Chiaroscuro

Sleepers:

All characters at Chiaroscuro start out as completely human Sleepers: normal modern people who exist in the city of St. Raymond and live normal everyday lives. They don't have any supernatural understanding or ability -- but they do have the potential for it. Players here are welcome to make as many of these base-stage, human, Sleeper characters as they would like, with no restrictions or requirements.

After acquiring a Reader Token they are granted a Reading in which they awaken and become a...

Level 1: Querent

This character has asked a question of the Reader and received the first card in their reading, which establishes the core of their connection to the Empty City. This minor arcana card, drawn at random, grants them +1 to the corresponding element of the card, as well as the following traits:

• Mark of the Querent: Your character has been marked by their reading in a subtle but tangible way. The hand that drew the card is now colored inside the palm, according to the element attuned to upon the reading. Your character may also have a minor passive ability attuned to their element. Examples include: always feeling (though not necessarily being) hydrated, resistant to mundane sunburns, perfectly windswept hair, immune to pollen, etc.
• Elemental Cantrip: Your character can do minor elemental manipulations in the waking world related to the element of your Minor Arcana card. These are small conveniences that in most cases could be written off as good luck or expertise, such as: not getting soaked in a light rain, having a vague inkling about the health/’mood’ of plants, keeping a held beverage hot/cold longer than usual, or other small manipulations of the element. These are not abilities that should be able to be combined with other mundane skills in such a way that would be significantly powerful. Making a little mote of dancing fire as a small light: good. Creating a cinder that you can toss into gasoline to cause an explosion: too big. When using arcane as a skill, querents will roll 2d6 - 6 + arcane + element to determine the result of their casting. A Querent may only cast cantrips of elemental attunements that they have at least 1 point in.
• Arcana Magic: In addition to the more generic elemental magic, each character unlocks a special and unique ability that is powered by the card received in their reading. The querent has an ability, skill, or power unique to the connection to their spark. These powers can be used at will and can be creatively built using the codewords or meaning of the card drawn. Characters might feel an understanding of their powers and a pull to use them in situations where it might prove useful, even if they aren't completely sure what they do the first time. For a complete list of keywords and guidelines in building Arcana spells, please consult the magic guide below. When using arcane as a skill in combat, querents will roll 2d6 -6 + arcane to determine the result of their casting under duress. Before using Aracana Magic, you must submit your spell for approval to the moderators as a new post in your Reading thread.
• Waking Dreams: The querent visits the Empty City in dreams, where they take up an alternate appearance. This form can look similar to their Waking Self or vastly different. Character forms in the Empty City all have pointed ears and palms marked with the same color as their Querent Mark, with potential additional markings up to the elbows and the knees/feet. Additionally, they may have textural or color differences in skin, hair, or eyes as indicated by their element--someone water attuned may have a thin veneer of glossy scales, while someone air-aligned may have wispy clouds for hair. As in the waking world, they have an attunement to a form of magic, determined by the card pulled in their reading, but in this world the connection to the elements is much stronger. Characters in the Empty City may manipulate much larger amounts of their chosen element at will (as per the elemental cantrip ability), without the need for an Arcane roll. In combat, however, Arcane checks are still made to determine damage dealt.

AND BEYOND?

Information about higher level stages will be provided as it's accessible!

All Querents have the telltale mark of their reading, and then the call to those strange and empty dreams, but beside that the range of small magics made available seem limited only by imagination. Tarot cards are a familiar element in the waking world, open to many interpretations to help people see themselves and their lives a bit more clearly. The magic these cards provide also is varied and open to interpretation.

When choosing your Querent's Arcana Magic, you are invited to interpret as literally or abstractly as you like, so long as it links in some way back to the card. If you're familiar with Tarot, you are welcome to look into any familiar meaning of this card in a reading to inspire your power, drawing inspiration from any part of its interpretation. If you're less familiar, we invite you to look at the keywords below and use them to create your spell; you don't have to be a pro to make this work!

