Passage. Therefore, Passage must only be given to those you trust, for it
will not be so easy to take back. It must also may be given only in totality; a Vast cannot
declare parts of his World or Realm off-limits.
Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 7
Contract
“No Vast shall breach Contract without Cause and Jury”
The Vast have many commitments to others, including their own children. Yet, they
hold their commitments to each other above all others. Any promises made by one Vast are
considered a Contract. Contracts have requirements and features:
Requirements: Both parties must clearly, and without illusion, present themselves to
each other. At least one party must say the words “I swear to…” When both of these
conditions are met, the Vast who made the promise must give a Contract coin to the Vast to
which he swore the oath. If the Contract is mutual, the Vast Exchange coins.
Features: All Vast know when a Contract is broken, but do not know what the
Contract entailed. Vast who refuse to honor a Contract my be brought before the Collective
for punishment. Any Vast who holds a Contract coin knows the terms of the Contract exactly,
but there is no requirement that such a coin be submitted as evidence.
The Diaspora
There are, of course, Vast who refuse to follow The Code, who would rather live
according to their nature instead of the Collective’s laws. They are known as the Diaspora,
and the Vast who attempt to live within the confines of a Collective find them deeply
disturbing.
Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 8
They rule as god-kings over the planets they control, smiting their enemies and
dominating their kingdoms until they Unravel, picking up the pieces to do it all over again
when they pull themselves together. Every Collective knows that the only way to stop a
Diaspora is to fight them directly—to Chain them and lock them away for Ages upon Ages—a
battle which puts the Collective itself at risk of Unraveling.
Yet while each Collective lives in fear of the day that the Diaspora chance upon The
Known, each Vast harbors in her heart the potential to join them. The rules of the Collective
are so oppressive, so frustrating; it would be so much easier to live without limits…
Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 9
Chapter Two: Character Creation
Step 1: Gather Players and Equipment
Character creation in Eternity is a group exercise; you might start thinking up a
character on your own, but you need the other players to complete the setup for the game. As
you add elements to your sheet, the other players will add Complications to your Pantheon
and Burdens, creating a complex web of relationships and commitments that will drive the
story of your Collective. You'll want to accept those Complications because they will give you
story points, tokens that are needed to activate most, if not all, of your powers…
In addition to the other players, you'll also need:
◆ Roughly Twenty Six-sided dice
◆ 3x5 Index Cards
◆ Poker Chips, Beads, or Tokens
Step 2: Decide on Roles
Since Eternity doesn't have a Gamemaster, it's important that certain jobs are done by
the players. Before you make characters, you've got to assign a few roles. These roles will
change from game to game. Taking the job for one session doesn't obligate you to take it for
the rest of your epic tale.
Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 10
The Watcher
Someone has to keep the group on track and frame scenes within the game. The
Watcher's job is to decide when scenes start, when scenes end, and when a discussion about
the rules has reached an impasse. While The Watcher is not exactly an impartial observer,
she’s supposed to keep the game moving as much as possible. Primarily, the Watcher
structures the game by calling for Primacies (i.e. deciding when a conflict requires the players
to go to dice) and opening and closing each scene.
In the first case, the Watcher can declare a Primacy at any time, even when the conflict
is not apparent to other players. The ability to declare a Primacy gives the Watcher a lot of
power, but it also means that it’s up to her to judge when a conflict is not negotiable. If she
jumps too early, it’s going to hurt the game with too much dice rolling and not enough
collaborative play; if she waits to long to call for a Primacy, the players will drive each other
crazy trying to negotiate things that can’t be peacefully resolved.
In order to resolve any out-of-character conflict, The Watcher can call for votes on any
topic of importance to the group. If she think someone has done something neat in the game
and deserves extra story points, she can call for a vote. If she needs to settle the interpretation
of an agreement with metaphysical consequences, she can call for a vote. The Watcher cannot
decide that someone is wrong or right in a rules dispute, but she can call for a vote to get the
group to move past the issue.
The Banker
Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 11
Someone has to award story points and keep track of expenditures. The Banker's job
is to dish out the story points owed to players and collect the story points that are spent by
those players. Since Eternity doesn't have a Gamemaster, the Banker functions a lot like the
banker in Monopoly. He sits with a big box of story points and hands them out when the
game calls for it, and he collects story points whenever a players wants to take an action that
requires then to give up a story point.
The Banker doesn't award any additional story points unless the rules of the game
specify him to do so. It is not his responsibility to reward the awesome roleplay other players
bring to the group. The rest of the group members should already be helping to encourage
great play by asking the Watcher to call for votes or simply giving each other story points
from their stack.
The Keeper
Someone has to play the peanut gallery. The Keeper's job is to portray little people
who may take mechanical actions, but otherwise sit back and let the main actors ham it up.
These additional characters are generally faceless, and shouldn't keep the Keeper from
playing a primary character as well in a given scene.
Sometimes the scene the Keeper’s group is playing through will contain a legion of
extras; Armies, Beasts, and Rebellions have a way of turning into a cast of thousands. The
Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 12
Keeper is free to assign these kind of characters to other players if his workload gets to be
unmanageable.
The Scribe
Someone has to keep track of the setting. As the game progresses, the players will have
opportunities to establish truths about the world. The Scribe's job is to record all those facts
and ensure that nothing is forgotten. While each player should be adding information to her
own character sheet, the Scribe helps to track the information for the group as a whole.
I strongly urge each group playing Eternity to set up a wiki for their epic. It is much
easier to update a group source of information then it is to try to maintain paper records. The
Scribe’s job will be a lot easier if he brings a laptop to game and updates the wiki right after
play concludes.
Step 3: Assign Base Attachments
Most roleplaying games ask you to assign numbers to your character in order to
establish what your character is good at doing. In Eternity, however, you play a character who
is nearly omnipotent. Stats and rankings are meaningless when you can raise the dead and
convert lead to gold.
Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 13
Instead of assigning attribute scores, assign points to eight categories called
Attachments (see Attachments, pg 55). These range from one to five points and indicate how
strongly your Vast is tied to the idea represented by the Attachment. A Vast who has a five
(5) in Destruction will be a god of death and endings; a Vast with a five (5) in Creation will be
a god of birth and creativity. No two Vast are alike, and similar levels of Attachments are
often manifested differently among them.
When your Vast attempts to reshape the world according to his will, you may add the
dots in the appropriate attachment to your roll, calling upon the deep metaphysical ties you
have to the concepts you are affecting. Since the Vast are already rolling a large number of
dice, Vast with large Attachments become nigh invincible when dealing with their primary
domains.
However, the Vast deeply fear Attachment. When the Vast add Attachment dots to a
roll (or create a Temporary or Permanent effect), they "risk Attachment." In other words,
their actions may tie them more deeply to that aspect of their existence, opening them up to a
potential Unraveling (see Unraveling, pg 59). If a Vast has five dots of Attachment, any
action that violates the Unraveling condition will result in the end of that Vast’s identity.
At character creation, choose three Attachments to define your Vast. Mark three dots
for your primary domain, and two dots for your secondary and tertiary domain (a total of
seven dots). Remember that higher ratings of Attachment carry both risk and reward: they
make the Vast more powerful, but expose them to the destructive powers of Fate.
Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 14
Step 4: Define your Vast and Realm
Once you’ve assigned your Attachments, it’s time to flesh out the mechanics into an
actual character. Your Vast is not a person—the petty concerns of the flesh were lost to your
Vast eons ago—but the Vast do have personalities. They are mighty warriors and tricksy
scoundrels, evil temptresses and cruel masters, dark and unforgiving lords and hopeful
psychopaths.
Your Vast’s personality and demeanor should be broadly tied to your Attachments, but
they can be interpreted in many, many different ways. No two Vast are alike, as each one
carves out a unique role for himself in The Known, interfering only in the conflicts that
interest him. Some Vast are obsessed with a certain Domain of Attachment; others have more
immediate concerns of power or wealth.
For example:
Al'Halight, also known as the Queen of Venom, is the oldest member of the Collective
in the Known. That is not to say that she arrived first, but instead refers directly to her
Attachments: she has not Unraveled for some time. She often manifests as a beautiful woman
made entirely of local flora, but is known to speak from the rocks and trees themselves if it
suits her whim. (Nature 3, Vengeance 2, Laity 2)
Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 15
Shemhazai, also known as Giver of the Flame, has suffered the wrath of The
Collective previously. Unsatisfied with The Limit as specified by The Code, Shemhazai
consistently pushes the Common on his world to achieve more than their lowly station. He is a
dark angel, an armored figure with wings that rise behind him like a defiant beacon, his face
eternally shrouded by a hood of darkness.
Distant, aloof, and alone, the Vast who calls himself The Traveler is the closest thing
to a neutral party in The Known. As the most itinerant member of The Collective, he acts as a
messenger and Judge on a regular basis. However, his neutrality is due to his tortured
psyche, not his benevolent nature. He appears as a man in a simple hoodie and dark pants; he
is often confused for a wayward youth on his own Worlds.
In addition to a description of your Vast, you should also define your Vast’s Realm.
While your Vast will also control many physical assets, each Vast primarily lives in a Realm, a
subspace location that is the closest thing the Vast have to a home. They are accessible from
any World in The Known, if you can find the right door, but often drive mortals who enter
them Mad.
Realms are fantastic places, not subject to the rules of time and space. Often they are
eternal mazes or scarred wastelands, tortured reflections of the psyches of the Vast who
created them. Sometimes they are eternal paradises, gardens of plenty who tempt the
Common in with promises of beauty and pleasure. Feel free to let your imagination loose to
devise a Realm that matches your Vast’s intriguing personality.
Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 16
Step 5: Define Your World
While your Vast and her Realm are fantastic, mythological entities, your Vast also
owns a World, a single planet in the Known that you have conquered or converted to your
rule. Worlds are regular, physical places, filled with ordinary mortals (called The Common by
the Vast) who live ordinary lives. Sometimes Worlds are plentiful paradises, lush gardens of
happiness created by benevolent Vast; other times they are barren hellscapes, prisons of
desolation designed to break the mortals who live there. Occasionally, Vast do not even
bother to rule their reams, allowing them to fall into disrepair.
To create your World, roll five six-sided dice. Then assign each die to one of the
following categories:
Civilization: Amount of your planet covered by population
Military: Degree of militarization in the planet's society.
Economy: Size of planetary economy
Loyalty: Degree of loyalty to controlling Vast
Technology: Level of technological advancement
Our Earth is a five (5) on all categories, a baseline that you can use to define what the
abstract number represent. For example, a World with a Tech of 6 would be a futuristic
society (like Minority Report or Total Recall), while a World with Tech of 4 would be a world
just starting the Industrial Revolution. Each of the ratings ranges from one (1) to ten (10),
with levels above six (6) available only through development during play.
Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 17
Finally, you can choose one of the following Developments for your new World:
Gate - An enormous subspace gate that allows your people to travel to other Worlds…
and allows people from other Worlds to visit your World.
Monument - Allows your Pantheon to perform a sacrifice, once per age, that
permanently reduces one of your Attachments by one. You must choose when you select this
Development to which Attachment the Monument is tied.
Step 6: Introduce Your Vast
Once all the players have assigned their Attachment dots, go around the table and
introduce your Vast. Tell the rest of the group how your Vast manifests, what your Realm
(personal dimension) looks like, and what sort of things you value. The Vast are creatures of
the ideal, disconnected from biology and reality, so feel free to construct whatever kind of
crazy physical forms or Realms you want to use in the game.
Also introduce your World, the physical planet your Vast controls, and try to tie the
mechanics you selected in Step 4 to some sort of narrative. If your World is a Civilization 1
world, you might tell the group that you purposefully keep the population low through ritual
sacrifice or that your people are mostly infertile. If your World is a Tech 6 world, you might
describe why you’ve let the Common on your planet advance so far. Give the other players
something to latch onto as you build stories!
Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 18
Step 7: Add Pantheon
Once every member of the group has introduced their Vast, the Banker should award
each player five (5) story points for each player in the game, i.e. a group of four (4) players
should get twenty (20) story points each. These are temporary story points and must be given
away to other players by the end of the character creation; any temporary story points not
given away are lost.
One by one, each player should decide on one element she wants to add to her Vast’s
Pantheon. You can choose from Realm, Denizens, Guardians, Appointed, and Archons (see
Pantheon, pg 60). You begin with five Pantheon points to spend; Archons cost two points,
and all other Pantheon characters cost one Pantheon point.
Realm, Denizens, and Guardians are group purchases; each Pantheon point you place
into those characters is cumulative and adds to the size and power of the group. The fiction
around these numbers is flexible, though, and should match the Vast’s themes and style. For
example, Rank 1 Guardians might be a small, elite group of imperial guards for a Roman-style
Vast, but they may also appear as a forest of relatively weak metal golems for a dwarven-
themed Vast.
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Unlike the other Pantheon character, the Appointed and Archons are individual
characters and can be purchased multiple times to add multiple characters. Each of these
characters is an individual person with her own motivations, desires, and plans.
Pantheon Quick Guide:
Realm: A Vast’s home in a subspace away from the Known.
Denizens: Fantastic creatures that guard, maintain, and protect a Vast’s private space.
Guardians: Personal guards of the Vast, mythical warriors who serve the Vast.
Appointed: Priests of the Vast, marked with the Vast’s power.
Archons: Children of the Vast, powerful and dangerous allies to their parents.
Each time a player adds an element to Pantheon, the purchasing player should gibe a
brief sketch of what the element’s name, themes, or behaviors will be. Try not to give too
much information, but give your fellow players enough detail to see where you broadly want
the character to go in the story. For example:
“I will purchase an Archon. Her name is Lydia, and she wishes to conquer all the lands
on my World.”
“I will purchase a dot in Realm. My home is the interior of a Scottish castle that has no
exits, only endless torchlit halls.
“I will purchase a dot of Guardians. They are clockwork beasts of all shapes and kinds
who are mute but communicate through telepathic messages.”
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The rest of the players, in clockwise order, then make offers with their temporary story
points, adding Complications. For example:
“Your Archon does not know you are her mother, and wishes to kill you.”
