From: Anders Sandberg Subject: Rules for Virtual Realms Theme: This may be a good point to define the `theme' of the Continuum and Nexus. This theme is the exploration and interpretation of the Mysterious Unknown. The Strange, the Weird, and the Unusual. Enigmatic Alien artefacts on empty worlds, disappearing cities, mind-blowing Hard Sci-Fi mystery, strange forces shaping realities, civilisations never encountered before, and so on. Bear this in mind when designing your own Virtuals. ===================================================================== NEXUS - The Shade Realm of Time ===================================================================== Nexus is a truly incredible Realm, and is home to Central Office, the Main Chantry of the Continuum. It is from here that the Continuum co-ordinates its defence of the Corridor. Aside from its bizarre inhabitants and environment, Nexus opens whole new Vistas of opportunity and adventure for Mages, through the Virtuals that can be accessed from it. Some periods of History appear to result in the creation of an Alternate Corridor to the Main Corridor (MC) representing Earth. History may take a different course in these Alternate Corridors, known as Virtual Futures, or more commonly, VIRTUALS. Within these Virtuals, an exact duplicate of MC is created, but with one difference - the outcome of the event. When the time comes for the event to occur in MC, one of these Virtuals 'crystallises' or becomes Real. This former Virtual now represents the outcome of the event in MC. The other Virtuals at this point 'shear off' the Main Corridor, and these 'failed' Virtuals are cast adrift in the Darkness. Many (if not most) of these Virtuals are rapidly dissolved by the Darkness, but some survive for long enough to be captured by Nexus and made Real. The Darkness itself requires some further explanation. It represents the corrective forces of the Metaverse. The Corridors themselves are actually aberrations in the fabric of the Metaverse, and as a result are quite unstable. To restore equilibrium, the Darkness (the natural fabric of the Metaverse) seeks to dissolve these instabilities. On Main Corridor (the only True Corridor about which anything is known at present), these attempts at correction manifest on the whole as seemingly intelligent entities seeking to invade and destroy our reality - the Continuum's sole purpose is to repel these invaders. The Continuum is fully aware that it can never `win' this Perpetual War, and as such solely operates defensively, foiling invasion attempts as and when they occur. To some, these invasions appear to be driven by individual entities - the Garou see an entity known as the Wyrm. However, this is an illusion. The Continuum know that the Wyrm (and the other devils of the Awakened) are but the physical representations of a much greater concept. In a sense, the Darkness itself (or at least its physical representations) may be considered as sentient in an extremely alien way. It cannot destroy our True Corridor directly, but instead seeks to weaken it from the inside through these invasions. As such it manifests within Main Corridor as entities which appear `evil' and `nihilistic'. Although the Continuum destroys or banishes Wraiths where it finds them (due to the fact that they seem to weaken the Walls of the Corridor where they appear), the Oblivion of these Ghosts is probably much closer to a true understanding of the concept of the Darkness than the Wyrm. Nexus itself is unusual in the cosmology of the Continuum. It is directly attached to Main Corridor, running parallel to it (unlike the Branches, which radiate from the sides), but borders directly on both the Darkness and Main Corridor itself - thus, in Mage terms, it is a Horizon Realm with access to both the Deep Umbra and the Near Umbra and Earth. Thus, it can collect the Virtuals that are cast adrift from Main Corridor. It is not entirely clear what factors allow certain Virtuals to survive dissolution by the Darkness. The probability of their outcome is very likely to be one factor, although the amount of Energy (Quintessence) they hold also appears to be important. Sometimes it just seems to be the will of its inhabitants' existence that gives the Virtual strength against the Darkness. One possibility, which the Continuum or any other mortal is completely unaware of (and is quite possibly afraid to consider), is that Nexus itself is ACTIVELY saving Virtuals from destruction. This also raises the question of whether or not Nexus itself is in fact the Oracle of the Continuum. Nexus is surrounded by thousands (if not millions) of Virtuals, accumulated it