Delving Deep into the Heart (System game, Heart)

[SidheLady]

Deep below the Mile high city of Spire, there is the Labyrinth of the Heart. Endless miles of twisting and turning tunnels, interspersed with havens from the mad magics. In the Haven of "Last Chance" close to the entrance to the Spire, where those who have been banished wait in fruitless hope of being allowed to return. In the...mostly clean (and normal) Tavern delvers have returned with a map...a tattered piece of vellum with directions (and riddles) leading to pleasure gardens deeper in the Heart, a place of indescribable (and probably forbidden) pleasures.

Only a few Delvers would ignore the manic gleam in the Delver's eye and take the risk...but you be one of them?

I am planning to run a system based game (using the Heart rpg setting and system), leading the Delvers deep in to the twisted tunnels of the flesh gardens...

The characters need to be starting characters

More information, just ask!

[Zeth]

I'm all in.

[DracoNeurosis]

Is this the "Heart: The City Beneath" system?

If so, will some of the horror elements be mixed in with the details already stated, or are they being put aside?

[SidheLady]

Yes it is, and yes there will be

[DracoNeurosis]

Well, I found a PDF of the core rules and a quick scan of the first dozen or so pages has be curious, so I think I'd like to try this out.  Any restrictions on character creation?

What's the timeframe to get started?

[SidheLady]

I'd like to get started sometime next week, and no restrictions on character!

[Re Z L]

This looks pretty interesting...  I'm getting a big "The Invitation" comic by Incase vibe from the setting too

[Red Stella]

Hmm.  I’m not yet familiar with the Heart system, so off I go to investigate!

————

Found the quickstart version.  Definitely interested, but the QS version only has 5 of the 9 possible classes.  *sigh*
I’ll make do (although I am now insanely curious about those other four classes). 

[SidheLady]

Oh some of them are incredibly interesting....^_^

[Red Stella]

Oh some of them are incredibly interesting....^_^

Argh!!  You taunt me with the incredible interestingness of these out of reach character classes!!

[SidheLady]

Yep, I do! that is because I am evil!

[Red Stella]

Yep, I do! that is because I am evil!

🥺

I do SO love evil GMs....

[Re Z L]

You can find some decent descriptions on their news pages:

https://rowanrookanddecard.com/cleaver-class-breakdown/

[Red Stella]

You can find some decent descriptions on their news pages:

https://rowanrookanddecard.com/cleaver-class-breakdown/

Thank you!  That’s really helpful. 

[Avalon29]

I'd be interested if you're still looking. I adore the Spire and Heart both, can't wait to get my physical copy. Not quite sure what  I would go with yet so many neat classes.

[Red Stella]

Right.  I’m leaning towards heretic, but the QuickStart doesn’t exactly have character generation.  They talk about the classes, etc. and they have pre-made characters. 

Help?

[Re Z L]

Here's what I'm thinking so far:

Ancestry: Human
Calling: Heartsong
Class: Witch

• Major Ability: Exsanguinate
• Minor Ability: The Old Blood
• Minor Ability: Red Dominion
• Minor Ability: Heart-Wise (Kill)

[Avalon29]

Right.  I’m leaning towards heretic, but the QuickStart doesn’t exactly have character generation.  They talk about the classes, etc. and they have pre-made characters. 

Help?

If you're needing help here's the steps for character creation if you're still having trouble.

1. Pick your ancestry/race. The options are Drow/Dark elf, Human, Aelfir/High Elf, or Gnoll.  There are no benefits or penalties based on race. Just pick the one you want. You'll have to answer a question based on your race once you decide. Someone else with the book or myself can share those questions once you decide.

2. Pick your calling: This is why you're  in the Heart. There are five of these. Each come with their own ability, couple of questions to develop you're character, and also decide your milestones for leveling. I or someone else with the book can share the beat list and questions once you decide.

The options are:

Adventure:  You're there for the the thrill and excitement, to make a name for yourself. Ability: You can heal stress whenever you gain an advance with the amount depending on the type of advance.  Beat style: You level by doing adventurous and glory related things such as rescuing people, getting in trouble, defeating a powerful foe, or spreading thrilling tales about yourself

Enlightenment: You're there for the knowledge and secrets the heart contains. Ability: Once a session you can automatically succeed an action with a 6, succeed but take stress.  Beat style: You gain advances by doing things that allow you to discover secrets or get in trouble relating to the search of secrets with things such as investigating or disecting someone or something for knowledge, find a helpful text, or putting finding new information above the well being of your allies and getting into trouble

Forced:  You're their because someone made you go. You were blackmailed, a servant, owe a debt to someone etc.
Ability:Once a session when you receive stress you can pass it on to another ally either player or NPC.
Beat style:  This one has 3 main themes, doing something related to your master/s either  performing a service or rebelling or the consequences of such actions, trouble caused by your past or misfortune, and relationships with other characters such as betrayal, getting them involved with your master's schemes, or forging a positve relationship with an np

Heartsong: You're here because the heart is calling to you, egging you on to explore the depths.

Ability:  You get +1 echo protection and once a situation when you take fallout you can change the fallout type to echo instead.

Beatstyle: Your advances come from learning more about the heart like going into a long trance related to the heart, doing stuff for the heart like building a shrine for it or sabotaging a haven so the heart can mess with it, or causing trouble by letting your connection to the Heart get the better of you, like letting a dangerous being connected to the heart go instead of killing it when you had the chance.

Penitent: You're in the heart because you feel guilty about something and are trying to make amends while performing acts in the service of the group you caused harm to.

Ability: Once a session you can ignore the effects of a blood or mind fallout  during the rest of the situation

Beat style: Do things related to absolving your guilt like doing something for someone without expectation of repayment. Or you can do something to push the cause of the order you work for by doing things like converting someone or donating supplies to the order. Or it could be something like your your penance causes trouble like a run in with someone who hates you for what you did or killing someone in the name of your order or performing a task you don't want to do for them

3. Your last step is choose your class. You get the core abilities, skills, resources, and items related to that  class as well as one major and 3 minor abilities from the class.

[Amyclas]

Sidhe where do I find heart rpg materials?

[Avalon29]

You can get the quickstart free from the author’s site site https://rowanrookanddecard.com/product/heart-the-city-beneath-quickstart-rules/ and a breakdown of all the classes from the website as well.

[SidheLady]

Very welcome Avalon and thankyou! ^_^

[Avalon29]

Currently debating between Deadwalker and Hound, both seem like tons of fun

[mayovagn]

Interested. Have to read rules. If you would have a wonky brained weirdo.

[SidheLady]

But of course, and you wont be the only wonky brain ^_^

[SidheLady]

Okay, so...if you have a character, fill in this

Name:
Class:
Calling:

Blood:
Mind:
Echo:
Fortune:
Supplies:

Skills:
Domains:

Equipment:
Resources:
Beats:

Appearance:
History: