The Eternity Condensed Rules

By Mark Diaz Truman

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 2

The Eternity Condensed Rules

The ruleset in this document is the barebones ruleset for Eternity, a new GM-less collaborative story game from Magpie Games (www.magpiegames.com/eternity). The remainder of the game, including the Age Mechanics for long-term play, is still in development and will be released at a later date.

We highly encourage you to play the game as written and let us know about your experiences. We’re thrilled with the response we’ve gotten over the last two years of running

Eternity for dozens of gamers at conventions and playtests, and we’d love to hear about your group’s story. You can post feedback directly to forums (like Story Games and RPG.net), on your blog, or in private emails to us. Please email us at [email protected] to let us know you’ve posted something or if you’d like to submit your feedback more directly.

The Eternity condensed rules are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-

NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. In other words, we’re happy to see you remix it, as long as your work is not for sale and that you allow other people to remix your remix. If you’d like to put together something for commercial resale based on Eternity, please let us know. We are happy to grant commercial licenses on a case-by-case basis.

If you have questions or comments on this document, please feel free to email Magpie

Games at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 3

Chapter One: Setting

The Vast

The Vast are ancient, alien beings who rule over enormous areas of space that they refer to as “The Known.” So advanced that they no longer possess physical bodies, The Vast are essentially gods, able to rework and reshape matter and energy at will. They can move across the galaxy with a thought, resurrect the dead with a gesture, and destroy armies with a single strike. The Vast know no limits.

Yet The Vast play a dangerous game when they use their powers. As they alter reality, they grow more attached to the ideas their powers represent, more united with death when they strike down their enemies and more connected to creation when they summon something from nothing. Eventually those attachments become binding chains, with their own obligations that the Vast dare not defy.

Because they are bound by their actions, though they would never admit that they fear those bindings, the Vast amass allies to accomplish their will. Their Pantheon—priests, followers, and children—do their bidding without risking Attachment, carrying out the Vast’s plans as proxies. At the same time, however, forces mass against the Vast, coveting their power and seeking to destroy them, Burdens that the Vast bear as they try to work their will on the world. These two forces, the Pantheons and Burdens, are constantly in conflict, creating epic stories of love, war, and conquest. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 4

The Code

The Vast who choose to live together, usually known as The Collective, live by a set of laws called The Code. In order to minimize conflict and live peacefully, the Vast who follow the Code agree to be completely bound by it, suffering consequences if they break The

Collective’s laws.

Although no Vast enjoys following the laws of the group, the alternative, constant and unending war, is so horrifying that they agree to work together to avoid it. That said, they spend the majority of their time scheming to get around The Code whenever possible.

The laws of the Code are cumulative, each building on the next. In the unlikely event that they are ever in conflict—if obeying one law would require a Vast to break another—the last law in the order holds precedent. Since Contract is the highest law of the Vast, it is possible for one Vast to bring Cause against another for failing to honor a Contract that required one of them to break the Code.

The Code Quick Guide:

The Law of Dominion: No Vast shall interfere with the holdings of another Vast.

The Law of Harmony: No Vast shall directly intervene in the affairs of another Vast.

The Law of Limit: No Vast shall encourage The Common to rise above their station.

The Law of Passage: No Vast shall revoke Passage without Cause and Jury.

The Law of Contract: No Vast shall breach Contract without Cause and Jury.

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 5

Dominion

“No Vast shall directly interfere with the holdings of another Vast.”

Whatever the Vast own belongs to them and them alone. No member of the Collective is allowed to alter or destroy the property of another Vast including the Archons, Appointed, and Common that make up a Vast’s pantheon. In short, if it does not belong to you, do not touch it, alter it, or destroy it.

Harmony

“No Vast shall directly intervene in the affairs of another Vast.”

The Law of Harmony is the central law of any collective. In essence, it is the guiding principle between the Vast, the rule that keeps them from engaging in constant warfare. Each

Vast enjoys unfettered plans… as long as they don’t interfere with the plans of another.

It is this law that gives a Vast the right to kill the Archons or Appointed of another

Vast. Holdings are protected, but an Archon that interferes with your holdings suddenly becomes a part of your affairs, giving you the right to enact punishment and pass judgement on the Holdings of others.

Limit

“No Vast shall encourage The Common to rise above their station.” Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 6

While this law has many potential applications, the most common finding concerns

Technology. The Vast remember that they were once mortals, eons ago, and fear that The

Common who live on their world might rise up against them. In order to keep that from happening, The Collective outlaws any World developing more than Rank 6 Technology, although individual Collectives sometimes raise the Limit higher.

Passage

“No Vast shall revoke Passage without Cause and Jury.”

The Vast get into conflicts. Often.

One of the conflicts that comes up frequently is Passage, the right to travel in a Vast’s

Realm and World. If a Vast offers another Vast Passage, then nothing is hidden and that Vast may travel anywhere within the Realm or World she likes. Of course, the rest of the Code is still in effect… but some Vast know how to cause trouble within the bounds of the Code.

In order to minimize these conflicts, The Collective must hear a trial for any Vast who wishes to withdraw Passage. Therefore, Passage must only be given to those you trust, for it will not be so easy to take back. It must also may be given only in totality; a Vast cannot declare parts of his World or Realm off-limits.

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 7

Contract

“No Vast shall breach Contract without Cause and Jury”

The Vast have many commitments to others, including their own children. Yet, they hold their commitments to each other above all others. Any promises made by one Vast are considered a Contract. Contracts have requirements and features:

Requirements: Both parties must clearly, and without illusion, present themselves to each other. At least one party must say the words “I swear to…” When both of these conditions are met, the Vast who made the promise must give a Contract coin to the Vast to which he swore the oath. If the Contract is mutual, the Vast Exchange coins.

Features: All Vast know when a Contract is broken, but do not know what the

Contract entailed. Vast who refuse to honor a Contract my be brought before the Collective for punishment. Any Vast who holds a Contract coin knows the terms of the Contract exactly, but there is no requirement that such a coin be submitted as evidence.

The Diaspora

There are, of course, Vast who refuse to follow The Code, who would rather live according to their nature instead of the Collective’s laws. They are known as the Diaspora, and the Vast who attempt to live within the confines of a Collective find them deeply disturbing.

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 8

They rule as god-kings over the planets they control, smiting their enemies and dominating their kingdoms until they Unravel, picking up the pieces to do it all over again when they pull themselves together. Every Collective knows that the only way to stop a

Diaspora is to fight them directly—to Chain them and lock them away for Ages upon Ages—a battle which puts the Collective itself at risk of Unraveling.

Yet while each Collective lives in fear of the day that the Diaspora chance upon The

Known, each Vast harbors in her heart the potential to join them. The rules of the Collective are so oppressive, so frustrating; it would be so much easier to live without limits…

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 9

Chapter Two: Character Creation

Step 1: Gather Players and Equipment

Character creation in Eternity is a group exercise; you might start thinking up a character on your own, but you need the other players to complete the setup for the game. As you add elements to your sheet, the other players will add Complications to your Pantheon and Burdens, creating a complex web of relationships and commitments that will drive the story of your Collective. You'll want to accept those Complications because they will give you story points, tokens that are needed to activate most, if not all, of your powers…

In addition to the other players, you'll also need:

◆ Roughly Twenty Six-sided dice

◆ 3x5 Index Cards

◆ Poker Chips, Beads, or Tokens

Step 2: Decide on Roles

Since Eternity doesn't have a Gamemaster, it's important that certain jobs are done by the players. Before you make characters, you've got to assign a few roles. These roles will change from game to game. Taking the job for one session doesn't obligate you to take it for the rest of your epic tale.

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 10

The Watcher

Someone has to keep the group on track and frame scenes within the game. The

Watcher's job is to decide when scenes start, when scenes end, and when a discussion about the rules has reached an impasse. While The Watcher is not exactly an impartial observer, she’s supposed to keep the game moving as much as possible. Primarily, the Watcher structures the game by calling for Primacies (i.e. deciding when a conflict requires the players to go to dice) and opening and closing each scene.

In the first case, the Watcher can declare a Primacy at any time, even when the conflict is not apparent to other players. The ability to declare a Primacy gives the Watcher a lot of power, but it also means that it’s up to her to judge when a conflict is not negotiable. If she jumps too early, it’s going to hurt the game with too much dice rolling and not enough collaborative play; if she waits to long to call for a Primacy, the players will drive each other crazy trying to negotiate things that can’t be peacefully resolved.

In order to resolve any out-of-character conflict, The Watcher can call for votes on any topic of importance to the group. If she think someone has done something neat in the game and deserves extra story points, she can call for a vote. If she needs to settle the interpretation of an agreement with metaphysical consequences, she can call for a vote. The Watcher cannot decide that someone is wrong or right in a rules dispute, but she can call for a vote to get the group to move past the issue.

The Banker Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 11

Someone has to award story points and keep track of expenditures. The Banker's job is to dish out the story points owed to players and collect the story points that are spent by those players. Since Eternity doesn't have a Gamemaster, the Banker functions a lot like the banker in Monopoly. He sits with a big box of story points and hands them out when the game calls for it, and he collects story points whenever a players wants to take an action that requires then to give up a story point.

The Banker doesn't award any additional story points unless the rules of the game specify him to do so. It is not his responsibility to reward the awesome roleplay other players bring to the group. The rest of the group members should already be helping to encourage great play by asking the Watcher to call for votes or simply giving each other story points from their stack.

The Keeper

Someone has to play the peanut gallery. The Keeper's job is to portray little people who may take mechanical actions, but otherwise sit back and let the main actors ham it up.

These additional characters are generally faceless, and shouldn't keep the Keeper from playing a primary character as well in a given scene.

Sometimes the scene the Keeper’s group is playing through will contain a legion of extras; Armies, Beasts, and Rebellions have a way of turning into a cast of thousands. The Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 12

Keeper is free to assign these kind of characters to other players if his workload gets to be unmanageable.

The Scribe

Someone has to keep track of the setting. As the game progresses, the players will have opportunities to establish truths about the world. The Scribe's job is to record all those facts and ensure that nothing is forgotten. While each player should be adding information to her own character sheet, the Scribe helps to track the information for the group as a whole.

I strongly urge each group playing Eternity to set up a wiki for their epic. It is much easier to update a group source of information then it is to try to maintain paper records. The

Scribe’s job will be a lot easier if he brings a laptop to game and updates the wiki right after play concludes.

Step 3: Assign Base Attachments

Most roleplaying games ask you to assign numbers to your character in order to establish what your character is good at doing. In Eternity, however, you play a character who is nearly omnipotent. Stats and rankings are meaningless when you can raise the dead and convert lead to gold.

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 13

Instead of assigning attribute scores, assign points to eight categories called

Attachments (see Attachments, pg 55). These range from one to five points and indicate how strongly your Vast is tied to the idea represented by the Attachment. A Vast who has a five

(5) in Destruction will be a god of death and endings; a Vast with a five (5) in Creation will be a god of birth and creativity. No two Vast are alike, and similar levels of Attachments are often manifested differently among them.

When your Vast attempts to reshape the world according to his will, you may add the dots in the appropriate attachment to your roll, calling upon the deep metaphysical ties you have to the concepts you are affecting. Since the Vast are already rolling a large number of dice, Vast with large Attachments become nigh invincible when dealing with their primary domains.

However, the Vast deeply fear Attachment. When the Vast add Attachment dots to a roll (or create a Temporary or Permanent effect), they "risk Attachment." In other words, their actions may tie them more deeply to that aspect of their existence, opening them up to a potential Unraveling (see Unraveling, pg 59). If a Vast has five dots of Attachment, any action that violates the Unraveling condition will result in the end of that Vast’s identity.

At character creation, choose three Attachments to define your Vast. Mark three dots for your primary domain, and two dots for your secondary and tertiary domain (a total of seven dots). Remember that higher ratings of Attachment carry both risk and reward: they make the Vast more powerful, but expose them to the destructive powers of Fate.

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 14

Step 4: Define your Vast and Realm

Once you’ve assigned your Attachments, it’s time to flesh out the mechanics into an actual character. Your Vast is not a person—the petty concerns of the flesh were lost to your

Vast eons ago—but the Vast do have personalities. They are mighty warriors and tricksy scoundrels, evil temptresses and cruel masters, dark and unforgiving lords and hopeful psychopaths.

Your Vast’s personality and demeanor should be broadly tied to your Attachments, but they can be interpreted in many, many different ways. No two Vast are alike, as each one carves out a unique role for himself in The Known, interfering only in the conflicts that interest him. Some Vast are obsessed with a certain Domain of Attachment; others have more immediate concerns of power or wealth.

For example:

Al'Halight, also known as the Queen of Venom, is the oldest member of the Collective in the Known. That is not to say that she arrived first, but instead refers directly to her

Attachments: she has not Unraveled for some time. She often manifests as a beautiful woman made entirely of local flora, but is known to speak from the rocks and trees themselves if it suits her whim. (Nature 3, Vengeance 2, Laity 2)

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 15

Shemhazai, also known as Giver of the Flame, has suffered the wrath of The

Collective previously. Unsatisfied with The Limit as specified by The Code, Shemhazai consistently pushes the Common on his world to achieve more than their lowly station. He is a dark angel, an armored figure with wings that rise behind him like a defiant beacon, his face eternally shrouded by a hood of darkness.

Distant, aloof, and alone, the Vast who calls himself The Traveler is the closest thing to a neutral party in The Known. As the most itinerant member of The Collective, he acts as a messenger and Judge on a regular basis. However, his neutrality is due to his tortured psyche, not his benevolent nature. He appears as a man in a simple hoodie and dark pants; he is often confused for a wayward youth on his own Worlds.

In addition to a description of your Vast, you should also define your Vast’s Realm.

While your Vast will also control many physical assets, each Vast primarily lives in a Realm, a subspace location that is the closest thing the Vast have to a home. They are accessible from any World in The Known, if you can find the right door, but often drive mortals who enter them Mad.

Realms are fantastic places, not subject to the rules of time and space. Often they are eternal mazes or scarred wastelands, tortured reflections of the psyches of the Vast who created them. Sometimes they are eternal paradises, gardens of plenty who tempt the

Common in with promises of beauty and pleasure. Feel free to let your imagination loose to devise a Realm that matches your Vast’s intriguing personality.

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 16

Step 5: Define Your World

While your Vast and her Realm are fantastic, mythological entities, your Vast also owns a World, a single planet in the Known that you have conquered or converted to your rule. Worlds are regular, physical places, filled with ordinary mortals (called The Common by the Vast) who live ordinary lives. Sometimes Worlds are plentiful paradises, lush gardens of happiness created by benevolent Vast; other times they are barren hellscapes, prisons of desolation designed to break the mortals who live there. Occasionally, Vast do not even bother to rule their reams, allowing them to fall into disrepair.

To create your World, roll five six-sided dice. Then assign each die to one of the following categories:

Civilization: Amount of your planet covered by population

Military: Degree of militarization in the planet's society.

