IsabellaRose

Millicent ‘Missy’ Fisher Played by: WickedCadrach Values d6 Honor "Caveat emptor. Contracts are like gravity: they’ll break your knees the second you forget they can." d8 Glory "Everyone who’s brushed me aside is going to see how wrong they were." d10 Passion "If I’m not having a good time, what’s the point of any of it?" d6 Justice "When we’re both holding iron, we can talk about what’s fair." d6 Power "Everything in this room, it’s all mine—even you. Show me I’m wrong." d8 Truth "Truth is a cold bed and a flat beer. People don’t want the truth." Relationships d8 I need Millie Gearhart's skills. d6 Kojo Amankona affects me in ways I don't understand. d10 Alicia von Vulf needs a protector… just like I did. d6 Edmund Blackwood is a viper and not to be trusted. d6 Jack Beckett and I keep each others' secrets. d4 I'm running out of ways to bribe Joshua Thane. Distinctions/Traits d10 Velvet Voice: Your voice, sultry, soothing, or commanding, makes others lean in close. Roll when your words seduce or sway. d4: Earn a Plot Point when your alluring voice draws unwanted attention. d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die when using your voice to persuade, soothe, or seduce. d6 Snake Oil Salesman: You could sell anything with charm and fast talk. Roll when bluffing, pitching, or lying. d4: Earn a Plot Point and Give your opposition a d6 when caught in a lie. d8 Corset Tease: You weaponize clothing, posture, and innuendo. Roll when your charming outfits, teasing smile, and subtle innuendo sway others. d4: Earn a Plot Point and Add a d6 to Trouble when you flirt with someone dangerous. d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal that you’ve captured someone’s attention or obsession. Resources 2d8 Jane Montgomery (respectability, sympathy) drinks my lies like wine. 2d8 Automaton Heiress Adelaide Montgomery (wealth, connections) - Rich and eccentric, she eagerly drinks in spiritualism that validates how special she is. Believes she was Cleopatra in a past life. 2d6 Lincoln Palace Hotel (shelter, diversion) - An upscale hotel with a reputation for discretion. Fine enough for well-heeled travelers to stay in the rapidly growing town. Missy performs and rents a room in the Palace. 2d4 Red Jenny (Secrets, (supernatural) Revenge) - I have to get control of her! 2d8 "Judge" Holland Buck (Intimidation, Information) Pathways Steps

We just need to think of what kinds of abilities she gets because of her scientifically altered body. Does she have heightened senses? Extraordinary strength? An ability to blend into the shadows or somehow eerily step out of them at just the right moment? If there's something above and beyond normal humans that she can do because of this aspect of who she is, we define it, and list it as an "Ability" that can then be added later. Abilities are like super powers. She won't have all of them right out of the gate, and we can add more as we go given that our world isn't as defined as the DC Comics world the game was designed to emulate.

Sorry, I meant to say "Saha is all set WITH Step 1." I'm just trying to get all the sheets checked to make sure no one misses anything that will help them later.

