3 hours ago, Maelora said:MarcyVerse Holocrons are basically this:
.... so possibly best not to open them. (Especially if you've see the film 'Get Out'...)
I do, however, use the Holocron rules for things like helpful cactus friends
With a side-order of Mentor, although she's not technically either...
hellocron
Edited by Archlyte
13 minutes ago, Archlyte said:
I knew what that was before I clicked
I have one of these!
But yeah, a boost to skills and an XP discount seemed the best way to deal with the mechanics of belonging to a unique Force tradition that consists of you and a talking cactus. (Well, telepathic anyway!)
Even better, a Force tradition that won't hollow out your mind and steal your body, which is always a plus.
45 minutes ago, Tramp Graphics said:Well, I'm talking about the puzzle box itself. That's the exact same one they use in the Hellraiser movies.
Um, yes, I know - I was being facetious (as I often am).
I meant to imply that MarcyVerse Holocrons are not the treasured relics of a benevolent organisation, but a kind of 'brain in a jar' for an old, paranoid and ruthless Force wizard who will train you and then steal your body, on the basis that he feels he's better than you. (And that's assuming the Holocron isn't horribly cursed in the first place, which is all of the above, plus Warp Demons...)
2 minutes ago, Maelora said:Um, yes, I know - I was being facetious (as I often am).
I meant to imply that MarcyVerse Holocrons are not the treasured relics of a benevolent organisation, but a kind of 'brain in a jar' for an old, paranoid and ruthless Force wizard who will train you and then steal your body, on the basis that he feels he's better than you. (And that's assuming the Holocron isn't horribly cursed in the first place, which is all of the above, plus Warp Demons...)
Yeah. I prefer the canon ones myself.
Edited by Tramp GraphicsI wrote a reddit post on Holocron Design with Examples about a year ago. It's written to give a lot of narrative focus for the Holocron and creating the gatekeeper as an NPC in all but stats. Mostly, what I wanted was something the party could keep with them the whole campaign, as opposed to Suljo Warde's Holocron which seemed limited in usefulness beyond the scope of the published adventure. I wouldn't do everything exactly the same now, but here's the text of that post:
QuoteI thought I'd share my process designing a holocron for use in a campaign. Chronicles of the Gatekeeper gives us Suljo Warde's Holocron, and a unique Force Power that can only be bought when certain parts of the Holocron are found and reassembled. This is a cool idea, but it's tailored to a specific adventure, and much of the holocron's interaction is left undefined or specified only as it narrowly ties to the adventure. For my campaign, I wanted a holocron I could give to players early with secrets they could only unlock much later: one which could serve as a guide on the side. The following was my design process, posted here as a sort of guide for people to use either directly or as inspiration. Every part will have a design example, which goes over the choices I made for that part of the process.
Caveats and Spoilers
SHANE AND SAM, STOP READING NOW OR YOUR CAMPAIGN WILL BE SPOILED
Also, there are some spoilers for KOTOR I, II and other events of that era in the Holocron I designed.
...and with that out of the way...
The Holocron's Gatekeeper
Picking a Gatekeeper is the single most important choice, and the questions you answer here will affect fleshing out all the holocron's details and secrets. A Holocron isn't just a repository of data, it is a semi-sentient construct, filled by an echo or amalgam of the Jedi or Sith whose experiences it can recall and teach. Creating a Holocron (in universe) is the work of a lifetime and it's no exaggeration to say that the Holocron's maker puts her heart and soul into the device... Figuratively.
Answering several questions will help define the Holocron's purpose, whether creating a fictional gatekeeper or using an established figure from established lore. In short, answer these questions before even starting to think about what mechanical bonuses the Holocron might provide to its holders (the party).
- Who created this Holocron? If you're picking from established lore, you'll have some research to do. If you're making up a character, you'll have some creative writing to do.
- What major endeavors defined this gatekeeper's life? Be familiar with, or define in some detail, the major events and endeavors which defined the gatekeeper's life and goals. Have stories for the gatekeeper to relate to the Holocron's holder(s) about the past and the Force.
- Which emotion does this gatekeeper most strongly feel? An emotion to define their understanding of the Force and how it ought to be used. This emotion also drove the gatekeeper throughout life.
- How would you describe this gatekeeper's virtue/vice in a single word? Could be an adjective or a noun. Picking out a virtue, a vice (or both) will help you to focus later on what sort of bonuses the Holocron can grant to its holder(s), and how those bonuses should be restricted.
Also remember, a gatekeeper is a character in her own right, and you should prep narratively for the gatekeeper the same way you would for any other major NPC.
Design Example: The Holocron of Visas Marr
I picked Visas Marr as the Holocron's gatekeeper and creator. She was born 3,976 years before the Battle of Yavin, and major events during her lifetime include the Mandalorian Wars, the Jedi Civil War, the First Jedi Purge, and the Dark Wars. Marr was captured and enslaved by the Sith Lord, Darth Nihilus, before being drawn back to the light by Meetra Surik and (presumably) helping to rebuild the Jedi Order.