Economy: Size of planetary economy

Loyalty: Degree of loyalty to controlling Vast

Technology: Level of technological advancement

Our Earth is a five (5) on all categories, a baseline that you can use to define what the abstract number represent. For example, a World with a Tech of 6 would be a futuristic society (like Minority Report or Total Recall), while a World with Tech of 4 would be a world just starting the Industrial Revolution. Each of the ratings ranges from one (1) to ten (10), with levels above six (6) available only through development during play. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 17

Finally, you can choose one of the following Developments for your new World:

Gate - An enormous subspace gate that allows your people to travel to other Worlds… and allows people from other Worlds to visit your World.

Monument - Allows your Pantheon to perform a sacrifice, once per age, that permanently reduces one of your Attachments by one. You must choose when you select this

Development to which Attachment the Monument is tied.

Step 6: Introduce Your Vast

Once all the players have assigned their Attachment dots, go around the table and introduce your Vast. Tell the rest of the group how your Vast manifests, what your Realm

(personal dimension) looks like, and what sort of things you value. The Vast are creatures of the ideal, disconnected from biology and reality, so feel free to construct whatever kind of crazy physical forms or Realms you want to use in the game.

Also introduce your World, the physical planet your Vast controls, and try to tie the mechanics you selected in Step 4 to some sort of narrative. If your World is a Civilization 1 world, you might tell the group that you purposefully keep the population low through ritual sacrifice or that your people are mostly infertile. If your World is a Tech 6 world, you might describe why you’ve let the Common on your planet advance so far. Give the other players something to latch onto as you build stories! Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 18

Step 7: Add Pantheon

Once every member of the group has introduced their Vast, the Banker should award each player five (5) story points for each player in the game, i.e. a group of four (4) players should get twenty (20) story points each. These are temporary story points and must be given away to other players by the end of the character creation; any temporary story points not given away are lost.

One by one, each player should decide on one element she wants to add to her Vast’s

Pantheon. You can choose from Realm, Denizens, Guardians, Appointed, and Archons (see

Pantheon, pg 60). You begin with five Pantheon points to spend; Archons cost two points, and all other Pantheon characters cost one Pantheon point.

Realm, Denizens, and Guardians are group purchases; each Pantheon point you place into those characters is cumulative and adds to the size and power of the group. The fiction around these numbers is flexible, though, and should match the Vast’s themes and style. For example, Rank 1 Guardians might be a small, elite group of imperial guards for a Roman-style

Vast, but they may also appear as a forest of relatively weak metal golems for a dwarven- themed Vast.

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 19

Unlike the other Pantheon character, the Appointed and Archons are individual characters and can be purchased multiple times to add multiple characters. Each of these characters is an individual person with her own motivations, desires, and plans.

Pantheon Quick Guide:

Realm: A Vast’s home in a subspace away from the Known.

Denizens: Fantastic creatures that guard, maintain, and protect a Vast’s private space.

Guardians: Personal guards of the Vast, mythical warriors who serve the Vast.

Appointed: Priests of the Vast, marked with the Vast’s power.

Archons: Children of the Vast, powerful and dangerous allies to their parents.

Each time a player adds an element to Pantheon, the purchasing player should gibe a brief sketch of what the element’s name, themes, or behaviors will be. Try not to give too much information, but give your fellow players enough detail to see where you broadly want the character to go in the story. For example:

“I will purchase an Archon. Her name is Lydia, and she wishes to conquer all the lands on my World.”

“I will purchase a dot in Realm. My home is the interior of a Scottish castle that has no exits, only endless torchlit halls.

“I will purchase a dot of Guardians. They are clockwork beasts of all shapes and kinds who are mute but communicate through telepathic messages.” Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 20

The rest of the players, in clockwise order, then make offers with their temporary story points, adding Complications. For example:

“Your Archon does not know you are her mother, and wishes to kill you.”

“Your Realm causes any Archon who enters it to be Afflicted with Greed.”

“Your Guardians have previously lost a battle to my Guardians.”

Anything that would add to the narrative is fair game. The player who “owns” the

Panthoen element should note any offers he accepts on an index card. If you accept temporary story points, the narrative Complication is true and the story points become yours to keep.

Note that this means that the Complication can be quite broad and long, as long as you accept the offer.

Complications can add items to a character’s sheet, such as Orison or Blessing, but it’s not necessary to define all of those elements at this time. It’s likely that your characters will have some blank spots on their sheets at the end of character creation. You will fill in those blanks as you continue play in scenes.

Once everyone has spent their Pantheon points, all players have a chance to make one last offer with their unused, temporary story points. Each player should run down all their

Pantheon purchases, allowing the other players one more shot at making offers. After that, all unused temporary story points are discarded.

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 21

Once Pantheons have been created, players should move directly into a Setting

Primacy and start the game. Each player should now have a Vast, a Realm, a World, a

Pantheon with Complications, and a stack of story points.

Step 8: Add Burdens

After your group has finished the first session, you can return to your sheets at the start of the second session to add Burdens to your sheet as well. Burdens are the same as

Pantheon, but they describe negative elements, parts of your existence that try to overthrow you or hurt you.

The Banker should give out an additional 5 story points per player, just as before, and those story points should be used to add Complications to Burdens. Each player must assign ten (10) points of burdens, but they are assigned two at a time. For example, selecting Rival for your first Burden means that you add two dots to Rival instead of one.

Burden Quick Guide:

Prophecy: A vision that binds the Vast to a specific event in the future.

Rival: An NPC Vast who wishes to see your holdings destroyed and your Worlds lost.

Rebellion: A human-led movement on a World to unseat your Vast from power.

Beast: A former Construct, Archon, or Appointed who has turned against your Vast.

Chains: A limit on your power imposed by The Collective when your Vast broke the

Code. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 22

A Vast may only be Chained once and may only have one Prophecy. The other

Burdens can be doubled so that a Vast can have multiple Beasts and multiple Rebellions.

After you have completed assigning Burdens, the group can return to scenes by starting a new Setting Primacy. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 23

Chapter Three: Scene Mechanics

Primacy Contests

The Eternity scene mechanics break down into four major types:

Setting Primacy - Mechanics for setting each scene

Character Primacy - Mechanics for assigning characters to the players in a scene

Story Point Offers - Mechanics for confirming agreement within a scene

Wager Primacy - Mechanics for managing disagreement within a scene Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 24

Setting Primacy

At the beginning of each scene, the group sets the scene through a Setting Primacy. In the Setting Primacy, each player secretly bids a number of story points and rolls a single six- sided die (d6), adding the story points to the die’s total once all the players have rolled. The player with the highest combined total wins. If there is a tie between two players, the player who bid the most points wins. If they bid the same number of points, players must negotiate

(using story points) to determine the winner.

The winner of this contest is said to have "Primacy" and sets the conditions of the scene. The story points spent by the players are placed in the center of the gaming area and are now invested in the scene. They will be redistributed later.

The player who has Primacy should list the time and location of the scene and exactly two characters that will be present. The player should also try to give some sense of what conflict will drive the scene, establishing what is at stake for the involved characters. There must be some conflict present at the start of the scene, but the conflict does not need to tie into any larger plot or narrative the group might have previously played out.

For example, the winner of a Setting Primacy could say "The chapter will take place in my character's Realm a few days after the previous scene. My character, Shemhazai, will confront The Traveler about the death of my character's Archon."

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 25

Note that it is not necessary for the winner of the Setting Primacy to include a Vast in the scene; Archons, Appointed, and mortals are great characters to base a scene around. It is, however, required for the winner to state who he is playing in the scene, and the player who has Primacy must select from one of the two characters he named when he won.

After the player who won Primacy establishes the scene, other players can add

Conditions to the scene in clockwise order at the cost of one (1) story point. They can specify additional character who might be in the scene, aspects the scene may possess, or limitations under which the characters are laboring. Remember that all players can veto facts established about their Pantheon by spending two story points.

