*Motif Toolkit SRD written by Jim Liao and Rev. Casey* *Project Management by Leah Cohen* *Test Management & Consulting by Liv Millspin* *Additional Revisions & Consulting by Avni Chowla* Thought Police Interactive # Open License This SRD and its contents are available under a Creative Commons Attribution license (CC-BY). You may freely create games and add Motif features, like solo mode, to other games. That is the entire point of the Motif Toolkit SRD. In return, the license requires credit using the Attribution Text detailed below. There are also a few logo use and trademark conditions on the use of the logos and associated phrases. ## Attribution Text This work is based on the Motif Framework () and Runs on Motif games (), published by Thought Police Interactive (). The Motif Toolkit SRD () is licensed for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License (). Motif Framework™ and Runs on Motif™ are trademarks of Thought Police Interactive. ***Note**: All text should be included in your copyright section, in the same font and size as your other copyright information, or otherwise included in a similarly prominent manner near the beginning of the work. For works like videos and other multimedia projects, it should be read near the beginning and prominently included in the work's description. The Attribution Text may not be altered, obscured, or redacted in any way. For spoken segments, as in podcasts or videos, the URLs do not need to be read aloud as long as they are included in their listings.* ## Logos and Trademarks Motif Framework™ and Runs on Motif™ are trademarks of Thought Police Interactive. Their plain use and logos are exclusively reserved for Thought Police publications. You are granted permission to attribute your products as "Runs on Motif Licensed" or "Built using the Motif Framework" as long as you meet the licensing conditions. We recommend using "Runs on" for games and "Built using" for Motif supplements or non-Motif games using Motif features. However, there are no hard and firm requirements. Use which feels best and most appropriate to your project. You may also use the "Runs on" and "Built using" logos in your products, listings, promotional materials, and other related items as long as you comply with the license conditions and limitations. The logos can be acquired along with the SRD (x). You may resize and/or recolor them to fit your products, but they may not be altered or added to substantially in any other way. If you use one of the logos, please add the following to the Attribution Text: The Motif Toolkit SRD logos are Copyright © 2021, Thought Police Interactive, and trademarks thereof. Used with permission. ## Limits You may not imply sponsorship, approval, endorsement, or other formal relations with Thought Police or any of its principals or partners, unless granted explicit permission. You may not use the Thought Police logo or any other in-house trade dress utilized by Thought Police without permission. Runs on Motif Licensed and Built using the Motif Framework logos are available, as specified above. You may not exercise SRD license permissions to produce works that would be harmful, prejudicial, or otherwise injurious to the reputation and good name of Rev. Casey, Jim Liao, or Thought Police Interactive. You may not produce works that will bring them into disrepute or negative associations. To be clear, this prohibition does ***not*** include queer content, mere adult themes, dark themes, or social activist content. Use reasonable judgement and ask if unsure (). You may not exercise SRD license permissions to produce works that glorify or present in a positive or apologetic light any historical or current genocide, hate ideology, bigotry, or similarly repugnant figures, movements, or viewpoints, or any fictional parallels. You may include such elements insofar as they comply with the condition of not being glorifying nor presenting them in a positive or apologetic light. In compliance with the moral and other rights retained by the CC-BY license, any individual with hate group associations is prohibited from exercising any permissions under the offered license. In addition, nationalist authoritarians (including but not limited to fascists) and firm bigots of all stripes are explicitly prohibited from creating works using this SRD. You are explicitly forbidden from exercising the permissions under the SRD license and creating Motif works. This is non-negotiable. If you must ask if this applies, it likely does. The license only grants permission for the materials and guidance included in this SRD. No permission is granted to utilize additional text or other intellectual property from Thought Police Interactive without permission. However, you may request separate permission for using one or two patches or similar segments from Runs on Motif™ and Motif Framework™ products without charge. Licenses may also be negotiated for alternate versions, supplements, and other derivative works based on non-SRD material. Please reach out to us on Twitter to discuss the material you want to use in your works (). Similarly, we welcome authors interested in exploring partnerships with us. If you can write the book and manage updates as requested, we are opening to paying a substantial licensing royalty for the use of your work. Pitch us or talk to us for more details over on our Twitter, linked above. # Version Changes Version 1.1 Updates - **ERROR**: Logos had test backgrounds. **FIXED**: Logos updated with transparent backgrounds in all formats. - **NEW**: Oracle Rolls section. - **NEW**: Abilities Examples section. - **MINOR REVISION**: A few comments added to the About This SRD section. - **EXPANSION:** Second Die: Strength/Impact section expanded with further customization options and guidance. - **EXPANSION**: Third Die: Flavors section substantially expanded with further explanation and guidance. - **EXPANSION**: Advancement section expanded with more advice and guidance. # About This SRD This SRD is not intended as a "lite" or pared down version of any given Motif Engine or Runs on Motif game. It is written for authors, homebrewers, designers, and publishers to utilize as a toolkit to create their own games and subsystems. It is a modular framework. It walks you through the core system and various options for design and play levers & buttons. This SRD breaks down the primary pieces of the "Motif Way" and provides limited advice. It offers a modular framework for creating your own games and tools. Motif is a toolkit with numerous builds, many of which are not directly compatible with each other. It is impossible to lay out all of the iterations and variations. Instead, this document focuses on a "high level" view that provides implementation option and examples. It uses a conversational or podcast or explainer style walkthrough of various build options and possibilities. The Motif Framework Toolkit is a system reference document (SRD) for games and tabletop roleplaying tools based upon the Motif Framework engines and Runs on Motif games, published by Thought Police. It is ideal for creating an "oracle" based system designed or ideal for solo, GM-less, and low prep play. It may be used to create full games. It may also be used as a supplement to other games, providing a solo or GM-less mode for an otherwise traditional TTRPG. Reflecting its focus, this SRD differs in that it is neither a brief overview of the basic philosophy and core mechanics nor a detailed standalone system. It works from the basis of some other modern SRDs with a clear statement of the core mechanics and approach. However, it details different aspects of tabletop roleplaying game design and possibilities for how they may be integrated within the Motif approach. The result is a blog-like voice and flow. This book is a friend walking you through the thought process and common options when developing a Motif-based title. Some of the text make seem "too obvious" to some of you. Please understand we are trying to be inclusive of new designers. In addition, we did our best to make many of those simpler observations and suggestions useful for more advanced designers and homebrewers to understand our game design point of view. Large segments of this document are even drawn from our in-house design and style guides. We recommend starting out with writing out the general concept. Then then genre and major themes. Follow that up with a few sentences describing your setting and a few describing the core character concept. With all that in mind, starting building out from there. Once you go through the process a couple of times, options will start jumping out at you immediately with the general game concept. We suggest you still follow the steps to keep everything in context and on track.