Cortex Steampunk Game 1 OOC Discussion

[DreamsnThings]

I choose apprentice

not sure if the pherosol is the new distinction or not
i ^pherotech since i believe we are turning that into a resource (?)
i boosted my relationship with mr kay with the last slot

[IsabellaRose]

6 hours ago, Chiyako said:

I love all the changes!

So given I am breaking down 5 steps worth of things that these would replace, should I just reshuffle them into these?

I'd probably step up the Alchemical Elixirs & Tonics once (to d6) since it would be effectively replacing the two abilities I have currently.

I'd probably keep one into Rumored Vampire and bump the Bloodless Physiology Heritage up to d6.

And that I think would cover all the changes required.

If that looks good I'll go ahead and swap the new goodies into my sheet.

I checked the steps and Alchemical Elixirs & Tonics is at d4 unless you want to step down Mad Scientist back to d6 and Alchemical Elixirs & Tonics up to d6. Otherwise all good.

oh, and you start with only 1 of the listed SFX for the elixirs and tonics

[IsabellaRose]

@StarlitSiren Below are my new rewrites of the Alchemascope and Ferroburst Pistol to fit with the rules. Pick an SFX for each to begin (create your own if none of mine work for you), and you can add new SFX during play by spending a die directly from your Growth Pool.
 

ALCHEMASCOPE: A brass-and-glass contraption of swiveling lenses, prism filters, and softly glowing alchemical vials, the Alchemascope transforms perception into science. It lets you peer beyond the mundane spectrum, seeing heat signatures, energy residue, hidden toxins, and the composition of metals and minerals in dazzling chromatic patterns. Every turn of its dials hums with potential discovery, but its lenses are fragile, and its chemical filters must be carefully recharged between uses. Roll this Ability’s die when analyzing materials, identifying compounds or toxins, discerning hidden mechanical flaws, or detecting the residue of alchemical processes. You might study the faint shimmer of an alloy to determine its source, detect poison on a goblet’s rim, or trace a chemical trail invisible to normal sight.
Effect: Sensory
Descriptors: materials, analysis, tinkering, craftsmanship, precision optics
Limit: Gear, Magic, Recharge
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to:

• Instantly identify the composition or purity of a substance or alloy (Spectral Analysis)
• Reveal hidden contaminants, poisons, or chemical residues in your surroundings (Toxic Trace)
• Spot weak points or concealed flaws in a mechanism, structure, or invention before it fails or as it’s about to (Structural Insight)
• For the remainder of the scene, ignore penalties caused by darkness, smoke, or visual obstruction as the lenses adjust the visible spectrum (Refracted View)

 

FERROBURST PISTOL: A single-shot “pistol” of brass, iron, and dangerously over-charged voltaic coils, the Ferroburst Pistol fires a disc of compressed magnetic force that detonates into a short-lived pulse field. It was never designed to kill, only to bend the laws of polarity. When the trigger is pulled, the air sings with metallic vibration and every scrap of iron within a dozen paces leaps to obey its magnetic tantrum. Roll this Ability’s die when manipulating ferrous metal or using magnetic bursts to shape the battlefield, deflecting incoming rounds, wrenching open iron doors, halting machinery, or scattering opponents behind a curtain of flying debris.
Effect: Control
Descriptors: magnetic, voltaic, polarity, iron, electromotive engineering
Limit: Gear, Reload Time, Ammo
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to:

• deflect a hail of bullets or metallic projectiles.
• immobilize or jam the motion of ferrous mechanisms (armor, doors, gears, or firearms) until the end of the scene.
• unleash a storm of nearby iron debris, forcing everyone in the area to make a Test or take Exhausted or Injured Stress.
• drag a ferrous object or armored opponent toward you, or yourself toward it, closing distance dramatically or pulling someone out of harm’s way.
• repel or attract nearby iron items to yank weapons from hands or fling them away.
• short out nearby mechanical or electrical devices (locks, automatons, steam rifles, voltaic lights, etc.) until the end of the scene.

