About one and a half years ago, I came up with this mechanic for space traversal. After 17 months, I decided to turn it into a short blog post in case someone would find a good use for it, whether it's me or someone else. It's not a perfect system or a mechanic even, just a rough idea I had back then.
A room is a small region in the world encompassed by the doors. A door is a border between two neighboring rooms. Each door has a size. A character (NPC or player's) has a speed and size. An object has a size. The speed of a character defines how many doors it can pass through in one turn. The size of a character or object defines the size of doors it can interact with in various ways.
The default size for a character is 0. In a game about humans, a human's size is 0. In a game about giants, a giant's size is 0. A character with a greater size is physically larger than a character with a lesser size. If a character carries an object of a size greater than its own, its size is considered greater for the purposes of dealing with the doors.
Let the size of a character or object be C, and let the door's size be D.
If C ≤ D, a character or an object can move through the door.
If C ≤ D - 1, a character or an object can squeeze through the door.
If C ≤ D - 2, a character can interact through the door (attack, use objects, etc.).
If C ≤ D - 3, a character can perceive through the door.
If D = ∞, the door is a wall.
If D = -∞, the door is an open space.
This system could be applied in systems that are not about traversing a physical environment, but I do not have good examples at the moment.
I always thought ley lines are a cool fantasy idea that could make for a lovely source of magic. These days, I've been pondering how to make a world, in which people could make technology using some sort of magic, but also utilize this magic on their own. Divtech and orbtech are both bound to their items, a human couldn't use their magic without them. Runes can be drawn on any surface, and all it takes is amber, but it's impossible to draw them without it.
Seeing how last time I changed my mind a lot right after publishing the article, take things written here with a grain of salt (pun intended). It’s a proof of concept, not written in stone just yet.
I wish you a good time while reading this article!
X marks the spot! Except the lines would be hovering high up in the sky, and way wider. The art is drawn for the Magic: The Gathering card Leyline of Singularity, by Zoltan Boros and Gabor Szikszai.
Azureley
Magitech System: ley lines that rush the saltwater along their direction
Input: ley energy, flowing saltwater, mechanical valves, and metal rings
Output: water that's colored or vibrated in different ways using metal rings
Motion: water turbines, cogs, and pistons
Fuel: ley energy
The world of Azureley is a planet enveloped in a multitude of ley lines. A ley line in this world is a stream of energy visible high up in the sky that resembles an aurora borealis, continually flowing in a singular direction at all times. Each ley line is a circle, going around the sphere exactly once without crossing itself. The ley lines radiate ley energy, which compels saltwater within a certain range of the ley line to flow in the same direction when the water absorbs the energy. This can lead to sights uncommon to our world, such as saltwater rivers flowing out of the ocean uphill, digging canals into the earth and rock, permanent whirlpools if three or more ley lines form a small enough shape, causing the water to flow in a circular motion within them, and more. So far, there are no known means of creating, destroying or redirecting ley lines, and it is uncertain whether the ley lines will last forever.
Humanoids and animals of this world are capable of absorbing the ley energy while staying within the range of one or more ley lines. When a living creature focuses on releasing some of its ley energy, it can shape saltwater, or direct it to flow somewhere. Running out of ley energy runs the same risks as dehydration, which is why most of the major settlements are built underneath ley lines, especially at the ley crossings where the exposure to ley energy is greater.
When humanity discovered that hollow metal rings can change the properties of ley-infused water that flows through them or telekinetically prevent it from passing, it was only inevitable before they could create ley-powered machinery. This technology—leytech—is built out of stainless steel and glass pipes, too small for even a pinky finger of most people to fit in. The rings have the following properties on the ley-infused water that flows through the central hole, even if the water is not in contact with the metal:
Aluminium: Cooling
Water that passes through a ring made out of aluminum will become colder.
Cobalt: Heat
Water that passes through the magnesium ring will become warmer.
Copper: Information Relay
These rings only operate if there is at least one sending copper ring and at least one receiving ring with matching identification. The receiver rings will only let water through if at least one of the sending rings has water flowing through it. What exactly lets these copper rings be identified as pairs, as senders or receivers, and what constitutes the contents of water is yet to be determined by me.
Its opposite can be achieved through the use of Tin: a receiver ring made out of tin will only let water through if none of the sender rings made out of tin with a matching identification has water flowing through it.
Gold: Color
Fill this ring with one or more dyes, and the water that comes through it will be colored appropriately. If the ring is empty, any gold-induced coloring of the water is removed. The dyes are made out of specific materials, but for the purposes of this article they are not so important that they’d need to be listed. Picture them as a powder of a single color.
