Locations
Posted on Friday, June 7th, 2013 at 17:26
Locations are essential to any good scene, whether in a book, a film or a roleplaying game.
In T13 the Location is a special type of Descendant or Character with a Yonder Incarna, but every Facet has its own flavour of Location, you can see a complete list here (along with the other types of Descendants).
Size Annex
Like any Descendant, a Location can have Annexes that define what the Location can do, but unlike most Descendants Locations also have an Annex that defines how big they are with the Boon acting as Chi on the Area column of the Sway table. For example a Mountain would have a Boon of 51. Locations are usually defined by the Referee (and Plot Daemons) with them deciding the Boon of the “Size” Annex.
A Location’s Size Annex operates much like the Personality Annex of a Character (in fact for intelligent locations they are exactly alike). Locations can therefore have Handicaps that increase the size without increasing costs.
Location Handicaps
Locations can have Handicaps, when those Handicaps are active they affect not only the Location, but potentially anyone or thing within the Location. The size of a Handicap is set, but the type of effect is varied based on the Facets of those present in the Location. If a Character present has that Facet with a Boon that is twice the Handicap Boon then it is a Nuisance, if they have that Facet Boon lower than the Handicap Boon then the Handicap will be a Woe. In between you’ll find the Flaws, where the Handicap Boon is less than that Facet Boon for the Character.
Referees get to decide how and when a Location Handicap affects those present.
Location Annexes
Locations often have additional Annexes that define other aspects about themselves. The Referee should always have a good idea of what sort of Annexes any given Location should have, so here is a small selection to help you along.
- Animals
- Bushes
- Clay
- Clear
- Cover
- Creaking
- Dangerous
- Dark
- Decorations
- Deep
- Dusty
- Exposed
- Food production
- Glowing
- High
- Icy
- Jungle
- Labyrinthion
- Light
- Low
- Luxuries
- Marshy
- Maze-like
- Mists
- Pool
- Quick sand
- Rocks
- Sand
- Slippery surface
- Sticky mud
- Trees
- Tricky
- Utilities
- Vegetation
- Weather
- Wide Open
- Wildlife
- Windy
Owning Locations
Characters can purchase Locations like any Descendant, with Handicaps reducing the cost. Normally Locations are unique, like prototypes, but kind Refs may decide that a featureless apartment in a block, might be a common Location, most buildings are, at best, uncommon.
When a Character owns a piece of land they tend to invest time and effort in its maintenance, with Mercari and Solos this lets them create Real Estate and Provinces. Grunts can Trophy Locations as well, as any Descendant.