seems from the beginnings of our own Corridor. These Virtuals surround Nexus like a fibreoptic cable, with Nexus being the core 'fibre'. However, when accessing Nexus from MC, it can be entered directly without recourse to having to pass through a Virtual first. The Virtuals themselves can only be accessed via Nexus, and not from MC. It appears that the Virtuals related to Earth and humanity are the most easy to access from Nexus, while other, more 'incompatible' Virtuals are much harder to enter. There appears to be some kind of metaphysickal barrier that prevents different and incompatible Virtuals from intermingling. Thus, a Virtual where the very physical and natural laws define Reality to consist solely of Radiation (with no matter) is going to be extremely difficult (if not impossible) for an MC human (who comes from a Universe where Matter dominates) to access. A Virtual contains a 'less potent' (see later) duplicate of EVERYTHING (even Nodes) that was contained in the Main Corridor when it separated. When a Virtual splits from MC, Time freezes within it, since it is now no longer sustained by The Flow while adrift. This makes it very vulnerable to invasion by the Darkness through the 'open ends' of the Virtual. In all cases, if the Darkness breaks through to the drifting Virtual, it is discorporated in seconds..... mercifully, its inhabitants (frozen in time) are not even aware of their destruction (they are not even aware of their existence at this point). Nexus itself seems to be a Pseudo-Corridor - similar to MC but not quite the same. It possesses some kind of MetaGravity, that allows it to attract the drifting Virtuals. It also, being a Branch (albeit an unusual one) of MC, has the Flow travelling through it. The Flow represents Prime, but it also pushes objects within the Corridor (and all of its Branches (including Nexus)) forwards through Time. If a Virtual has no Flow, it is temporarily rendered both 'unreal' and 'outside Time'. If a Virtual survives its drift in the Darkness and is re-attached to Nexus, the Flow resumes through it. This restarts the flow of Time through the Virtual, and its inhabitants continue their existence completely unaware that their future is different to that of Main Corridor (although their past is the same). As far as they are concerned, their future is the correct future, and the ONLY future. This is due to the Law Of Continuity, described below. As a result, Nexus is fuelled by many thousands of Nodes in many different Virtuals (and in MC), so it is a huge Realm - even though most are weaker than MC Nodes, there are so many that it makes little difference. It should be noted that this whole sequence of shearing/drift/ reconnection takes place outside the flow of Time. In the Virtual itself, no time has passed. In MC and Nexus, the Virtual rejoins apparently at the moment it separated. Effectively, from an MC perspective, the Virtual shears off and instantly reappears at Nexus (assuming it survives its drift through the Darkness). Thus the `clocks' of MC, Nexus, and all its Virtuals are the same. This synchronicity of all the `clocks' of each Virtual with MC and Nexus is present because of the way Time works. There is a constant flow of Time in the Main Corridor - there is a definite beginning (at time t=0 - the Big Bang, or creation of the Universe) and presumably there will be a definite end. Virtuals shear off at a certain time (corresponding to the event that creates them - a Virtual in which the 1906 Great San Francisco Earthquake didn't happen would shear off from MC at this time), after which Time progresses at the normal rate in both Virtual and MC. Time is strictly linear and unidirectional in Main Corridor and the Virtuals (although in Nexus, Time is not fixed, and can flow at a changing rate in any direction), which means that it is March 1995 (the Present) on all the Virtuals. Thus, there are no Virtuals whose local time is before or after the Present - they are all synchronized with Main Corridor. ------------------------------------------ On the Nature and Metaphysicks of Virtuals ------------------------------------------ It should be noted that Virtuals are NOT actually Realms. Rather, they are almost identical copies of MC, with a few major differences in their histories. As such, they have access to the same Nodes as they did in MC, which are also reproduced in the Virtual. However, the critical difference is that the Virtual's Nodes are weaker in strength. In effect, the Virtual is a less potent copy of MC. Life exists as normal (where the physical conditions allow) in the Virtuals, and is completely indistinguishable