War of the Dark Crystal: Intro and Characters

Another world… Another time… In the Age of Wonder.

Eight hundred years ago the land was green; until the Crystal cracked. A single piece was lost, the shard of the Crystal. One race was split in two and the otherworldly urSkeks transformed into Skeksis and urRu. The urRu migrated into the Valley of the Stones and the Skeksis took control of the Castle of the Crystal. For a time there was peace; now the shadow of conflict covers the land.

The Skeksis have used the power of the Crystal to create dark and twisted creatures. They seek to destroy those prophesied to be their doom: the Gelflings. Only now are the Gelflings discovering the treachery of the Masters of the Crystal. Only now have the Garthim Attacks begun. This is the War of the Dark Crystal.

The War of the Dark Crystal is a Fate Core System setting based on The Dark Crystal movie as well as its supplemental books and comics. In it, players take on the roles of Gelflings (and sometimes Podlings) in the midst of a fantastical world entering war for the first time.

Use of this setting as its written requires the Fate Core system. Fate terms may be used throughout these columns with no to little explanation. Fate Core is an adaptable tabletop role playing game system with a focus on scenes, atmosphere, and character. Not only is the system malleable towards new or established IPs, I feel it’s one of the better options to capture the spirit of The Dark Crystal.

SPECIAL NOTE: This page will be updated as new posts are created; consider this the “master index” for all things War of the Dark Crystal on Attercap.Net.

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1: Character Creation
  • Aspects
  • Skills
  • Powers
  • Races
• Chapter 2: Mysticism and Mechanics
  • Mysticism
  • Mechanics
• Chapter 3: Inhabitants and Creatures
  • Gelflings
  • Allies
  • Animals
  • Adversaries and Darkened Creatures
• Chapter 4: Lands and Waters
  • The Dark Wood
  • Crystal Sea
  • Claw Mountains
  • High Hills
  • Grot
  • Spriton Plains
  • Swamp of Sog
  • The Wasteland
  • Silver Sea
  • Castle of the Crystal
  • Valley of the Stones
  • The Observatory
• Chapter 5: Campaigns and Resources
  • Running a Game
  • Campaign Ideas
  • Adventure Seeds
  • Official Resources
  • Fan Resources
  • Fate Resources
• Supplement 1: Skeksis
  • The Court of the Skeksis
  • Creating New Skeksis
  • skekEer the Spymaster
• Supplement 2: The Field of Fire
  • Introduction
  • The Field of Fire
  • New Power: Psychometry
  • New Race: Firelings
  • New Song: Song of Flame
  • Animals
  • skekMar the Burnt
• Supplement 3: Song Weaving
  • Introduction
  • More Songs of Thra
  • Song Weaving
• Supplement 4: The Trials
  • Introduction
  • History of the Trials
  • Trial by Stone
  • Trial by Fire
  • Trial by Air
  • Trial by Water
  • Trial by Shadow
• Supplement 5: Beneath the Surface of Thra
  • Introduction
  • Locations
  • Arathim
  • Other Species
• Original Characters
  • Rumadlanbalardakina

Chapter 1: Character Creation

Characters follow the same character creation rules as detailed in Fate Core, with 3 free stunts/powers and a base 3 refresh (allowing an optional purchase of up to two more stunts or powers). Each race also receives a specific, free power (see Races, below). Note that some powers stack, requiring the purchase of a first power to gain the second.

Aspects

As standard with the Fate Core system, a character in War of the Dark Crystal will have a “High Concept,” summarizing the overall premise for the character and a “Trouble,” giving the character a specific weakness or overriding desire. Rather than using the standard Phase Trio as written, War of the Dark Crystal suggests the following elements for the remaining three aspects:

• Phase One: Upbringing This aspect phase is related to the character’s clan or upbringing; it could be related to their village, a trait that came from an event in their lives, or a duty or title they are expected to inherit.
• Phase Two: Adventure This aspect phase reflects a character trait when outside of their normal daily routine; the phase could be use to define a sense of adventure (or lack of it), a trait they acquired on a prior adventure, or their ideas of the world around them.
• Phase Three: Teamwork The final phase aspect should relate to how the character interacts with others; be it family, friends, rivals, or teammates.

