http://dreamings.ning.

com 1

a live game by Daniel Comstock

special thanks: the Tales of the Dreaming staff, the Dreaming web community

rulebook version 1.0 published March 25, 2010

© 2010
http://dreamings.ning.com 2
 http://dreamings.ning.com 3

Table of Contents
Introduction ............................................................5 Veritas .............................................................16
Introduction .................................................5 Psychogeography .......................................16
What is a LARP? .........................................5Rewards ................................................................17
When / Where Can I play? ...........................5 The Dreamstone .............................................17
How do I play? ............................................5 Gaining Resonance .........................................17
What Happens During Games? ...................5 Spending Resonance .......................................18
Dream Walks ...........................................6 Races of the Dreaming ........................................18
Territories ................................................6 Visions ............................................................18
Combat .........................................................6 Description..................................................18
Beyond the Veil ......................................................7 Beginning as a Vision.................................18
You're a vehicle ................................................7 On Visions..................................................19
Morality ............................................................7 The Dreams of Visions...............................19
Cosmology .......................................................7 Fae ...................................................................20
Setting Basics .........................................................8 Description..................................................20
What is the Dreaming? .....................................8 Beginning as a Fae......................................20
Wakes ...........................................................8 On Fae.........................................................20
Races of the Dreaming:.....................................8 The Story of the Exile.................................21
Visions .........................................................8 The Distant Horizon of Faerie....................21
Fae ...............................................................9 Dead Gods .......................................................23
Dead Gods ...................................................9 Description..................................................23
Lost Souls ....................................................9 Beginning as a Dead God...........................23
Dream Walks ....................................................9 On Dead Gods............................................23
Astral Magic .....................................................9 The Divine Brotherhood.............................24
The Void .........................................................10 Lost Soul ........................................................26
Core Rules ............................................................10 Description..................................................26
The Most Important Rules ..............................10 Beginning as a Lost Soul............................26
In-Game and Out-of-Game ............................10 On Lost Souls.............................................26
Shades.........................................................11 Dreams of the Dead....................................27
Game State Signals.....................................11 Shades .................................................................28
Entering or Leaving ...................................11 What is a Shade? ............................................28
Disturbing the Dream ................................12 A Shade's Behavior .........................................28
In-Game Items ...........................................12 Monsters .........................................................28
Searching and Stealing ..............................12 Types of Shades ..............................................29
Calls ................................................................12 Native Shades ............................................29
Combat ...........................................................13 Imp.........................................................29
Safety Guidelines ........................................14 Adept......................................................29
Life and Death ...........................................14 The Void of Nonexistence ..........................29
Dragging Someone ....................................14 Demon....................................................29
Cuts in Play ....................................................15 Gray Man ..............................................30
List of Dreaming Calls .........................................15 The Unseelie Court.....................................30
the Basics ........................................................15 Goblins ..................................................30
Delivery Methods ...........................................15 The Outsiders..............................................31
Duration ..........................................................16 The Labyrinthine........................................31
Calls ................................................................16 Territories ............................................................32
 http://dreamings.ning.com 4

Danger Level...................................................32 How to Make a Dreaming Character ..................51

Banishment .....................................................32 Welcome to the Dreaming .........................51
Contested Territory ..........................................33 How do I make a character? ......................51
Fertility ...........................................................33 What if nobody's in my area? ...............51
Atmosphere .....................................................33Character Creation: Character Concept ...............52
Folklore.......................................................33Character Creation: Classes .................................53
Social Networking...........................................34 Guardian ....................................................53
Dream Countries .................................................35 Slayer ..........................................................55
Dream Countries ............................................35 Assassin .....................................................57
Voting .............................................................35 Skirmisher ...................................................59
The Shaper ..........................................................36 Archer .........................................................61
The Shaper's Duties ........................................36 Sorcerer ......................................................62
The Shaper's Powers .......................................36 Shaman ......................................................64
Restrictions on the Usage of Veritas ..........37 Summoner...................................................66
Dream Walks .......................................................38 Character Creation: Race Skills ..........................68
Overview.........................................................38 Vision ..............................................................68
Rewards...........................................................38 Fae ..................................................................69
Resonance...................................................38 Dead God .........................................................70
Archiving....................................................38 Lost Soul ........................................................71
Plot Influence..............................................38Advice: Goals .......................................................72
Playing a Dream Walk ....................................38 Location, Location, Location .........................72
Reading a Dream Walk ..............................39 Dream Walks ..................................................72
Running a Dream Walk .............................39 Experiences, Not Points .................................72
Astral Magic ........................................................40 Advice: Starting a Dreaming Group ....................73
Dreamscaping Rituals ....................................41Advice: Archiving ................................................74
Arena ..........................................................41 What is the Archive? ......................................74
Performance Hall .......................................42 Good Archiving ..............................................74
Feast Hall ...................................................43 What to Archive ..............................................74
Haunt .........................................................44 Resonance .......................................................74
Oneiromancy ..................................................45 Glossary ..............................................................75
Ashes of the Phoenix .................................45 Archive........................................................75
Land Hex ...................................................46 Concentration..............................................75
Harvest .......................................................47 Dream.........................................................75
Move Altar .................................................47 Dreamstone.................................................76
Forge Weapon ............................................48 Rest.............................................................76
Forge Wand ................................................49 Wake...........................................................76
Unite Dream Country .................................50 Zone............................................................76
Introduction http://dreamings.ning.com 5

profile on this site is your character sheet. You can use the
Introduction site to find out if there are any players near you.
Generally, players will gather at an agreed on time/place.
It is common to play in local parks, college campuses, or
Introduction other relatively secluded spots where one can get into a
boffer fight without accidentally hitting a bystander.
The Dreaming is both a social networking site
and a game. In the game, you will portray a character who
lives in a Dream World which looks, coincidentally, almost
exactly like the real world. Your character is a member of
the dream world's society. You can choose to go How do I play?
adventuring with other characters and participate in the To play the live game, you have to build a
game's ongoing plotlines. These adventures may involvecharacter using our game rules. Among other things, you
live combat using foam boffer weapons. Places where youwill pick a race, a class, and a few skills. This gives you the
and your friends actually hang out can become specialability to fight with boffer weapons, throw spells, or
locations within the game world. You can upload pics,perform other game actions which can harm other
videos, or post blog entries about your adventures, andcharacters.
earn points which give you additional skills or powers.
The Dreaming is run on the honor system.
There are no need for any game masters or Everybody has to keep track of their own skills and
referees. Anyone can play anytime they want. Adventures injuries. There are no referees to toss you out if you're not
are run by the game's players, and plotlines are playing fairly. If you are caught cheating, or your play is
coordinated over the social networking site. otherwise disruptive, other players will avoid you or stop
inviting you to their gatherings. It's possible for a local
group to ban you from certain areas of the game.
While in-game, you will portray a character in the
What is a LARP? Dreaming. Unlike many LARPs, you do not have to wear
LARP stands for Live Action Role Play. In short, a costume or talk in a funny accent - people in dreams
it is a game you play by adapting a persona and pretending look a lot like people in real life. Your character will make
you are a character in our fictional dream world. The friends and enemies with other characters, and participate
game has rules which dictate which weapons you can use, in ongoing stories and adventures. Much of the game's
how many times you can get hit with a boffer weapon story is generated by other players.
before you get knocked out, how magic works, and other Certain areas are hotspots for the game and may
stuff like that. be points for action or intrigue. A park, restaurant, or trail
through the woods can have a special meaning to
When / Where Can I play? characters in the Dreaming. They may be able to take
special actions there which affect the Dream Country or
There are two components of the game, the its residents.
social networking site and the live game. You can post to
the social networking site any time you want, even if your
character has been knocked out of the game for the day.
The live game is always going on. Any time you What Happens During Games?
wish to play, put on the Game Badge. This signals to other In many ways, the Dreaming is a social game. You
players that you are "in-game", and are a character who might want to participate in politics, trying to sway public
they may interact with. Generally, you will want to play at opinion about something. Players are free to create
the same time as other players. We recommend the governments and attempt to rule over one another. Many
evenings, at a pre-agreed on spot. Some players will would-be rulers are overthrown in violent coups. Each
perform rituals which create special game territories. race has its own role within the dreaming society. You
The Dreaming website works just like other might be interested in participating in guilds or
social-networking sites you may be familiar with. Your organizations, or just socializing with other characters.
Introduction http://dreamings.ning.com 6

In other ways, the Dreaming is a competitive Territories

game. Boffer combat is allowed in certain game areas.
Characters can attack and kill one another. Death in the
Dreaming is not permanent -- if someone is killed, their
character merely "phases out" of the Dreaming for the
night. While incapacitated in this way, you might have the
opportunity to be summoned and play the game as a
shade, a weak minion who does the bidding of his
summoner.
Your character is a member of an imaginary
dream society. People choose to become politicians,
revolutionaries, philosophers, soldiers, whatever role
they'd like in the Dream World. You are encouraged to
help develop the Dreaming society through your actions -
start a government, create laws, try to enforce those laws,
try to destroy those laws... How you relate to this world is
up to you.
The Dreaming takes place at locations chosen by
players. By doing Dreamscaping Rituals, you can turn a
location into an arena, performance hall, banquet hall,
sanctuary, or several other types of areas. Combat may
take place in areas designate by territory's owner.
Whoever creates a location may take ownership
of it. Each player may own one territory at a time. The
owner of a location is called a Warden, and is imbued
with special powers they may use while there.
Players can challenge each other to take control
of territory. Boffer fights, chess matches, foot races, and
other types of challenges are allowed to contest a location.
Though you may only own one location at a time, a group
of people working together can take over large portions
of the Dreaming.

See also: Territories

Dream Walks Combat

Dream Walks are special structured game Combat takes place using foam boffer weapons
activities. You might think of one as an adventure. and spell packets. Generally, characters can about five hits
(sometimes called a module) The Dreaming website houses from a weapon before they lose consciousness. Some
a list of Dream Walks. Each Dream Walk has a "script", people have special attacks they can use with their boffer
instructions for the adventure. weapons.
If you want to go on a Dream Walk, print out its Some characters can deliver ranged attacks or
script and gather up your party. You'll meet in an agreed spells using spell packets. Spell packets are little pouches
upon local spot, like a park or a friend's house. You will filled with birdseed that you throw at your target.
use local geography as sites to have encounters, which are
described in the script. Each encounter may involve Combat is based on the honor system. You are
different types of scenarios. They often involve combat, expected to play fairly, only use what skills you have
and physical or mental challenges. During Dream Walks, available, and die when you've run out of hit points.
some players will turn into shades, hostile monsters which Sometimes you will fight other players. On
the others must fight off. Dream Walks, you will generally fight shades - players who
Every character has a unique magic item called a have temporarily become monsters.
Dreamstone. By completing Dream Walks, you can
awaken special properties of your Dreamstone. Over
time, your Dreamstone will become more powerful.
In order for a Dream Walk to count, somebody
must "archive" it. This means posting photos, videos, or
blog entries about the adventure. This documentation is
also a check against cheating. If you suspect someone has
some power that they shouldn't have, you can easily check
the website to see what they did to earn it.
For more information about Dreamstones and
Resonance, see Rewards.
Beyond the Veil http://dreamings.ning.com 7

Dreams. As the years go by, if the monsters win, they will

Beyond the Veil
Hey there, Wake. Do you want to hear a secret?
gradually replace our dream world with theirs. And in that
nightmare, there shall be no rest, no inspiration, and no
hope. If those that dream don't feel rested when they
awaken, the Waking World will become a nightmare as
well.

