Custom Mechanics in Lorado

Interested in learning about the custom mechanics local to Dystopia Rising: Colorado? Here is a list of the current local custom mechanics you may encounter or interact with during play at one of our events. Be sure to check back as they get updated!

Fixations

Fixations are a rare condition that can be imposed on characters through special mechanics and antagonist abilities. Fixated individuals experience intense, often destructive or maladaptive, intrusive thoughts. Fixations are not a Disease or Fracture, but instead something more insidious, and can not be detected or treated as per the rules of Diseases and Fractures. Detection and treatment methods are currently unknown.

Players can choose whether to have their characters fulfill and resolve their Fixations — leading to role-play and mechanical aftereffects — or to remain troubled and Fixated. Once all Fixations experienced by a character are resolved, they are no longer Fixated.

Being Fixated may cause interactions with other mechanics or threats and their abilities.

On an Out-Of-Game level, Fixations can be opted out of at any time one-by-one or altogether as this is an opt-in mechanic to a player's comfort and enjoyment level.

Heart Crystal Corruption

Contact with certain local crystals, as well as attacks from some creatures, can cause similar crystals to form inside the body of strains — resulting in unpredictable zed-like abilities depending on the severity.

HEAT

Any character with Basic Criminal Influence may spend 10 Mind at the Public Works to check their own Heat Level during an event. This is instant and may be repeated.

A character with PFA: Inner Circle may spend 20 Mind or 1 Resolve at the Public Works to check another character’s Heat Level during an event. This is instant and may be repeated, including with different subjects of inquiry.

  • Heat Level 0 - Not a Person of Interest. The Public Works will tell you “You have no heat on you.” If the Wardens see you, they may wave hello. 

  • Heat Level 1 - Questioning. The Public Works will tell you “You have a little heat on you.” The Wardens either know you to be an associate of known Criminals OR you have committed a crime that has drawn attention, but your identity as the perpetrator is unknown. If the Wardens see you, they may attempt to bring you in for questioning (willingly or not). 

  • Heat Level 2 - Hanging. The Public Works will tell you “You have heat on you.” Wardens know your name, face, and recent crimes. If they see you, they will attempt to kill you or capture you for public hanging. This is the highest Heat level that can be reached by most characters. 

  • Heat Level 3 - Incarceration. The Public Works will tell you “You have serious heat on you.” If the Wardens see you, they will attempt to capture you for imprisonment in Locktown.
    NOTE: This Heat level is unique to characters instrumental to criminal operations in the region; if you are important enough in the criminal hierarchy to be sent to Locktown, then it follows that your resources should give you options to potentially avoid that fate.

Heat goes up when you draw attention to yourself during Criminal activities, listed below. If you participate in Criminal Activity but are not caught or identified, your Heat level will remain the same. If a full event goes by where your character engages in no Criminal Activity, your Heat will reduce by one level, unless you are at Level 3. 

Heat can be actively reduced by one level per game by doing 1 hour of extra NPC to Establish Alibis. There will be other in-game methods to reduce Heat.

Definition of Criminal Activity: 

  • Going on/actively participating in Criminal or Murder Inc. Modules

  • Use of Larceny or Criminal Influence skills on modules at Guide’s Discretion

  • Using the Criminal Buy List

If you have any questions regarding this plot, such as how to get involved or impact events, or steering questions not related to opting out, you may speak with Michael Bilker (Wardens) or Rani Eimers (Murder Inc).

Research

Research at Dystopia Rising: Colorado is handled using a system of projects. The Story team will define research projects when applicable that can be studied to learn more information. The topic may be researched by one or more characters in order to make progress toward unlocking detailed information on the subject, including the potential to research more specific subjects in a related category. For more in-depth mechanics, click here.

Role-Play Prompts

Role-Play Prompts at Dystopia Rising: Colorado indicate actions that characters who are prompted to should attempt to fulfill throughout the duration of the Prompt.

Characters should attempt to complete the prompt in good faith or to role-play struggling against the prompt psychologically, exercising willpower or other techniques to fight it off. If they fight through the prompt, it should be clear to those the character interacts with that they are going through an internal struggle. Prompts are opt-in and can be opted out of at any time.

Morticide Disease (Toxin)

This disease is unknown. Currently, there are no known research projects for this disease, and it has yet to be encountered. Completing requirements to generate a research project will make information for this disease, as well as its symptoms, available for the town. As such, it Morticide Disease is immune to all current research techniques that affect or expose diseases.

Bounties

Bounties encourage interaction with the world and are a system in place in Dystopia Rising: Colorado to create reoccurring characters that can be interacted with by LCs. More details on this system coming soon!

Lorado Faction Favor Buylist

Favors are a local Meta currency that can be given out by various factions within the Lorado area. Any Favor is viable to be turned in for the general items listed at the beginning of this document. Some of the local factions also have unique buylists that can be accessed by players with that specific faction’s Favors. Favors are turned in to Public Works so they can be recorded. Please do not utilize a Favor for anything time sensitive without first talking to and coordinating with Ops.

View the Lorado Faction Favor Buylist here.

Information Gathering

Information Gathering is a mechanic which simulates going around Barker Meadow digging up dirt on Casted Character Targets.

To go on an Information Gathering Mission as their LC, a player must expend In Game resources (generally Mind to begin with, with other resources required being dependent on the Target in question) and go on Casting Shift as Casted Characters for 1 to 2 hours to represent their Information Gathering attempt. CAPs are still rewarded for this extra Casting at a base rate of 5 CAPs per hour.