“Your Realm causes any Archon who enters it to be Afflicted with Greed.”
“Your Guardians have previously lost a battle to my Guardians.”
Anything that would add to the narrative is fair game. The player who “owns” the
Panthoen element should note any offers he accepts on an index card. If you accept temporary
story points, the narrative Complication is true and the story points become yours to keep.
Note that this means that the Complication can be quite broad and long, as long as you accept
the offer.
Complications can add items to a character’s sheet, such as Orison or Blessing, but it’s
not necessary to define all of those elements at this time. It’s likely that your characters will
have some blank spots on their sheets at the end of character creation. You will fill in those
blanks as you continue play in scenes.
Once everyone has spent their Pantheon points, all players have a chance to make one
last offer with their unused, temporary story points. Each player should run down all their
Pantheon purchases, allowing the other players one more shot at making offers. After that, all
unused temporary story points are discarded.
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Once Pantheons have been created, players should move directly into a Setting
Primacy and start the game. Each player should now have a Vast, a Realm, a World, a
Pantheon with Complications, and a stack of story points.
Step 8: Add Burdens
After your group has finished the first session, you can return to your sheets at the
start of the second session to add Burdens to your sheet as well. Burdens are the same as
Pantheon, but they describe negative elements, parts of your existence that try to overthrow
you or hurt you.
The Banker should give out an additional 5 story points per player, just as before, and
those story points should be used to add Complications to Burdens. Each player must assign
ten (10) points of burdens, but they are assigned two at a time. For example, selecting Rival
for your first Burden means that you add two dots to Rival instead of one.
Burden Quick Guide:
Prophecy: A vision that binds the Vast to a specific event in the future.
Rival: An NPC Vast who wishes to see your holdings destroyed and your Worlds lost.
Rebellion: A human-led movement on a World to unseat your Vast from power.
Beast: A former Construct, Archon, or Appointed who has turned against your Vast.
Chains: A limit on your power imposed by The Collective when your Vast broke the
Code.
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A Vast may only be Chained once and may only have one Prophecy. The other
Burdens can be doubled so that a Vast can have multiple Beasts and multiple Rebellions.
After you have completed assigning Burdens, the group can return to scenes by
starting a new Setting Primacy.
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Chapter Three: Scene Mechanics
Primacy Contests
The Eternity scene mechanics break down into four major types:
Setting Primacy - Mechanics for setting each scene
Character Primacy - Mechanics for assigning characters to the players in a scene
Story Point Offers - Mechanics for confirming agreement within a scene
Wager Primacy - Mechanics for managing disagreement within a scene
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Setting Primacy
At the beginning of each scene, the group sets the scene through a Setting Primacy. In
the Setting Primacy, each player secretly bids a number of story points and rolls a single six-
sided die (d6), adding the story points to the die’s total once all the players have rolled. The
player with the highest combined total wins. If there is a tie between two players, the player
who bid the most points wins. If they bid the same number of points, players must negotiate
(using story points) to determine the winner.
The winner of this contest is said to have "Primacy" and sets the conditions of the
scene. The story points spent by the players are placed in the center of the gaming area and
are now invested in the scene. They will be redistributed later.
The player who has Primacy should list the time and location of the scene and exactly
two characters that will be present. The player should also try to give some sense of what
conflict will drive the scene, establishing what is at stake for the involved characters. There
must be some conflict present at the start of the scene, but the conflict does not need to tie into
any larger plot or narrative the group might have previously played out.
For example, the winner of a Setting Primacy could say "The chapter will take place in
my character's Realm a few days after the previous scene. My character, Shemhazai, will
confront The Traveler about the death of my character's Archon."
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Note that it is not necessary for the winner of the Setting Primacy to include a Vast in
the scene; Archons, Appointed, and mortals are great characters to base a scene around. It is,
however, required for the winner to state who he is playing in the scene, and the player who
has Primacy must select from one of the two characters he named when he won.
After the player who won Primacy establishes the scene, other players can add
Conditions to the scene in clockwise order at the cost of one (1) story point. They can specify
additional character who might be in the scene, aspects the scene may possess, or limitations
under which the characters are laboring. Remember that all players can veto facts established
about their Pantheon by spending two story points.
Once all the players have added one (1) condition—including the winning player—
players can elect to continue adding conditions at a rising cost. The second pass around
requires players to put in an additional two (2) story points, then three (3), then four (4).
Players may elect to pass, but once they do so they are done for the round and can spend no
further story points. Again, players may veto facts, but those story points are lost and return
to the Bank.
Once all players have passed, the Setting Primacy ends.
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Character Primacy
Once the scene has been set, the players once again secretly bid story points and roll a
single d6. As before, their story bids are added to their die rolls and the player with the
highest total wins Primacy. The story points that were bid are added to the story points
already invested in the scene during the Setting Primacy.
The player who won the contest specifies which character one of the players will be
playing, then passes to the next highest rolling player, who also assigns a character. A player
does not have to pick a character for himself, but he cannot pick a character for a player who
has already been assigned a role.
It is generally assumed that no player will play a Vast that doesn't belong to her, but
that rule may be broken if the owner of the Vast consents. Players may veto the portrayal of
characters from their Vast’s Pantheon, but must spend two story points to do so. Players may
also veto the character they have been assigned, but must again spend two story points.
Once all the players have been assigned a character, the final player (who doesn't get
to assign a character) divides the story points invested in the story. First, he may decide to
retain up to two story points per player to hand out as offers for conditions. These conditions
are usually negative ("I'll give you two story points if your Appointed forgot his sword") or
limiting ("I'll give your three story points if your Archon has sworn to never kill another
Archon.”). Players may freely turn down these offers at no cost.
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The remaining story points are divided between the players evenly with any extra
story points returning to the Banker. Once all the story points have been divided up, the scene
begins.
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Story Point Offers
During a scene, the primary method of moving through the narrative is Offers. Each
player may offer story points to other players in an attempt to establish truths about the scene.
This may be done out of character, but it's most effective when done subtlety. For example, a
player may hold story points out in their hand while stating what they want in the form of a
question or leading statement:
“Isn't it true that you were the one who murdered my father?”
“I see that you have forgotten your sword.”
Players are free to take the story points and agree…
“Yes. I did murder him. He deserved it.”
“I did not think I needed my sword for such a meeting.”
… or turn down the Offer and react appropriately:
“I’m afraid you have me mistaken for someone else. I've never met your father.”
“I have my sword, good sir. If you were less captivated by my chest, you would have
noticed it on my hips.”
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Players may also Counteroffer by adjusting the terms a bit through dialogue,
effectively looking for a middle ground that the offering player will accept:
“I didn't murder your father myself, but I know the person who did.”
“I may not have my sword, but I did not forget my bow.”
Ideally this bartering doesn't affect the flow of the chapter. Players make Offers and
Counteroffers through dialogue in order to keep scenes tense and interesting for all involved.
If a player wants to define a Truth to which he would have to offer himself a story
point, such as “My father was murdered by an assassin,” he should place a story point into the
pool of story points for the scene. Note that this can be used to define character traits and
power that have not been previously defined. Once these choices are made, however, they are
permanent.
