AI:L Background

Ascension Isle: Legacy

Select Mechanics

Things you gain CP (XP) for:

1 CP for participating (thanks for coming out!)
1 CP for entertaining roleplay
1 CP for suffering from one of their Fears
1 CP for acting on a Conviction
1 CP for making progress towards one of their Goals
1 CP for facing a significant challenge
1 CP for overcoming a significant challenge
2 CP for being badly beaten (but surviving) in an encounter with a villain
2 CP for accomplishing something significant for their faction.
3 CP for completing (successfully?) a mission or adventure.
4 CP for horribly failing a very important mission or adventure.
5 CP for expending a Power Point
10 CP for expending a Fate Point (100 CP for consuming a Fate point!)

CP costs for character advancement:

Skill: 1 CP x Tier
One Trait Point: 2 CP
Natural Stat: 5 CP x Tier
Heroic Level: 10 CP x Level Attained^2

Tier based on the heroic level required to know that skill or attain that stat. Tier 1 stats and skills can be learned without a Heroic level (so Stat levels 1-10, and Skill levels 1-5), Tier 2 stats and skills can be learned at Heroic level 1 (Stat levels 11-12, and Skill levels 6-10), and so on.

Rules

Version 0.205 of the Ascension Ruleset is uploaded here (Word Doc):

https://www.sendspace.com/file/5g5569

History

Map of Arth

Magic was discovered about a thousand years ago in roughly simultaneous events on the continents of Jibril, Rafaela and Heylel (called Zenith by the locals). Magic, called Prana by the Zenith, and Praxis by the Jibrilites, is driven by an energy called Ether pulled from another universe across from our own, and particularly attracted to the energy of life and thought. Initial magical spells were simple, limited as they were by the ability of the users to mentally conceive the uses of this energy and control their application. In those days magic mainly took the form of additional physical prowess or the basic induction of excess energy into other objects, usually with destructive effect.

Approximately 700 years ago Jibrilite thaumaturges discovered that certain materials could be used to contain and channel Praxis before its ultimate discharge. This allowed the thaumaturge to craft vastly more precise and complex spells (called Cyclos, or circuits) by first crafting into a physical item pathways the Ether would follow, before finally being given form. Magical ability exploded, and with it scientific and technological advancement. At the time, the technology level was about equivalent to Earth's 15th century, but it now aided by their Praxis it began to advance in leaps and bounds. At first the many kingdoms of Jibril warred upon themselves, but soon they began to look further afield, to continents they had only irregularly visited before (due to the electromagnetic effects of Ether, the compass does not work on Arth, limiting - although not preventing - long range navigation).

It was this expansion that brought the Jibrilites into conflict with the race known as the Xaro. Living on the continent of Mikaela, The Xaro had never developed any serious magical ability, although their technology was said to rival any in the world. Most of the history of the Xaro is now lost, however it seems they were an insular and secretive race. Jibrilite records describe them as a stunted and twisted race with dark skin and glowing eyes, although the veracity of these is questioned by Zenith scholars. In any event, the Xaro resisted the Jibrilite move into Mikaela, aided by their ability to control several of the less advanced non-human races, and a long and brutal series of wars followed, during which the Xaro were exterminated, and other non-human species including the goblins and ogres were reduced to slavery.

Seeing the advance of the Jibrilites across the continents of Mikaela and Rafaela, the nations of Zenith realized that they could soon be next. Although Zenith had a substantial human population, it also had several non human races to which the Jibrilites had already shown great hostility. The Jibrilite thaumaturges jealously guarded the secrets of the etheric circuit, but the sorcerers of the Zenith found another means to channel their power. The Zenith had for some time realized that the universe from which Ether came was not, in fact, as the Jibrilites assumed, a formless void. It was instead a shadow universe which they called the Locus, and populated by its own denizens. At the appropriate time when Arth was aligned with the hidden worlds of the Locus, the Zenith enticed several of these beings, alternately known as Demons, Deva or Dragons, across the Veil between worlds, and fixed the greatest of them to human souls. This gave the new Dragonsouled or Zohaka power over the Ether comparable to that of the Jibrilite Thuamaturges.