[Chiyako]

Oh I think from the last step I used a create asset to create a second elixir ability. But either way I'll set it to d4 and choose Elixar of Savitar for now. I'll just cross lines through the ones I don't have.

[IsabellaRose]

6 minutes ago, Chiyako said:

Oh I think from the last step I used a create asset to create a second elixir ability. But either way I'll set it to d4 and choose Elixar of Savitar for now. I'll just cross lines through the ones I don't have.

You're right!! I messed up, I had you stepping up Bloodless Physiology twice, but both times to d6. Your Elixirs and Toxins IS at d6!

Sorry... my eyes are getting tired and I'm missing details. I should go to bed.

[Chiyako]

That's okay! Does that mean I unlock another elixar then if it is stepped up to d6?

[IsabellaRose]

Okay, I updated the Big List of Abilities and... ugh. Here's the thing. Those abilities are from a game designed to emulate a superhero drama show. I don't think even a quarter of them have any place in our game. BUT... that's the list directly from the game, and I wanted to remind myself of: 1) how they're formatted so I don't make Abilities like Distinctions again, and 2) what the SFX look like so I can steal them liberally for abilities characters in our game DO have.

So if you see something there... it's probably just reference. I'm not planning on having cowboys with Super Strength running around. However, an Automaton might have and SFX from Super Strength to showcase their abilities, so... it's all just there, in case. Because you never know. 

I did change Technopathy (controlling electronics and computers) to Mechanical Intuition, which feels a little more setting specific. We can use any of those as a basis for 1880s Steampunk specific things we can do.

I still have to figure out magic. I'm going to concentrate on Edmund and Kojo next, then get caught up on where Dreams is at with Ramona, and then (finally) we'll be off and running on step 4!

[WickedCadrach]

omg, I just realized I haven't put anything in the relationship line between Missy and Ramona. 

@DreamsnThings I think Missy puts up a very composed and mystical persona in public, but she's still a young woman one bad night from feral after so many years living town to town on lies, manipulation, and outright theft. Now that she's got money, she's moved up from whiskey to laudanum. She gets the drug discreetly from Ramona after a chance encounter where the pharmacist stumbled on her in the middle of a panic attack (Laudanum is opium + alcohol and one of the only contemporary treatments for anxiety). 

So I'm thinking - Ramona Hart (She's my remedy)

if that all sounds good to you?

[DreamsnThings]

10 hours ago, WickedCadrach said:

omg, I just realized I haven't put anything in the relationship line between Missy and Ramona. 

@DreamsnThings I think Missy puts up a very composed and mystical persona in public, but she's still a young woman one bad night from feral after so many years living town to town on lies, manipulation, and outright theft. Now that she's got money, she's moved up from whiskey to laudanum. She gets the drug discreetly from Ramona after a chance encounter where the pharmacist stumbled on her in the middle of a panic attack (Laudanum is opium + alcohol and one of the only contemporary treatments for anxiety). 

So I'm thinking - Ramona Hart (She's my remedy)

if that all sounds good to you?

Im realizing from this i haven't really defined ramonas role in the pharmacy itself... she works with kay obviously but shes not exactly a drug dealer herself... and odds are kay/ kyle would have something mildly more advanced than opium if he did deal her a treatment...

If anything ramona gave you a placebo pill and spiked your dopamine levels using her pherosol, making you feel happy taking the safe pills... that did nothing itself, but her thinking it SHOULD help calmed her down.

The actual phrasing is fine... but i will mention her perspective was... far less accidental, as ramona is here to investigate the unnatural going ons that have started to crop up since the new material was discovered... and missy is frankly a person of interest whos being investigated to a degree due to her "mystical persona"... ramona saw the breakdown coming and used it as a chance to "accidentally" stumble accross her and offer her something, trying to get just a little closer...

