IsabellaRose

Resources in game terms refers to two things that work much the same way: Extras: NPCs with limited screen time in the game who can assist you mechanically with a couple things (their specialties) and Locations: Places that are important to your character and can assist you mechanically with a couple things (their specialties) Assets in game terms is an umbrella term that collects both Distinctions (personality traits, skills, and things that describe who your character is and what kinds of things they do) and Abilities (supernatural or superhuman abilities your character might have whether innate or related to their tech). Your Truth Value is maxed out at d12! Honeypot is a Distinction. Distinctions earn SFX every other die rating, so you get an SFX when you take the Distinction at d4, none at d6, a new SFX at d8, none at d10, and a new SFX when you max it out at d12. Your Honeypot was already d8, so you have now increased it to d10. At d10 you don't get a new SFX. Currently your Honeypot Distinction looks like this: Stepping up Mr. Kay puts him at d6. You haven't spent any dice to increase him prior to this point. The atomizer bit is what I have listed on your sheet as the Ability: Pherotech, which is the catch-all Ability surrounding your pheromone abilities. This puts you up to d8 Pherotech which does indeed give you the new SFX. Your Pherotech Ability currently looks like this: From there, all you have to do is draw an arrow from any circle or diamond back to a Lead square and you're done with Step 4!

So the default rule for SFX is that each "ability" starts with one SFX, and you add more through play (by spending dice out of your growth pool) and in the scene end "Growth Scenes" where you spend your growth dice to improve your stats and add new distinctions, abilities, relationships, etc. I've altered that so that you get 1 SFX when you take the ability at d4 rank. Then, just like you get to add a SFX to a distinction every 2 dice ranks, I'm letting everyone select another SFX for their Ability at d8 rank and another at d12 rank. So if you step up Pherotech to d8 in a later step, you can select the 2nd SFX as well! I'll put the flood a scene effect down on your sheet and call it a day! @DreamsnThings - Now you just need to do Step 4 from Pathways!

It looks like you still have the old/original version of Pherotech written down from before I corrected my mistake. The version listed in the Abilities list is below, you just need to select one: I added that as the Gear step up from Step 3! These are good! Locations only ever have 2 specialties. We could add a location like "Ramona's private lab" or "Mr. Kay's workshop" or whatever you want to call it to provide additional 2 specialties. You could call it "Agency office hidden behind bookcase", "Ramona's secret office", "Ramona's private apartment" or whatever you want, and give it whatever specialties you want. If you want to see how I'm adding them to your sheet, check it out in the MY Copies of Steampunk Characters thread. So all you need to do is select one of the SFX for Pherotech (which is the sprayer/alchemical aspect of the Pherosol) and then do Step 4 and you're all caught up!

So... I'm treating it as: Ability/Gear: Pherosol (which is the multitool actual piece of hardware into which other Abilities are added. Any multitool type functions can just be added as SFX of the Pherosol itself. Ability: Pherotech - the chemical/pheromone effects you can create - this is it's own ability, even though it is built into the Pherosol. Ability: Flight - the ability to glide/Mary Poppins your ass around - this is also it's own ability, even though it's built into the Pherosol. Ability: Shield - the ability to shield yourself or others from projectiles and maybe more - this is also it's own ability, even though it's built into the Pherosol. The reason I'm treating them all as individual Abilities is because that's how any other character would have to add them if they wanted all those abilities. Once you add an ability, you can select one SFX from its SFX list (found over in the Cortex Steampunk Rules Reference under the spoiler tag under Abilities, then under the spoiler tag The Big (non-exhaustive) List of Abilities. You also need to select an SFX for the Pherosol itself (which will allow multitool SFX, you can find it and its related SFX in the Rules Reference under Abilities, then under Custom Gear right below The Big List.) Currently you have: d4 Pherosol d4 Pherotech d4 Flight You can step one of them up by one die size to d6 as part of Step 3 (the last thing you needed to complete for Step 3!) Other than that, you just need to add specialties to your Resource "Kyle's Cure-All". Details on Specialties can be found on the post I made above: https://ecchidreams.com/community/topic/9927-cortex-steampunk-game-1-ooc-discussion/?page=22#findComment-167797

Guilty, but only because I'm also guilty of thinking the same thing of myself. I spend a lot of my creative energies on things that will not last long term, when I could be "leaving a legacy" for whatever reason people feel the need to do such things. The next person wishes they had a talent that they simply do not possess.

