[Oath Sworn: An RPG of Mythic Super-Heroes] Early Ideas

[The_Confessor]

So, recently I got body-checked by an idea that came to me as I meandered through my own brain. Let me give you an idea of how it went...

I'm always looking for a good super-hero RPG.
I ran a good super-hero RPG a few years ago. My girlfriend was a player.
My girlfriend likes fairies.
You don't see any fairy super-heroes.
My group would be villians, not heroes if they had powers.
How do you stop players from being something the setting doesn't intend?
What if super-powers were bound to an oath or a promise?
What if they were gifts from the fey?
What if they were ancestoral?

Thus came Oath Sworn. Here's my early idea...

Nearly one-thousand years ago, the worlds of man and fey existed side by side and those with the correct knowledge could cross from one realm to the next. The Arcadian Host, known to the common man as the fey, had existed since long before mankind came into the world. Most members of the Arcadian Host looked on mankind as younger siblings to be nurtured and guided gently. Mankind was taught to live in harmony with the world and by extension, the fey.

But not all members of the Arcadian Host were happy with simply watching mankind flourish across an Earth that had once solely been the province of the fey. These angry fey, known to some as the Dark Host or the Unseelie, began to strike against mankind and his growth. They murdered villages and cities in perfect silence in a single night as a sign of their displeasure. They tortured entire nations.

But the Dark Host did not go unchecked. The reminants of the Arcadian Host (sometimes known as the Seelie) stood up to defend mankind. When came next was known as the War for Humanity. Both sides became terribly absorbed in this conflict, so much so, that they forgot what they were fighting for and more often than not mankind found himself a casualty of a war for their very survival.

Before the War for Humanity could completely destroy mankind, two men came forth. Romulus and Remus went to both the Seelie and Unseelie Host and cried out for a truce. Initally the Arcadian Host was reluctant, fearful mankind could not "take care of itself" and the Dark Host was suspitious of a trap. Eventually, though, a truce was reached. Both the Dark and Arcadian Host agreed to retreat into their own realm and to never again directly wage war in the realm of Earth. This became known as the First Oath.

Mankind flourished for generations, without the intervention of the Arcadian or Dark Host. Memories of the fey became confused and twisted, memories of Host becoming retold as divine myths and legends. Then, the Dark Host discovered a loop-hole in the First Oath. Though they could not cross into the Earthly Realm, they discovered that as creators the human world they could influence it from the Fey Realm. Their first attempt at this was Pompeii. With hundreds dead, the Dark Host was pleased with their new discovery. But such a cataclysmic event weakened the Dark Host deeply.

The Arcadian Host realised there was no way they could retaliate without endangering mankind once more. Nor could they allow such devistating assaults against humanity go unchecked. Soon, the Arcadian Host discovered their own loop-hole in the First Oath. They too began to reach out to mankind. To the best and the brightest, they called. They beconed. They appeared to these chosen men and women in their dreams, offering them visions of what the world would become at the hands of the Dark Host. They also offered magical gifts from across the Fey Realm to help defend against the Dark Host.

These new agents of the Arcadian Host, known as the Dream Forged, possessed powers never before known. Suddenly men could fly, shrug off sword blows, move with lightning speed, and control the very elements of the world. Heroes of myth: Herakles, Gilgamesh, Jesus, were Dream Forged and once again their exploits were remembered as legends and stories - not remembered for the truthes they are.

But such greatness would not last. With false promises and seductive words, the Dark Host was able to draw many Dream Forged to their cause. Suddenly the Dream Forged clashed with one another, destroying not only each other, but those around them. Again, apocalypse threatened the world.

The Arcadian Host responded by enacting the Eternal Pact. Those chosen to be Dream Forged would swear an oath to the Fey Host (Arcadian or Dark), and their gifts would forever be tied to this oath, bound eternally by blood. Each Dream Forged would swear a seperate oath and receive seperate gifts. This second generation would be known as the Oath Bound. The Dark Host agreed to participate in the Eternal Pact, and of course twisted it to their own

Twisted and manipulating the memory of one of the greatest Dream Forged ever, the Dark Host planted the seeds of what would one day become the Inquisition and later they helped unleash the Black Plague. But soon this evil plan back-fired, and though oaths were fulfilled, the Oath Bound who were sworn to the Dark Host turned against their masters. Eventually, all fey were condemed as heresy and witchcraft.

Both the Arcadian and the Dark Host were forced to flee into into the deepest recesses of the Fey Realm and mankind went spiralling into the Dark Ages. They swore to return in one-thousand years, believing that mankind would see the error of his ways after a millenia without the fey to guid them. Ages passed as humanity displaced its faith from the Host into both corrupt religions and monarchs. Soon, the fey were all but forgotten, dismissed as myth and legend as mankind is known to do.

One thousand years have now passed and the fey, both Arcadian and Dark, have returned. Through the ebb and flow of the Fey Realm they have felt humanity as it spiralled ever-downward into the modern day. Now mankind is now at a cross-roads. Surrounded by a world of murder, apathy, hate, and malice, humanity has lost its way. In this weak and desperate era, they can rise to the face the darkness they have created, thus fulfilling the Arcadian Host's faith in them, or they can surrender to the base, vile desires in their soul and give in to the darkness harvested by the Dark Host.

Both sides have tapped the ancestors of the Dream Forged, the modern Oath Sworn to decide the fate of mankind. Gifted with these powers and burdened by oaths sworn by their forebarers they never knew, they decide the fate of mankind.

