The Chosen- ultra rules lite, super action, warping reality

[chosen]

GAME- The Chosen

Concept

The general concept of this game is that reality is controlled by two aspects, Order and Chaos. An eternal struggle to maintain Order exists and the warriors of this struggle are "The Chosen". The Chosen are capable of bending reality to their will by sliding the Fulcrum from Failure to Success. The danger of this is that the more often Reality slides the greater the chance that reality as we know it will cease to exist. Enter; "The Fallen", chaotic demon like individuals that were once Chosen, but over time abused their powers or merely lost control of them and slid into the realm of Chaos. "The Fallen" are the antagonists that are attempting to corrupt The Chosen or eliminate them all together. If the Fallen win the war they will rip open the gateway to the Abyss and spew forth the demons of Chaos unto the universe.

Player Characters are one of "The Chosen" and can shift reality to do nearly anything they want, jump atop a 100 story skyscraper, sure go ahead and try it. Take a full clip from an AK-47 and soak it up, no problem give it a shot. However, the key here is TRY it. While capable of performing literally ANY action by bending reality, "the Chosen" do not have COMPLETE control of their power. Over time they can master the "Fulcrum Shift" and lessen the randomness of their effects, but until then they risk the danger of ripping apart Reality as we know it.

PCs have only one Skill, "Fulcrum Shift". This ability represents their ability to control the Fulcrum. A PC shifts the Fulcrum by announcing an action, no matter how ludicrous it may sound. The GM then asks for them to "Call It" at this point the Player will call a number from between 1 and 20. The GM then rolls the Character's corresponding Fulcrum Die, and role-plays the event. The objective is to land exactly on the number called. For every point under the Call, counts as a "partial success" the closer the better and the more within the confines of Reality. However, for each point over the Call the action slides the action is "amplified" in an amazing manner. The Fulcrum Die that is thrown depend on the PCs Fulcrum Shift Score. In essence the Player assigns his/her own difficulty to accomplish a task, if they want to guarantee the action then they Call low; however, they risk ripping Reality apart by the effects of such events. If they wish to be more conservative they can Call near the center of their Die, or if they wish to play ultra conservative they can Call high, of course the consequences of this may be very devastating as well.


Fulcrum Shift Table
Rank Dice
0 1d20
1 1d12
2 1d10
3 1d8
4 1d6
5 1d4


PCs also have an Attribute called, "The Balance". This represents their connection to Order and Chaos. As the Balance slides toward Chaos the character slips closer and closer to becoming a Fallen.

Preserving the Balance and the Consequences

The Chosen are charged with keeping the Balance. So they must be careful how they use their power. By warping Reality they not only slip closer to becoming a Fallen, but also risk destroying Reality as they know it, the very thing they are protecting. Every time a Fulcrum Shift misses the Call, the Character's Balance shifts an equal number of points toward Chaos.

In addition to this; every Campaign has a Balance as well, and the GM monitors this activity. The more often a Player warps Reality; and the more "Norms" see these events the further into Chaos the universe will slip. (kinda like Mage's Paradox, but not)

Chaos has real Consequences for the Character's as well. "the Fallen" are drawn to Chaotic events and Chaotic people. Plain and simple, more bad stuff is going to happen to the Character who slides closer to Chaos. Also the closer to becoming a Fallen the more demonic the Character's features become. Skin color, eyes, horns, claws, all are manifestations of Falling. Also, the Chosen, are something to consider when slipping toward Chaos. And the ability to Fulcrum Shift begins to degrade. Locking more and more into Chaos, and eventually the ability to "Shift" at all is lost. No more Calling, the GM gains difficulty control (NPC status?).

The mental demands of Fulcrum Shifting are amazing. Another Attribute possessed by characters is that of Focus. Focus can be viewed as the "fuel" to Fulcrum Shift. Every time a character Fulcrum Shifts they lose some focus. Once Focus is gone they can no longer Shift and disorientation sets in for a few seconds that makes the Chosen very vulnerable. The amount of Focus lost during a shift is determined by the intensity of the Shift. If the Call is made, then the Shift only costs 1 point. If the Call is missed then Shift costs an equal amount of points to the difference in the roll and the Call. The GM may also double or triple the amount of Focus taken from the Character based on how extreme the shift is.

Examples of actions for "the Chosen"

Example One- "Overkill"
A newly 'Chosen" character is battling a combatant in the streets.

GM: The burly thug bears down on you with his baseball bat in hand ready to smash it over your head. What do you want to do?

Player: I'm going to dodge the attack and then sidekick him.

GM: Okay, Call It!

Player: (Has a Rank 0 Fulcrum Shift) I'm going to play it conservative here and call 10 (near middle of 1 to 20).

GM: Rolls 1d20 for an 18. You grab hold of the Fulcrum and shift it to your will, something rages within you; power, pure and nearly infinite. It takes control and the balance slams toward Chaos. You easily dodge the attack and plant a foot directly into the mid section of the thug. The power of your attack seems to increase tremendously and you send the thug flying 50 feet across the street and into a nearby building, smashing an imprint of his crippled body into the concrete! His ribs felt as if they gave way to your strike like twigs. He's not moving. The people watching are awestruck, and completely dumbfounded by your power. Many of them run screaming in terror, you hear the screeching of car tires and the familiar sounds of total panic. What now?

Example Two- "Desperate Measures"
A "Chosen" character is battling a vampire (one of the "Fallen") in an abandoned warehouse.

