What's in a dreamer?
Anyone can be a dreamer; there is no specific trait, lifestyle, or special ability that separates a dreamer from a normal person other than the escape they have found. Some say that you need something to escape from in order to become a dreamer, and this may be true; surely those who have perfect lives have no need for dreams. But no life is perfect below the surface, and every person can find power in facing the mind. Not every person, however, finds the willpower to keep hold, and keep chasing the power they find.
To begin, players begin with a basic character concept; this is a descriptive phrase that sums up who that dreamer is in the waking world, and defines their dream reflection. Note that dreamers need not actually currently be alive in the waking world, nor must they remember their waking life; they have some memories, though, that define them. Some examples of characters might include:
Ex-Actor In Wheelchair
Long Dead Monk
Disturbed Youth
Successful Businessman
Retired Old Woman
Wasted Coma Patient
Imprisoned Innocent
Once a two or three word phrase on a character is created, details can be added. Gender and age, motivations and doubts all play a role in determining their Dispositions, which are the mechanical backbone of a character.
There are three Dispositions, as mentioned in Chapter 1: Desire, Will, and Image. The balance between the three reflect the personality of the dreamer. Each dreamer is, however, unique, and dreamers with the exact same set of Dispositions might be radically different in how they manifest.
Desire High: Passionate, emotional, dramatic, aggressive, flirtatious, short-tempered.
Desire Low: Reserved, shy, calm, soft-spoken, humble, quiet, introverted.
Will High: Driven, focused, observant, stubborn, overbearing, precise, logical.
Will Low: Flighty, distracted, nervous, spineless, untidy, unaware, foolish.
Image High: Creative, confident, distant, aloof, mysterious, funny, witty.
Image Low: Boring, doubting, slow, simple, innocent, naive, honest.
Newly made dreamers begin with 2 in every Disposition, and have 3 more points to spend to increase these Dispositions on a 1-for-1 basis. With the choice of Dispositions made, derived pools such as Heart, Thought, and Pulse can be determined.
Desire + Will = Hearts
Will + Image = Thoughts
Image + Desire = Pulse
Next dreamers may have one Vice and one Virtue, maximum. These are defining traits of a dreamers and offer unique drawbacks and abilities to players who want to further enhance their characters capabilities and personality. These traits follow a dreamer throughout their entire experience; Arts can be improved, and new Forms learned, Dispositions can be enhanced in various ways, and many other abilities can be learned, but Vices and Virtues cannot be changed. Vices in particular leave a mark, and a disadvantage that must constantly be accounted for. A Virtue manifests under specific situations, and manifests sometimes as an object, others as a minor change in form.
Vices
Lust: The dreamers are marked by an almost feral instinct towards sensuality and flirtation. They often bear the traits of an animal, such as ear, feet, or a tail. At the end of combat, they gain 1 less Heart, but they may regain 1 Heart by committing a sensual act with a new being.
Obsession: This Vice comes in many forms; for some dreamers, it's cigarettes, others some form of drug, or food, or a ritual like cracking ones knuckles or making smart-ass remarks. These dreamers regain 1 less Pulse at the end of an instant, unless they have 0 Pulse, then they instead regain 1 more Pulse.
Despair: Dreamers held captive by this Vice may not be always crying, but they are generally damp. Their clothing, skin, and hair seem to collect moisture, and they may be surrounded by a faint cloud. At the end of a scene, these dreamers regain 1 less Thought, unless they have 0 Thoughts, then they instead regain 1 more Thought.
Wrath: Those who fall to Wrath find their bodies burning with unquenchable fire. Their eye might glow, their hair may smoke, and their bodies may even give off waves of flame or heat. Their Rage Arts deal 1 more damage, and Love Arts restore 1 less when used by them, or on them.