A series of wars followed between the Jibrilites and the Zenith, escalating in ferocity over a period of about a century, until both sides realized nothing further could be gained by conflict, and the Confederacy of Jibrilite kingdoms, and the Dragon Empire of Zenith declared a truce and entered a long cold war. By then technology had reached a level roughly comparable to that of the modern day. . . and then it stopped.

As the wars were winding down, the Zohaka, who had set themselves up as the hereditary god kings of the Zenith, unlocked the power of immortality. To gain peace they shared this with their most powerful Jibrilite opponents, who also used it to set themselves up as immortal rulers - the angelic "Chosen." The world's new ruling super-humans decided that it would be in everyone's best interest to limit the spread of this power, and for the next 500 years Arth entered a period of relative stasis, divided in two between two rival super powers. The Chosen decided to erase much of the historical knowledge of their citizens, instead indoctrinating them in the belief that their rulers were divine beings in fact, and creating an entire religion to worship them. The Zenith were not so extreme, but the Dragonsouled still set themselves up as a heavenly mandated Imperial family.

All that ended with the "Silent War." It had been known for some time that while Ether was drawn to living beings, in some areas of the world if was drawn more strongly. This effect had long been measurable, but otherwise of only modest significance. Then, on the island of Saranavo, almost equidistant between the two superpowers, a massive ether font of unprecedented scale was discovered. Where before nothing in the world had been worth conflict between its god kings, all of a sudden this was a prize worth fighting over. Mediation failed, and war broke out, first between the Zenith and the Jibrilites, and then within a month among the Chosen and the Zohak princes themselves. From that point the war rapidly escalated. . . and then abruptly ended.

By now most of the Chosen lived in vast orbital palaces accessible only to themselves called the Ascended Isles. The Zenith Zohaka had their own retreats hidden in bubble realms along the Veil. Who struck first is no known, but over the course of a few hours the god kings of Arth began to attack each other's previously inviolate centers of power. By the end of a day most of the world's former rulers were dead - the few survivors, fled.

Most citizens saw the war only as an endless shower of falling stars across the sky, as their ruler's vast orbital palaces exploded and burned up, leading to it's moniker, the "Silent War." The next day they found that much of their world had also fallen silent. Without the power of the Chosen vast magical factories ground to a stop, power plants shut down, and the nations of Jibril began to fall apart. In distant Zenith, although the social impact was less severe, the various provinces of the Empire now began to move toward civil war as disagreements long contained by the Imperial family began to erupt.

This is the world and the period in which this game is set.

Background Fluff Images

Some images shamelessly stolen from Deviant Art to give an idea of the style of the game:

Aldicore, island capital of the Divine Dominion of Coreven

Error creating thumbnail: File missing

Marsel City Slums, Coreve Mikealan Zone

Coreve Herald-class Aerodyne Gunship

Coreve Crusaders with Inquisitor

Zenith Knight with active Arclave

CZ Central, Formerly Prion City, capital of the Eleutherian Republic

Timekeeping

Jibril uses a calendar with 361 days to the year, with 11 months of 30 days, and one month of 31 days. The months are divided into seven day weeks. According the the (intentionally confusing) Jibril calendar it is the year 5 of the Age of Ascension. The previous age was the Age of Repentance, which lasted 148 years, and was itself preceded by the Age of Countenance, which lasted 76 years.

Months

Aries

10 Aries - 0AA. - the fall of the Republic

Taurus

Gemini

Cancer

Leo

Virgo

Libra

25 Libra - 4AA. - the Silent War

Scorpio

Sagittarius

Capricorn

Aquarius

Pisces (31 days)

Days of the Week

Gabrelday (Holy Day)

Mikkelday (Rest Day)

Raflesday (Toil Day)

Anasday

Simisday (Midweek)

Orisday

Raguday (Final Day)

Zenith uses a different calendar of 12 Months of 30 days with one Interstice Day (although the month names are the same), and each month containing three weeks of 10 days each. According to the Zenith Calendar the current year is 2998 Bandish Shinastra, or after the revelations of the prophet Shinastra.

War on Arth

Below are is some general information on war and warmachines in the world of Arth:

Stratodyne: Flying warships used almost to exclusion by the Jibrilites, to the point that there are very few true "water ships" in their arsenals. Most stratodynes are designed to float in water if required, usually when docked. Stratodyne Destroyers are the smallest sky ships, usually armed with powerful short ranged missiles and rams for taking on larger warships. Cruising Stratodynes are the most common and general purpose sky ships. Battle Stratodynes are the main combat warships, and are usually capable of carrying at least a battalion of men, as well as supporting them in combat with heavy gunfire. Bridge Stratodynes are the largest sky ships, and are capable of carrying a full brigade of troops. They are often used as long range combat transports and command vessels. They are more common in garrison fleets. High Battle Stratodynes are larger than Battle Stratodynes but smaller than Bridge Stratodynes. They are armed with powerful spinal Void Cannon, and are the supreme combat ships of Arth, with the bulk of these warships deployed as flagships with Home Fleets or on the Heylel front.

Arthrodyne: Smaller aircraft using the sympathetic etheric resonance with insects to guide the motion of their components. Arthrodynes are a common tactical transports for Jibril troops, and usually look like large armoured beetles. The Herald Arthrodyne Guncraft is particularly common among the Coreven Crusade, due to its useful mix of armour, firepower, and troop capacity.

Jet Aerodyne: Using Jet Anima engines, Jet Aerodynes are a relatively new development, developed over the past century to combat air attacks by sophisticated Mikaelan rebels, as well as meet the threat of potential Zenith advancements. Most Battle Stratodynes now carry at least a flight of these aircraft.

Autoclaire: A humanoid battlesuit, standing between 3m and 15m tall, depending on type. The smallest Arch Autoclaires are like large suits of armour, while Prime Autoclaires are the most common tactical type, and the largest Domina Autoclaires are used by commanders and for special battlefield tasks needed extra firepower and armour. There are also Throne Autoclaires of unimaginable power, rumored to have once been the personal mounts of the Chosen. The Chosen have no need of such weapons these days, but they have been known to grant these weapons to their most favoured servants. Autoclaires function through sympathetic etheric resonance with the human form, but ZEN-Tek has also created a version that runs entirely through advanced slicon computer control, which they call the 'AutoGear.' The Zenith Empire also fields devices similar to Autoclaires which they call 'Megas Anima.' Megas Anima are lest bound to the human form than Autoclaires, and commonly take winged forms.

Panzer: Once thought to be an obsolete weapon, the Panzer or Trackiron was an armoured Mikaelan war machine. The Eleutherian Republic ressurected the type during the Corrective War, and used vastly more modern versions with some success during the First and Second Phases of the campaign. Eleutherian Panzers possess particularly heavy charged armour that renders them immune to most common battlefield weapons.

ZEN-Tek LLC: A shadowy manufacturer of extremely advanced electrotech, able to match the best Thaumatech devices. The Eleutherian Republic's possession of large quantities of ZENTek equipment was a nasty surprise to the invading Crusade Armies during the Correction.

Mattock 15CL: The standard assault rifle of Jibril Crusades, now in its 15th major iteration, most of those made over the past century. A reliable and simple weapon, easily modified with Thaumatech attachments, it proved to be outclassed by ZEN-Tek weaponry during the Corrective War.

Mattock Trion, 4PS: The standard pistol of the Jibril Crusaders. Custom versions have been made for many nobles, and the best of these are weapons of some status.

Charged Plate: Also known as 'Blessed Metal,' a form of personal armour involving a etherically charged metal to strengthen it and resist ether-penetrating attacks. Although it is standard personal armour for Crusaders, it does present an unmistakeable aura signiature which inhibits stealth and disrupts electronics, making it less popular with the Republic.

In Progress Spellbook

Thaumatech Praxis

Thaumatech Praxi are constructed from ether conductive circuits made of the silver alloy Archenium, with the flow of energy regulated by tiny ether geode chips within the circuitry. These circuits can be created as “plug and praxis” kits, where a skilled Thaumatechnician can rapidly combine various circuits to create different effects.

A typical Thaumatechnician’s “plugsuit” runs off the users Aether Aura, and involves receptors at head, neck, chest, waist, ankles, upper arms, and gloves or gauntlets. One of the gauntlets traditionally contains a slot or mounting for connecting the combined circuit. The mounting of an active ether circuit is called the pix. These circuits usually gather Ready Ether from the user (depending on the quality of the suit anywhere from 3 to 15 points), removing the need to Channel Ether save for the very largest Praxi.

Thaumatech circuits are divided into five separate types. Unless a pix has a dual module mount, it can only take one circuit of each basic type. A multi-module mount can fit any type of module, but does not otherwise lift the restriction on mounting only one of each type of module. Some pix mounts may be unable to mount certain types of circuits.

Primary Module

The primary module is required for all Praxis, and determines the basic nature of the Praxis’ effect. Most Primary modules can also function as a Secondary module. Primary modules will include verything from attack and defense Praxi to transmutation and animation Praxi.

Secondary Module

A primary module added as an additional effect to another module. This usually weakens the effect, and sometimes ups the power cost.

Modifier Module

Modifier modules will expand or change the effect of the Primary and Secondary modules in some way, such as affecting a larger area, inverting the Praxis effect, or sometimes just adding a cosmetic flair. Modifier modules are the most common type of module to be dual mount capable.

Range Module

The range module adds additional range to the Praxis effect. Without this module the default range is touch. Many Praxis circuits cannot attach range modules, and others require them to function. A common way around the limitation on range modules is to use “Pix balls” or “Pix Shells,” which are Praxis circuits contained within balls that are then thrown or fired into the desired target area.

Special Module

Special modules apply more significant modification effects to the Praxis, such as stealth effects to reduce the visibility of the Praxis, or particularly powerful modifications that the Chosen wish to keep restricted. Most commonly available pix do not have a Special Module slot.

Assembly is usually with the main module in the center, and the other modules plugged into the main in a cross or starfish pattern. Modern Praxis circuits are quite compact, and a full five point assembly will usually still comfortably fit into the palm of a hand, with most individual components being coin sized. The full assembly will be a beautiful shape of silver lines and glowing gems, making Praxis circuits common jewelry for Jibril Nobility.

When assembling a Praxis circuit in combat, each module will have an assembly difficulty. These are added to the base difficulty of 10 for the full difficulty for assembling the circuit within a 3 second combat round. If the Thaumatech beats the difficulty number by twice or more they can assemble the circuit as a free action. If they fail, they can roll again with their next action and add the results together.

Because of the influence of the Chosen over the development of Thaumatechnology, many of the circuits have names based events, passages, or holy people or objects from the Empyrian Codex. Even among the enemies of the Chosen many of these names have become ingrained in the common language of Thaumatechnology.

Low Prana / Wild Magic / Logitike

Anja / Magesight / Aspex
Cost: 1 Ether (committed), Cast: 1 Action, Duration: Until Cancelled
Required Trait: Magi Initiate / 1st Circle Witch / Alpha Logitike
Required Skill: Wild Magic 1
Roll: None
Allows the character to see Ether out to visual ranges. Interpreting what they see sometimes requires the Read Auras skill. Applies a -2 concealment penalty to most other Sense rolls, but grants a +2 high visibility bonus against characters burning large quantities of Core Ether that turn (3+ Ether).

XXXX / Inner Breath / Exethis
Cost: Nil, Cast: 2 Actions, Duration: Instant
Required Trait: None
Required Skill: Ether Channel 1
Roll: Aether+Ether Channel, DC 10+
Allows the character to regain a small amount of Ether with a meditative breath. For every 10 points on the roll, the character regains 1 point of Core Ether. Distracted penalties apply double to this roll, and failing the roll prevents the character from making further rolls for this spell for one minute.

Indra’s Arrow / Witchfire / Manabolt
Cost: 1 Ether, Cast: 1 Action, Duration: one round, Range: 100m
Required Trait: Magi Initiate / 1st Circle Witch / Beta Logitike
Required Skill: Wild Magic 2
Roll: Aether+Wilwork, AC 20
Allows the character to send a pulse of energy from their aura to the aura of another target within 100m whose aura is visible to them. This attack ignores cover and cannot be dodged. It can however be cancelled if the target has an Ether Channel skill no less than 5 points that of the caster and spends 1 Ether as a free interrupt action. If the target has an Ether Channel skill of 5 points or more greater than the caster they can cancel the effect for free. The attack deals one of the following effects: 1d10 Ether damage, one Minor Wound (Pain), 1d3 Mental damage, or one Mental Vibe. Note that any Vibe or Wound inflicted by this attack will only last one round, however if the target is knocked unconscious by these effects they will remain unconscious.

