[Destiny dice - DD: extra dice can are used to boost die rolls and buy actions. Typically, if an action fails, invested DD are lost and put into the Chalice of Destiny. If it succeeds, you can typically keep the DD. Certain successes will allow you to gain DD from the Chalice. You all start with 2 DD].
Each Shadow power has two traits: Influence and Resources. Each are dealt with below.
Resources represent the tools the Shadow actor has available to achieve the objectives. They are rated from 1-5, where 5 is the strongest.
A weak resource can be developed during the play through the action "mobilize resources". An entirely new resource can only be raised if the Shadow actor achieves dominans in a sphere (i.e. an area).
Five examples of resource types:
Contacts.
Knowing the right people. Good for getting info and exerting pressure.
Agents.
They are sneaky and move in the shadows. And do things.
Violent groups.
Good for intimidation and just outright killing someone in an ambush. Or occupying a city.
Clairvoyance.
Some Shadow actors are powerful sorcerers, who can see things from afar, and perhaps even plant suggestions, dreams or communicate through telepathy.
Destruction.
Some sorcerers are powerful enough to wreck havoc more directly, by creating hurricanes, earthquakes or firestorms. Ouch.
Feel free to make up your own resources for your shadow actor. Or I can assign them.
You can gain a new Resource at level 1 when you manage to achieve level 3 Influence in a Sphere, but it costs 1 DD.
Influence
Is rated 0-3, where 3 is dominant. Only one faction leader can hold a level 3 influence in a sphere at any one time.
Conspiracies
This is the point of the Shadow play. Each actor will send their resources across the map to try to achieve their respective objectives. An action to do so is called a Conspiracy. Each resource can only be used for 1 Conspiracy per shadow turn (though resources can always be used for defense if attacked, see below).
There are 4 types of Conspiracies:
1: Raise Influence.
If successful, the Shadow Actor gains Influence in the targeted sphere, as well as a number of DD equal to the Influence level achieved, if there are that many in the Chalice. A power that manages to raise its Influence to level 3 in a Sphere gains dominance there, eliminating the Influence of all other Shadow factions in the Sphere. They can spend future rounds to gain a new foothold there, but it will take time, because they have to start from scratch.
When raising Influence, make the narrative fit the level you want to achieve. Example:
Level 1 - this is just setting up a basic infrastructure for your power. Narratives can include infiltration, spreading gossip, political pressure, setting up a party, thieving or robbing, or local disasters like fires.
Level 2 - this means becoming one of the primary moves and shakers in the area and achieving that calls for something with a little more potency; Inciting the locals to an uprising, sabotaging strategic objectives, assassinating a key figure, a huge festival that goes on for a week and attracts visitors from the entire country, attacks from barbarians, floods or a rat invasion, something supernatural that terrifies an entire region, or attracts pilgrims from far away.
Level 3: Bring out the really dramatic stuff here: Revolutions, civil wars, or full scale foreign invasions, murder of a the entire leadership of a guild, an earthquake that devastates the region, a fire devastating an entire city, something supernatural that causes mass death or healing, a religious sect that takes over the entire region.
2: Mobilize resource.
The resource assigned to this is increased in strength by one step. I can't do anything else that turn.
3: Attack Resource.
This is used to weaken or destroy the resources of another Shadow actor (that may be PC-related, or GM controlled). Both sides roll their dice. If the attacker wins, the strength level of the defending Resource is reduced by 1+the number of 6s rolled. If the defender wins, the attacking Resource remains unaffected. The winner retains any invested DD and wins any DD invested by the loser as well.
4. Attack Shadow Actor.
Another contested roll. The attacker has to commit a Resource to the Sphere where the Shadow Actor is. A success eliminates the Shadow Actor from the board (killed/banished from the realm/imprisoned in a dungeon, etc). The winner retains any invested DD and wins the loser's invested DD.
To find out if a Conspiracy is successful, roll a number of d6s equal to:
the Influence rating of the Sphere you are operating in (if you have any), + 1 if you have influence 2 or 3 in an adjacent Sphere (this does not stack), + 1 if the Shadow Actor itself is in the same location + any DD you wish to invest up to the strength level of the committed Resource. Thus, a level 1 resource only allows your to invest 1 DD, while a level 5 resource allows you to invest 5 DD.
Each 4+ is a success. The difficulty of raising influence equals the target the actor wants to get. I.e. if Vemsica wants Influence 3 in an area, she needs to roll 3 4s there to get it, regardless of how much Influence she had before.
6s indicates crits and can be used to break ties in conflicts. If the roll still comes out as a tie even when taking 6s into account, the attacker wins.
BUT before the roll is made, you HAVE TO create a narrative that explains how the resources are used to achieve the objective in question. That narrative MUST be plausible and the GM can always veto it if it is not. An action that is not backed by a narrative always fails. Because the point here is not to have points in a resource, but the create a storyline that is involving and creates tension, drama, suspense, cool scenes etc. If the roll is a failure, any invested DD is lost to the Chalice or turned over to the winner.
Moreover, other Shadow Actors might Help or Block the action, if they have resources in the Sphere where it occurs, by investing DD. Investing a DD to Help adds that as a bonus die to the action (which is retained if the action succeeds). Investing a DD to Block removes a die from the action. If the Conspiracy ends with 0 dice because of Blocking Shadow Actors, it fails automatically.