and compatible (again, assuming the physical conditions of the Virtual allow it) with normal life in MC. Human civilization appears in many alternate forms - on the Virtual called Aegypt, the ancient Egyptian civilization never collapsed, and continues to the present day. On Reich, the Nazis won the Second World War and are enjoying the 50th year of the 1000 year Reich under Ernst Hitler, son of Adolph. On Armageddon, the Cuban Missile Crisis erupted into a full-scale nuclear exchange, and the planet and humanity are recovering from the Nuclear Winter. Then again, there are equally many where human civilisations, or even life, does not exist. On Sauron, a dinosaur civilisation flourishes. On Lucifer, Life on Earth was never even created. On Neverland, all animal and human life on Earth suddenly disappeared without trace on January 18th 1993. To re-iterate, ALL the Virtuals exist in the NOW. It seems there is an underlying, objective, sense of Time that runs throughout the entire Metaverse - all Corridors appear to have begun at the same time. Thus, in all the Virtuals, it is the present. No 'future' or 'past' Virtuals exist, although technological differences may arise because of the dominant attitude of the Civilization in that Virtual. For example, on Terra Prime, the Technocracy has won the Ascension war and the technological level is very high (this Virtual is kept Ultra-Secret by the Continuum, and it continually guarded and observed). On Lemuria, the technology level is very low, and society very primitive, since the Dreamspeakers have won the Ascension War there. But on both of these Virtuals, it is still the beginning of 1995 - the present day. On some Virtuals, magick does not even exist - Quintessence is non-existent!! No Virtual has its own sustainable 'Virtual Future'. It seems that only a Virtual cast off from Main Corridor has sufficient energy to allow for the possibility of survival in the Darkness and capture by Nexus. 2nd generation Virtuals simply are never strong enough to survive this shearing. --------------------- The Law Of Continuity --------------------- The inhabitants of the Virtuals view their realities (which they usually refer to as Earth as well - the names given earlier are the Continuum Codenames for the Virtuals) as the ONLY version of Gaia. They are completely (below Oracle level, at least) unaware of the existence of any other Virtual, or of Main Corridor itself. In effect, each Virtual has its own metaphysical 'frequency'. A Mage from Virtual A is naturally 'tuned in' to his home Virtual, and as such is completely incapable of entering or even sensing Virtual B which has a different 'frequency'. Only Mages from Main Corridor, which is the root of all these Virtuals, can access any of the Virtuals they please, and even then they can do it only from Nexus. This is the result of a Metaversal Law of Continuity, which ensures that each Virtual remains unaware that its status in the Metaverse has changed (ie. it is no longer the `only' and `correct' Earth). This Law of Continuity is why the barrier to general cross- Virtual contamination described above exists. However, there are some Virtual individuals blessed with a Temporal Avatar, which allows them to travel across the Virtuals, Nexus, and even Main Corridor itself. However, in almost all cases, except where the Virtual Inhabitant possesses a Temporal Avatar (described below), a Virtual Mage can NEVER enter MC, Nexus, or any other Virtual. Only Mages from MC, the source of the Virtuals, can be aware of the existence of the Virtuals and Nexus. The Law Of Continuity states that a Virtual should remain completely unaware that it is now not the 'official' Universe (since MC is). Thus it retains access to its Realms and Near Umbra as normal. ie. the Virtual has its own self-contained cosmology. This Cosmology is completely separate from those of MC and other Virtuals, and as such can only be accessed from the Virtual itself. It can't detect that it is now a Virtual, and never will. This is imperative to preserve Continuity in the Virtuals. In fact, the only thing all Virtuals have in common is the Deep Umbra, as it surrounds all of them. In addition, having no access to the Deep Umbra would violate Continuity. ----------------- Virtual Cosmology ----------------- The Law Of Continuity implies that Sauron will have its own Near Umbra and Realms which have a distinctly unique Saurian slant to them. These are different to the Realms and Near Umbra of Lucifer - which in fact are completely barren since no life has ever existed there. The Cosmology of Reich is separate (and different) to both of these Virtuals, and so on and so on.... Trying to make rules to cover and create all these alternate Cosmologies is pointless. However, these basic guidelines should be observed when creating individual Virtual Cosmologies: 1) Each Virtual has its own cosmology, which is designed according to the beliefs of the inhabitants of that Virtual. Each cosmology is closed to all outsiders apart from those originating in Main Corridor, or those with Temporal Avatars (see below). 