The emotion Visas Marr felt most strongly throughout her life was guilt. In particular, survivor's guilt. She survived the deaths of her fellow Miraluka on Katarr and became the apprentice to Darth Nihilus, who consumed them. By the time she returned to the light with Surik, Marr undoubtedly felt she had much to atone for.
Visas Marr's theme and virtue is very clearly redemption . This virtue fits well with my campaign because I have a player whose character is a fallen Jedi Knight who survived the purge (though his apprentice didn't) and wandered in darkness for many years. His own life story fits both with Visas Marr's and with Meetra Surik, who Marr knew and worked with.
Though she's an established character in the old lore, I had some work to do inventing the second half of Marr's life, which is only implied by the ending of KOTOR II. Without going into too much detail, I had her construct a powerful meditative focus in a rebuilt Dantooine Enclave that could enhance her own abilities as a seer and help to find Force sensitives across the galaxy. In so doing, she provides a means for Surik to rebuild the Jedi Order, and her holocron can help player characters use that same meditative focus to start rebuilding after the Palpatine's Great Jedi Purge. More on that meditative focus further down...
The Holocron's Expectations
We see throughout the old, legends cannon that a holocron won't just give up its secrets to anyone. We see the same hinted at in the new cannon. So, mechanical metrics are needed by which to restrict both the narrative secrets and in game bonuses a holocron can provide, especially if the holocron should last a whole campaign.
- Skill Checks: the rules-as-written specify a check to activate the holocron, but activating a specific, higher level bonus might require another Discipline or Lore check as a part of extended meditation and study.
- Force Rating: a Jedi might think that certain powers and bonuses would be dangerous in the hands of an unfocused, undisciplined beginner; a Sith would never grant power to someone with no power of their own. In general, at each Force Rating I have the holocron grant either a new Career Skill or help with learning a Force Power.
- Morality: a Jedi would not grant power to someone fallen to the Dark Side and might even call her back to the light; a Sith would not reveal secrets to a paragon of the Light Side and might even try to corrupt him. In general, a Jedi holocron will grant you more and more within a given Force rating as your morality moves toward the light and a Sith holocron will do the opposite. The light or dark morality expectations may become more stringent as Force Rating increases.
Design Example: The Holocron of Visas Marr
Visas Marr will grant the player Knowledge (Lore) as a career skill early on, so long as that player isn't completely dark (Morality < 30). Later on, at higher Force Ratings, she will aid the player in learning the Sense and Seek powers, which relate narratively to how she used the Force in her life.
She will also help Jedi Masters (at Force Rating 4) to use her unique power, Marr's Farsight, in conjunction with the meditative focus she built on Dantooine to help locate Force sensitives from across the galaxy. Marr's Farsight isn't something I've designed at the time of this writing, as my players aren't yet near Force Rating 4.
How all of these restrictions apply is better visible in the table below, where everything about the design example is compiled together.
The Holocron's Secrets
Broadly, the secrets a holocron might contain are either narrative or mechanical. Narrative secrets are story bits about the keeper's life which may give players hints about cool places to explore or, if possible, tie into the campaign's own theme and narrative. Mechanical secrets are in specific in-game bonuses. Potential types of in-game bonuses:
- New Career Skills : Think of the narrative decisions made about the holcron's keeper. What Career Skills could a character gain from having the ability to consult with the holocron? As noted above, don't grant more than 1 Career Skill per level of Force Rating. Though the rules-as-written suggest multiple free Career Skills, making a holocron with the sorts of other bonuses I have added to mine may mean limiting it to just 1 new Career Skill overall.
- Learning Force Powers : Think about the life and studies of the holocron's keeper. What Force Powers is the keeper most qualified to teach a character? Generally, use XP discounts on purchases anywhere valid (for the player) on that Power's tree rather than granting specific parts of the tree (or the Power) for free. Also, make a character do something narrative and commit a nontrivial amount of time, as well as a skill check to meditate, to make use of an XP discount from the holocron.
- Unique Force Powers : Look at how Warde's Foresight is developed in Chronicles of the Gatekeeper, and use that as a guide. Especially consider how Warde's Foresight differs for Forsee in the Core Rulebook if you're designing a more advanced or more specific version of an existing power.
Design Example: The Holocron of Visas Marr
Visas Marr's narrative secrets all relate to her own life and work. Early on, stories about her fall into darkness and return to the light. Later on, her work constructing the Crystal Orrery.
The Crystal Orrery: a large, circular room about the size of a football field with a shallow domed ceiling. The ceiling seems to twinkle with starlight like the night sky, but closer inspection will reveal that the specks of light form a map of the galaxy. These points of light are in fact each a kyber crystal embedded into the dome. Visually, I was inspired by my love of planetariums as a kid. When a Jedi Master uses the orrery to meditate, a part of the galaxy will begin to glow as the chamber centers its focus on a Force sensitive being somewhere, eventually bringing the visage of a planet into focus , with perhaps more detail dependent on the degree of success.
Design for the Holocron: screenshot of my campaign notebook in OneNote
Edited by sfRattan
I kinda want to steal The Crystal Orrery....
