A World of Possibility think you made a mistake little girl.

This circle is all

wrong and your not at all powerful enough to command
Stacy walked the circle very carefully, making sure me.” He then took a step towards her, but Stacy did not
that everything was right. The moon would be in its best move. She smiled as a slight worry shook through her.
aspect soon, and everything had to be right. The candles She didn't make a mistake, but the thought of it gave her
were all lit and properly placed. The reagents were a chill.
ready. Reaching behind her back, Stacy removed the
The circle was etched with care. She had traced over twisted ritual knife. “No, I am quite confident that this is
the pattern in the book at least a dozen times now. Every how I wanted things to go,” she spoke. And then she dove
line, every curve, and every intersection was perfectly towards it thinking, “This is always the best part.”
made. Even the tiny little flourishes at the ends of the
lines were properly curved.
As the moon rose into prominence, Stacy took
Table of Contents
position at the edge of the circle. Lifting her dress • Page 3 – Introduction
carefully, she knelt down into the soft earth and began to • Page 4 – The Basics
chant the mantras. • Page 9 – Character Creation
Hour by hour passed, but she was vigilant. Her • Page 11 – Behind the Curtain
throat was dry and cracking, the words coming out in a • Page 15 – Physical Paradigm
strained whisper. The candles burned low as the way • Page 20 – Mental Paradigm
spread over the ground. The wind slowly died down to a • Page 21 – Spiritual Paradigm
whisper. • Page 22 – Wielding the Unseen Powers
At long last, the time had come. Stacy's heart • Page 24 – Shaping Events
quickened, pumping hot blood into every part of her. Her • Page 25 – Items and Inventory
breath come faster, more ragged. She had even begun to • Page 26 – Paradigms
feel a little excited in that most special way. There was
something erotic about a spell working out the way you
wanted it to.
The circle began to glow red and a mist rose up as
the candles died out in a burst of wind. The mist
coalesced into a human form, with dark ruddy skin.
Stacey raised her head to it and said, “Welcome great
spirit, I have called you here to serve me.”
The demon grimaced down at her and replied, “I

2
 Introduction Nothing is True
A while back, I found out about the 24-Hour RPG ...And everything is permitted. This paradox is the
project and though to myself, "Damn, that's a cool idea." fundamental law of chaos magic. Everyday, everywhere,
Making a whole game in 24 hours perfectly suited my people are creating their own realities. In every corner,
attention span, so I started thinking about ideas that would there is the stirring of magic, but most just cannot fathom
make a good one. After sifting through a few in my it. They look at it, all the time, but they do not see it.
muddled mind, I decided upon an idea that had occurred What does it mean to see? How can anything be
to me after reading a Wikipedia article about occultism. permitted if nothing is true? Understanding comes with
Apparently, there's this kind of magic(k) called time and study. At the surface, it simply means that you
"Chaos Magic," that works around the idea of paradigm can see and do anything you want, but nothing you do is
shifting and such. The idea of a modern magic game absolutely true. There is no higher Truth, no one great
suddenly seemed really cool. Of course, I quickly realized force that governs all. There is only you, and your will.
that stuff like Mage and Unknown Armies had already There is more to it, however, than simple acceptance.
treaded this ground, but I thought I could do a good job Chaos magic is not about accepting, but about rejecting.
and bring something different to the table. So here it is, First you reject the idea that anything is absolutely True,
Discord, my 24 hour game about modern mages and then you learn that anything can be true. Belief, faith,
casting your way through life. Enjoy. dogma, and ritual are all tools for the magician to wield.
A Few Words on Style They are clothes that the mage wears to aid in creating er
effects. The changing of belief systems, the "paradigm
Throughout this text, I try to keep the tone light, but shift" is one of the primary rituals of chaos magic.
within the realm of its material. Since this is a game about In this game, you take on the role of a magician. You
magic and mystical stuff, I wanted the text to sound kind of can be a chaos magician, or you can stick to one paradigm,
"whoOoOOoO" mysterious. More than likely, it will not or something else entirely, whatever works for you. In the
quite have that effect, but I hope it remains legible. next few pages, the various things that make up a character
As to my use of gender pronouns, an issue that every will be discussed. But first, take a look at the character
game designer just has to talk about these days, I decided sheet at what a character is made from, then you can
to be funny and use the Spivak pronouns, "e," "em," and explore what the individual parts of each character are.
"eirs."
What You Need
All you need to play are pencils, copies of the character
sheets, and a bunch of six sided dice. You will probably
need about 5 per person.

3
 The Magician Beneath the paradigm qualties are five lines to write
out the character's tricks. A trick is something that a
In Discord, characters are defined by their beliefs. character can do or knows which aids in manipulating
These beliefs are called paradigms. All characters have reality. A character can have a number of tricks under one
three fundamental paradigms that define how they interact paradigm equal to the Belief rating in it.
with reality at the basic level. These are Physical, Mental, Along the side of the sheet, you will note a Will track.
and Spiritual. Mages need Will to change things. The more a mage has,
The physical paradigm defines that everyone has a the more often and more powerful eir changes can be.
body, that can be used to manipulate the world at the
physical level--the most mundane level.
The mental paradigm defines that everyone has a The Magic
mind, that can be used to perceive and understand reality. Magic is everywhere around you, all the time. This
The mind operates at a higher level than the body. fact may be hard to believe, but the reason you so easily
The spiritual paradigm defines that everyone has a overlook it is that most magic is not that stunning. Indeed,
soul, that feels other souls around it and tries to be one you could be doing some minor magic right now and not
with the universe. The soul is about social change, as it realize it. When you ask someone to grab you a soda from
combines ideas of empathy and emotion. the fridge, that's a minor command spell. When you head
into the kitchen to get it yourself, you are performing the
There are many other paradigms, but everybody has minor miracle of teleportation. It's a very slow and short
these three. Each paradigm is in turn defined by no less ranged teleport, and it involves a tiresome ritual known as
than three aspects. These are the qualities of Power, "walking" but its a minor magic none-the-less.
Control, and Belief. Of course, most people don't want to play a game
Power is how much force you bring to bear. When a about walking to the corner mart to pick up beer. Magic of
mage tries to change the world, er power defines how the more spectacular sort is very possible, but everyone has
much of a change is possible. to start somewhere. With all that said, the method of
Control is how able you are to use the force you have. performing change in Discord is quite simple.
When a mage tries to change the world, er control defines First, state what you want to do. This could
how well that changes is in line with what the mage something mundane, like writing a novel, or it could be
wanted. something more amazing, like shooting out fireballs.
Belief is the knowledge, the faith, that your changes Whatever you are going for, have in mind what effect you
will take hold. Mages must have a certain degree of belief, would like to go for.
in order to make changes, but they can become lost in Once you have figured out what it is you want to
dogma if they are not careful of their belief. accomplish, pick a paradigm that aptly defines it. You may
use any of the three core paradigms freely, or you may use