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Wager Primacy Many scenes resolve without the use of any further mechanics: players go back and
forth, swapping story points to achieve their goals without rolling any dice. However, there
will come a time when two players' ideas about a chapter will be diametrically opposed and
some mechanic is necessary to resolve the dispute.
In order to resolve these kinds of conflicts, players engage in Wager Primacy:
Each player builds a dice pool based on their character type, secretly sets aside story
points to increase their total, and rolls the dice they have acquired. Players may also set aside
dice from their roll to act as "wagers" before rolling, decreasing the total they will roll, but
increasing the amount they can do after the roll has been completed. All players must
participate in the Wager Primacy, even if they are not directly involved in the conflict.
After every player has rolled, the story point bids are added to the rolls and the player
with the highest total wins Primacy. The player with Primacy gets to keep all of the wagers he
set aside. Players who lost the primacy get to keep half of their wagers, rounded up.
In order to secure additional dice, players may:
◆ Spend a story point to invoke a single Blessing (+3)
◆ Spend a story point to invoke a single Aspect (+1-5)
◆ Spend a story point to invoke a Wound (+1-5)
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◆ Add their Vast’s Attachment to a roll (+1-5) and risk Attachment (when playing a
Vast)
For example:
James and Mark are engaging in a Wager Primacy. Each has ten dice to start. Mark
secretly sets aside fifteen (15) story points and five (5) dice; James secretly sets aside five (5)
story points and three (3) dice. Mark rolls seventeen (17) on his five dice and James rolls
twenty-two (22) on his seven dice. Mark has a total of thirty-two (17 on dice + 15 story points
= 32), while James has a total of only twenty-seven (22 on dice + 5 story points = 27). Mark
wins the Primacy and keeps five (5) wagers. James loses the Primacy and keeps only two (2)
wagers.
Wagers are primarily used to set additional facts or events in the scene, but several
actions (damage, activating powers) have specific rules associated with them (see Spending
Wagers, pg 32).
In order for an action to have an effect, it usually must have match or exceed the total
rank of the character. For example, it usually takes three wagers (3) to Command an Archon
(Rank 3) to fight his loved ones and two wagers (2) to make an Appointed (Rank 2) invisible.
This means that it is impossible for a mortal (only one base die) to affect one of the
Vast (ten base dice). This is a feature, not a bug.
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The player who won the Primacy begins spending wagers by spending one wager for
free. From that point, control passes to the player with the next highest total until no one has
any wagers left to spend. Players who lost Primacy and did not set aside any wagers do not
get to contribute. All the story points that were bid on the roll are added to the pile in the
center of the table.
Once all the wagers have been spent, the Watcher must evaluate if another Primacy is
needed. If so, the Primacy begins anew. If not, roleplay resumes, and players can once again
make Offers.
Spending Wagers
Spending wagers is often one of the most difficult parts of the game for new players to
understand. While you might be used to rolling dice, the purpose of dice in Eternity is
fundamentally different than the purpose of dice in other games. Remember that you aren't
rolling dice to see if you succeed or fail, but instead to see who has control of the narrative. Is
it you or another player?
Wagers are valuable because they make your control over the narrative concrete.
When you have more wagers than other players, you establish that the scene will go your
way. In addition, spending those wagers includes facts in the story that are inescapably true.
A wise players knows that he can do a lot more by Establishing Facts than he can by causing
Harm…
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Establishing Facts
Players may spend wagers to establish facts. This can take many forms, but generally
these facts serve to give the player spending the wager an advantage. Nearly any fact is
acceptable, but players cannot contradict existing facts or ask characters to perform feats that
are impossible (i.e. a mortal bringing someone back to life).
For example:
Michael the Convincing wishes to murder his rival Appointed, Sophie. As he is trying
to lure her in with charismatic words, he spends a story point to invoke his Blessing, gaining
three (3) additional dice on top of his base two (2). He wins the Wager Primacy, keeping four
(4) wagers. In order to make sure that he isn't caught, his first wager is spent to keep prying
eyes away: "No one else is in the room." As long as it wasn't previously established that
someone else was in the room, Michael's wager is fine…and Sophie is in a lot of trouble.
At times, players may find it interesting to establish facts that cause their character to
be at a disadvantage. This is highly commendable! Adding elements to the scene that keep a
character from accomplishing his goals makes the game more interesting for everyone. If the
addition is interesting enough, the Watcher can call for a story vote and potentially earn that
player a story point.
For example:
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Sophie the Wise lost the Primacy to Michael, but still has one (1) wager to spend for
the scene. Realizing that her death would make for an interesting story, she spends her wager
to add some further tension: "All the doors to this room are locked." The Watcher thinks this
is an exciting twist and calls for a story vote. The majority of the players at the table agree,
and the Banker gives Sophie's character a story point.
Note that this system allows for characters to do whatever is possible in a setting
where The Vast operate as near gods. This is a feature, not a bug. The Vast are supposed to
clear rooms with the wave of their hand, bring back the dead on a whim, and lock people
away for hundreds of years. However, the Vast must spend multiple wagers to achieve those
effects. (see Wagers and The Vast, pg 36)
Activating Powers and Items
Players must spend a wager to get access to unique abilities and gifts. Unless the
ability specifically states otherwise (see the Speed Orison, pg 51), the story points spent to
activate powers by Appointed and Archons are spent after they gain control of the narrative
by spending a wager.
Note that this does not allow you to also specify a fact. Using a wager to gain access to
Orisons and Gifts uses the wager up completely.
For example:
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Now that he has set the stage for Sophie's end, Michael wants to completely hide
himself from anyone who might come across them. He spends his second wager and one story
points (1) to activate his Gift, a Helm of Invisibility. Cloaked in a Rank 1 Illusion, Michael is
invisible to all who lack the power to see through Illusions… including Sophie. He moves
closer to her, ready to strike.
Harm
Harm in Eternity is simple: The first wager spent by a character gives the target a Rank
1 Wound. Each wager spent after the first increases the Rank of the Wound by one. Each
wager spent by the damaged character to defend against the attack decreases the Rank of the
Wound by one. You cannot preemptively defend against an attack that hasn't happened yet.
Only the Vast can affect a Wound they did not personally give or take. Other
characters may cause new Wounds, but cannot stack their efforts to raise the Rank of existing
Wounds.
All characters, regardless of type, may harm other characters. However, the harm
done must meet or exceed the Soma score of the character being harmed to have any effect.
Anything less is simply shrugged off and ignored. Thus, a character with three (3) base dice,
can carry as many Rank 1 and Rank 2 Wounds as she likes. Only Rank 3+ Wounds have an
effect on her at all.
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The first Rank 3 Wound she takes, however, incapacitates her. She cannot participate
in any Wager Primacies, but may still spend story points to activate powers or make Offers.
Any other character may spend a single wager to kill an incapacitated character.
For example:
After spending his first wager to clear the room and his second wager to activate his
Gift, Michael the Convincing prepares to end Sophie's life. She has no wagers to spend, and
thus no way to defend against the attack. He spends his final two wagers to give her a Rank 2
Wound, matching her resistance dice (2). Sophie is incapacitated and cannot participate in the
next Primacy. Michael, facing her unopposed, spends the wagers gained from the second
primacy to kill her.
