IsabellaRose

Kojo is now unhidden in my thread as well. :)

Alicia is all set! I've been keeping my own copies of all the character sheets as we go to double-check that no one is missing anything in their steps, their SFX, has the correct dice listed with their abilities, etc. I've unhidden Alicia's sheet, as well as the NPC and Location lists. You can find them over here. I'll be unhiding each sheet as I get through them and make sure I'm updated. You can see anything that might be missing and/or that you need to do in BOLD inline in the sheet, and also listed in the Pathways step where it should have been completed.

Stepping up is +1 die size in the standard polyhedral. d4 up to d6 d6 up to d8 d8 up to d10 and d10 up to d12 We don't go higher than d12.

Your distinctions look fine to me on your sheet. Millie looks like she's all set for Step 4!

Assuming you stepped up Truth to d12, Alicia is all set! If you wanted to split it, Truth to d10 and Justice to d6, just let me know. Either way works!

Kojo is all set for Step 4! yes, it's either 2 steps up for 1 of the listed values, or 1 step up each.

For everyone - I called it out in the chart, but didn't make it clear in the text for the steps: the step up for your Value is either 1 value stepped up twice, or each value stepped up once. I've edited the text in the rules reference to make it clear.

Step 4 is posted in the Rules Reference. Everyone gets to draw an arrow back to any Player Character square! This can't be from any other Player Character, but it can be from anyone else, and it's much more fun to connect an NPC to another player at this point. Create secret crushes, past lovers, make it crazy! Everybody has a past, and nobody can control who finds them interesting. Make it messy! Then pick your road and complete the 4 steps under your selection.

Okay, I think we're caught up! I'll be getting the next step posted as soon as I have time!

The Pherosol itself is the multitool (that ability is built into the Pherosol, which is how you can add all the other Abilities to it.) so if you choose invention, you get to add: Ability: Flight at d4. Ability: Shield at d4. Step up Pherotech to d6. You get an SFX for each ability at d4, d8, and d12 ranks. So for now, 1 SFX for each Ability.

what they see They always start with my eyes. The men, I mean. They say they’re expressive, that I have that spark, that they can see the life in me, the laughter waiting to happen. They talk about how I look at them, how I make them feel seen, how they could drown in the color, how they’d swim there forever if I’d let them. They tell me I have eyes that say yes, eyes that tease, eyes that know too much. They don’t know how right they are. Because when I look into them, those same eyes they worship, all I see are the lies I’ve told. Little ones, big ones, the kind that keep the day moving, the kind that keep the world from caving in. I see the hours lost to pretending to be okay, to laughing on cue, to becoming the kind of woman who knows how to play her own reflection. Sometimes I stare at myself too long. The makeup starts to blur, the shape of me comes undone, and I catch a glimpse, not of the woman they think I am, but of the girl I used to be. She’s still in there, behind the practiced tilt of my head, the practiced smile, the careful way I hold myself so no one can see the seams. Her eyes were softer once, round with wonder, unguarded in a way I can barely remember. She didn’t know yet. When I meet her gaze, she looks startled, like she’s been found out, like she’s been waiting all these years for me to come back and didn’t think I would. I don’t know what to say to her. Sorry? Thank you? It’s all right now? None of it would be true. So I just keep looking, until I see her fade again into the woman I’ve become, polished, knowing, eyes that make men feel things they mistake for love. They say they can see everything in them, the fire, the flirtation, the life. And maybe they can. But what they don’t see is the way I have to look past myself every morning in the mirror, just to keep from drowning in what’s left behind those eyes.

Anything new always starts at d4.

Actually... it looks like you have 3 steps up too many. d8 Disciple of the Scarlet Path should be d6 d10 Shameless Flirt should be d6 What I'm seeing is below. You could move around a couple things to bump those Distinctions up, but something else would have to go down to make up for it.

@WickedCadrach - don't forget to add 2d4 Lincoln Palace Hotel to your character sheet! @DreamsnThings - how's it going on finishing up Step 3? Need any help or have any questions? @StarlitSiren - don't forget to bump up Edmund to d6 on your character sheet also make sure to add 2d4 The Exchange !

We can expand the "instrument" limit to include his voice. The idea is that if something happens to his instrument (or his voice) it will Shut Down his Ability. The Stress list is finite. Every character has 6 stress tracks: Afraid, Angry, Aroused, Exhausted, Injured, Insecure. I imagine the song can only inflict an emotional stress on the listener, so I excluded Exhausted and Injured. The exact circumstances listed in Lingering Echo (i.e.: crowds riot) were just examples, but the Stress tracks are set. For Resonant Performance, the d8 Emotional Complication can be any emotion. You name it, it becomes a d8 <insert emotion> Complication for the remainder of the scene and you or anyone else can use it in your rolls for the rest of the scene. If you want The Noise to have a mechanical effect on Kojo, then we would need to incorporate a mechanical "quieting" effect. If it's just story, then we don't need one. The rules aren't really built for that kind of thing, but we could do the same kind of thing I did for Edmund. We could add a limit called "The Noise" which I could trigger at dramatic moments when you roll a hitch (a natural 1 on any die). I'd give you a plot point and Shut Down your "The Other Theory" ability until you "quiet the noise" by making beautiful music with someone... ;) Now that I wrote it down, I kind of like that. It's synergistic with Edmund's Magical Legacy, it fits into how the default rules work, and it's easy to manage.

