Running and Hanging Effects


Hsien would make good Boy Scouts....


For the purposes of this conversation, a Running Effect is one which the player decides his character always wants "on", re-performing the ritual to make it on a regular basis. A Hanging Effect is a special kind of Running Effect, designed to "kick in" under specific occasions.

Running Effects are nice, because they let you get some of the effects that require a large number of successes without having to try and invoke them at the beginning of combat. However, they are obviously open to abuse; this is an attempt to let them be used as the sort of "edge" they should be, in the chats.

The following restrictions apply to Running Effects:
  1. The effect must be described in detail, as part of the character's sheet, much as a special piece of equipment would be. I definitely encourage you to give it a descriptive and evocative name.
  2. Unless a player plays out getting more Yugen in-scene, that character's starting Yugen total for any scene is reduced by the costs of all running effects. So if you have a three-element running effect, your character starts out down 6 Yugen from their base pool-- on the other hand, you've probably boosted several stats that way, so hey, you're cool.
  3. A given running effect can have no more than the product of the appropriate Chi value and Wu Tan (for multi-element I Chih, use the Wu Tan you would have rolled). So for a running Yang Hou Tan effect, a Nyan with Yang Chi 7 and Hou Tan 3 would have a maximum of 21 successes. Successes spent on Continuance do not apply to this limit.
  4. Furthermore, when assigning successes to Modifiers, no Modifier may have more successes spent on it than the character has ranks in the Wu Tan. When purchasing a particular Modifier more than once (most often, Magnitude of Change), this limit applies to each separate purchase of the Modifier. Again, Continuance is not limited in this fashion. If the I Chih is one for your kwannon-jin's Fortune Wu Tan, this limit is raised by one.


EXAMPLES:

Yan Pangtian has two Running Effects. The first raises his hearing (Yang effect); the second allows him to enfold a couple of weapons (Yin effect) to keep handy until he needs them. These are both Tieh Tan (metal) I Chih. For the Yang effect, he's got a total limit of Yang Chi 3 * Tieh Tan 4 = 12, while for the Yin effect, his limit is Yin Chi 6 * Tieh Tan 4 = 24. In both cases, he can assign no more than 5 successes on the different Modifiers (Tieh Tan 4 + 1 for Kwannon-jin). Here's how they'll appear on his next character sheet update:
  1. Clarity of the Tuning Fork [Yang Tieh Tan 2]
    This effect raises Yan's Perception from 4 to 6, with respect to hearing only.
      Successes:
    • Base 1
    • Magnitude of Change 4 (raising an Attribute 2 points, raising an Attribute over 5, "restricted" increase).
  2. Subtle Sheathe of the Body [Yin Tieh Tan 3] This I Chih allows Pangtian to keep his broadsword and fighting chain enfolded within his body until they are needed (he must adopt a specific Tai Chi stance and issue a command phrase to release them before the natural end of the Continuance).
      Successes:
    • Base 1
    • Magnitude of Form 1
    • Circumstance of the Monkey King (to end effect) 4
    • Abundance of the Ten Thousand Things (2 weapons) 1


Hanging Effects are Running Effects that have been further modified by Circumstance of the Monkey King to be held in abeyance until needed. These follow all the rules for Running Effects, with the following additions:
  1. The Circumstance Modifier applies to both the general limits (#3) and the specific cap (#4) on successes, above.
  2. If a Hanging Effect is meant to have a duration after its trigger event (such as an Attribute increase that kicks in at a moment's notice), it needs two Continuances--one for the overall effect, and one for after it Triggers. The first does not count against the standard limits (just like the Continuance of a running effect); the second, however, does apply to both Rule 3 and Rule 4 for running effects.


Yan has one Hanging Effect:

The Shining Hand of Justice [Yang Tieh Tan 3]
This effect triggers whenever Pangtian assumes Wani form, producing the Elemental Fist (metal) effect, turning his hands into gleaming elemental metal, with bladed fingertips. The Effect will last for one scene once triggered. When using this effect, his hand-strikes inflict Str + 5 Agg Damage.
    Successes:
  • Base 1
  • Circumstance 4 (assume Wani form)
  • Continuance 1 (Scene)
  • Magnitude of Change 5 (+5 Agg damage on attacks)
Note that this effect is one shy of the absolute max Yan has for Tieh Tan Yang Effects. OTOH, it also puts him on a par with an angry Garou, at least before Gifts!

Yan has two running effects and one hanging effect, all of which are single-element, and so only require one Yugen; in total, then, he starts each scene "down" by three Yugen.

NOTE: The above rules only apply for effects that are "assumed" to be running at all times. Quite often, I'll allow effects invoked as part of a ritual "in-scene" to excede these limits. Of course, such effects must be rolled (possibly by me), and may invoke the ire of the Yellow Lotus.


Look back up and procede with your walk along Ten Do.

Go back to the Entrance Plaza.

Decide that today is inauspicious for a visit to Ten Do and return to Little Asia


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