4
another paradigm if you have shifted into it. Paradigm gotten all her events. Because she rolled one over four,
shifting will be covered in a moment. one event is removed from her usable total. That means
Now, you get to roll dice to figure out what happens. that she has 3 events to herself. She uses 2 events to raise
You may roll a number of six sided dice (d6) up to or equal the quality of the drawing twice, and 1 event to lessen the
to the Power quality in the paradigm you are using. For time required. After 2 hours, Jenna creates a great peice
each die that rolls to four or higher, count one "Event." If of art.
any dice roll up as 6, reroll those and check again for The immediate question that arises is "How much
number of four or more. Reroll any more 6s and keep can one event change?" The answer depends on the group,
going until you stop getting them and have a final count. and what the players think is fair. In general, a single
Next, take a look at the value of Control for that Event can:
paradigm. If the number of Events is equal to or less than • Raise or Lower a variable by about 10%.
the Control, then each Event is yours to use as you want. • Increase or Decrease time by one of whatever unit is
Events that you scored in excess of the Control value are being used (hour, minute, second, etc).
events outside of your control. In a simple situation, they • Raise or Lower a descriptive quality by one level.
might just remove events that you have earned. In more • Add one new variable to a situation.
complex events, the extra events may be used by other • Raise or lower one variable in order to double raise or
characters. lower another one.
Events can be used to change the course of the story.
To do this, you set variables that your events will update. By this point, if you have played an RPG before, you
Woah! That's kind of complicated huh? Not so much as might be wondering exactly who gets to decide on all this
you might think. A variable is just some defining quality of stuff. I have yet to mention a gamemaster (GM), because
a situation. An example is probably in order about now. that role is optional. Discord, being a game about chaos,
Jenna is attempting to draw a picture for her art runs well as a communal storytelling exercise. Every
class. She needs to make a roll to see how it turns out. player can tell a part of the story as it develops. For a given
First, it is determined that making a peice of art will use situation, everyone can pick a paradigm and roll, and then
the Spiritual paradigm. Jenna really feels as though she use the events they get to individually alter the outcome of
puts a peice of her soul into every drawing she makes. the entire situation.
Next, she determines that there are two important Of course, playing the traditional method by having
variables in this test, time and quality. Quality is how one player take the role of GM is acceptable as well. The
good the drawing is, and time is how long it takes her to GM plays all the minor characters and directs the story as a
do it. The consensus is that it will take 3 hours to make a whole. Either way, you should do whatever best suits the
drawing, and it will be of average quality, if nothing but group.
a minimum effort is given. Jenna rolls 5 dice, and gets 5
events. Her control is 4. Up to four and she would have Although a situation can have many variables, one is

5
particularly important, especially to magic. This variable is it's so blatantly magical it fits no where else, it's a five.
called Blatancy. Blatancy is measured on a scale of 0 to 5. Teleporting somewhere or shooting fireballs are examples.
Blatancy measures how mundane or mystical a The reason blatancy is so important is because reality
change appears to be. When mages cast spells, they often is consensual. That means it is defined by everyone who
find it easier to go with a subtle, low blatancy effect than has a part in it. When a mage performs a blatancy one
something obvious and strange. action, no one will bat an eye at it. It happens all the time.
A zero blatancy change is something so mundane and On the other hand, a blatancy five change is so
pointless, that it pretty much is not a change. Standing unbelievable, that reality as defined by the rest of the world
still is a zero blatancy action. fights against the change.
A one blatancy change is still mundane and ordinary, The way this is handled by the game is through the
but it at least involves some action. Hailing a taxi (a kind Belief quality of any viewers present. Belief opposes
of transport magic) is a one blatancy action. blatancy. Magicians do not generally count for this,
A two blatancy change is mundane, but odd. Things because their beliefs allow for such effects. To keep it
like deja-vu and weird coincidences are blatancy of two. If simple, just say that if a mage has a Power in their magic
you were thinking of hailing a taxi, and one just pulled up paradigm that is higher than or equal to the blatancy of
for you before you even raised your hand, that's a blatancy what they see, then they are fine with it.
two. For everyone who may not be cool with a blatant
Blatancy three represents truly strange, but effect, determine if they can do anything about it by
explainable phenomenon. A taxi that appears for you at looking at their Belief. The higher the belief, the less
midnight in the middle of the city, when there are no other blatant and effect that the person can tolerate. To find the
cars around, might be a blatancy three. Other examples maximum blatancy that a person can counter, subtract
might include pretty much any parlor magic trick, like their belief from 6. So a person with only one belief can
rabbits out of a hat or knowing what card a person is interfere with no one else's changes. A fanatic with five
holding. Whether or not what you are doing is a trick or belief would not even tolerate coincidences (although they
real magic is up to you. Blatancy three stuff borders on the may justify them through belief, their choice).
mystical and unexplainable. What this means is that a person whose beliefs are
Things of blatancy four are downright eerie and strong enough may cancel out blatant effects. Say a
would almost have to be mystic in nature. A travel spell of scientist (Paradigm of Science with Belief 4) is watching a
blatancy four would be the “I'm there” spell. That is, you mage summon a demon (a Blatancy 5 action). The
head into a back alley and walk back out to the place you scientist's belief means that he can only accept
were going. Other blatancy four changes include stuff like coincidences as normal (Blatancy 2 and down). When the
telekinesis and telepathy. Thing that are clearly magic, but demon starts coming in, the scientist immediately and
on a small scale. unconsciously starts trying to disbelieve in it. The mage
Blatancy five stuff is, very simply, everything else. If loses a number of dice of power equal to the scientist's

6
power. If that brings the dice to nothing, no demon. Even The mage simply doesn't yet believe that e is capable of
if you get roll anything, it may not be enough to actually performing such amazing feats with that paradigm.
fully summon the demon. Or the blatancy might be forced Chaos mages try to learn many paradigms so that
down to accommodate the scientist. A blatancy 2 demon is they have a wide variety of tools available. Traditionally,
invisible and limited to what it can do. however, you can only use one paradigm at a time. To
It is for this reason that you do not often see demons keep things simple, you may only have one active paradigm
walking the streets and people flinging fireballs about. at a time. An active paradigm can be used like one of the
Once you have a dozen or a hundred people all watching core three: any time, for any appropriate reason. The rest
you at once, not believing in magic, magic stops working. of your paradigms are inactive, and serve no purpose until
That is also why mages tend to become solitary. you activate them.
Changing to a new paradigm, a paradigm shift,
Paradigms requires time and effort. Until they are well versed in
them, most people cannot simply snap their fingers and
Belief is power. To the chaos mage, systems of belief swap beliefs. The mage must meditate, study, and focus to
are methods that can be used to unlock hidden power for shift paradigms. So if you are using Christianity to bless all
change. Almost anything can be a paradigm. Traditional your friends one day, but want to do some summoning
religions are one source, such as Christianity or Buddhism. later, then you have to spend a few hours meditating to
Paradigms can also be based on imaginary (or so you clean out the old paradigm and shift into the new one.
think) or ancient religions, like the Cthulhu mythos or the Astute players may immediately wonder if they can make a
Norse pantheon. You can even have paradigms based on test to reduce the time on that, or improve the quality of
other things like martial arts or roleplaying games. the shift or something. If you want a ruling from the book,
The reason you have paradigms is to facilitate the answer is no. You just have to do the time. Like all
change. In order to work magic, you should use a rules, however, this is subject to the group's wishes and
paradigm that makes sense and aids in that spell. play style.
Summoning demons is not exactly within the realm of
Christian works, to give one example. Banishing demons,
on the other hand, meshes perfectly with Christianity. Tricks
In game, the GM or other players can veto any events For every paradigm, you can have a number of Tricks
you use that seem to be outside the realm of your equal to your Belief in that paradigm. A trick is like a skill,
paradigm. As a general rule, no true magic (mystical) basically. Tricks give you a little extra edge at something
effects can be performed with the core three paradigms. particular that you are really good at. There are two main
Only mundane actions (blatancy of one or two) can be functions for tricks. They can enable and enhance.
performed with these. As an optional rule, no spells may Enablement means that a trick lets a character do
be cast with a blatancy greater than a paradigm's Belief. something new. A person can try to perform medicine on