\ Motif works best with flexible plotlines and emerging stories. Its very nature introduces uncertainty and surprise into the narrative. This can be done within a fairly strict story outline detailing different stages or with an open-world style sandbox. You may also use different patches, like a corruption system or mission clock to pace the narrative. The key is understanding the role the oracles play in the game experience. Their answers are not only randomized or uncertain, but also multidimensional. The core rolls in Motif utilize 3d6 oracles. Each die represents a different dimension or factor in the answer. This provides rich responses and a vigorously growing narrative. Most Motif games and subsystems will only require a notebook, common six-sided dice, and perhaps some counters or tokens to keep track of certain features. Motif presumes player-facing rolls when used to build a game system. That is, it assumes that players roll in conflicts and defense. There are no NPC rolls in such circumstances. The result of the roll determines who wins out and how severe the consequences are. Motif also assumes a protagonist focus and scale. The results and answers are generally interpreted in context of the main characters. Similarly, there is usually not an "objective" universal scale. Simple harm or a single hit in a kaiju scale game is off the charts devastating on a typical human scale. Keep it simple and focused on the player characters. # Core Oracles Motif uses as "oracle" system. Oracles are traditionally things like magic 8-balls, pendulums, and Tarot cards. They are ways of answering questions. Like the 8-ball or a pendulum, Motif is based around a yes/no/mixed or maybe questions and answers. It is important to remember that Motif oracles are not just a metric to measure success & failure as is in traditional TTRPG design. They are ***answers*** to ***questions***. ## The Dice The core oracles of the "Motif Way" are a roll of three commonplace six-sided dice. The dice are counted in order from left to right or closest to furthest. The default roll assigns simple answer (yes/no/mixed or maybe) first, the strength or impact of the answer second, and a variable "flavor" (or plug and play factor) comes third. ### First Die: Answer The simplest and most common builds place a ***no*** on 1-2, ***mixed/maybe*** on 3-4, and ***yes*** on 5-6. Alternately, using only binary answers, ***no*** on 1-3, ***yes*** on 4-6. This die may also be interpreted as cost vs bonus, assuming success on most or all actions or yes for most narration questions. For example, ***1-2*** costly or disadvantaging, ***3*** modest cost, ***4*** weak gain, ***5-6*** strong bonus or gain. ### Second Die: Strength/Impact ***1*** is little to none. ***2-3*** is feeble, weak, or limited. ***4-5*** is firm, notable, or full. ***6*** is extreme, lasting, or truly severe. Adjust or revise this scale to fit your game. The manner in which strength or impact is interpreted can have a drastic difference on your game. Is it the direct strength of answer or action outcome? Is it about the lasting or lingering impact of the revelation or effort? It can also be used to interpret the answers with qualifiers or conditions. For example, it may be used to judge resulting (dis)advantage. Low rolls triggering a cost or disadvantage, high rolls revealing an advantage going forward. One could also read it as a direct addition to the first die, for example placing ***but*** on 1-2, ***flat answers*** on 3-4, ***and*** on 5-6. If the direct degree of answer is not as meaningful or makes little sense in your game or tool, you can narrow it down to a more specific type of impact. For example, this die could represent the range of message, strength of social influence, or positioning and advantage. Low numbers should indicate a negative result and high numbers a positive result. For a toolset or game for which strength at all makes little sense, you may use the extra flavor rolls option detailed later or it could be used to represent a price or cost, obstacles vs shortcuts/timesavers, the amount of time it consumes, how little or much chance opposition has to react, or so on. ### Third Die: Flavors "Flavors" are simply descriptive labels. Low rolls indicate very little or the contrary of that theme or element. High rolls suggest heavy influence or a great abundance. While very simple in essence, their flexibility and addition of a third dimension to oracle answers add a lot of depth and richness to the responses. They are also an important element for emphasizing the gameplay or themes of your games. You may also tie subsystems to flavors, exploring the possibilities. For example, instead of a standard distribution, you may have a flavor tied to a given positive trait. Rolling under being bad, rolling over good, and rolling equal mixed. Favorability is a good "universal" flavor as well as a good default. How favorable is the answer and its consequences to the protagonists? This works equally well for world details and action resolution. It can also produce interesting twists. Say the player receives a strong yes with very low favorability when asking if they can find an old friend. That could be interpreted as the friend turning on them or happening upon them as they (and now also the main characters) are endangered. That is a good example of how flavors add an extra layer of depth and story motion to the results of rolls. Discovery (or revelation), drama, safety, usefulness, and weirdness are all good examples of other possible flavors. Experiment with diverse factors and themes. Present flavors that will be most interesting or useful on rolls. Also consider what broad outcome or answer descriptions fit best with your genre and themes. Normality (or Weirdness described from the other direction) is great for weird fiction and surrealist stories. Safety (or Danger for its opposite) is appropriate in gritty, high risk, and violent worlds. Mix thematic flavors with general utility ones, like Favorability. By giving players a choice of a few different third dimensions to answer in the oracle rolls, you also provide them with a bit more engagement and game choice. Be aware of this when designing. Standard advice is suggesting that players pick a default flavor to help avoid choice paralysis and overthinking. Think of the main types of questions players and low prep GMs will ask within the game. Try to ensure that your basic flavor set covers most of the bases, that at least one is useful (if imperfect) on almost any roll. Add extra optional or secondary flavors that serve to provide more theme highlights or are necessary to ensure there is always a useful flavor to choose when rolling. Flavors add variety and diversity to the answers and outcomes. Try to provide not only a broad or diverse set of flavors, but also look at the types of questions and efforts they are best suited for. If your game is intentionally a dungeon crawling pipeline, it is probably OK if most of your flavors are combat and exploration focused. But in other contexts, the same flavor set could be unbalanced or mismatched to the theme. Use common sense and your best judgement. ## Oracle Interpretation In general, low rolls are none, negative, bad, or contrary and high rolls are a lot, positive, good, or extremely. This allows a fairly free flowing system with intuitive results. Read the dice rolls and outcomes as answers to the questions asked. Keep that in mind. Root interpretations in your genre and themes. Genre assumptions and the lens adjustment of your themes will deeply impact the meaning of rolls. A strong result in a small local story is quite different from the meaning in a superhero RPG. Similarly, what is strong failure in a high stakes high action standoff is quite distinct from the same result in a high school drama or sitcom style awkward stare-down. ## Extra Flavor Rolls In some cases, it may make sense to use rolls entirely made of flavors or using the answer die and two flavors. This is useful when defining some features, like loot or equipment. It is also good in cases where the simple answer and/or strength of answer are meaningless. For example, you may want to decide the condition, efficiency, and features level of a vehicle or machine. Simply assign those to each die and interpret normally. ## Oracle Rolls Start with a simple story oracle roll. We are asking, "Is the inn crowded?" We choose "favorability \[to the PCs\]" as a flavor and roll 1 (answer), 2 (strength), 1 (favorability). The answer is a weak no with a very unfavorable result. The place is unusually empty, but not for long and in the worst way for the main characters. Use the genre, themes, and context to determine what exactly that means. In a typical fantasy game, the baddies are about to ambush the party. If playing mystery or sci-fi kids and trying to find a crowded place to lose a tail, you ran into a metaphorical corner. In a horror game, this might be one of those twisted establishments brimming with danger to visitors. And so on. Looking at an action roll, say we have an occult detective trying to talk down a newborn vampire and they get +1 on all the dice because of a skill bonus. We choose "drama" as the flavor and roll 5, 4, 2. With the modifier, that becomes 6, 5, 3. That's a strong yes with a moderate flavor result. The speech is very effective and the vamp is temporarily brought down from their bloodlust. It