Once all the players have added one (1) condition—including the winning player— players can elect to continue adding conditions at a rising cost. The second pass around requires players to put in an additional two (2) story points, then three (3), then four (4).

Players may elect to pass, but once they do so they are done for the round and can spend no further story points. Again, players may veto facts, but those story points are lost and return to the Bank.

Once all players have passed, the Setting Primacy ends.

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 26

Character Primacy

Once the scene has been set, the players once again secretly bid story points and roll a single d6. As before, their story bids are added to their die rolls and the player with the highest total wins Primacy. The story points that were bid are added to the story points already invested in the scene during the Setting Primacy.

The player who won the contest specifies which character one of the players will be playing, then passes to the next highest rolling player, who also assigns a character. A player does not have to pick a character for himself, but he cannot pick a character for a player who has already been assigned a role.

It is generally assumed that no player will play a Vast that doesn't belong to her, but that rule may be broken if the owner of the Vast consents. Players may veto the portrayal of characters from their Vast’s Pantheon, but must spend two story points to do so. Players may also veto the character they have been assigned, but must again spend two story points.

Once all the players have been assigned a character, the final player (who doesn't get to assign a character) divides the story points invested in the story. First, he may decide to retain up to two story points per player to hand out as offers for conditions. These conditions are usually negative ("I'll give you two story points if your Appointed forgot his sword") or limiting ("I'll give your three story points if your Archon has sworn to never kill another

Archon.”). Players may freely turn down these offers at no cost.

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The remaining story points are divided between the players evenly with any extra story points returning to the Banker. Once all the story points have been divided up, the scene begins.

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 28

Story Point Offers

During a scene, the primary method of moving through the narrative is Offers. Each player may offer story points to other players in an attempt to establish truths about the scene.

This may be done out of character, but it's most effective when done subtlety. For example, a player may hold story points out in their hand while stating what they want in the form of a question or leading statement:

“Isn't it true that you were the one who murdered my father?”

“I see that you have forgotten your sword.”

Players are free to take the story points and agree…

“Yes. I did murder him. He deserved it.”

“I did not think I needed my sword for such a meeting.”

… or turn down the Offer and react appropriately:

“I’m afraid you have me mistaken for someone else. I've never met your father.”

“I have my sword, good sir. If you were less captivated by my chest, you would have noticed it on my hips.” Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 29

Players may also Counteroffer by adjusting the terms a bit through dialogue, effectively looking for a middle ground that the offering player will accept:

“I didn't murder your father myself, but I know the person who did.”

“I may not have my sword, but I did not forget my bow.”

Ideally this bartering doesn't affect the flow of the chapter. Players make Offers and

Counteroffers through dialogue in order to keep scenes tense and interesting for all involved.

If a player wants to define a Truth to which he would have to offer himself a story point, such as “My father was murdered by an assassin,” he should place a story point into the pool of story points for the scene. Note that this can be used to define character traits and power that have not been previously defined. Once these choices are made, however, they are permanent. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 30

Wager Primacy Many scenes resolve without the use of any further mechanics: players go back and forth, swapping story points to achieve their goals without rolling any dice. However, there will come a time when two players' ideas about a chapter will be diametrically opposed and some mechanic is necessary to resolve the dispute.

In order to resolve these kinds of conflicts, players engage in Wager Primacy:

Each player builds a dice pool based on their character type, secretly sets aside story points to increase their total, and rolls the dice they have acquired. Players may also set aside dice from their roll to act as "wagers" before rolling, decreasing the total they will roll, but increasing the amount they can do after the roll has been completed. All players must participate in the Wager Primacy, even if they are not directly involved in the conflict.

After every player has rolled, the story point bids are added to the rolls and the player with the highest total wins Primacy. The player with Primacy gets to keep all of the wagers he set aside. Players who lost the primacy get to keep half of their wagers, rounded up.

In order to secure additional dice, players may:

◆ Spend a story point to invoke a single Blessing (+3)

◆ Spend a story point to invoke a single Aspect (+1-5)

◆ Spend a story point to invoke a Wound (+1-5) Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 31

◆ Add their Vast’s Attachment to a roll (+1-5) and risk Attachment (when playing a

Vast)

For example:

James and Mark are engaging in a Wager Primacy. Each has ten dice to start. Mark secretly sets aside fifteen (15) story points and five (5) dice; James secretly sets aside five (5) story points and three (3) dice. Mark rolls seventeen (17) on his five dice and James rolls twenty-two (22) on his seven dice. Mark has a total of thirty-two (17 on dice + 15 story points

= 32), while James has a total of only twenty-seven (22 on dice + 5 story points = 27). Mark wins the Primacy and keeps five (5) wagers. James loses the Primacy and keeps only two (2) wagers.

Wagers are primarily used to set additional facts or events in the scene, but several actions (damage, activating powers) have specific rules associated with them (see Spending

Wagers, pg 32).

In order for an action to have an effect, it usually must have match or exceed the total rank of the character. For example, it usually takes three wagers (3) to Command an Archon

(Rank 3) to fight his loved ones and two wagers (2) to make an Appointed (Rank 2) invisible.

This means that it is impossible for a mortal (only one base die) to affect one of the

Vast (ten base dice). This is a feature, not a bug.

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 32

The player who won the Primacy begins spending wagers by spending one wager for free. From that point, control passes to the player with the next highest total until no one has any wagers left to spend. Players who lost Primacy and did not set aside any wagers do not get to contribute. All the story points that were bid on the roll are added to the pile in the center of the table.

Once all the wagers have been spent, the Watcher must evaluate if another Primacy is needed. If so, the Primacy begins anew. If not, roleplay resumes, and players can once again make Offers.

Spending Wagers

Spending wagers is often one of the most difficult parts of the game for new players to understand. While you might be used to rolling dice, the purpose of dice in Eternity is fundamentally different than the purpose of dice in other games. Remember that you aren't rolling dice to see if you succeed or fail, but instead to see who has control of the narrative. Is it you or another player?

Wagers are valuable because they make your control over the narrative concrete.

When you have more wagers than other players, you establish that the scene will go your way. In addition, spending those wagers includes facts in the story that are inescapably true.

A wise players knows that he can do a lot more by Establishing Facts than he can by causing

Harm…

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 33

Establishing Facts

Players may spend wagers to establish facts. This can take many forms, but generally these facts serve to give the player spending the wager an advantage. Nearly any fact is acceptable, but players cannot contradict existing facts or ask characters to perform feats that are impossible (i.e. a mortal bringing someone back to life).

For example:

Michael the Convincing wishes to murder his rival Appointed, Sophie. As he is trying to lure her in with charismatic words, he spends a story point to invoke his Blessing, gaining three (3) additional dice on top of his base two (2). He wins the Wager Primacy, keeping four

(4) wagers. In order to make sure that he isn't caught, his first wager is spent to keep prying eyes away: "No one else is in the room." As long as it wasn't previously established that someone else was in the room, Michael's wager is fine…and Sophie is in a lot of trouble.

At times, players may find it interesting to establish facts that cause their character to be at a disadvantage. This is highly commendable! Adding elements to the scene that keep a character from accomplishing his goals makes the game more interesting for everyone. If the addition is interesting enough, the Watcher can call for a story vote and potentially earn that player a story point.

For example:

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 34

Sophie the Wise lost the Primacy to Michael, but still has one (1) wager to spend for the scene. Realizing that her death would make for an interesting story, she spends her wager to add some further tension: "All the doors to this room are locked." The Watcher thinks this is an exciting twist and calls for a story vote. The majority of the players at the table agree, and the Banker gives Sophie's character a story point.