7
an injured person with just their Mind paradigm, but they
should not be allowed to do very much. In such a case, the
The Will to Power
effects of each Event should be severely reduced. If the Its about time to get back to that Will counter. Will is
character happened to have a trick of Surgery, however, very important to the game. Up to now, you might have
every event could be used to its full potential. wondered what limits magic power (aside from blatancy).
As far as enhancement goes, a trick gives you one Willpower is it. It is the will that drives a person, and
more event, totally free. The surgeon not only can use allows them to enact change upon the world.
every event to its full potential, but e gets one further Whenever you attempt to change a situation, you
event, completely free. That means that the event is under must put a will point on the line. If the action succeeds,
control, and it does not count towards the Control limit. you keep the will point. If you fail, then you lose the will
Just add it on after the roll. point. If you succeed very well, then you gain an additional
How powerful a trick is depends on how powerful a will. It is up to the group or GM to decide when an
game the group wants to play. If you want to be almost additional will point is merited, but if a player completely
normal humans, just with a little enhancement, use tricks dominates a scene with their entertaining and well-rolled
as above. If you want a little more edge, let the extra trick actions, then that player has probably earned the point.
event do double effect. Or if you want a really high There are a few wrinkles in this basic set-up, to keep
powered game, let all events do a bit extra from a trick. things interesting. Whenever you attempt to perform
Just be careful, a wizard with several tricks worth in one magic, you are risking a whole lot more. Success will
spell could easily have an overpowering effect on the game. almost guarantee a will point (few things are as satisfying
Tricks can be almost anything, but you should try to as shifting the world to your whims). If you fail, however,
pick things that are not too general and not too specific. you lose a number of will points equal to your Belief in that
Drive is ok, Drive Car is better. Drive 1987 Dodge Pickup paradigm. Belief is power, but it is also risk. Failing at
Truck is a little too specific, while Operate Vehicle is too something that was held so close can be devastating to a
broad. person's confidence.
You could also pick out tricks to enhance certain If you run out of will, then you can no longer cast
spells too. A good trick like this might be summoning of a spells. No will means no power. You can, however, still
specific type of spirit, or casting a certain category of roll for other tasks using the core three paradigms as
blessings. normal. If you fail again with no will, then you lose a point
If you lose belief, then you also lose tricks. Since this of Belief to any paradigm, players choice. At this point,
game goes for simplicity, you just lose the lowest trick on depression is setting in such a way that the character
the list, so make sure you order them by how important begins to lose faith. If the character succeeds, regain a will
they are to you. point. Regain will equal to Belief on an exceptional
Tricks only apply to the paradigm they are under, and success. Lost belief must be earned back the hard way,
any tricks in inactive paradigms cannot be used, of course. with patience and experience.

8
 For the desperate soul, will can also be spent and
burned. Spent will means you don't risk it, you just lose it.
Character Creation
Burnt will means you are permanently reduced in how With some understanding of the forces that swirl
much will you can have. For a single point of spent will, a around them, every mage must take the both step from
player can add one event in er favor. You can only spend learning to doing. The time has come to create a mage and
one will in this manner per roll, unless the group wants a enter the world of chaos.
more high powered game, in which case you can spend all The first step is to come up with a name and a
you want. concept. The concept is very important, because it
By burning a point of will, you can guarantee success, determines who you are, what you do, and why you do it.
or at least assure that one variable will be set to the most The group as a whole should decide on a theme for the
favorable value. This is a dangerous and desperate game, and pick appropriate concepts based on that theme.
solution however. When you burn off will, the character is Some examples themes might be high school kids who play
faced with such a powerful opposition, that e actually gives with the occult and learn its true power, or medieval mages
up a piece of erself to fight it. Burning should only be done who quest over the land in search of ancient knowledge.
is uttermost desperation, because once a point is burned, Both are perfectly valid games, but each requires different
that spot on the will track is marked out forever. character concepts. The goth girl dealing with tests and
Will can also be used in a defensive, or rather a depression doesn't belong in a medieval wizarding
counter-active, manner. When one mage sees another campaign anymore than a raging barbarian belongs in a
mage casting a spell, the first mage can try to interfere. high school.
There are many ways to do this, depending on how the Once a theme and concepts have been decided upon,
spell is being cast. If it's a ritual, then the first mage need you will need to choose a paradigm. Everyone starts with
do nothing more than disrupt the ritual, a simple physical four paradigms, the base three plus one personal path.
action. Choose something in line with your concept, either by
If the mage is casting a more instantaneous spell, making one up or picking from the list later on.
however, then more immediate measures will be needed. After choosing paradigms, put one point into Power,
A mage on the defensive can spend will to remove events Control, and Belief for every paradigm. Then prioritize
from an opponent. A mage can also burn will to ensure a your paradigms. The most important one gets 8 more
failure, or a least favorable variable, on an opponent. points, the second most important gets 6 points, the third
Basically, you can do the normal will actions, but in one gets 4 and your least important paradigm gets only 2
reverse. extra points. You may place these extra points into any of
The last use of will is to improve your character, but the three qualities you want. There is a limit of 5 in any
that will be covered after character creation, so just hold quality. Higher values may be possible, but you must
onto that thought for a moment. usually rely on other methods to obtain control or power
greater than the normal five.

9
 With paradigms defined, you may now pick out points. Rather, characters are advanced by spending
which tricks you want. Remember that you get one trick points of Will. It costs two times the next level in any stat
per point of belief, and you can choose all of them right to raise it by one, but it costs double that to raise one of the
now. Again, these can be made up or chosen from the list core three paradigms. So raising a stat from 3 to 4 costs 8
later on. You may choose the same trick more than once, if points with most paradigms, and 16 points for the core
you like. That would indicate a higher mastery of some three.
skill, and give you two trick events in those situations. New paradigms cost 2 points to buy as a blank box.
Starting Will is equal to your highest Power plus your The new paradigm can then be upgraded for the usual Will
highest Belief. Mark off a number of circles with a little costs. To buy a new paradigm and get a one in each stat for
slash for the amount you have. it would cost 8 points then.
Zeal has not been talked about, but it is very simple. Buying back lost Zeal costs 10 points per point.
Zeal is this game's version of health. When you run out of Expensive, yes, but then it takes a lot of effort to keep
zeal, the game is over for that character. It may be that the going in the face of hardship.
character is dead. More likely, the character has simply
lost the drive needed to live such an exciting life, and has
retired to simpler things. In a teenager game, the
characters may have “grown up” at last. Zeal loss, gain,
and the methods of character death are talked about in the
section on combat.
Last of all, there is inventory. Character may or may
not have any special items. Usually, characters should be
allowed to pick one defensive and one offensive item to
start out with. Different items and there uses are mused
on later.
Once you have everything set down, go through and
make sure the character is to your liking. Once the game
starts, there's no turning back. If you are satisfied, then
congratulations, you are ready to play.

Advancement
People get better over time. When faced with
challenges and dangers, people will improve their abilities.
RPGs use this mechanic quite a bit, as players love to see
their characters grow. In Discord, there are no experience

