MRD Vol. 2 DevLog: Nazarite Vows, Cry of the Wyrm Shamir, WIP Nazarite Contract Example

I vow to start tagging these as DevLog going forward (will eventually backlog them too), the previous being an overhaul of the gameplay loop for MRD Vol. 2.

I also vow to eventually create a better index situation and consolidate this information! Maybe that'll go on a WIP itch thing, or something like that. What do you all think of that?

Following up on the previous post, I will describe the  Nazarite Vows and Cry of the Wyrm Shamir mechanics in more detail, and provide an updated version of Fast Lane Fintechnomancer Nazarite Contract as an example of what this all looks like.

Fast Lane Fintechnomancer

The world is full of freaky frequencies but only some scry the spiking signals. You ride the heartbeat of society on a crash course for cardiac arrest, but the spectators and speculators will rave as you race right until the end.

Roll or choose Ability Scores from array.

Same Ability Scores as MRD Vol. 1: NATure, WISdom, PROpriety. This is maybe the last bastion from MRD Vol. 1, maybe I should rework these as well?

In brief:
NATure: For things requiring exertion, whether physical or mental.

WISdom: Making observations, resisting temptations, critical, lateral, or abstract thinking.

PROpriety: Ability to navigate and thrive in society.

Metamorphoses

Choose one.

These are just flavor. You get more of them as you Ascend. Or you can take all of them, or make up your own, or ignore them. They reflect the metamorphosis of the Wyrm Shamir symbiont and the nature of the Nazarite Contract.

There will be 6 for each Nazarite Contract, but currently I have these three.

1. Your eyes display a waveform like a heartbeat monitor or screensaver.
2. Ominous runes, stock listings, numbers, and other symbols tick from LCD fingertips.
3. You've spent so long collapsing the past to predict the future, motion lines course your movements.

Choose one of each Starting Nazarite Vow

Tikkun Olam, Wyrm Shamir, and Corporation.

These correspond to the three Immutable Vows. The intention is for each to frame the nature of the Nazarite Contract, and provide hooks for the GM and Player to work towards and deepen the Campaign.

There will be at least 2 for each category, but currently only have 1 each.

Tikkun Olam Starting Nazarite Vows are the big-picture Mending of the World.

Wyrm Shamir Starting Nazarite Vows are about doing for others, especially those dependent on you.

Corporation Starting Nazarite Vows are the hard compromises we have to make, or choose to make; the triage of the soul.

The Immutable Vows and categories of Starting Nazarite Vows demonstrate how to think about creating and Resolving Nazarite Vows, but the specific means of doing so are intentionally open-ended. For groups preferring more adversarial dynamics, the negotiation of Nazarite Vows, how to Resolve them, and whether they are Fulfilled or Subverted can be like a debate. For other groups, such as my own preferred style, this can be a more collaborative process.

Both volumes of MRD have themes they are intended to explore, but whereas some thematic games impose those themes as a narrative conceit, MRD implements them within the gameplay loop. Even if a group or specific Player does not care about the themes, they must be conscientious of and engage with Nazarite Vows and the process of Resolving them in order to Ascend. If it helps, think of it like the push-and-pull between GM and Player with regard to Rulings in old-school D&D play.

Starting Nazarite Vows (Tikkun Olam)

1. Develop a technology or statistical model that changes the global economy for the better.

Using their technical skills, what can they do to try to change the world? Create a currency backed by real-time metrics of positive environmental action? An algorithmic anarcho-socialist wealth redistribution system? The world is yours to Mend!

Starting Nazarite Vows (Wyrm Shamir)

1. Give up the next race (or the next after); a promotion, raise, investment opportunity. Slow down so you may be present for those you care about.

They should at some point be set up for some growth opportunity, and then make the decision to reject it at some great cost. It doesn't literally have to be "the next" race, but the time will come eventually.

Starting Nazarite Vows (Corporation)

1. Aim for the Top! of the Corporate Pyramid. Each promotion comes with greater perks, but also greater dangers should you fall.

They are constantly running the hedonic treadmill. As with the Wyrm Shamir example above, they should be given growth opportunities, but also, these opportunities should come with risks. "Now that you're a Senior Fast Lane Fintechnomancer, we really expect you to be able to take care of the Kaiju problem on this Vessel of Tehom without outside assistance...". Also, one could imagine how this and the previous Wyrm Shamir example could lead to interesting conflict.

Cry of the Wyrm Shamir

If you are above Level 1 and would otherwise raise your Gilgulim above 6 or fail to Resolve a Nazarite Vow, instead you activate a Cry of the Wyrm Shamir.

Roll or choose one of these Cry Words. It becomes a negative Mod on one of your Golem Gear. Until the next time you Ascend Gilgul Neshamot, this negative Mod cannot be removed, and no other Mods can be attached to that Gear. The Cry Word should transform the Gear in some way, and every time that Gear is used there should be some negative consequence relating to the Cry Word.