Envy: Dreamers guilty of this Vice often have fangs, a forked tongue, scales, snake or insect like eyes. It may be subtle, but any observant being will see its signs. When these dreamers receive Shadow, throw one coin; on a woe, increase the Shadow by one. If this dreamer is adjacent to a being receiving Illumination, they may throw a coin; on a weal, the receiver of illumination receives one less, and this dreamer gets that illumination instead.
Hubris: Dreamers that fall to pride often have surreal light effects surround them. They may appear warped, tilted, further away, or larger than natural. Whenever they throw all weals, the pool used become Shadowed by 1. Inversely, if they throw all woes, that pool is illuminated by 1.
Virtues
Justice: Holding onto this Virtue grants a dreamer a weapon to bring punishment. Each Form may manifest different weapons, depending on what effect is chosen. When this dreamer does not use Love Arts in an instant, the Damage or Range of any Rage Form they use is increased by one step.
Humility: These dreamers tend to fade into the background of most scenes, not causing drama or seeking undo attention. They seem to be at ease anywhere. Any instant when they do not use their Judge Art, any Absorb Form's Negate or Frequency is increased one step.
Valor: Dreamers that manage this Virtue are blessed with shifting wings of light and color, or bright armor of similar material that covers their chest that protect them and speed them on their way. When they use a Shift Form in an instant they have not used their Change Art, its Steps or Evade are increased by one step.
Integrity: These dreamers seem unusually solid, and sometime shimmer with a metallic brightness. Their eyes are often like gemstones, and when their power is active a third eye often forms on their forehead. While any Eye Form is active and a Judge Form is used, its Shadow or Range is increased by one step.
Mercy: Compassion holds the heart of these dreamers, and they are often surrounded by a subtle aura of light. When they activate their ability, plants such as flowers and grass may grow at their feet. When any Voice Form is active and they use a Love Form, either its Recover or its Illumination is increased by one step.
Purity: This Virtue allows a dreamer to be without prejudice. They seem to give off a soft white light that clings to anything they touch. While using a Body Form, their Change Forms have either their Illumination or Range increased by one step.
Vices and Virtues are useful tools for players to augment and further define their dreamers. Most people have can be said to have one Vice and one Virtue that follows their mind across the barrier between worlds. These traits may also assist in getting into the mind of a dreamer for some players, giving them some very deep, personal values and weaknesses to act on.
Dreamers have one more set of attributes that complete their abilities in the dream, and these are known as the Arts. Each Art combines different effects together in a specific, thematic way that effects the dream and other entities in it; each of these effects is further altered by the Forms used by the dreamer. These Arts are also attuned to specific Dispositions, including them when Forms are used. Players can choose example Forms, or create their own specific to their dreamers using the rules presented in Chapter 4.
Desire: Rage destroys, Love restores, Voice projects
Will: Absorb protects, Judge limits, Eye sees
Image: Shift moves, Change frees, Body adapts
The Rage Arts project a dreamers fury, frustration, and desire to see something made into naught. Its main effect is Damage, and Forms with high damage can be brutally effective. These forms may work only in arms reach, or steps away. Some of them may even leave a Shadow effect on the Dispositions of targets who receive damage, and others may have Take Pulse, Thought, or Hearts, or move their targets. Rage Arts costs 2 Pulse to use in an Instant.
Rage Forms (Damage, Range, Shadow, Take):
Burn (High Damage, Minor Take Hearts)
Divide (Major Shadow Desire, Medium Damage)
Shock (Long Range, Medium Damage)
Freeze (Major Take Pulse, Medium Damage)
Thrust (Major Take Steps, Medium Damage)
Decay (Major Shadow Will, Minor Take Thoughts)
Love Arts come from an ability to feel empathy and compassion, and allow a dreamer to restore Heart to damaged things of all descriptions, from furniture to dreamers to stars. As with Rage, Love may be used in arms reach, or steps away, specific to each Form. Illumination may occur in some Forms, and some may Give Pulse, Thought, or Hearts, or move a target a number of steps. Love Forms cost 1 Thought and 3 Pulse to use.