Nickel: Sound
When water passes through the tin ring, it produces a sound. … please don’t ask me how, I don’t have an explanation for this yet. After trying to somehow mix nonelectric hydraulophones with talking piano illusions for hours, I'm resorting to just saying magic and leaving it at that.
Silver: Filter
This ring will let through it only material that the inside of the ring is filled with. For example, if the inside of the ring is filled with fresh water, all of the salt will gather on the inside, while fresh water comes out. These are used commonly in households to make sure the used water is fresh, but they need to be cleaned a lot. If the ring is filled with a water that’s been colored using a gold ring, it will only let through water colored using the appropriate dye.
With all of the above as well as the natural properties of water, people were capable of creating various machines such as vehicles, plumbing, computers, and even their own equivalent of the internet. Besides these, they also possess their own weapons powered by leytech: frostguns and hofficers. Their operation is simple—a human uses their ley energy to fire a deeply frozen projectile at the target. In the case of a frostgun, it is a bullet roughly as big as a single digit of a finger or smaller. In the case of a hofficer, it’s a cannonball a little smaller than a human head. Due to its temperature, the projectile won't melt after being shot, and in the hottest weather, it takes less than an hour to melt inside of a wound.
Azureley is a world that consists of one stretched mega continent that passes through a pole and one ocean filled with a myriad of islands. Sailing along the ley lines is popular, though a ship must avoid leyline crossings on the open sea for the chaotic currents and the risk of getting caught in an eternal whirlpool. At the same time, the continent has its desert recently populated by people looking after the riches hidden within it. The formerly unpopulated desert is seen as an opportunity for a new life, which is why some folk have taken it into their own hands to bring justice to this land.
So in a nutshell, this is a world of water-bender cowboys and pirates possessing water-powered smartphones and the internet, as well as railguns that shoot ice bullets/cannonballs, while northern lights are all around the place. Not exactly cyberpunk, but silly enough to sound like fun to me.
Happy anniversary for the first article of a Runehack city, New Prista! I'm so happy about how much the world has changed. From a runic system that could do basically anything, all the way to a fleshed-out unique world with such a huge potential for stories. What's more, it has siblings now. While the siblings might not all be as cyberpunk and universal as Runehack, each of them feels like it has its own aesthetic, which I find cool. I only hope I'll be able to make up more of these magitech worlds that I could later find a nice use for and possibly flesh out.
If decades worth of movies and nearly one century of comic books tell us anything, it's one thing: people love their superheroes. And I want people to love my world So maybe I should put some superheroes into it. Probably focused in one place so that they don't alter my world too much.
Helethon
Deep in the Hidden Valley found in one of New World's numerous forests stands the majestic city-state of Helethon. What seems to be an ordinary modern city owned by a corporation surprisingly disconnected from both Nexuspace and Lifestock turns out to be a system corrupt to its core. As soon as the sun goes down, the crime rate grows tenfold. However, the valley this city exists in is a zone overflowing with anomalies. It is a valley of superstitions and myths come true, of deities walking among the mortals, of scientific experiments gone wrong in an amazing way, and of real magic. If you believe just hard enough, you too might gain the capabilities to change this city for the better... or worse. All of this has led to many vigilantes seeking ways of curing the city, only to get tangled in its web of corruption.
Geography
Helethon is found in the Hidden Valley that's supposedly found someplace in the continent of the New World. Its precise locations are kept secret from others for a reason that's unclear to most, if not all. A legend says that whoever will wander into the wilderness and follow their heart will stumble upon this place within a season. The city's walls encompass a fairly large lake, as well as a small mountain.
Whatever people need, Helethon can provide. An abundance of meat from chicken and sheeplets, as well as rare cows, pigs, and goats, are raised on multiple farms found within this city's walls. Many fish are caught in the lake, which also provides plenty of other resources. All sorts of vegetables, and many fruits, are also grown here. Silver, amber, gold, iron, and many other minerals and metals can be mined in the mountain that the city of Helethon protects. This mountain also provided the city with plenty of wood, and its powerful warriors are known to protect the woodcutters doing their work outside of the city walls by fighting off the morphers. Strangely, however, this state is unwilling to export or import any of these goods.
History
The Hidden Valley was left untouched until 52 years ago, when a collective of wandering humans, elves, and dwarves entered it. Due to unknown powers influencing the valley, some of these people have gained supernatural powers. Within years, they’ve gathered enough materials to build up a city, with more and more people moving in. The city remains independent from both Nexuspace and Lifestock to this day.
