Research

Research is conducted by each player independently, working on their own or alongside other researchers, probing the limitations of their knowledge via investigation and experimentation to unlock previously unknown techniques and improvements.

Research must be monitored by a Research Referee, a staff member who observes and feeds back on the work and tracks progress (sometimes while also playing a tutor non player character in the game). The research referees are all based at the Bastion at least part of the time.

Study Paths

All Research advances the character along a study path, a loosely-defined area of knowledge and expertise. All study paths build on archetype skills; existing paths are listed within each archetype’s description, although it may be possible for players to innovate new paths.

Progress along a study path is measured in a character’s skill level, from novice to master; masters are generally non player characters (although see Blaze of Glory, below).

For the purpose of calculating experience points, Creator and Magician study paths are further divided into sub-paths, describing specialisms within each path, e.g. a character researching within the Alchemist study path might progress in the Healing Potions sub-path. Scout and Warrior paths aren’t divided in this way, as each ability is costed individually.

Characters may pursue a maximum of three study paths (and any number of sub-paths within each path), which don’t all have to belong to their archetype. They may pursue one study path beyond novice level.

Complexity and Skill Level

All researched abilities have a complexity level, from novice to adept, expert and master abilities. The research referee will advise the player of the complexity of the ability they’re attempting to research.

A character’s own skill level reflects the number of abilities they know:

• Novice: One novice ability.
• Adept: Five novice abilities and one adept ability.
• Expert: Five novice abilities, five adept abilities and one expert ability.
• Master: Five novice abilities, five adept abilities, five expert abilities and one master ability.

Skill level determines how hard abilities are to research. Any character can begin learning any ability at any time, but learning more complex abilities than your skill is harder and takes longer, reflected in a higher cost in study units.

Player characters may only proceed to adept or greater skill level in at most one study path. They are not normally expected to achieve master level at all, but may do so if they agree to retire their character as part of achieving this feat.

Research Objectives

A research project begins with an objective, such as a new technique or an improvement to a skill. This could be anything. The researcher should always have a practical mechanical effect in mind. For inspiration, some research routes, or study paths, are listed under each archetype.

Examples

• A duellist might try to master a special attack to carve their initial onto their opponent’s shirt.
• A blacksmith might investigate a new unshatterable alloy.
• A necromancer might tackle the rites to raise a powerful death knight.

All research is based on archetype skills. General skills do not unlock research.

Examples

• Learning to summon a wild animal requires at least Beast Empathy skill.
• Researching a new potion requires at least Apothecary skill.

Pure Research Not all investigation into the cosmology of the world has to lead to researching a new technique; characters are welcome (indeed, encouraged) to delve into the world for no reason other than discovery. As with any research, this might involve the use of skills and spells to make observations, debate and discussion to glean insights, and experimentation to confirm conclusions. Pure research never costs study units – just the characters’ time and effort.

Starting a Project

The character starts by seeking out the relevant Research Referee, to discuss their objective, open the project on the system and begin tracking progress. They should go prepared with some ideas about how to proceed, grounded in the cosmology of the Renewal setting and their character’s view of the world.

The research referee will give some initial feedback on the project, including whether it is possible at all (and if it is not, what might be a more realistic goal), the experience point value of the ability and a rough timescale for achieving it. The referee will review new projects with the rest of the research team between events, and may provide updated feedback at a later date.

All research is tracked by study units. By default, characters are assumed to be spending the full 5 study units every day on one project, but if a character is pursuing multiple projects, whether training or research, they will have to decide how to split their 5 study units between them.

Research Steps

There is no one correct way to go about researching a project, but most research will at least touch on the following three stages, in any order. Most projects, indeed, will repeat these stages multiple times, as unsuccessful experiments grant fresh insights and propose new avenues for experimentation.

The research referee assigned to the project will attempt to attend some of these stages when available. When the research referee is not present, the researcher should always ensure their efforts are witnessed by a referee so they can be logged.