It's about your dreams. Did you realize you're

having a dream right now? Yes I mean right now, as you're
reading these words on the internet. You thought
somebody had linked you to a game of some sort, but this
is all a part of a dream. Look around - for real, stop Morality
reading for a second and take a good look at where you
are. I know it all looks very familiar. It seems real. And In the Waking World, life is fragile and short. But
that's because it is real, in a sense. But you're not in the in dreams, one may die many times and live to tell about
waking world right now, you're in the Dreaming. it. Those killed today return tomorrow. Is it wrong to kill
someone in a Dream? Many would say it is not.
You'll spend a third of your life wandering the
misty cities of the Dreaming. Lots of stuff happens here - The Visions say that the Dreaming is actually
stuff you won't remember when you wake up. You'll just healthier when it is filled with stories and emotion.
have a vague impression of where you've been, a jumble Murder, if it becomes a good story, might be good for the
of images and emotions. That's why I'm going to tell you Dreaming.
the secret. You're not going to remember it later. So enjoy Those that came to the Dreaming from other
it while it lasts. Ready? worlds are not used to this idea. Many humans are
All the people you see in dreams, they're real accustomed to moral codes being handed down from
people too, others that are wandering the Dreaming. Some heaven - when they arrive in the Dreaming, they find out
of them are having a dream, just like you. But some of that those divine forces are regular people just like you
them - they are the Dreams. They go on existing even and me. And what does that say about right and wrong?
after you awaken. You didn't just dream them up. They There are no objective answers to these questions.
have their own lives. They live in a society you visit every
night but cannot remember.

Cosmology
We know of five realms, separated by great veils
of mystery.
You're a vehicle The Waking World is the material world, the
The Dreaming is full of spirits: living beings whorealm of form and action. It is also known as Assiah. The
lack a body. Sometimes, while you're asleep, one of these people living there only know of their realm. Unlike the
dream spirits will inhabit your body. It might be the spiritpeople who live in other realms, they eat, reproduce, sleep,
of a Vision, one of the people native to the Dreaming. and die. When people from the Waking World go to sleep,
But Visions aren't the only people who live there. There their minds travel to the Dreaming. Sometimes they
are a lot of creatures which people in the waking world receive emanations from the higher realms, where Gods
think are imaginary. Like faeries, ghosts, and gods. They dwell. When they die, their spirits travel through the
weave an awful lot of your dreams. One of these people labyrinth to one of the Afterlives.
might spend a few hours every week hanging out inside The Dreaming is a mirror of the Waking World.
your head. Those who live there are called Dreams. Those who only
These days, a lot of the spirits are actually visit are called Wakes. In the Dreaming, one feels no need
monsters. If they inhabit your body, and on a long enough to eat or sleep, but may do so if it pleases them. One will
timeline they certainly will, they will try to slay the other only die if it is their will to do so. Wakes absorb some of
Beyond the Veil http://dreamings.ning.com 8

the emotions and narratives present in the Dreaming.

Though they have trouble remembering it, the Wakes will
carry the energy back to Assiah where it becomes an
Setting Basics
emotion or a new idea. Without this continual stream of
energy from the Dreaming, the Waking World will
become a very gray place.
What is the Dreaming?
Interlaced with the world in which we live and
The realm of Faerie is a land much like the
die, there is a place called The Dreaming. It is said that
Waking World, except more magical. Colors are brighter,
humans spend a third of their lifetime there, drifting
water flows uphill, and the wind sounds like a song.
through its misty corridors and shadowy forests. This is
Promises and oaths have a supernatural power. The
not a place of logic, it is a place of surreality and
people who live in Faerie are called Fae. They have a
abstraction. It is a place of mischief, politics, danger and
magic called, glamour, a magical force which influences
adventure.
perception. Wrapped in glamour, one can appear sexy,
inconspicuous, or terrifying. The Fae have no gods, do not
die of age, and are only born rarely. When they sleep, they Wakes
do not dream. Faerie is currently overrun, occupied by
monstrous forces. The Dreaming looks just like the Waking World.
The residents of the Dreaming can sense that real-live
The Celestial Spheres are a divine realm which people (nicknamed Wakes) walk through another version
exists above the Waking World. It is also called Atziluth. It of their world which often overlaps with it. When playing
is the final resting place of human spirits who have passed the game, we regard people who aren't playing as "Wakes"
through the Labyrinth. Godforms worshipped in the - people who are just having a dream. You can still interact
Waking World appear in the celestial spheres, from where with Wakes, but they're not really a part of the game. You
they appear to be able to influence the Waking World. can light their cigarette, give them directions, ask them if
When a Godform is no longer worshipped in the waking they saw someone come running this way, et cetera, but
world, it fades from the Celestial Spheres and appears they cannot have any other influence on the game.
(some time later) in the Dreaming. In a way, the Dreaming
is the afterlife for the divine.
The Labyrinth is the cosmic knot, the great
mystery at the center of all existence. It connects all the
realms and binds them together. Little is known about the
Races of the Dreaming:
Labyrinth. see also: Dreaming Race
All of these realms appear connected in certain
ways. Events which occur on one plane often have
correspondence on other planes. Great destruction within
the Dreaming has ramifications in the Waking World. The Visions
exodus of the Fae from Faeire coincides with the Visions are the natural-born inhabitants of the
appearance of Lost Souls and monsters in the Dreaming. dreaming. Visions usually look just like humans
Many worry that the influx of people to the Dreaming themselves - humans are the most common thing to
will have unpredictable repercussions on the Waking appear in a dream and the easiest thing to manifest.
World.
Visions are varied in personality and motivation.
Many possess magical abilities which can affect the
Dreaming. One thing that all Visions share in common is
a custodianship for the Dreaming. They know that the
Dreaming and the Waking World have a symbiotic
relationship. As such they try to keep the Dreaming pure -
this often involves slaying monsters and repelling invaders.
Setting Basics http://dreamings.ning.com 9

Fae mortal's destiny. But since the fall of the Fae world, souls
have been know to become confused, and end up
Fae are mythological creatures who come from wandering the Labyrinth for eternity. Many pass into the
realm called Faerie, an enchanted place where water runs Dreaming.
backwards and stories become real. There are many
different kinds of Fae, including elves, leprechauns, Lost souls are the most versatile race. Being the
goblins, dryads, and redcaps. Fae used to spend most of souls of humans, they have the most sense of
their time in Faerie, but would occasionally journey into individuality and independence.
the Waking World. Now their plane is overrun by
monsters, and the Waking World makes them sick, so they
take refuge in the Dreaming.
Many Visions are happy to give the Fae a home, Dream Walks
as there is no lack of space in the Dreaming. But there are A Dream Walk is an event or story which
also many Visions who do not like outsiders populating happens within the Dreaming. Characters must band
their homeland and influencing the Dreamscape. together into a party to go on Dream Walks. They usually
All fae take an additional wound from iron involve walking or physically traveling somewhere. While
damage. on a Dream Walk, you may face danger, interact with
NPCs, or solve puzzles. Other characters in your party will
leave you for a little while to play monsters or other non-
Dead Gods player characters.
The Sumerians and Babylonians, the Egyptians, In-Game, a Dream Walk is regarded as a kind of
the Native Americans, worshiped literally thousands of adventure. They are given the respect and reverence akin
Gods, most of which have been forgotten. When a God to a hunt or a rite of passage. It is known that if you
loses all his followers and belief, he falls into the begin a journey and regard it as a Dream Walk, the
Dreaming and waits for his return to Earth. Dreaming will often change around you. Danger seems to
When an ancient God is worshiped again in the find you. But with skill and teamwork, you may
mortal world, it will become real again. Until then, they accomplish what you set out to do.
wait in the Dreaming, vying for power and respect. A
God’s power rests on Faith. It can be worshiped by see also: Dream Walks
denizens of the Dreaming and gain Faith, which he
channel into powers and abilities. When a God loses all its
Faith, it will cease to exist. In a few days, Faith will slowly
return, allowing the God to rest in the Dreaming again.
Astral Magic
Each God has an Altar somewhere in the
Dreaming. An Altar is the God’s resting place, and is Astral Magic is the art of manipulating the
sacred to that God. Each God has a Verse, a passage that Dreaming. Dreams often gather to perform Astral Magic,
is chanted over and over to give the God Faith. The Gods actions which can affect the Dreamscape.
try to get their allies to meet at the Altar and chant the Dreamscaping Rituals can create special areas
Verse. Doing so will increase the God’s strength and such as Arenas or Banquet Halls. The owner of these
abilities. properties has special powers related to their function.
You may gain blessings or bonuses for singing at a
performance hall or winning a fighting tournament at an
arena. Dreams will gather at these locations regularly,
Lost Souls often before embarking on a Dream Walk.
Long ago, Lost Souls were never heard of in the Other rituals, called Oneiromancy, can put a curse
Dreaming. When a mortal died, his spirit would travel on an area, create special items, or allow you to create a
through the Labyrinth to the Afterlife. Certain Fae took new character. Some rituals require you to collect
the responsibility of guiding them into the next life, components created by other rituals.
threading a holy path through the Labyrinth to that see also: Astral Magic
Setting Basics http://dreamings.ning.com 10

Core Rules
The Void There are two components to the Dreaming: the
social networking website, and the live adventure game.
In recent times, hostile monsters have begun to You will develop a persona who lives in the fictional world
appear in the Dreaming. Their spirits drift aimlessly until of the Dreaming. At any time you like, you can enter the
they find a body which they can occupy. These monsters game and experience the world through your character's
seek to slay Dreams and take their place. It seems that eyes. When in the game-world, you must follow the rules
their goal is to corrupt the Waking World by filling the for live play.
Dream World with violence and suffering. If this takes
place, the wakes will get no respite or inspiration from These are special rules that everybody in the live
their stay in the Dreaming, and the Waking World will game must know. For example, if somebody says the
begin to fall apart. word "slow", and hits you with a foam weapon, you have
been wounded in a way that prevents you from running.
The monsters come from a few different places.
These monsters cannot be parleyed with and they are not It is possible to play the live game without ever
open to alliances or negotiations. Most people, especially getting into a fight. If you avoid dangerous places, you
Visions, feel that monsters are a blight on the Dreaming can live out your character's life without ever facing a
and should be destroyed. monster or being slain by another character. Perhaps you
focus instead on participating in politics, or creating art
The Void energy can be dispersed by slaying and stories on the website. This is A-OK! But anybody
monsters. Sometimes Dreams will beckon monsters so who plays in a "dangerous" area (one where boffer
that they can be defeated. combat can take place) should know the basic rules.
See also:Shades

The Most Important

Rules
1. The honor system: There's no local
game masters to stop you from cheating. But why
cheat? It makes the game less fun for everybody.
If somebody is cheating, stop playing with them.
2. Safety: Nobody should ever be injured
during gameplay. Do not engage in risky
situations. We use a "lightest touch" fighting
system. When attacking someone with a boffer
weapon, you only need to touch them. You don't
need to hit hard in order for your hit to count. If
someone is swinging too hard, let them know.
3. Follow the Law: Do not break the law
while playing the Dreaming. Do not trespass or
assault random strangers. If possible, we want to
avoid any police attention.