Skills

Characters begin the game with ten skills; one Great, two Good, three Fair, and four Average. While War of the Dark Crystal primarily uses standard skill list in Fate Core, the following skills have been removed or tweaked for the setting:

• Athletics and Physique have special roles when dealing with winged characters (like female Gelflings); see Flight, below.
• Crafts should be renamed to Mechanics and relates to the mechanics and machinery created or inspired by the UrSkeks and Skeksis. For examples of these devices see Chapter 2: Mysticism and Mechanics.
• Drive should be separated into two skills: Ride when characters are guiding animals (typically on their backs, possibly in a carriage) and Boating when characters are controlling any sort of water-based travel. In the instances where water travel acts similarly to a horse-driven carriage, Ride would be the suggested skill, though GMs may allow Boating to be used at a small penalty.

In addition to the separation of Drive, above, War of the Dark Crystal introduces and utilizes three new skills.

• Music is the character’s ability to dance, play an instrument, and/or sing. While not required, players should denote if their character specializes in a particular Music skill, such as dance. Music follows similar skill rules and stunts as Rapport, but uses song in place of speech. Unlike Rapport, Music may also be used to increase some advantages in Mysticism; see Chapter 2: Mysticism and Mechanics.
• Crafting differs from Mechanics as this skill applies to simple machinery, writing, weaving, sewing, cooking, brewing, gardening, or similar actions. Characters should denote one to three specific creations their character can accomplish with this skill. More than three specializations require an additional Crafting skill slot. Skill uses and stunts follow those similar to Crafts, but the separation is required for both specialization and to give Science its own unique place in the skill list.
• Enchanting represents weaving a spell into an item; a character must know a Song in order to be able to perform the enchantment. A successful skill roll determines how many points of essence may be put into the item being enchanted (level of success divided by two, rounded up). This defines the Strength of the enchanted item. Only one point may be added per day and a point must be added every day until the enchantment goal or maximum is reached; powerful enchantments will take many days to complete. For examples on Song uses in Enchanting, see Chapter 2: Mysticism and Mechanics.

Flight and Glide are defined as powers, not skills, but use of the powers may require skill checks. Physique defines how much a character can carry with their wings, just as if they were on the ground and Athletics are used for control and precision in the air. Note that when on the back of a flying creature, Ride is the skill that applies.

Powers

Powers are abilities granted at birth. Unlike stunts, most powers cannot be gained after character creation. Some powers may be unavailable to different races or sexes.
It is highly reccomended that players not only take powers, but also utilize stunts as presented in Fate Core. Stunts may be used to improve skills derived by powers; for example, a player might take a “Agile Flyer” stunt, improving rolls when Athletics are required when flying.

