E. Connection Moves
Connections are the characters and settlements who represent a deep, vital, or interesting relationship in your story. They are your tethers to the people and places of the Lowland Wastes. Make these connection moves when you introduce connections and as you build influence or understanding with them.
Connections provide a story benefit by enriching your interactions and creating relationships with a recurring cast of characters and familiar places. They also provide mechanical benefits by giving you extra values when you make moves such as Sojourn or Compel.
Connections are not your allies, nor are they companions. They should always be independent of you, occasionally intersecting into your life as their own story unfolds. You begin your campaign with one established connection, others are developed through the course of your adventures.
When you search out a new relationship, give focus to an existing relationship, or spend significant time aiding a community, roll +heart. If you make this move after you successfully Fulfill Your Vow to their benefit, you may reroll any dice.
On a strong hit, you create a connection. Give them a role and rank. Whenever your connection aids you on a move closely associated with their role, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit.
On a weak hit, as above, but this connection comes with a complication or cost. Envision what they reveal or demand.
On a miss, you don’t make a connection and the situation worsens. Pay the Price.
If you’ve established a meaningful relationship with a character or community and want to give them an ongoing presence in your story, make this move. You can also Make a Connection with an entirely new character by searching them out when you’re in need of someone who fits a specific role or capability.
On a hit, you establish the connection. Give them a role to represent their duty, expertise, or background. Then, set the connection’s rank appropriate to their stature in the setting and the level of involvement you want them to have in your story: troublesome, dangerous, formidable, extreme, or epic. The higher their rank, the greater the narrative focus and time required to eventually Forge a Bond with them, and the greater the legacy rewards when you do so. Finally, make note of their name, location, and any other characteristics worth recording. You can use character oracle tables to flesh out their look, nature, or role.
On a weak hit, the connection also introduces an immediate problem. They might demand something of you or reveal an aspect of their background or other commitments that complicates your relationship.
On a miss, circumstances or your assumptions turn entirely against you. You fail to make the connection and things get worse.
Once you successfully Make a Connection, you may thereafter add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit if they support you as you make a move. As you interact, you can find opportunities to Develop Your Relationship and eventually Forge a Bond with them.
When you reinforce your relationship with a connection by doing any of the following...
- Swearing a vow to undertake a perilous quest in their service
- Completing a quest to their benefit
- Leveraging their help in desperate circumstances
- Giving them something of worth
- Sharing a profound moment
- Standing with them against hardship
- Overcoming a test of your relationship
… you may mark progress per the rank of the connection.
If you already share a bond with the connection, do not mark progress. Instead, roll +their rank to learn the impact on your legacy: troublesome=+1; dangerous=+2; formidable=+3; extreme=+4; epic=+5. On a strong hit, mark 2 ticks on your bonds legacy track. On a strong hit with a match, you may also envision how recent events bolstered your connection’s standing and raise their rank by one (if not already epic). On a weak hit, take +2 momentum. On a miss, take no lasting benefit.
When you build influence with a connection through a significant interaction, event, or deed, make this move. There are several triggers to help define the bounds of what it means to evolve your relationship. But the pace is largely under your control. It’s a big world, so any meaningful interaction with a connection is likely an opportunity to Develop Your Relationship.
Unbonded connections are managed through progress tracks. When you make this move, mark progress on the connection’s progress track per their rank. Eventually, you can Forge a Bond and make a progress roll against this progress track. If you already share a bond with a connection, you no longer have a progress track associated with them. Instead of marking progress, make an action roll using the connection’s rank. A success on this roll offers immediate benefits, including legacy rewards on a strong hit. This is your incentive to nurture a relationship even after you Forge a Bond.
When your relationship with a connection is tested through conflict, betrayal, or circumstance, roll +heart. If you share a bond, add +1.
On a strong hit, Develop Your Relationship.
On a weak hit, Develop Your Relationship, but also envision a demand or complication as a fallout of this test.
On a miss, or if you have no interest in maintaining this relationship, choose one.
- Lose the connection: Envision how this impacts you and Pay the Price.
- Prove your loyalty: Envision what you offer or what they demand, and Swear a Chalk Vow (formidable or greater) to see it done. Until you complete the quest, take no benefit for the connection. If you refuse or fail, the connection is permanently undone.
The paths you pursue or events in your story may force a reckoning for your relationships. How strong is the commitment? If you try to maintain this connection, at what cost? When you act against a connection, face a significant disagreement or misunderstanding, or refuse or fail a crucial assignment, make this move to see what becomes of the relationship.
On a strong hit—in spite of everything—this test strengthens your relationship. Envision how you emerge from the trial with a renewed pact, respect, or rapport.
With a weak hit, the relationship evolves, but you must deal with an ongoing complication or concession. Things may remain fraught or tense.
On a miss, the relationship is at a tipping point. Retaining the connection will require a quest to affirm your loyalty; you cannot use the mechanical or narrative benefits of the connection until the quest is done. If you don’t take up the quest, the connection is broken.
If an incident forces this test, but you aren’t in a position to resolve it, make a note. Then, make this move when you next come in contact. If extended time passes without making the test, it may be appropriate to simply clear the connection and be done with it.
Progress Move
When your relationship with a connection is ready to evolve, roll the challenge dice and compare to your progress.
On a strong hit, you now share a bond. Mark a reward on your bonds legacy track per the connection’s rank: troublesome=1 tick; dangerous=2 ticks; formidable=1 box; extreme=2 boxes; epic=3 boxes. Any allies who share this connection also mark the reward. Then, choose one.
- Bolster their influence: When they aid you on a move closely associated with their role, add +2 instead of +1.
- Expand their influence: Give them a second role. When they aid you on a move closely associated with either role, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit.
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).
A bond represents a deeper, more meaningful relationship with a connection. Building a bond reinforces your commitment, bolsters the connection’s aid, and provides experience through legacy rewards. When you have accrued progress on a connection’s progress track and are ready to take the relationship to the next level, make this move.
Since this is a progress move, tally the number of filled boxes on your progress track for the connection. This is your progress score. Only add fully filled boxes (those with four ticks). Then, roll your challenge dice, compare to the progress score, and resolve a strong hit, weak hit, or miss as normal. You may not burn momentum, and you are not affected by negative momentum.
If this is a mutual connection with allies, you share a progress track. When it is time to Forge a Bond, one of you makes the move for the group. Each of you marks the legacy reward for your character.
In the fiction of your story, forging a bond can be ceremonial. Perhaps you exchange gifts or share a promise. If so, envision what you do or say. This will add color and texture to the setting, and give the moment proper weight. Otherwise, the bond is a new phase that you (the player) are aware of, but is not formally recognized by the characters.
When you Forge a Bond and score a strong hit, you now share a bond. Mark progress on your bonds legacy track per the rank of the connection. Then, choose whether they are made more helpful under their existing role, or if they gain a new role.
Beyond the mechanical support of the bond, consider how the evolution of the relationship impacts your future interactions. What new responsibilities or opportunities does it introduce?
On a weak hit, they ask more of you. It might be a task, an item, a concession, or even a vow. Envision what they need or Ask the Oracle for insight. If you agree, gain the bond. If you refuse or fail to complete the request, the connection is not necessarily lost (although you may need to Test Your Relationship), but you cannot attempt to Forge a Bond again unless those circumstances change.
On a miss, things are not as they seemed. The connection reveals something that fundamentally undermines or alters your relationship. Have they kept important information from you? Do they have an ulterior motive? Do you discover their ties to an enemy or rival? If you choose to maintain the relationship, you face a setback and must rebuild on these new terms. If there is no coming back after this revelation, simply clear the connection and envision how you move forward.