Campaign guide plight of the tuatha (1) 55

Campaign Guide Emergence Maximums A character may only be able to manifest a number of Emergence equal to half their class level rounded down If they ever have to opportunity to gain a new emergence while at the maximum number for their level, the player may choose to replace a currently held Emergence for the new one Once an Emergence is lost, however, it is lost for good and cannot be regained Gaining an Emergence An Emergence can be gained by performing great acts, whether good or ill, that shows the true nature of a PCs soul For good or for ill these Emergences manifest for only the bravest, most learned, or those whose fate has destined them to be the stuff of future legends There are two ways in which an Emergence may enter into gameplay, either they are initiated by a player who wishes to seek out a specific Emergence, or the GM will award an emergence based upon the player’s choices and actions within the games story Player Initiated Emergence A player may wish to gain a specific Emergence they feel expand their character both mechanically and story-wise To help the GM out, each Emergence will include an example of what action the player must undertake in order to gain the Emergence they wish their character to have These actions should take up very little game time, but the player will have to take the chosen action, as well as deal with the repercussions of that action in order to gain the advantage the Emergence gives them For instance, Ian would like his fighter Triarius to gain the Fomorian ability to see in the pitch black of the sea floor and so wishes to gain the Rite of the Rimy Eye Emergence As per the Emergence’s description, Ian and his GM know that the Emergence can be gained if Triarius spends 500 GP on a rare sea salt, convince a fomoire priest of Balar to perform the rite, and become a devoted follower of Balar At the GM’s discretion, Triarius will find the salt and the priest, but he may need to convince the priest of his devotion to Balar, perhaps by making a very public declaration of his decision to become a follower of the dark god After Triarius makes a public declaration of his intent in the public square which convinces the priest to perform the rite, Ian may now give Triarius the Rite of the Rimy Eye Emergence However, it is now commonly known that Triarius has become a follower of Balar and the god’s destructive ways 54 NPCs may begin to trust Triarius less, especially those devoted to more peaceful gods GM Initiated Emergence As opposed to the player initiated emergence, a player may or may not know that a specific choice they make in a game session will give them an opportunity to gain an emergence for their character A GM initiated Emergence is put in place by the GM as part of the story they are telling at the table Such an Emergence should be uncommon and tie into an unusually climatic or important moment in the game When a player fulfills the goals the GM has determined must be fulfilled for the Emergence to be awarded, the GM will inform the player that the Emergence has been gained by the character For example, Ian’s character Triarius has spent the last three sessions tracking down the location of a horrible giant squid that has been attacking and destroying merchant vessels trying to cross the ocean The GM has decided that this battle is to be a high point in the campaign which will change the direction the story will likely go As such, the GM has decided to test how heroic Triarius is by setting up a choice for Triarius to make Ian can choose to wait for others to arrive to help his character combat the great beast, or choose to fight the creature on his own If Ian chooses to wait the giant squid may destroy more boats in the time it takes for help to arrive, but the fight will be more difficult should Ian decide to risk his character in order to try to save all the ships Should Ian choose the more dangerous fight in the hopes of saving more ships for the monstrous beast, the GM will reward they act by giving Triarius the Rite of the Deep Breathe Emergence The Emergence is thematically tied to the actions and choice Ian made Losing an Emergence Just as acquiring an Emergence is based upon a player’s roleplaying and character choices, the loss of an emergence can occur by these same choices An Emergence can either be lost by the character fulfilling the Loss Condition specific to each Emergence, or by a group vote that the character is being played in a way contrary to the spirit of the Emergence Loss Condition A specific Loss Condition is given for each Emergence stating an action or set of actions which will cause that specific Emergence to be lost A player should be made aware of what this Loss Condition is so that they may try to avoid it