is about as dramatic of a scene as would be expected, but not more so and the vampire is left with lingering doubts about the detective. If the meaning of a roll is not immediately clear: Read the dice as high/low binary without middle/mixed results. Is it clear now? If not, rephrase the question and roll again or move on. For an example of extra flavor rolls and seed generators, look at regional resources. Their availability is an important or interesting detail in many RPGs and settings. Pick 2-4 regional resources, pick an order for them for the roll, and then roll that number of dice. Low is minimal or none, middle is average for the setting or larger but difficult to access reserves, and high indicates an abundance & easy access (naturally at least; NPCs and creatures are not precluded, but even likely drawn to abundant regional resources). Examples: - **Minerals:** The availability of valuable ores, desired minerals, useful clay, gemstones, and similar resources. - **Herbs:** How common medicinal, magical, and other useful flowers, wild fruits, and herbs are. - **Animals:** The abundance of animals and beasts with useful parts or usable as draft or other work animals. - **Water:** How accessible, clean, and/or abundant water is. - **Farming:** Extant and productivity of farming in the area. - **Ruins:** How numerous, accessible, valuable, and/or untouched ruins, dungeons, abandoned monster nests, ghost towns, or other similar local features are in the region. Say we are playing a survivalist game in a post-apocalyptic world. The PCs have just completed the previous chapter and escaped the horrors of the valley below. They cross over the mountains to a new land, curious about its attributes. The group decides restocking medical supplies (herbs), basic needs (water), and scrounging (ruins) are their primary goals. They kiss the dice for luck and roll 1 (herbs), 5 (water), and 4 (ruins). The plants here are not even edible, let alone useful medicine. But there is abundant fresh water and a moderate number of ruins with scavenging potential. # SRD Patches Start with your genre & themes, basic player character concept(s), and core oracles. From there, you can add on modular "patches" that fill out your system or tool and provide alternate play and use options. Motif is designed to not only accept, but encourage this "plug and play" approach. It is even reflected in the core mechanics as flavors. Embrace it. ## Action Mods These types of mods focus on the general action and main questions involving it. ### Modifiers A core feature of most tabletop roleplaying games are character stats that modify the dice rolls. Motif games typically use broad descriptive traits and/or careers and skillsets. Traits and skillsets may be comprised of defined lists or open-ended for players. Consider your genre, themes, and protagonist concepts when creating lists or providing examples. Modifiers may also be introduced by circumstances or conditions suffered. Even an expert thief facing a cutting-edge security system could have a harder time of it. Someone with a broken leg trying to escape a situation may face difficulty. On the other hand, things may be easier with help, particularly good tools, or so on. Modifiers in Motif typically range from -2 to +2. The assumption is that a greater modifier should typically be an automatic simple, modest cost success or failure. For perspective and simplicity's sake, let us assume we're asking binary yes/no or success/fail questions with the low half (1-3) no or bad and the top half (4-6) yes or good on all dice. A -2 means you only have a 1 in 6 chance of a yes or good result on that dice. In contrast, a +1 means a 2 in 3 (4/6) chance you will get a yes or good result. Modifiers may be applied to certain dice or all dice. Some bonuses may also apply to a die of choice before or after a roll. Some penalties or curses may also force a player to choose certain dice to take a penalty before the roll. In a similar vein of player choice, especially strong skills may allow a player to rearrange their dice after the roll. Especially weak skills or harsh penalties may result in the dice being arranged in the least favorable order. Variations of the rearrangement concept can focus on broader gameplay or the core play loop, such as other players determining the dice order of rolls or a GM offering a story point or alternative benefit for a shift in dice order. ### Sequences Unlike like traditional RPGs and SRDs, Motif does not usually make a notable distinction between combat and other scenes. It zooms in and out with timing, in pace with the focus and action. Generally, things can be taken as sequences of events, whether a montage or time-sensitive dramatic scene. Motif does not follow conventional rounds and turns with blow-by-blow action. Even when zoomed on "action sequences", the pacing is still broad. A single roll or "turn" is a full series of actions, interactions, and attempts. In a single "round", all actions presumably happen simultaneously. Where turn order matter, we recommend dividing each round into three steps: Talking, Doing, Conflict. By default, PCs gets one action of each. Talking is any kind of communication. Doing is active or interactive effort that is unopposed or not a conflict. Conflict is any kind of opposed or aggressive action, not merely fighting or traditional combat. Can spend a Doing action for an extra Talking action and a Conflict action for an extra Talking or Doing action. As needed per effort, each player rolls. On failures or costly results impose consequences as appropriate, such as a gunshot wound in a gun battle. On successes, the objective is achieved, progress is made, or consequences are imposed on enemies. With mixed results, both sides are at least partially successful but also suffer consequences from the other. If after all players go there remain NPCs or scene features left to act or impose conditions, they carry out their actions for free ***or*** players may receive defense rolls. On defense, players do not usually get any additional actions and cannot impose additional consequences on their opponents. It is usually a flat roll (no modifiers) ***or*** -1 on all dice. You may have players roll for each threat ***or*** roll once against all remaining opponents. Failure, per usual, results in cost, harm, or consequences. Consider allowing a strong success to result in better positioning or some other advantage. Also count flavor benefits and results as per normal. While they may not impose harms, they may be able to otherwise gain. Conflict between main characters is generally discouraged in most Motif builds. If it comes up, usually the defender or the character with the weaker roll is the one to roll. An example of a rule discouraging conflict is providing a defensive bonus of +1 to all dice and/or the benefit of rearranging the dice after the roll when attacked by a PC. If your game or subsystem encourages competition or conflict between the player characters, ***carefully*** consider how the oracle system and player facing rolls work within it. Shifting intentional conflicts into subsystems and competitions instead of direct conflict is recommended. Resource and prestige systems are good examples of opportunities for managed inter-player conflict and competition. ### Conditions Most roleplaying games have some way to track harms or stresses. Motif games usually do as well, using "Conditions". By default, conditions are universal. A social injury of being "intimidated" is treating under the same limits and general rules as physical harm of "gunshot wound". However, you may use separate tracks for different types of conditions, such as one each for physical and mental well-being. Conditions are simply narrative labels. They are what they say on the label and impede or influence actions as common-sense dictates. A broken leg is a broken leg. Being sweet-talked is being sweet-talked. Follow the obvious and intuitive consequences of a given condition. The same applies for healing and recovering from conditions. Fast talk from a suspect may immediately wear off after a brief time or the end of the scene. Manipulation from a long-time mentor may take a much longer time to overcome, even if the face of evidence. Treatment may impact outcome. Different types of PCs may also have different recovery capabilities. Apply common sense and follow the context. Characters usually have a limit to the number of conditions they can bear. In most Motif games, exceeding this limit results in being pushed aside, passing out, or otherwise put out of action for the rest of the scene. We recommend a limit of 3 to 5 conditions for most games. Conditions may be divided into two or three severity levels. Characters may be knocked out of action by any level of Condition, as long as they exceed their capacity. Alternatively, they may instead only be bumped out of the scene when filled with the most severe conditions. In that instance, if they are full up and receive another harm, replace or upgrade a pre-existing less severe Condition. Conditions may turn into "Scars" when healed, if severe enough or left untreated. A character may by default hold as many scars as they can conditions. If they would exceed their limit, they replace one with a more severe version. It is recommended that players are given a clear warning for situations where the risk of injury is severe enough to risk death or permanent retirement. Players should also hold the choice of retiring due to overwhelming scars. You may alternately use a basic system of generic "Hits", which is best for simple light games. You may also include variable damage, in which case a more traditional system of health points or a health ladder may be more appropriate. Outside of commonsense limitations or difficulties, we do not recommend general penalties for stresses and injuries. This often results in a "death spiral" where a bad sequence can result in increasingly impossible survival odds. If anything, we suggest going the opposite route. The more injured someone is, the harder they fight. ## Character Mods This set of mods is focused on additional player character options. These pieces and those like them help round out characters and add play options or shift game emphasis. Some, like additional Resources or Expert Rolls, may be added as a game layer on top of standalone TTRPG. ### Resources Resources are helpful things that a PC has available to them. You can detail and divide them in any number of ways. We divide them into Stuff, Stones, and Stats. Stuff is just your common stuff. Some you may not need to note, like having tea in the cupboard. Other stuff may be equipment carried and recorded. This is perfect for most tangible and individual scale things or factors that simply do not need to be recorded. A player may perhaps spend some stones on getting better equipment, but they do not need spend stones for what they have or pick up in the course of play. What they have is what they have, simple as that. Stones are variable resources, represented by a counter or "stones", such as goodwill or favors you can cash in on (spending the stones). Used for factors that are flexible and easily subject to change based on actions. They usually have conditions or principles for which they are gained and lost. They can be spent for whatever that resource reflects. Secrets stones can be spent for hidden, lost, and rare information and whispers. Favor or Prestige stones may be spent as one could for calling in favors or upon a good reputation, typically requesting support or help. They are excellent for emphasizing certain themes and types of social interactions. Stats are ratings or levels assigned to things, as in many traditional RPGs. It can be used to emphasize certain play elements or a way to measure scale. We typically use a 3 or 5 step scale to measure the strength of a resource. It can be an overall scale of utility or power, expressed in individual sub-stats, or both. A social tie may have Loyalty (how close to you or loyal, which affects how helpful or generous) and Assets (wealth and/or influence, how risky or expensive of aid they are willing to offer for the right price). It may also or instead have a general scale rating. Personal facilities, strongholds, equipment access, information access, and many other factors can be handled in this way. Those are examples. The idea can be expressed in countless ways. Think about what best fits the tone and approach your project. The key is seeing all of them as resources available to PCs. Not all resources must have a practical use. Depending on concept, "useless" resources may make sense. For example, take a sitcom game resource of an impressively extensive social network. It may rarely, if ever, find the actual right person for the job. ### Expert Rolls Expert rolls are an interesting way to influence the world based on strong skills, ties, resources, and so on. The perspective is expressed from the in-character point of view. In instances where a talent, skillset, or other character sheet attribute applies, simply roll as you would for any other roll using it. An architect looking for a back exit may say, "These types of buildings usually have a back exit because of fire codes. Is there an accessible one?" They roll their architecture, law, or other relevant skill. Weak or close success indicates a yes at a cost or inconvenience, a clear or strong success suggests a nearby available exit. Where there are sheet attributes that are not normally rolled, you may use the core oracle rolls. For middling to slightly strong ratings, roll without a modifier. For top tier benefits, use a roll +1 on all dice ***or*** rearrange the dice order after the roll. This may also apply to character backgrounds, judging whether to use a flat roll or roll with bonus based on the value to the character and how deep the tie. Making declarations about their home neighborhood would come at a bonus. A place they visited once or a few times might be a flat roll. This is designed to be system neutral, but it fits exceptionally well in Motif games and RPGs with well-developed skill systems or open-ended careers. The concept is very flexible and easily modified or even replaced with a distinct approach. ### Pools Pools are sets of points that can be gained, lost, spent, and recovered. They can be used to power special abilities, grant bonus modifiers on rolls, heal conditions, or any other number of things that special points can do in RPGs. They usually have a set starting amount based on the character type. They may or may not have a permanent rating and/or a cap. For pools with permanent ratings, the rating is usually the maximum for the spendable points and they typically regenerate at a steady rate, sometimes with options to recover them more quickly by taking certain actions. Pools without permanent ratings may still have a cap, but they do not usually regenerate points passively. Instead, these pools usually have a list or principles with examples that trigger the gain or loss of the spendable points. Resource stones, described previously, are an example of this pool type. Pools should emphasize the genre, core themes of your game, or notable truths about the player characters. Only one or a few things need a pool of points for tracking or drawing from. You may use collective group pools to create an action economy or for zoomed out or extended group actions. Pools can be used to represent a limited number of threats, environmental hazard flareups, or similar factors in a scene. Spendable and refreshable points are a flexible tool. ### Abilities Special abilities are an obvious feature where the protagonists are spellcasters or epic heroes. However, scaled appropriately, they may be used in fairly simple low-level or local games as well. Like everything from damage to difficulties, it is all relative to the scale and perspective of the player characters. Abilities are usually divided into two, three, or five levels of utility or power. How fine grained and how big the scale depends entirely on your setting and character concepts. Minor and major or simple, competent, and advanced suffice for most games. However, a game with a large scale or deeply involved hypertech system may benefit from the wider spread of five distinct levels. It is recommended that each level is described in context of what it ***can*** do with a solid handful of generic examples per level. This provides a consistent sense of the power scale and provides some grounded references. Characters may only have one or two narrow or specific abilities. Other concepts may have a few very broad abilities or several narrow but powerful abilities. They can be anything from pulp fiction style stunts to weird horror magic spells to biopunk enhancements and so on. Use abilities to make the main characters stand out and shine or to highlight the setting and aesthetic of your game. Abilities are rarely free. A common option is a cost that draws from a pool or upon a particular resource. This is a fairly common feature in tabletop roleplaying games. As but one possible example, a sorcerer game may have a ritual pool, which gains points as various preparatory rites and ritual phases are completed that can then be dedicated as magical energy into a spell and/or reducing the price of casting it. Abilities may also instead impose conditions and/or other costs in their use. This is especially a good option in settings with demonic, wicked, or corrupted magic, as well as a good pairing with broken, corrupted, or malfunctioning tech. Using conditions, it also nicely pairs with the trope of overusing abilities or using them when weakened causing the user to be badly injured or pass out. Costs for abilities may be directed elsewhere or more nebulous. They can also result in changes and statuses. Someone may gain an energy that makes people and animals feel distrusting or afraid of the character. They could lose friends and family. Some of their resources and ties may be lost. The group could acquire a negative reputation or become the target of dark forces. The possibilities are endless and we encourage you to explore them. The key is making abilities a highlight and seem useful, while also ensuring that they do not sprawl out of control. Too many or too much detail will work against the generally free-flowing nature of Motif. Stay focused. ### Ability Examples **Dark Talents**: These are powers gained from dark and evil forces. Some sought out to study ancient tomes and medieval grimoires to learn their secrets. Some were born with a degree of psychic and magical ability. Others were cursed by demonic powers from Beyond to bind the would-be heroes of Light to the Dark and its alluring temptations of power and freedom. Individual Talents may only be used once in a given scene. Major Dark Talents are powerful abilities. Everything has a cost and major Dark Talents demand a price for their power. Each use of them causes a moderate Condition and creates wicked impulses and temptations. Calling upon such preternatural might taxes the body and soul alike. Examples: - **Telekinesis.