In-Game and Out-of-Game

There are two “states” that someone can be in.
You can be in a “dreaming” state (often abbreviated as IG,
Core Rules http://dreamings.ning.com 11

for in-game), or a “wake” state (often abbreviated as master's orders. You might play one of these shades as a
OOG, for out-of-game). To indicate that you are minion if you die for the night.
dreaming (and thereby, actively playing the game), wear a
game badge (note: until the beta test is finished, an arm band will
be fine). You cannot try to hide or camouflage your badge Game State Signals
in any way to conceal whether or not you are Dreaming or • Game Badges indicate that you are in-
Awake. Likewise, you are not allowed to ask people what game as your normal character. (note: until the beta
state they are in – if you can’t see their badge, you can’t test is finished, an arm band will be fine. Arm bands may
tell whether they’re dreams or wakes. be any color except blue or orange)
Most people in the world are “wakes” – these are • Blue Arm Bands indicate that the player
people who are having dreams of living out their lives, is a shade. While wearing an arm band, you are
and their unconscious minds are wandering the dreaming, not playing your character. You may not speak on
doing routine things like going to class, partying, and your character's behalf or act on your character's
voting in local elections. Wakes are non-players. They are wishes.
not “playing”, but they are still a part of the game. For • Orange Arm Bands or NPC Badges
example, if you’re chasing someone and they get away, are special markers which indicate you are playing
you can ask nearby wakes if they saw anyone run by. an NPC. These characters have instructions given
to them by a Dream Walk script or the Shaper.
It is considered good etiquette to act When you see someone wearing an NPC arm
inconspicuously around wakes. See also: Disturbing the band, you do not recognize them as their normal
Dream character. Any knowledge you learn while
There is little distinction between in-game and NPCing cannot be taken in-game.
out-of-game knowledge. If you hear something while in a
wake state, you your character will know that knowledge
as well. Even if you are unconscious, if the people who
Entering or Leaving
knocked you out are standing nearby and talking, you will When you enter or leave game, you are essentially
still be able to hear what they are saying (although if you wandering "off-stage", or coming in from "off-stage".
are knocked out, your eyes must be closed, so you might Since the stage of this game goes pretty much forever,
not be able to identify them anyway!). No one can force "off stage" is any place where you're not visible to other
you to ignore something that you see or know, unless it is characters. You can enter game whenever you are off-
knowledge you gained while playing an non-player stage. Just put on your badge or arm band and come on
character for the game’s directors. in!
While you are NPCing, people think of you as Leaving the game is slightly more complex. First,
portraying a different "waking self". Please do not use this you need to wander away from other players. It's possible
information as your character. Doing so is called meta- that someone is following you, or spying on you. To give
gaming and is a form of cheating. them an opportunity to make their move before you
wander off-stage, you must say "Does anybody contest me
leaving game?" If anyone says yes, you must keep moving
Shades before you ask again. If nobody objects, you may take off
In the Dreaming, a wake can be inhabited by a your badge or arm band.
Shade, a spirit which needs a body to act upon the Usually, nobody is following you. But you have to
Dreaming. Shades are distinguished by their blue arm ask anyway, even if you're certain that you're alone.
bands. They also often wear masks.
Whenever you enter the game "on-stage", (like if
There are several types of shades. Some shades you are teleporting in, or you're a monster who is
can be created or commanded by players. Hostile shades, respawning at a certain point) you must take three seconds
called monsters, are manifestations of the Void. Slaying to announce your appearance. You'll have a phrase which
them disperses some of the Void energy. Monsters are describes what everyone else sees. In a clear speaking
often found during Dream Walks. voice, you must repeat this three times while counting. For
Shades created by players aren't very intelligent example, if you are a monster who is climbing up out of
and have little will of their own. They must obey their the water, you enter game by standing next to the water
Core Rules http://dreamings.ning.com 12

and saying, "I climb out of the water 1, I climb out of the
water 2, I climb out of the water 3." While you are
counting, you can take damage and cannot call defensive
skills.
Disturbing the Dream
Any action which you shouldn't take in real life,
such as breaking the law, attack strangers with boffer
weapons, or kidnapping someone and throwing them in
your car, cannot be taken in-game either. In-game this
restriction is called "Disturbing the Dream".
Characters in the Dreaming are incapable of
taking certain actions which might disturb the wakes. Our
game is played in public, so we must take precautions to
make sure we don't draw too much attention to ourselves
or break the law. This is one of the reasons why most
Dreaming players don't wear outlandish costumes or get
in sword fights inside the mall. If you are in a crowded
restaurant, it is definitely inappropriate for you to start
throwing spells at people.
In-game, certain types of actions cannot be taken if
it will disturb reality too much. While you might want to
spell down your opponent while he's standing in line at prop itself must be returned to the person who it's been
the post office, you cannot do so because it would disturb stolen from at the earliest convenience.
the dream. Even mindless monsters cannot swing their
weapons in contexts where it might scare people,
accidentally hit a bystander, or draw police attention.
object that’s visible from someone. Obvious items
such as swords, worn talismans, or any
immediately visible prop can be taken
immediately.
• A Full Search is needed to take items out
of pockets and pouches. You must then count to
sixty while roleplaying patting down and
searching the person. During this 60 seconds, the
target of the search will pull out all his in-game
tags and shuffle them, out of the sight of the
searcher. He will then fan them out, and you may
pick one. These tags physically change hands at
the end of the 60 count. If someone searches
you, please be quick to hand over your items and
do not whine or take an extra-long time to get
them out in hopes that someone will come and
save you from being robbed.
You can only be targeted by a Full Search once
per person per hour. That means that if someone full
searches you at 11 PM, that person can’t do it again until
midnight.
All props remain property of the owner even if
they are stolen in-game. A tag may change hands, but the
Dreamstones cannot be stolen. See Rewards for
more details about how to awaken special powers within a
Dreamstone.

In-Game Items Calls

Some game items have a tag, a slip of paper
which describes the item's properties. For example, a Certain game effects are linked to key words,
magic sword might have a tag which says "Once per day, called "calls". These calls let other people know that a
you can swing this sword for 5 damage". game effect is taking place. For example, if someone says
"3 damage" while swinging a sword at you, you will take 3
If the tag describes a physical item, you must wounds if it hits.
have a prop representing that item in order to use it. So
the tag alone is not enough to use a magic wand - you If you are delivering a call with your weapon, you
must also find a stick or object which fits the description must say the call as you're swinging. If you're delivering a
written on the tag. The tag should, if possible, be attached call with a spell packet, you must say the call before you
to the prop. throw the packet.
The RP The Damn Effect Rule - If you use up
an expendable skill and the target doesn't role play the
Searching and Stealing effect or call a defensive skill in reply, the skill is not used
If someone is unconscious, paralyzed, asleep, or up. At the very minimum, they have to call “ugh” to
otherwise incapacitated, you may go up to the player and indicate to you that they registered the attack.
say "I search you." There are two types of searches: Quick See also: List of Dreaming Calls
Searches and Full Searches.
• A Quick Search involves grabbing an
Core Rules http://dreamings.ning.com 13

they hit or miss, you must pause for at least one full
Combat second. If someone attacks you and does not pause, every
All weapons in the game must be padded foam additional hit after the third does not count. You must say
boffer weapons which are safe to fight with. Our goal is "flurry" to indicate to your opponent that the attack did
that no one should get hurt while playing. Though your not effect you because they have not paused.
character may be injured or killed, you (the player)
shouldn't suffer the same risk.
Any character can use a one handed safety-
approved “boffer” weapon. All weapon swings do one
point of damage unless you call something out, in which
case they may inflict more damage, or a status effect.
Certain skills will allow you to use game calls with your
weapon.
Weapons larger than 48 inches are called Great
Weapons and require two hands to use. To use a great
weapon or shield you must have the skill Martial Styles.
Both hands must be on the weapon's grip in order for a
hit or block to count. Martial Styles also allows you to use
a shield. The perimeter of a shield must be covered in
foam. A shield may not be used to attack or touch another
player in any way.
To use a weapon in your off hand, you must have
the skill Two Weapon Styles. One of the weapons must be
a short weapon or dagger.
Weapons must be approved by the Warden of
whatever territory you are in.

Weapon Type Measurements

Small weapons..............Up to 24”
Short weapons..............25” – 36”
Long weapons...............37” – 48”
Great weapons..............49” – 72”

If your swing connects with your opponent's

body on anywhere except for the hands, head, neck, or
groin, the opponent takes a wound. All swings must be
between roughly 45 and 90 degrees and must be delivered
with a safe approved boffer weapon.
It is considered courteous to call "hit" or "ouch"
or "got it" after you are hit to let your opponent know
that you registered the attack. We encourage you to role
play the damage – after all, you just got hit with a sword –
act like it!
Drum Rolling: Any swings of less than 45
degrees, or more than three strikes against the same body
part do not count. This is called "machine gunning" or
"drum rolling".
Flurries: After you take three swings, whether
Core Rules http://dreamings.ning.com 14

Safety Guidelines (You can gain two more by picking the skill Toughness.)
You cannot fall into negative numbers. For example, if
Lightest Touch: Our game uses a "lightest you have two health left, and somebody hits you for ten
touch" boffer style. This means that you only need to damage, you will only be at 0 health.
swing hard enough to touch your opponent with your
weapon. A hit still counts even if it only grazed you. Certain spells or abilities can grant you additional
There is no such thing as "not swinging hard enough for protection, called armor. Armor works just like health,
the hit to count". except that points of armor are lost before health. Armor
is not refreshed by healing spells, it needs to be refit. The
We want to emphasize that “boffer sword” spell or ability which grants you the armor will describe
fighting is an entirely unique style – it is not trying to how to refit it. Armor from multiple sources does not
emulate what a real sword fight would be like, nor is it stack. For example, if you were granted 1 point of armor
trying to be overly-realistic. The emphasis in boffer from a Dead God, and 1 point of armor from your
combat is on speed, skill, and finesse – not strength or Dreamstone, you still only have one point of armor. Only
landing hits on vital areas. the highest number you are being granted counts. Note
Charging: You are not allowed to touch your that there is no bonus for wearing real armor as part of
opponent in any way shape or form except for through your costume.
safety-approved boffer weapons and spell packets. Any
type of body contact is called "charging" An opponent is
also charging if they are close enough to you so that you When you have zero health left, you must fall
can reach out and touch their torso. down and act like you're knocked out. While you're
playing dead, you can't look around, call out for help, use
Violations: People who are found to be fighting items or skills, or do anything. If you're lying in the
in an unsafe way may be issued a yellow card or red card middle of a battle, you're allowed to crawl a few feet over
from a local Warden. If a Red Card is presented, you (the so you don't get stepped on.
player) will have your right to use weapons removed for
the night. Once you reach 0 health, you will be knocked-out
for five minutes. While unconscious, you are helpless
Legal Targets: Strikes to the head, neck, or groinagainst any attempts to kill you. During this time someone
are illegal. Shots against the hands do not count if they may lay a weapon on your torso and deliver a Death
are currently holding something. Anyone found to be Blow. To do this, they say "Death Blow 1, Death Blow 2,
repeatedly striking these spots will be issued a yellow card. Death Blow 3". This must take at least three seconds, and
Safety reports may be filed on the website. anyone may stop it by knocking the killer's weapon aside.
Weapon Construction: In order to ensure that When the blow is finished, you say "I phase out", and take
all weapons are safe, they must adhere to certain safety off your game badge or arm band. If someone death
guidelines, as described in this document. At any time, the blows you while you are still conscious, you may say "no
Warden of the territory you are in may ask to check your effect" and ignore the blow.
weapon. If they find any fault with its construction, such If you are unconscious for five minutes and you
as thin foam or exposed pipe, they will reject the weapon. do not receive a death blow, you regain consciousness and
This means you may not fight with it until it is fixed or are at 1 health.
remade.
If you are killed, your character vanishes for the rest of
Life and Death the day. You will be reborn at sunrise with no wounds. In
the meantime, you can choose to be a Summoner's shade
All weapons do one point of damage (called a
minion. You may still post to the Aether.
wound). People can use certain skills and abilities which
may change this – if they call out a game effect or number
of damage while they're swinging, the weapon delivers Dragging Someone
that game effect or number of damage instead of a wound.
An incapacitated or otherwise immobile character
Every character has a certain number of health. may be dragged. To do this, you must have two free hands
This is the number of wounds you can take before you (so all in-game items you are holding must be sheathed or
lose consciousness. All characters begin with five health. dropped). Put a hand on the character's shoulder and say
Core Rules http://dreamings.ning.com 15

