D. Quest Moves
For the purpose of this game, in the fiction of the Cloud Empress setting, those who swear chalk vows are chalksworn, and their promises are binding. Vows can be made to yourself, as a solemn representation of your personal commitment, or as a promise to someone else. Some vows might be made grudgingly - out of duty, necessity, or tradition. Others will be made with your whole heart. Use the following moves when you swear vows, make progress on quests, and resolve those vows.
When you swear with chalk to complete a quest, write your vow and give the quest a rank. Then, roll +heart. If you make this vow to a person or community with whom you share a connection, add +1; if you share a bond, add +2.
On a strong hit, you are emboldened and it is clear what you must do next (Ask the Oracle if unsure). Take +2 momentum.
On a weak hit, you are determined but begin your quest with more questions than answers. Take +1 momentum, and envision what you do to find a path forward.
On a miss, you face a significant obstacle before you can begin your quest. Envision what stands in your way (Ask the Oracle if unsure).
When you encounter a wrong that must be made right, seek to fulfill a personal ambition, or give your word to serve someone, make this move.
Fictionally, a chalk vow is ceremonial. Every chalksworn keeps a small pouch of chalk tied to their neck, just to use for ceremonies. Don’t just make the move. Envision how your character enacts the ceremony. What do you do? What do you say? Is this a moment of grudging acceptance or one of fiery determination?
Set the rank of your vow based on what you know of the challenges you will face, or Ask the Oracle. Higher ranked quests require more effort (both in your narrative and through session-time and focus), but offer greater experience rewards. An epic quest could be the endeavor of a lifetime, while a troublesome quest might be resolved in a few scenes.
It is not necessary to resolve one vow before swearing another. In fact, the intent of these rules is for your character to run afoul of new situations and get side-tracked with new vows even while attempting to complete a separate quest. This is the life of the chalksworn rangers.
Based on the results of this move, your path may be clear (a strong hit), or more investigation may be required to identify your next steps (a weak hit).
On a miss, you face a serious obstacle at the very start which prevents you from undertaking this quest. It might be a sudden event, someone working against you or refusing your aid, or a personal conviction which must be overcome. When in doubt about what happens, Ask the Oracle. It should be significant and not easily dealt with. Also, when you resolve this obstacle, you won’t Reach a Milestone for your quest. You aren’t actually able to make progress on the vow until you overcome this initial challenge.
When allies join together to Swear a Chalk Vow, one of you speaks for the group and makes the move. The others can commit to the cause with the Aid Your Ally move. If you score a hit and take +momentum, or score a miss and choose to suffer -momentum, only the character making the move adjusts their momentum track. Once your quest is underway, you share a progress track and mark progress together.
When you make significant progress in your quest by doing any of the following...
- Overcoming a critical obstacle
- Gaining meaningful insight
- Completing a perilous expedition
- Acquiring a crucial item or resource
- Earning vital support
- Defeating a notable foe
… you may mark progress per the rank of the vow.
You will face obstacles as you strive to complete quests. Some of these obstacles arise naturally out of the fiction of the situation. Overcoming one challenge leads naturally to the next. Others represent narrative twists introduced when you interpret the result of a move, or when you Ask the Oracle for inspiration. When you overcome one of these obstacles, and it was a notable challenge, make this move and mark progress on your quest.
Not every step on this path is worthy of a milestone. Did it put you in great danger? Did it cost you something significant? Did you unravel a complex web of clues and motivations? Was it dramatic and narratively interesting? Most importantly, was it directly related to your quest, and not a random or unconnected event?
How you define milestones determines the pace of your game. You need to overcome challenges to Reach a Milestone and mark progress. You can’t (with confidence) Fulfill Your Vow unless you’ve marked progress. You don’t gain experience unless you Fulfill Your Vow. You can’t add new assets to your character unless you gain experience. That’s the broad flow of how quests drive gameplay and character improvement, the tempo of which is determined by you and others at your table. If you come up against relatively simple obstacles and call them milestones, you’ll mark progress and move quickly toward completing the quest. But, if you do, you’ll miss out on storytelling opportunities and the satisfaction earned when you prevail against a worthy challenge.
Not sure if something is worthy as a milestone? If you’re playing co-op or guided, talk it out at the table. If you’re playing solo, trust your instincts and the type of play experience you want to create. In the end, it’s your game.
Progress Move
When you reach the end of your quest, roll the challenge dice and compare to your progress.