Kojo - Carlo Amankona Played by: AsBloodTurnsEverCold Values d8 Honor "Promises are the only chains you put on yourself. They are not to be broken." d12 Glory "This tale will become a Ballad that lasts the ages." d6 Passion "Life, like any performance, is meant to be enjoyed to its fullest." d8 Justice "Even evil may receive a Requiem. Ready for yours?" d4 Power "I live every day with this horrid aria. You are nothing compared. Listen." d6 Truth "You don't need to hear Truth's melody. You dance to its tune anyway." Relationships d8 I must learn Alicia Von Vulf's story. d6 I respect Millie Gearheart's craftsmanship and dedication. d6 I can't help but wonder what else Missy Fisher is about. d6 I can work with Edmond Blackwood just fine. d12 I don't understand Kirsa Autenrieth, but I'll accept her help while I'm stuck with her. d6 I utterly despise Joshua Thane. Distinctions d10 Virtuoso: Music is more than skill to you, it is breath, fire, and soul. Your hands move with instinctive grace over strings, keys, or pipes; your voice resonates with power that can hush a crowd or stir them to tears. Whether in a saloon, a cathedral, or around a campfire, your performance holds people spellbound. Even without supernatural influence, you know how to make your music heard. d4: Earn a Plot Point when your music draws you unwanted attention (hecklers, rivals, over-eager fans). d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die in a performance-related roll (whether calming a tense room, impressing an audience, or competing with another performer). d4 Gunfighter: You’re quick and deadly with pistols, rifles, or shotguns. Roll when shooting or intimidating with firearms. d4: Earn a Plot Point when you Choose to run out of ammunition. Abilities d12 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) 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) d4 The Other Body: Connection with the Antediluvian changes people in mind, body, and spirit. The mind expands, the spirit extends, and the body...shifts whether you like it or not. It is a blurring of the line between human and something less...or something more. The Noise chooses its instrument and that instrument must often shape itself to fit the whims of the primordial song. The flesh becomes malleable, shifting, barely able to contain the aria. A curse, and a blessing to be a little...more than frozen to a form. Roll the Ability’s die when you use the aspects of your form to your advantage. Effect: Enhancement Descriptors: Flesh Molding Limits: The Noise (Hitch: The Noise becomes overwhelming, "Make Beautiful Music" to regain control.), concentration, calories. Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to… Duplicate a body part somewhere on your body. Resources 2d10 Thane-Cash Rebirth Hall (Public Opinion, Secrecy) - A newly built music hall meant to bring in new blood to a growing town. 2d6 Clayton Cash (Persuasion, Wealth) 2d4 The Golden Seven Church (Religion, Influence) 2d4 "The Blue Hour Lady" (Lore, Witchcraft) Pathways Steps Mentioned but not yet incorporated, Possible Future Use

@AsBloodTurnsEverCold - Kojo needs to set his distinctions to d4 to start. You already have Kirsa listed as a Relationship, so you don't want to also list her as a Resource. Also, you need to Step Up one of your Relationships or your Distinction or Ability by 1 die size. ...and now I have to run off to an emergency dinner date. Some things require immediate attention.

Finally getting through character sheets. @WritesNaughtyStories - Saha is all set for Step 1. @Chiyako - Alicia needs to set her Distinctions to d4 to start, then you need to Step Up one of your Relationships or one of your Distinctions by 1 die size.