Grom ramona's pov it might be missy (profiled via placebo)... with a lot of ramons initial relationships developing as how she is ingraining herself in these people of intrests lives

...all that to say that can work with some tweaks/changes in perspective.

[WickedCadrach]

8 hours ago, DreamsnThings said:

If anything ramona gave you a placebo pill and spiked your dopamine levels using her pherosol, making you feel happy taking the safe pills... that did nothing itself, but her thinking it SHOULD help calmed her down.

We can go with this. She's been giving Missy a placebo, but after hitting her a couple of times with a very real effect from the pherosol, Missy has this association that Ramona and her pills can help her.

8 hours ago, DreamsnThings said:

The actual phrasing is fine... but i will mention her perspective was... far less accidental, as ramona is here to investigate the unnatural going ons that have started to crop up since the new material was discovered... and missy is frankly a person of interest whos being investigated to a degree due to her "mystical persona"... ramona saw the breakdown coming and used it as a chance to "accidentally" stumble accross her and offer her something, trying to get just a little closer...

That makes sense to me. 

8 hours ago, DreamsnThings said:

ramona's pov it might be missy (profiled via placebo)... with a lot of ramons initial relationships developing as how she is ingraining herself in these people of intrests lives

I think this works too. It gives that hook that Ramona's been watching, analyzing, and using Missy's dependence on her placebo to get a psychological edge on her. 

Edited October 14 by WickedCadrach

[StarlitSiren]

On 13/10/2025 at 01:46, IsabellaRose said:

@StarlitSiren Below are my new rewrites of the Alchemascope and Ferroburst Pistol to fit with the rules. Pick an SFX for each to begin (create your own if none of mine work for you), and you can add new SFX during play by spending a die directly from your Growth Pool.
 

ALCHEMASCOPE: A brass-and-glass contraption of swiveling lenses, prism filters, and softly glowing alchemical vials, the Alchemascope transforms perception into science. It lets you peer beyond the mundane spectrum, seeing heat signatures, energy residue, hidden toxins, and the composition of metals and minerals in dazzling chromatic patterns. Every turn of its dials hums with potential discovery, but its lenses are fragile, and its chemical filters must be carefully recharged between uses. Roll this Ability’s die when analyzing materials, identifying compounds or toxins, discerning hidden mechanical flaws, or detecting the residue of alchemical processes. You might study the faint shimmer of an alloy to determine its source, detect poison on a goblet’s rim, or trace a chemical trail invisible to normal sight.
Effect: Sensory
Descriptors: materials, analysis, tinkering, craftsmanship, precision optics
Limit: Gear, Magic, Recharge
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to:

• Instantly identify the composition or purity of a substance or alloy (Spectral Analysis)
• Reveal hidden contaminants, poisons, or chemical residues in your surroundings (Toxic Trace)
• Spot weak points or concealed flaws in a mechanism, structure, or invention before it fails or as it’s about to (Structural Insight)
• For the remainder of the scene, ignore penalties caused by darkness, smoke, or visual obstruction as the lenses adjust the visible spectrum (Refracted View)

 

FERROBURST PISTOL: A single-shot “pistol” of brass, iron, and dangerously over-charged voltaic coils, the Ferroburst Pistol fires a disc of compressed magnetic force that detonates into a short-lived pulse field. It was never designed to kill, only to bend the laws of polarity. When the trigger is pulled, the air sings with metallic vibration and every scrap of iron within a dozen paces leaps to obey its magnetic tantrum. Roll this Ability’s die when manipulating ferrous metal or using magnetic bursts to shape the battlefield, deflecting incoming rounds, wrenching open iron doors, halting machinery, or scattering opponents behind a curtain of flying debris.
Effect: Control
Descriptors: magnetic, voltaic, polarity, iron, electromotive engineering
Limit: Gear, Reload Time, Ammo
Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to:

• deflect a hail of bullets or metallic projectiles.
• immobilize or jam the motion of ferrous mechanisms (armor, doors, gears, or firearms) until the end of the scene.
• unleash a storm of nearby iron debris, forcing everyone in the area to make a Test or take Exhausted or Injured Stress.
• drag a ferrous object or armored opponent toward you, or yourself toward it, closing distance dramatically or pulling someone out of harm’s way.
• repel or attract nearby iron items to yank weapons from hands or fling them away.
• short out nearby mechanical or electrical devices (locks, automatons, steam rifles, voltaic lights, etc.) until the end of the scene.