On a strong hit, your vow is fulfilled. Mark a reward on your quests legacy track per the vow’s rank: troublesome=1 tick; dangerous=2 ticks; formidable=1 box; extreme=2 boxes; epic=3 boxes. Any allies who shared this vow also mark the reward.
On a weak hit, as above, but there is more to be done or you realize the truth of your quest. If you Swear a Chalk Vow to set things right, take your full legacy reward. Otherwise, make the legacy reward one rank lower (none for a troublesome quest).
On a miss, your vow is undone through an unexpected complication or realization. Envision what happens and choose one.
- Give up on the quest: Forsake Your Vow.
- Recommit to the quest: Roll both challenge dice, take the lowest value, and clear that number of progress boxes. Then, raise the vow’s rank by one (if not already epic).
Your path leads here. Your foe is defeated. The relic is found. Your training is complete. The village is saved. The beast is killed. The murder is avenged. Your family’s honor is restored. You are triumphant.
Or are you? Make this move to find out.
Since this is a progress move, you tally the number of filled boxes on your progress track for this quest. This is your progress score. Only add fully filled boxes (those with four ticks). Then, roll your challenge dice, compare to your progress score, and resolve a strong hit, weak hit, or miss as normal. You may not burn momentum on this roll, and you are not affected by negative momentum.
When you and your allies are working to fulfill a common vow, you share a progress track. When it is time to see the vow done, one of you represents the group and make the Fulfill a Vow move. The outcome affects everyone involved.
Keep in mind it’s not necessary to fill your vow’s progress track before you Fulfill Your Vow. You make this move when it feels like the quest has come to its conclusion, no matter how full the progress bar is. A weak hit or miss can create interesting stores and motivate new vows.
On a strong hit, your vow is fulfilled. Mark the legacy reward on your quests legacy track and envision the impact of this moment. Then, decide what you do next. Are there other quests to attend to? Will you set off to find new opportunities? Or does this victory allow you to finally leave your life as a chalksworn behind?
On a weak hit, you discover or realize something which leaves your quest unfinished or undermines your success. Envision what you learn (or Ask the Oracle), make your choice, and play to see what happens. Whether you leave this behind or take on a new quest should be driven by the fiction and your choices as the character. Have you defeated your foe in a bloody fight, but they use their dying breath to say your true enemy still lives? You might Swear a Chalk Vow to hunt them down. Have you helped return the town leader to power, only to learn her promises were lies? You can Swear a Chalk Vow to usurp this deceiver, or simply leave this place, promising never to return. Decide if you take up a new quest to deal with the problem you discovered or unwittingly unleashed. If not, be done with it and mark the reward one rank lower.
On a miss, a turn of events finds you defeated or your true goal is suddenly beyond reach. The band of raiders were a diversion, and a more dangerous force has stolen away with the winter stores. The ancient relic is found, but it is a forgery. You’ve hunted and defeated the monster stalking the fields at night, but discover it was only one of a large flock of beasts. If you choose to press on, the nature of your quest remains the same - protect the village, find the relic, stop the ravages of the beasts - but some of your progress is undone through this dramatic realization.
When you renounce your quest, betray your promise, or the goal is lost to you, clear the vow. Then, envision the impact of this failure and choose one or more as appropriate to the nature of the vow. Any allies who shared this vow may also envision a cost.
- You are demoralized or dispirited: Endure Stress
- A connection loses faith: Test Your Relationship when you next interact.
- You must abandon a path or resource: Discard an asset.
- Someone else pays a price: Envision how a person, being, or community bears the cost of the failure.
- Someone else takes advantage: Envision how an enemy gains power.
- Your reputation suffers: Envision how this failure marks you.
Make this move when you decide to abandon a quest, or if circumstances leave your goal seemingly unobtainable.
For a chalksworn, realizing you must Forsake Your Vow is a dramatic and disheartening decision. The mystics say that breaking this promise causes the chalk to wear down at your very soul, turning one’s own mind, one's own bones, and even nature itself against the oath-breaker.
The move includes several prompts to consider for the ramifications of your vow and the narrative and mechanical costs. Choose the most appropriate (or more than one) and weave that outcome into your story. Depending on the situation, there may be long-term or delayed effects; if so, make note of them. The recommended consequence is to Endure Stress equal to the rank of your quest (troublesome=1; dangerous=2; formidable=3; extreme=4; epic=5), representing the way that the magic of the chalk whittles away at your psyche for breaking your vow.
If you have abandoned a quest which is central to your character’s motivations, you may decide your life as a chalksworn is done. If so, Continue a Legacy to see what you leave for those who follow in your footsteps.