Structure
Helethon's districts are extremely straightforward, named after colors that dominate them. While residences tend to be brown in color on the inside, outsides of the houses of each district are mostly monochromatic, using various shades of their district's titular color. Vigilant and villainous lairs are hidden in each of the districts.
Blue District. The lake, as well as all ports, are part of this district found in the northern parts of the city. It borders the Green, Red, and Yellow Districts.
Gray District. The mountain, along with all its mines, makes up this district. It's found in the southern part of the city. It borders the Green, Red, and Yellow Districts.
Green District. The district dedicated to the variety of people who grow plants for a living can be found on the western edge of the city. Contained within this district is even a small forest, grown by the local vigilante Dryadica. The Green District is on the west of Helethon and borders the Blue, Gray, and Yellow Districts.
Red District. This formerly residential district on the east has been turned into the nest of most lowly criminals, which has led the Helethon’s governing body towards training guards and sending them to this area. This is where most villains’ henchmen usually come from, as well as where most trained non-vigilante soldiers reside. The Red District borders the Blue, Yellow, and Gray Districts.
Yellow District. If you wish to visit a bank or someone in a corporate position of power, you should visit the central district of the city. It borders all other districts.
Culture
For the most part, living in Helethon is like living in most other city-states owned by corporations, such as New Prista. However, all the differences come from the fact, that people can seemingly develop powers out of nowhere due to the secretive influences of the Hidden Valley. And civilians have largely adjusted to these.
If there is a fight between a vigilante and a villain that can’t be observed safely, civilians of Helethon struggle internally with a choice between two opposing forces. Either give in to the curiosity and approach the struggle to watch how it will end, or rush as far as one can to safety. Observing dangerous combat can be risky for those who lack special abilities that would let them survive it easier, and yet many do it in order to watch the spectacle, or sometimes to try and help the vigilante. News of such fights spread faster than a wildfire thanks to technology.
Due to the possibility of the city getting destroyed, people of this city try to minimize assets that they own which could be put at risk when two or more superpowered individuals face off. Ownership of cars or other vehicles that are hard to hide in case of trouble is rare since most civilians prefer to use public transportation. Owning a big house or multiple buildings, personal vehicles that aren’t used for work, and expensive fragile possessions is a display of either courage, riches, or both since it translates to a higher chance of getting damaged in dangerous combat between vigilantes and villains. The damages tend to be repaid by the villain if possible, or in uncommon cases the vigilante if they were proven to act recklessly enough, or the villain can’t be proven to be guilty.
Beyond managing their villains and their personal problems, the vigilantes have one more thing to look out for—public relations. If people love the vigilante, they are seen as an idol, celebrated by others whenever witnessed personally. However, not all vigilantes do or can manage their public relations so well. Whether it’s negligence, arrogance, incompetence, or a different reason, vigilantes like these actively hide from the public eye to avoid hostility from the civilians. Of course, companies capable of fixing one’s public relations for the right price are commonplace in Helethon.
On the 10th day of the summer, fans of vigilantes (and occasionally even villains) gather together for the VIVICON, a meeting of people rooting for the superpowered masked individuals. Many people bring their costumes here, in order to appreciate these individuals for their contributions and efforts to society. Panels with the vigilantes are held, where they tend to talk about themselves, what they do, and how they do it. Most of all, though—it is the one day of the year when villains are not judged by the public unless they decide to commit a crime on that day. As it has been proven in the past, sometimes a villain needs only a kind heart, an open ear, and some comforting words in order to turn back to the side of good. Actual vigilantes and villains mingle with the crowd, blending in and interacting with people even in their alternate personas because they belong. Ever since VIVICON has been organized on the Blue District’s beach once, it has been the preferred location for everyone involved.
The following are some phrases and slang words used in this city:
“Battleground” is, simply put, an area in which a violent fight between a villain and a vigilante is currently going on.
“Curio” is a nickname for a person that always rushes toward a battleground to witness the fight.
“Daft” is used as a verb describing the transformation of a vigilante into a villain, be it because of a reputation that goes way too low, broadening the scope of means through which one is willing to achieve their goals or another reason.
"Rolling uphill" is what happens to the vigilantes and villains drawn to other, way more famous vigilantes and villains, with hopes of challenging them and usurping their fame. It can also be used as a description of what someone is doing, for example, "rolling uphill to defeat Reaal".