I was never 100% satisfied with the Reincarnation Rituals and Recursion Attachments of MRD Vol. 1. Obviously the idea of Recursing through reincarnations is a core idea of MRD, but as implemented, many of the Reincarnation Rituals didn't feel very additive, and while the Recursion Attachments were additive, they created "clutter" in the pile of Karmic Attachments. This new approach hopefully addresses those concerns.

Each Cry Word relates to the Nazarite Contract. It modifies a Golem Gear in some thematic way. It doesn't preclude the use of the Gear, but it does invoke a penalty. It doesn't add to the list of Nazarite Vows or other goals they already have to be thinking about, but it still adds character. It also only affects them while in their Golem, so it's hopefully not too much of a burden.

Each Nazarite Contract has 4 Cry Words in their Cry of the Wyrm Shamir list, but currently I have 1.

1. BURNOUT: Golem Gear with this Mod have a high probability of failing spectacularly.

This is the most recent idea of this overhaul, but I'm feeling good about it. So with BURNOUT, a Golem Gear might start sputtering and coughing fumes, or any lights become dimmer, etc. A GM might require the PC roll a Save when it's used, and if it fails, it blows up, becoming inoperable for the rest of the Conflict or some duration of time, or does something really interesting. Should try to avoid just "take X Damage" or whatever, but that's a safe fallback.

Since Golem and Golem Gear are custom-made and not tied to Nazarite Contracts, there's a lot more flexibility in how this might work, and also in how to explain it. That's been an intrinsic complication with Concept Crafting, but one I'm comfortable with.

Previously created Weird Mecha Generators (intended for use as Golem in MRD Vol. 2):
Nihilism Golem

Embodied Cognition Golem

Superorganism Golem

One of my Players in the Campaign used a modified version of the Chemysterious Cascader from the Embodied Cognition post so I'll use that as an example:

Before BURNOUT:

GEAR3: (TASTE + SSRI)

Synesthetic Serotonin Starshine

A lolling tongue apparatus beaming starshine. Piercing tendrils seeking slick tongues to rest beneath, inducing bright light synesthetic explosions, washing out emotions and replacing them with a taste like a pina colada on vacation or a big ball of bubble gum in the mouth of a child.

After BUROUT:

GEAR3: ((TASTE + SSRI) + BURNOUT)

Synesthetic Serotonin Sputter

A lolling tongue apparatus fizzing and sputtering. Piercing tendrils seeking slick tongues to rest beneath, inducing flickering synesthetic sparks, washing out emotions and replacing them with a taste like overripe fruit or a piece of cloyingly sweet candy.

Admittedly these Gear are already pretty weird and abstract in how they're written, but that's the general idea...

Damage Dice

Each Nazarite Contract comes with at least one Damage Die corresponding to the three Ability Scores. N is Nature, P is Propriety, W is Wisdom, and dN is the die size. These dice are not tied to any specific Nazarite Feature or Item, but contain parentheticals suggesting how they should be used. So long as the Player can conceive a relevant means, the PC can deal Damage.

If a Nazarite Contract does not have a Damage Die for a given Ability Score, they can deal d4, and if they have a minus, they can't deal Damage at all with that Ability Score under normal circumstances.

I like this approach better than MRD Vol. 1, where Damage Dice were tied to specific Poltergeist Features or Special Items. It was harder to design that way, more limiting, and less fun. This might be a little trickier to wrap your head around at first, but I think it's better on the whole.

Fast Lane Fintechomancer Damage Dice: Nd6 (Intelligence), Pd6 (Corporate Savvy), -W (Uncritical of society)

Fast Lane Fintechnomancers are intelligent, and savvy in the ways of the corporate world, but they've had to make emotional or critical compromises in order to get there; or, they simply haven't had enough exposure to other worldviews.

Nazarite Features

Each Nazarite starts with their 0th Nazarite Feature (blogger won't let me list from 0...), and 2 additional Nazarite Features randomly rolled or selected. Which is good because I've only written 3 so far...

Compared to MRD Vol. 1, I tried to make these much more flavorful and largely eschew things like Save bonuses or Armor in place of interesting procedural effects. You can totally play MRD Vol. 1 that way as well, we often did in my Campaign, but in retrospect I wish I had designed it more in that way.

1. Transcranial Tachyonic Stimulator: Wearable thiotimolinic time crystal technology like a futuristic EEG cap. When taking a risky action, you may evoke the consequence before the antecedent, like activating an explosive mine BEFORE stepping over it.
2. Zip Ribbon Regressor: When investigating a new situation, you gain one profitable insight that would otherwise be impossible to have known.
3. Fast Lane Flow: When allowed to engage in a task without interruption, you enter a flow state, experiencing time as if everything besides yourself were in slow motion. Not quite superspeed, but the next best thing.

While no longer tied to a specific Damage Die as in MRD Vol. 1, the 0th Nazarite Feature should still be the one most reflective of the Nazarite Contract. Whether or not the list above reflects that I'm still uncertain.

Transcranial Tachyonic Stimulator is great for dealing with time-sensitive traps or barriers. Zip Ribbon Regressor is good for intel. Fast Lane Flow gives you an action-oriented boost. All three relate to either technical skills, or corporate values such as "work ethic".