"I drag you". Once the character stands up, you may move
at a walking speed with the character. Using any in-game
skills or taking damage while dragging causes the dragged
List of Dreaming Calls
character to be dropped.
When you drop a character, he must lie down the Basics
where you dropped him. If you pick him up again, you
Many of the things that happen in the game are
have to wait for him to sit down and stand back up.
explained by the use of “calls”. These are out-of-game
words and phrases which describe certain effects. For
example, the call "roots" represents a force which pins
Cuts in Play your foot to the ground. “2 iron” is a call that represents
This rule is very important. If someone is hurt that the attack does two points of damage with an iron
out-of-game, call out "Cut!" If you hear someone call weapon. (if you are vulnerable to iron, you take an extra
"Cut!", you must immediately stop what you're doing and point). It is necessary that you role play when you are hit
go down to one knee. If you see other people on one with these effects.
knee, they is probably a cut in effect and you should also If you use up an expendable skill on someone
go down to one knee. When the action is cut, the game is and they don’t role play the effect or call a defensive skill
stopped, and everything should freeze. During a cut, you in reply, the skill is not used up. At the very minimum,
may not be communicating with friends, planning strategy, they have to call “got it” to indicate to you that they
or fighting. registered the attack. If you miss with an attack, it isn't
Cuts can be used to clarify rules or describe a used up either.
special scene or effect, though this will not happen often. Sometimes you may be able to call a defensive
Since calling a Cut stops the game, do not call cuts lightly.
skill in reply to another attack. For example, warriors have
They are usually used for emergencies, or to improve the
the ability to parry weapon blows. To do this, you must
flow of the game. announce "parry" in response to the attack. After the
When the game resumes from a Cut, the person attack, you have three seconds to use a defensive call.
who called the cut will yell "everybody ready? 3-2-1,
Action!"
Delivery Methods
• By Weapon – in order to deliver a call
through a weapon blow, you have to hit your
victim in a legal target (anywhere other than their
hands, head, neck, or groin). For example, a rogue
with a poison dagger must slice his opponent
successfully in order to deliver the call. All game
weapons must follow weapon safety guidelines.
• By Aura – most spells are cast through
small cloth pouches filled with birdseed called
Spell Packets (or occasionally “spackets”.) In-
game, people refer to these objects as “aura”. If
you are holding spell packets, it looks like your
hand is glowing with magical aura. In order to
cast a spell, you must say the full incantation of
the spell and then throw the spell packet. If the
packet his your target or anything he or she is
wearing or holding, then your spell should
succeed.
• By Gesture – Some things (like wands)
will allow you to target multiple people or people
in the distance. In order to target someone in the
List of Dreaming Calls http://dreamings.ning.com 16

distance, you must call out the person’s name or a soon as it hits the ground and stops moving. If this call is
description of him or her. For example, Traven delivered by weapon, the target is the weapon or limb it
has a wand that will cast a sleep spell. While hits. The call will have no effect if the legs or torso are hit.
pointing it at Nughaull, Traven calls out “Hey!
Dispel X - the specified call is ended. For
Fae wearing red, by my gesture, sleep”. Some
example, if you are effected by roots, someone could cure
abilities will let you gesture to everyone around
before the duration has finished with "dispel roots". Any
you, or certain people who are nearby.
unspent charges from an evocation spell can also be
• By Voice – Some large effects will be
snuffed out by a dispel by targeting "dispel evocation".
delivered through the caster’s voice. If you hear
the incantation to the spell, you are affected by it. Drain - While drained, you cannot take any in-
game actions or use any skills.
Heal – this call heals a point of damage. A
number of wounds may be specified, such as "Heal 3".
Duration Knockout - you are unconscious and must fall to
Some effects will be instant, like effects that the ground. You will wake up in 60 seconds.
inflict wounds. Others will last longer. Most calls have a Push - the target must immediately move back
duration of "line-of-sight". This means, the spell still until they are ten feet away, and cannot use offensive game
affects you as long as you are within the caster’s line-of- skills until he does. If he is unable to move back, he must
sight. To determine whether or not you are in line-of- kneel for three seconds. If the target is already ten feet
sight, imagine a line being drawn between you and the away, this has no effect.
caster. If it is obstructed by buildings or stationary objects
for more than ten seconds, the spell is over. To break a Refresh - This call recharges one skill. Usually, a
line-of-sight spell, you can’t just face the other way or hide specific skill or skill type will be specified, such as
behind people – you have to step behind a building or "Refresh 1 encounter skill".
tree. Roots – When rooted, your right foot is stuck to
The duration of any spell that doesn’t deliver an the ground. You may pivot on that foot, but cannot move
immediate effect (like damage) is line-of-sight unless a it from that spot.
different duration is specified. For example, if someone Slow - When slow, you cannot run.
hits you with a “root” attack, you are rooted in place until
the caster leaves your line of sight. If the attack states
“roots for 1 minute”, you remain trapped for a full
minute.
Veritas
Veritas, the Latin word for truth, is a special game
The duration "until rest" indicates that the effect word which means the next thing you are about to say is
will go away once you take a five-minute rest. true within the context of the game. For example, if
somebody points to the sky and says "Veritas: There's a
UFO flying overhead!" you must act as if you see the
UFO flying overhead.
Calls Game instructions may also be delivered with the
Bestow - the target receives a skill, ability, or word Veritas. For example, during a Dream Walk, you
bonus, as specified. Some bestowed abilities can only be might hear, "Veritas - the pavement is hot lava. If you step
used once, while others can be refreshed like an encounter on it, you take one damage."
skill. Unless another duration is specificed, all You are only allowed to use the word Veritas if a
bestowments disappear at 6 AM. game ability or Dream Walk script has permitted you to
Bind - your arms are bound to your side. You do so.
may still move around. Any attacks that hit your weapons
or shield will effect you while bound.
Psychogeography
Disarm - you must drop the specified item. You
may not toss it or throw it. You may pick it up again as In Dreams, a location can have more than one
List of Dreaming Calls http://dreamings.ning.com 17

identity. For example, a place can be both a park near your

house and the ruins of an ancient battleground.
Sometimes, (often on Dream Walks) you will venture into
Rewards
fantastic places which coexist with actual geography. The
word Veritas is often used to create this psychogeographic
coexistence.
The Dreamstone
Anyone who spends some time in the Dreaming
For example, you might be on a Dream Walk to a
may create a Dreamstone. This is a special stone which
temple in the peaks of the Himalayas. As you climb a
grants you powers or abilities. Every character may only
steep hill, your party leader might say, "Veritas, you can
own one Dreamstone. It will only work for that player,
see for hundreds of miles up here!" When you reach the
and cannot be stolen or traded.
little gazebo at the top of the hill, he'll say "Veritas - look,
over there, the temple!" As you bring your Dreamstone with you in the
Dreaming, you may hear it begin to talk to you. Over time,
it may teach you secrets or grant you special powers.
People often choose a Dreamstone which shares
some quality with their character. Someone who's
character is a dirty lowlife might have a lump of coal for a
Dreamstone. Someone who is very vain might carry a
beautiful gem. A charismatic fast talker might choose a
very smooth stone.

Gaining Resonance
The Dreamstone "wakes up" over time by taking
it with you during your travels. Every time you complete a
Dream Walk which is Archived, you gain a point of
Resonance. This Resonance can be spent to awaken your
Dreamstone's powers.
You can also be awarded Resonance for good
archiving. This means writing good blog posts or
submissions to the game. For example, if you post an
interesting journal, speech, artwork, or essay, a staff
member might reward you Resonance in that post's
comments. If you do something in the Dreaming which
creates drama, story, or inspires others, you can be
awarded Resonance.
In your profile, there is a section titled "Dream
Log". This section is used to record when and how you
received Resonance. List the date, title, and link to the
relevant archive entry. For example, if you go on the
Dream Walk titled "Fae Rescue" on November 4th, and
somebody posts a blog entry about it, record this:
"11/24 - Fae Rescue -
http://dreamings.ning.com/profiles/blogs/
name-of-blog-entry".
Rewards http://dreamings.ning.com 18

Spending Resonance Races of the Dreaming

To awaken the Dreamstone's power, you must
spend Resonance. Each power also has an upkeep cost, an
amount of Resonance which must be paid each month. If Visions
the upkeep is not paid within 30 days, the power
disappears.
When you purchase a power, list it, and the date
on which you purchased it, in the profile section called
"Dreamstone Powers". Spend Resonance on that power
by cutting it from your Dream Log and pasting it beneath
that entry.
For example, if you buy the Dream Shield power,
which costs 2 points, your Dreamstone Power section
might look like this:
2/19/10 - Dream Shield - You gain 1 armor
point. They can be refreshed by holding
your Dreamstone and concentrating for 60
seconds.

1/10 - Fae Rescue -

http://dreamings.ning.com/profiles/blogs/
we-rescued-some-fae

1/15 - Awaken the Wakes -

http://dreamings.ning.com/profiles/blogs/
putting-up-posters-downtown
If the power's upkeep is 1, you would have to list
an additional point of Resonance underneath that entry
between 3/19 and 4/18. Another point would have to be
spent between 4/19 and 5/18. If a power expires because
the upkeep has not been paid, mark that power as
INACTIVE. You may reactive it at any time by paying the
upkeep cost.
A point of Resonance can only be spent once.
After it's been listed underneath an active power, it cannot
be spent again.
For a list of Dreamstone powers,
see the Dreaming website.
Description
Visions are the natural inhabitants of the
Dreaming, and are thought of as dreams themselves.
Visions guard the Dreaming against outsiders. They take
an additional wound when struck by essence damage.
Beginning as a Vision
If you are playing a Vision, your character will
either be a wanderer who has just come here from some
other part of the country, or a newly created Vision who
was just given birth by the Dreaming. New Visions do not
know the current events of the Dreaming and must learn
in-game about the presence of Fae. Note that many
Visions dislike Fae and view their presence in the
Dreaming as a kind of intrusion, though they are for the
most part willing to put up with the Fae until they can
reclaim their homeland.
Races of the Dreaming http://dreamings.ning.com 19