** Hold people and throw things with your mind. - **Technomancy.** "Talk" to computers and chip-based devices. - **Exorcism.** Forcefully cast out demons, specters, and so on. - **Medium.** Talk to spirits; command them in a limited way. Minor Dark Talents are very limited powers or but improvements over normal human limits. They are cheaper to use, but still not without cost. Each use of them causes a minor Condition and mild temptations. Examples: - **Touch Visions.** Symbolic and vague visions on direct contact. - **Animal Speech.** Communicate with a specific type of animal. - **Night Vision.** Almost inhumanly perfect night vision. - **Limited Mimic.** Mimic someone for 66 minutes, 6 seconds. **Domains**: The ability to perform miracles. They range the 1^st^ to 3^rd^ "Circle". The 3rd Circle is usually inaccessible to starting PCs, reserved to more advanced characters. Two scales are presented. The first is the general level of power. The second provides a sense of how deeply they affect they wielder and change them, in line with their concept/theme. Domains are general sphere of influence, categories of things or concepts. Plants, Information, and Love are possible examples. They may be a pre-defined set or open to player creation. If open-ended, narrower Domains maintain the same power level, but should be more effective and/or longer-lasting the exercises of broader Domains. - **1st Circle Power**: Perform minor miracles and astounding feats of awareness and insight - **2nd Circle Power**: Permits the performance of small-scale miracles and impressive magical feats - **3rd Circle Power**: Near entirely command an aspect Creation and essentially rewrite portions of local reality   - **1st Circle Effects**: Modest changes, such as minor skin discoloration, hissing and growling, and radiating warmth. - **2nd Circle Effects**: Notable effects, such as a distinct unrealistic art-like features, feral behavior, and stone skin - **3rd Circle Effects**: Radical transformations, such as looking like a vaguely human shaped elemental, radiating emotional auras, and extreme changes in perception & behavior. Domains are typically balanced with a limited pool to spend on activating the abilities or an oracle roll using cost, strength, and duration (or a set fitting your game). ### Advancement Character advancement is a common expectation in tabletop roleplaying games. As with other mods and features, we have a few insights for what works well with Motif. Character advancement can be generally divided into temporary or losable gains and more permanent or difficult to lose benefits. Obviously, that which is used or lost more easily should be less difficult or less expensive to acquire. If you have a downtime or extended action system, it is often a good idea to integrate your advancement system into that. Allow players to spend or invest downtime or extended actions in training, study, reflection, and so on. If you have a robust resources and pools systems, you may have players invest their resources and expenditures into character growth. Spending on short-term or more easily used and lost gains should be encouraged or incentivized. However, more expensive purchases should be substantial enough to justify the cost. For example, make it easier to gain lower bonus skillsets, equipment, and social ties than it is to achieve high bonus careers, difficult to lose or destroy items, abilities, pool rating improvements, and so on. You may also use milestones (convenient interlude points or the end of story chapters) or traditional experience points that may be spent for gains or trigger milestone or level gains. Alternately, you may use a steady per-session XP. The same basic advancement subsystem could be implemented in different ways or have variant costs in different games. This is particularly common for equipment and social ties or influence. It depends on how fragile or losable you treat them. If equipment or social gains are generally permanent or long-lasting in your project, we suggest pricing them like permanent gains. You may also divide them into more fragile and longer-lasting categories. Cheap equipment may not be durable or inexpensive contacts may be easily expended or lost. In contract, pricier equipment and social ties may be more durable and difficult to lose. This can also be applied to character traits. While most RPGs feature mostly permanent traits, some games may have a play economy where severe stresses and injuries reduce or erase traits or simply has a system where traits fluctuate. If you use milestones, be sure to make milestone markers broad enough to avoid a "railroad" or forced plot in most cases. Milestones work best by "story chapter" or within systems that have a story outline with chapters or steps. If you are using per-session XP, make a conscious choice between milestone style bumps ("leveling") and free spends where traits cost set amounts and player freely purchase the advantages and characteristics they wish to acquire. Both are valid, but produce a different feel. Resource pools generally use the free spend combined with investment over time. ## Gameplay Mods These mods look at different ways to guide and alter the general gameplay. ### Templates Templates are fantastic tools for NPCs, locations, and other such elements. Essentially, they are like little AI engines powered by your pre-existing knowledge of genres, tropes, and story logic. They name the vital characteristics that determine who/what they are and how they behave or interact with the protagonists. For NPCs and encounters, default templates will usually include factors like attitude, motive, goal, and tactics or approach. A few simple factors put together will result in complex behaviors. A nobleman with a cruel attitude, greedy motive, goal to maximize taxes, and a brutal approach spells out a clear archetype. A robber with a generous attitude, charity motive, goal to alleviate poverty, and a strategic approach also yields a rich and interesting character. NPCs should also usually have actions, that which they will do when unimpeded, and consequences, possible actions and harms when failing against them in conflicts. They may also reflect special abilities or strong skillsets by creating a penalty modifier for player aggression against them. This is the main way enemy talents are resolved with player facing rolls. Templates are extremely flexible. Any number of entries and variations can be used to specify the essential questions about NPC behavior: what they do, how they do it, and why they do it. Spelling it out is not only useful for solo and GM-less play, but also makes games easier to run for GMs. The default template entries are broad and generic (but useful) examples. Individual games or RPG tools might have additional entries or completely different templates entirely. The key is that the templates should be designed to make NPC behavior and feature interactivity as obvious as possible, while sticking to simple descriptive tags. For example, wild animals and magical beasts may have a few additional template entries to round them out. They could have habitat, temperament, fight triggers, and flight triggers. As another example, we mentioned locations. Locations may have template features like mood (overall social feel) and crowd (the type of regulars or attendees). For the purposes of "what happens next", use the template to treat the location like a single NPC with a single collective perspective. Standard NPC entries can usually be used for locations and world features. Motive is easily a brand's mission statement. Attitude applies to the general reception of the PCs in a place. You can also represent groups as "personas" spelled out in an NPC template, representing the group's behavior as a group or the collective opinions and efforts of its members. ### Counters Counters are just that, ways of counting up or down to an event. The progress may be steady, based on the number of scenes or the passage of in-game time. They may also behave more like some pools or resource stones, with specific factors that push the counter forward, hold it in place, or even