Editing Talk:OREhammer 40k:Main Page (section)

== Corruption and Chaos Influences within the ORE. ==

'''Principles:'''

1) The Madness Meters are still tied into the ''choices made by the characters.''

2) In the setting, Chaos is something that the characters ''can be exposed to'', either unwittingly or unwillingly.

3) The best option is a synthesis of these principles.

'''Solution:'''

There are several parts to this:

1) Certain demonic entities and cultists within the game have a Chaos score, presumably along with the Warp. Exposure to Chaos Elements (which those more familiar with the 40K universe than me will have better ideas about) adds to the character's Chaos Score.

Bear with me. The Chaos score is an abstraction, and does not have mechanical consequences.

What the Chaos Score does is give the ''player'' an idea of how much Crazy Shit they have been exposed to. I imagine it on a 100 point scale where 0 is equivalent to Never Seen Anything Weirder than Aunty Nan's Herb Garden, and 100 is Seriously Fucked Up.

There would be gradiations at each 10 on the scale, with a quick description of what ''Most People'' would be like at that stage.

This is purely to give the players a point of reference for...

2) The Key of Corruption. (I understand that integrating ''TSOY'''s Keys into the game is on the cards anyway, so I thought this was a neat solution.

Be warned, I've never played ''TSOY'' or have practical experience with Keys, so I may have totally missed the point. I'm not sure whether this would be a Motivation Key or not, so I've assumed not for now.

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The Key of Corruption:

Your character has begun the slippery slide towards corruption by the influences of Chaos, whether by accidental exposure or by an active search for power - itself potentially caused by accidental exposure. This is down to however you want to play it. Gain 1 XP every time your character acts upon their corruption, even if no one finds out, or it's not obvious. Gain 2 XP every time your character acts upon their corruption in a situation or a way that could expose their tainted nature. Gain 5 XP for either directly exposing your nature to further your tainted goals, or if someone you have exposed to Chaos (even if they don't know it was you) selects the Key of Corruption for themselves. ''Buyoff: Penitence. Choose to turn away from your dark path regardless of the consequences, either of exposure or of earning the wrath of the thwarted minions of Chaos''.

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3) The Madness Meters work as normal throughout, based on the choices that the character makes as-normal. This basically means that someone with the Key of Corruption is going to wind up exposed to weird and interesting shite, along with Nasty Decisions, and walk away with relevant hardened and failed notches as normal. No mechanical difference - and most importantly, there is no point at which the character becomes an NPC.

Basically, this means that the players are aware of exposure to the pervasive Chaos of the setting, and ''can choose to explore'' what happens to people in its grip.

Alternatively, the Chaos Score has validity even if the player never chooses to embrace the Key of Corruption. Why?

Well, if you're at 90 or so on the Chaos Score Chart and you're still normal, you'll have already gained a reputation - however quietly and behind your back - as someone who was walked through all kinds of shit, even down to the shitcovered plain of wailing baby-souls, ''and has not turned.''

That's going to be noticed, and responded to accordingly. Depending on who you're dealing with, you might be seen as a true example of what humanity should be in the face of adversity... or perhaps that you're just hiding the taint ''really well'', and are thus a cause of suspicion.

Certain character types, such as Psykers for example, are going to climb the Chaos Score Chart faster than others - but because it's an abstraction without mechanical consequence that shouldn't matter.

'''Embracing Chaos:'''

Just for shits and giggles, I think that if the player chooses the Key of Corruption, there should be an option for them to start changing physically.

Say, hypothetically, that once the Key of Corruption is chosen, the Chaos Score starts to have a mechanical consequence.

At each time you get to the 10s score (or similarly abstract measurement) the GM gets XP to that level to spend on your character. This will make them better! This will improve them!

In unpleasant or obvious ways.

I'm borrowing this hugely from a suggestion for how to run ''Aberrant'' using ''Wild Talents'', and how to integrate Taint into that system. To whoever came up with this suggestion, it is raw deliciousness and I salute you.

I imagine there should be a chart for GM reference at this point, so that the changes under a certain level impart some benefit but aren't too obvious. Although if you're still on the Key of Corruption with a Corruption score of 95, when have been on the Key since you had a score of 10... tentacles wouldn't be at all out of the question.

What do we think?

I'm not particularly welded to the Chaos Score being out of 100, but it makes it really easy to get the idea across here. It also means that the score going up can be described as a counter for background radiation, or equivalent to losing Sanity through exposure to the Mythos in CoC - just without consequence unless the player chooses.

- The Unshaven.