JOTE Isho Rules1
JOTE Isho Rules
December 27 draft
Isho is the ambient energy that surrounds Jorune, generated by crystal layers in the planetÕs core and crust. Like visible light, isho has a spectrum of seven colors. Different species are sensitive to different colors.
Many beings have learned to manipulate the isho, sensing with it, or weaving threads of it into dyshas.
Isho characteristic: All player characters begin with an Isho characteristic of 2 dice. This may be increased by taking an isho-manipulating profession as a trait (caji or hishtin), or by specifying a high isho trait by itself.
Caji and hishtins: A muadra who wishes to learn dysha weaving must be trained. Those who are students of dysha weaving are called ÒcajiÓ. A character who is a caji must have this as their central trait. Expert caji are called Òcopra.Ó When a caji has five dice or more in their caji skill, they may be called Òcopra.Ó Hishtins are those boccords who specialize in interfering with dyshas. Hishtin might conceiveably be a side trait, but if so, the character does not automatically get signature skills besides interference (see below). If hishtin is a central trait, the character gets all signature skills.
Color points: Each die in the isho characteristic provides the character with 3 color points, or the character may roll one or more isho dice and take the result of the roll as that dieÕs color points. Characters with Caji or hishtin as their central trait get 6 color points for each die of isho. Color points will be spent on Moon Dice. (DesignerÕs note: Caji and hishtin may get too many color points this way. Consider giving everybody 3 points per die. Test!)
Moon Dice: Isho has seven colors, linked to the seven moons. Each color of isho has an different area of effect.
Moon / Color / Title / Area of effect / DifficultyGobey / Brown / The Protector / Shields and solidity / Easy
Desti / Red / The Red Harbinger / Electric energy / Easy
Du / Amber / The Illuminator / Heat and light / Moderate
Ebba / Yellow / The Sender / Force and motion / Moderate
Launtra / Green / The Flow / Surrounding energy fields / Moderate
Shal / Blue / Keeper of Ancient Order / Nervous systems / Hard
Tra / White / The Warp-Maker / Warps / Hard
Characters must assign their color points to the seven colors of isho. Easy colors get 2 moon dice for each color point spent in that color. Moderate colors get 1 moon die for each color point. Hard colors get 1 moon die for every 2 points spent. (Unspent points, and single points left over for Shal and Tra disappear after character creation.)
Shots (Current Isho): Characters get 3 shots for each die in their isho characteristic, or they may roll one or more isho dice and take the results of that roll as that dieÕs shots. In play, the number of shots is the amount of isho the being currently has stored and ready for use, or Òcurrent isho.Ó Shots are used offensively and defensively, to weave, unweave, and interfere with dyshas. Keep track of how many shots a character can have; this is called Òmaximum isho,Ó and in some cases, a character may have more shots than this, but risks injury in the process.
Dyshas: Most characters will not get dyshas. Of the player character races, only muadra are really adept at learning them, and if a muadra chooses to be a Òcaji,Ó they start the game with a number of them. Woffen and crugar characters may use side traits to learn single dyshas. Most woffen who know a dysha learn ÒPower Hold,Ó while most crugar who learn a dysha learn ÒLightning strike.Ó This is cultural; few teachers are available to these species who can, or will teach anything else. Dyshas may be learned during the game by spending experience dice. More details can be found below.
Interference: Most beings have an instinctive defense against dyshas called interference, although beings with no isho at all, like corastin and thivin, have no defense. However, intelligent beings that know how to weave dyshas cannot interfere. The process makes them violently ill. Similarly, once a person has learned how to interfere, it is much harder for them to learn how to weave dyshas. The details on how to interfere are given below, in the section on Dyshas.
Isho Skills: A player who chooses caji or hishtin as their central trait gets a range of isho skills, detailed below. Other players may select individual isho skills as side traits. The table below indicates which isho skills each race has available.
Caji skills: These skills are automatically known by caji, at the same number of dice as the caji trait.
Tra Sense. Caji learn to ÒseeÓ the colors of isho surrounding them. This is a 360-degree sense, and does not require eyes. (Many forms of Jorune life have this.) Tra-sense can be used to detect concentrations of isho around, and to detect the colors of isho present in an incoming dysha. Roll skill dice against the difficulty of detecting the isho. At 4 dice, a caji can recognize animals and races by their isho signature. At 5 dice, the caji (or copra) can recognize specific individuals and determine their emotional status. A copra can also read whether the target has cast a dysha recently, or is preparing to do so.
Estimate isho. The ability to figure out how much isho the opponent has. Roll your skill dice against the opponentÕs isho dice. A success tells you how many shots the opponent has.
Sensitivity. The ability to know an opponentÕs isho strengths and weaknesses. Roll your skill dice against a sholari-assigned difficulty number, with distance making the roll harder. If successful, you learn some or all of your opponentÕs Moon dice. (x1 dice learned, from the highest to the lowest).
DesignerÕs note: Estimate isho and sensitivity could be subsumed under Tra-sense, as they were in the 2nd edition. Success would simultaneously reveal the colors of isho, the number of shots, and opponentÕs moon skills. The number of dice in the Tra-sense skill indicate how many parameters may be simultaneously examined, while the single skill roll (opposed) would reveal those properties.
