fate-as-class (Wheel of Horses)

Prophecy is tricky in ttrpgs because we (the players) have free will and exist in linear time. A future event which cannot be avoided (in the Oedipal style) goes against the spirit of the exercise-- smth smth quantum ogre smth smth

However, if a player opts in to a miserable fate, it's fair game. A lot of fun trap design lives in this space: holes in the wall that bite your hands off, mysterious goop that turns you inside out if you drink it. Knowing your fate is a curse, and sometimes it's fun to be cursed.

Idea #1: Everyone knows that oracles are dangerous, because they're always right. If you piss one off they can tell you exactly when and how you'll die, no Save. If you flee fate, the gm has carte blanche to defy probability until what was predicted comes to pass. Only the foolish seek out oracles; only the luckless randomly encounter them.

Idea #2: For a west marches type thing: between sessions, players ask for omens when planning their adventures. ("What is the most dangerous thing in the Mines of Moomin" "Where can a big azz jewel be found") The gm uses these omens to prep the next session, and drops a little extra info about the dungeon in return. [I use this in my cath celdaenn game and it's helped tremendously, ymmv]

But there's one kind of prophecy everyone opts into by default: their class. Being a fighter defines not only what a character can do, but what they will be able to do in the future. [this extends beyond player-facing mechanics: it's common advice to add spell scrolls to dungeons if there is a wizard in the party, holy relics for the cleric, etc.]

 

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Idea #3: Your class is your fate, a pact between you and the gm, a promise from the universe.

Everyone has a fate. (choose or roll)

1d12	You are a...	...of...	...in the house of...
1	Jack	Fire	The Father
2	Saber	Water	The Son
3	Wright	Earth	The Warrior
4	Master	Wood	The Liege Lord
5	Sage	Steel	The Scholar
6	Muse	Gold	The Hermit
7	Witch	Night	The Weaver
8	Maid	Bones	The Poet
9	Prince	Stars	The Emperor
10	Thief	Storms	The Dragon
11	Shade	Silk Rope	The Exile
12	Wheel	Horses	The Dead

Each fate consists of a constellation, a planetary aspect, and a celestial house.

• The constellation describes a mode of interaction: the thief steals.
• The aspect describes an element that is acted upon: the thief of gold steals gold.
• The house describes an instrumental person or spirit: more on this later*

A fate can be read many ways. For example, a witch is one who will transform OR be transformed. A muse of horses will inspire horses OR beauty OR mastery.

A sage of stars can read fates. If you are anyone of importance, your fate was read when you were young.

Everyone lies about their fate.

So what does your fate actually mean?

1. The archetypal Jack (also called Sailor or Rider, depending on where you're from) is a wanderer. They travel freely and easily, and help others get from one place to another.
2. The archetypal Saber is a fighter. They wield and are wielded by others.
3. The archetypal Master is a sorcerer. They command their planetary aspect, but must do so from afar.
4. The archetypal Prince (or Beast, in less forgiving climes) is a victim. They are hounded by their aspect until death.

Fate can be mundane. A particularly good lawyer is probably a Saber. A woman who always trips over her own feet might be a Prince of Night (one who is hunted by gravity).

But the mundane is just the first step:

click for full size

You advance by spending xp on powers, or by diagetically acquiring powers that belong to your class:

• Either way, advancement leads to imbalance. Imagine walking across a rope with a bucket in each hand. If someone puts a coin in one bucket, you are more likely to fall, at least until a stone is added to the other.
• All characters fumble on X-in-6, where X is one plus how many imbalanced powers they have.
• When you fumble, you may roll (X-in-6 again) to regain your balance. If you succeed, gain a balancing power for free-- it manifests spontaneously and immediately
• Your level is equal to the number of steps from the center your path travels.
• You can determine your fate at character creation or let the gm roll it secretly. Even if you don't know your fate, you can still feel when you're off-balance.

[design note: this is a lot of work for smth that might benefit from less structure. My ideal scenario is: npc turns out to be a wheel of fire → "o so that's why you're missing a leg and can't take a joke, wanna come learn how to breathe fire?" 144 player-facing hex-grids doesn't serve this goal-- smth to consider i guess]

[design note 2: what the fuck even is this post. is this the cottonmouth i've heard so much about? i'm just going to hit publish because if i think any more about homestuck my head is going to explode

 

*i lied, no more on this later