• Investigation: Completing any project requires a clear understanding of the relevant cosmology. Investigation can include pure research into the laws of magic, asking questions and debating conclusions with other players and scholarly NPCs, poring over libraries and texts, and comparing notes with those who have unlocked similar abilities.
• Theory: While investigation creates a picture of how the world works, a theory is a guess at how to make the skill work – an alchemist might assemble a list of ingredients and processes for mixing them, for instance, while a magician outlines where a proposed rite channels magic from, where to, and in what form. A good theory should reflect the cosmological basis of their project, translated into a practical application.
• Experiment: An experiment is an attempt to produce the desired effect. Where required, it will be observed by the research referee. Before starting an experiment, the researcher should explain the theoretical basis to the referee, who will then let them know if it needs observing and will arrange a time for that to occur. Conducting the experiment will consume the relevant materials, work units or magic points. After the experiment, the referee will confirm whether it was a success or failure, and provide some feedback on how and why it did or didn’t work.

A successful experiment produces a flawed or imperfect outcome with a very short duration (i.e. only as long as the attending referee is present), under controlled circumstances, and cannot produce a carded item. The researcher can then perfect the method in the final stage of research.

Having performed a successful experiment, the researcher will be told how much longer the project will take to complete.

Research Methods All research projects should ultimately result in a successful experiment based on a working understanding of the world’s cosmology, but how the researcher gets there varies hugely from one project to the next, and should strongly reflect the researcher’s view of the world. Examples: An academic becomes engrossed in theory, debating ideas with experts, writing endless papers and scrutinising principles before starting work. A practical researcher throws themselves into trial-and-error from day one, filling in their understanding as they go. A mystic delves into symbolism and consults with the spirits. A more materialist researcher obsesses over the laws of magic governing their undertaking. Method is a great aid to roleplaying, of course, but can also substantially affect how a researcher goes about their work, and what their theories and experiments look like. A magician’s research, in particular, is a perfect chance to showcase their magical method.

Modifiers to Research Targets

A number of things can reduce the study units target to complete a research project.

A magician progresses more quickly using a path focus (see the Bind Path Focus rite), while creators, scouts and warriors benefit from using weapons or armour, workshops or other items of superior or better quality. Consuming work units, magic points, alchemical ingredients, crafting materials or other resources can also aid work.

Working with others can help too: a teacher can shoulder some of the burden, spending their own study units on the student’s behalf, while group research reduces the target for all those involved.

Note: Bonuses from tools and resources do not stack endlessly – there is a limit to the applicable discount – and are applied at the referee’s discretion.

Completing the Project

After a successful experiment, the researcher knows in theory how the skill or technique works, but cannot yet pull it off reliably or perfectly. The work continues, now focused wholly on refining and practising the technique they’ve discovered.

On meeting the study units target for the project, the character will be awarded the new skill or technique, which will appear on their character card or a separate card next event. If it doesn’t appear in the rules, the player may also be given a lore sheet or card with the mechanics of their ability printed on it for reference.

Skills learned through research are always permanent, requiring no upkeep, and have a point value counting against the character’s points cap.

Group Research

A group of between three and nine researchers on the same study path can research an ability together, registering a group research project. All members of the group must have the prerequisite skills and level for the project.

Working together as a group speeds progress, as researchers share notes and discuss ideas together. Each researcher learns the ability individually, tracking their study units separately – they don’t “pool” their points – but the whole group need only perform one successful experiment between them, and the study units target for all members is reduced by 25%. However, if any member of the group logs any work on the project away from the group, they lose both benefits for the duration of the project.

Any number of researchers can leave the group at any time without the remaining members losing the benefits, as long as at least three researchers remain through to the completion of the project. Researchers cannot join the group after the project has begun, although the whole group can abandon the project and start again if wished. Those who leave the group will not benefit from any completed research.

