What could be a good replacement for Attune for settings where isn’t a ghost field, or a readily tappable source of supernatural energy?
Right now I am trying to do a high-fantasy hack for my own group (something like Eberron with the Feng-shui cinematic style), and I am challenged by coming up with a good ‘default’ for Attune. I was thinking of either giving every playbook a default use for Attune, or allow those with Attune to access ‘minor magic’, like a blacksmith would know a spell to strengthen his tools and such (somewhat like RuneQuest).
The two other alternative is to replace it with something else that fits a high-fantasy genre, but so far it has been eluding me. Any ideas will be welcomed!
I used Trek for my post-apocalypse hack, for overland travel and navigation. That might fit high fantasy as well, for those long shots of fellowships trekking across New Zealand vistas. đŸ™‚
It is an action, and something everyone can at least attempt, so that should frame the conversation.
I think you could be well served by keeping Attune, and explaining that’s how you “connect and activate” to magic items in the high fantasy setting. If you want to use that magic ring, or better yet be loaded down with five magic items all working at once, you need attune.
Another possibility for a lower fantasy setting is Instinct. Use it to detect the supernatural and form impressions of people and places.
If you want to completely distance yourself from magic and supernatural (and embrace the noir/pulp themes of Eberron) it could be Grit or Moxie (Attune is under Resolve right?). In that sense it’d also be somewhat like Luck, Fate, or Wyrd as used in Sagas of the Icelanders, where it plays into actions that tempt fate or imply being touched by prophecy (Draconic Prophecy?) or any higher power or cause (whether for good or ill). In that sense it could also be something like the action by which you exert a sense of heroism over situations, like occasions in which you would use Action Points in 3.5 Eberron.
Heck, there are so many secret factions and schemes at play in any Eberron game that Attune could be your instinct like Andrew says, but for discerning wheels within wheels, conspiracies, and when things are not completely as they seem.
Also, depending on your campaign themes, Attune could tap into an AW-style psychic maelstrom resulting from the Day of Mourning. Or use of dragonmarked magic and dragonshard technologies.
All are good suggestions! I I like the idea of instinct, and to use it for magical items and for dragon-marks (or even for using potions, scrolls etc.)
It could potentially be a luck stat in a way, you roll it to achieve something through pure luck.
Mm, think luck might be too general. What about “Inspire” ?
In my Cthulhu hack, I use “Feel” (as an “Intuition”) instead of attune, I use Socialize instead of Consort, and Intimidate instead of Command. These are minor changes to fit to a more personal (less “gangy”) game. I drop the “gather information” as it is a mystery game, but keep the list for the moments when the PC are actively searching something (I never do “perception check”, I keep the proactive PC action approach of AW/BitD : when they don’t search, they take a hard move in the face). I keep everything else (except blank inventory and blank action playbook, we create action step by step when we need one because XP are achieved).
I kept the harming system, the PC can take “mental” harm, no additional system, they just write a corresponding aspect (such as “Dream or reality?”) : they can resist stress. We don’t talk about downtime, we play it but I formalize it in the conversation (they don’t like it), I’m just smoothing the description: they explains what they’re doing and after 2 “moves”, I drop them in media res of a new adventure.