Note that this system allows for characters to do whatever is possible in a setting where The Vast operate as near gods. This is a feature, not a bug. The Vast are supposed to clear rooms with the wave of their hand, bring back the dead on a whim, and lock people away for hundreds of years. However, the Vast must spend multiple wagers to achieve those effects. (see Wagers and The Vast, pg 36)

Activating Powers and Items

Players must spend a wager to get access to unique abilities and gifts. Unless the ability specifically states otherwise (see the Speed Orison, pg 51), the story points spent to activate powers by Appointed and Archons are spent after they gain control of the narrative by spending a wager.

Note that this does not allow you to also specify a fact. Using a wager to gain access to

Orisons and Gifts uses the wager up completely.

For example: Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 35

Now that he has set the stage for Sophie's end, Michael wants to completely hide himself from anyone who might come across them. He spends his second wager and one story points (1) to activate his Gift, a Helm of Invisibility. Cloaked in a Rank 1 Illusion, Michael is invisible to all who lack the power to see through Illusions… including Sophie. He moves closer to her, ready to strike.

Harm

Harm in Eternity is simple: The first wager spent by a character gives the target a Rank

1 Wound. Each wager spent after the first increases the Rank of the Wound by one. Each wager spent by the damaged character to defend against the attack decreases the Rank of the

Wound by one. You cannot preemptively defend against an attack that hasn't happened yet.

Only the Vast can affect a Wound they did not personally give or take. Other characters may cause new Wounds, but cannot stack their efforts to raise the Rank of existing

Wounds.

All characters, regardless of type, may harm other characters. However, the harm done must meet or exceed the Soma score of the character being harmed to have any effect.

Anything less is simply shrugged off and ignored. Thus, a character with three (3) base dice, can carry as many Rank 1 and Rank 2 Wounds as she likes. Only Rank 3+ Wounds have an effect on her at all.

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 36

The first Rank 3 Wound she takes, however, incapacitates her. She cannot participate in any Wager Primacies, but may still spend story points to activate powers or make Offers.

Any other character may spend a single wager to kill an incapacitated character.

For example:

After spending his first wager to clear the room and his second wager to activate his

Gift, Michael the Convincing prepares to end Sophie's life. She has no wagers to spend, and thus no way to defend against the attack. He spends his final two wagers to give her a Rank 2

Wound, matching her resistance dice (2). Sophie is incapacitated and cannot participate in the next Primacy. Michael, facing her unopposed, spends the wagers gained from the second primacy to kill her.

Injuries dealt to characters that incapacitate them heal at the rate of 1 Rank per scene in which they directly participate. Rank 3 Wounds become Rank 2 Wounds, Rank 2 Wounds become Rank 1 Wounds, etc. However, the character is still incapacitated until the wound that struck her down is fully healed.

Injuries that are not incapacitating heal at the end of the scene.

Wagers and The Vast

The Vast are supposedly creatures of nearly limitless power and ability. Can they really do anything they want? Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 37

Yes. But they have to spend enough wagers to do it.

To refresh, each Vast has a base of ten (10) dice to roll in every Wager Primacy. They roll those dice just like any other character, and can Establish Facts, deal Harm, and generally do anything the other characters can do. (Note: They can't activate Gifts or Orisons because they don't have those powers.) Unlike other characters, they can also create dragons, bring characters back from the dead, and destroy armies. In short, they can work miracles… as long as the Potency of the effect is high enough and the Duration of the effect is long enough.

The Vast have access to a few ways of spending Wagers that are not normally available to other characters:

Commands - The Vast can give Commands directly to other characters that must be followed if the Command’s Potency meets or exceeds the base die of the character.

Illusions - The Vast can create Illusions that are impenetrable to other characters, including other Vast. Vast—or characters with magic items—may pierce the veil, but must have spend a number of Wagers equal to the Potency of the illusion.

Constructs - The Vast may create golems, mechanical beings, and elemental creatures by spending wagers. The base dice of these entities is equal to their Rank, but they lack True

Life, often struggling to understand the emotions and ways of living beings. At the end of each Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 38

Age, Constructs have a chance to turn against the Vast that created them but are completely loyal until they turn against their maker.

Travel - The Vast may summon or banish any member of their Pantheon by spending a single wager. They may also travel to and from any area by spending a wager. None of these actions risk Attachment.

Potency

The first wager spent by a Vast creates a Potency 1 effect of the player's choosing.

Additional wagers increase the Potency of the effect by one (1). There is no maximum for the

Potency of an effect, but there is an effective minimum of one (1). Any Vast in the area may spend wagers to increase or decrease the Potency of any effect, but only during the Primacy in which it was created. Any effects that last beyond the initial Primacy (Temporary or

Permanent effects) are fixed at their given Potency.

If the roll affects another character, then the Potency must meet or exceed the resistance pool of the character in question. For example, stealing memories from a Archon must have a Potency that meets or exceeds his base Psyche dice.

If a Vast establishes an effect outside of a Primacy, that effect may have any Potency up to Rank 5.

Duration Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 39

Regardless of Potency, each effect begins with a Fleeting Duration. Fleeting effects last until the end of the next Wager Primacy. At the end of that Primacy, they dissipate and crumble away. As such, Fleeting effects do not risk Attachment.

Of course, Fleeting effects are not terribly useful. A Vast can spend an additional wager to change a Fleeting effect to a Temporary effect. Temporary effects last until the end of the scene and fully risk Attachment.

If the Vast desires an effect that will last beyond a scene, then he must spend another wager to change his Temporary effect to a Permanent effect. Permanent effects last for as long as their natural timeline (i.e. they grow old, suffer erosion, fade) and fully risk Attachment.

Vast may not affect the Duration of an effect they did not create.

If a Vast establishes an effect outside of a Primacy, that effect may have any Duration.

Additional Notes

Any effect a Vast wishes to create requires that all wagers associated with it be spent at once. For example, creating a Temporary, Potency 4 Bear would require five (5) wagers to be spent all at one time. The first four (4) wagers would establish a Potency 4 effect and the last wager would change that effect from Fleeting to Temporary.

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 40

Any Harm caused by The Vast is Permanent by default, requires no wagers to increase its duration, and risks Attachment. As with all effects, other Vast may adjust the Potency of an attack by spending wagers.

The Vast can spend one (1) wager to summon any member of their Pantheon. This summoning is Permanent, but does not risk Attachment.

The Vast can spend one (1) wager to send any member of their Pantheon in their presence to another location in The Known. This sending is Permanent, but does not risk

Attachment.

Characters summoned (or created) by the Vast cannot act during the Primacy in which they were summoned. However, they are subject to the actions of characters who still have wagers.

The Vast may inflict Afflictions on characters instead of Harm. Like other effects,

Afflictions must be Potent enough to beat the target character’s base dice. All Afflictions risk

Vengeance.

Vast must roll for Attachment (see Attachment, pg 55) whenever they:

◆ Add Attachment dice to a roll

◆ Create a Temporary or Permanent effect Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 41

◆ Grant aid, Gifts, or Blessings to Archons or Appointed

◆ Inflict Harm or Afflictions on a character

For example:

Shemhazai is furious that Michael the Convincing has slain Sophie the Wise. He wishes to bring her back to life immediately upon entering the scene. He gathers his dice, wins primacy (with 8 wagers), and immediately spends four (4) wagers to bring her back to life.

His first two (2) wagers are spent to achieve a Potency 2 effect to raise her and his second two

(2) wagers are spent to make the effect Permanent. Shemhazai then spends one (1) wager to pierce Michael's Illusion and one (1) wager to send Michael into his Realm. He has two wagers remaining, and will roll for Attachment soon.