Fuck for the sheer pleasure of it.

Missy is all set! Yes, your location is good to go! This i what I mean when I say that the game practically runs itself. The chaos gives me so many interconnected relationships and so much potential drama past and present to work with... I just have to apply a lever here or get the right (or wrong) two characters alone in the same space and BAM! Drama!

Good to go! Thanks!

One step it looks like everyone missed was adding "specialties" to your Resources. I've copied the section on Resources and how to use them here, along with some examples of both NPC and Location resources. Hopefully these give you enough to go on to create specialties for your Resources. Please let me know if you need any clarification. RESOURCES Drives (Values & Relationships) are the core of Leads, and Assets (Distinctions & Abilities) further define that core. Resources, on the other hand, are completely external and include things like minor characters and the places in which the main characters play out their drama. These are Locations and Extras. Each is rated in dice, like other Traits, but Resource dice come in pairs, such as 2d8 Town Sheriff or 2d6 Ranger Camp. This doubled die rating is important for both keeping track of the Resource’s use in an episode, and for how it helps you out. Extras Extras don’t have complete sheets of their own. They usually only do one or two things in the context of the game, their specialties. For example, you might have 2d8 Dr. Emil Hamilton (Science, Medicine), while another player benefits from their 2d10 Pinkerton Security Team (Security, Retrievals). As long as the Extra can have some impact on your action (i.e., they're in the same scene as you or somehow inspires or motivates you) you roll the Extra's dice, too. You must roll them separately. Then you take the highest of the Extra's dice and add it to your result. You then reduce the Extra's die rating by one die. Once your Extra's been tapped twice, he’s out for the rest of the episode. Locations Just like Extras, Locations don’t have full character sheets and they can only lend their dice to help in one or two things, their specialties. When the scene you’re in takes place in one of your Locations and you’re rolling for something that the Location could reasonably Aid you with, roll the Location’s dice, take the highest die and add it to your result. Then, just like with Extras, remove a die from the Location’s rating. Tap the Location twice in an episode and it’s out. Sometimes it pays to plan ahead. If you know you’ll need assistance from your Location later, you can set yourself up to use the Location’s qualities in a later scene. Maybe you want to do your research in the library and later throw it in the faces of the bad guys. To do this, spend an entire scene in the Location getting ready ahead of time (researching, prepping the explosives, writing the new formula, etc.). Then, later in the episode when you actually need the dice the Location can give you, even if you are no longer in that Location, the dice are available for you to use. Example Extras The Extras that follow are examples of archetypal citizens that you can insert into almost any scene. You can also use them as templates to help create the Extras on your character sheets. Adapt the specialties to suit how the Extra is used in your game. Notice that none of these lists of specialties have die ratings attached to them. The die rating is a subjective relationship that exists only in relation to the Lead who uses the Extra. Sheriff Caldwell (Law, Intimidation) – Upholds order but can be swayed. Mad Inventor Hiram Fitch (Gadgets, Explosives) – Eccentric tinkerer with dangerous toys. Snake-Oil Salesman Silas Quill (Deception, Rumors) – Knows the gossip and shady routes. Railway Magnate Beatrix Lyle (Wealth, Connections) – Rich, powerful, and manipulative. Spirit-Touched Guide Red Moon (Survival, Lore) – Knows cursed trails and sacred places. Bounty Hunter “Six Shot” Jane (Tracking, Firearms) – Relentless when on the trail. Preacher Ezekiel Brand (Faith, Persuasion) – Charismatic, fire-and-brimstone speaker. Undertaker Morgan Graves (Anatomy, Secrets) – Hears the whispers of both dead and living. Saloon Singer Ruby LaRue (Charm, Distraction) – Captivates audiences and smooths over tension. Professor Thaddeus Brass (Engineering, Airships) – Scholar of steamcraft and dirigibles. Example Locations The Locations that follow are general examples of places that might show up in your story. They will need to be made specific, given names and specialties, to fit into your episodes. You can also use them as templates to help create the Locations on your character sheets. Like the Extras, none of these lists of specialties have die ratings attached to them. The die rating is a subjective relationship that exists only in relation to the Lead or Feature who uses the Location. The Gilded Spur Saloon (Gambling, Rumors) – Neutral ground where secrets flow. Clockwork Foundry (Repairs, Invention) – Forge of brass and iron where miracles are made. Abandoned Silver Mine (Hiding, Supernatural) – A refuge, but haunted by echoes. Desert Shrine of the Ancients (Spirits, Healing) – A place of power and visions. Airship Dock at Prosper Gulch (Travel, Trade) – Gateway to far-flung towns and fortunes. Ranger Camp on Deadman’s Bluff (Survival, Tactics) – Rough men and women of the wild. Ghost Town of Perdition (Ambush, Haunting) – Deserted streets perfect for schemes. Union Pacific Rail Depot (Transport, Industry) – Hub of rail power and influence. Velvet Noose Brothel (Seduction, Secrets) – Where passions and information are traded alike. Frontier Newspaper Office (Research, Public Opinion) – Shapes reputations across the territory.