Injuries dealt to characters that incapacitate them heal at the rate of 1 Rank per scene
in which they directly participate. Rank 3 Wounds become Rank 2 Wounds, Rank 2 Wounds
become Rank 1 Wounds, etc. However, the character is still incapacitated until the wound
that struck her down is fully healed.
Injuries that are not incapacitating heal at the end of the scene.
Wagers and The Vast
The Vast are supposedly creatures of nearly limitless power and ability. Can they
really do anything they want?
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Yes. But they have to spend enough wagers to do it.
To refresh, each Vast has a base of ten (10) dice to roll in every Wager Primacy. They
roll those dice just like any other character, and can Establish Facts, deal Harm, and generally
do anything the other characters can do. (Note: They can't activate Gifts or Orisons because
they don't have those powers.) Unlike other characters, they can also create dragons, bring
characters back from the dead, and destroy armies. In short, they can work miracles… as long
as the Potency of the effect is high enough and the Duration of the effect is long enough.
The Vast have access to a few ways of spending Wagers that are not normally available
to other characters:
Commands - The Vast can give Commands directly to other characters that must be
followed if the Command’s Potency meets or exceeds the base die of the character.
Illusions - The Vast can create Illusions that are impenetrable to other characters,
including other Vast. Vast—or characters with magic items—may pierce the veil, but must
have spend a number of Wagers equal to the Potency of the illusion.
Constructs - The Vast may create golems, mechanical beings, and elemental creatures
by spending wagers. The base dice of these entities is equal to their Rank, but they lack True
Life, often struggling to understand the emotions and ways of living beings. At the end of each
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Age, Constructs have a chance to turn against the Vast that created them but are completely
loyal until they turn against their maker.
Travel - The Vast may summon or banish any member of their Pantheon by spending
a single wager. They may also travel to and from any area by spending a wager. None of these
actions risk Attachment.
Potency
The first wager spent by a Vast creates a Potency 1 effect of the player's choosing.
Additional wagers increase the Potency of the effect by one (1). There is no maximum for the
Potency of an effect, but there is an effective minimum of one (1). Any Vast in the area may
spend wagers to increase or decrease the Potency of any effect, but only during the Primacy
in which it was created. Any effects that last beyond the initial Primacy (Temporary or
Permanent effects) are fixed at their given Potency.
If the roll affects another character, then the Potency must meet or exceed the
resistance pool of the character in question. For example, stealing memories from a Archon
must have a Potency that meets or exceeds his base Psyche dice.
If a Vast establishes an effect outside of a Primacy, that effect may have any Potency
up to Rank 5.
Duration
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Regardless of Potency, each effect begins with a Fleeting Duration. Fleeting effects
last until the end of the next Wager Primacy. At the end of that Primacy, they dissipate and
crumble away. As such, Fleeting effects do not risk Attachment.
Of course, Fleeting effects are not terribly useful. A Vast can spend an additional
wager to change a Fleeting effect to a Temporary effect. Temporary effects last until the end
of the scene and fully risk Attachment.
If the Vast desires an effect that will last beyond a scene, then he must spend another
wager to change his Temporary effect to a Permanent effect. Permanent effects last for as long
as their natural timeline (i.e. they grow old, suffer erosion, fade) and fully risk Attachment.
Vast may not affect the Duration of an effect they did not create.
If a Vast establishes an effect outside of a Primacy, that effect may have any Duration.
Additional Notes
Any effect a Vast wishes to create requires that all wagers associated with it be spent at
once. For example, creating a Temporary, Potency 4 Bear would require five (5) wagers to be
spent all at one time. The first four (4) wagers would establish a Potency 4 effect and the last
wager would change that effect from Fleeting to Temporary.
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Any Harm caused by The Vast is Permanent by default, requires no wagers to increase
its duration, and risks Attachment. As with all effects, other Vast may adjust the Potency of an
attack by spending wagers.
The Vast can spend one (1) wager to summon any member of their Pantheon. This
summoning is Permanent, but does not risk Attachment.
The Vast can spend one (1) wager to send any member of their Pantheon in their
presence to another location in The Known. This sending is Permanent, but does not risk
Attachment.
Characters summoned (or created) by the Vast cannot act during the Primacy in
which they were summoned. However, they are subject to the actions of characters who still
have wagers.
The Vast may inflict Afflictions on characters instead of Harm. Like other effects,
Afflictions must be Potent enough to beat the target character’s base dice. All Afflictions risk
Vengeance.
Vast must roll for Attachment (see Attachment, pg 55) whenever they:
◆ Add Attachment dice to a roll
◆ Create a Temporary or Permanent effect
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◆ Grant aid, Gifts, or Blessings to Archons or Appointed
◆ Inflict Harm or Afflictions on a character
For example:
Shemhazai is furious that Michael the Convincing has slain Sophie the Wise. He
wishes to bring her back to life immediately upon entering the scene. He gathers his dice, wins
primacy (with 8 wagers), and immediately spends four (4) wagers to bring her back to life.
His first two (2) wagers are spent to achieve a Potency 2 effect to raise her and his second two
(2) wagers are spent to make the effect Permanent. Shemhazai then spends one (1) wager to
pierce Michael's Illusion and one (1) wager to send Michael into his Realm. He has two
wagers remaining, and will roll for Attachment soon.
Adding Aspects
Finally, players may spend wagers to add an aspect to a scene. Aspects allow you to
spend story points to gain extra dice in keeping with the aspect's description. In addition, they
serve to add description to the scene, adding a mechanical benefit to setting elements.
Each wager players commit to the aspect increases the aspect's Rank by one (1).
Other players may spend wagers to increase or decrease the Rank of the aspect. There is no
maximum (or minimum) to the rating of an aspect, but like the effects of the Vast, the Rank of
an aspect cannot be affected once the Primacy during which it was created has ended.
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For example:
Upon arriving in his realm with Michael, Shemhazai wishes to make clear how
foreboding his Realm can be to the Annointed. He spends his final two wagers to create a
Rank 2 aspect called "Frigid." This not only establishes the setting elements for the chapter,
but also allows either Shemhazai or Michael to spend a story point to tag the aspect and gain
two (2) extra dice on their roll. However, they must clearly state how the aspect would help
their plans to receive the benefit.
Ending Scenes
As the conflict in the scene comes to a close, the Watcher must decide when to end the
scene, calling for a close, even if there is still action left to play out. Sometimes the best time to
end a scene is not when everything has been completed but when it is most interesting to end.
When the scene is over, each player can award one story point out of the pool of story
points in the middle of the table to a player who contributed an excellent idea or moment to
the scene.
Finally, the Watcher must gather up all the story points and redistribute them evenly
among the players in the group. These points carry forward into the next scene.
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The group can decide to play out another scene, returning to the Setting Primacy, or
end the session.
Ending Sessions
At the end of every session after the first, the group must pay a number of story points
to keep the Age going. The group pays this cost together, with everyone who wants to
contribute putting up story points to pay the cost. These points leave the game, and the Age
continues.