Example

Four characters with the Apothecary skill – Mhairi Mac Roth (expert), Jan von Hanover (adept), Running Stag (adept) and Sembling Meg (who has not yet completed her first novice project) – choose to work together on a healing poultice, which the research referee has determined is a novice complexity potion, with a research target of 12 study units (lowered to 9 study units as this is a group project). On the first day, all four researchers spend the maximum 5 study units.

On the second day, Running Stag can’t find the time to meet up with the other three, so sits down on his own to work on it, spending another 5 study units. At this point, he has left the group project; his target is raised back to 12 units, and he must perform a successful experiment on his own before completing it.

Mhairi, Jan and Meg meet up to work together, conducting one successful experiment between the three of them, and each spending the outstanding 4 study units to complete the project. All three now know the formula for the poultice.

Collaboration

Multiple researchers can work together on a collaborative project, where each is learning a different part of the whole. This is especially suitable for a project combining different study paths.

Examples

• A gemcutter preparing a diamond for a ritualist to invest with ritual power.
• An alchemist mixing a magical amalgam.
• A carpenter inlaying the amalgam in a wand.
• An invoker investing it with power.

Where possible, a collaborative project will be managed by a single research referee familiar with all associated areas.

Each character is set separate research requirements and study units targets; unlike group research projects, there is no discount for working together, although they will tend to find investigation and experiment goes quicker than if they worked apart. Each member of the collaboration learns only their own part of the project.

It is possible for characters with the same skill to work collaboratively, by breaking a project down into parts: for example, three apothecaries could research a philtre, a powder and a cream respectively, which individually do nothing, but are the three ingredients of a more powerful potion than any of them could readily research on their own. This is a lot quicker than a group research project, but since each researcher only learns their part, and all three parts are needed, the knowledge is at greater risk of being lost if e.g. one of them dies.

It is possible to combine collaboration and group research, with several groups each working to complete one part of a collaborative whole.

Teaching

A character may teach any researched abilities they know to another character with the prerequisite skill and level to learn it. They can only teach abilities of a complexity lower than their skill level:

• Novices cannot teach at all,
• Adepts can only teach novice abilities,
• Experts can teach adept and novice abilities, and
• Masters can teach abilities up to expert.

Learning an ability from a teacher has the same study units target as researching it independently; the main benefit to teaching is allowing the student to shortcut the investigation and experiment requirements for learning the ability.

The teacher explains the ability to the student, detailing the process and materials required and explaining the underlying cosmology, and then leads them, in sight of the relevant research referee, to perform an experiment. If the research referee is satisfied that the student has understood the lesson and performed the experiment successfully, the student may now proceed to refining and practising; the teacher is not required after this point, but can continue to work with the student as they complete the project if they wish.

As with all study, this process should entail at least 30 minutes of roleplay. Both the teacher and student must spend at least 1 study unit each, and all study units spent by both teacher and student count towards the student’s target to learn the ability. In total (in the initial session and in any later sessions) the teacher may meet a maximum of 25% of the Study Unit target for the student to learn the ability.

One teacher can teach multiple students in a single lesson, but must spend at least 1 study unit per student they are teaching (thus, a teacher can teach a maximum of five students at once). Each student must perform a successful experiment.

Example:

Presta Magnifico, an adept elemental sorcerer, teaches a novice rite, Burning Grasp, to her apprentice Gema Brightflame. The rite has a research cost of 24 study units.

Presta spends 1 study unit teaching, while Gema spends her maximum 5 study units learning. At the end of the lesson, Gema is able to briefly explain the cosmological basis of the ability to the research referee, and perform a successful experiment, and can now progress to practising and refining her knowledge of the rite independently. She has logged 6 study units on the rite: her own 5 study units, plus 1 study unit from Presta.

The next day, Gema meets with Presta for further tuition. Gema and Presta each spend the maximum 5 study units on the lesson, bringing Gema’s total to 16 study units: her own 10 study units, plus 6 from Presta.

Presta has now contributed 25% of the final target of 24 study units and cannot help anymore; Gema will have to spend the final 8 study units on her own.