XXXX / Inner Fire / Wild Dyntron
Cost: 2 Ether, Cast: 1 Action, Duration: One Minute
Required Trait: Magi Initiate / 1st Circle Witch
Required Skill: Willwork 2
Roll: None
Allows the character to increase one of Physique, Senses, or Intellect by 1 point. This spell may be cast multiple times. Increasing a stat above 25% of its maximum value results in the Minor Wound “Pain” for each subsequent increase. Stats cannot be raised over 50% of their maximum value.

XXXX / Inner Flare
Cost: Variable, Cast: 1 Action, Duration: One Minute
Required Trait: Magi Master
Required Skill: Willwork 5
Roll: None
Allows the character to increase their stats by as many stats points as their Ether Channel ability in one round. This increase costs 2 Ether times the number of stat points gained. Stats can be increased up to 50% of their maximum value without penalty using this method. Stats can be increased by up to 100% of their value, but for every point over 50% the character – and anyone point blank to them – takes 1d10 ether damage when the effect ends. The damage cannot be reduced by any Aura defenses.

XXXX / Healing Touch / Chosen’s Blessing
Cost: Variable, Cast: Action, Duration: Instant
Required Trait: Magi Adept/2nd Circle Witch / Beta Logitike
Required Skill: Willwork 2
Roll: Aether + Willwork
Heals 1d6 Physical Stress for 1 point of Ether. If character has Medical Theory of at least 1, can one Minor Wound for 2 Ether.

XXXX / Witch’s Ward / Auroshell
Cost: Variable, Cast: Interrupt Action, Duration: Instant
Required Trait: Magi Adept/2nd Circle Witch / Gamma Logitike
Required Skill: Willwork 3, Ether Channel 3
Roll: None
Allows the character to flare their aura with a transmutation effect that provides DR against any one type of attack. The caster may spend 1 point of Ether for 5 points of DR, and may spend as many points as their Ether Channel rating. Ether charged attacks treat this DR as if they were armour piercing, and fully Etheric attacks ignore it completely. A variant of this spell known as “Cynosure” instead allows a character to flare their Aura for mental effect, Adding +2 per point of Ether spent to any Social role to impress or overwhelm. The Cynosure effect lasts for a social long round.

XXXX / Smokestride
Cost: 3 Ether, Cast: Move, Duration: Instant
Required Trait: Magi Adept/2nd Circle Witch
Required Skill: Willwork 4
Roll: None
Allows the character to dissolve into the Ether, and then reappear at a distance no more than 25m from their starting point. The character is invisible to normal sight while moving in this manner, but can be clearly seen by anyone able to view Ether, and will look like a rushing, billowing, cloud of etheric smoke as they move. The character ignores obstacles when moving in this manner, however cannot move through etheric or ether-charged objects.

XXXX / Veilwalk
Cost: 10 Ether, Cast: 2 Move, Duration: Instant
Required Trait: Magi Master
Required Skill: Willwork 7
Roll: Aether + Willwork
Veilwalk is a powerful and dangerous spell that potentially allows a character to teleport to any location on Arth (or even beyond). The first move costs 5 Ether and throws the caster into the Veil between universes, the second costs another 5 Ether and bounces her back to some point on Arth. DC is 30 to return to the spot where the character started, 35 for anywhere in line of sight, 40 for anywhere within 100m but out of sight, 45 for within 1km, DC 50 for within 10km, and +5 DC for each order of magnitude beyond. When using Veilwalk the caster rolls twice, once for the outbound move, and then once again for the inbound move, and adds the two numbers together.

Failing a Veilwalk move can be catastrophic, as the character can find themselves stranded in interdimensional space, without a space suit, and out of Ether. Use this spell with appropriate caution.