1st Session - 0 story points
2nd Sessoin - 5 story points
3rd Session - 10 story points
4th Session - 15 story points
5th Session - 20 story points
When the Age ends, the timeline of the game advances roughly fifty years. The Mortal
characters die, the Appointed and Archons grow old, and the Vast are permitted to take a few
actions to develop their Pantheon and defeat their Burdens. If a player has unresolved issues
in the current Age, she may have to devote a large amount of resources to keeping this Age
going.
Once the new Age has started, the sessions reset, and the cost to keep the second Age
going return to zero.
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Chapter Four: Characters
The Common
Base Dice: 1 die
Blessings: 0
Orisons: 0
Gifts: 0
The Common are mortals, lowly pawns in the machinations of the Vast. Note that they
do not receive Blessings, Orisons, or Gifts. If a Vast does bestow a Blessing or a Gift, the
mortal immediately becomes one of The Appointed.
The Appointed
Base Dice: 2 dice
Blessings: 1
Orisons: 0
Gifts: 1
The Appointed are the priests and emissaries of the Vast, carrying forth their word
unto the people of their worlds. Each is marked by a symbol that represents the Attachment
they are bound to and represent, a sign of the power that the Vast has bestowed upon them.
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For example, an Appointed imbued with the power of destruction may find that his hands are
black, and small plants and animals wither and die at his touch.
Additional Powers:
May summon The Vast that created them by spending a story point and speaking the
Vast's name.
Once per Age, an Appointed may Channel the Attachment they represent, spending a
story point to add dice to their rolls equal to their Vast's rating in that Attachment. When they
do this, the Vast who Appointed them must roll for Attachment.
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Blessings
When the Vast mark an Appointed as their priest, they bestow upon them a Blessing, a
supernatural Aspect that grants them extraordinary skills and power. The Blessing is what
makes an Appointed a member of the Vast’s Pantheon, and a Vast who grants one must risk
Attachment in Laity. A character may only have one Blessing at a time, but a Vast may grant
a new Blessing that supersedes the older one. During a Wager Primacy, characters with
Blessings can spend a story point to add three dice to their pool, assuming that the Blessing is
appropriate to the situation at hand.
Wise: You have traveled far and wide, learning much about the Known and the
creatures that inhabit it. When a contest calls for you to have deep insight into the workings
of the Known, spend a story point to add three dice to your roll.
Resourceful: You are never without a plan, relying on your wits and cunning to see
you out of difficult situations. When your ingenuity is an asset in a contest, spend a story
point to add three dice to your roll.
Steadfast: You cannot be moved easily by words or force, requiring your opponents to
undertake extreme efforts to push you aside. When a contest calls for you to remain resolute
in the face of coercion or danger, spend a story point to add three dice to your roll.
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Gigantic: You are extraordinarily large, dwarfing normal men and women with your
height and weight. When your enormous size is an asset in a contest, spend a story point to
add three dice to your roll.
Tireless: You will never surrender. Never. When a contest calls for you to push on
despite the odds, spend a story point to add three dice to your roll.
Swift: You are legendarily fast, outpacing your friends and foes without breaking a
sweat. When your speed is an asset, spend a story point to add three dice to your roll.
Breathtaking: Your face may not have launched a thousand ships yet... but it will.
When you rely upon your natural beauty, spend a story point to add three dice to your roll.
Convincing: Your words are like honey: entrancing, saccharine, and sticky. You are
used to getting your way… if they let you open your mouth. When your silver tongue is an
asset in a contest, spend a story point to add three dice to your roll.
Lion-hearted: You are brave beyond measure, an inspiration to those who seek to
defeat their enemies and rise above their own mortality. When a contest calls for you to throw
caution to the wind, spend a story point to add three dice to your roll.
You are free to create your own Blessings, but remember that they should be
appropriately moving and epic.
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Gifts
The Vast may choose to grant Gifts, objects of immense power, to any Appointed or
Archon. Usually these Gifts are granted during character creation, but they may be given
during play as well. If a Vast grants a Gift to his own Appointed or Archon, he risks
Attachment in Lineage or Laity.
Gifts come in many forms ranging from weapons to spyglasses to jewelry. It’s up to the
players to narrate what the object is and how it is represented in the narrative. A single
Appointed or Archon cannot have more than one Gift, as the magical energies that are
generated by two Gifts will slowly drive them to madness.
Willpower: Spend story points to ignore any mental Command. There is no limit to
how many story points you may spend, but you may not partially downgrade a Command (i.e.
spending one story point does not make a Rank 3 Command a Rank 2 Command). If you are
ignoring a Rank 3 Command, you must spend three (3) story points. If you can’t spend that
many, you cannot use the Gift.
Invisibility: Spend story points to create a Temporary Illusion of invisibility with
Potency equal to story points spent.
Healing: Spend story points to heal a wound. There is no limit to how many story
points you may spend, but you may not partially heal a wound (i.e. spending one story point
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does not make a Rank 3 Wound a Rank 2 Wound). If you are healing a Rank 3 Wound, you
must spend three (3) story points. If you can’t spend that many, you cannot use the Gift.
Protection: Spend story points (instead of wagers) to downgrade damage.
Sight: Spend story points to see through illusions, such as invisibility. You must
spend story points equal to the Potency of the Illusion.
Flight: Spend a story point to fly for a single Primacy.
Summoning: Spend story points to summon a creature of a Rank equal to story points
spent. At the end of each contest, you must roll a die against your Psyche to avoid losing
control of the creature. If you succeed (i.e. roll lower than your Psyche), you can banish the
creature. If you fail, the creature turns on you.
Luck: Spend a story point to reroll your dice in a contest that you lost. You may only
use this power once per contest and you may not alter your wagers or story points spent on
the roll.
Chaos: Spend story points to alter the rolls of other players in a contest. For each
story point you spend, the other players must reroll the highest or lowest die (your choice)
without altering their wagers or story points spent on the roll.
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Archons Base Dice: 3 dice
Strength/Weakness: Soma, Psyche, Ruach (Body, Mind, Spirit)
Blessings: 1
Orisons: 1
Gifts: 1
The Archons are the children of the Vast, the sons and daughters of Gods. They are
human, but only barely so. Their stories are the seeds of legends, and they rise to be Queens
and fall as scoundrels and layabouts in equal measure. Like the Appointed, Archons receive a
Blessing and one Gift. In addition, they also get an Orison, a fantastic power that sets them
apart from mortals and must choose a Strength and Weakness:
Soma - +1/-1 to your physical base dice
Psyche - +1/-1 to your mental base dice
Ruach - +1/-1 to your spiritual base dice
The Strengths and Weakness vary the base dice of Archons such that each Archon has
one category at a four, one category at a three, and one category at a two. An Archon cannot
choose to have the same Strength and Weakness.
Each Archon also starts with a single Affliction, a tragic flaw that drives that character
to greatness… and toward a bitter ending. This Affliction can never be removed, not even by
the Vast themselves.
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Orisons
In addition to Blessings and Gifts, Archons also possess fantastic powers called
Orisons. These magical abilities are similar to the kinds of feats the Vast can perform, but the
Archons use them without risking Attachment or expending much energy.