On Visions glimpse at the Waking World’s sister plane. Most of this

voyage is unfortunately not remembered upon return to
July 23, 1852. Journal of Archilino Dulcinari, (d. the familiar shores of consciousness.
1836) former member of the Roman Catholic Church, Official
scribe of the Italian High Shaper. While in the Dreaming, wakes often encounter
Visions and other dreams. Visions have the talent of
Visions are an interesting specimen, perhaps the stepping inside a Wake’s consciousness and briefly crafting
most interesting specimen that I have seen in this new their reality. This can take place in two main ways.
world. Visions are not born like you and I, in our home
plane. They are brought into being by the will of the A Vision is capable of walking with the Wake and
Dreaming itself. Sometimes they are born for apparent describing a scene in a way that it becomes real to him or
reasons, like decay within the dream country, sometimes her. The Vision shares the point of view of the Wake for
for no perceivable reason at all. It is their function to a time, and then departs. They will walk together for a
maintain the dreamworld. It is necessary for the Dreaming while as the Vision narrates: “There is a bucket by your
to continuously modify and reshape itself, as this plane is bed and a bat at the bottom of it. The bat is covered with
far more malleable than ours, and the agents through ants. You are horrified.” Occasionally this narrative takes
which this is done are the Visions. They serve a secondary place in the first person.
function, as well, depending on the vision, in the form of While “phased out”, the vision is incorporeal.
quantifying, experimenting, and interpreting the vast While in this state, he or she will skip from mind to mind,
amounts of data that they receive from the dreams of sometimes merely keeping pace with one wake, sometimes
"wakes". Recently, they have adjusted to fit a third jumping from dream to dream like a stone skipping on the
function, a function much like the antibodies in our body, water. Within a mind, the Vision is the master-painter, a
fighting impurities in the Dreaming itself. psychedelic director, and for a short time, a part of the
All Visions are shapers of the Dreaming, and the Wake’s internal consciousness.
individual dreams of "wakes". Thus, visions are known While within the dreams of wakes, a Vision has a
from time to time to fabricate dream visions in the fleeting glimpse of that person’s mind. This glimpse leads
subconscious of other inhabitants of the Dreaming. to curiosity, but Wakes do not stay in the Dreaming long
All visions are made of the Prime Material of the enough for to satisfy a Vision's questions. The way that
Dreaming, called Essence. If one can refine the metals of Wakes experience the world is entirely different from
the Dreaming into a weapon crafted of Essence, it will Visions. For a Vision, it’s somewhat like looking into a
severely damage a vision. kaleidoscope, but in addition to seeing colors and shapes,
the Vision sees contradictory opinions, memories and
All Visions tend to share a custodianship for the emotions all blended into one strange impression. It is a
dreaming, and most will support a Shaper. However, much more contradictory mode of experience than a
Visions are frequently xenophobic and will demand that Vision can imagine. When retracting from this image and
this Shaper be a Vision, or at the very least a Dead God. returning to the Dreaming, the Vision must return to a
world with fewer rules, less structure, and less tangibility.
This can be frustrating, but it often provides a sense of
purpose and direction.
The Dreams of Visions The way that a Vision interacts with Wakes is
It is assumed that most of the time that a vision often a component part of that Vision’s personality. Some
spends off-stage and out-of-game, they are in a sort of visions are called nightmares, and feel the greatest
between-worlds zone where they become the Dreams of fulfillment from Dreams filled with horror and adrenaline.
the waking world. What exactly does this mean? Some call themselves incubi or succubi, and enjoy dreams
of an ‘indulgent’ nature. Most visions prefer to pick a
When a wake goes to sleep, their mind drifts away
specific emotion or concept to center a Dream around.
from their body. Seemingly effortlessly, it crosses through
the mists and into the Dreaming. There, it wanders It is thought that Visions who spend too much
aimlessly through the Dreamscape, eternal visitors and time in Dreams can become trapped there, staring
tourists incapable of resting or staying in one place for abysmally into the confusing mind of wakes. Meanwhile,
too long. Despite the tireless travel, the mind is not Visions who do not spend enough time in Dreams find
fatigued, but rather, invigorated and rejuvenated by its themselves without direction, without motivation, and
Races of the Dreaming http://dreamings.ning.com 20

occasionally, without emotion. These Visions seem to

have lost a part of themselves and can often benefit from Fae
an extended meditation within the Dreamscape of
foreigners. Description
Some Visions wonder if they are necessarily the Fae are a magical and mysterious people displaced
“top level” of unconsciousness. Dreams lose from their homeland, Faerie. Fae are refugees in the
consciousness too, and when they die, their essence is Dreaming, hiding here while their homeland is consumed
temporarily in Void. While they slumber, are the spirits of by war. Fae take an additional wound when struck by iron
Visions being explored by some beings in the Void? None damage.
remember long enough to tell.

Beginning as a Fae
If you are playing a Fae, you are a stranger in a
strange land. You are an exile from your homeland, the
realm of Faerie. You may have lived in the Waking World
during the time the Fae call the Great Fade, when the last
magic in the world faded out and all Fae went color-blind.
You might have lived in Faerie, the Fae’s homeland, when
the Fae were forced them out of their homeland. Or
perhaps you were born in the Dreaming and have never
known either Faerie or the Waking World. Now you
wander the Dreaming, looking for a place to call home.

On Fae
Welcome friend, sit down and chat with me. The
world of the dreaming is a rough place - sometimes it
seems so drab and bleak. This place makes me miss my
home more and more every day. But this is our home now,
and I suppose all we can do is defend this, our last
stronghold.
I am Tak, a Fae. I used to be called a Satyr, but
after we came through the Rift to the Dreaming, our
forms ended up being a bit more mundane. Now none of
us have horns or wings or hooves - you can barely tell any
of us apart! Me and my kin live in the woods here.
We tried to live in the Waking World for a while,
but it's all black and white and it smells like oil. It's been
like that since the Industrial Revolution. Humans still see
the color for some reason, but I don't think it's there, not
like it used to be. And when color went, we couldn't use
our glamour, either. Our kind used to love traveling to the
Waking World, but it was too sad to stay. So we left. Now
we live in the Dreaming.
It seems like so long ago. Once upon a time, we
lived in the land of Faerie where everything was bright
Races of the Dreaming http://dreamings.ning.com 21

and colorful, the world oozed magic, and what humankind displaced. Many members of the Unseelie Court still roam
viewed as impossibilities were everyday occurrences. Faerie, which is now a deserted wasteland, overrun by
Those days are gone now. We were driven from our home hordes of ravenous monsters.
by war, a war between the Seelie and Unseelie courts. The
With the exile both from Faerie and the Waking
Unseelie brought the monsters to Faerie, and eventually
World, the Fae had few places left to go. In mass, they
the monsters overcame us both. Now our great land, once
traveled through large rifts to the Dreaming, where they
an endless paradise, is a desolate desert. It is less our
made their home. The Fae found that though they may
world now then theirs. After the invasion, many of our
have appeared as tiny leprechauns, intimidating giants, or
kind died. Those of us who survived escaped through the
any number of dazzling creatures, when their world was
Rifts to the Dreaming only to fight amongst ourselves.
lost, they also lost their ability to enhance their appearance
with glamour. Now all the fae look quite mundane.
The members of the Unseelie court have turned
The Story of the Exile up in the Dreaming looking for a place to stay. Some
members of the Unseelie court have followed their
There have always been two houses in the realm ancient adversaries through the rifts to make trouble.
of Faerie, the Seelie court and the Unseelie court. The Others are guilty for their deeds, or are unhappy with how
two courts have been at each other's throats for as long as the war was resolved. Many simply become monsters,
anyone can remember. A long time ago, these courts once wandering the Dreaming in search of the next fight.
stood for something - the Seelie court was associated with
light, beauty, and goodness, while the Unseelie epitomized
all that is dark, foul, and evil. Over centuries of warfare,
each court took on some of its opponent's properties. By
the 1800s, the difference between the two courts was in
The Distant Horizon of Faerie
name only. The Faerie ffolke have many things about them
which seem strange to those that know only the Waking
In the mid 1800s, magic in the Waking World
World. There are many traditions, rituals, and ideas that
began to fail. Advancements in science and technology
are bafflingly foreign to mortals, their gods, and their
resulted in a plague among the Fae. A widespread color-
dreams.
blindness and subsequent depression spread through the
Fae as they began to wither and die. This was called the For one, there are many diseases which plague
Great Fade. Faerie. Humans are used to diseases which physically
attack the body. The Faerie have diseases like these – the
Around the time of the Waking World's Industrial
(un)common cold, hayfever, tourette’s syndrome, and the
Revolution, something happened to the Unseelie Court.
bubonic plague, to name a few in common. They also
They began to fight with no regard for their own survival.
have an entirely different family of diseases which are
They began to employ unnatural creatures which had no
affective in nature. These diseases effect the mind and the
place in existence. The Fae were consumed by their
emotions, not the body. One example of this disease is
mission to destroy their enemies. History would reveal
the Scarlet Rage, a sickness that is perforates the mind and
that the Unseelie leader's attempts to tap into the Void of
agitates it towards violence. Much like one might catch a
Nonexistence had corrupted them beyond measure.
cold by not putting on a coat before going outside, people
Eventually, the void creatures were no longer catch the Scarlet Rage by feeling overwhelmingly
under the Unseelie's control. They began to slaughter frustrated or hopeless.
wantonly, no longer fighting for one side or the other. The
This disease is common especially among
Seelie and Unseelie courts were not able to fight a two
Redcaps. When affected by extreme cases of Scarlet Rage,
front war, and began to lose ground to the monsters.
the sick Faerie sees everything with a red filter over it.
The war drew to a close in the year 2010, when People seem to be indistinguishable black silhouettes.
the Unseelie Court succeeded in its ancient goal of Only those that the Faerie really trusts seem to be in
repelling the Seelie Fae from Faerie. Spread thin, they focus, and then only briefly. When confronted with one
were unable to hold their ground, and were exiled as well. of these hateful black shadows, the Faerie is unable to
In their victory, they had also destroyed themselves. The withhold from violence. The Scarlet Rage is only curable
outsiders had taken the realm, and its natives were by deep focused meditation, spread out over a long time.
Races of the Dreaming http://dreamings.ning.com 22

Violence, unfortunately, only inflames the disease, but

with the brief-lived satisfaction of scratching poison ivy.
When the Faerie came to the Dreaming, it
seemed apparent that other races could get the Scarlet
Rage (as well as other affective diseases, such as
Sadarrhea, the Inappropriate Giggles, and Chronic Goth
Syndrome) as well. Many beings laughed at this notion –
those silly Fae were thinking that people’s natural
emotions were a contagious disease! --And perhaps that is
true. But still, the Fae Elders warn against being
consumed with violence – it does not cure the Scarlet
Rage, it only makes it worse. You may destroy yourself, in
time. Ffolklore tells a few stories of Faerie that
succumbed to this rage and became beasts themselves.
The Redcaps instead hold that this disease is a
sacred tradition called Bloodlust. When at the height of
Bloodlust, a redcap will drink the blood of his foes and
dip his cap in it, making it as red as his anger. This is a
spiritual and personal moment characterized by pride,
glory, hubris, and a sense of communion with oneself.
The Fae have no notions of many things that are
natural to the joyless people of the Mortal Realm. Fae do
not dream, and Fae do not think about the Afterlife. They
do, however, have a few emotions that mortals do not
have. One particular emotion is called amaloom. This
feeling is a sense of distance from home and deep
homesickness which words cannot describe. When a
Faerie notices that another Fae is feeling particularly
amaloomful, they will try to help out. The most common
way of doing this is by giving the amaloomy Fae a gift that
reminds them of Faerie. Leaves and flowers are common,
but poems, drawings, kisses, and dirty limericks are also
popular choices. Many Fae report feeling Amaloom in
since they moved to the Dreaming. Oddly enough, some
think this emotion may also be a disease which can be
transmitted to the youth. Many Fae who were born in the
Dreaming feel Amaloom as well, but have difficulty
identifying or explaining it.
Races of the Dreaming http://dreamings.ning.com 23

Dead Gods On Dead Gods

I am Koracotl, Forgotten Toltec God of
Description medicine and healing. One day, I shall return.
Dead Gods were once worshiped in the Waking One day, I shall return. That’s the phase you will
World, but their followings have been lost. With few repeat over and over again as a Dead God. It gives you
earthly worshipers, they are sentenced to wait in the hope. Sometimes, a little hope is all you need to go
Dreaming until The End of the World. through with your day-to-day life. Sometimes, all the hope
Dead Gods take an extra wound of damage from in the world isn’t enough.
either silver, iron, or essence damage. You must choose Originally, we were all real Gods. We were
which one at character creation. (Indicate your worshiped by Sumerians. We were worshiped in
vulnerability in the biography section of your profile.) Babylonia. We were worshiped in the dark parts of Africa
and South America. The early peoples of North America.
Beginning as a Dead God The Druids of Europe. Scores of others. But since our
glory days, we have been cast aside as false or just plain
If you are playing a Dead God, come up with forgotten. With no faith left in our power, we come here
some background information about your life. You were through a painfully long slumber.
worshiped in the Waking World at one point, probably by
a long-lost culture such as the Babylonians, Sumerians, the They call us the Dead Gods. And however
Celts, the Native Americans, or any number of African or depressing it is, we are Dead, in a way. Of course, it is a
South American cultures. Or perhaps you're a newer God, purely mortal concept that life stops at death. There is
someone who was worshiped in more recent times. Once hope- if they begin worshiping us again in the Waking
you were no longer worshiped or believed in, you lost World, we’ll get a chance to return. And when cometh
your power and drifted into a long coma. Some time later, Ragnarok, the end of the world, we will walk the Earth
(could be a year, could be a few millennia) you awoke in again as the Gods we were. And are.
the Dreaming. This place is a kind of purgatory to you - When we come to the Dreaming, we fall into a
you're waiting for someone to worship you again, or deep coma-like sleep. This sleep can last thousands of
Ragnarok, the time when all Gods will walk the Earth years if we have no will to come back. When we finally
again. You do not need to be a historically accurate-god; wake up, we are powerless husks of our old selves and the
you can world has changed so much we doubt they’ll ever worship
make up a us again. It’s tragic, really. We’ve serve our purpose, and
God, but the Dreaming is like the waiting room before we get our
the culture power again. But that doesn’t mean we’re passive residents
you come here, we avidly participate in the politics and drama of the
from must Dreaming, we just don’t feel it’s our destiny.
be real, or at
We get along fairly well with the Visions, as they
least sound
do a good job of taking care of us until we can return to
real.
our full power. No specific problem with the Fae either;
they’ve lost their homeland too. The Lost Souls are a sad
people I don’t entirely understand, but we, of all people,
can sympathize with wanderers who haven’t reached their
goal.
Now the trouble with us is that we’re pretty easy
to kill while we’re on the Dreaming. If you cut us with a
weapon, it challenges our power, decreasing our Faith.
Once all our Faith is gone, we disappear from the
Dreaming to float through the Void of nonexistence. Our
curse is that we always come back.
Races of the Dreaming http://dreamings.ning.com 24