Caji entropy. While this is an isho ability, it is not a skill. Any muadra who have learned how to weave dyshas can do this. Use an experience die to gain 3 additional shots (or roll the die for the number of additional shots). A character can do this as many times as they have dice in their caji trait. The caji may exceed her maximum isho this way. However, if the caji has more shots than her maximum isho at the end of a game hour, she loses all her shots, and must roll a die for each shot lost. The result is how much damage she takes. Experience dice expended in caji entropy return at the end of the gaming session.
Stabilize warp. A successful caji roll plus the expenditure of a shot will stabilize a failing warp for x1 minutes. The difficulty of this feat is up to the sholari. A character must have at least one Moon die in Tra to learn this skill.
Signature skills: These skills are automatically known by hishtins. Other beings must use traits or spend experience dice to learn them one by one.
False signature. The ability to change oneÕs signature to appear as some other, familiar, creature. Even the stupidest Joruni life will eventually figure out the deception. Shanthas are never fooled. Roll your skill dice against the opponentÕs intelligence. The deception will generally last x3 minutes, but it depends on the opponentÕs intelligence. It costs 1 shot.
Isho signature. The ability to figure out how much isho the opponent has. Roll your skill dice against the opponentÕs isho dice. A success tells you how many shots the opponent has. This is the same as the caji ÒEstimate ishoÓ skill.
Racial signature. The ability to determine the kind of being youÕre encountering, from its isho ripples. Roll your skill dice against your opponentÕs isho dice.
Mask signature. The ability to hide your signature, to become invisible to signature skills. It works as False signature does, except success means no signature at all.
Sensitivity. The ability to know an opponentÕs isho strengths and weaknesses. Roll your skill dice against the sholari assigned difficulty number, with distance being a factor. If successful, you learn your opponentÕs Moon Dice (x1 dice learned, from strongest to weakest).
Race / Tra Sense / False Signature / Isho Signature / Racial Signature / Mask Signature / Sensitivity / InterferenceAcubon / ¥
Blount / ¥ / ¥
Boccord / ¥ / ¥ / ¥ / ¥ / ¥ / ¥
Bronth / ¥ / ¥
Corastin / ¥
Crugar / ¥ / ¥ / ¥ / ¥
Cygra / ¥ / ¥ / ¥ / ¥
Human / ¥
Muadra / ¥ / ¥ / ¥ / ¥ / ¥ / ¥ / ¥
Salu / ¥
Thivin
Tologra / ¥ / ¥ / ¥ / ¥ / ¥ / ¥ / ¥
Trarch / ¥ / ¥ / ¥
Woffen / ¥ / ¥ / ¥ / ¥ / ¥
Dyshas
Each dysha is a separate skill, with a number of dice associated with it. Dyshas are woven of multiple colors. One is primary; the others are secondary. To learn the dysha, a character must have as many moon dice as the number listed in the dyshaÕs primary color, and at least 1 moon die in each of the secondary colors.
At the beginning of the game, characters know dyshas either because they are a caji (in which case, they begin with a number of dyshas learned) or because they have learned individual dyshas as traits. As the game progresses, characters learn dyshas individually with experience dice. Dyshas have a number of dice associated with them, because each is a trait or skill.
Beginning dyshas for caji: Caji get a second supply of color points (isho dice x6) to purchase dyshas. The cost of a dysha is the same as the number listed in its primary color. Purchasing the dysha means the caji knows it at 1 die. Each repeated purchase of a dysha gains another die for it. Characters may not know a dysha at more than 4 dice at the beginning of the game, nor may they have dyshas that are either Hard or Very Hard.
When buying dyshas, a caji must learn the dyshas within a color in order: for example, to learn any dyshas in Gobey, one must first learn Shield, then Bubble, then Body Shield. Further, one may not have more dice of a higher-listed dysha than a lower-listed one: to have 3 dice in Bubble, one must first have 3 dice in Shield.
Dyshas
¥GOBEY The Protector. Gobey dyshas are all about shields: making them and breaking them. The Gobey moon is black; the color of Gobey isho is brown. Isho shields only block physical damage; dyshas go right through. All isho shields have a number of hit points. When they have absorbed that much damage, they collapse.
Shield
Difficulty / Primary color dice / Secondary colors / RangeEasy / Gobey 2 / Launtra, Tra / WeaverÕs front
This dysha creates a small curved wall that covers the weaverÕs front only. The shield has x1 hit points. It lasts x0.25 rounds, but always at least one round. An attacker attacks the defender normally, but the shield absorbs the damage first.
Bubble
Difficulty / Primary color dice / Secondary colors / RangeModerate / Gobey 4 / Ebba, Tra / Skill dice x 30 feet
Creates a dome-shaped bubble, about 10Õ radius around the weaver. It lasts until it is destroyed. The bubble has (x4) hit points. The bubble does not move. It doesnÕt block isho, but physical objects are blocked. Slow moving objects can penetrate the bubble, but the larger the item is (that is, the cross-section passing through), the more force is needed to pass. (A pointed stick can penetrate far more easily than a human arm, even a slow moving arm.) Gases diffuse through, but sounds are garbled. If an attacker is striking the bubble, they simply roll their attack dice and multiply the results for their weapon.