• Animal Soul-Soothing This power is the ability to calm an animal or animals using Rapport or Music. It can be used to slow stampedes, prevent a beast from attacking (unless provoked again), or allow an animal to be more easily tamed or taught. Animals are lulled into a sense of peace but Animal Soul-Soothing does not allow for direct communication. This power has no effect on intelligent species (Gelflings, Podlings, Skeksis, etc.) or Darkened Creatures (see Chapter 3: Inhabitants and Creatures).
• Animal Soul-Speaking With this power an individual can communicate directly with an animal, sharing more complex thoughts and ideas. Rapport or Music may be used in convincing the animal to do something it doesn’t want to do, but skill checks are no longer required to sooth an animal. As with Animal Soul-Southing, this power has no effect on intelligent species or Darkened Creatures. [Prerequisite: Animal Soul-Soothing]
• Camouflage Camouflage is the natural ability to channel one’s life essence around them, visibly hiding themselves in their surroundings. (Note that this power is not invisibility, but grants great bonuses to stealth. However, the power does not conceal sound or scent.)
• Dark-vision This is the ability to see even in complete darkness.
• Dreametching The act of etching thoughts and ideas into physical shapes. Often used by literate Gelfling for writing, but also used for drawing and abstract divination. The more Gelfling involved in a dreametching, the more powerful the creation. [Prerequisite: Dreamfasting]
• Dreamfasting This is the ability to share memories via physical contact with another who can dreamfast. It can be a way of earning trust or quickly sharing information via the stories of one’s experience.
• Dreamstitching The act of attaching, or stitching, a dream into a dreametching. Any Gelfling who touches the etching is able to dreamfast with the etching and experience the dream that was stitched there. [Prerequisite: Dreametching]
• Infuse This power requires Mysticism and works with the Enchanting skill; it doubles the amount of Fate points spent when enchanting an item, so 1 Fate point spent on an Enchantment is 2. See Chapter 2: Mysticism and Mechanics.
• Flight The ability to fly, including upward, without mechanical or other aid. [Prerequisite: Glide]
• Gills Those born with gills may still have noses or other ways to breath air on land; gills are a secondary breathing function that allows breathing underwater.
• Glide Those who can glide cannot gain altitude (see Flight), but can use their power to guide their descent (slowing their fall and gaining distance) from a height or skim along an surface after a run.
• Mysticism This unique power taps into the Song of Thra, allowing an individual the ability to cast a spell (each specific spell, or Song, must be purchased separately) or lend their music to the aid of another’s song. Mysticism may be taken multiple times to acquire different Songs. See Chapter 2: Mysticism and Mechanics.
• Song (Specific) This power may be taken mulitple times. Each instance of the power represents a specific spell Song the mystic may know. [Prerequisite: Mysticism] See Chapter 2: Mysticism and Mechanics.
• Stoneskin Despite the name, individuals with stoneskin do not look any less smooth than others of their race. Stoneskin is a natural armor, a thicker skin but not detectable from the surface. In gameplay terms, Stoneskin acts as a custom aspect; the player may invoke stoneskin (with a Fate point) to absorb a mild consequence—they don’t take the stress it would have absorbed or fill the consequence slot.

Races

Thra has many creatures, but only a handful of intelligent races. Some races, such as the Skeksis, UrRu, and only-one-of-her-kind Aughra, are intended for use as NPCs (see Chapter 3: Inhabitants and Creatures). Other races introduced in novels and comics, such as Firelings, may be established later, as they are not canon to the Age of Division. Players are assumed to primarily take the roles of Gelfling, but I’ve included Podlings (AKA Pod People) as an additional playable race. All races are granted a free power that does not count against their refresh.

Gelfling
Gelflings are the people of Thra who stand at two to three feet tall. Gelflings possess the power to share memories with one another, called “dreamfasting”, which they utilize through touch. Female Gelflings are born with wings, but it is not required for a female to have the powers of Glide or Flight (it may be that a wing was stunted or broken). Gelflings are not new to the way of hunting or fighting for sport, but are only now learning the ways of war.
There are seven Gelfling Clans; each clan may offer or suggest a different power, but purchasing of the power is not required (see Chapter 3: Inhabitants and Creatures). It’s assumed that most player characters will be Gelflings.
Free Power: Dreamfasting

Podling
Podlings, or Pod People, is a shorthand pronunciation of apopiapoiopidiappididiapipob. They are skilled gardeners and tenders of the land who have domesticated many of the animals of Thra, including the fizzgig and nebrie. They are typically two feet tall. Podlings relish in feasting, song, and dance and will never hurt a living being. While it’s very rare for a Podling to know how to use a weapon, some have begun to adapt and they will defend themselves from darkened creatures like the Garthim or Crystal Bats.
Podlings feel a symbiosis with the land; when playing a Podling the idea of causing harm to another being excluding darkened creatures [see Chapter 3: Inhabitants and Creatures], even in defence, should never enter their thoughts. This may present unique RP challenges and it’s advised to not have a group of Podlings on an adventure.
Free Power: Animal Soul-Southing