GM: Kerick grabs you by the neck and slings you across the room, the force of the throw is downright amazing sending you through two of the steel reinforcement beams before you finally stop, smashing into a crate of old doll parts. He must have thrown you 50 feet or more! That attack obviously didn't work what are you doing?

PC: How do I feel?

GM: Your arm might be broken, it hurts like hell. You're a bit woozy, maybe a concussion. And a piece of the crate has punctured you from behind and about two inches of the wood is sticking out of our gut.

PC: I rip out the hunk of crate, and stand up. Pop my arm back in place and regenerate all damage.

GM: You realize that is a blatantly disregard for the balance right?

PC: Yes, damn it! But this asshole is going to tear me to pieces. He doesn't give a shit about the balance! I have to make this happen! Calling 1! (Rank 2 Fulcrum Shift)

GM: Okay. Rolls 1d10 for a 9. You rip the wood from your stomach and pop your arm back in place. Grabbing the Fulcrum you slam it toward Chaos and focus the energy on healing your wounds. The feeling is euphoric, the raw energy ripping into your body! A blinding white light emits from the wound as it closes shut. Physically you feel better than ever. However, the disorientation from the shift buckles your knees and you feel completely out of it for a few seconds. Just enough time for Kerick to clobber you in the back of the head with a pipe, everything just went black.

Example Three- "Not enough Juice"

One of the Chosen is in a bank when four men in ski masks entered and began shooting up the place. He has already dispatch three of the assailants with amazing speed, when the fourth grabs a young woman and places her in front of him like a human shield, holding a gun to her head.

GM: "Put the gun down Freak!" "I'll blow her damn head off!" "I swear!" This guy means business you can see it in his eyes that he will do what he says. What do you do?

PC: (Fulcrum Shift Rank 3) Damn it! I need to drop this guy and get going. Why does this shit always happen when I'm in a hurry? Okay. I take aim at his forehead. And take a shot. Calling .... Ugh 9, I guess. I can't risk anymore Paradox today.

GM: Rolls 1d8 for a 3. You squeeze the trigger and for only a brief moment the Fulcrum slips from your grasp. The shot goes off. You're enhanced sense slow down the motion just enough to see the bullet enter the woman's chest. The crook drops his gun in disbelief as the woman crumples to the floor. "You're crazy!" "You are completely nuts!" He screams bolting out the door.

PC: Shit! I guess there goes the promotion to Lieutenant. Damn! I run over and check her vitals.


There it is in a nutshell. I still need to flesh out avancement, and a LOT of other things, but wanted to get this down and see if anyone's interest is peaked.  Keep in mind, this is supposed to be VERY rules light and focus on quick action and Storytelling

[Vesirius]

I really like the concept. It feels a bit like Nobilis. I've only got two comments:

1. Is there anything mechanics-wise that will differentiate the characters from each other aside from how well one controlls the fulcrum? If not, what would be the reason?

2. I think it might be a good idea to more concretely define what exactly happens when you roll higher or lower than the called number. What is the difference between -4 and a -2?

Overall, it's a very cool idea. Good luck.

[Paul Czege]

Yeah, the good names are always taken. Clockworks published this game a few years ago:

http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showbook&bookid=1425

Paul

[chosen]

I really like the concept. It feels a bit like Nobilis. I've only got two comments:

1. Is there anything mechanics-wise that will differentiate the characters from each other aside from how well one controlls the fulcrum? If not, what would be the reason?

2. I think it might be a good idea to more concretely define what exactly happens when you roll higher or lower than the called number. What is the difference between -4 and a -2?

Overall, it's a very cool idea. Good luck.

Point 1)I was hoping to leave player differentiation to the Player's.  Make them create the character to their specifications.  Kinda like Amber, they are all pratically Gods, but depending on how you use your power is what sets you apart.  If you want to be a monk that suddenly gains enlightenment roleplay it that way.  Want to be an FBI agent that starts noticing that weird stuff keeps happening to you, so be it.  It a very subjective game.

On that note, I considered breaking Fulcrum Shift into Elemental aspects of power.  Earth, Air, Water, Fire, and Quintessence.  But again I want the player's to determine what their effects will be like.

Point 2)On the subject of "subjectivity" this is where the GM's job gets tough.  Its really completely up to him/her to decide what happens.  I will probably include some kind of chart as a guideline to help GMs, but if you want your character's to be able to hurl a goon into the sun, let em do it.  Just keep in mind that this would REALLY mess with the Balance especially if any "norms" witness it.

Thanks for the encouragement and ideas.  I'm going to keep crunching on it.

[chosen]

Yeah, the good names are always taken. Clockworks published this game a few years ago:

http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showbook&bookid=1425

Paul

I was afraid of that.  I guess having the word "The" doesn't differentiate enough to prevent any copyright problems.  Any Suggestions.

I was thinking that since these guys mess with the Fulcrum all the time just calling it  "The Fulcrum" or "Fulcrum"

Merriam Webster's Thesaurus
Synonyms: cull, elect, mark, opt (for), optate, pick, pick out, prefer, select, single (out), take

Related Word: adopt, embrace, espouse; crave, desire, love, want, wish

[Spooky Fanboy]

I was afraid of that.  I guess having the word "The" doesn't differentiate enough to prevent any copyright problems.  Any Suggestions.

Balancing Act?

The Rhythm? Think about it: what's the one image that you have about being the one keeping the order from sliding into chaos that doesn't make it sound as if you are on the side of the stormtroopers/accountants? Simple: You're maintaining the rhythm, whereas those Chaos assholes are throwing off the beat and messing up everyone's good time.

Nice, easy to grasp high-powered game. Please develop more.