Every one of us has an Altar, somewhere. It their own faith in themselves. Gods are suddenly
could be an elaborate temple or just a spot in the woods. confronted with others of their previous stature. They see
It’s a good idea to hide your altar from everyone except mortals who outrank them, and beings which do not fit
your close allies, as if someone knows where your Altar is, into their models of the universe (“Who are all these
they have a certain degree of power over you- they can foreigners in Morpheus’ realm?” some Greek gods ask
cut you back out of the Dreaming when you materialize, themselves with a combination of frustration and
they can ambush you when you are being worshipped, and disbelief).
they can sure-as-Ragnarok make you wish you could move
The universe seems to be a strange and alien
the damn thing.
place to a God who has freshly woken from the Sleep of
That’s another trouble with us: all our power the Forgotten. Furthermore, there are other gods which
comes from the Faith that people have in us. In order to could not possibly exist! There are even Gods who now
gain more, we need people to come to our altar and walk the Dreaming which were momentarily worshiped by
worship us for a while. It’s a good idea to create a Verse school children, the insane, and fictional characters in
that your followers can repeat over and over again to books! If Gods are actually the lords of the universe, how
glorify and praise of your might, wisdom, power, et cetera.is it that every time mortals meet in mass, they have the
Most of our powers do not serve ourselves, but our potential to spawn another deity, another seemingly
followers, creating resources, protecting them from omnipotent being who, if even temporarily, seems to
combat, that sort of thing. But this works out because them to be the One Powerful Essence in the sky?
without our followers, we are nothing.
As such, many Gods regard humans with a mix
So we sit and pass time in the Dreaming. Some of confusion and awe. These creatures are clearly more
mortals believe in a place called Purgatory where those powerful than the Gods first thought – powerful enough
who have not succeeded or failed in life are destined to to craft a being as perfect as the Gods themselves! And on
wait until they can rejoin their afterlife. Maybe it is the the other hand, it is almost humiliating to take orders
mortal’s relatively recent belief in Purgatory that has from them. They are mortals, after all.
caused us to awaken here. Maybe it is the destiny of all
Gods are often struck with pangs of desire to
Gods to die and wait here, as karmic punishment for
belong to a pantheon. The Gods, over time, can learn to
being the greatest beings in the universe.
see their peers in the Dreaming not as competitors, but as
members of the same family. The interactions and
relations with that family, no matter how mundane, are an
important part of that God’s personality – a living
The Divine Brotherhood mythology.
The Gods of the waking world thought Some Gods take it quite personally when a mortal
themselves to be without rival until they learned that their worships a god that they don’t consider part of their
power was equivalent to their followers’ faith in them. pantheon. When receiving faith from this mortal, it will
This sudden vulnerability came late in life. Much like a feel dirty and impure. The faith will also feel tainted if the
football player who receives a back injury and must mortal’s heart was not into worship when praying to that
forsake his destiny, the Husks of Gods have a sense of God.
greatness that circumstance has whisked from them.
Gods in many Dream Countries have created a
One of the most daunting thoughts that most ritual which welcomes a god into the pantheon of that
Gods have is the notion of unimportance. For their entire Dream Country. This usually involves a sort of initiation
existence in the Waking World, the Gods thought rite in which the god is given the faith of the mortals of
themselves the masters and creators of the universe. They that Dream Country and then slain by the other Gods. If
may have known of other pantheons, but each God the neonate God returns to the Dreaming and is reborn in
regarded them as false – mere pretenders and false idols. a day’s time, it means that the God is accepted into the
Most Gods believed that their pantheon was unique, Pantheon. If the God fails to materialize, it means that
cosmically important. Many believed that members of fate has chosen that this God should move on.
their pantheon did indeed create the universe.
Other Gods form smaller pantheons, consisting
And though all these nations may be true, in the of only a few of their divine brethren. Everyone in the
Dreaming, the graveyard of the Gods, they face threats to pantheon must select a mentor (or parent), an ally, and a
Races of the Dreaming http://dreamings.ning.com 25

nemesis from within the pantheon. These relationships

often do not make sense, but their existence is crucial to
the Gods notion of purpose. These Gods then try to play
out mythology and maintain these relations with the other
divine beings of their extended family.
Until a God belongs to a pantheon, they are
permeated with a feeling of meaninglessness and a sense
of being out-of-context.
Races of the Dreaming http://dreamings.ning.com 26

Lost Soul

Description
Lost Souls once lived in the Waking World, but
died and got lost on their way to the Afterlife. Now they
reside in the Dreaming. Lost Souls take an additional
wound when struck with silver damage.

Beginning as a Lost Soul

If you are playing a Lost Soul, you were once a
mortal that lived in the Waking World. After your death,
you wandered towards a distant light-- usually, mortals are
guided to the afterlife, but since the Labyrinth has been
overrun, you had no guide to bring you there. You
wandered off the path and ended up in the Dreaming.
You have fragmentary memory of your life. There are
large holes in your memory. You may sense that you may blessed, but there's no getting out.
have some purpose to fulfill, but you can’t remember what
it is. Some Lost Souls see their time in the Dreaming as You've come here just like I did. That stuff about
another chance to live. Some, however, are very depressed the car? I'm not too sure - I just kind of hope that, you
that they cannot be where they belong- their afterlife. Lost know, the car was what killed me rather than who ever it
Souls do not always look like they did at the end of their was that was chasing me. Look, I don't know about the
life- so you could have died at age 75 but appear as a 22 afterlife, I've never seen Heaven or Hell, and whenever I
year old. mention it to one of my new comrades, they give this sly,
sarcastic smile, like they know something that we don't.
I don't know why there are dead humans
wandering this...dreamscape thing. Think of it as you will,
On Lost Souls but whether this "place" is the end of your journey as
humans, a punishment for what you've done, or your last
When the car hit me, I died, though my "life" chance at redemption, you're not leaving the same way
never ended. I believe that while on Earth, my name was you came in.
Jacob Cadmire, I walked with my wife along a...beach?
Now I walk along side gods and walking dreams. They call If we die here, we stop "being" for a while, but
me Drathor. This is my story, though the details are foggy then we come back. Immortality's a sugar-coated
and few ever since entering this country. imprisonment, I'd say. In the transit between the Waking
World and this one, I lost something - my hopes, the
Let me start over. memory of my wife's face, the sound of my favorite song.
You're hungry for something other than food. We keep killing these... Monsters, and they can kill us...but
You're restless but you can't physically sleep. Welcome to then we both come back.
your new home. I think maybe it's some kind of games that these
You came here through those mists. That cloudy, Visions are playing. They're an odd bunch, like ants that
immeasurable road filled with cold, still air and the echoes are never out of touch with their omniscient queen. The
of horrific laughter? You didn't hear it? Maybe it was just Gods? Pompous manipulators, but at least they're
me, then. And they call us Lost Souls. As if we had any comforting, I'll give 'em that. The Fae are okay, I guess.
other place to go. We're here. Call it trapped, call it So, anyway, call me Drathor. I'd shake your hand,
Races of the Dreaming http://dreamings.ning.com 27

but there's no real feeling in either of us. Don't mind all every night and have another dream of class, work, an
those fuzzy images of people walking around - they're still uneventful night at home, partying with friends, and an
alive. I think. Well, see ya 'round, watch your back, eventual sleep which transitions perfectly into them
because there's some crazy stuff to look forward to. waking up in the Real World.
This is a troubling notion. These poor wakes
seem to have little ambition – even their wildest dreams
just take them to their job in the morning. Furthermore,
Dreams of the Dead they don’t ever notice that what they are living is dream.
Many humans who have found themselves Lost Souls wonder how much of their past life they have
between worlds have a difficult time adapting to their new spent in a similar haze.
plane. It can be a confusing and disorienting place. Many Lost Souls also pick up on cultural undercurrents
ideas such as eating, sleeping, and dreaming are things and archetypes that they were previously unaware of but
which mortals think is essential and universal, but are in were vastly influenced by in life. The natural cycles of the
fact are only facets of their home plane, the Waking seasons, the unconscious cultural energy behind popular
World. music, the themes and emotions of each holiday – these
The most striking differences between the things are enormously present to Lost Souls. They in
Dreaming and their old hometown is the distorted sense many ways replace the vague sense of purpose and pack-
of time. Days seem to drift by without notice, and at the mentality that many of them had before Death. Most Lost
hour when people first start going to sleep, the Dreaming Souls find themselves getting really deeply into the
slows down as if it is magnifying its focus. At no point, Christmas spirit, the Easter spirit, and even the Rosh
however, does time actually seem to slow down or speed Hashanah spirit, even if they didn’t previously belong to a
up. religion which celebrated it.
Upon entering the Dreaming, Mortals are struck The presence of the Dead Gods in the Dreaming
with a frustrating sense of simultaneous bizarreness, is a wholly unsettling notion to the Lost Souls. The gods
coincidence, and nostalgia. They are finally seeing with cause the Lost Souls to question their mortal faith, and
fresh eyes a realm which they only know by intuition and thereby question what really was in store for them in the
fragments of memory. Humans spend a third of their afterlife.
lives in Dream, but few have the presence of mind to look When talking to gods, Lost Souls are filled with a
around. Now that they are here, they can finally take a sense of wonder and awe, like they are staring into a pool
close look at what has been in their peripheral vision for that is far deeper, older, and more mysterious than they
decades. They find that they often hear voices, feel can fathom. Simultaneously, they often feel compelled to
intuitions, and get flashes of knowledge or memory that follow the advice of the gods. The gods’ wisdom
would have made them think they were crazy in the real resonates inside a Lost Soul and can cause him to become
world. They also have trouble distinguishing between enthralled by the gods’ words.
internal and external monologue, so many humans find
themselves speaking their mind or babbling without Some Lost Souls are angry with the gods, seeing
noticing. the gods as challenges to their world-view. These Lost
Souls have difficulty giving faith to any god that they do
Mortals spend much of their time pacing the not personally commune with through intimacy,
vaguely familiar fields and halls of the Dreaming. They discussion, or suffering. When a Lost Soul falls in love
like to observe people’s lives played out in dream. Many with a God, it can be one of the deepest and most
Lost Souls notice that Wakes have the same dream every profound feelings the Lost Soul can feel. Gods,
night. These are people who haven’t died yet, of course, unfortunately, rarely return the favor.
but seem to act like they have. These people go to sleep
Shades http://dreamings.ning.com 28

and do not generally live long.