@AsBloodTurnsEverCold - Here's the updated Other Theory Ability. More or less the same, with a bit more to the SFX THE OTHER THEORY: When you play, your music doesn’t just move hearts, it opens minds. You open yourself up to The Theory and perform with an uncanny and unearthly immensity. Notes spill from your instrument or voice like a bridge to the Other World, luring listeners into a state of suggestible reverie. Sometimes it’s a captivating distraction; other times it stirs deep emotion in the listener... calm, rage, longing, even lust. With focus, you can even plant a subtle idea, a whisper woven into melody that lingers long after the last chord fades. Effect: Influence Descriptors: musical, emotional, resonance, otherworldly, hypnotic Limits: Performance (requires an instrument and the act of playing), Feedback (prolonged use inflicts Exhausted or Insecure Stress as the resonance feeds back into you) Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to... Captivate an entire audience, distracting them from events around them. (Musical Distraction) Inflict a d8 Emotional Complication (Calm, Rage, Longing, Ecstasy, Despair) on all who can hear your music. (Resonant Performance) Plant a fleeting idea or impulse within one listener’s mind. It feels like their own thought, fading after a few hours unless reinforced. (Subtle Suggestion) Inflict d8 Stress as the emotional tone of your performance lingers beyond the scene, influencing those affected for the rest of the day (Angry - crowds riot, Aroused - friends become lovers, Insecure - soldiers lose heart, Afraid - people cower in their homes). (Lingering Echo) Add your current Aroused or Exhausted Stress die to a roll OR Step Up your Effect Die. After, step that Stress up by one as the resonance tears through you.

So, I'm challenging myself. This one started out as an attempt to write an Edgar Allen Poe inspired long form poem and honestly, it got away from me and I definitely feel like the Poe tone came in and out. Part of that might be the protagonist voice I was shooting for, partly frightened, partly aroused, possibly mad. So for Prompt 7: Masquerade Mask, I give you... The Masquerade That Will Not Die...

@DreamsnThings - oh, you also have to select the first SFX for each Ability tied to your Pherosol. If you look at the Big List of Abilities spoiler hidden inside the Abilities spoiler in the Rules Reference, there's a list of SFX for each Ability. Pick one for each Ability (Pherotech and Flight) and add it to your character sheet. We'll add more later, but we need the first selections written in there so we know what you can already do at the start of the adventure.

In Cortex Smallville game terminology, "Assets" is a umbrella term that covers both Distinctions (mostly personality traits and skills), and Abilities (anything that could be considered a rare or inhuman ability or superpower). Your Pherosol is an Ability with the "Gear" limitation, which means it's an Asset in game terms. Both of those work. But just so you understand the purpose of the Pathways system, the main idea is to link other peoples' NPCs and Locations to yours, and to each other. Nothing is set in stone yet, and NPCs we may have thought of one way when we put them on the map can end up completely different (or perhaps just multi-faceted) after everyone else has had a turn linking them together. That's the fun of this system; the NPCs and Locations get linked together in this messy web that nobody could have predicted and none of us would have created on our own. It's collaborative creation and it's amazing fun! I'm not saying you have to change the links you made, but give the map a once over. See if anything there speaks to you. Maybe Kirsa is dating Jack. Maybe Red Jenny used to be a dancer at the Golden Stag. The idea is to makes links that create potential drama; unexpected connections and relationships are the best. We want more drama and conflict, and the more we bake in here, the better our starting point will be. The steps you need to complete are: 1. Add an Ability with the Gear or Mad Science Limit. This would be the Ability Flight at d4. 2. Add or step up a Distinction or Gear. Here you have a decision. You could use this for either the Multitool Ability or the Shield Ability. 3. Step up a Relationship, Distinction, Ability, or Resource. Pherotech up to d6

Perfect. that completes your Step 2 (that I thought was already complete, but now definitely is!) Now we need to finish your Step 3: Focus. Find the details in the Rules Reference hidden behind the Pathways spoiler, then the Step 3: Focus spoiler. You'll need to: Draw an arrow from any circle or diamond to another circle, diamond, or square on the Miro board. You can connect any NPC or Location created by anyone to any NPC, Location, or one of the PCs if you want. Go crazy. Make a connection no one else would think of... have fun with it! Draw an arrow from your square to a new or existing circle (NEW Extra or Relationship) or diamond (NEW Location) and label it so we know what the connection is. You can add someone or someplace new, or you can connect your character to a new or existing location. Make sure to add the person or location to your sheet at d4. Pick from the Focus steps: Fortune, The Gun, Reputation, Invention, or The Supernatural and do the steps listed. Any questions, post them here! I'd recommend Invention so you can add more Gear-limited abilities to the Pherosol (like Shield or Flight). Right now the Pherosol only has Pherotech on your sheet. There are plenty of steps to get it up to where you want it, though.