Upon completion, the LC will roll a d6 equal to their highest rank in a listed relevant skill for the Target (usually Stealth, Criminal Influence, and/or Social Influence as the options) against a set Difficulty. This roll can be modified by factors such as possessing additional Skills or Professional Focus Achievements or expending resources depending on the Target and Mission. Degrees of Failure will generally have narrative consequences, while Degrees of Success will unlock at least one piece of Information about the Target while snooping around.

Some Targets may take multiple Information Gathering Missions to fully gather the available information, or require multiple characters to gather the information.

Lorado Sailing (Local sailing Mechanics)

A pattern/memory game is used for Sailing mods that are flavored as white water rafting. These mechanics are always given at the top of a Sailing mod when they are used. Some Sailing mods may have situational positions or calls, but the mechanics listed here are the base ones. View our Lorado Sailing doc here.

Custom Threat Mechanics

Consume

Consume is a local mechanic that replaces Gnaw in some terrifying Lorado Zed. If you hear this call, it means that someone (maybe you!) is being eaten alive. However, unlike typical Zed gnawing, it means the target is also being eaten whole. 

You will hear a call of "Consume One, Consume Two, Consume Three" followed by either "Mangle" or — if all of your limbs are already mangled — "Killing Blow." If this happens, no body is left and you should head straight to Ops. Consume can affect you if you are downed and unable to move or use skills for any reason including Knockout and Take Down.

If all of your limbs are mangled and this is unknown to the portrayer of the creature completing the Consume call, it is your responsibility to inform them that all of your limbs were mangled and not to ignore the effect. Mangle and Killing Blow are both effects of the call.

Ice Chrysalis

This is a possible local mechanics call of some threats in the Lorado area. If the call “By My Voice, All Cryo-Zed Chrysalis!” is heard, it has no mechanical effect on the LC and applies only to specific strains of Zed. It is unknown what this effect does at this point In Character. Full details of this need to be discovered by players through research, trial, and error.

Mimic Healing

This is a call that may be heard from certain Lorado Zed. If you hear this call, the source of the call has visibly healed itself. It is unknown what this effect is triggered by at this point In Character. It has no mechanical effect on the LC and applies only to specific strains of Zed. The full details of this need to be discovered by players through research, trial, and error.

Renew Ice Chrysalis

This is a possible local mechanics call of some threats in the Lorado area. If the call “Renew Ice Chrysalis!” is heard it has no mechanical effect on the LC and applies only to specific strains of Zed. It is unknown what this effect does at this point In Character. The full details of this need to be discovered by the players through research, trial, and error.

Caustic

This effect represents a gas, disease, or ability that somehow is unaffected by protective equipment. When added before a call, it prevents the use of a death mask or other equipment that might be able to resist airborne, Area of Effect, or By My Voice calls.

Invasive

When a call is invasive, any resistance cost is doubled. This includes Mind, Body, or Resolve costs, even when associated with an item or mechanic. If the cost of the defensive skill would be 0 because of an item, the base cost would still be expended as if you did not have that item.

Day Walker

Can operate during the day and is not affected by Sun Bloom or Sun Bloom effect. Call “No Effect, Day Walker”

PHEROMONE

A mechanical call that indicates, for clarity, that the call can be resisted by using the Basic ability of the Helscape Deathmask.

SIPHON

Siphon is a mechanical call that damages a Character and heals the Siphoner an amount equal to the call, i.e. “Siphon 10” would hit the Character with 10 damage and heal 10 body to the Threat making the call. Players should respond to a Siphon call that is not resisted with “Taken,” to ease Casted Character tracking.

 Invigorate

Invigorate is a mechanical call that removes the Blinding, Unconscious, and Stunned conditions on the Invigorated character.

Confess

Target must audibly communicate any self-perceived wrongs, regrets, or transgressions they have committed in their remembered lifetime for the duration of the call. A target affected by Choking Blow will attempt to communicate non-verbally.

Atone

Target must attempt to make up for any self-perceived wrongs or transgressions they have committed in their remembered lifetime for the duration of the call.

Local Resources

Sunbloom

A bioluminescent plant used in rituals by the faithful of the region.

CRACKED PSIONIC CRYSTAL

Originally created as a synthetic biomaterial in an ill-fated attempt to control the Mortis by early Strains, this resource most recently and famously began to appear at the Cracked Bone Cavern Morgue in the Everliving Wood when it was greatly damaged by Blood Sap. These broken and porous crystals appear as a response to a local damaged Mortis and have the unique ability to soak Infection into themselves, storing it inside the crystal mass until it can pass into the Mortis Amaranthine.

Cracked Crystals are used in infection-related gizmos and poisons such as the Cracked Crystal Implant and Cracked Corrosive Paste, as well as the recent Bad Brain-related prints produced by the med-tech startup Machonis Company.

Blood Sap

A biological sap of blood-red color and molasses-like consistency first identified in the Everliving Wood of the Overgrowth, concentrated Blood Sap burns and eats away at Infection upon contact. Used in everything from atrocious weaponry to nightmarish works of Grave science and ritual, Blood Sap can be very dangerous and very useful. Rumor even has it that it has spread to the Overgrowth of the Sequoia Wastes somehow…

Quartz

The most common mineral on earth, and one of the most durable.