10
 Behind the Curtain at being strong and tough, take tricks that indicate that. A
trick “Strongman” would do it, indicating that in situations
So far, the mechanics have only been give a cursory where brute force might be helpful, this character gets a
explanation. There really is not a whole lot more to them bonus.
that what has already been said, but some guidelines in Also, unlike some games, high stats may not always
their use might be helpful. After all, just what variables are be advantageous. A character with high power gets to roll
involved in some activities? And how would you even more dice, and is therefor more likely to earn Events. But
begin to run a combat? Hopefully, the examples in this the character only needs events up to er Control. To look at
chapter will give you a good start to resolving unforeseen it the other way, a character with high Control will almost
situations during gameplay. always be in command of a situation, but without Power,
has no means of enacting that command. Belief is a beast
all to itself, as a high belief grants more tricks and other
Situations and Variables benefits, but also puts the character at greater risk.
During the course of a roleplaying game, there are Likewise, the results of a roll do not tell whether or
generally two ways to solve conflicts: role-play and roll- not a character succeeds. In fact, nothing in the game
play. Sometimes, character can talk their way through really gives a hard and fast measure of success or failure.
problems and the players controlling those characters can Rather, the game defines a method where the group can
work out issues without a die ever having to hit the table. evaluate the outcome of a situation and then determine if a
That is a perfectly fine way to resolve situations, but character succeeds or fails based on what that character
sometimes, people cannot agree on things. hoped to achieve.
When the result of a situation is in dispute, a roll The immediate, raw result of a roll is to tell the player
should be made to determine the outcome. In most RPGs, how many Events their character has under er control. A
players roll some dice which interact with that characters player will almost never have more favorable Events (those
stats to tell them how well the character did at whatever under the character's control) than that character Control
the character was doing. Discord is not like that. score. It is very easy to have less though. If you roll poorly
In Discord, characters are defined more by their and get few Events, then that's tough luck. If you roll too
beliefs and the strength of those beliefs than by any well, then the character over does it and can't control all
measure of their actual statistics. A character with a high the changes being made. In most situations, this just
Physical Power could be said to be strong, but it is not a means that out of control effects negate some in control
given. Indeed, a character with lots of physical power may ones, reducing the amount available. The GM or other
just be very good at manipulating situations to create players are free to try and take over those loose events and
results, which would indicate intellect more than brute use them for themselves or against the player who rolled as
strength. If you want a character who is particularly adept well. Because events over the control maximum reduce the
number of available events to use, a character has an

11
effective safety number of double er Control score. If more variables. To go back to the example of the painting, say
events are rolled than this number, then a critical failure that the group decides that the painting takes five hours to
occurs. In such a situation, the character has unleashed so complete, and that it will be completed with average
many out of control events that not only is e unable to act, quality. Those are the results that would occur if the artist
but the situation is backlashing. With a critical failure, rolled no events, or chose not to roll. Does painting
something bad will almost always happen to the character. normally take five hours, or does it take five days? It does
On the other hand, rolling the exact amount of events not matter. As long as the group is ok with the timing and
needed is a celebrated occasion. Whenever a character such, then the factual reality of things can take a backseat.
rolls the exact number of events as their control pool, a The artist, now, does not wish to take five hours, and
critical success occurs. In such a situation, everything is wants more than just average quality. So the artist rolls.
almost bound to work out in the character's favor. With a Power of 3 and a Control of 4, e gets 3 Events. The
For criticals in Discord, very little need be done extra. artist also has the trick, “Painter.”
For failures, the negative events will be factored in as usual Now the artist can assign the events to the variables,
and for critical successes, getting the maximum number of changing the nature of the situation. If all that was done
good events is usually enough. If the group feels it is was to edit the numbers, however, it would get very dull.
warranted, an additional slight penalty or bonus may be They are called Events for a reason. Either the artist, or
awarded for a critical, but these things usually handle one of the other players or the GM should introduce some
themselves. situations to this task that force a change. The GM says
Once a player has a handful of events to make use of, that the lighting here is horrid and that the paints are of
the games not-unique, but definitely uncommon resolution poor quality. The artist then uses er Painter event and one
mechanic comes into play. Before a situation is rolled, the of the other events to counteract these two forces, by
group or the GM determines what variables are important opening a window and getting fresh paint. The actual
to it. Now, a situation test need not be concerned with result of these actions is that the painting is of higher
every single variable, just the most important ones. Who quality, by two steps. With two events left, the artist
cares about how good the lighting in the art room is, when simply states that in a burst of creativity brought on by the
all that is important is how good the finished piece of art sunlight, e manages to finish the painting in only three
will be. Quality is an important variable, Lighting is not. hours (reduced variable of time by two, from five to three).
Likewise, the challenge need not concern over canvas and Is the painting action a success? That depends. If
paint quality, since those are just sub-elements of Quality, the artist wanted or needed a painting of significantly
and are already covered by that variable. higher quality, then it is a failure. On the other hand, the
In any task, the group or GM can make it harder or painting is quite excellent, so if it is of good enough quality,
easier to “succeed” at by changing the starting values of then it is a success. By using this system of variables and
variables. This is very obvious really. A challenge of subjective success, the game gains a lot of depth. It also
average difficulty should have average ratings in its becomes significant that you can shift the variables around

12
a good bit. With an event, instead of just raising or lowing Quality. Value = Descriptive.
one variable, you can choose to negatively affect one Sometimes just getting it done is enough, but often it
variable so that you can double effect a positive one. If the becomes an issue as to how well you do it. Quality tell you
artist really did need a better painting, then e could have this, using a descriptive modifier. You can convert this to a
increased the time taken by one hour and then used the “+3 success” if you want, but most people have an easier
Painter event to increase the quality by two steps. time understanding descriptive words. Also, the
connotations of a word give you a slightly better idea of
Common Variables just how good a level of success is. Below is the list of
descriptive values. It can be used for other stuff besides
While the individual variables in a situation are as quality, but this seems like a good place to put it. Usually,
unique as the situation itself, some qualities show up again a situation starts at Average, and can be improved or
and again in different tasks. These common variables can degraded from there. If another increase will send it off
make working out situations much easier, since familiarity the chart, then you have two options. Either those points
with them makes resolution much faster. are wasted (the chart is all) or you can make up new values
(Godly + 1, Super-Godly). You might also employ
Time. Value = Numeric w/ Unit. diminishing returns for higher and lower values. Really,
Present in almost every situation, the time needed to things can only get so good or so bad. A piece of art is
complete a task can be highly useful knowledge. Usually, either wonderful, or its crap, but only art critics are going
in a game, you will not use mixed units of time or to argue whether one piece of art at the Godly level is
fractional time. You just round it off. So a situation might better than another piece of the same caliber.
take 6 hours to resolve, instead of 5 hours and 45 minutes.
Time is always presented with a unit. All the Numeric Positive Negative
standard units are there, in addition to the RPG standard,
the round and the turn. A turn is one person's action and a 0 Average/Decent Average/Decent
round is one turn for everybody. In game-time, both are ±1 Fair Mediocre
about the same length since turns are assumed to happen
±2 Good Poor
near-simultaneously. A round is about 3-5 seconds long,
enough time for everybody to attempt one thing during a ±3 Great Bad
hectic situation like combat. ±4 Superior Awful
When adjusting time using Events, each event can
raise or lower the time taken by one of whatever unit is ±5 Excellent Terrible
being used. If it is being lowered below one, then use them ±6 Breathtaking/Epic Disturbing
to half it. So one hour becomes ½ hour, then ¼ hour.
±7 Godly Abysmal
That's the exception to the no fractional time bit.

