VIBE FRAMEWORK

EDITED October 22

Vibes (playable class) are one of the key building blocks of The Lost Bay RPG. Vibes determine what the character is good at and how they might develop. But beyond being a character class, Vibes are one of the main ways the TLB implied setting is conveyed. Custom Vibes that fit a particular adventure theme can be a fun way to push the fiction forward.

Each Vibe is tied to a Living Saint, an immortal entity that grants the Vibe a fraction of their power. The Vibe somehow reflects in the mortal realm the Living Saint they serve. It also bears the same excesses, fears, and contradictions that inhabit the immortal.

When building a custom Vibe, it might be helpful to identify the internal conflict or flaw that characterizes it. All the aspects of the Vibe should express that internal struggle in some way. Of course, this is totally optional, and as always, the best design advice is to be sure to have fun and break the system whenever it feels right to you.

Below is the standard Vibe Framework.

VIBE STRUCTURE

• Vibe: name of the Vibe as PCs know it.
• Description: directed at the player. Evokes the (internal) conflict.
• To Recover Weird (d6 table). Six ways to recover Weird. Rolled on creation. They require time and effort. Some of them might put the character at risk.
• 1 Passive Power. [Verb + Description]. Always on (until the character's Weird is depleted). Generally, it is a protection or perception ability.
• 6 Active Powers. [Verb + Description]. Powers have an effect on the direct environment or on the character itself. They don't need to be combat-oriented.
• Starting Gear (d6 loadout table). Each table entry has s̶i̶x̶ four items. Optionally, give each table entry a Persona descriptor. 
• 6 Scars banes and boons for using Powers

Persona examples

Documentarist [Scanner}. Infrared Camcorder, Paper cutter (1 DMG), Missing person flyer, Rain cloak.

Singer [Screamer]. Iridescent makeup, Band T-shirt, Voice altering collar, Audio cable.

Cheerleader. Cicadas soccer team jacket, <3 JEN Tattoo, Hair Brush, 1 ft long knife (1 DMG).

MORE ON POWERS

Powers descriptions should be short and open to interpretation even when they describe precise mechanics. In some cases, they can be as short as a single word. Some examples [in brackets the Vibe they're taken from]:

• Suffocate [Firestarter]
• Dare: Overcome perilous situation, sleep to recharge  [Firestarter]
• Induce Hallucination: Deal damage as Flow on touch  [Seer]
• Consult Oracle. Lucy the Eyeless will answer one question, requires spilled blood  [Seer]
• Rewind. Go back in time one Round  [Scanner]

Active Powers always succeed. This is why they should be limited in scope and intensity. Vibes are not god-like characters. They are humans who can channel a fraction of their tutelary immortal's power at a great cost.

Powers should not involve rolls. If a roll is involved, it should not be used to determine the power'sr success. 

If a power has a mechanic with a measurable effect it should be equal to Flow or Weird. Examples: The power deals damage as Flow, the power lasts Flow round, and the power lasts Weird rounds.

A power effect should never be equal to Heart, Force, or Focus. That would somehow break the system and result in a very imbalanced character (which could be fun!).

 By default Powers' range is Close (contact). 

LIVING SAINT

The tutelary Living Saint is a Vibe on steroids. Neither good nor bad, it personifies the vibe's conflicts, powers, and inclinations, pushed to the extreme.

• Immortal You Serve: Name
• Form: physical incarnation, human-ish | alternate incarnation, can be an element, animal, or a combination of those.
• Shrine: simple location. Generally a mundane place with a weird or unsettling twist.
• Clergy: monks and followers.
• Omen: what happens when they're near. Affects and modifies the immediate environment or the playing characters. It should be only narrative.
• Relic: Weird item, description of its effect. Relics are powerful and might have a short lifetime once used.

SCARS

• Scars (d6 table, possible PC boon/bane development)

Scars happen to characters when they fail a Weird save. They might hurt characters or change them, making them weaker or strongerr. Scars can affect the environment and potentially whoever is close to the power user, including them.

They should be unique and surprising.

Most Scars have an immediate narrative effect, plus a save whose outcome will determine an additional effect, boon or bane. 

Examples:

Phoenixed [Firestarter]. You're a human pyre. Make a Flow Save. If successful, you feel born again: bear a burn mark and gain a new Power. Otherwise, you lose all your Gear in the fire and everything at Near Range takes 2 DMG, including you.

Darksighted [Seer]. The light level drops to almost dark up to Near. Make a Force Save. If successful, add a second Passive Power, Darksighted, which lets you see up to Near in low light. Otherwise, lose 1 Force.

Scars are an excellent opportunity to inject lore into the game and let the players discover it as the session unfolds. Scars shouldn't give straight factual lore information but rather raise questions pertinent to Lost Bay or the Vibe's tutelary saint. 

Examples: 

VHSed [Scanner]. Your belly rips open and a plastorganic VHS tape emerges from it. It contains the video of your life up to the moment you play it. Watch it and recreate your character from scratch. Works only once.

Prey [Monarch]. Saint Jennifer had a vision of you: she finds you oddly beautiful and tasty. Focus save to block her vision, or the two of you remain connected, and Jennifer hunts you restlessly. She'll find you in 24h whenever your Weird drops to 0. If you survive her, get a new Power.

SIX OR TEN SCARS?

In the Quickstart and the Manuscript Preview, Vibes have ten scars. However, we've decided to cut down that number to six in an effort to get rid of non-d6 dice.

EXAMPLE SCAR MECHANICAL EFFECTS