In a broad sense, he suit of the card tied to the Querent's magic determines its base energy and elemental core:

• Cups: (Water/Blood) Emotions, healing, repairs, connection, memory
• Pentacles: (Earth/Bone) Strength, resistance, protection, diligence, bounty
• Swords: (Air/Breath) Speed, travel, communication, illusion, truth
• Wands: (Fire/Flesh) Battle, passion, creativity, vigor, energy

These can be interpreted in the literal or abstract, but should have some tie back to the suit and should not overtly overlap or be misconstrued as another suit.

The value of the card, or 'pip', indicates the way that core magic is filtered or refined in the working of a spell. You can find many interpretations of the arcana online, though for quick reference you can think of these action words for the pips:

• Ace: Begin, Spark, Initiate
• Two: Collect, Gather, Plan
• Three: Collaborate, Communicate, Synthesize
• Four: Stabilize, Rest, Fortify
• Five: Aggravate, Fight, Rebel
• Six: Succeed, Give, Reminisce
• Seven: Counter, Deceive, Dazzle
• Eight: Persist, Remain, Choose
• Nine: Anticipate, Dread, Foresee
• Ten: Complete, End, Settle

For example, if my character draws the Four of Wands, I might use 'fortify' (four) and 'fire' (wands) to say that the spell they can cast is a cage made out of four fire walls, meant to hold someone in place. I might use 'stabilize' and 'passion' to say that the character's spell is an ability that allows them to direct and fixate on a motivation of their choosing, making them terribly productive for a set amount of time. Or I might branch out and look at the deeper meaning of this card as a symbol of joyful celebration, the satisfaction that follows a job well done, to build a spell that helps people recoved from exhaustion. The options should be as varied as interpretation allows, so even if two characters have the same card draw, their magic could be completely different!

In the waking world, querents will find that their magic is limited, weakened in potential. While awake, they should only be able to complete a small shadow of the magic they can do in the Empty City. However, they may find with an enhanced connection to their magic that over time, more of this ability leaks through.

As a system, Arcana magic is designed to be flexible, intuitive, and creative, with the intent being that players can build characters with interesting powers and skills. That said, there are boundaries and limitations to what moderators will approve for arcane powers! These limitations exist solely to promote interactive and engaging gameplay while mitigating the need for a power creep in order to feel relevant.

In general, the hallmarks we use to measure the validity of a good spell are a clear scope/definition, relevance to the prompted card, and mindfulness towards receiving targeted players. Examples for each are below!

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Scope and Definition

A good spell has a clearly defined theme, description, and use. Arcane spells should typically have one main effect, though need not be limited to a single on-label purpose. When considering scope and definition, it's important to think about what makes the spell work and what makes it fail--sometimes it's really fun and interesting to have a Kryptonite to a character's special ability, and can be helpful to explain those moments when the dice simply will not cooperate. We have no hard limits on stats like range, duration, or scale, because at the end of the day everyone rolls the same Arcane roll to determine efficacy, and there is room for some of that to be variable in critical moments. When in doubt, line of sight makes for a great limitation on range.

Examples:

Spoiler

Good Examples:

• Kudzu has a spell that allows them to summon a long cord of vines from a strand of their hair. Every time they cast this spell, it summons vines (as opposed to trees or fungi), but they may use it one time to restrain an opponent and another time to assist in climbing to an otherwise inaccessible place, and a third time it might be used as a whip.
• Lake has a spell that calls a chilling fog to any space in their line of sight that is not fully lit by the sun. Sometimes this can be used as a way to escape, other times it might be used to temporarily blind an opponent, or maybe they just want to make someone feel like a soggy rat for a while.
• Ash has a spell that allows them to know someone's current desire, so long as they are able to perceive the target's heartbeat. This effect works whether they see, feel, or hear the pulse, but is strongest in direct touch. This could be used to draw information from an opponent, to entice someone in negotiations, or finesse that nagging feeling about 'what do I want right now'.

Bad Example:

• Taylor makes people suffocate. In this instance, we have an effect (suffocation), but no indication of the cause of the effect (is it air removal? water? do they make it feel blisteringly hot out?) or the vague sense of how many people can be caught in the spell. There's also no sense of the arcane, or how this is a magical effect, and in terms of application there is really only one use for the described effect. This spell is also neither interactive as a targeted character or particularly themed to any card, but we'll get to that later.