sometimes turn it back. Clocks are a currently popular trending example of counters. Using pies or regular clocks to illustrate the count is a fantastic tool. However, counters can also be plain numbers. It can be as simple as "3 scenes" or "3 successful efforts". Counters are a good way to handle races, chases, and other time-competitive situations. Give each contestant or faction a counter. The first one to finish the count wins. Count advancement can be based on successes (for the PCs) and failures (for the antagonists) from straight rolls, how quickly and cleanly the PCs complete tasks, or any other number of factors. Tailor the counting method to your tropes. Counters are also generally good for any "race against time" type games and situations. You have a limited amount of time before a bomb detonates. You can only do so much before hunters locate and come after you. Counters are ideally used to emphasize pacing and timing. They can also be used to represent the inevitable and create dramatic tension. Experiment with countdowns and races. ### Tracks Tracks, or ladders, are meters or capped characteristics that usually measure from one extreme to another. Health levels are a popular example of a track. Stress and health tracks are also used in many indie games. Tracks can also be used to measure corruption, instability, evolution, ascension, or similar overarching characteristics and goals. In one point of view, tracks may be considered a variant of counters. However, tracks tend to be more consistent and permanent than counters. They also generally have a stronger tie to the characters and the main plotlines. For example, conditions may be a considered a track. Generally, as a track is filled up or ladder rungs are "climbed", different factors and character influences will come into play. PCs may gain bonuses as they fight in desperation as a health track progresses. A character may face temptation rolls or penalties on them as their corruption grows. For the most part, the benefits and consequences should be kept simple. We suggest limiting complexity and granular results to where it hits on your key themes and tropes. When filled, a track will usually trigger a major event. For conditions, this is going out of action until the end of scene. For corruption, this may be retirement as the darkness claims them. For evolution, they may mutate and gain new traits. The possibilities are as endless as the options for tracks. ### Triggers Triggers are when certain dice rolls or events trigger a subsystem or reactive events. For example, rolling a 1 on a given die or rolling doubles on the first two dice (both 1/6 chance). For events, it could be things like when the character hits their conditions cap, when a certain track fills ups, or when facing an ambush. A trigger is simply something that triggers another process or event. The twists and turns path included in the next section is a good example of how triggers may be used. Triggers may also be used to modify other game elements. For example, we note the possibility of a full track triggering a major event. As other examples, a character ability may be rerolling when they get a 1 on the answer or flavor die or they may gain a certain "consolation prize" or "failure reward" resource or pool points when they roll 2 or less on all dice. Triggers are convenient ways to interconnect different pieces of your build, set requirements or conditions for the use of abilities, or introduce new elements or more emergent complexity. They are essentially "if X then Y" statements. They also excel at mechanically making certain themes and elements matter. When thematic traits have requirements or triggered consequences, it is "real" to players. The corruption patch included in the following section is a nice example of a robust implementation of triggers, pools, and tracks. # Official Patches These are the patches from other Thought Police releases that are officially released under the licensing terms of the SRD. Only the content included in this document has the permissions of the SRD open license. ***Materials not included in this document do not fall under the license and require additional permissions.*** ## Twists & Turns **When to use the twists and turns patch:** To introduce story pivots and more unpredictability to your games. Turns mark big shifts within the current scene and twists represent big shifts in the overall story. They add spice and uncertainty to your game. ### Turn Pacing - **Standard Pacing:** A turn happens when the dice show a double on the first two dice & an odd number on the third. The doubles number determines the type of turn. - **Frantic Pacing:** A turn comes up whenever you roll doubles on the first two dice. - **Triples:** Triples also trigger a turn under either option. ### Turns A turn is a big shift in the current scene or subplot. You may customize this list with your own ideas or use other randomizers. - **1s**: A sudden turn in favor of the player character(s) and/or their interests. - **2s**: Any useful progress or clues in the scene will be offset by obstacles or delays. - **3s**: Helpful non-player characters suddenly arrive. - **4s**: Hostile non-player characters suddenly arrive. - **5s**: An especially unusual item or well-hidden clue is unlocked within the scene. - **6s**: A sudden turn in favor of the Big Bad or other forces aligned against the main characters and their interests. Think in the context of storytelling. Think about similar stories to the one you are telling. How would turns appear in those types of stories? Use that as your inspiration and consult the oracles if you would like further randomization. ### Twists A twist is a large change in the story or plotline, from sudden revelations to major shifts in the local balance of power. Whereas turns are typically focused on a particular scene or focused moment, twists usually have a large impact on the status quo and alter the metaphorical landscape of the setting. When you roll a turn, add 1 to a twist counter. You can use dice or chits to keep track of the count. When the counter reaches 3, first resolve the current scene and the turn that raised it to 3. Finish out the whole scene and the impacts of the turn before turning to the twist. After the scene and turn are fully resolved, reset the count to 0 and introduce a twist. Think of it in context of the most recent scene and turn. Alternately, you may think of the twist in context of the plot drivers in your game. Think of the Big Bads, leaders, famous figures, and other such characters. How could the twist fit in their context? How would they act in line with the twist? Twists usually happen at the end of scenes. But they may be handled during "downtime", with a flashback, or using other story tools. Handle it as best fits the twist and your story. ### Twist Generator This is a short example of a twist list. Feel free to replace the options or use your own randomizers and charts. ***Roll two six-sided dice.*** - **Any Doubles**: What A Twist! Reveal a new Big Bad or a fresh major story complication in a typical "big twist" way. While this creates new problems, it should also introduce new resources and possibilities for the player characters. - **3-4**: The authorities target PCs OR a major ally betrays them. - **5-6**: The approach the PCs were taking turns out to be the wrong tactic or insufficient to fix the problem. However, they should be directed or receive clues to help transfer them to the new path and evolving storyline. - **7**: A mixed or neutral high-level NPC appears. Anything from a secret agency director to a blazing archangel. Use the main oracle and 3 questions to determine its purpose and attitude - **8-9**: The PC actions turn out more effective than expected or just flat out lucky, granting them major progress towards their goals. However, the gains should also introduce new problems and puzzles for the characters to solve. - **10-11**: Hostile authorities make peace with the PCs OR a major opposition figure turns to their side. Much like turns, it helps to think of similar stories to one you are exploring. What are big plot twists you encounter in those stories? What are common large story beats? What often happens in the transition between acts? As always, consult the oracles if you need direction or have questions to answer. ### Example Twists & Turns Victoria the Gunslinger is trekking across the desert on her way to the next town. Her supplies are running low. She succeeds on a scouting role looking for possible springs or drinkable plants. But her player is unsure whether or not water would be findable in the parched wasteland. She asks, "Are there any oases or edible cacti around?" She rolls 1, 1, and 5 with the drama flavor, reflecting the desperation of her situation. That's a hard "no" and high drama, indicating she searches well but finds nothing, taking her to the brink of hopelessness in a moment of horrible realization. But she rolled doubles and an odd number, triggering a turn. She adds 1 to her twist counter, which is now at 2. Double 1s indicate a sudden turn