2) Inhabitants of a given Virtual (without Temporal Avatars) are incapable of interacting with anything originating from beyond their Virtual (due to the Law Of Continuity and the Virtuals' different 'metaphysical frequencies' described above). Thus they are completely incapable of entering Main Corridor, Nexus, or any other Virtual. Equally they cannot affect or perceive the inhabitants of these other planes in any way. 3) Mages originating from Main Corridor (and Virtual inhabitants with Temporal Avatars) ARE capable of entering and leaving a Virtual and interacting with its inhabitants. While in the Virtual, they can be perceived and affected by the inhabitants as normal. Interaction is handled according to the rules below. 4) The Deep Umbra is the same for all Virtuals (being the Darkness that surrounds Nexus and all the Virtuals). There is only ONE Deep Umbra. However, even within this the inhabitants of Virtuals are still incapable of interacting or perceiving eachother due to their differing `metaphysical frequencies'. 5) Virtuals do not have access to Nexus. Access to Main Corridor's Shade Realm of Time is impossible for any inhabitant of a Virtual unless (s)he possesses a Temporal Avatar. However, Virtuals can have access to their own Shade Realms of Time (described below). It should be noted that MC Mages and other MC Awakened Creatures do NOT have alternate versions of themselves in the Virtuals. Similarly, Virtual Mages and Awakened Creatures WITH TEMPORAL AVATARS have no duplicates in Main Corridor. It appears that all beings with Temporal Avatars or MC Avatars are UNIQUE in the entire Metaverse. However, beings without MC Avatars or Temporal Avatars (ie. Sleepers, Virtual Mages without Temp. Avatars etc) may be and indeed are often duplicated in other Virtuals. Also, these `duplicates' are not necessarily the same as the 'originals' - a Virtual Mage in one reality may be an OoH Mage, but in another may serve the Euthanatos. The Law Of Continuity allows this, since those without Temporal Avatars will never be able to see their alternate selves anyway. Those with Temporal Avatars however would be able to perceive and interact with their duplicates, thus violating Continuity. This is why all beings able to cross realities have no duplicates in other Virtuals or in MC. ---------------------------- Virtual Shade Realms of Time ---------------------------- A note here should be made about the existence of Virtual Shade Realms of Time. These DO exist, but are not quite the same as MC Nexus (henceforth referred to as just `Nexus') - they do not have any Virtuals. Otherwise, the physical environment within the Virtual Shade Realms of Time are exactly identical to that described below. However, the Continuum and Virtuals do not exist in any other Realm but Nexus (the former due to the fact that their Paradigm (and thus the Tradition) can only be created if the viewpoint originates in MC - thus the Continuum is unique to Main Corridor - and the latter due the fact that 2nd Generation Virtuals (such as those that could theoretically be trapped by a Virtual Shade Realm Of Time) never survive their Drift in the Darkness)). The Shade Realm Of Time in other Virtuals does not contain Central Office, but may instead contain the Main Chantry of another Tradition which focuses on Time (or remain completely uninhabited). However, in all cases there is no connection between the Virtual Shade Realms of Time and Nexus. ---------------------------------------- Virtual Inhabitants and Temporal Avatars ---------------------------------------- In the Virtuals, Magick generally works as it does on Main Corridor, but many Virtuals have variants on MC's Sphere Ratings, depending on the dominant Paradigm. As a result, Avatars (and Awakenings) can occur in the Virtuals, which means that Indigenous Mages can exist there. Other indigenous supernatural entities (Kindred, Garou, Mummies, and Wraiths) can exist in many of the Virtuals, as long as the local conditions (and in the case of Kindred and Mummies, local mythologies) allow it. However, the actual magickal specifics for each Virtual can obviously be very different. The Saurians (inhabiting the