Love Arts (Recover, Range, Illuminate, Give):
Tough (Major Give Pulse, Minor Illuminate Desire)
Kind (High Restore, Minor Give Thoughts)
Intimate (Major Illuminate Desire, Medium Restore)
Gentle (High Restore, Minor Illuminate Image)
Patient (Major Illuminate Will, Medium Restore)
Hidden (Long Range, Medium Restore)
Unyielding (Major Give Hearts, Medium Restore)
Voice Forms flavor how the dream and its denizens react to the dreamer. It might be a whisper, or a shout, affecting beings at different ranges. It may be ignored by more willful entities, some Forms being more effective than others. Each Form projects a different emotion, and successful Voice throws cause those effected to be caught up in the emotion; as different emotions are more easy to control than others, different Forms are more or less effective in this regard. Voice Arts can be activated once per scene, and to remain active the dreamer must keep 1 Thought unspent, and it costs 1 Pulse to direct the Voice during a combat instant.
Voice Arts (Potency, Range, Reaction):
Fearful (High Potency, Short Range)
Confident (High Control, Medium Potency)
Cryptic (High Potency, Medium Control)
Longing (Long Range, Medium Control)
Sultry (High Control, Short Range)
Empty (Long Range, Medium Potency)
The Absorb Arts are linked with defensive reflexes, and the awareness of attacks. Each Form negates a certain amount of damage from one or more Rage Forms. It may illuminate one of the users Dispositions, or Give just like the Love Arts. Absorb is typically used in combat, but can be used preemptively when a dreamer suspects of Sees a hostile section of the dreaming. Absorb Forms cost 2 Pulse to use in an instant.
Absorb Arts (Negate, Frequency, Illuminate, Give):
Block (High Negate, Minor Illuminate Will)
Shrink (Major Illuminate Desire, Medium Negate)
Blink (Major Illuminate Image, Medium Frequency)
Sway (High Frequency, Minor Give Pulse)
Gasp (Major Give Hearts, Medium Negate)
Wince (High Negate, Minor Give Thoughts)
Judge Arts force limitations and hindrance onto things, most notably Locking specific Arts. Like many other Arts, these may be used at a varying range between a single step and many depending on the Form. They also may Shadow a specific Disposition, or may Take like Rage Forms. Judge Arts cost 1 Thought and 3 Pulse to use.
Judge Arts (Lock, Range, Shadow, Take):
Fool (Major Shadow Will, Lock Judge)
Clumsy (Lock Shift, Minor Take Pulse)
Weak (Lock Rage, Short Range)
Slow (Lock Absorb, Minor Take Thought)
Heartless (Major Shadow Desire, Lock Love)
Blind (Major Shadow Image, Lock Change)
Eye Arts see the dream as it really is, and it is many things, so different Eyes see different things. Most notably, Eye Forms are used to see hidden paths, hidden objects, and hidden beings, and into the hidden parts of others. Some Forms see further than others, and more advanced beings can fool simpler Forms. The level of detail a form produces can allow specific information about the attributes of the dream, those in it, and the truth that all things can be a path in dreaming. These Forms, like Voice Forms, can be used once per scene, and one Thought must be held unspent for this Art to remain active, and cost 1 Pulse to direct.
Eye Arts (Detail, Range, Potency):
Red (Detail Desire, Short Range)
Orange (High Potency, Detail Pulse)
Yellow (Long Range, Medium Potency, Detail Shift)
Green (Detail Will, Short Range)
Blue (Long Range, Detail Thought)
Purple (Detail Image, Medium Potency)
Shift Arts move a dreamer about in a dream, allowing them to pass in range for other Arts and to escape the claws of their foes. Each Form moves the dreamer a number of steps, and also add an Evade rating to avoid effects like Rage, and Judge Forms, even Love and Change Forms if a they are for some reason unwanted. The Forms also Illuminate a Disposition and Give like Love Forms. Shift Forms cost 2 Pulse to use in an instant.