A resource used to help or block someone else's efforts cannot be used for anything else that turn.
Also: no one can help or block a Resource that is Mobilizing.
If the Conspiracy fails when someone is blocking it, the blocker gets to keep the invested DD. If it succeeds in spite of a block, the Conspiring Actor wins the blocker’s DD.
Some examples of Raise Influence Conspiracy actions:
Raising to level 1: Infiltration, spreading rumours, organizing a local carnival, a minor disease outbreak, smuggling operations.
To level 2: Inciting to a revolt. sabotage. assassination of key people. A fire destroys a significant part of a major city.
To level 3: Military invasion, civil war, a purge of an organization, an epidemic sweeps across a region, a new religion establishes itself a converts the rich and powerful.
Shadow round sequence:
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Place out resources. All players position their resources on the map's Spheres. This is done hidden. Unless the GM says otherwise, you can place them anywhere regardless of where they were deployed last shadow round. You can only place 1 resource/sphere, and a resource cannot be divided.
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Place the Shadow Actor. Each player decides where the shadow power should be. It's wise to keep the actor in a sphere where it has Influence, since that Influence provides protection should the actor be attacked.
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The placement is revealed.
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GM gives possible news. Things outside the control of Shadow powers happen in the world. Now is the time to introduce those news and how it affects the Shadow powers. Anything can happen here.
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Complete the Conspiracies. This is done one player at a time, starting with the player with the smallest DD pool, and then going clockwise. Each resource can only be used for one Conspiracy/one attempt at helping or hindering another Shadow power (however, resources can defend themselves an infinite amount of times).
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When all Conspiracies are completed, the map is checked to find out which power that has the highest total Influence by adding all Influence in all Spheres. That power is overall dominant and gains an extra DD from the Chalice.
Once per story, the Shadow power can provide the player character with assistance. This aid depends on how much Influence that Power has in the respective Sphere, and what Resources are deployed there.
Influence level:
0: No help.
1: Limited information/money/discreet magic.
2: Specific information/diversions/spells or minions that help the character during a scene.
3: Extensive military support/arresting enemies/great sums of money/unique and useful information...
Example of play from a campaign using only Saphyna as its board:
Inigo starts the round by letting his informers in Krindenmaar meet up with smugglers from the Dead Crickets by the Reiben cliffs. The smugglers are carrying weapons to Ransardi rebels in the area. Inigo's objective is to Raise Influence to 2. Inigo already has Influence level 1 (gives 1 die) there and Influence level 2 in neighbouring Gaaz Ulul (gives 1 more die). Inigo thus has 2 Base Dice. His informers are a level 1, so he is only allowed to invest 1 DD for this roll. He does so, giving him a total pool of 3 dice, a risky move, given that he needs 2 4s to succeed.
Unfortunately, Puzursin's Life Guards are in the area. Puzurin decide to use them to Block Inigo's action with 1 DD. That leaves Inigo with only 2 dice for the roll, and it fails. The water is coloured red when the Life Guard sweeps in and hacks the smugglers down. Puzursin keeps the invested DD and wins the 1 DD Inigo invested.
Puzursin sends the assassins in Peak Raver to sneak into the border fortress by Hoodermas. They are to neutralize the righteous commander who refuses to take bribes. The Conspiracy aims to establish Influence level 2. Puzursin has Influence 1 in that sphere and Influence level 2 in the neighbouring area. The assassins are only level 1, so Puzursin can only invest 1 DD, for a three dice total and does so. The roll succeeds, and the next day, a fisherman finds the body of the hapless commander caught in the nets. Puzursin wins 2 DD from the Chalice.
Puzursin's mercenaries land in Eastern Korjulme and present an ultimatum to the local peasants: surrender your youth to the army or be destroyed! This is a Mobilization. The Resource achieves level 2.
Brahinzas has a fleet of zepelonds in Pjullo (level 1 resource) and commits them to raid the hold of robber baron Betrani in the Matagde Mountains. This is also a Raise Influence action aiming for level 2. With 2 base dice and 1 DD, the roll fails. The operation is proceeding according to plan until a sudden hailstorm forces the fleet to make an emergency landing. Brahinzas loses the DD to the Chalice.
Brahinza sends agents to liquidate Namtila, a competing Shadow Actor that is currently in the Frimboline Plains without any Resource for protection. Brahinza has Influence 1 there and Influence 2 in neighbouring Guidena, which together yields 2 Base Dice. The agents are only level 1, so Brahinza can only invest 1 DD in the attack, for a total pool of 3 Dice. Namtila has Influence level 2 in the area, but not in any neighbouring region. Still, another Base die is provided by the Shadow Actor itself being present, for a total of 3. Since there is no Resource in the area, Namtila cannot invest DDs at all. It's 3 dice vs. 3 dice in a Conflict roll. Namtila gains the highest number of successes and survives the assassination attempt, winning the 1 DD Brahinza invested in the process.
Namtila sends scouts (level 1) through the thorny undergrowth of Tocme forest to map the area and connect with its inhabitants (Raise Influence to level 1). Her influence in neighbouring areas is only level 1, so she has no Base Dice for this Conspiracy, and has to invest a DD to have any chance of success. It succeeds. She gets to keep the DD and wins another from the Chalice, reflecting her new Influence level.