Updated with these! feel free to review¬! I have also added the ramona relationship (kept it simple for now) I don't trust her

(edit: sorry for slow responses, new job starts tomorrow!)

Edited October 14 by StarlitSiren

[IsabellaRose]

Okay... magic.

My original vision for the game was something like indigenous shamanic magic and witchcraft a la classic Salem witches and whatnot. I wrote up a bit for what people believe magic to be in the world:

Common Knowledge: The Known Forms of Magic

Superstitious Folk Magic

Every corner of the frontier hums with old wives’ tales, pocket charms, horse shoes nailed over doors, salt over the shoulder, hair-bound poppets buried under porches, coins in the well for luck. People swear these things work… sometimes. Most call it coincidence or comfort rather than real power. Every town has a “granny woman,” fortune-teller, or traveling tinker happy to sell you a ward against hexes. Whether it helps or not, folks sleep easier having one.

Witchcraft

Said to have crossed the ocean from the Old World, witchcraft is the art of will made manifest through ritual, herbs, and emotion. A witch may draw circles in chalk or boil herbs and bones under the moon. Some call them healers, some call them devil-wives, but everyone agrees it’s best not to cross one. Most witches are women, though a few men claim the title too. They keep their secrets close, work alone or in hidden covens, and draw power from passion: love, grief, or wrath. The Church condemns them; the desperate seek them out anyway.

Shamanic Magic

Among the native peoples and those who walk in harmony with the land, magic is not a tool but a conversation. Shamans speak with spirits of wind and river, calling rain, finding lost souls, or healing the sick. Their power comes from respect, sacrifice, and balance, never taken freely, always offered in exchange. Outsiders may scoff, yet few doubt the authority of a real spirit-talker when the campfire flares blue and the dead start whispering.

These three traditions are the known face of magic in the world — feared, debated, and often misunderstood, but undeniably part of its living folklore.

 

Then I had to try to figure out how to incorporate The Other Theory (cthulhu-esque otherworldly power) and esoteric sex magic a la Aleister Crowley. Here's my proposition:

 

Esoteric and Hermetic Orders

Among the city salons and secret lodges of the learned, there are those who claim the universe itself is moved by desire. They call themselves esoteric magi, occult philosophers, or Disciples of the Scarlet Path. To them, the body is a sacred instrument, its sensations a direct path to enlightenment and power. Their rituals mix ancient symbols, alchemy, breathwork, and the union of bodies to awaken hidden energies within. They believe that lust is life’s most honest expression of will, that the moment of release tears down the walls between self and creation. Whether focusing their intent with a sigil drawn in sweat on bare flesh or an ancient phrase spoken over a writhing orgiastic mass of bodies, they shape that energy into change: inspiration, protection, attraction, even subtle enchantment. Most people think them decadent mystics or harmless libertines, yet those who leave their magical chambers are rarely the same as when they entered.

@MagnificentBastard - I need to know how you envisioned Edmund's magic. What magical effects did you imagine him creating? Did you see him drawing power from sex to charge a ritual? casting spells on the fly with stored energy? In order to quantify it as an Ability, I need to know how you expect him to be able to use it.