Invulnerability: Spend a story point to ignore any wound delivered, regardless of the
severity.
Strength: Spend story points (instead of additional wagers) to increase the rating of a
wound you are delivering. You cannot spend more story points than your Soma score.
Speed: Spend a story point to spend the first wager in a contest, regardless of who
won Primacy.
Command Person: Spend a story point to issue a Temporary Command to a target
with a Potency up to your Psyche score. If affected, Archons may ignore the Command by
spending story points equal to the command's Potency.
Command Nature: Spend a story point to issue a Temporary Command to beasts or
plants with a Potency equal to your Psyche.
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Command Elements: Spend a story point to issue a Temporary Command to air,
wind, fire, or earth with a Potency up to your Psyche. Characters with this Orison tend to
focus on one element for thematic effect, but may be able to manage more than one.
Create Illusion: Spend a story point to create a Temporary Illusion with Potency
equal to your Psyche.
Flight: Spend a story point to fly for a number of Primacies equal to your Ruach.
Raise the Dead: Spend a story point to raise an army of undead warriors. These
warriors act as a Temporary army with a die pool one less than your Ruach.
Healing: Spend a story point to heal a wound on any character up to your Ruach
score.
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Afflictions
Unlike Blessings, there is no limit to the number of Afflictions a character can acquire.
A character may suffer from an unlimited list of maladies and curses, each adding a bit of
misery to his already bleak existence (and earning him more story points).
Normally, Afflictions are acquired as the result of an interaction with the supernatural.
An unlucky Appointed who crosses a Vast may find himself struck with Madness or Greed as
a just punishment for the lesser's arrogance.
That said, sometimes Afflictions arise purely from mundane events and experiences.
For example, the murder of an Archon's true love would absolutely cause him to swear
Vengeance against the killer. Players can propose that an event in a character’s life is so tragic
that he would be struck with an Affliction, and—if the table agrees—add it to the character’s
sheet.
Madness:
Your mind has turned against you, convincing you that the world is not as it seems.
Claim a story point when your confusion works against you.
Vengeance:
You are consumed with revenge against a character who has truly wronged you.
Claim a story point when your bloodlust blinds you.
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Hubris:
You believe that you are the equal of the gods themselves. Claim a story point when
you overreach your station.
Pride:
You cannot admit that you are, have been, or ever will be wrong. Claim a story point
when your ego keeps you from admitting that you have erred.
Curiosity:
You want to see the secrets of the Known laid bare before you. Claim a story point
when your questions take you beyond safety and into danger.
Greed:
You wish to see all the world delivered to your doorstep. Claim a story point when
your avarice overwhelms your better judgement.
Terror:
Your fear has overtaken you, driving you to flee no matter the cost. Claim a story
point when you run away. Claim two story points when leaving puts another character in
danger. (Note: This affliction may only last for a single scene.)
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The Vast
Base Dice: 10 die
Blessings: 0
Orisons: 0
Gifts: 0
The Vast know no limits. Of course, they are subject to Attachment and the Code…
Attachment
Creation:
One of the most common Attachments for the Vast, Creation is risked whenever the
Vast create something from nothing or reanimate dead material. Common Creation risks are
bringing the dead back to life and creating objects or creatures from nothing.
- You will Unravel when you destroy something you created.
Destruction:
As common as Creation, Destruction is risked whenever the Vast inflicts damage or
otherwise ruins an object, creature, or person through direct means. The most common
Destruction risk is direct damage during combat.
- You will Unravel when you recreate something you destroyed.
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Nature:
Nature is risked whenever the Vast directly affect plants and animals in the living
world. Note that creating a bear from nothing would risk both Creation and Nature while
summoning a bear would risk only Nature. Common Nature risks are summoning animals,
directing plant growth, and communicating with ecosystems.
- You will Unravel when you corrupt or destroy a pure place.
Elements:
A close sibling to Nature, Elemental attachment is risked when the Vast affects non-
organic material. Note that creating a stone golem from nothing would risk both Creation and
The Elements, while animating a stone statue would only risk The Elements. Common
Nature risks are summoning elements (fire, water, earth, and air), animating inanimate
objects, and crafting enormous structures.
- You will Unravel when you bestow "true life" on another character.
Lineage:
The children of the Vast, known as Archons, are some of the most powerful creatures
in the Known. They are also permanently entwined with the Vast that sired them, causing the
Vast to risk attachment whenever they affect their own Archon. Common Lineage risks focus
on using the Vast's powers to create, harm, or help Archons.
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- You will Unravel when you kill one of your children.
Laity:
While Archons are immensely powerful, the Vast often prefer to to create Appointed
to carry out their wishes. The Appointed are less likely to move against the Vast directly,
obeying his or her wishes without the complications of familial ties. Any action that directly
affects the Appointed risks Attachment, including creating, destroying, or aiding them.
- You will Unravel when you destroy one of your temples.
Dreams:
The Vast, afraid to work directly, often interact with their worlds through illusions and
dreams. Yet, even these ephemeral communication risk attachment, tying the Vast more
closely to the Attachment of Dreams. Common Dream risks include creating illusions,
altering dreams, and warping the emotions and thoughts of others.
- You will Unravel when you dispell the illusions of another.
Vengeance:
Few emotions that the Vast experience are strong enough to risk attachment.
Vengeance, however, is so powerful that the Vast must risk attachment when the aid or
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impede the desire for vengeance in others. Common Vengeance risks include empowering
those seeking vengeance and enacting vengeance on the behalf of others.
- You will Unravel when you deny a direct request for righteous vengeance.
Risking Attachment
Roll a die after your Vast takes any action that risks Attachment. If your roll comes up
less than or equal to your current rating, add one to your Attachment; your Vast's affinity for
that Attachment has grown stronger. If your roll is greater than your current rating, your
sheet remains unchanged; your Vast is lucky enough to avoid being further ensnared in ties.
You must roll for Attachment immediately after your Vast completes the action that
raised the risk in the first place. For example, if you kill a soldier, you must immediately roll
for attachment as soon as you spend the wagers to kill him.
If you taken an action for which you have no points of Attachment, you immediately
gain the first point.
If you already have five dots in an Attachment, it cannot go any higher. You do not
need to roll for actions involving that Attachment.
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Unraveling
When a Vast has an Attachment at the maximum of five dots, they are vulnerable to
Unraveling. If the Vast violates the Unraveling condition, they are torn apart by the Fates,
and remade into a new version of her previous self. For example, the Yahweh of the Old
Testament who rains fire and brimstone down on the people who hurt his people becomes the
kind and loving God of the New Testament. Same god, different personality.
The Vast are terrified of Unraveling. While they cannot die, they treat the destruction
of their personalities, their wishes, and their desires as equal to or worse than death. They will
kill to avoid it, and often leave their friends and allies to die to keep themselves whole.
For the most part, Unraveling is not an instantaneous process. Eventually, however,
The Fates will catch up with a Vast who “breaks the rules,” unmake his Realm, destroy his
Denizens and his Guardians, and rip him apart. The pieces that are left will reknit themselves
in the next Age. For some Vast, this is a relatively quick progress. They may find themselves
torn to pieces on the battlefield, done in only a few seconds after they broke the rules. Other
Vast may have time to collect their things, say goodbye to their loved ones, and prepare for
their next incarnation.