in her favor. Just as she is about to give out hope, she comes across an unoccupied ranching outpost with a working well. There is plenty of clean water and shelter for the night. MegaPulse, local superhero, is responding to a robbery and assault alert. Records were stolen and data destroyed at a small biotech research company. It seems suspiciously part of a string of crimes suiting the interests of a villain they recently put away. Arriving on the scene moments after the alarm, MegaPulse starts scanning the scene. They see the victims and are looking for the assailants. They ask, "Are there visible suspects?" They roll 4, 3, 6 with the danger flavor, a firmly mixed result with high danger. There are signs of them, but they are hard to get a fix on. This makes them think of suits their imprisoned enemy used. They ask the follow-up question, "Can I see signs of movement like my foe's cloaking tech?" They roll 6, 6, 1 with the favorability flavor, a very strong yes with a strong unfavorable result. They also rolled a turn, which takes their twist counter to 3, also triggering a twist. The 6s result for the turn is a sudden turn in favor of the enemy. Combined with the oracle roll, this is interpreted as the suspects not only using the cloaking technology, but an upgraded version of it. The original foe's suits were designed to counter MegaPulse's hypersenses, but these even hide movement across grass or snow and close other loopholes. MegaPulse is pinned down under fire while unable to get a clear fix on the fugitives. They roll two dice for the twist, rolling 3 and 2 for 5. That indicates bad tactics or a wrong approach, but evidence or leads to move forward. The bad guys make their escape, but MegaPulse did intensive enough scanning to build a better strategy and knows to look for purchases and thefts of certain rare materials used in the cloaking technology. Sherilee, priest of the Lamb Goddess, is travelling with Bobididdliboetwins, legendary "acquisition specialist". They arrive to a small nameless township reputed to be tainted with undead and aura of evil. Upon arrival they ask, "Are the townsfolk friendly or not?" Due to the reputed nature of the place, they choose the weirdness flavor over sympathy and roll 3, 3, 5. The people are unnervingly lukewarm, neither friendly nor hostile, neither withdrawn nor attentive. Something seems deeply off about them and even the angles of the town itself. They also roll a turn, adding their first stone to the twist counter. A roll of 3s indicates that helpful NPCs suddenly arrive. Following the oracle roll and setting, the player of "Sheri" and "Bob" decides that three people in fine suits arrive to give them a tour and direct them to the inn. As the walk begins, it is obvious that they are barely human (if human at all) but earnestly helpful. ## Mission Clock **When to use the mission clock:** When you have time or action critical sequences in your stories. This patch is intended to provide options for handling that kind of pressure & constraint. The mission clock zooms in on time pressures and focuses on the mission goal. The mission clock times are metaphorical. The clock starts at "Noon", representing the easiest point, and "Midnight", representing the end or failure of the mission, time having run out. - **Noon**: Starting point, full of bright possibility - **1 o'clock**: Time is running, but still plentiful - **2 o'clock**: Still comfortably moving along - **3 o'clock**: Time is starting to go by faster - **4 o'clock**: Things are starting to take a while - **5 o'clock**: Time starts feeling pressured - **6 o'clock**: The halfway point, you better move - **7 o'clock**: Midnight starts coming into sight - **8 o'clock**: The day flew by, but a few hours left - **9 o'clock**: Time is going too fast, running out - **10 o'clock**: No room for error, panic sets in - **11 o'clock**: There is almost no time left - **Midnight**: Out of time, mission failed ### Turning the Clock The mission clock moves forward and back based on the wins and losses of the characters. When things go wrong, they can spiral down. When they go right, they can hold off the clock. For the mission clock, the count is affected by *full sequences of action*. Do not count by each small action and individual roll. Focus on whole fights, complete efforts, and so on. If you use a game with more granular or zoomed in action, base it on the result of an entire round or exchange's worth of actions. You may even wish to count by complete sub-quest or full scene. If you use the rarer game with very broad resolution, break down missions into subsections or otherwise zoom in the action slightly to represent the segmented time of the clock. The most important thing is that an effort feels complete or the segment feels like a full sequence of action. Go with your intuition and play experience for the best fit. There is no objectively correct measure. You may also adjust the zoom to fit your preferred pacing. If you prefer a frantic, high tension experience, zoom to more granular action for the clock changes. If you want a more of a quest scale, take it out to whole missions and extended efforts. ### Clock Changes - **+2**: Major or important sequences failing, extraordinary new complications or obstacles, and exceptional failures - **+1**: Ties, partial successes, wins at a cost, and barely winning (exactly just passing) successes - **0**: Simple and complete wins and successes - **-1**: Extraordinarily high-risk wins, exceptional successes, completion of epic tasks ### Mission Stress Mission stress represent the effects of the rising pressure and dwindling options. Add +1 mission stress at 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, and 9 o'clock. Stress makes a lot of actions more difficult, but can also grant bonuses accelerating you toward the climax. Your game may use target numbers, level of risks, outcome ranks, or another mechanism. What are minor, low-level penalties in your RPG are the minor penalties for mission stress. - **1 Mission Stress**: You are starting to feel the pressure. Take minor penalties when you need to concentrate and on high difficulty tasks. - **2 Mission Stress**: Half of your time is gone! The stress ramps up. Take moderate penalties when concentration is needed, minor penalties on most other efforts. But gain minor bonuses when directly trying to reach or confront your mission's climax, focusing under pressure. - **3 Mission Stress**: Midnight is fast approaching! It is all too much as you race against time. Take major penalties when trying to concentrate and moderate penalties on most actions. But also gain moderate bonuses when trying to reach or facing the climax of your quest, focused to obsession. ### Midnight Midnight is when the clock expires. Your mission fails and you pay the price. Consider the consequences, both directly for the protagonists and for the world around them. You may instead introduce complications and costs creating a revised mission with more difficulty and risk. The kidnapped prince is moved to a more secure location and their page is killed, for example. Follow-up quests should start the clock at 2 o'clock, rather than Noon. Any further "second chances" should add another two hours to the starting time. Using this model, characters are usually limited to three "second chances", the last chance starting at 6 o'clock. If characters are limited to two regrouped attempts, the first new attempt should start at 3 o'clock and the second at 6 o'clock. If they are limited to only one additional chance, start at 3 or 6 o'clock, depending on pressure level desired. The ability to accept partial consequences and try again with an advanced clock depends on there being reasonable escalations possible. If there is no way to impose a partial cost, higher stakes, and/or greater difficulty, the full consequences of mission failure come to pass. There is nowhere else to go. The main exception is if a great personal sacrifice or extreme cost may be able to buy a delay. In that instance, instead wind back the clock up to six hours to reflect the time bought. ## Corruption ### Temptation Temptation is how strongly you feel the call of Corruption and the lure of its promises. It is insidious and manipulative. Temptation goes from 1-10. At 10, it resets to 1 and 1 Corruption is gained. For a shorter game or playthrough, the rollover cap may be reduced to 5 or 7. If you reduce the cap, the temptation effects trigger at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Temptation is a lesser rating and reflects the give and take of corrupting events and positive influences. ### Gaining Temptation - **+1 to 7:** Loved one or close connection is injured, killed, lured into evil, or damned. - **+1 to 7:** A deal made with a demon, ghost, murderer or other wicked or corrupting entity. - **+1 to 5:** Serious failure on a case or mission. - **+1 to 3:** Allowing innocents to be harmed or injured. - **+3 to 5:** Allowing innocents to be taken, damned, or killed. - **+1 to 3:** Using the benefits of corruptions (if any). - **+1 to 7:** Uncovering forbidden