Shift Arts (Steps, Evade, Illuminate, Give):
Charge (High Steps, Minor Illuminate Desire)
Bolt (High Evade, Medium Steps)
Creep (Major Give Pulse, Medium Evade)
Burst (Major Illuminate Desire, Medium Steps)
Rush (High Steps, Medium Evade)
Bound (High Steps, Minor Illuminate Image)
The Change Arts enhance and embolden those who receive them. They may target the self, something in arms reach, or something steps away depending on the form. They Unlock an Art, and may Illuminate, or Give like Love Forms. Change Forms cost 1 Thought and 3 Pulse to use.
Change Arts (Unlock, Range, Illuminate, Give):
Crown (Major Illuminate Will, Unlock Judge)
Cape (Unlock Shift, Minor Illuminate Image)
Ring (Unlock Rage, Minor Illuminate Desire)
Scarf (Long Range, Unlock Love)
Belt (Major Give Heart, Short Range, Unlock Body)
Lenses (Major Give Pulse, Short Range, Unlock Eye)
Body Arts remake the dreamer who uses them into something else. This may change a dreamers Size for the better, or worse, Illuminating or Shadowing their Dispositions permanently while the effect is active. The Forms may offer a measure of concealment against prying eyes, and may also offer enhanced modes of movement such as flight, leaping, or climbing walls. As with Voice and Eye Arts, one Thought must be kept unspent and unreserved by other Arts each scene to have this Art active, and it costs 1 Pulse to direct the abilities of the Body.
Body Arts (Size, Conceal, Movement):
Bird (High Movement, Medium Size)
Rat (High Conceal, Medium Movement)
Cat (High Conceal, Medium Size)
Dog (High Size, Medium Movement)
Insect (High Movement, Medium Conceal)
Lizard (High Size, Medium Conceal)
Dreamers start with 1 in every Art, and with a single Form for each. A dreamer then may add as many points in each category as the value of the disposition Pool the Arts are ruled by. For example, a dreamer with 4, 2, and 3 in Desire, Will, and Image respectively would have 4 points to spend on Rage, Love, and Voice Arts, 2 points on Absorb, Judge and Eye, and 3 points on Shift, Change, and Body Arts. They cannot raise an Art higher than 6 in this way, and any further increases will be due to Revelation.
Once Forms are chosen and points assigned into the Arts, a dreamer has two more choices. First, for their highest Art (or one of their choosing if some are tied) they receive one additional Form for that Art. Second, their appearance should be at least be glanced at. How a dreamer sees themselves changes as they gain and lose their ability to handle the dream; one dreamer may appear as an Angel of Judgement when confident, and a portly old man when terrified. Dispositions, a dreamers real body, and general attitude may all play a role in what a dreamer looks like, and what they are garbed in walking these strange halls.
Dreamers can learn new Forms for their Arts by consciously observing Forms used by other dreamers, archetypes, or other beings. This costs 1 Pulse while in combat, and requires they throw the same Disposition that Rules the Form's Art. If the throw is successful (or only 1 weal is found and a Thought is spent) three times with the same Form, the dreamer gains Revelation, and begins to improve their Arts and other aspects.
The first Arts to improve are Voice, Eye, and Body depending what Disposition was being used when Revelation occurred, then Love, Judge, and Change, then Rage, Absorb and Shift, finally improving the ruling Dispositions, Desire, Will, or Image. Each Disposition and its Arts are advanced separately. Each time a Disposition of a dreamer is increased through Revelation, the player may choose a new number as their Revelation.
Once all these choices have been made, a dreamer is ready to be played, and the adventures can begin. Every player, even sometimes the dreamweaver, should have their own dreamer to play. Usually there is a limit of one dreamer to a player, but some groups may like to cycle through characters, or even have some players use two at a time.