Adding Aspects

Finally, players may spend wagers to add an aspect to a scene. Aspects allow you to spend story points to gain extra dice in keeping with the aspect's description. In addition, they serve to add description to the scene, adding a mechanical benefit to setting elements.

Each wager players commit to the aspect increases the aspect's Rank by one (1).

Other players may spend wagers to increase or decrease the Rank of the aspect. There is no maximum (or minimum) to the rating of an aspect, but like the effects of the Vast, the Rank of an aspect cannot be affected once the Primacy during which it was created has ended. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 42

For example:

Upon arriving in his realm with Michael, Shemhazai wishes to make clear how foreboding his Realm can be to the Annointed. He spends his final two wagers to create a

Rank 2 aspect called "Frigid." This not only establishes the setting elements for the chapter, but also allows either Shemhazai or Michael to spend a story point to tag the aspect and gain two (2) extra dice on their roll. However, they must clearly state how the aspect would help their plans to receive the benefit.

Ending Scenes

As the conflict in the scene comes to a close, the Watcher must decide when to end the scene, calling for a close, even if there is still action left to play out. Sometimes the best time to end a scene is not when everything has been completed but when it is most interesting to end.

When the scene is over, each player can award one story point out of the pool of story points in the middle of the table to a player who contributed an excellent idea or moment to the scene.

Finally, the Watcher must gather up all the story points and redistribute them evenly among the players in the group. These points carry forward into the next scene.

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 43

The group can decide to play out another scene, returning to the Setting Primacy, or end the session.

Ending Sessions

At the end of every session after the first, the group must pay a number of story points to keep the Age going. The group pays this cost together, with everyone who wants to contribute putting up story points to pay the cost. These points leave the game, and the Age continues.

1st Session - 0 story points

2nd Sessoin - 5 story points

3rd Session - 10 story points

4th Session - 15 story points

5th Session - 20 story points

When the Age ends, the timeline of the game advances roughly fifty years. The Mortal characters die, the Appointed and Archons grow old, and the Vast are permitted to take a few actions to develop their Pantheon and defeat their Burdens. If a player has unresolved issues in the current Age, she may have to devote a large amount of resources to keeping this Age going.

Once the new Age has started, the sessions reset, and the cost to keep the second Age going return to zero. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 44

Chapter Four: Characters

The Common

Base Dice: 1 die

Blessings: 0

Orisons: 0

Gifts: 0

The Common are mortals, lowly pawns in the machinations of the Vast. Note that they do not receive Blessings, Orisons, or Gifts. If a Vast does bestow a Blessing or a Gift, the mortal immediately becomes one of The Appointed.

The Appointed

Base Dice: 2 dice

Blessings: 1

Orisons: 0

Gifts: 1

The Appointed are the priests and emissaries of the Vast, carrying forth their word unto the people of their worlds. Each is marked by a symbol that represents the Attachment they are bound to and represent, a sign of the power that the Vast has bestowed upon them. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 45

For example, an Appointed imbued with the power of destruction may find that his hands are black, and small plants and animals wither and die at his touch.

Additional Powers:

May summon The Vast that created them by spending a story point and speaking the

Vast's name.

Once per Age, an Appointed may Channel the Attachment they represent, spending a story point to add dice to their rolls equal to their Vast's rating in that Attachment. When they do this, the Vast who Appointed them must roll for Attachment.

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 46

Blessings

When the Vast mark an Appointed as their priest, they bestow upon them a Blessing, a supernatural Aspect that grants them extraordinary skills and power. The Blessing is what makes an Appointed a member of the Vast’s Pantheon, and a Vast who grants one must risk

Attachment in Laity. A character may only have one Blessing at a time, but a Vast may grant a new Blessing that supersedes the older one. During a Wager Primacy, characters with

Blessings can spend a story point to add three dice to their pool, assuming that the Blessing is appropriate to the situation at hand.

Wise: You have traveled far and wide, learning much about the Known and the creatures that inhabit it. When a contest calls for you to have deep insight into the workings of the Known, spend a story point to add three dice to your roll.

Resourceful: You are never without a plan, relying on your wits and cunning to see you out of difficult situations. When your ingenuity is an asset in a contest, spend a story point to add three dice to your roll.

Steadfast: You cannot be moved easily by words or force, requiring your opponents to undertake extreme efforts to push you aside. When a contest calls for you to remain resolute in the face of coercion or danger, spend a story point to add three dice to your roll.

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 47

Gigantic: You are extraordinarily large, dwarfing normal men and women with your height and weight. When your enormous size is an asset in a contest, spend a story point to add three dice to your roll.

Tireless: You will never surrender. Never. When a contest calls for you to push on despite the odds, spend a story point to add three dice to your roll.

Swift: You are legendarily fast, outpacing your friends and foes without breaking a sweat. When your speed is an asset, spend a story point to add three dice to your roll.

Breathtaking: Your face may not have launched a thousand ships yet... but it will.

When you rely upon your natural beauty, spend a story point to add three dice to your roll.

Convincing: Your words are like honey: entrancing, saccharine, and sticky. You are used to getting your way… if they let you open your mouth. When your silver tongue is an asset in a contest, spend a story point to add three dice to your roll.

Lion-hearted: You are brave beyond measure, an inspiration to those who seek to defeat their enemies and rise above their own mortality. When a contest calls for you to throw caution to the wind, spend a story point to add three dice to your roll.

You are free to create your own Blessings, but remember that they should be appropriately moving and epic. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 48

Gifts

The Vast may choose to grant Gifts, objects of immense power, to any Appointed or

Archon. Usually these Gifts are granted during character creation, but they may be given during play as well. If a Vast grants a Gift to his own Appointed or Archon, he risks

Attachment in Lineage or Laity.

Gifts come in many forms ranging from weapons to spyglasses to jewelry. It’s up to the players to narrate what the object is and how it is represented in the narrative. A single

Appointed or Archon cannot have more than one Gift, as the magical energies that are generated by two Gifts will slowly drive them to madness.

Willpower: Spend story points to ignore any mental Command. There is no limit to how many story points you may spend, but you may not partially downgrade a Command (i.e. spending one story point does not make a Rank 3 Command a Rank 2 Command). If you are ignoring a Rank 3 Command, you must spend three (3) story points. If you can’t spend that many, you cannot use the Gift.

Invisibility: Spend story points to create a Temporary Illusion of invisibility with

Potency equal to story points spent.

Healing: Spend story points to heal a wound. There is no limit to how many story points you may spend, but you may not partially heal a wound (i.e. spending one story point Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 49 does not make a Rank 3 Wound a Rank 2 Wound). If you are healing a Rank 3 Wound, you must spend three (3) story points. If you can’t spend that many, you cannot use the Gift.

Protection: Spend story points (instead of wagers) to downgrade damage.

Sight: Spend story points to see through illusions, such as invisibility. You must spend story points equal to the Potency of the Illusion.

Flight: Spend a story point to fly for a single Primacy.

Summoning: Spend story points to summon a creature of a Rank equal to story points spent. At the end of each contest, you must roll a die against your Psyche to avoid losing control of the creature. If you succeed (i.e. roll lower than your Psyche), you can banish the creature. If you fail, the creature turns on you.

Luck: Spend a story point to reroll your dice in a contest that you lost. You may only use this power once per contest and you may not alter your wagers or story points spent on the roll.

Chaos: Spend story points to alter the rolls of other players in a contest. For each story point you spend, the other players must reroll the highest or lowest die (your choice) without altering their wagers or story points spent on the roll.