@DreamsnThings - Okay, your Step 1 is done. Step 2 we need to clarify Step 1 Origin: Prodigy DONE! Draw your Lead square. Draw arrows from your square to all other squares (don’t label yet). Draw an arrow to a new circle (NEW NPC) and label it. Mr. Kay Step up Glory or Truth twice, or step up each once. Truth x2 to d8 Add a Distinction OR add a new Ability. Ability: Pherosol (Pherotech) at d4 Add another Distinction or step up a Distinction. Distinction: Honeypot at d4 Step up a Relationship, Asset, or Resource. Kojo to d6 Step 2 Youth: Apprentice NEED TO CLARIFY Draw an arrow from your square to a new diamond (NEW Location). Label the connection (line) to define it. Kyle's Cure-Alls Pharmacy Draw an arrow from a circle or diamond that you added to any another circle or diamond. Label the connection to define it. Mr. Kay > why is my sister in this town? > Red Jenny Add or Step Up a Distinction. Step Up a Resource. Step up a Relationship, Distinction, Ability, or Resource. 1. Add or Step Up a Distinction. Your only Distinction right now is Honeypot, so you can step that up from d4 to d6, or add a new Distinction (in the Rules Reference, expand the Distinctions spoiler, then expand The Big List of Distinctions spoiler and pick one you like) 2. Step Up a Resource. Your only Resource right now is 2d4 Kyle's Cure-Alls Pharmacy, so you can step that up to 2d6. 3. Step up a Relationship, Distinction, Ability, or Resource. You have d4 Pherosol as an Ability (with Gear limit) so you can use the last step to up it to d6, OR use this step to step up your d4 Relationship with Mr. Kay to d6

I'm going to preface this by saying, I'm a dumb-dumb and ended up trying to write a crappy horror movie in as few words as possible... it's not good, and it's too long, but hidden within the spoiler tag to keep people from having to scroll for a mile, here's... Prompt 6: Trick or Tease

So would it be accurate to say that you're imagining him sort of like a classic D&D style spellcaster? But instead of having a set number of spells he can cast per long rest, he instead accumulates energy through sex, stores it, and uses it to power his spells? I hadn't imagined him buffing himself with temp strength or speed. I had pictured more a classic wizard type, using spells to keep foes distant, to scry on enemies, to find things and control them from afar. I'm trying to think of a way to emulate a quantity of stored power, but still stay within the framework of the cortex drama rules. I think what I'd like to do is do it this way: give you a Heritage called "Magical Legacy" cribbed mechanically from the book, but modified with a couple tweaks to make it fit your idea and our world: Magical Legacy: Power runs through certain bloodlines, names, and talismans like veins of ore through stone. Some inherit their gift from a witch-ancestor burned in Salem or a shamanic forebear who spoke with spirits before the railroad came. Others gain it through initiation into secret orders or the possession of a relic steeped in will and blood. Whatever its source, magic is old, stubborn, and hungry. It remembers every hand that ever wielded it, and it shapes those who dare to claim it. In the new century, where steam engines hum and the dead whisper through telegraphs, carrying such a legacy is both a blessing and a curse, a birthright no sane soul would envy, and no wise soul would squander. d4: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll any die due to your magical nature, what others call “luck.” d8: Add a d10 to Trouble to use a Special Effect from an Ability you do not have, connected or not. d12: Add a d10 to Trouble to Reveal that you know a spirit, demon, or sorcerer with information you need. Connected Abilities: Blast, Flight, Illusion, Precognition, Teleportation Limits: Energy Stores Then when there's a specific ability you want him to have repeatedly, like a rote spell that he can cast easily from having done it so many times, you'd add that ability to his sheet. So if you want him to just cast a Fireball or Flaming Fingertips of Doom or whatever you want to call it, you'd add the Blast Ability with the Fire tag, and he's a fireball casting fiend. He can always use an SFX from ANY ability if you step Magical Legacy up to d8, it will just add a d10 to Trouble (which is my pool of dice to use against all of you) every time he does. In this way, he can have a sort of magical bag of tricks (the d8 SFX from magical legacy) AND still have a few things he does all the time with less of a cost (the abilities added to your sheet). Also, with the limit of "Energy Stores", when you roll a hitch, I have the ability to give you a Plot Point to shut down his magic until he restores his power.

Oh. Yes. Many. I adore teasingly revealing clothing and translucent fabric and... well, I have this dress... I didn't need it, knew better than to buy it since I have nowhere to wear it, but it's still in my closet looking sexier in my imagination than it ever will anywhere but in front of the mirror on the closet door. <heavy sigh> It's so gorgeous, though. The next person has something they like to wear to feel "sexy".

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. 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!