13
 As said numerous times, most situations begin with Some percentile values can, if the group wants, but not this
the piece already at average. If a harder challenge is one. Dedication is not to be confused with health any more
needed, start out with something lower. If a easier time is than Zeal. Zeal is long term ability to carry on, long term
desired, start out higher. With three dice, a person can resolve. Dedication is short term. If you run out of
expect to get about one to two Events per roll, so getting up dedication, then you are out of the fight. Maybe you are
to good or great is not out of the realm of possibility for the knocked out, maybe you just got tired and chose to sit out.
average person, but superior work takes extra effort. Either way, your character does not come back in until the
situation changes such that e can.
Dedication. Value = Percentage.
Although it is not on the character sheet, everybody While there are infinitely many more variables, those
also has a trait called dedication. Dedication starts at three should give you a good idea of what kind of things
Belief times 20, and indicates how committed to finishing variables can do. One more type that wasn't listed is the
something that character is. So during a fist fight, your Boolean. A boolean variable is either on or off, true or
character has er Physical paradigm's Belief times twenty in false. A good use for this might be a spell effect of some
dedication. kind, or a literal switch. A single event can turn it on, or
Dedication is a percentile value. These are good turn it off.
values to use when something needs to be done, but you do Most situations will only need time and quality, or
not want to deal with figuring out units. You might use maybe just time and a boolean. You either do it, or you
this during a race if you do not care about how long it takes don't, but how long does it take you. There are two ways to
you to run the 100 meters (a unit type value, done like fail such a test: taking too long, or trying to rush and not
time), but rather are concerned with who completes the finishing it. The player gets to pick how it happens. Feel
entire race. Percents can also be used to see when, if ever, free to make up new variables as they are needed, or use
a certain variable is completely removed, as in the case one variable more than once if it seems appropriate. For
with Dedication. example, writing computer code might have three
A key example of dedication in use it during battle. variables: time, quality of operation, and quality of code.
One character swing a club at another character. That's In a short time, a programmer could write working but
using an Event, and the event can lower dedication by 10%. sloppy code, or take his time to good looking and working
Since the attacker has a tool for aid, some extra can be programs. There is also the option to write non-working,
added on, say it goes up to 15%. The defending character sloppy code in a short time, but that seems an odd one to
can use an event as well, to cancel out the first (dodging), pick. In this case, the player must choose which quality is
but that extra 5% still gets through. It would take two most important. In this case, probably good working, but
entire events to completely cancel it, but the character some situations will not be so clear cut. Take advantage of
would earn up 5% extra dedication for it. that to make the game challenging and entertaining.
Dedication cannot go above 100%, nor below 0.

14
 a set of all black clothes and some soft-soled shoes might
aid the sneak in getting a few extra levels of quality.
Physical Paradigm For most groups, the main use of physical paradigm
will probably be combat. After all, the main premise that
The actions resolved with the physical paradigm are RPGs were founded on is “Kill them and take their stuff!”
things likes sports, fighting, races, horseback riding, and Combat in Discord is done in rounds, and is very narrative,
surviving the elements. Basically, anything that requires like the rest of the game. You can play it realistically and
lots of work from your body, but not too much of an have characters swing fists at each other's rapidly
emotional or mental challenge. bloodying bodies, or you can play it off like a high-action
Most physical situations can be resolved fairly easily. kung fu movie.
Just roll the dice and see if you can work out what needs to The style of play matters only to the group, not the
be done. When throwing a baseball, for instance, the only rules. A punch or a kick or a brilliantly executed wind of
variables that really apply are distance and accuracy. the seven fists technique all do the same 10% loss to the
Spend those events wisely, since you have to choose opponent's Dedication. When dedication is at 0, that
between how far it goes and how close it gets to target. For character is out of the fight.
reference, those two variables would probably be a Dedication is lost for a lot of reasons, and can be
numeric-unit of Distance (units of 10 meters probably) and regained by simply spending events to rest. Remember, it
Quality. The more events put into quality, the better the is not health. A person might never take a blow and still
form of the throw. In baseball, this translates into less lose the fight, because that person lost the desire to keep
movement and work for the catcher. A fair throw might be fighting. Maybe there were too many close hits, or all that
such that the catcher need only take one step. A godly time dodging has finally worn the person out.
throw would be so good, that you get it in the catcher's Tools like weapons and armor are discussed in the
glove without the catcher even moving er hand. For objects section, but for now just know that a good piece of
combat throws (throwing to hit with intention to hurt), equipment can turn the tide of battle to your favor or open
quality would determine how painful it is and would up new strategic options.
translate into dedication loss at 10% per level, just as if you Other paradigms can be used in combat, of course.
had lowered dedication directly instead. Spell casting under such hectic conditions can be tough,
Another example of physical action is sneaking. In but can definitely sway the direction of the fight. When
this case, time and quality are again the most important using any other paradigm, roll it like normal, but
factors. How long does it take a person to sneak from one understand that your dedication is still based on your
end of a hallway to the other, and how well hidden can that physical belief.
person remain? This kind of thing is actually an opposed Battle is very fast and situations can change rapidly.
situation. Any guards who might see have to score better To keep things in order, combat is divided into rounds. A
at spotting than the sneaker does at sneaking. Thankfully, round is about 3 to 5 seconds long. Due to the variable

15
assignment method that Discord uses, an entire round of game, a player with high initiative may ask what an
combat is resolved with just one roll. opponent is going to do, if the foe is slower in the battle.
Each combat round is resolved with a series of steps. That's the basic flow of every combat round. After all
1. Declare Intentions – Each fighter must have a the action is resolved, declare new intentions and start it
motivation, an intention. Go around the table and have all over again. There are a few more snags to combat,
everyone state what their general intent is. At this though, to keep it interesting.
point, the action need not be specific, just something First off, once initiative is taken, it is kept. The order
simple like, “I fall into a defensive posture,” or “I rush only changes if someone's initiative lowers or rises. Both
forward to bash his head in.” can be done with events, from anyone. If initiative order
2. Choose paradigms – Each combatant should now pick changes, it goes into effect on the next round. So
the paradigm that best suits the action at hand. This remember that attacks do not always need to do damage.
will usually be physical, but the others can apply. Maybe A quick blow to the kneecaps will do the weapon's damage
one player wants to intimidate an opponent into backing to Dedication, but the player can choose to lower the
down (a Spiritual action). opponents initiative with that event instead of the 10%
3. Roll dice – Everybody rolls at the same time. Figure out damage.
how many events you have earned up. Any tricks that When on the slow end of initiative, life can be pretty
apply may be used, but remember that tricks only work rough. The opponent knows what you are going to do, and
for the action they specify. In other words, you can't use can counter it. Worse, a person with initiative can counter
trick of Dodge to shoot somebody. it for less events, which means a person with low initiative
4. Determine order – Most games have a separate is on the receiving end for longer and cannot put up much
initiative roll. In this game, you have to take initiative. of an attack. Gaining the upper hand in a fight is always
To facilitate this, everyone has an Initiative variable as highly important.
well. Whoever has the highest one, performs their What was that about less events? With creative
actions first. If no one spends events to raise initiative, usage, you can get more out of your events. For example,
then everyone goes at the same time. The first person to you can counter an enemy's attacks one for one with
say that they run into battle for an attack gets the events, canceling out any damage that the opponent does.
initiative and er target is second. This is the equivalent of blocking or parrying every attack
5. Make actions – Spend your events now to reduce the in a fight. The more elegant approach, if you have higher
opponent's Dedication or to set them up for more loss initiative, would be to simply dodge. Getting out of the
later. Also, you might want to save a few events to way is a one event action, you are only moving a couple of
reduce enemy damage. Because the person with inches, a foot at most. Sidestepping negates all damage,
initiative is faster and can see what is happening first, a because the opponent's attacks just hit air. Now you have
character with higher initiative knows what a lower all your other actions available to pummel the foe with.
initiative character is about to do. To do this in the Keep in mind, this only works if you have initiative. If the