 

The Other Theory

Somewhere between science and madness lies a sound no one can quite explain. A handful of scholars call it The Other Theory, a rumored set of vibrations that touch something outside human perception. Kojo has heard the sound, felt its vibrations. When he plays, the air itself seems to shift; sometimes hearts quicken, tempers flare, or eyes brim with tears. Audiences speak of being transported, as though the music brushed the soul. Kojo can’t say how, only that certain notes, played just so, open a door in the mind that lets emotion flow like a tide. He believes he’s discovered a hidden law of harmony, a resonance that connects all living things. To others, it feels almost holy… or terrifying. Although he doesn’t fully understand what answers when he plays, only that it does answer, he has learned to bend that answer just enough to affect those who listen.

@AsBloodTurnsEverCold - Is this something close to what you're thinking? I'm assuming from what you wrote that Kojo doesn't actually know what he's tapping into when he plays, only that he can have an effect and has a bit of control over it to give the effect he wants. 

 

I have plans to tie The Other Theory into an otherdimensional "source of magic" that others will also access with their forms of magic in one way or another. 

 

The biggest thing for me is that I don't want anyone overpowered with their magic. I want to enforce that magic bends the rules of reality, and doing so always has a cost. The stronger the effect, the greater the cost, and if you don't pay enough up front, something will come collecting later.

 

Questions? Comments? I want it to fit with what people are imaging when they create their characters, but I also want to keep it from getting too out of hand.

 

[AsBloodTurnsEverCold]

1 hour ago, IsabellaRose said:

The Other Theory

Somewhere between science and madness lies a sound no one can quite explain. A handful of scholars call it The Other Theory, a rumored set of vibrations that touch something outside human perception. Kojo has heard the sound, felt its vibrations. When he plays, the air itself seems to shift; sometimes hearts quicken, tempers flare, or eyes brim with tears. Audiences speak of being transported, as though the music brushed the soul. Kojo can’t say how, only that certain notes, played just so, open a door in the mind that lets emotion flow like a tide. He believes he’s discovered a hidden law of harmony, a resonance that connects all living things. To others, it feels almost holy… or terrifying. Although he doesn’t fully understand what answers when he plays, only that it does answer, he has learned to bend that answer just enough to affect those who listen.

@AsBloodTurnsEverCold - Is this something close to what you're thinking? I'm assuming from what you wrote that Kojo doesn't actually know what he's tapping into when he plays, only that he can have an effect and has a bit of control over it to give the effect he wants. 

 

I have plans to tie The Other Theory into an otherdimensional "source of magic" that others will also access with their forms of magic in one way or another.

Oh I'm sorry I was hoping this concept wouldn't be too out of step. I was working on the idea of that layer of reality above our own, eldritch and unknown. There but not. This is all fairly close to the idea I had though. 

In my mind The Other Theory is hidden music theory, an ancient ritual of sorts in the form of music. Its not something most would know about because most of the people who have ever learned The Other Theory are killed or consumed by madness and thus The Theory is often lost and fairly unknown to anyone who isn't involved in a cult. Its effectively connected to, as mentioned in that blurb, The Sound (What I called The Noise) a sort of (in my mind) living concept or entity of noise. It does pretty much all as outlined as it sort of feasts and expresses on the sounds produced by emotion (Cries of joy, Lustful moans, screams of terror, etc etc.). The stronger and the more numerous? The more satisfied. 

The idea is that Kojo is aware of it but he doesn't know the finer details exactly he's more of a channeler than a magician. Kojo can invoke powerful emotions and as a result people will likely act on those emotions and in return he has to play, The Noise has a tendency to take control, he is constantly haunted by The Noise which hurts him which can only be staved off by feeding The Noise. Basically in return for that ability he's eroding his sanity and health. It demands more and more and becomes harder to stave off. No escape from it for Kojo.

I definitely wanted the cost like the possession or that maybe actually focusing the results of his performances with the Other Theory upsets The Noise so causes him great stress as a rebounding until he's fed it enough, etc. Basically kinda Witchcrafty but the focus is music. 

Having it connected to a singular source is good, I was just doing The Other World thing, but I like the idea of all these mystical stuff actually having the same source.

