'The Sight' (Moralinth: 5e & Cypher Edition)
- Adam Donovan
- Sep 27, 2018
- 8 min read
Though there are a few differences between the D&D 5e and Cypher System versions of the Moralinth RPG, most of the main features that make the Campaign Setting so unique exist in both versions, albeit aligning themselves with the specific rules of each game system.
Today we're going to look at "The Sight": a special ability afforded to all player characters in Moralinth regardless of their background, race or class.
WHAT EXACTLY IS 'THE SIGHT'?
In both D&D 5e and the Cypher System, the world of Moralinth is a place of industry, science and logic but was once a world filled with magic and the supernatural. When those elements mysteriously vanished and faded into memory, the beings of the supernatural - though neutered from their connection to magical energies - did not go anywhere. Instead they adapted, learning to shroud themselves and conceal their identity. Additionally, items imbued with magical energy became simple mundane objects but their physical structure remained. Skip forward to the contemporary Moralinth and magic, the supernatural and the occult have begun to 're-awaken' though barely anyone is aware of this fact. Mankind (or the Mortal Races in the case of Moralinth: 5e) have become so entrenched in the ways of science and logic that they have created a subconscious shielding from the fantastical, Known in occult circles as 'the Delusion', it allows people to over-look, rationalise or explain away unusual occurrences, gut feelings and peripheral perception. Most people do not see the supernatural for what it is because they simply do not believe it to exist.
This of course is beneficial for Creatures of Darkness who simply appear as normal people to the mundane populace around them. Where a vampire sits in opulence surrounded by blood-drained thralls, sipping on a glass of still-warm blood, almost anyone viewing the scene would see an attractive aristocratic type surrounded by doting escorts enjoying a glass of red wine.
There are some people though who for whatever reason, are able to tap into these supernatural forces: they can cast powerful magics through ancient rituals, alter their bodies and perceptions in mysterious ways, manipulate others through will alone or survive wounds that would kill a mortal man. These individuals are referred to in occult circles as having 'The Spark of Creation' or more commonly simply 'The Spark'. Sparked individuals have a connection with the supernatural that allows them many benefits not afforded to the common citizen, but also exposes them to far more dangerous perils simply by being aware of the truth that exists in the world.
Sparked individuals make up less than 2% of the world's population in Moralinth.
Every player character has The Spark..
One prime example of how the players can use The Spark is an innate ability that every player character has called 'The Sight'. Though everyone may access it slightly differently (especially from a narrative perspective), it operates in the same manner for every player. By shifting their consciousness, a Sparked individual can temporarily lift the veil of The Delusion to see the world how it truly is. While in this heightened perceptive state, they can see the magic in seemingly mundane items, can perceive visions or hallucinations and perhaps most dramatically, can see Creatures of Darkness in their true form.
Like everything else in Moralinth 'The Sight' has the potential to be a double-edged sword: with an exceptionally good roll a player can not only discern a creatures' true form, but may even glean vital information about it in a flash of inspiration. Sadly, many Creatures of Darkness are heavily opposed to being spied upon and react violently to having their cover blown.
SO HOW DOES 'THE SIGHT' WORK IN-GAME?
Though thematically the effect is the same - being that the character temporarily 'lifts the veil' to see the world as it truly is - 'The Sight' works somewhat differently mechanically depending on which games system it is used in. (The following examples assume at least a passing understanding of either The Cypher System or D&D 5e)
THE SIGHT IN MORALINTH: CYPHER EDITION:
To initiate The Sight (either in combat or out-of-combat), the player indicates their intention to use The Sight to the Narrator, and uses 1 Intellect Point from their Intellect Pool.
The Narrator gives a difficulty of using The Sight with a difficulty ranging from 1 to 10 as normal.
(After the first game session together, player's characters begin to recognise little 'tells' about each other and become aware when one of them is attempting to use The Sight. If within visible range of their colleague, another character can attempt to assist them on their roll. Alternatively, if the character indicates in-game what they are doing, any colleagues aware are also able to assist).
The character using The Sight can attempt to lower the difficulty as normal through any Effort, Training or Assets they may have, if relevant.
What information they glean depends on the result of the roll:
ON A FUMBLE: (a natural 1) The Narrator gets a free intrusion, though this is not usually as random as a normal free intrusion. - If searching for a Creature of Darkness, not only do they not uncover them, but any creature that is present is aware the character is trying to sense them and worse still, can pin-point the character making the attempt.
- If searching for a magical object or generalised magic, not only does the character not find anything, but they get a psychic backlash that causes 2 Intellect Damage or an amount of Intellect Damage equal to the level of the highest level magical item in the vicinity, whichever is higher.
ON A FAIL: The character senses nothing. In the case of a Creature of Darkness they may or may not sense they are being scryed upon (Narrator's discretion), but they cannot pin-point the source.