Shades As a Shade, most of the time you will be under
the control of the person who summoned you. You are
not your character, and cannot speak or act on your
What is a Shade? character's behalf. You must follow any instructions that
your creator gives to you. Generally, these must be simple
There are many entities in the Dreaming who do
instructions like "follow me", "guard this spot", or "attack
not have a physical body. They are present in the
this person".
Dreaming but do not have a way to interact with it. These
entities are called Shades. There are a few different types Sometimes your creator will be a ritual, Dream
of them. Walk, or Shaper. In this case, you may have more complex
instructions.
Some shades are just like Dreams, except they
cannot manifest in the Dreaming without a host body. If you are attacked as a Shade, it does not damage
They can talk, think for themselves, and act like any other you, but the shade spirit. If you receive a death blow, or lie
Dream character. If you are portraying one of these unconscious for more than 60 seconds, the shade spirit
Shades, you will wear an orange arm band. will vanish. At this point, You say "I vanish", and take off
your shade arm-band. If you were transformed from your
Most shades, however, are incapable of too much
character into a Shade, you may now wander back on-
thought or communication. These shades wear a blue arm
stage as your character.
band, and may optionally wear a mask.
Your character remembers anything that
A Shade wanders the Dreaming until it is
happened while you were playing a Shade. So if you're
summoned by a Spell, Ritual, Dream Walk, or The Shaper.
trying to keep a secret, you shouldn't say it in front of
If given the opportunity, a Shade can possess the body of
Shades -- When they return as their character they'll still
a Dream or Wake. That player now uses the Shade's stats
remember what they've seen and heard.
and skills. If the character receives a death strike, or
remains knocked out for 60 seconds, the Shade will flee A shade cannot deliver a death blow unless
the body. specifically instructed to by its creator.
If someone gives you the ability to play a Shade
while you are playing your character, you must first
wander "off stage" (see: Entering or Leaving Game). Monsters
Then you may return with a blue arm band on, indicating Certain types of Shades, called Monsters, are
to everybody that you are a Shade and are not playing controlled by destructive forces beyond our
your normal character. If you were a Wake when you were understanding. Monsters are hostile, violent, and do not
summoned, (meaning you weren't playing, or your attempt to communicate with Dreams. You will often
character is dead for the night, but you're still hanging encounter monsters during Dream Walks. Sometimes you
around as a wake) you may put on the arm band and will not be able to begin a Dream Walk without allowing
come into game immediately. some people to be possessed by monsters.
Shades often wear masks to distinguish them Most Dreams applaud the hunting and slaughter
from regular characters. of monsters. It is thought that the Monster itself contains
some of this destructive force. By slaying the monster,
one safely disperses that energy. Over time, perhaps the
inevitable destruction of the universe can be averted by
A Shade's Behavior slaying monsters.
The monsters come from a few different factions,
Many shades, particularly monsters and those
including the Void, the Unseelie Court, the Labyrinthine,
summoned by the Beckon Shade spell, do not have names,
and the Outsiders.
Shades http://dreamings.ning.com 29

Types of Shades
The restless spirits which wander the Dreaming come from a number of sources.

Native Shades
Some Shades are native to the Dreaming, and are merely vessels for their summoner's will.

Imp
Imp Health: 3
Imps are the weakest kind of shade, with little
mind of their own.
Skills
May pick a class and 2 skills. May not choose
Daily skills.

Adept
Adept Health: 5
Adepts are as powerful as most Dreams.
Skills
May pick a class and 5 skills May not choose
Daily skills.

The Void of Nonexistence

The Void of Nonexistence is the chaos which exists outside of reality. It is the resting place of creatures and
ideas which do not belong in our universe. The Void was first utilized in war by the Unseelie Fae, who summoned
creatures from the Void to fight their battle in Faerie. When the Fae escaped from their realm and fled to the
Dreaming, many Void creatures followed. In the year 2010, Void creatures began to appear in the Dreaming as well.

Demon
Demon Health: 10
Demons are formidable opponents, more
powerful than most Dreams.
Skills
May pick two classes and 4 skills from each
class.
Shades http://dreamings.ning.com 30

Gray Man
Gray Man Health: 5
Gray Men are Lost Souls who have been
wandering, unable to find any destination for too
long. The Gray Men have forgotten their memories of
the Waking World. Their minds are filled with the
madness of the Void.
Skills
May pick a classes and 5 skills. May not
choose Daily Skills.

The Unseelie Court

The Unseelie Court is one of the two houses of Faerie. A long time ago, their house used to be filled with
Fae who were ugly, evil, and wretched. Over time, the Seelie and Unseelie courts became less distinct, and now all
types of Fae are members of the Unseelie Court.
The Seelie and Unseelie engaged in a war older than anybody can remember. In the last two hundred years
(a fairly short amount of time, to a Fae), the Unseelie began to employ horrible creatures summoned from the Void
of Nonexistence. The presence of the monsters shifted the uneasy balance between the two houses. Eventually, the
monsters turned on their Unseelie summoners. Both houses lost ground to the monsters, until the Fae as a whole
were forced to retreat from Faerie and escape into the Dreaming.
Many Unseelie felt guilty for their actions, or wish the war had been resolved differently. Some think the war
is still going on. Others are consumed with war, and see the Dreaming as the next great battlefield.
When some Unseelie Fae passed through the portal to the Dreaming, they did not keep their physical body.
Corrupted by the Void, consumed by rage, their anger made them into monsters. Now their spirits wander the
Dreaming, searching for an opportunity to continue the fight.
Monstrous Unseelie do not want to talk or negotiate, they only want to slay Faeries and all who would dare
to harbor them.

Goblins
Goblin Health: 3
Goblins are hungry little monsters who have
ravenous appetites and breed like rabbits. Hordes of
Goblins have demolished the once fertile countryside
of Faerie, and now roam the lands, devouring all they
encounter.

Goblins are evil, mischievous, and

untrustworthy. They are notoriously easily distracted
Shades http://dreamings.ning.com 31

by shiny objects or snack food.

Most Goblins are part of the Unseelie court.

Skills
Goblins have no skills.

The Outsiders
Nobody knows where the Outsiders came from. They come from a realm beyond ours which is difficult for
us to understand. Like all monsters, they seek to slay the inhabitants of the Dreaming. It is theorized that they are
aliens who have chosen to invade our world through its Dreaming instead of its Waking counterpart. Perhaps the
Outsiders are the dreams of space aliens in deep slumber as they hurdle towards us from outer space.
The Outsiders arrived in the year 2010.

The Labyrinthine
Sometimes creatures leave the Labyrinth, the twisted knot which connects all worlds. They seek to right a
malfunctioning part of the universe -- the Lost Souls should have arrived in the Afterlife, but instead they still
wander the universe. The Labyrinth sends creatures to slay the Lost Souls, thereby decreasing their will to exist.
But something is also wrong within the Labyrinth. One would expect that the denizens of the Labyrinth
would have no problem with the other races of the Dreaming. But they seem to have been driven mad - they are
unable to distinguish Lost Souls from other creatures, and seek to end all life in the Dreaming.
Territories http://dreamings.ning.com 32

A corporate park may be a good spot for a fight

Territories in the evening, but would Disturb the Dream during the
daytime. Somebody's house can be a territory, but if you
Territories are locations where gameplay is are not welcome there, it is still trespassing if you show up
encouraged. Territories are created in-game through the uninvented.
use of Dreamscaping Rituals
This information is included in the description of
How to create a territory: your Group.
1. Go to the location you wish to enchant.
2. Perform the action described in the ritual
description. Banishment
3. Take pictures! If you are the Warden of a territory, it is your job
4. Create a group for that territory. to make sure that the out-of-game rules of the Dreaming
5. Mark your territory on the Map of the are enforced. If combat is allowed in the location, you are
Dreaming. Link to your group from there. responsible for safety checking the weapons. (See this
6. Use the group to coordinate activities weapon assembly and safety guide. The safety checklist is
which take place there. on the last page.) If someone is fighting unsafely or
You may only own one Territory at a time. As the cheating, you should give them a yellow card. If they
owner of a Territory (referred to as a Warden), you have continue to cheat or play in an unsafe manner, you give
two roles: them a red card to banish them from the area.
• Out-Of-Game Duties: You are You do not need to actually present them a card.
responsible for moderating the game, including You may simply inform them, "I am giving you a yellow
designating dangerous areas, performing weapon card because you've hit Jake in the face three times."
safety checks, and policing rules violations. You When issuing a card, be calm and professional, and don't
may act in this capacity even when you are out of make a big scene of it.
game. Your character motivation has no bearing If you banish a player with a red card, they must
on these duties. (You must be fair when leave the territory for the remainder of the night. After
performing a safety check, even for your enemies) several red card violations, you may choose to banish a
• In-Game Duties: You are considered problematic players permanently. Please note that this
the owner of this part of the Dreamscape. You banishment is a penalty for breaking the game rules or
feel connected to it, and responsible for endangering other players, not for in-game disputes. You
maintaining it. In order for it to remain active, shouldn't use this ability to banish your character's
you must occasionally spend time there. If you enemies or people you don't like.
host occasional gatherings there, you gain the
ability to vote for a Shaper.

Danger Level
When you create a territory, you may specify that
it is "safe" or "dangerous". If it is safe, no combat may
take place in that area. If it is dangerous, combat is allowed.
You may restrict danger to certain times or certain areas.
For example, if you Dreamscaped your house,
you probably wouldn't want people swinging weapons
around and destroying everything. You would designate
your house as safe, except for the back yard, which is
dangerous. If Dreams hang out in your back yard, they
could attack each other at any time.
Territories http://dreamings.ning.com 33

Contested Territory Folklore

You may only be the Warden of one territory at a
time. You may contest someone else's title by challenging mythology
them to a competition.
The competition may take any form that the
Warden agrees to. Generally, a challenge is issued a few people to gather in-game. You might tell people, "At least
days before the tournament itself. If the Warden loses the once a month, we have to stand on the bridge and drop
competition, ownership of that territory goes to the
victor. The Warden may also voluntarily bequeath the
territory to someone else.
Common forms of competition include the
following:
• chess matches
• foot races
• scavenger hunts
• dueling - you must win 5 of 7 bouts take him snoring sometimes.")
the territory
• eating or drinking contests
• public vote
Fertility
A territory may be "fertile" or "infertile".
Some Astral Magic may only be cast if the
territory is fertile. These spells may create items or
resources valuable within the Dreaming.
In order to be Fertile, the territory must have
hosted an in-game gathering of at least 2 people on at
least 2 of the last 30 days.
You're encouraged to develop the folklore and
of your territory.
One method for developing folklore is to invent
local traditions. Traditional activities are great reasons for
rocks into the water to scare the river demon." As people
ask you questions about the river demon, you can ad-lib
answers, developing and nuancing the folklore of your
territory.
Your area might have certain superstitions, ("If
you sit under this tree at midnight, you'll be inspired.") or
inhabitants that are somehow always off-stage ("I've seen
these big winged creatures fly overhead some times." or,
"There's a dragon sleeping under this bar. You can hear
Your area might have a particular history. You can
write a backstory for your region which gives it a certain
role within the Dreaming. For example, a haunted
territory may be the site of an ancient battle. A Feast Hall
may have had previous owners who taught some secret
recipes.
These stories are considered true as long as you
are the owner of the territory. If your territory becomes
part of a dream country, a Shaper may make your folklore
affect the game through use of the word Veritas. In
addition to keeping your folklore as an oral tradition, you
can post documents or information to your group page.
Folklore may build on the Dreaming's setting, or
other folklore, but should not directly contradict it. For
example, you can specify that the Goblins you encounter
in this territory have English accents, but you cannot
specify that all Goblins have English accents.