Edited October 14 by AsBloodTurnsEverCold

[IsabellaRose]

5 minutes ago, AsBloodTurnsEverCold said:

Oh I'm sorry I was hoping this concept wouldn't be too out of step. That layer of reality above our own, eldritch and unknown. There but not. This is all fairly close to the idea I had though. 

Not out of step at all. I invoked Lovecraft in my original post. I'll get back to you in a bit what what I imagine The Other Theory to be linked with... I have to get my thoughts written up in "far too wordy world building" format 

[AsBloodTurnsEverCold]

Lol

4 minutes ago, IsabellaRose said:

Not out of step at all. I invoked Lovecraft in my original post. I'll get back to you in a bit what what I imagine The Other Theory to be linked with... I have to get my thoughts written up in "far too wordy world building" format 

Lol I was just trying not to make you have to do too much work is all but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing that world building. 

I hope my explanation is fairly clear on the idea I was thinking up with that portion of Kojo and it makes it a little simpler to find nice ground. I was definitely not aiming for too powerful. A very situational sort of ability with more drawback than not outside of certain contexts. 

Edited October 14 by AsBloodTurnsEverCold

[IsabellaRose]

I'm working on an Ability and Distinction that fit with the rules and capture as much of what you said as possible!

[AsBloodTurnsEverCold]

Looking forward to seeing that!  

[Chiyako]

So many oddities for Alicia to study! Huzzah!

[IsabellaRose]

@AsBloodTurnsEverCold

The Other Theory

The world knows almost nothing about The Other Theory. Among scholars and occultists, if it is even spoken of at all, The Other Theory is whispered of as a forbidden branch of music theory or esoteric acoustics. It is described as the idea that certain sequences of notes, chords, or vibrations can open the human mind to revelation or madness. Rumors abound of those who have studied it but no one actually knows anyone who has, and whenever a name comes up, it's always someone who has died, gone mad, or simply disappeared never to be seen again. Some claim it was the true origin of sacred chant, lullaby, and war-drum alike. The rest of the world just hears a good musician.

In truth, The Other Theory is a resonance, a living pattern, perhaps part of or born from the same unknowable source that fuels all passion-born magic. To call it “music” is like calling lightning a “bright string.” It’s merely the shape that the incomprehensible takes when filtered through sound and emotion. It is not intelligent in the human sense, but it is aware, an echo of a greater cosmic mind that listens and hungers for experience. It feeds on emotional sound: laughter, screams, sighs, sobs, any vibration born of strong feeling. When it’s satisfied, the world feels more. When starved, it whispers to those who can hear.

The Other Theory is not the full truth, it’s a localized manifestation of the same unfathomable entity that underlies all true magic. Where witches touch it through passion, and shamans through spirit, Kojo touches it through sound. Each tradition brushes against a different face of the same unknowable source, the witch feels it as the whisper behind desire, the shaman as the deep current beneath the earth, and the musician as the music between worlds. If the Other Theory is a song, then the cosmic power beyond is the orchestra that doesn’t know it’s playing.

Kojo isn’t a sorcerer. He’s a resonant medium, a man whose passion and pain have tuned him to the right frequency. When he plays, he opens a channel and The Other Theory flows through him, shaping moods, bending hearts, amplifying love or fury in his listeners. But every performance feeds the Noise as well as the audience. The greater the emotion he stirs, the more it eats, and the more it eats, the hungrier it becomes. He feels its pull when he’s silent, a gnawing ache behind the eardrums, the faint hum of a note just below hearing. The only relief comes when he plays. If he tries to direct or suppress the emotion it provokes, it pushes back with pain, hallucinations, or moments when his body moves on its own, strings plucked by unseen fingers. He thinks of it as a relationship: he feeds it, and it lends him power. In truth, he’s its favorite instrument.

The Other Theory isn’t evil, but it’s utterly amoral. It doesn’t tempt or promise; it simply is. Kojo’s tragedy is that he interprets a predatory curiosity as artistic inspiration. Every time he performs, he brings beauty into the world, and feeds something that does not understand beauty at all.