Body Shield
Difficulty / Primary color dice / Secondary colors / RangeModerate / Gobey 4 / Launtra, Tra / Around weaver
Creates a shield around the weaverÕs body, with (x3) hit points. This shield moves with its weaver. The shield loses 2 hit points per minute, falling in 10 minutes. People protected by a body shield may weave dyshas normally, but not use weapons without harming their own shield.
Wall
Difficulty / Primary color dice / Secondary colors / RangeHard / Gobey 5 / Ebba, Tra / 30 feet per die
Forms a flat shield that covers 30 sq feet. It has a strength of (x8) hit points. They stand until they are destroyed, or abraded down. In the right environment, walls can survive for years. They are often used to barricade entrances. To attack against a Wall, the attacker rolls his/her attack dice and multiples the result.
Shield Shatter
Difficulty / Primary color dice / Secondary colors / RangeHard / Gobey 5 / None / 60 feet per die
This is a bright and noisy dysha that grinds through shields. The weaver must strike the opponentÕs shield (which may be easy, in the case of a Wall or Bubble, or more difficult for a Body Shield). If the dysha hits, the caster applies one die to the shield each round. Each die does x(skill dice) damage to the shield. If the shield is destroyed, the Shield Shatter dysha also ends.
Cage
Difficulty / Primary color dice / Secondary colors / RangeVery Hard / Gobey 4 / Desti, Ebba, Tra / 30 feet per die
Creates a Bubble around a target. But when brought down to 0 hit points, the Cage strikes its occupant with a Lightning Blast (The CageÕs weaver makes an attack with his Cage skill dice, doing x3 damage) as it collapses. (If destroyed by Shield Shatter, there is no blast.) With a good Interference, a captive could walk right out, however.
Shield Implosion
Difficulty / Primary color dice / Secondary colors / RangeVery Hard / Gobey 4 / Ebba, Desti / 30 feet per die
This orb is used to attack defenders protected by an isho shield. The orb merges with the shield and makes it rapidly fluctuate in size, doing (skill dice) of damage each to the shield and the person it is defending each round. Once the shield is destroyed, the dysha also ends, even if the person behind the shield is still alive.
¥DESTI The Red Harbinger. Desti dyshas are about electrical energy, usually as an offensive bolt. The Desti moon is red, as is desti isho. Desti dyshas tend to be the easiest to learn, although teaching the destructive bolts to the immature is strongly discouraged. Young muadra toughs who wish to prove themselves will learn the most basic Desti bolts, and harass others. They are called ÒdytesÓ or Òdyte punks.Ó
Lightning Blast
Difficulty / Primary color dice / Secondary colors / RangeEasy / Desti 1 / None / 60 feet per die
An electrical blast that does x3 damage. The mainstay of dytes and other criminals. Society frowns on the use of this bolt (including muadras).
Stiff
Difficulty / Primary color dice / Secondary colors / RangeEasy / Desti 3 / Shal / 60 feet per die
If the bolt is successful, the victimÕs extremities are all jolted to their full reach for x1 seconds. Does x0.5 damage. If the victim fails an agility check against 2 dice, they fall down. If they fail a strength or will check against 2 dice, they drop whatever is in their hands.
Frost Bolt
Difficulty / Primary color dice / Secondary colors / RangeModerate / Desti 4 / Du, Gobey / 30 feet per die
A blast of intense cold that does x2 damage.
Lightning Strike
Difficulty / Primary color dice / Secondary colors / RangeHard / Desti 5 / Ebba, Shal / 30 feet per die
The most fearsome of the Desti bolts. A successful hit not only does x4 damage, but also throws the victim x3 feet, with every 3 feet indicating another point of damage. Of course, if the victim is slammed into an obstacle, the damage will be even higher.
Penetration Bolt
Difficulty / Primary color dice / Secondary colors / RangeVery Hard / Desti 6 / Tra / 15 feet per die
A special bolt that only detonates when surrounded by dense isho, meaning it ignores non-living matter. It does x3 damage, but ignores all armor.
¥DU The Illuminator. Du dyshas are about energy, specifically heat and light. The Du moon is amber, while du isho is orange.
Orb of Light
Difficulty / Primary color dice / Secondary colors / RangeEasy / Du 1 / None / 120 feet per die
Creates a long-lasting glowing orb. The brighter the orb, the shorter it lasts. A bright light (enough to illuminate a 10 x 10 foot room) lasts about an hour; a dim one about a day. The orb can be put down and subsequently moved by its weaver, who cups both palms around it to move it. It can be unwoven by the weaver at any time.
Flingers
Difficulty / Primary color dice / Secondary colors / RangeEasy / Du 1 / Ebba / 120 feet per die
Weaves 5 tiny orbs that each do 1 die of heat damage. The user may choose to throw them all against a single target, or scatter them against multiple targets. Armor protects against each orb individually. If they are scattered, everybody within 15 feet of where they hit will be at Ð2 to initiative next round.