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Relevance to the Theme

Arcane spells are linked to a specific tarot card, drawn in a Querent's reading. It makes sense, then, that the spell should in some way tie back to that card! Our goal is not to hamstring people with the randomness of the reading, but to inspire creativity through theming, and so we will be open to as many interpretations of a spell as is possible. When in doubt, we will ask for a justification on how a spell matches a theme given by the card, but in general these need only to be the vaguest touches of theme or styling.

Examples:

Spoiler

Thematic Healing Spells:

• Ember presses a hand to a wound, followed by a flash of light and heat. Infections are burned away in a flash and bleeding is stopped by a cauterizing effect.
• River can sense and direct the flow of fluid in the body, reducing inflammation and staunching bleeding, internal and external.
• Oak creates a cast out of bark that spreads across a part of the target's body. This stabilizes any broken or dislocated parts, and while under the bark new bone is encouraged to knit back together at a heightened pace.
• Cirrus refreshes an exhausted target, giving them a fresh breath of air and allowing them to catch their breath instantly. Exhaustion and fatigue are cleared away in moments.

This theming also ties back to the idea of scope and definition, while additionally giving the character's spell something unique and flavorful to the ability. We do not require that all spells specifically have an elemental bend to them, but they must in some way encapsulate the card suit using one of the provided keywords or a third party interpretation. The biggest stop here is going to be effects that clearly and exclusively belong to a suit. If your Querent draws a Cups card, they shouldn't be able to cast a fireball--but they could create a similar sort of effect with a water blast. If you want for a specific elemental effect for a character, we encourage you to choose the suit of their card at their Reading! Otherwise, we believe that most effects can be achieved in all of the suits with some creative engineering.

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Interactivity and Mindfulness

As a roleplaying community, our primary goal and function is to facilitate play between two or more players and however many characters between them. If we wanted control over all of the outcomes, we would write a book! That said, it is important to remember that the person you are playing opposite is a real living and breathing person with investment and care in the characters they bring to bat. A good spell is likewise interactive in a way that creates opportunities for situations, not one that shuts them down. This could be in the form of caveats, open-ended prompts, or effects that encourage engagement from the other player.

Examples:

Spoiler

Good Interactive/Mindful Examples:

• Quill calls upon a target's anxieties, summoning illusions of their fears for as long as they can see the target's eyes. (The opposing player gets to choose what those fears might look like as a character prompt, and that character might realize that they can shield their eyes to end the effect.)
• Mote creates a ring of fire around a target. If the target chooses to move through the wall, they're burned by the brief but searing heat of a flash flame. (The opposing character may choose whether they stay or leave, or if they otherwise maneuver through with a skill of their own.)
• Clay touches the ground and runs a line of dirt up their arm, which summons a layer of mud and stone to protect them. This makes them more resistant to damage but slower to move. (This calls for a possible change of strategy on the other player, or the potential to take advantage of a drawback.)

A mindful spell describes the effect on a character, but not the impact or feeling the character experiences. Even something like a charm or puppet effect should have some room for flexibility or interpretation.

Bad Interactive/Mindful Examples:

• John can kill people by thinking about them. (Besides being overpowered in general, there is little way for any other player to work around this or do anything to mitigate this effect, short of knocking John unconscious.) To be clear--instant death effects or other "point at this character and they're boned" abilities are not likely to be approved.
• Oz is immortal and immune to the influence of all magic. (Again, overpowered, but most importantly this effect is stagnant to the point of boring. How could another player interact with that?)
• Simon can make anyone do anything they say, every time without fail. (Compulsion effects are certainly allowed, but this one has no caveats that would be interactive. Does Simon have to start with 'Simon says?', Does the person have to obey to the intent or just the letter? Is the effect ended if they cover their ears? Effects like this one in particular are also good to check in with your writing partner, to make sure they are comfortable with this wrested control.)

The intent here is not to limit access to powerful abilities--many spells can have quite powerful effects while also creating an environment in which other players feel like they have agency in the story. Not every spell needs to be fully interactive, as some are self-targeting or passive, but we encourage players to think about the opportunities their character abilities create in play. Effects that are too inflexible or controlling can make other players feel stymied or that they lack agency in their character's stories, and the net result of that feeling is that they will stop tagging altogether.