The Powers That Be (
powersthatbe) wrote2018-01-07 03:45 pm
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Ouroboros Retrograde - FAQ
Can Investigators start with different species’ forms?
Yes! It is perhaps notable that this was not true last Questing Country - so Travelers may well wonder what has changed since then!
How widespread is slavery, and what's the general breakdown of opinion on it?
Every Junkworld-era species except Gorgons has practiced some form of it at some time. Only the Diabolin practice it currently in large numbers. Hecatites hate Diabolin slavery, as many of their ancestors were subject to it, but sometimes use alien convict labor. Gorgons are largely indifferent to the practice. Humans range from appalled to indifferent.
Those who come to Questing Country, how isolated or connected are their homes? Are there different cultures/countries/areas even among each race?
Yes, there are!
Can Champions’ transformation sequences include music?
Sure, if you like! The whole idea is ‘flashy and dramatic.’
Is it possible to have Champions who live completely in Questing Country?
A Champion who had totally given up on attachments to the waking world could stay - but their spirit wouldn't like it! Their powers stem from hope and belief in something that first drew them here, so if they're giving up on the mortal world, they're in some sense surrendering that connection, which a spirit animal would see as a threat to their hope! It’s much more likely for a Pillar or Oracle to be in Questing Country full-time, and even then, an Oracle’s familiar is likely to fuss.
Would someone who was asleep most of the time (due to heavy illness, cryosleep, etc.) be able to access Questing Country very often?
Yes!
Are the other races in contact with each other in the waking world, or only through Questing Country? Will people be surprised to see the other races, or will they be familiar?
That depends on which generation you’re asking about. In the ‘past’ (Adversary) generation, Hecatites & elves have met, but only because both have been conquered by the Diabolin. For the ‘present’ (Double Valence) generation, the Hecatites and Gorgons are space travelers - Gorgons make ceramic crafts and Hecatites grow their own solar sailers - but the others are not (and the Hecatites know the elves are out there, but not where their homeworld is)! Still, Champions who have been around a while have seen the others in Questing Country before! For the ‘future’ (Starquake/Junkworld) generation, humans have joined in on spacefaring.
For werewolf types, how does the moon work?
There is no single moon, but the night sky can be anything it's dreamed to be, so the moon will likely come and go at odd intervals!
Can Pillars become something other than Pillars with the right catalyst?
Very hypothetically, yes, they can become any of the other roles. They are most likely to blaze back to Champion status, from which they might immediately go Adversary or Oracle.
Is there any distinction between 'normal/civilian forms' and 'transformed/powered up forms' while in Questing Country?
Absolutely.
Can infiltrators see an investigator’s true shape under that "other species" rule?
Definitely! Questing Country has seen a lot more than the handful of species available in the info post. Besides, in this instance they know the Travelers are coming and are a more diverse group than they’re used to seeing.
Are spirit companions immortal, or at the very least don't age if the one they're connected to doesn't?
They can be killed, but it's very difficult. Except for volksgeists (which just revert to their component companions if defeated), companions stay out of fights, and draw on the energies of Questing Country to reinforce their bodies.
What happens if an infiltrator dies in Questing Country?
They die in real life. Dreams of the dead do show up in Questing Country sometimes; whether they’re the real deal is unclear.
Would it be possible for a Champion to sacrifice their... Champion-ness to save/protect others (like giving their hope, or their archetype or their power to someone) and then end up an Oracle through that method?
Champions making dramatic heroic sacrifices are always encouraged, but hope and belief are hard to consciously transfer to someone else! And a Champion who did manage to do so wouldn't become an Oracle - they'd either burn out magically or become a Pillar! A sacrifice of that sort of flavor is possible and appropriate as a way to transition from Champion to Oracle, but it would be more like a Champion deliberately exposing themself to loss and disillusionment and the complexities of adult knowledge in order to inspire/protect someone else.
Can Bonded sense their Bond with someone, i.e. by touching them, or making eye contact with them, or possibly through just a telepathic sense of rightness when they're around a person they are Bound to?
Yes! Which of those works is a matter of aesthetic choice for the players, but a Bond is very much a tangible connection! Nobody is going to be confused about whether it exists or to whom they are connected once they have experienced it.
Are bonds fated, or can they be by choice?
It's more complicated than that! A bond cannot be formed by conscious volition alone - wanting it isn't enough. And bonds may form between rivals, people who cannot stand one another, expressing a deeper truth - bound by like or bound by dislike, they are connected. But at the same time, a bond is more likely the deeper a relationship is, and a bond can be broken when a relationship is truly severed (although it can also survive that severance). Wanting a bond doesn't form one, but feelings and choices do play a significant role. It's maybe easiest to say a bond represents a reality.
Can volksgeists respond to any character who has a spirit companion contained within that volksgeist? Can a volksgeist who is part familiar talk to everyone, or just the people whose companions are part of the volksgeist?
Volksgeists who are completely comprised of familiars may only speak to the Oracles who they belong to, but they are as clear as any familiar speaking. Volksgeists with any portion of spirit animal in them may talk to everyone, but they are as cryptic as a standard spirit animal.
Adversaries’ spirit animals are a little different, however. They do not always act in the best interest of their Adversary. If an Adversary places their spirit animal in a volksgeist, the volksgeist will occasionally turn on their masters and act outside of their combined best interests. It is inadvisable for multiple Adversaries to create a volksgeist.
What happens to someone’s Spirit Companion if they have two types of Questing Country magic?
A companion who is part familiar and part animal can speak clearly to its owner, and cryptically to others. A companion whose owner has Adversary magic is occasionally oppositional. Basically: whatever limitations exist for any component of the companion still apply, but so do any new abilities they’re granted.
Are Bonds with the group as a whole or to individuals? Can different members form them separately, or do they need to all connect with each other at the same time?
Everyone in a group of Bonded will have some Bond to each other but it may be weak and tenuous and indirect; not everyone has to be auto-besties.
Is it possible to have mixed-race Dreamers?
Yes, although how they’re received in the waking world (and perhaps by other Dreamers) will depend on what the mix is.
Since Questing Country is basically dreaming, how much do people remember/believe when they wake up?
Champions and the like will remember and believe it because some of their power persists outside the dream. But the question, was the dream the literal truth, or a metaphor? That's a player's call.
Is there a way for Bonded to locate each other over long distances?
Not unless their magical archetype would in some way support that (shackles, threads, maps, etc).
Do spirit companions hang around their chosen people during twilight time?
Yes!
How does one go about a True Bond teaching proof?
Investigators have the option of the Bond’s formation itself, or sitting down with an Oracle to discuss what just happened. Consciously working on strengthening and understanding a bond - transferring health or magic more effectively is teachable, for instance - will work for both investigators and infiltrators.
In the first jaunt, everyone in a True Bond had to take the skill together. Bonds between infiltrators must still be entirely mutual, but for Investigators actively taking the skill (rather than Infiltrators working with a Bond group), it is not necessary to link to everyone in a Bond group.