Virtual where Dinosaurs never died out and remain the dominant species on the planet, with a flourishing civilization) are obviously going to have very different paradigms to the humans of the WoD. As a result, they may even have completely different Spheres and Systems of Magick to our own. How detailed these differences are is completely left to the individual Storyteller to decide. However, as a general rule the Paradigms and methods of human Magick should remain similar throughout the human Virtuals - differences occur due to the branching of human philosophical evolution in that Virtual after it sheared. Thus, in modern Aegypt, Magick should be based more on an Egyptian System (such as that suggested in Mummy) than a Hermetic System. However, this Egyptian System is similar to that of ancient MC Earth, having the same roots. ---------------- TEMPORAL AVATARS ---------------- On the whole, Virtual Mages (and other Inhabitants such as the Garou) are completely unaware of the existence of Nexus, the other Virtuals, and Main Corridor. They simply cannot perceive, interact with, or enter any of these other Realities. However, some Virtual Inhabitants are blessed with an unusual Avatar (or Soul) that allows them to be aware of the true nature of their reality. They are as a result fully aware of the Virtuals, and can travel to Nexus and Main Corridor. Such Avatars are known as TEMPORAL AVATARS, and are unique to the Virtuals. _____________________________________________________________________ Temporal Avatar +1 freebie point (Virtual Inhabitant only) The Avatar (or soul) of the Virtual character is unusual in that it is not specifically tuned to his own Virtual. Indeed, it is to all intents and purposes, the Avatar/soul of an MC Mage/inhabitant. This means, that the Virtual character is capable of perceiving and entering any Virtual, Nexus, and even Main Corridor, and interacting fully with the inhabitants therein. Basically, the character is treated as if he was from Main Corridor. Note however that a Temporal Avatar does not allow the use of Quintessence as an MC Mage. If a character with a Temporal Avatar originates from a Level 2 Virtual, then MC (and Level 1 Virtual) Quint will still be twice as powerful as his indigenous Quintessence, with a corresponding chance of Burnout (see `Virtual Quintessence' below). Also, Magickal difficulties are increased for the Virtual Mage in Main Corridor, any of its Realms, or any higher level Virtuals. The increase in difficulty is equal to the difference between the Virtual Mage's Home Virtual Rating and the Rating of the Virtual (or MC) he is currently in. Treat MC (and MC's Realms and Near Umbra) and Nexus as having a Rating of 0. Thus, even an inhabitant of a Level 1 Virtual is going to be at a slight magickal disadvantage in MC. Note that MC inhabitants do NOT require this Merit - they are already capable of interacting with a Virtual at will. -------------------- Virtual Quintessence -------------------- As discussed earlier, Mages from MC can enter the Virtuals and can leave as they please. While their Magick operates in the same way as described in the Mage Rulebook, when using Virtual Quintessence and Tass they operate at a disadvantage to the local Mages. A Virtual can be viewed as a 'scaled down' or less potent version of Main Corridor - this applies even to its Nodes and Quintessence. Because Virtual Mages are scaled down with the rest of their Virtual, they use their Quintessence as if it were normal - ie. for a Virtual Mage: 1 point of Quint = -1 Difficulty on Magick rolls. However, MC Mages come from a more potent reality. To them, Virtual Quintessence is often weaker than MC Quintessence, so more must be used to achieve the same effect as in MC. Give each Virtual a Quintessence Rating of 1 to 3 (this can be determined randomly or through choice). This rating determines the equivalence of Virtual Quintessence and MC Quintessence. Only the most potent Virtuals will have a Quint Rating of 1. Most have a Rating of 2 - ie. 2 points of Virtual Quintessence correspond to an equivalent of 1 point of MC Quint. The weakest have a Quintessence rating of 3. The Quint rating shows how strong the Virtual is, and also how many points of Virtual Quint are required by an MC Mage to get the same effect as using 1 point of MC Quint - ie. how many points of Virtual Quint the MC Mage has to burn to reduce a magickal difficulty by -1. ie. a Mage is in a Virtual whose Quint Rating is 2. This means that to him, each point of Virtual Quint is actually equivalent to 1/2 a point of MC Quint. So he must absorb 2 points of Virtual Quintessence to gain 1 point