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 50

Archons Base Dice: 3 dice

Strength/Weakness: Soma, Psyche, Ruach (Body, Mind, Spirit)

Blessings: 1

Orisons: 1

Gifts: 1

The Archons are the children of the Vast, the sons and daughters of Gods. They are human, but only barely so. Their stories are the seeds of legends, and they rise to be Queens and fall as scoundrels and layabouts in equal measure. Like the Appointed, Archons receive a

Blessing and one Gift. In addition, they also get an Orison, a fantastic power that sets them apart from mortals and must choose a Strength and Weakness:

Soma - +1/-1 to your physical base dice

Psyche - +1/-1 to your mental base dice

Ruach - +1/-1 to your spiritual base dice

The Strengths and Weakness vary the base dice of Archons such that each Archon has one category at a four, one category at a three, and one category at a two. An Archon cannot choose to have the same Strength and Weakness.

Each Archon also starts with a single Affliction, a tragic flaw that drives that character to greatness… and toward a bitter ending. This Affliction can never be removed, not even by the Vast themselves. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 51

Orisons

In addition to Blessings and Gifts, Archons also possess fantastic powers called

Orisons. These magical abilities are similar to the kinds of feats the Vast can perform, but the

Archons use them without risking Attachment or expending much energy.

Invulnerability: Spend a story point to ignore any wound delivered, regardless of the severity.

Strength: Spend story points (instead of additional wagers) to increase the rating of a wound you are delivering. You cannot spend more story points than your Soma score.

Speed: Spend a story point to spend the first wager in a contest, regardless of who won Primacy.

Command Person: Spend a story point to issue a Temporary Command to a target with a Potency up to your Psyche score. If affected, Archons may ignore the Command by spending story points equal to the command's Potency.

Command Nature: Spend a story point to issue a Temporary Command to beasts or plants with a Potency equal to your Psyche.

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 52

Command Elements: Spend a story point to issue a Temporary Command to air, wind, fire, or earth with a Potency up to your Psyche. Characters with this Orison tend to focus on one element for thematic effect, but may be able to manage more than one.

Create Illusion: Spend a story point to create a Temporary Illusion with Potency equal to your Psyche.

Flight: Spend a story point to fly for a number of Primacies equal to your Ruach.

Raise the Dead: Spend a story point to raise an army of undead warriors. These warriors act as a Temporary army with a die pool one less than your Ruach.

Healing: Spend a story point to heal a wound on any character up to your Ruach score.

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 53

Afflictions

Unlike Blessings, there is no limit to the number of Afflictions a character can acquire.

A character may suffer from an unlimited list of maladies and curses, each adding a bit of misery to his already bleak existence (and earning him more story points).

Normally, Afflictions are acquired as the result of an interaction with the supernatural.

An unlucky Appointed who crosses a Vast may find himself struck with Madness or Greed as a just punishment for the lesser's arrogance.

That said, sometimes Afflictions arise purely from mundane events and experiences.

For example, the murder of an Archon's true love would absolutely cause him to swear

Vengeance against the killer. Players can propose that an event in a character’s life is so tragic that he would be struck with an Affliction, and—if the table agrees—add it to the character’s sheet.

Madness:

Your mind has turned against you, convincing you that the world is not as it seems.

Claim a story point when your confusion works against you.

Vengeance:

You are consumed with revenge against a character who has truly wronged you.

Claim a story point when your bloodlust blinds you.

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 54

Hubris:

You believe that you are the equal of the gods themselves. Claim a story point when you overreach your station.

Pride:

You cannot admit that you are, have been, or ever will be wrong. Claim a story point when your ego keeps you from admitting that you have erred.

Curiosity:

You want to see the secrets of the Known laid bare before you. Claim a story point when your questions take you beyond safety and into danger.

Greed:

You wish to see all the world delivered to your doorstep. Claim a story point when your avarice overwhelms your better judgement.

Terror:

Your fear has overtaken you, driving you to flee no matter the cost. Claim a story point when you run away. Claim two story points when leaving puts another character in danger. (Note: This affliction may only last for a single scene.)

Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 55

The Vast

Base Dice: 10 die

Blessings: 0

Orisons: 0

Gifts: 0

The Vast know no limits. Of course, they are subject to Attachment and the Code…

Attachment

Creation:

One of the most common Attachments for the Vast, Creation is risked whenever the

Vast create something from nothing or reanimate dead material. Common Creation risks are bringing the dead back to life and creating objects or creatures from nothing.

- You will Unravel when you destroy something you created.

Destruction:

As common as Creation, Destruction is risked whenever the Vast inflicts damage or otherwise ruins an object, creature, or person through direct means. The most common

Destruction risk is direct damage during combat.

- You will Unravel when you recreate something you destroyed. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 56

Nature:

Nature is risked whenever the Vast directly affect plants and animals in the living world. Note that creating a bear from nothing would risk both Creation and Nature while summoning a bear would risk only Nature. Common Nature risks are summoning animals, directing plant growth, and communicating with ecosystems.

- You will Unravel when you corrupt or destroy a pure place.

Elements:

A close sibling to Nature, Elemental attachment is risked when the Vast affects non- organic material. Note that creating a stone golem from nothing would risk both Creation and

The Elements, while animating a stone statue would only risk The Elements. Common

Nature risks are summoning elements (fire, water, earth, and air), animating inanimate objects, and crafting enormous structures.

- You will Unravel when you bestow "true life" on another character.

Lineage:

The children of the Vast, known as Archons, are some of the most powerful creatures in the Known. They are also permanently entwined with the Vast that sired them, causing the

Vast to risk attachment whenever they affect their own Archon. Common Lineage risks focus on using the Vast's powers to create, harm, or help Archons. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 57

- You will Unravel when you kill one of your children.

Laity:

While Archons are immensely powerful, the Vast often prefer to to create Appointed to carry out their wishes. The Appointed are less likely to move against the Vast directly, obeying his or her wishes without the complications of familial ties. Any action that directly affects the Appointed risks Attachment, including creating, destroying, or aiding them.

- You will Unravel when you destroy one of your temples.

Dreams:

The Vast, afraid to work directly, often interact with their worlds through illusions and dreams. Yet, even these ephemeral communication risk attachment, tying the Vast more closely to the Attachment of Dreams. Common Dream risks include creating illusions, altering dreams, and warping the emotions and thoughts of others.

- You will Unravel when you dispell the illusions of another.

Vengeance:

Few emotions that the Vast experience are strong enough to risk attachment.

Vengeance, however, is so powerful that the Vast must risk attachment when the aid or Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 58 impede the desire for vengeance in others. Common Vengeance risks include empowering those seeking vengeance and enacting vengeance on the behalf of others.

- You will Unravel when you deny a direct request for righteous vengeance.

Risking Attachment

Roll a die after your Vast takes any action that risks Attachment. If your roll comes up less than or equal to your current rating, add one to your Attachment; your Vast's affinity for that Attachment has grown stronger. If your roll is greater than your current rating, your sheet remains unchanged; your Vast is lucky enough to avoid being further ensnared in ties.

You must roll for Attachment immediately after your Vast completes the action that raised the risk in the first place. For example, if you kill a soldier, you must immediately roll for attachment as soon as you spend the wagers to kill him.

If you taken an action for which you have no points of Attachment, you immediately gain the first point.

If you already have five dots in an Attachment, it cannot go any higher. You do not need to roll for actions involving that Attachment.

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Unraveling

When a Vast has an Attachment at the maximum of five dots, they are vulnerable to

Unraveling. If the Vast violates the Unraveling condition, they are torn apart by the Fates, and remade into a new version of her previous self. For example, the Yahweh of the Old

Testament who rains fire and brimstone down on the people who hurt his people becomes the kind and loving God of the New Testament. Same god, different personality.