ON A SUCCESS: The character is able to use The Sight effectively, able to sense the supernatural up to a short distance (up to 50ft) - If searching for a Creature of Darkness, they are given a description of the creatures' true form and are then allowed to use any applicable skills to try and identify it (assuming it is the first time they have seen such an entity). The Creature of Darkness may or may not sense they are being scryed upon (Narrator's discretion), but they cannot pin-point the source. - If searching for a magical item or supernatural influence, anything touched by the supernatural glows in a faint aura, and any item with active magical properties glows considerably brighter. MINOR EFFECT: (rolling a natural 17, 18 or 19): The character uses The Sight with considerable skill, able to sense all supernatural sources up to a short distance (up to 50ft). - If searching for a Creature of Darkness, they are given a description of the creatures' true form and are then allowed to use any applicable skills to try and identify it (assuming it is the first time they have seen such an entity). They gain an Asset on this roll. The Creature of Darkness is not aware they are being sensed. - If searching for a magical item or supernatural influence, anything touched by the supernatural glows in a faint aura, and any item with active magical properties glows considerably brighter. In addition, the character knows how powerful each item is before even coming into contact with it (in other words, they know the items' level).
MAJOR EFFECT: (rolling a natural 20): The character uses The Sight with incredible skill, able to sense all supernatural sources up to a short distance (up to 50ft). - If searching for a Creature of Darkness, they are given a description of the creatures' true form and are instinctively aware of what the creature is, even if they have never seen one before. In addition to this, the character can choose to reduce all difficulties to hit the creature by 1 (that character only) or reduce all difficulties to be hit by that creature by 1 (that character only) during the next combat These effects stack with any other abilities such as encourage.. The Creature of Darkness is not aware they are being sensed. Lastly, the character automatically succeeds its fear check (see FEAR, below). - If searching for a magical item or supernatural influence, anything touched by the supernatural glows in a faint aura, and any item with active magical properties glows considerably brighter. In addition, the character knows how powerful each item is before even coming into contact with it (in other words, they know the items' level) and have a rough idea of what the magic surrounding the item does. If they attempt any identification check on any of the objects, they gain an Asset to that roll.
FEAR: As mentioned previously, a lot of things in Moralinth can be a double-edged sword and The Sight is no exception. Upon successfully seeing a creatures true form, any character seeing it with The Sight must make a fear check (an Intellect Defence roll) with a difficulty equal to the Creature of Darkness' level, This difficulty can be reduced through Effort, Assets or abilities but characters CANNOT assist one another on this roll unless they have an ability that specifically says they can. NOTE 1: A Fear check is only made the first time a species is encountered. For example, you would make a fear check the first time you see an animated skeleton, but you would not do so if you saw one an hour later. NOTE 2: A natural 20 roll on a use of The Sight negates the fear check roll, even if seeing a creature for the first time. The character is considered to have automatically succeeded.
THE SIGHT IN MORALINTH: 5E:
Use of The Sight in Moralinth: 5e is essentially the same as cantrip awarded to each and every player regardless of whether their class can normally perform magic or not. In effect, it is similar to the Detect Magic spell, but with some specific differences: THE SIGHT
Divination Cantrip
Casting Time: 1 bonus action
Range: 50ft
Components: S
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
For the duration, you shift your perception to uncover hidden supernatural elements. You can use this ability to search for concealed Creatures of Darkness or items touched by magic, but not both (you must declare which you are doing at the start of the cantrip, but can swap with each use). Anything within 50ft of your location and within eyesight (you must be able to actually see the person or item in question) reacts to your sight. If using The Sight to identify a hidden Creature of Darkness, the GM makes a WIS saving throw for the Creature of Darkness against the character's Sight save DC (see below). Success on this roll means the Creature's identity is not uncovered. A Critical success on this roll means the Creature's identity is not uncovered and they are able to sense who is trying to scry on them.
A Failure on this roll means the character sees the Creature's true form and can make any appropriate identification checks against it. Seeing an entity for the first time will result in a Fear check on the part of the player. The Creature of Darkness has a 50% chance to sense they are being scryed on.
A Critical Failure on this roll means the character sees the Creature's true form and automatically succeed an identification check against the creature. Seeing the entity for the first time will result in a Fear check on the part of the player, but they will have an Advantage on this roll. The Creature of Darkness will not be aware they have been scryed upon. Lastly, the character will have an Advantage on all rolls when interacting with the Creature of Darkness until the end of the round.
If using The Sight to identify items touched or imbued with magic, your action causes all items within eyesight to faintly glow with a magical aura, and you learn its school of magic, if any. Recognising magical items in this manner will work only if you have line of sight on the object. It does not allow you to sense magic in the same manner as a Detect Magic spell, for example.
SIGHT SAVE DC: As stated previously, even classes unable to use spells have access to The Sight, meaning they would not have a Spell Save DC in the traditional sense. Along with gaining The Sight, character's also get a new save called Sight Save DC which is equal to the following: DC = 8 + Proficiency Modifier + Primary Ability Modifier.
For example, if a Bard used The Sight, their Sight Save DC would be 8 + Proficiency Modifier + CHA bonus.
So as you can see, The Sight has the same thematic use in both Moralinth: 5e and The Cypher Edition, but fits more specifically into each system's rule-set. While The Sight does allow players to see how things truly are, careful use of the ability is recommended.
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