16
other person is faster than you, then the hits land before scratch. Choose the kind that works best for you, or
you get a chance to move, but the move is still made. combine elements of both to get exactly what you want.
Dodging may seem like a cheat, but it is perfectly Gritty Combat Options
valid by how events are meant to work. They are tiny For gritty combat, you want to really make things
packets of action--a currency of storytelling. So always hurt. Make them count. If you want really fast fights,
look for the elegant solution to a problem. Do not, double the effects of all events. A successful attack now
however, be fooled by requests that are not in line with knocks off a painful 20% by itself. You can take as many
how events function. If your action is a super powered hits as you have belief, at most.
overhead bash that does tons of damage, it does To further enforce the painful feel of combat, allow
10+Weapon% per event spent on it, and no more. If that events to create a new variable: Damaged (Location). This
bash is so powerful, then put all your events into it, leaving allows for targeted shots and real hurt to be done. For
you fully open to attack because of that one slow bash. But example Damaged (Right Arm) could be created by swing a
do remember the rule about lowering variables. You could lead pipe at someone. A damaged limb cannot be used as
spend one trick event to lower your initiative and raise well, and all events made using it are half as effective. A
your damage by 20% instead of the normal 10. That would second point of damage to a limb makes it only one-fourth
simulate a powerful but slow attack quite nicely. as effective (5% under increased damage rules). A third
Other actions that can be taken during combat point will disable the limb. The locations that can be used
include blocks and parries. A block is the assumed default are: Head, Right/Left Arm, Right/Left Leg, and Torso.
for events spent defensively. You are attempting to negate More detailed locations can be used if you like, but only
damage by letting the blows land in less vital areas. A give them one damage point in that case. So you can have
shield or good armbands can aid in blocking. Parrying is Damaged(Right Hand) and that hand is now broken and
using a weapon to deflect the blow of another weapon. For useless, but the right arm is still only at one-half effect. A
all intents, parrying and blocking are the same thing in the damaged torso limits all actions. A fully damaged torso or
game. You can describe them as you want, but each is head is fight over, automatic loss. With that much bashing
handled the same. Depending on the weapon, you can add to the skull or guts, a person just loses all ability or will to
its damage rating to your defense when parrying with it. fight.
The following are some optional rules and minor If you think fist fights are deadly though, then make
tweaks to get combat into the tone that best suits the game. sure you avoid guns. Projectile weapons like guns and
Essentially, there are two tones for combat, gritty and bows are too fast to be dodged, blocked, or parried. Armor
cinematic. Gritty combat is high realism, dirty and deadly. can reduce the damage, but otherwise, you take everything
People go down quick in gritty combat and everyone pays a that the shooter gives you. To hit someone with a gun
price for violence. Cinematic combat is like in movies, fast requires a certain degree of quality. Usually this is any
and dramatic. In cinematic combat, the losers might come positive number(a Fair or better), but certain situations
back another day and the winners walk away with barely a can increase or lower the difficulty. For example, if the

17
target has initiative, then it is one step harder to hit. The recommended that about 3 be the most dice for any one
target is moving and the shooter is lagging behind. stunt.
Darkness and smoke can also increase the difficulty. Long Loss and Redemption
range also adds a step. If the shooter has enough quality The thing about violence is that people get hurt,
after all that, then the hit is made. The gun does its built in people die, and no one walks away the same. Discord
damage, plus 10% per level of quality over the one needed reflects this in a number of ways. There are many things
to hit. So if a shooter needed a Good to hit someone, but that you can lose because of a fight. Four of them are
paid up to a Superior, then the gun does its base damage covered briefly below.
plus 20% extra. If you are using wound locations, it also Dedication is one thing. It represents how
does one wound to wherever it hits. committed you are to finishing something. By resting or
pumping up, a character can regain dedication. Being hit
Cinematic Combat Options and being attacked lowers it. When you run out of
If your group is really into fighting, then it might be dedication, you are out of the fight.
wise to use cinematic rules. This allows fights to carry on Will is long term resolve. It is the power to shape the
in slightly more flashy fashion, with less consequences. world. During a fight, so many rolls will be made that
First off, leave damage alone. The 10% plus weapon keeping track of them all for the sake of Will is a major
damage should be ok. If you really want to draw fights out, pain. Instead, only count major actions for Will, like
then base effect can be reduced to 5%. Don't use hit casting a spell. At the end of a fight, the loser loses will and
locations, because they add needless complexity and the winner receives will.
deadliness. Zeal is the really long term commitment. It is how
For guns and bows, you still can't dodge them, much passion a character has. Without passion, a character
exactly. What you can do is use your plot immunity to is effectively dead. The character is no longer playable,
have the bullets just not hit you or not hurt. Projectile because e is either rotting in the ground or retired to the
damage can be reduced like any other kind of damage, but simple life or something. Whenever you lose a fight or
you cannot parry bullets and arrows unless you are playing suffer a major setback, lose one Zeal. Zeal is hard to get
a really cinematic game. back, so take care of yourself.
To add a layer of excitement, use stunt rules. To Belief is perhaps the riskiest trait of them all. Belief
perform a stunt, you just have to describe your action measures a lot of things, including faith and self-
exceptionally well. Make it fun and interesting. If you've confidence. Whenever you lose a point of Zeal due to
played Exalted, you know what this about. It works pretty setbacks or losing a fight, roll the belief in any active
much the same way too. If its a good description, roll one paradigm. If you get any events, you are safe. If you roll
die to the side of your main roll. Any events it generates nothing, or if you roll more than double your control, you
are automatically under control, free of charge. For more lose a point of Belief. If you had a trick for that point, it is
interesting stunts, award more stunt dice. It is also lost. People who face hardship sometimes embrace

18
their faith and sometimes they lose it. The more faith they deranged hermit and play the character as such, that's also
have, the easier it can be to hold on to it. Losing faith also an option.
means losing what that faith gave you. Healing is sort of an off stage process in this game.
For a paradigm like Christianity, losing belief is easy Zeal can only be recovered with Will points, and
to visualize, but what does it mean to lose belief in Dedication resets at the start of every new fight. If you
Physical? For each core paradigm, belief in it represents a took any new variable wounds, by using the hit locations
certain kind of self-confidence and care. Losing belief in optional rule, then those are about the only thing that you
them has very dire consequences. could worry about healing. Wounds heal slowly, over time,
Physical belief is how strong and healthy a person and only with medical attention. In general, it takes one
views their body to be. A person with high belief feels that week for a level one wound to vanish, it takes one month
“the body is a temple.” With very low belief, the person is for a level two, and three months for a level three. If the
sickly and possibly has a condition such as obesity or damage is to a specific location (like a destroyed hand)
osteoporosis. With no belief, the person is a cripple and then it takes the full three months to heal it. This is all
very sickly. assuming that the wounds can be healed. A broken hand is
Mental belief is how active and healthy the mind one thing, a shattered hand is another. Depending on how
seems to be. A person with high belief is very lucid and gritty the game is, the hand may be lost for good. If a
confident in their paths. With low belief, the person wound seems so bad that it just won't ever fully heal, a
usually has mental problems, like depression or point of physical power or control may be taken away, to
schizophrenia. At zero belief, the person is completely indicate diminished ability.
insane or is mentally handicapped. All other damage, as mentioned, just sort of
Spiritual belief is an aura of good feeling and comfort evaporates after the fight. If you took a sword across the
that radiates off the person. With a high belief, the person chest, feel free to roleplay like theres a big cut on you. If
is likable and easy to approach. With a low belief, the the group wants to simulate bleeding, to really up the
person seems grouchy and easily angered, possibly violent. danger level, then lose one point of temporary Zeal per
With zero belief, a person is cold and dead and no fun to be minute until medical treatment is given. After that , the
around. Zeal recovers up to whatever the actual amount is. If you
When any belief is at zero, the player has the option run out of zeal, you die. Or you suffer a horrible medical
to let the character just “die.” Warding the character in a emergency that you just barely survive, but retire once out
hospital or mental institution is one option. A person with of the hospital. Either way, game over for that character.
no belief in a stat can be annoying to play, and is probably Keeping track of all those variables can be a pain.
getting low on Zeal anyway. In such a situation, early Writing them on the character sheet is troublesome for
retirement may be preferable to facing any more pain that some, like Dedication or initiative, which changes rapidly.
the world has to offer. One good solution is to track Dedication with coins. A
Of course, if the player wants to play a mentally handful of nickels and some pennies do great. For