The Vast are terrified of Unraveling. While they cannot die, they treat the destruction of their personalities, their wishes, and their desires as equal to or worse than death. They will kill to avoid it, and often leave their friends and allies to die to keep themselves whole.

For the most part, Unraveling is not an instantaneous process. Eventually, however,

The Fates will catch up with a Vast who “breaks the rules,” unmake his Realm, destroy his

Denizens and his Guardians, and rip him apart. The pieces that are left will reknit themselves in the next Age. For some Vast, this is a relatively quick progress. They may find themselves torn to pieces on the battlefield, done in only a few seconds after they broke the rules. Other

Vast may have time to collect their things, say goodbye to their loved ones, and prepare for their next incarnation.

When a Vast Unravels, the player makes a new sheet. Everything they were previously connected to in The Known is lost. The characters that they were previously associated with are still alive, still active, but the new Vast cares not for them nor for their concerns. The Vast who created those characters is lost to them. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 60

Pantheon

Realm: A Vast’s home in a subspace away from the Known. Realms can be accessed from any world in the Known controlled by the Collective, but the doorways and passages may be dangerous to mortals.

While in your Realm, your Vast receives a bonus to all rolls equal to your Realm’s rating.

Denizens: Defenders and keepers of a Vast’s Realm. The Denizens of a Realm are the fantastic creatures that guard and protect a Vast’s private space.

Denizens may take actions in your Realm and add the Realm’s rating to any rolls.

They are a group character, although individual personalities often emerge in play.

Guardians: Personal guards of the Vast. Each Vast has one supernatural, military force that can be summoned from anywhere in the Known by spending a single wager. These

Guardians may be human, but they may also be an army of devilish creations, mythical creatures, or mechanical constructs.

The Guardians act as a group character, and my be led by another character, effectively adding their dice to all that character’s rolls. As with Denizens, they do not have individual character sheets, but your group may find one or two of them to surface as the voice of the unit. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 61

Appointed: Priests of the Vast. Appointed have been marked by the Vast, and contain a fraction of the Vast’s power. As priests, they serve many roles, ranging from evangelists to covert agents.

Appointed may summon your Vast by spending a story point, and can add your

Attachment dice to their roll once per Age. In addition, each Appointed receives one Blessing and one Gift.

Archons: Powerful children of the Vast. Archons are the mightiest soldiers and servants, but also a liability for the Vast who spawned them. The fickle children of the Vast often turn against them.

Archons gain Orisons, powerful gifts that can eclipse even the Vast, and also receive one Blessing and one Gift. In addition, each Archon is cursed with an Affliction that haunts them from birth.

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Burdens Prophecy: Future visions that bind the Vast. The Vast may pear into the future, but are bound by what they see. In addition, all Vast, bound together, gain the knowledge of what the Vast seeking the prophecy has seen. Prophecies are a risky gamble, and the Vast fear knowing almost as much as they fear the Unknown. A Vast may only have one Prophecy active at a time.

Any character may spend a story point to add a number of dice to a roll equal to a

Vast’s Prophecy when appropriate. For example, if a Vast is destined to kill his own child, another Vast might spend a story point to improve the roll made to disguise the child as the

Vast’s Beast.

A Vast may acquire a Prophecy at any time, peering into the future to see what will become of the events of the present. When he does so, he automatically receives a number of story points equal to half the rating of the Prophecy he chooses. In addition, other players receive the option of offering additional story points to add details to the Prophecy.

Beasts: Creations and Constructs that have gone rogue. Beasts harbor a hatred for the

Vast that spawned them, and seek their destruction.

Beasts have a number of Blessings, Orisons, Gifts, or Maledictions equal to their rating, and may be assigned as normal characters during the Character Primacy.

Rival: An NPC Vast who wishes to see your holdings destroyed and your Worlds lost. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 63

Each dot of Rival removes an Age Action from your Vast’s sheet. In addition, character from their Pantheon may emerge to destroy, frustrate, or complicate your plans.

Rebellion: Mortals who wish to throw off the Vast. They are organized, militant, and often willing to take extreme actions to “reclaim” their World.

Each dot of Rebellion acts like a dot of Guardian, and can be led by characters seeking to destroy or throw off the Vast. A Vast may suffer from more than one Rebellion at a time, each on a different World.

Chains: Punishment established by the Collective. When the Vast break the Code, they are punished by Chains. If found guilty by a Jury, a Vast is bound by the rest of The

Collective, weakened in proportion to her crime.

Each dot reduces the die pool of your Vast by 1 for all rolls. If a Vast is bound by 10 levels of Chains, he effectively becomes mortal, losing his powers, but cannot die and comes back to life within hours of being killed. Chains fade slowly, losing one level per Age. If a Vast unravels, his chains are lost along with his identity.

Maledictions

While Beasts have access to any number of Blessings, Orisons, and Gifts, they also can purchase Maledictions, powerful abilities that only manifest in the dark hearts of Beasts. Eternity by Mark Diaz Truman (@Trumonz) 64

Mortal Form: Spend story points to create a Temporary Illusion with Potency equal to the points spent. The Illusion makes you appear as human.

Immobilize: Spend story points to incapacitate a character by turning him to stone, locking him in chains, etc. A character who wishes to escape must spend a number of wagers equal to the story points spent. The Vast remain unaffected and Archons who have a strength in Soma may spend a story point to resist fully.

Cause Affliction: Spend story points equal to a target's Psyche to add a Temporary

Affliction of your choice to that target. A target may only be subject to one Temporary

Affliction at a time.

Venom: Spend a story point after inflicting a wound on a character. That character's wounds cannot be healed for the rest of the scene, except by The Vast who must spend an extra wager to destroy the poison.

Siren Song: Spend story points to afflict multiple characters with a Temporary

Affliction. Each story point spent allows you to affect one additional character. The Vast remain unaffected and Archons who have a strength in Psyche may spend a story point to resist the Affliction.

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Chapter Five: Resources

Glossary

The Vast - A race of supremely powerful entities who have nearly limitless power.

Their bodies have transcended simple biology and exist primarily in the realm of ideas and concepts. The Vast control enormous areas of space where they are worshipped as gods.

The Known - The area of space and time that is home to a particular group of Vast.

While there are certainly other areas that support Vast, they lie too far apart from each other for safe travel. Few Vast will risk their current holdings in an attempt to reach new opportunities in the Unknown.

The Code - The Vast who have elected to be members of The Collective follow The

Code, a collection of laws that limits The Vast who subscribe to it. These laws are vague, but enforceable enough that they aid communities of Vast who wish to live together.

The Collective - While the Vast have no formal organization, most of them subscribe to the rules and customs known as The Collective. Membership in this order conveys certain benefits, included the rights of Dominion and Harmony.

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The Diaspora - The Vast that refuse to abide by the rules of The Collective are known as The Diaspora. Without the calming influence of The Code, the Diaspora cycle quickly toward Unraveling, ruling worlds as god kings until they cross paths with Fate. They are chaotic beings, enthralled by the attachments they form in their madness.

Fleeting Effects - Fleeting effects last until the end of the next contest. The Vast may upgrade a Fleeting effect to a Permanent effect by spending a wager before the effect expires.

Fleeting effects do not risk attachment.

Temporary Effects - Temporary effects expire and dissipate at the end of the scene.

The Vast may upgrade a Temporary effect to a Permanent by spending a wager before the effect expires. Temporary effects risk attachment.

Permanent Effects - Permanent effects do not expire. Once something is made

Permanent, only another Permanent effect can destroy it. Permanent effects risk attachment.

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