knowledge, dark magic, or tempting uses for corrupt methods and works. ### Losing Temptation - **-1 to 5:** Saving an innocent from evil forces and the corrupted. - **-1 to 5:** Banishing demons, dark spirits, and other such entities. - **-1 to 3:** Exiling or eliminating corrupt leaders and spies. - **-1 to 2:** Supporting other soldiers in the war against evil. - **-1 to 5:** Discovering major and use information related to anti-corruption and good forces and methods. - **-2 to 3**: A significant religious experience or extensive counseling. - **-1 to 2:** Substantial time invested into community uplift. - **-1 to 3:** Major time assisting the marginalized and underprivileged. - **-1 to 7:** Rare artifacts and blessings may reduce Temptation (1 to 7 removed); the even rarer might reduce Corruption (1 to 3 erased). ### Temptation Effects - **At 1+:** Feel a constant urge to use shortcuts and your access to corruption and corrupt agents, but especially whenever very convenient or significantly labor saving. - **At 3+:** Trigger Corruption checks when callousness would make things notably more convenient or save substantial time. - **At 5+:** Corruption checks when options that would add Temptation provide a major advantage or could eliminate major obstacles. - **At 6+:** Corruption checks whenever you have an opportunity to act cruelly or inflict damage upon those who wronged you or your clients. - **At 7+:** Trigger Corruption checks whenever cruelty, callousness, or appealing to the power of evil would resolve current problems. ### Corruption Corruption is a more permanent form of spiritual warping. You hear the twisted song of evil and it twisted part of your soul. Characters may usually start with Corruption 0, but concepts in which the player characters have been touched by spiritual darkness, vile deeds, demonic temptations, or the like may start play at Corruption 1 to represent those initial steps on the unholy path. - **0: Unblemished.** Wickedness has not yet taken hold of a part of you. - **1: Stumble.** Your soul begins to bend. You are drawn to use the corrupt and advantages of evil. Sometimes you must remind yourself of your own morality. - **2: Callousness.** Your soul begins to shrivel. You are starting to have a hard time with empathy and sympathy. You do not care about stealing. - **3: Growing Cruelty.** A hollowness begins to grow within your spirit. Sometimes you are mean for no reason. You go too far roughing up suspects. You do not care about minor casual cruelty. - **4: Warped.** You even start looking less human, almost uncanny valley. Your sense of self is fading away. Your morality becomes twisted. You no longer care about torture, murder, and other extreme sins. - **5: Inhuman.** Almost all of your humanity and soul are gone. You barely bring yourself to care at all about your (paying) clients, those you find useful, and perhaps a rare few you owe. Unmoved by most any horror. - **6+: Beyond Saving.** You are retired from active play. The character has become an irredeemable servant of evil. They are beyond saving. They literally have no soul left, only a shadowy echo of what once was. ### Corruption Checks For characters with Corruption 1+: Whenever you are presented with a clear opportunity to behave without compassion or take advantage of evil's power, roll a special oracle using three six-sided dice. - A **positive** result is rolling **over** the Damnation level. - A **mixed** result is rolling **equal to** the Damnation level. - A **negative** result is rolling **below** the Damnation level. ### Corruption Dice - **The first die is Resistance.** How well you resist the impulse overall. - **The second die is Reaction.** On a negative result, the urges twist you up and have a direct impact on your current behavior. On a positive result, you brush it off easily and the emotions fade fast. - **The** **third die is Resolve.** On a positive result, gain +1 on all dice on all rolls for the rest of the scene or the next scene. On a negative result, you are badly shaken, take -1 instead and lose a round of effort. On a mixed result, you are briefly shocked, lose the next round or pause for a few minutes. # Suggested Advice ## When to Roll Only roll when the outcome is interesting and uncertain. If it is not interesting, there is no reason to waste time focusing on it. If is it certain, there is no reason to roll the dice. You already know what is going to happen. ## Oracle Flow Start with the genre, themes, and setting assumptions. Whatever they assume, assume. Whatever is obvious in that context is obvious. There is no need to rely on the oracles for answers when it is already obvious, unless you are intentionally introducing uncertainty. From there, look at what is logical or implied. You do not need an oracle roll or GM check to know that a lit fuse means a firework will go off in most cases. Similarly, players and GMs can follow the plain logic and implied details of things. Then we get to the creativity and intuition of players and GMs, "the invented". This is important in solo and GM-less games and play modes. If people have a gut feeling or an idea that jumps to mind for an NPC, certain details, or so on, just roll with it! Keep the flow going and play progressing. Resort to the oracles after the obvious, implied, and invented. Then repeat the cycle going forward, creating a natural flow. ## Hidden NPCs Assign NPCs a very broad description and power level. Only reveal or fill in their sheet as they act. This saves you from doing too much to fill in one-off NPCs and also creates a sense of discovery and escalation in solo, low prep, and GM-less play modes. Especially in solo mode, it preserves the mystery of story characters. Use the main oracle dice to answer questions about their capabilities as you bring them into play or uncover more of their details. That will introduce uncertainty and reinforce the sense of mystery and discovery. ## Fill in the Blanks You can apply a similar principle to the whole setting and/or its details. Start with a broad outline and the basic essential details plotted out. From there, play to discover the world. This greatly reduces prep needed but allows for complex universes and interweaving plotlines despite the simple setup. Allow the plot to emerge as you play. Certainly, provide possible hooks and threads for player characters to follow. But let the ongoing narrative evolve as the playthrough progresses. This is an ideal approach for solo and no prep play. In both cases, a fluid open world is a great benefit, allowing for quick setups. A key element is that is largely player-driven, requiring them to drive forward to carry out character goals, make discoveries, and interact with the world. ## Bleed "Bleed" is a common term for when out-of-character (OOC) and in-character (IC) feelings bleed over into each other. Sometimes it is unwanted, such as when a player having a bad day expresses it as their character being a Super Dick™. However, it can be a valuable tool and is a normal, welcome part of the experience. A popular example of productive bleed is method acting or "getting into character". Essentially, players get themselves into the headspace of their character. They mentally put themselves in the shoes of their character and roll with it. Another positive example of bleed is a player feeling the love, fear, hope, dread, confusion, and so on of their character. A moving scene truly moves the player. The players furtively hold hands through a tense moment in a small-town horror game. A player throws up their hands up and laughs in relief as the party sees a way into a town after being lost in a wilderness hell. When playing, you should bear in mind how much things may affect your mood and perspective. Similarly, when designing, you should consider how the feel of the game (mechanically and thematically) comes across in actual play. What concerns are being emphasized? What circumstances and emotions are being faced? # Notes ## Just a Framework This SRD is "just a framework", not a well-defined system. It is a foundation with suggestions and guidelines to create a full build, a toolkit to help you create your own games and tools. Motif games, even our own, are often incompatible. So then, what is a Motif game or tool? If you follow the "Motif Way" of the oracle approach and the principles we express, it is! ## Suggested Design Flow From the design perspective, start with your project concept, genre, themes, and player character concept. Once you hash those out, then start to consider mechanics and how you want things to work. Focus on the main actions characters should take and what unique characteristic you want them to have. Then build out from there. ## Tell Us About Your Work If you end up making use of the Motif Toolkit SRD, please let us know! We will be thrilled to give you a shout out and a boost, in most instances. Contact us on Twitter () and tell us about it. Also feel free to reach out with questions. The only thing we ask is that you ***do not*** send us unreleased manuscripts or non-public works in progress. Thanks!