19
initiative, try setting one die aside and putting it on make a mental paradigm roll. The factors being worried
whatever your initiative currently is. about are time and quality. This is one test where you
Mental Paradigm might also want to employ a junk variable as a difficulty
factor. What that means is, say that the blacksmith is
Actions of the mental paradigm are a mixed bag. making a sword out of a very hard, magic metal. This
First off, it covers any application of the mind, such as metal is hard to work with, so it has a Difficulty of 2.
problem solving and memorization. Secondly, it is used Whatever the blacksmith rolls, the difficulty factor absorbs
for perception, the gathering and interpreting of two events automatically. So the smith must get at least 2
knowledge. Finally, it is used for any complex tool use, like to even begin working. Any excess events can be used
lock-picking or crafting. normally to decrease time or improve quality.
Problem solving and the like are easily resolved. Roll Once the item is made, it starts with average stats,
your mental paradigm and assign those events, just like the stats that are listed for whatever item that is. Any
any other test. For memory or information tests, roll and points in quality above average allow the smith to all more
every event is one piece of information that the character to the weapon. A higher quality sword might be more
now has. So if a mage is researching on the internet to find durable and do more damage. This is one of the key
new spells, roll mental paradigm and any events provide advantages to making your own stuff, it tends to be better
information that might lead to the spell being discovered. quality if you are good enough to work with the materials.
Perception is handled exactly like information tests. Things like crafting and lock-picking are extended
Do keep in mind that the starting quality values for test actions. That is to say, all actions take time, but these can
can be higher, so things which are hard to see can require take a good while. Also, many extended actions are
more events than just average. Say that a room contains a continuable; you can drop them for a while and pick up
desk, a key on the desk, and a scrap of paper under the again where you left off, or add on once you are finished.
desk. A person enters the room and rolls mental paradigm Depending on the results of the previous test, this may or
as a perception test. With no events at all, the person sees may not be possible, and it can have varying effects on the
the desk, it's obvious. One event lets er see the key, and variables of the test. For example, if the smith above
two events or more reveals the piece of paper. If the decided to reforge the sword, to add more onto it, that
person did not roll well enough to see one of those items, would be fine, as the sword was made properly the first
then the person just did not notice them for some reason. time. In fact, the GM decides that the difficulty is only 1
Crafting is a bit more complex, but only by a slight now because the metal has been prepped by the first
degree. To craft an item, a person needs the right tools forging already.
and usually a trick for that type of craft. A person without Reworking or retrying an extended action is a great
the trick of “Blacksmithing” can certainly try to make a time to employ the law of diminishing returns. The second
sword, but the results will most certainly be less than forging of the sword should only add more stats to it if the
stunning. Assuming the person has everything e needs, blacksmith can meet a higher quality than the last time e

20
made it. To be really mean, the smith can actually degrade is unsure what the character would do. Dice shouldn't rule
the sword by not meeting a certain degree of quality. decisions, but they can certainly help out in a pinch.
Spiritual Paradigm
The powers of the spiritual paradigm also vary quite
a bit. All at once, spirit represents how well people interact
with each other and how in control of er emotions a person
is. Spirit is the governing force behind social actions and
self-control.
When trying to convince someone of something, treat
it like a regular challenge, roll and add events to time and
quality. Like a crafting challenge, there might be a
difficulty.
Debate is a fun application of spiritual paradigm,
because it allows you to employ social combat. Treat this
exactly like regular combat, except that instead of hitting
each other with pointy things, the combatants are dueling
it out with dangerously pointed words. Blocks and parries
take on a whole new meaning. Dodges are not possible in
the normal sense, as you cannot side step an argument. A
person can side step the issue, though. It may be a dirty
trick, but it works. Evidence that supports the case can be
used as a weapon or a defense, but usually only once.
Another use of spirit is empathy, understanding
other people. Empathy is rolled like a perception or
information test, only the information in this case will be
about the mental and emotional state of the person, and
maybe even possible causes for such a state.
Self-control is a useful application for storytelling.
Having a character roll spiritual paradigm to check for
fear, panic, anger, or other strong emotions. Set a
difficulty or quality as well, so the players have to get at
least a few events, depending on how strong the emotional
stimulus is. A player might also choose to roll if the player

21
 Wielding the Unseen Forces Casting a spell that takes time to trigger just means the
target has longer to turn it off, but has the advantage of
So far, this book has talked a lot about everything and waiting for a more opportune time to go off. The risk and
not a whole lot about the main attraction, the magic. Up to reward is built in.
this point, the game has been merely describing the baser
magics. The subtle things that do not really require true Why?
magic, blatant magic. Now the time has come to Why are you casting this spell? In Discord, the
understand the swirling forces that surround us all, and reason matters. Think about it while you read on.
how to tame them. Its time to learn the real magic.
In order to cast spells, a character needs a paradigm What?
aside from the core three. Lucky for you, every character What does this spell do? This is the Effect. In
starts with one. The paradigm guides the character's general, one effect costs one event. A magic effect can do
energies, the character's will, into a suitable form for magic just about anything, introducing new variables and
to happen. Without a framework of belief to operate from, adjusting existing variables just like normal actions.
you might as well just be mumbling about demons in your
basement, because nothing is going to happen. How?
You also need a spell. You can make up spells on the How is the spell cast? Do you flick your wrist and it
fly, but the character will get much more use out of a triggers or is there a long and complex ritual involved?
predefined and practiced spell. To make a spell, either on Your paradigm has a lot to do with how you cast a spell.
the fly or before hand, you must ask yourself the 6 The entire reason chaos mages use paradigms is to give
questions. For each question, mark down the cost for your them tools and a framework to cast from.
answer.
Coming Together
Who?
Who or what does the spell effect? This is called the Casting spells is actually quite easy, for the player.
Target. The target can be yourself, an object, an animal, For the character, there better be some roleplaying going
another person, or even a whole group of people. Consider on. When casting, the mage may choose how many events
who this spell effects. Be careful, some things are resilient to put into it. The more events, the more power. For most
to change. games, assume a maximum of 5 power. Blatancy is equal
to the power, but may be raised or lowered to any amount
When and Where? for one extra event.
Does the spell go off when triggered by a certain time The how and why of spell casting are not just tacked
or place? Mark it if so, but there is no cost adjustment. on extras. The better you describe your reasoning, the
more accurately reality can reflect your changes. First off,

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the how. Paradigms determine what methods are available those. Usually, it is best to just describe what happens and
to a person. The casting must be in line with the paradigm. then apply a blatancy based on that. The power 1 is a
For example, a person using a Christian paradigm might blatancy 1, very subtle. The power 5 is about a blatancy of
read scripture to enact a protective field over a person. 3. A person being that lucky for a week is just down right
That person could not just erect the field with no help weird. If a person with at least a 4 belief were to realize
though, they need the paradigm. Likewise, the mage what was going on, then the believer could cancel out the
cannot use scripture to light someone on fire without a effect by disbelieving in it. Of course, by spending an extra
good explanation. That's just not what the paradigm is event, you can lower the blatancy of the action, but then
about. If someone in the group feels that a spell is outside the blessing cannot operate as effectively. If it is the case
the paradigm that you are using, you cannot cast the spell. that lowered blatancy reduces the effective power of a
Now, as to the why. Everyone casts spells for their spell, then the mage can increase some other variable. For
own reasons. Many mages are in it for enlightenment. example, the blessing might last a month instead of a week,
Magic as a conduit to an even higher understanding. Some because its effect is subtler. Do note that if the blatancy is
just want the power. Whatever the reason, you must have forced down because of disbelief, you do not get that
one. Casting spells that further your agenda gives a free increase. The power is just forced down with it.
bonus event, just like a trick. However, casting spells When casting a spell, there are also some restrictions
against your beliefs incurs a penalty of one event, like a based on what you are casting on. When casting against
difficulty rating. If an action is considered neutral, it has another person, you just remove their belief from your
no extra. power before rolling. Belief is protection. Likewise,
And now it is back to the what. Discord does not anything that the person believes in gets protection.
have a built in power or spell creation system. In the end, Objects, pets, and such things which are close to a person
all such systems are limiting in some way and magic in this get their belief minus one in protection. Things of less
game has enough limits already. Basically, to cast a spell, value get belief minus two and so on down until you have
you simply choose a method, an effect, and a description. things that get no protection. Even something so mundane
The method is how you cast it, the effect is what the end as a lost hair band can have protection on it, which
result is, and the description is what happens to get there. becomes a real pain for divination spells.
The more events you put into it, the more powerful the You may have noticed that on the whole, magic is not
spell and the more drastic the effect. A Good Luck Blessing all the powerful. A person can do simple effects pretty
of power 1 might just add a slight bit of fortune to a person, easily, but most of those could have also been done without
effect is 1 extra event on that person's next action. A Good magic. This is all true. Magic is a subtle force, not an
Luck Blessing of 5 is going to be dramatic though, like the infinite well of power, at least at first. Blatant spells can do
person has supernaturally good luck and gets 1 extra event a lot, but they can be canceled out by non-magic believers.
on every test for the next week. Thankfully, there are ways to get around some of the
You might also have noticed the blatancy increase on restrictions on magic.