in his MC Pattern. He therefore has to burn two of these Virtual Quintessence points to reduce the difficulty of a spell by one, EVEN IF HE IS IN ANOTHER VIRTUAL OR IN MAIN CORRIDOR. These points are locked up in his Pattern, so are carried with him wherever he goes until he uses them up! If an MC Mage enters a Virtual with MC Quint already in his Pattern, he can use these as normal, regardless of the Quint Rating. Of course, this means that MC Mages have to be careful that their Tass doesn't get into the wrong hands in a less potent Virtual, since it (to a Virtual Mage) is either 2 or 3 times as potent as their own Quintessence! However, use of MC Tass can be very dangerous to the Patterns of Virtual Mages, as its energy density is too high for them to use safely - this is described in `Burnout' below. While in a Virtual then, an MC Mage appears to be working at a considerable disadvantage - Virtual Quintessence is not as useful to him as it is to an indigenous Virtual Mage. However, because the MC Mage is used to exerting his Will against a more potent Reality, Magick comes a lot easier to him in a Virtual. DIFFICULTIES OF ALL SPELLCASTING ROLLS FOR MC MAGES ARE REDUCED BY A FACTOR EQUAL TO THE QUINT RATING OF THE VIRTUAL - even in Level 1 Virtuals, MC Mages have it easier casting magick (although in real terms Quintessence in a Level 1 Virtual is identical to MC Quint). ---------------------------- BURNOUT (Virtual Mages only) ---------------------------- As described above MC Quintessence is more potent than Virtual Quintessence. This also applies to any Virtual Quintessence from a higher Level Virtual (ie. a Mage from a Level 3 Virtual is at risk from burnout if using Quintessence from Level 2, Level 1, or MC itself). If used by a Virtual Mage, it could result in damage to his Pattern as a result of the higher energy density - this is known as 'Burnout'. This is handled as follows. Every time the Virtual Mage uses Quintessence more potent than he can handle (ie. from a higher level Virtual or MC), he must first make a: Stamina Roll at Difficulty (4+difference in Rating) Thus, a Mage from a Level 3 Virtual must roll against a difficulty of: 5 when using Level 2 Quint. 6 when using Level 1 Quint. 7 when using Level 0 Quint (ie. Main Corridor) This single roll covers the use of all the points of more potent Quintessence in a single effect - the actual number of Quint points used is irrelevant. Regardless of the result of the roll, all the points of more potent Quintessence are used up in the effect. If the Stamina Roll succeeds, the Quint is used as normal and provides the desired effect (usually the lowering of magickal difficulties). Note that the spellcasting roll must still be made after the Stamina Roll. If the Stamina Roll fails, the Mage cannot successfully contain and direct the energies of the Quintessence, and it flares off. All of the more potent Quintessence is used up, but has no effect on the outcome of the effect. It is simply discharged. It may do this spectacularly, with lots of visual effects, but this is at the GM's discretion. If the Stamina Roll Botches, the Mage tries to channel the Quintessence into the effect, but it is too much to handle. However, instead of flaring off into the surroundings, the Mage is consumed by the excess energy. All of the more potent Quint is channelled directly into the Mage's Pattern. This is known as BURNOUT. On a Stamina Botch, even if the spellcasting roll succeeds, it is treated as a failure. Natural failures are treated as normal (with the added effect of Burnout). Thus, magickal effects can only either fail or botch if Burnout occurs. The effects of a Botch on the spellcasting roll occur in conjunction with the effect of the Burnout. Burnout can manifest in many ways. It often manifests in a similar way to Paradox Damage (ie. the striated burns all over the Mage's body, causing aggravated damage). Damage is equal to the number of more potent Quintessence points used in the effect, and is aggravated. Alternatively, it can manifest as damage inflicted directly onto the character's living Pattern as it is frayed by the energies unleashed. This may cause a variety of effects - his life expectancy may drop, or he may acquire a form of cancer or lesions. His mental faculties may be dulled for a while, or he may get permanent brain damage. The exact effect is up to the Storyteller, but should involve damage to bodily functions (malignant Life effects are good examples), and should be proportional to the amount of more potent Quintessence discharged in the Burnout. ---------------------------------------------------------------------