Alicia von Vulf Played by: Chiyako Values d6 Honor "Lies are locks and shields but to promise something is to give truth to that thing at a future date." d4 Glory "It is only occasionally useful to stand out, but sometimes it is necessary." d6 Passion "Love, affection, and lust are strange weaknesses of mine which both confuse, perplex, and excite me all the same." d4 Justice "Rarely is the law of man fair and often is it necessary to carry out the law by one's own hands." d12 Power "Knowledge is power and power power often decides truth." d12 Truth "Truth is knowledge and knowledge is the most important thing in this world." Relationships d4 I must be cautious of Edmund Blackwood. d4 I want to discover if Kojo/Carlo Amankona and I are kin. d6 I need to discover what Millicent 'Missy' Fisher really is. d6 I must work with Millicent 'Millie' Gerenhart. d4 I am worried Aldert Helsink might hurt me. d6 I find Jack Beckett delightfully useful. d4 I must unravel Kirsa Autenrieth's familial ties. Distinctions/Traits d8 Bloodless Physiology Heritage: You have replaced your body’s natural functions with alchemical substitutes, various elixirs, serums, and distillates that circulate in place of blood. You are pallid, light-sensitive, yet strangely radiant. The rumors say you are a vampire… perhaps not entirely false. Roll this Heritage when your altered physiology helps you resist disease, survive blood loss, or endure poisons and toxins, or when your unnerving appearance commands awe or dread. Connected Abilities: Regeneration, Immunity, Super Speed, Super Senses, Night Vision Limit: Sunlight Sensitivity, Serum Dependency. d4: Earn a Plot Point when your alchemical condition draws unwanted suspicion or fear, OR when you choose to worsen your Exhausted or Injured Stress due to exposure to sunlight or heat. d8: Spend a Plot Point to gain a d8 Useful Detail such as “can see in the dark” or “moves silently under moonlight,” OR to Recover your Injured Stress by drawing upon the strange alchemy flowing in your veins. d12 Mad Scientist: Your mind is a lightning storm of invention, obsession, and dangerous brilliance. You see possibilities where others see only wreckage, and your experiments push the boundaries of science, morality, and sanity. Roll the Distinction’s die when your bizarre contraptions, reckless theories, or scientific fervor give you an edge, or get you into trouble. d4: Earn a Plot Point when your obsession with an experiment causes chaos or distraction at the worst possible time. d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal that you happen to have a strange device, concoction, or half-finished invention on you or nearby that provides a d8 Useful Detail in the scene. d12: Add a d6 to Trouble to Reroll a die when your wild science bends reality, logic, or nature in your favor. d6 Rumored Vampire: Your alabaster skin, burning eyes, and nocturnal habits have earned you the town’s fear and fascination alike. d4: Earn a Plot Point when your unsettling appearance causes someone to fear or shun you, or when gossip about your condition costs you an opportunity. d4 Genius: You’re an intellectual giant. Either you’ve already established yourself in the scientific or academic community, or you demonstrate a great deal of promise. Roll the Distinction’s die when your analytical and logical skills would be of use in achieving a positive outcome, or when squaring off against somebody in a battle of the brains. Compare this Distinction to Clever, which is more about cunning and swift thinking, or Streetwise, which covers common sense. d4: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal that you’ve studied a subject and know its basics. Abilities d8 Alchemical Elixirs & Tonics: You’ve mastered the volatile art of brewing shimmering elixirs and tonics that push the boundaries of flesh, spirit, and reason. Each vial you carry is a gamble of science, a measured dose of brilliance and madness. Whether distilled in your hidden laboratory or hastily mixed in the field, your concoctions can sharpen reflexes, numb pain, heighten senses, or fortify the mind. Roll this Ability’s die when your physical tonics or restorative concoctions would give you an advantage. Examples include injecting yourself with an elixir to shrug off fatigue, using a stimulant to perform rapid manual work, concocting a tonic to resist poison or cold, or drinking a clarity draught to steady your nerves before danger. Effect: Enhancement Descriptors: alchemy, chemistry, concoctions, performance boosters, restorative tonics, stimulants Limit: Gear Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to: Step Up a die for one Test or Contest involving speed, endurance, or physical prowess. (Nostrum of Nike) Perform multiple non-Test or non-Contest actions in the time it takes others to perform one (e.g., reloading, analyzing, tinkering, or treating allies) (Elixir of Savitar) d6 Regeneration: Years of medical experimentations and studies have resulted in the pinnacle of medical breakthroughs! You can heal physical or mental trauma you’ve been subjected to. You can roll in your Ability’s die when your regenerative talents would let you successfully struggle through painful or harmful situations. Effect: Defense Descriptors: mental, physical Limit: Vampirism Special Effects: Spend a Plot Point to: Recover Exhausted or Injured Stress. Resources 2d12 The Laboratory (Experimentation, Research) - History's greatest experiments start here! Contained within the northern tower of Alicia's new home, what was once a simple observatory has become so much more. 2d8 Gwenael Auclair (Nobility, Science) 2d4 Gearhart Repairs (Engineering, Inventions) Pathways Steps

This system is amazing for crappy rollers... it just get you more complications and drama. You literally can't go wrong.

That seems like something we could play like a 1880's James (Jane?) Bond tool. I don't see a problem with the parasol at all.

STEP 1 ORIGIN Alicia | Kojo | Missy | Millie | Edmund | Ramona STEP 2 YOUTH Alicia | Kojo | Missy | Millie | Edmund | Ramona STEP 3 FOCUS Alicia | Kojo | Missy | Millie | Edmund | Ramona STEP 4 ROAD Alicia | Kojo | Missy | Millie | Edmund | Ramona STEP 5 LIFE CHANGING EVENT Alicia | Kojo | Missy | Millie | Edmund | Ramona Ramona: choose 2 specialties for Commissioner Gordon Ramona: Choose to bump up either HONOR (in lieu of Duty) or Passion Ramona: Choose New Distinction (SNEAKY or another) Ramona: Choose a Resource to Step Up STEP 6 PRIORITY Alicia | Kojo | Missy | Millie | Edmund | Ramona STEP 7 MODUS OPERANDI Alicia | Kojo | Missy | Millie | Edmund | Ramona STEP 8 MOTIVATION Alicia | Kojo | Missy | Millie | Edmund | Ramona STEP 9 IDENTITY Alicia | Kojo | Missy | Millie | Edmund | Ramona

I would give her a Distinction something like this: Apprentice of Science: You once studied under a brilliant but unhinged inventor, learning enough to recognize strange devices, patch broken mechanisms, and puzzle out scientific principles, though your teacher’s questionable methods haunt you still. Roll this Distinction’s die when your education helps you analyze, repair, or identify unfamiliar technology or phenomena. d4: Earn a Plot Point when your incomplete training leads to mistakes, misidentifications, or broken equipment. d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal a useful insight into a device, substance, or experiment — even if it’s not entirely accurate. d12: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die in a Contest or Test when repairing, jury-rigging, or analyzing a strange object. maybe even this, if you want to lean into that aspect at all... Skilled Courtesan: You’ve turned intimacy into an art, whether in the saloons, brothels, or boudoirs of the Weird West. You know how to read desire, how to turn charm into coin, and how to use your skills to manipulate, comfort, or control. Roll this Distinction’s die when seduction, erotic allure, or professional experience gives you an edge. d4: Earn a Plot Point when your profession draws stigma, unwanted advances, or complications. d8: Spend a Plot Point to Reveal a client, admirer, or rival from your past that complicates or assists the current scene. d12: Spend a Plot Point to Reroll a die in a Contest or Test when you lean into seduction, erotic tension, or sexual expertise (fading to black when necessary).

I might put it into the first post of this thread. I don't want anyone updating the wrong pathways map between the two games. Plus, I was hoping to use the Rules reference for other games I might run using Cortex, so I don't want to put game-specific stuff in there.

If it's just a looks thing, we can just add it. I think we need to flesh out this Other World so I can make some decisions around how it affects other things as well. I do like tying unexpected things together, but I really need to see what you're thinking for this idea so I don't overstep.

I think what happened was they bought it all, got all the stuff, but all the funding from the Kickstarter stayed with the previous company (or two companies ago... it's changed hands a few times now.) Cam doesn't say a lot about what's happening behind the scenes, but my guess is that's because he works there and has to keep the paychecks coming in. I missed the Kickstarter and I see all these items having been fulfilled but no movement on making them available to fans of the system who missed the kickstarter. I even messaged them once and said something like, " I have stupid amounts of disposal income how much will it take for me to get my hands on the goods" and got zero response.

Right now we want character concepts, jobs, backgrounds, species, etc. What do you want to play? Who are they? What do they do? How do they interact with the world?

I only put that there if someone has or wants an asset to hold their abilities - like Thor's hammer, Captain America's shield, or DreamsnThings' gas cannister launching parasol. You can delete it from your sheet unless you have an asset that is tied strongly to your character, so strongly that they're not themselves without it. All relationships and values start at d4. You get chances throughout the Pathways system to Step Up both, and I can't reiterate enough how important it will be to step up your relationships when you get a chance. In D&D terms, stepping up a relationship is like giving yourself an across the board +2 to hit EVERY TIME YOU DO IT. It's really, really beneficial to have higher rated relationships with the other PCs. Don't apologize! I'm the slow one! I want to make sure everything is as perfect as it can be for our characters.