"Skyfolk", "seafolk" and "groundfolk" are all nicknames used for bizarre alien invaders who lived in the sky, sea, or earth respectively, and try to overtake the city or the world.
"To wick" is when a vigilante kills a villain. Vigilante who does so is sometimes called "wicker", and villain who dies due to this is posthumously called "wickee". It tends to be one of the signs of a vigilante who's about to daft into a villain themselves. Wicking is followed by a punishment equivalent to murder if possible.
Subculture Showcase: Vigilantes and Villains
Note: This time, this section definitely implies that the presented subculture is unique to this city.
Vigilantes and villains of Helethon prefer tight form-fitting clothes since those tend to be ideal for fighting and moving around a lot. This art was kindly created by my amazing girlfriend Arell.
Art Curiosities: Depicted here are two of Helethon's many vigilantes: ML8R on the left, and Long Joanna on the right. Showing their superpowers was rather difficult to figure out, especially in Joanna's case, but I'd say that this art turned out great.
Duty resides in power. There are four types of people in this city: those who commit crimes, those who try to stop the criminals legally, those who take the matter of stopping the criminals into their own hands, and those who do nothing about it. The difference between a vigilante and a villain is that vigilantes step outside of the bounds of law in order to stop the villains who do the same.
To a villain, ends justify the means. These are people so driven to achieve their goals, that they will do anything for them, even if it means paying lowly criminals to do their bidding. What ends are they trying to achieve depends from villain to villain. Riches, power, chaos, death, or some weird contorted form of justice are usual suspects. Sometimes they unite their forces into organizations, but for the most part, they operate without the assistance of other villains. That being said, rumors say that most of the villains in the Helethon serve the Cabal of Five, a secretive group of five unknown figures who supposedly pull all of the strings behind their actions. Plenty of villains claim that their actions are independent of any greater force, but it’s generally unknown if this is true if there are five of these figures, who they are, and what powers do they hold.
The vigilantes are people with supernatural abilities who oppose villains in fulfilling their plans. While their methods of doing so tend to vary, usually it ends in some form of violence. What unites vigilantes overall is their desire to avoid unnecessary murder. The villains are sent to the Forgiving Penitentiary for a hopeful reformation and change for the better. The vast majority of the prisoners held there however manage to escape the facility, leading them back to wreaking havoc upon the world once again. The henchmen usually get away with a mild slap on their wrist due to how little importance they have in the overall crime when compared to the villain. While vigilantes start working on their own, it's normal for them to join not one, not two, but a whole lot of vigilant organizations that mirror the villainous ones.
The two sides are united by the fact that their superpowered persona is merely an alter-ego to their actual identity. Its name, outfit, and supernatural abilities are all hidden from the public in order to let these people experience an ordinary life too, free of judgment. It is frowned upon by both sides when a vigilante or a villain has their secret identity exposed, and it is seen as a brave move for someone to expose it themselves (such as Long Joanna).
Relations
All other countries are aware of Helethon, but none of them knows where the Hidden Valley is. Thus, if anyone travels anywhere, it’s usually Helethon’s denizens traveling to and from other cities temporarily.
Curiosities
Much like the Hidden Valley, Helethon too holds a multitude of curiosities, such as:
Cairn Manor is located on the edge of the Yellow and Blue District. It is the home of lonesome millionaire triplets who have inherited the ownership of several city banks when their parents died. Gossips around the city claim that at least one of them is secretly a vigilante, despite the fact neither of them seems to have any extraordinary powers.
Esqape is a name of a nightclub frequented by both vigilantes and villains. All enmities vanish in this place of true neutrality, letting anyone who wishes to reveal some personal aspects and opinions of themselves while relaxing here.
Forgiving Penitentiary is the prison dedicated to reforming all captured villains. It's found on the bordering point between the Gray, the Red, and the Yellow Districts. Rumors claim it's a former factory building repurposed to serve as a prison, and that over the years many secret tunnels have been built into the walls of the building without its guards becoming aware of it.
Justice Hall is home to a court, in which vigilantes can serve as judges side-by-side with non-superpowered judges. It has been established because oftentimes it has been proven that issues regarding the villains need the perspective of both vigilantes fighting them off, but also civilians who are affected by the collateral damage.
Memorial of the Thousand Burdens is a massive stone statue in the port area of a man holding a gigantic boulder on his back, representing the duties so many of the superpowered people in this city hold. It is a frequent target of attempted attacks by the villains trying to convince the vigilantes that they are not obliged to fight.
