Hastily thrown together rules for a Nobilis *W hack in the tradition of Ghost Lines and World of Dungeons.

Hastily thrown together rules for a Nobilis *W hack in the tradition of Ghost Lines and World of Dungeons.

Edited

Light – When you work to preserve human life, gain XP, and add a point to Light. 

Dark – When you led someone into self-destruction, gain XP, and add a point to Dark. 

Heaven – When you create a thing of true beauty, gain XP, and add a point to Heaven. 

Hell – When you steal or corrupt a thing of true beauty, gain XP, and add a point to Hell. 

Wild – When you free a soul to do as it will, gain XP, and add a point to Wild.

Protectors – When you end an Excrucian plot, gain XP, and add a point to Protectors

Excrucians – When any two of the sides above match their numbers a new Excrucian incursion happens, add a point to Excrucians. The HG will know what this means.

You have four stats in this game Aspect, Domain, Power and Spirit. All three stats start at +3 and can be lowered to increase shared fictional elements. When two stats are both important to a roll only roll the most important stat. 

Aspect – Is added to rolls where your control over your physical body matters. Can be lowered to add a point to Allies. 

Domain – Is added to rolls where your control over your Chancel matters. Can be lowered to add a point to Chancel. 

Power – Is added to rolls where your control over your part of reality matters. Can be lowered to add a point to Imperator. 

Spirit – This stat gets divided between your attack and your defense. Your attack is how much damage you can do to another Power. Your defense is how much damage you avoid when you are attacked by another Power.

Allies – Allies are friends of the group. If they have a useful tag for a situation they are involved in then they add their value to whomever is rolling. Each player who contributed a point to the Allies pool may create an Ally. Then the players take turns adding either points or an tag to each Ally. Each point or tag costs one point to add. Allies may only have 3 points in them and may only have five tags. 

Chancel – Each player gets to add two features to the Chancel. The first feature must be equal or less than the amount they added to the Chancel pool. The second feature may be anything that the pool can afford. 

-4 The Chancel is a target for Excrucians.

-3 The Chancel population does not like the Powers.

-2 The Chancel is hated.

-2 The Chancel has a passage to and from an enemy Chancel.

-1 Your Chancel is easy to enter, requiring neither magic nor special knowledge other than the location of the border. (Normally the Chancel is difficult to enter)

-1 Your Chancel has a bane, a spirit that has the soul desire to wreak havoc in the Chancel. (You may take this up to three times)

-1 Your Chancel starts with no people in it. (Normally a Chancel only has the population of a village)

-1 Your Chancel starts with the +shrinking population tag.

-1 Your population starts with no tags at all. (Normally a population starts with three tags)

1 Your population starts with three additional tags. (Normally a population starts with three tags)

1 Your Chancel is connected to several major locations on earth. (Normally only connected to a single location)

1 Your Chancel starts with the +growing population tag.

1 Your Chancel starts with a population of a town. (Normally a Chancel only has the population of a village)

2 Your Chancel is connected to several major locations in the multiverse. (Normally only connected to earth)

2 Your Chancel has a Allia, an object of power and beauty that, if destroyed, can grant a single wish.

2 Your Chancel has a blessing set upon it that soaks up one point of harm per two points of blessing that you put on the Chancel.

2 Your Chancel starts with the population of a city.

2 The Chancel is well known.

2 The Chancel has a passage to and from a friendly Chancel.

3 Your Chancel may connect with new locations at will. (Normally cannot create new connections)

3 Your Chancel has a border guard, some sort of being that patrols the Chancel to warn of attacks (soft moves made against the Chancel). If you spend one extra point to strengthen the border guard it will warn of hard moves made against the Chancel. If you spend two extra points to strengthen the border guard the HG may not make soft moves against the Chancel.

3 Your Chancel starts with the population of a metropolis.

3 The Chancel population likes the Powers and wants to be helpful.

4 Your Chancel may move from place to place. (Normally connected to a single place)

4 The Chancel is popular.

Imperator – All Imperators start as complete jerks, points spent at the start of the game may make the Imperator better but unlike the Chancel, the Imperator cannot be made any better during play. Your Imperator is, Chaotic, Corrupt, Cruel, Demanding, Dishonorable, Dispassionate, Disrespectful, and Short-sighted. By spending points of your Power you can remove one of these negative traits of your Imperator per point spent.

When you use your powers against mortals roll the appropriate stat: on a 12+ choose three, on a 10+ choose two, on a 7-9 choose one and the HG may make a soft move against you, on a miss something interferes and the HG may make a hard move against you.

• You do what you intended.

• No bystanders get hurt.

• You draw no unwanted attention.

• You impress or frighten onlookers.

When you use your powers against another power roll the appropriate stat: on a 12+ choose three, on  a 10+ choose two, on a 7-9 choose one and the HG may make a soft move against you, on a miss the other power gains the advantage and the HG may make a hard move against you.

• You take them by surprise and gain an advantage.

• You make them loose track of something.

• You bend their power back on them.

• You force them to flee.

• You draw all of their attention onto you.

• You do them harm.

• No bystanders get hurt.

When you use your powers against an Imperator roll the appropriate stat: on a 12+ choose three, on  a 10+ choose two, on a 7-9 choose one and the HG may make a soft move against you, on a miss the other power gains the advantage and the HG may make a hard move against you.

• You take them by surprise and gain an advantage.

• You make them loose track of something.

• You bend their power back on them.

• You gain an opportunity to flee.

• You draw all of their attention onto you.

When you use your powers against an Excrucian roll the appropriate stat: on a 12+ choose three, on  a 10+ choose two, on a 7-9 choose one and the HG may make a soft move against you, on a miss the other power gains the advantage and the HG may make a hard move against you.

• You take them by surprise and gain an advantage.

• You make them loose track of something.

• You bend their power back on them.

• You gain an opportunity to flee.

• You draw all of their attention onto you.

When you use a flower as a focus for your power you obfuscate that it is you that did whatever the effect is. Only those who saw you do it, those they tell, and those you tell will ever know for certain that it was you. You may always choose one from the lists when using a flower and you may choose one extra on a success. Add the following options to the Imperator and Excrucian lists when using a flower as a focus:

• You force them to flee.

• You do them harm.

Soft Moves

• Put someone in a spot

• Announce future badness

• Tell them the possible consequences and ask

• Offer an opportunity, with or without a cost

• Twist their words

• Separate them

• Make them responsible

• Offer something with strings attached

• Threaten someone, directly or by implication

• Someone approaches, seeking help.

• Reveal a hidden threat

Hard Moves

• Trade harm for harm (as established)

• Announce off-screen badness

• Inflict harm (as established)

• Turn their move back on them

• Deal poetic justice

• Activate their Chancel’s downsides

• Activate their Imperator’s downsides

• Capture someone

• Take away their Anchors 

• Demand concession or obedience

• Someone approaches, seeking comfort

• Obfuscate the one responsible