Distinctions are entirely different in the Smallville game than they are in Xadia, which is 100% Cortex Prime. Smallville was one of the earliest implementations of Cortex, before there was a Plus or Prime. Xadia was the first Cortex Prime game. Honestly, I'm not sure I want to support Dire Wolf1. In Prime, you have 3 main Distinctions that define your character. In Xadia I think they basically boil down to a heritage, a homeland, and something else... I'm not digging my copy out right now to find out. But yeah, in Smallville Distinctions are sort of a catch all that include skills, personality traits, backgrounds, etc. It's a little weird, but it's where I jumped off the system to build this, because everything else is already built and connected and I don't have to rebuild an entire new game in Prime. Which admittedly would probably be better in the long run, but would take SO MUCH MORE TIME when I can just hack Smallville into Wild West/Steampunkville. 1 Dire Wolf is wasting one of the best (imho) roleplaying systems by not doing what Fate did and putting out all those great worlds/settings/rules implementations. They're all done. They were part of the original kickstarter. Just get them out to the general public. It's a great toolset, but if they don't show people how to use and implement it to its full, cool effect, nobody will ever play it. They're wasting it, and frankly, I want to put my foot in their collective asses for that.

You're waiting for me. I wanted to review every sheet and make sure nobody missed anything before moving on to Step 2. We were working out a couple custom distinctions and heritages, then we can move on to Step 2. The custom stuff is slowing me down as I'm trying to make it good AND fit the game rules and I have to keep double checking myself.

If that's the world you all want to play in, then start making character concepts. If you have an idea that doesn't fit on that list, then discuss what we need to add to that list to make it work.

So here's what I have so far: Game 2 Lists INCLUDE: Dusty boomtowns, saloons, and lawless frontier towns. Railroads, train robberies. Airships.* Cursed mines. Traveling carnivals and bizarre expositions. Mad scientists in brass-and-copper laboratories. Automatons and clockwork men questioning their humanity.* Creepy experiments. Tesla coils, pneumatic weapons, and steam-powered contraptions. Strange inventions with unintended consequences. Poe-style hauntings and spiritualism (séances, mediums, spirit boards). Folk religion and superstition (totem cults, skinwalker legends). Themes & Drama including Progress vs. Peril – new technology brings danger as often as salvation, and Law vs. Chaos – marshals, outlaws, and vigilantes clashing. Ruins of old civilizations Magic esoteric, rituals, unseen hands, magic on the decline - witches powers fading Cults: dedicated to magic, lovecraftian influence, and tech The Lovecraftian idea could be something really fun to build on. Maybe the anthro/non-human stuff could be connected to that. Maybe something tribal? I had been thinking about doing a tribal character earlier, but maybe now leaning between explorer or mad-science. A group either investigating or running away from something of a higher power maybe. Something they may or not want to find the source of. Would potentially mix in ruins as well. tech - steam tech, chem tech, or really any tech that deviates from the default science. specifically I want my character to be weaponizing pheromones and I dont want her to be the only one in universe using a weird side tech Concepts - I would like something a little distanced from raw combat, maybe espionage, maybe a steampunk train hostage situation, maybe a high noon draw off where its more of a stand off then a battle, etc species - im fine with... literally anything you could be a yetti and I would be starry eyed and happy, or a dragon, or a sentient can of pringles. sexual interest varies but anything im cool with being in the setting set pieces- ... a clock tower that doubles as a mad scientists lair? a steam powered train that is a tourist attraction with an authentic robbery! and old school bank, with metal bars, and a proper vault! that gets robbed im basically happy with anything, but these are a few random ideas off the top of my head? DON'T INCLUDE: Romero-style zombies (mindless hordes shambling about). Goofy slapstick steampunk tropes (overly cartoonish tech): Silly gadgets like a steam-powered top hat that shoots lasers, an umbrella that turns into a pogo stick, or monocles that shoot lightning beams just because it’s funny. Cartoon logic, like jetpacks made from tea kettles, mechanical ducks that double as grenades, or someone riding a unicycle tank into battle. Pure gags, devices whose only purpose is to be goofy, like a clockwork butler who exists only to serve pie with comic timing. Tone-breaking contraptions, in short anything that feels like it belongs in a parody cartoon instead of a gothic Weird West story. Overly modern politics or moralizing that break the 1880s frontier feel. Alien invasions from outer space (though alien fossils, crashed remnants, or hints of otherworldly influence are fair game). High fantasy elves/dwarves or Tolkien tropes. Stick to Gothic, Weird West, and pulp science. Overt superhero tropes (no caped crusaders or spandex heroes, this is pulp adventure, not comic book). Pure comedy tone. Humor is fine, but the core is dramatic, atmospheric, and weird.