The Sentinel University is an educational institution dedicated to training those who have developed supernatural powers and wish to become vigilantes. It’s located in the Blue District, where it can be easily found thanks to its golden tower. There are still many vigilantes who are self-taught in their powers, not seeking any guidance on the use of their abilities and instead choosing to learn on their own.
The Violet Tower is a tower covered by violet velvet fabric that can’t get wet, created by the Pink Genius. This vigilante has lost her life when Reaal tried to kill half of Helethon’s population by detonating a massive runic bomb. Nowadays, her tower remains unvisited by anyone except for the vilest of villains and teenagers who have no respect for her or what the tower came to represent—the sacrifices that the vigilantes have to make sometimes in order to save others.
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Important People
Helethon is a home of many vigilantes and villains, which is why each of these characters will have its nickname listed in front of its actual name.
“Achoe”, Snozz Lozz, goblin, male; a minor villain with the ability to make any person or group of people sneeze with a snap of his fingers. Generally viewed as a harmless nuisance. Tends to get annoying when he has a song stuck in his head that he can’t help but snap to.
“The BubbleBot”, no other name given, runebot, female; a vigilante who traps the villains she fights in psychic spherical force fields. She is enthusiastic about the prospect of fighting the villains, and oftentimes seeks ways of making people’s days generally better.
“Dryadica”, Lesann Woods, elf, female; vigilante who embodies the soul of the forests. She can grow plants, flowers, trees, and vines as she wills, and seems to be partially made out of wood herself.
"Emulator" also known as "ML8R", Hed Lived, human, male; vigilante who was brought back to life by an unknown being from another world that also granted him shapeshifting powers. Many citizens dislike him despite helping them out because they think he is a very intelligent monster that has infiltrated the city and is trying to gain people's trust. Curiously, the silver is his weakness—when touching it, his muscles strain and lock, causing him paralysis everywhere except for his face.
“Meatball Moon”, no other name given, unknown, unknown; a sentient villain that was a shapeshifter equivalent of a rat king. This ball of flesh has hurled years ago towards the Helethon city without any other city noticing. It has been dispatched by the combined forces of several vigilantes, and now it is gone.
“Mr. Kat”, Marquis Katoward Felmund Starfur XVII. of Amberwatch Lineage, cat, male; an orange-furred villain who’s extremely wealthy, influential in the society, and possesses an army of custom-made runebots with cat heads. All of the tools he uses are cat-themed, and he speaks through a runetech-powered translator. His superpower is to access all of the memories of his ancestors named Marquis Katoward Felmund Starfur, but he can’t do so on the first day of a season. On such days, he goes on a wrath-filled rampage, knocking down any objects placed on top of other objects. His only weakness that’s a well-kept secret is his love for layered pasta meatcakes, which are capable of incapacitating him until he’s done eating them.
“Runegirl”, Amber Drawn, dwarf, female; a vigilante with the ability to manifest the effects of runes out of nowhere. Her powers also allow her to access the Mistweb intuitively through unknown means, which is why she uses plenty of Mistweb slang and analogies. She likes to browse encyclopedic articles in her free time.
"Traveler", Long Joanna, human, female; vigilante with a supernatural speed (roughly twice as fast as a trained runner), and an ability to teleport anywhere she can see. Her vigilante nickname has eventually been used less and less in the actual stories. She loves teas that she makes on her own at home.
"Æp", Tarisha Greenblossom, fairy, female; vigilante with a magical ability to forbid people from taking some actions (or to take this restriction away), as long as she can touch them and speak. In her personal life, she serves as a judge giving out life sentences, and she battles the temptation to use her powers every day.
"Reaal", Joh K'eeng, orc, male; villain with the power of commanding people to take certain courses of action. The main opponent of Æp, and one of the few people with willpower strong enough to resist her powers.
"Fowls", Bay DeVeil, goblin, male; a villainous farmer with the power of transforming into and controlling game such as chicken, ducks, geese, and pheasants. Strangely, his powers also cover games played with cards, dice, boards, and balls. His main enemy is Mr. Kat.
I would like to suggest you read out loud to yourself the nicknames of the last three superheroes in quick succession before you continue.
The Truth
Now that you know what day I've published this work on, here's the truth about this city: It is a work of fiction within the world of Runehack. People produce comic books, movies, and stories of these fictional characters in this fictional city, for the same reason for which we've done it. Entertainment. And this was quite an amusing city-state to write about for me. I can only hope you've enjoyed it too.