When a Vast Unravels, the player makes a new sheet. Everything they were previously
connected to in The Known is lost. The characters that they were previously associated with
are still alive, still active, but the new Vast cares not for them nor for their concerns. The Vast
who created those characters is lost to them.
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Pantheon
Realm: A Vast’s home in a subspace away from the Known. Realms can be accessed
from any world in the Known controlled by the Collective, but the doorways and passages
may be dangerous to mortals.
While in your Realm, your Vast receives a bonus to all rolls equal to your Realm’s
rating.
Denizens: Defenders and keepers of a Vast’s Realm. The Denizens of a Realm are the
fantastic creatures that guard and protect a Vast’s private space.
Denizens may take actions in your Realm and add the Realm’s rating to any rolls.
They are a group character, although individual personalities often emerge in play.
Guardians: Personal guards of the Vast. Each Vast has one supernatural, military
force that can be summoned from anywhere in the Known by spending a single wager. These
Guardians may be human, but they may also be an army of devilish creations, mythical
creatures, or mechanical constructs.
The Guardians act as a group character, and my be led by another character,
effectively adding their dice to all that character’s rolls. As with Denizens, they do not have
individual character sheets, but your group may find one or two of them to surface as the
voice of the unit.
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Appointed: Priests of the Vast. Appointed have been marked by the Vast, and contain
a fraction of the Vast’s power. As priests, they serve many roles, ranging from evangelists to
covert agents.
Appointed may summon your Vast by spending a story point, and can add your
Attachment dice to their roll once per Age. In addition, each Appointed receives one Blessing
and one Gift.
Archons: Powerful children of the Vast. Archons are the mightiest soldiers and
servants, but also a liability for the Vast who spawned them. The fickle children of the Vast
often turn against them.
Archons gain Orisons, powerful gifts that can eclipse even the Vast, and also receive
one Blessing and one Gift. In addition, each Archon is cursed with an Affliction that haunts
them from birth.
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Burdens Prophecy: Future visions that bind the Vast. The Vast may pear into the future, but
are bound by what they see. In addition, all Vast, bound together, gain the knowledge of what
the Vast seeking the prophecy has seen. Prophecies are a risky gamble, and the Vast fear
knowing almost as much as they fear the Unknown. A Vast may only have one Prophecy
active at a time.
Any character may spend a story point to add a number of dice to a roll equal to a
Vast’s Prophecy when appropriate. For example, if a Vast is destined to kill his own child,
another Vast might spend a story point to improve the roll made to disguise the child as the
Vast’s Beast.
A Vast may acquire a Prophecy at any time, peering into the future to see what will
become of the events of the present. When he does so, he automatically receives a number of
story points equal to half the rating of the Prophecy he chooses. In addition, other players
receive the option of offering additional story points to add details to the Prophecy.
Beasts: Creations and Constructs that have gone rogue. Beasts harbor a hatred for the
Vast that spawned them, and seek their destruction.
Beasts have a number of Blessings, Orisons, Gifts, or Maledictions equal to their
rating, and may be assigned as normal characters during the Character Primacy.
Rival: An NPC Vast who wishes to see your holdings destroyed and your Worlds lost.
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Each dot of Rival removes an Age Action from your Vast’s sheet. In addition,
character from their Pantheon may emerge to destroy, frustrate, or complicate your plans.
Rebellion: Mortals who wish to throw off the Vast. They are organized, militant, and
often willing to take extreme actions to “reclaim” their World.
Each dot of Rebellion acts like a dot of Guardian, and can be led by characters seeking
to destroy or throw off the Vast. A Vast may suffer from more than one Rebellion at a time,
each on a different World.
Chains: Punishment established by the Collective. When the Vast break the Code,
they are punished by Chains. If found guilty by a Jury, a Vast is bound by the rest of The
Collective, weakened in proportion to her crime.
Each dot reduces the die pool of your Vast by 1 for all rolls. If a Vast is bound by 10
levels of Chains, he effectively becomes mortal, losing his powers, but cannot die and comes
back to life within hours of being killed. Chains fade slowly, losing one level per Age. If a Vast
unravels, his chains are lost along with his identity.
Maledictions
While Beasts have access to any number of Blessings, Orisons, and Gifts, they also can
purchase Maledictions, powerful abilities that only manifest in the dark hearts of Beasts.
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Mortal Form: Spend story points to create a Temporary Illusion with Potency equal
to the points spent. The Illusion makes you appear as human.
Immobilize: Spend story points to incapacitate a character by turning him to stone,
locking him in chains, etc. A character who wishes to escape must spend a number of wagers
equal to the story points spent. The Vast remain unaffected and Archons who have a strength
in Soma may spend a story point to resist fully.
Cause Affliction: Spend story points equal to a target's Psyche to add a Temporary
Affliction of your choice to that target. A target may only be subject to one Temporary
Affliction at a time.
Venom: Spend a story point after inflicting a wound on a character. That character's
wounds cannot be healed for the rest of the scene, except by The Vast who must spend an
extra wager to destroy the poison.
Siren Song: Spend story points to afflict multiple characters with a Temporary
Affliction. Each story point spent allows you to affect one additional character. The Vast
remain unaffected and Archons who have a strength in Psyche may spend a story point to
resist the Affliction.
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Chapter Five: Resources
Glossary
The Vast - A race of supremely powerful entities who have nearly limitless power.
Their bodies have transcended simple biology and exist primarily in the realm of ideas and
concepts. The Vast control enormous areas of space where they are worshipped as gods.
The Known - The area of space and time that is home to a particular group of Vast.
While there are certainly other areas that support Vast, they lie too far apart from each other
for safe travel. Few Vast will risk their current holdings in an attempt to reach new
opportunities in the Unknown.
The Code - The Vast who have elected to be members of The Collective follow The
Code, a collection of laws that limits The Vast who subscribe to it. These laws are vague, but
enforceable enough that they aid communities of Vast who wish to live together.
The Collective - While the Vast have no formal organization, most of them subscribe to
the rules and customs known as The Collective. Membership in this order conveys certain
benefits, included the rights of Dominion and Harmony.
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The Diaspora - The Vast that refuse to abide by the rules of The Collective are known
as The Diaspora. Without the calming influence of The Code, the Diaspora cycle quickly
toward Unraveling, ruling worlds as god kings until they cross paths with Fate. They are
chaotic beings, enthralled by the attachments they form in their madness.
Fleeting Effects - Fleeting effects last until the end of the next contest. The Vast may
upgrade a Fleeting effect to a Permanent effect by spending a wager before the effect expires.
Fleeting effects do not risk attachment.
Temporary Effects - Temporary effects expire and dissipate at the end of the scene.
The Vast may upgrade a Temporary effect to a Permanent by spending a wager before the
effect expires. Temporary effects risk attachment.
Permanent Effects - Permanent effects do not expire. Once something is made
Permanent, only another Permanent effect can destroy it. Permanent effects risk attachment.
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