IMPORTANT TIP: Another tip for Relationship and Value statements: They should be actionable as much as possible. These statements help you decide WHY your value or relationship would make you act in a certain way. So keeping them tight and punchy is better than wide and general. Great statements for relationships include: I need to be there for Louise d10 Jonathan is my moral compass d4 Pearl is not the same girl I used to love d6 Wiley can never be trusted d6 I can’t tell Susie my secret d12 Clara stands between me and my love d8 Elijah is reckless d8 Sylvia can take care of herself d6 There must be good in Max d6 Max is a dangerous threat d4 These are good because you can take action based on them. Say you're trying to focus on picking a lock and Sylvia is supposed to have your back, but she gets jumped by two bandits. You could use her to help you focus on the task at hand (I'm including Sylvia because she can take care of herself while I focus on picking this lock) OR you could turn around to help her and challenge your relationship with her (I'm taking on one of these bandits because I thought Sylvia could take care of herself, but she's getting beat up on, so I guess I was wrong). It's the "my assumptions or views were wrong" angle that offers the most drama and potential for later growth. Every time you challenge a value or relationship, you roll more dice in your contest, and you get to add that size die to your Growth Pool, which is how you "level up" your character at the end of a scene. One of the biggest, best things you can do is challenge your relationships and values. She the rules under Values or Relationships for how it works, but make sure to write statements that can be used as they are, and can also be challenged as the opposite of what the statement says.

Something that came up in Group 2: "I just dont want this to become a great premise to a glorified porno, well i love the lewds in these things i have been in a game where the story full stopped because two players fucked like rabbits for 8 or 9 real world months well the rest of us kinda just... waited awkwardly, wanting our own moments, sexual or otherwise." I'm 100% in agreement with this. I don't mind a great description of a sexy scene, but maybe we should say they're limited to just a couple posts before we continue with the rest of the story and just assume the couple are satiated. Maybe they can take it off into another thread, if they want to continue, but I definitely don't want the story delayed because of an interminable sex scene. I'm content to have characters head off into the saloon girl's room with a quick description of what they do so the rest of the group can continue the scene, then reappear later with a smile and missing an item of clothing. As long as we know it happened, we don't need pages of gritty details of how the bits fit together. That's my personal opinion. You can let me know what you all think.

All of those are good. Regarding combat: the game isn't designed for combat, really. You can have combat, but the game is designed to focus on drama rather than combat or survival. When you roll, you'll roll to do things like convince the heiress to finance your latest invention, convince the sheriff to let you remain free after an altercation in a saloon, sing a song so well it makes someone in the audience swoon, seduce the heiress, grab the power source before a spy can get their hands on it, etc. Lewd scenes: We can say they're limited to two or three posts before we continue with the rest of the story and just assume the couple are satiated. Honestly, I don't want anything devolving into just rampant sex either. I'm content to have characters head off into the saloon girl's room so the rest of the group can continue the scene, then reappear later with a smile and missing an item of clothing. As long as we know it happened, we don't need pages of gritty details of how the bits fit together.

Okay. I wasn't sure what you were going for there... if it was her, or "some random Ashborn follower of hers" Cool.

The rules are a typical tabletop roleplaying game. It's designed for you to control a single character and the GM to control the rest of the world.