Fuck to reward that solid logic.

Next step does Heritage again... you'll get it then!

They are two different things. A Magical Legacy allows you access to magic. It is what gives you the "superhuman" ability to do actual magic. There are many different Magical Legacies, but they all share the root of being able to access magic, the "magical legacy". The Disciple of the Scarlet Path tells how you use magic. You could be a Disciple of the Scarlet Path, a Salem Witch, a Voodoo Priest... these will flavor how you use your magic, but the Distinction and the Ability are not the same thing. I could study and become a Disciple of the Scarlet Path, but without a Magical Legacy I'm just a charlatan who wants to screw a lot of people and convinces them it's magic. I might convince them it's true, but I won't be able to cast actual spells or manipulate that energy they give off.

I have you down with Disciple of the Scarlet Path and no Magical Legacy, so I think you must have gone back and changed a one of your steps as you mentioned earlier. I'll compare your sheet to the steps I have and make sure you didn't short change yourself anywhere along the way. Okay. You have Disciple of the Scarlet Path, not Magical Legacy. You'll have to change it on your sheet and add Magical Legacy in Step 5. Alicia is all set!

I have you down with Disciple of the Scarlet Path and no Magical Legacy, so I think you must have gone back and changed a one of your steps as you mentioned earlier. I'll compare your sheet to the steps I have and make sure you didn't short change yourself anywhere along the way. As long as they match what's on the sheet for Millie in my thread (which I think I double checked) then your values are good. You just need to select two specialties for The Exchange. See Resources in the Rules thread. By default, each Ability is only supposed to start with one SFX. You can add SFX by spending a die directly out of your Growth Pool mid-scene, any time during the game. I have changed the rules a bit so everyone can get 1 starting SFX at d4 rank (the default rule), a 2nd at d8 rank, and a 3rd at d12 rank right at the start of the game. So you could start with 1, 2, or 3 SFX for each Ability, depending on how you spend your points.

Millie is now unlocked! Oh, and for everyone - At the top of the "MY copies of Steampunk Characters" thread I have the steps listed. If you're blue under a step, you're done. If you're orange, you need to complete one or two tiny things. If you're red, you either haven't completed the step or need to address one or more major things. If you're still white, I haven't got to you yet.

I just unhid Missy as well.

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!