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 Shaping Events
The most important method is the ritual. Most magic
is not cast on the fly in the street. Too many factors to
account for can ruin all but the most subtle of effects. That The rules for what an event can do have already been
is why mages who need powerful spells make them ahead discussed. Still, events can be confusing. They do a lot,
of time, using ritual magic. but are limited, but where is the limit?
Magic, by default, is an instant action. That means To repeat the earlier list, Events can:
that magic can be cast in combat as quickly as someone • Raise or Lower a variable by about 10%.
fires a gun or throws a punch. It takes less than a second • Increase or Decrease time by one of whatever unit is
for will to transform into power. being used (hour, minute, second, etc).
By using a ritual instead, magic becomes an extended • Raise or Lower a descriptive quality by one level.
action. By taking the time to do it right, the mage can • Add one new variable to a situation.
gather all the power needed. Also, rituals benefit from • Raise or lower one variable in order to double raise or
preparations, like reagents and auspicious times. Casting a lower another one.
complex and powerful spell is much easier when you have The first option is the most common, and the
a well drawn spell circle, some reagents, incense, and a full baseline rule. An event is worth about 10% by itself.
moon to work under. That's the whole basis of combat.
For every extra bit of help that you can bring into a Option two comes into play with units of any type
ritual, add one to three free events. Proper reagents adds actually. If a ball can be thrown in 10 meter increments,
one event. The full moon adds two, for an uncommon then each event adds 10 meters. If a task is performed in 2
occasion. Were it Halloween, that would add three, for hour increments, then one event can lower or raise the
very powerful timing. The spell circle and incense are a time by two hours.
nice touch, so the mage also gets two more events for good Raising and lowering descriptive qualities is simply
setting to cast in. that, up or down the chart one step per event.
All those extras really stack up. Now the mage can New variables are where magic really comes into
increase the power of the spell. Extra events can eat up play. Imagine a person pushing a box. The variables
penalties in no time, even the belief protection. So how involved are time and quality. The pusher needs a certain
long does a magic ritual take? For game purposes, assume quality to push the box where e wants it to go. Now a mage
that the hoped for power level of the spell is the number of comes in and lights the box on fire. A new variable has
hours the ritual takes. So using a ritual for a power 1 spell been introduced, Burning Damage.
( a bit of overkill really), would take one hour. With a The last option is the rule that lets you take more
ritual, power levels can be reached that are higher than time to do things right, or to in some other way make
five. In theory, a ritual that takes long enough and with the things harder in one way to be easier in another. The
right conditions could reach any power level. group has the right to veto any use of this rule that seems

24
out of place. For instance, if you are trying to push down a Crossbow: +15% damage, medium range
tree, you are going to need magic or a lot of strength. Pistol: +20% damage, medium range
People cannot take more time to do it, as taking three Rifle: +20% damage, long range
hours to push on the tree instead of just one will not do Assault Rifle: +20% damage, semiautomatic, long range
anything extra for you.
Certain actions can only be done once per round, Armor
regardless of events rolled. For instance, a pistol which is Leather Vest: -5% damage
not semiautomatic can only be fired once per round. A Kevlar Mark I: -10% damage
bow may only be fired once per round. Only one spell may Kevlar Mark II: - 15% damage
be cast per round. A melee attack can be made as one big Kevlar Mark III: -20% damage
attack or several small attacks.
Shields

Items and Inventory Buckler: -1 die from melee attacker's power

Kite Shield: -2 dice from melee attacker's power
For most people, the right tools can make all the Tower Shield: -3 dice from melee attacker's power
difference. Items are really simple in Discord. In general, Riot Shield: -3 dice from melee attacker's power, removes
all items add extra value to one variable. For example, a 10% damage from bullet attackers.
sword or any weapon adds damage, which causes events
used for attack to remove more dedication. Armor Magic Aids
removes damage, causing the wearer to lose less Crystals: Free event to any magic actions
dedication. Items can also have special properties, such as Carved Wand: +1 control for all magic actions
a gun's ability to not be dodged. Just use the items listed Tarot Deck: 2 free events for divination actions
here as examples towards making your own.
Tools
Melee Weapons Lockpicks: +1 control to lockpick actions
Dagger/Blackjack: +5% damage Toolbox: 1 free event to repair actions
Short Sword/Club: +10% damage Swiss Army Knife: No bonus, but adds a little extra
Long Sword: +15% damage leverage in descriptions
Two-Handed Sword: +20% damage

Ranged Weapons
Sling: +5% damage, short range
Bow: +10% damage, medium range

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 Paradigm Shifts Afterwords
The following is a list of possible paradigms, there are I'm down to my last hour on this 24-Hour RPG
many more, but here are some sample ones. Each project. I got most of the writing I wanted done, and I
paradigm is built by setting one or more types of magic think the game is playable and achieves most of the goals I
that paradigm is good at and one or more that it is bad at. aimed for.
As the clock ticks down, I'm writing up this little bit,
Christian finishing any fiction and charts I might need, and maybe
Good: Defenses and Blessings finding some art.
Bad: Summoning and To Other People I'm disappointed that I didn't have more time to
Tricks: Scripture, Saints, Faith Healing write up some GM material, and a few more rules here and
there. I'm also sad that I didn't get a chance to really
Buddhism playtest this beast. I can only hope that this is more than
Good: Meditation and Self Improvement just a random spewing of crap, and that there is, in fact, a
Bad: Direct Effects and Materialism game here.
Tricks: Zen Koans, the Eightfold Path, Travelling The next page has the character sheet on it. I at least
got that done. It's only a half-page, so you get two for one!
Satanism And finally, I'm sorry if I'd offended anyone through
Good: Materialism ignorance. I tried to research my material enough to
Bad: Helping others understand it fairly well, but I'm sure I missed things here
Tricks: Rituals, Making Money and there. It's just a little game, and I'm just a harried and
rushed college student. Gimme a break.
Wicca Hope you really like the game, and that it at least
Good: Auspicious Timing inspires you to carry through with your own ideas.
Bad: Casting on the fly
Tricks: Nature magic, Crystal magic Sincerely,
Chris Andrews – Uploaded at 7:11, 19 minutes before due

PS – I've got to thank my best friend and roommate, Ryan

Cain. I cheated a bit and he did the cover art for me. He
also did the ink on half of it, the good half. Check out his
site: http://xenomega.250free.com/ It's a little cheesy, but
he's a great artist. Pay him to make good art for you, now!

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