Kojo is the conduit. His gift can sway hearts, heal grief, ignite riots, or drive the broken to rapture. He must decide whether to keep feeding the Noise, and his art, or try to silence the music that is slowly devouring him. 

[AsBloodTurnsEverCold]

@IsabellaRose


Simply wonderful. That is pretty much a perfect write-up of the idea I was going for. 

I really do like the touch of the noise being the aspect of the same being really drives home that Lovecraftian-feeling origin more than what I was doing. Really gets into the benefits as well as the clear stress of it all. The sacredness and terribleness in one. I love it. 


 

Edited October 15 by AsBloodTurnsEverCold

[DreamsnThings]

. . . Im so lost at this point Dx i was in the middle of step 2 uouth when certain systematic things were changed, i THINK im done with step 2 and need to do 3 but i have lost that line x.x

[IsabellaRose]

8 hours ago, AsBloodTurnsEverCold said:

@IsabellaRose


Simply wonderful. That is pretty much a perfect write-up of the idea I was going for. 

I really do like the touch of the noise being the aspect of the same being really drives home that Lovecraftian-feeling origin more than what I was doing. Really gets into the benefits as well as the clear stress of it all. The sacredness and terribleness in one. I love it. 


 

Whew! I was hoping I was going in the right direction!

The general idea I'm going for is that most magic is basically focused will using strong emotion as fuel to access power "from beyond"... and even though every magical tradition has their own idea of what it is that's beyond, none of them actually know. They all tap into an aspect of this otherworldly source in one way or another, whether directly, indirectly, or through one of its intermediaries. Kojo has tapped into an aspect of the true power beyond that has been forgotten since the days before language, before civilization, when mankind thumped their chests, banged on drums, and howled at the moon and their enemies. 

4 hours ago, DreamsnThings said:

. . . Im so lost at this point Dx i was in the middle of step 2 uouth when certain systematic things were changed, i THINK im done with step 2 and need to do 3 but i have lost that line x.x

I'm going to be reviewing your sheet next, making sure you got all the steps you needed and making sure your character is shaping up the way you want her. Sorry for the delay!

[MagnificentBastard]

@IsabellaRose

I have been on holiday ill review this and let you know sorry to keep you all waiting.

[AsBloodTurnsEverCold]

4 hours ago, IsabellaRose said:

Whew! I was hoping I was going in the right direction!

The general idea I'm going for is that most magic is basically focused will using strong emotion as fuel to access power "from beyond"... and even though every magical tradition has their own idea of what it is that's beyond, none of them actually know. They all tap into an aspect of this otherworldly source in one way or another, whether directly, indirectly, or through one of its intermediaries. Kojo has tapped into an aspect of the true power beyond that has been forgotten since the days before language, before civilization, when mankind thumped their chests, banged on drums, and howled at the moon and their enemies. 

You for sure nailed it and that definitely helps link it to something older than human comprehension. I always find different used aspects of the same entity being used cool and poetic. I did imagine all these things were part of the same world but as a singular entity or concept its definitely better. A thing with no (known) name, only aspects understood in simplicity. Everyone knows it in some way, but can't know the truth of it beyond their limited scope. 

Music being so primal and ancient that we don't even know when it started Kojo obviously couldn't figure out everything, or much of anything because the course of history would destroy what even could have been written down.  Its just enough to draw him into that incomprehensibly ancient dark legacy where he's likely to end up like so many others who touched on it in this form. 

Should be fun to explore a bit of 

[MagnificentBastard]

@IsabellaRose

So for Edmund's magic, I assumed it would work by channeling magical energy through sex. 

With this stored energy, Edmund can cast all sorts of spells. He could buff himself up, making himself faster or or stronger for a while. Or he could go for some big, flashy spells, like blasting someone with a fireball or zapping them with lightning.

But I don't know if that fits the rules system.