What Are the PCs?
The PCs are the first generation of Oath Sworn in one-thousand years. The ancient oaths of their legacy has gifted them both powers and responsibilities. In addition, the PCs have a connection to the Fey Realm, and can speak to the Host members who have awakened them - often looking for guidance or advice.

What do the PCs do?
The Arcadian Host & Dark Host are at war for the future of humanity. As examples of the virtues (and vices) of each cause, they show the truth of each side of the Host, though they are sworn to never reveal who they truly serve. So they lead and show by example. Basically, the idea is that that members of the Arcadian Host are given reasons why they would 'act like super heroes' and Dark Host Oath Sworn are given reasont to 'act like super villians.'

Mechanics
I don't have any specific mechanic ideas yet. The only thing I know for certain is that a character's powers and oaths are tied together tightly. As a character acts more in accordance with his oath, his power increases and as he breaks his oath more and more, his powers diminish. As a character's powers diminsh perhaps he can might be able to forge a new oath with the Dark Host, to gain new powers.

My basic thoughts are a set of default attributes and an "open" skill list. Basically there is no offical list of skills, the PC gets to pick or spend a certain number of points on skills of choice. If they want to take something typical like 'pistols' or something more fitting like 'free-style walking', whatever fits the concept. If they don't have a skill, use the old stand-by of "default to related attribute."

I'm debating between a "sliding scale" Oath/Super-Power system or a GM Reward-Penalty method. I've got vague ideas for either.

I'm thinking diceless or dice light, but have no specifics yet. All I know is I definately don't want d20.

[chosen]

Really nice backstory.  In fact it would work well for a mechanic I had been playing with for a while, but since abandoned.  Here it is.  Use what you want, discard the rest.  Hell don't use any.  Just felt it could work with some tweaks.

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 ease 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 Dice, 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 Order and Reality.  However, for each point over the Call the action slides and the action is "amplified" in an amazing manner.  The Fulcrum Dice that are 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 Dice, 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 dives warps Reality; and the more "Norms" see these events the further into Chaos the universe will slip.

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 to Chaos more often.  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.

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 13 (the exact middle of 2 to 24).  

GM:  Rolls 2d12 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!  

GM:   Okay.  Rolls 2d8 for a 13.  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 2d6 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.

[ironick]

I like the back story, but I would be careful about the chronology.  You mentioned mentioned heroes like Herakles, etc, being Dream Forged, but that process didn't come about in the story until after Pompeii; the Greeks were telling stories about mythical heroes like Herakles well before Vesuvius erupted.  

You also seem to have a very Roman focus towards humanity.  With all of human history to work with, why stick to Rome?  Besides, many games already use Rome too much, and I know plenty of people who get turned off to games just on that basis alone.  Why not replace Pompeii with the Biblical Flood?  That solves the chronology problem, and there are plenty of historical sources besides the Bible to back it up.

Of course this is all just my opinion, but I think you're onto a cool idea and it would be a shame to limit yourself with such a broad scope to work with already in place.

ironick

[Valamir]

Nick raises a good point.  


Historically the earliest peoples of Sumer and Egypt date to approximately 3500 BC.  The bronze age was ushured in about 3100 BC with the invention of early metalurgy and we see signs of the earliest recognizable civilizations in those areas.

Interestingly, the Sumerians were named Sumerians by the Akkadians (early civilization in Iraq).  The Sumerians own name for themselves was something fairly unpronouncable since they had a language different from anyone else...this connection to the historical Akkadians would make for an interesting connection in your backstory.  

In Eqypt about that same time the first quasi-historical Pharoah named Narmer arose.  Narmer is credited with uniting upper and lower egypt.  This legend of unification might also tie well into the backstory of the first Oath.

I'm thinking to give your backstory some firmer historical grounding (by going far enough back that the history you're dealing with is largely conjecture anyway) that you replace Romulus and Remus with Narmer as the architect of the First Oath, and you replace Pompeii with the sinking of Atlantis.  Now Plato put Atlantis about 9000 BC...but heck its fictional anyway.

That way you can have all of the ancient greek heroes being Dream Forged and you're far enough back in time to capture most any other area of world as well.  Personally, I'd hit on the Great Flood (roughly dated to 2900BC as another of these attacks from the unseelie and bring in Utnapishtim as a a key character...perhaps, since he later became immortal, the first of the Dream Forged.

[dysjunct]

Mechanics
I don't have any specific mechanic ideas yet. The only thing I know for certain is that a character's powers and oaths are tied together tightly. As a character acts more in accordance with his oath, his power increases and as he breaks his oath more and more, his powers diminish. As a character's powers diminsh perhaps he can might be able to forge a new oath with the Dark Host, to gain new powers.

I'm debating between a "sliding scale" Oath/Super-Power system or a GM Reward-Penalty method. I've got vague ideas for either.

It would work pretty easily with a dX dice-pool system.  Each character has a stat to represent adherence to the oath.  It ranges from 1 (utter pinnacle of perfection, inacheivable in practice) to X+1 (completely forsworn, all powers lost).  So in practice it is 2-X.  This stat then represents the target number for using their powers.

[groundhog]

Just one thought... As well as it might fit into the game, I'd avoid refering to Jesus as a misremembered myth. I'd do the same for Mohammed, Siddartha (the first Buddha), the Dalai Lama, Noah, Imam Ali, Confucious, or any other figure central to a religion. You don't gain that much by mentioning them by name, and you could offend many people. Just leaving them absent, even conspicuously absent, from the text is probably much safer.

King Arthur, Merlyn, or other legendary figures that are not central to major religions would be much more acceptable to the people who would be buying your games.