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The terrible Arcanum-Gearsmith Wars shattered more than the world of Elanthia's geography. When the world trembled and cracked, the artifacts of Elanthia's heroes -- magical items of great power, masterworks of technical cunning, and even items imbued with the very spirit of their owners -- also fractured under the stress. Over time, as scavengers and tomb raiders have done their work, the remnants of these powerful objects have become scattered across the landscape. Called Wyr by the Triumvirate, reclaiming them has proven to be a difficult task.
The Bards and the Lorethew have spent decades cataloguing and tracking the various Wyr that have been discovered, but to this day no one knows just how many unknown Wyr are lurking out there. Scrying and oracles have proven ineffective at getting a hard number. The best the Triumvirate can do is keep good notes, and hope that their agents get to the Wyr before their enemies do.
The designers of Hero's Journey made a decision early on that they wanted players to maintain a unique look. They were all too aware that in most games, a player's appearance is governed by what the best equipment in the game is.
At the same time, they recognized that item discovery and collection is a fun, classic aspect of many fantasy RPGs, and needed to be retained. They searched for a compromise.
The Wyr design satisfies both needs by allowing players to still gather cool loot, and keep their character looking the way they intended -- not the way the game dictates they should look.
Wyr become active when locked into a socket that corresponds to the Wyr's shape. They can be applied to three key regions of gameplay: Aspects, Abilities, and Items.
Aspects
Characters possess three fundamental aspects: Body, Mind, and Spirit. Wyr that affect Aspects may increase a character's damage across the board, help her to resist the effects of a Charm manipulation, or give her unusual abilities under certain key circumstances.
Items
Items include clothing, weapons, and off-hand items (wands, shields, beer mugs). Players will be able to craft entire wardrobes that they swap around depending on the situations they intend to take their character into.
Abilities
"Abilities" are granted based on a character's chosen classes. While Abilities are highly functional in their own right, applying Wyr can fundamentally alter the nature of that functionality, improve upon it, and even provide entirely new functionality. Examples include changing a fire spell to an ice spell, dramatically increasing the likelihood of attack, and even teleporting a Rogue into backstab range from a distance.
All Wyr have a particular shape that indicates their rarity, and all Wyr must match the shape of the socket they are put into. The more rare the Wyr, the more powerful it is. The six types of Rarity are: Abundant, Plentiful, Common, Scarce, Rare, Very Rare. Players can upgrade and downgrade the sockets of their Abilities, Aspects, and Items by spending Hero Points, which they acquire in much the same way as experience.
The Six Wyr Sockets
Wyr are acquired in multiple ways. As part of treasure, certain creatures may be more likely to carry certain types of Wyr. Some Wyr may only be acquired through the completion of a series of quests. Prizes from contests or games of chance may yield unusual Wyr. Certain factions may offer unique Wyr exclusive to their members. Shops and NPCs will sell Wyr, and players -- either through trade or an auction block -- may sell and buy Wyr to and from other players.
Rarity: Uncommon
Set Name: Envro's Luck
Value: 1 silver |
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Benefits
+5% of the time player gets to reroll a failed DODGE check
+5% to Dodge
Flaws
+3% to Threat (player is viewed as shady or untrustworthy)
About
"What luck -- dragon-eyes again! Wow, I must be on a roll. Get it? Roll? Urwir's Teeth, I'm funny!"
Though no one could ever prove it, there was much suspicion about Envro the Icepick and his favorite pair of dice....
Rarity: Common
Set Name: The High King's Vigilance
Value: 20 copper |
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Benefits
+10% Damage
+5% Protection
Ability: Minor Heal (as per the potion) once ever 30 minutes.
Flaws
-5% to Resist Charm
About
"Why do you weep, my lady? My hands may be scarred, but they are still strong enough to lift you and keep you safe."
King Val Zeair was renown for many good deeds before his tragic death. Though his body is dust, his spirit yet remains, protecting Elanthia from the spreading darkness.
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