Progression

22. Progression

There is no XP. There is no leveling mid-session.

Progression is identity change earned through consequence, and it happens at controlled times — primarily when safe.

22.1 Progression Through Action

You gain Tags by: • surviving consequences • repeating meaningful behaviors • bearing Scars (Section 12) • crafting or modifying gear (Section 9.9) • changing the world in lasting ways (Sections 15–20)

Examples: • repeated fire harm → Burn-Scarred • rebuilding machinery under pressure → Self-Taught Engineer

Tags can also be lost, downgraded, or distorted (Section 6.12).

22.2 Drives (Cycle-Scale Motivation)

At Dawn (Section 14), each player declares one Drive.

A Drive is: • short-term • concrete • risky enough to matter

Drives are not alignment. They are pressure targets.

22.3 End-of-Cycle Advancement (Only If Safe)

At Cycle end, only if the party ends in a Safe Location (Section 15.3), each player may choose one advancement action:

• gain a new Tag (Section 6) • alter an existing Tag (refine, narrow, distort, or reframe) • lose a Tag intentionally (cut a piece of identity to survive) • upgrade/repair gear (Section 9.9) • invest in a Location upgrade (Section 15.6) • harden against a known threat (expressed as a Tag change)

Growth requires stability. If Unsafe, resolve Exposure instead (Section 17).

22.4 Tag Progression Trees (Core Party Coverage)

Progression is represented through Tag Trees. A tree is not a class. It is a pattern of becoming.

Trees overlap enough to encourage collaboration, not role-locking.

Each tree is advanced by specific kinds of actions and consequences. Trauma can twist a tree sideways (Section 12).

22.4.1 The Warden (Protection / Holding Ground)

Tree: • Alert ↓ prevent harm to another • Watchful ↓ endure danger meant for someone else • Shielded ↓ hold a position under pressure • Bulwark ↓ refuse retreat or easy safety • Last Bastion

Mechanical expressions (examples): • convert an ally’s Cost consequence into your own • reduce Exposure severity for allies when you are present (Section 17) • Shelter Tags count as +1 toward Safe when you are present (Section 15.3)

Trauma mutation examples: • Paranoid Sentinel (overprotective; narrows permissions) • Martyr Complex (takes Cost automatically)

Tree: • Trail-Smart ↓ navigate hazardous terrain • Pathfinder ↓ avoid environmental danger • Cartographer ↓ establish safer routes • Horizon-Bound ↓ guide others through the unknown • Knower of Roads

Mechanical expressions: • reduce travel Danger pressure (Section 14/17) • reveal Shelter-capable tags earlier when scouting (Section 15) • once per Cycle, delay phase advancement by 1 step (Section 14)

Trauma mutation examples: • Lost Within (routes loop; false confidence) • Obsessive Mapper (must document to act)

22.4.3 The Fixer (Repair / Improvisation / Material Survival)

Tree: • Patchworker ↓ repair broken gear • Scrounger ↓ build from scrap • Reclaimer ↓ restore ruined tools • Master Fixer ↓ resurrect lost functionality • Breaker of Entropy

Mechanical expressions: • ignore first gear break per Cycle (Section 9.8) • convert certain Exposure results into repair opportunities (Section 17) • reduce pack damage severity in specific contexts (Section 9.3.6)

Trauma mutation examples: • Hoarder (cannot discard items without consequence) • Jury-Rig Addict (repairs always increase escalation pressure)

Tree: • Silver Tongue ↓ resolve conflict verbally • Influencer ↓ sway a group • Broker ↓ trade favors or secrets • Voice of Hope ↓ restore purpose under fear • Myth-Maker

Mechanical expressions: • in social scenes, convert a Failure into a Costly Success once per Cycle (Section 2) • generate wealth/favors without violence (expressed as Tags/Services; Sections 15–16) • reduce Attention gain when resolving disputes quietly (Section 18)

Trauma mutation examples: • Compulsive Liar (truth costs more) • Cynic Prophet (hope spreads fear)

22.4.5 The Shadow (Avoidance / Infiltration / Sabotage)

Tree: • Unseen ↓ avoid notice • Infiltrator ↓ bypass security • Saboteur ↓ disable threats indirectly • Ghosted ↓ vanish under pressure • Living Absence

Mechanical expressions: • ignore first Danger escalation once per Cycle (Section 3/5) • act during Night only under strict shelter constraints (Section 14) • once per Cycle, downgrade an imminent Catastrophe outcome into a lesser Doom outcome at severe cost (Sections 19–20)

Trauma mutation examples: • Dissociative (support costs more; Section 10.3) • Predator Instinct (violence becomes easier but louder)

22.4.6 The Marked (Wild Card / Eldritch Instability)

This tree is powerful — and dangerous to the party.

Tree: • Touched ↓ survive supernatural exposure • Attuned ↓ wield unstable power • Warped ↓ bend reality slightly • Herald ↓ channel inhuman will • Anchor of the Unknown

Mechanical expressions: • add d12 Opportunity at terrible cost (Section 3) • sense hidden threats/truths • alter certain Exposure outcomes (Section 17)

Mutation under Trauma is inevitable: • Fractured Self • Whispered Commands • Living Omen

22.5 Digression (Progress That Breaks)

Progression and digression are both expected.

Digression is triggered by: • severe Trauma (Section 12) • losing a core Location (Section 15.8) • breaking a declared Drive in a catastrophic way (Section 14/22)

Digression effects (choose or arbitrate; Section 23): • downgrade a Tag • flip/reframe a Tag into a distorted form (Section 6.12) • gain a permanent Scar (Section 12)

Digression is not only punishment. It is how the game makes identity unstable.

22.6 Design Intent

Progression exists to ensure: • growth is earned through consequence • identity shifts rather than “powers up” • safety enables consolidation • trauma can twist paths sideways • gaps in party coverage create stories