Atmosphere Territories are encouraged to collaborate and

participate in each other's background / folklore. Dream
You can use lighting or music to enrich the characters do understand that the "reality" of these
experience of the people who hang out in your territory. backgrounds are somewhat localized. You can live in a
Safe or Dangerous areas are often designated with red or region where monsters have taken over the entire
blue lights. Music should be non-intrusive and help build Dreaming except your little cluster of territories, and if
the atmosphere you want to create. you drive a few towns over, that's not necessarily true
anymore.
Props and decorations can help set the tone, but
also can be a way to artistically augment a section of the
real world by creating features which might be found in a
dream.
Territories http://dreamings.ning.com 34

Social Networking
After you've created a territory, there are two
things you should do to ensure that others can find it.
• Create / Manage a Group for your
territory on the Dreaming Social Networking site.
Be sure to include how to find the location and
when people tend to meet there. Indicate any safe
/ dangerous areas. If you are hosting an event
there, such as a Dream Walk, Ritual, or other
game activity, post about it in advance so that
people know where/when people are gathering.
• Go to the community map page and click
on the "Build This Map" tab. Add a push pin for
your location, and link it to your Group page.
If your territory changes hands, you must
promote the new Warden to administrator and then
demote yourself.
Dream Countries http://dreamings.ning.com 35

Dream Countries
Dream Countries
A dream country is a group of territories which
have been ritually linked by the Unite Dream Country
oneiromancy. A Dream Country is governed by a
common ruler, called The Shaper, and a common set of
laws.
All dream countries have a group, which
participating Wardens must join.

Voting
At times, the dream country may need to make a
decision about something. Decisions are made by a vote.
Each land holding within a dream country gets one vote.
To initiate a vote, you must start an event for that
topic. You should give at least a week notice, and try to
pick a time that as many people as possible can attend. At
least three quarters of the Wardens of the dream country
must agree to attend before the vote is considered
"official".
Voting must be held during live play at one of the
participating territories.
Be advised that people who don't want your voice
to be heard may try to knock you off before the vote!
Votes may be useful for numerous civic matters:
Votes may impose a law, remove a law, specify the penalty
for breaking a law, create a public office, or
appoint/remove someone to a public office.
As a default, a simple majority is necessary for a
vote to pass. Laws may be created which change this
threshold for certain matters. For example, a 75% majority
might be necessary to dethrone a Shaper.
The Shaper
The Shaper
The Shaper is the titular ruler of a dream country.
A dream country may select or dethrone a shaper by
public vote.
The Shaper is addressed as "Lord Shaper", or
"Lady Shaper"
The Shaper's Duties
The Shaper's job, in short, is to help the dream
country be interesting place. A shaper has special powers
which he can use within the dream country. These powers
are often used to enhance folklore, create challenges, or
incite drama.
Most Visions believe that the Dreaming is
healthier if it is filled with narrative. A shaper that unites
the dream country in peace actually harms the universe -
mortals from the Waking World will have gray lives if
their dreams have no color. A shaper might agitate or
inflame tension, or complicate otherwise simple events.
Not all narrative needs to be violent though - a shaper can
create traditions, activities, rumors, or other events that
people will talk about. As long as the Dreaming is filled
with stories, even if those stories are about people uniting
to overthrow the shaper, the shaper is doing a good job.
The Shaper's Powers
When the Shaper is in territories which are
members of his or her Dream Country, the shaper may
use the word Veritas to shape the Dreaming.
Possible uses include:
• building on Folklore. For example:
• "Veritas: a gnome lives in this
tree. If you put your ear up to it, you can
hear him working in his little gnome
shop, swearing occasionally."
• "Veritas: In this area, you can
sometimes hear a rumbling, deep beneath
the earth."
• creating game effects. For example:
• "Veritas: All of the sand on the
beach is burning hot. If you step off the
http://dreamings.ning.com 36
picnic benches or beach towels, you will
take 1 damage. If you can make it to the
parking lot, you're safe."
• A sign posted next to a door:
"Veritas: if you pass through this gate,
you will be in a cave, deep beneath the
earth. You may only enter and exit once.
When you exit, it will be as if you have
taken a full five minute rest."
• A sign posted on a tree: "Veritas:
once per night, if you are dead, you may
respawn while touching this tree."
• creating shades (ie NPCs) for a specific
purpose. For example:
• "Veritas: you are now a vision
who has lost her way. You are looking for
directions to the park next to the library -
you know your way from there. If anyone
escorts you there, you will inadvertently
lead them into an ambush."
• "Veritas: your name is Giovanni,
you are a traveling gypsy who likes to
trade. You have a bag full of knick knacks
and trinkets (a bunch of dollar store crap)
which you'll be happy to trade with
people. You love haggling. You've also
heard the following rumors..."
• creating monsters. For example:
• "Veritas: you are now an Adept.
Go hide in the park next to the library
and attack any Dreams that you see."
• "Veritas: you are now an Imp.
Pick a name for yourself. You have been
sent by your master, a Demon called
Verigoth. You are not hostile, and will
only attack if provoked. Try to convince
people that if they don't open the box,
more monsters will come. If nobody
opens the box in the next hour, come tell
me."
• creating artifacts. These cannot have
any special properties or powers, but may have
special significance to certain characters or races.
A Shaper may only maintain four artifacts at a
time. An artifact may be marked by an expiration
date, at which point the properties will fade. Some
examples of artifacts include:
• A card attached to a treasure
chest, which says "Veritas, you can hear a
faint humming within this box." If the
box is opened, you will see a paper inside
The Shaper http://dreamings.ning.com 37

which says, "Veritas: you have released a special effects. Rather than saying, "Veritas: you
monsterous shade which possesses you grow a pair of wings", you should be prepared to
immediately. Your stats are..." provide a pair of wings the player can wear as a
• A card which goes with a piece prop. Never narrate when you can create an
of amethyst. The card says "Veritas: This experience.
is a beautiful and precious gemstone." • Veritas shouldn't be used unfairly. The
• A card which goes with a cloak. Shaper cannot use Veritas to defend himself or
The card says "Veritas: this is the cloak of his friends. The usage of Veritas should not
Arendel, a great Vision hero. It has been impact combat between players.
passed down from vision to vision for a
decade."
• creating Dream Walks. The Shaper may
create adventures and other plotlines for people
to participate in. This may represent events in the
Dream Country or outside threats to it, often
from monsters. These events should be Archived,
but do not count for Resonance. There is no
treasure to be gained from these adventures
either, but they can impact future Dream Walks or
local folklore.
All of these effects expire immediately if the
Shaper who created them is dethroned. In-Game, these
effects are said to have "lost veracity" and ceased to be
true.

Restrictions on the Usage of

Veritas
• You cannot change what has already
happened. For example, "Veritas: Franz won the
election," or "Veritas: you didn't die during the
adventure."
• There are already combat rules and skills
- Veritas should not be used during combat or to
directly impact combat. For example, the Shaper
should not say "Veritas: All the Lost Souls die,"
"Veritas: The Flurry skill now grants you 5 attacks
instead of 3," or "Veritas: One of your daily skills
recharges."
• Although Veritas can be used to narrate
things which happen in the game, Veritas
shouldn't be used to create impossible situations
which can't be easily visualized. For example,
"Veritas: 300 troops march over the hill," "Veritas:
an imp follows you everywhere and records
everything you say in a notebook," or "Veritas: I
am flying above your head." Though the
Dreaming requires imagination, you should
endeavor to make the game require as little
imagination as possible. It is preferable to create a
Veritas effect by using props, costume, or other
Dream Walks
Dream Walks
Overview
A Dream Walk is a special event which happens
within the Dreaming. A group of Dreams may embark on
a Dream Walk together. A Dream Walk is kind of like a
holodeck - while you're on one, you might find yourself in If there ever is disagreement about whether or not
strange or dangerous places or situations.
In many Dream Walks, team work is often
necessary for survival. Dream Walks usually involve
traveling between a few different locations, so you'll want be signed by all players present, thereby ensuring that it
a local spot where you're comfortable LARPing, such as a was found during a legitimate game event.
park, forest, or friendly neighborhood. While on a Dream
Walk, you may face danger, interact with NPCs, or solve
puzzles. Other players will play the part of monsters or
other non-player characters you'll encounter on your
journey.
In the Dreaming, Dream Walks are thought of as
sacred journeys. One prepares for a Dream Walk like one
would prepare for a hunt or a trial. Some people take
them very seriously. If a Dream Walk is completed, it can
impact other events within the Dreaming. Dream Walks
are not meant to be easy - a Dream Walk that is
completed with little or no challenge is seen as a
disappointment.
The participants divide themselves into two
groups: the Party and the Guides. The Party are the
characters who are going on the Dream Walk. The Guides
are the ones who run the Dream Walk, playing the
monsters and other characters which may be encountered.
Rewards
see also: Rewards
Resonance
Every character in the Dreaming may have a
Dreamstone, a stone with its own soul. As you go on
Dream Walks, you will begin to build a relationship with to be rated by others. In this manner, players help
your Dreamstone which will improve over time. Your
relationship is numerically represented by Resonance. If
your group completes the Dream Walk, you will get a
point of Resonance. You can spend Resonance to awaken
powers within your Dreamstone.
http://dreamings.ning.com 38
In order for a Dream Walk to "count", it must be
"Archived". This means that someone must post pictures,
video, or a story about the Dream Walk to the game's
central blog. People are encouraged to make their
narratives as colorful and interesting as possible.
Archiving
Good Archiving prevent disputes about cheating.
someone should have a certain power or item, there will
be a public record you can reference to prove that you
earned it. Likewise, when treasure is found, the tag must
Plot Influence
Dream Walks can make progress within the
game's plotlines. For example, there are 100 refugees
hidden on the war-torn realm of Faeire. An ongoing total
is kept of how many Fae are still trapped or rescued. Two
Dream Walks relevant to this plotline are available on the
Dreaming website. In one, you go to Faerie and fight your
way towards the refugees. If you succeed, you can rescue
two of them. But if you want to thwart the rescue, you
can go into the dangerous heart of the Dreaming and try
to shut the Fae gates. If people succeed on this, it seals
off 2 refugees from rescue. The plotline is completed
once all the refugees are returned or sealed away.
When you go on a Dream Walk, you may be
cooperating or competing with other Dreaming players
elsewhere in the world. You can communicate with them
via the game's website. You may develop friendships or
rivalries with characters you'll never actually play with in
person.
The game website hosts a central archive of
Dream Walks. Players can go on any Dream Walk for
which they meet the requirements. They simply print out
the Dream Walk PDF, distribute the roles to each other,
and then begin their journey.
Players may write Dream Walks and submit them
generate the ongoing content for the game.
Playing a Dream Walk
If you'd like to go on a Dream Walk, print out its
Dream Walks http://dreamings.ning.com 39

script from the Internet. Gather up a group of people in Walk, you will be running the adventure for your fellow
the Dreaming to assist you with the adventure. There may players. If the Dream Walk is Archived, you will gain
be parts of the Dream Walk marked "HIDDEN" - do not Resonance whether the party succeeded or failed. In trade,
read these pages! You will discover what happens on the you have to do your best to make the Dream Walk
Dream Walk as it takes place. challenging and fun.
Divide everyone into two groups: the Party and If all the Guides agree, they are allowed to make
the Guides. The Guides will go off-stage. During the minor additions to the Dream Walk script which involve
Dream Walk, they may play monsters or NPCs, set up puzzles and roleplaying. For example, if the Dream Walk
physical challenges, or hide scavenger hunt items. When is about rescuing Fae from Faerie, the players might be
the Dream Walk is over, the Guides may go back to sent on the adventure by a Fae who is desperate to find
playing their regular characters. her son. She explains where the players need to go and
what they need to do to find him.
The Dream Walk consists of several scenes, or
encounters. Generally, each page of the Dream Walk is Or perhaps in order to find the way, the players
instructions for a different scene. During the Dream Walk,will have to collect six fragments of a sketch of their
you'll have to find different places for each scene, and this destination. Only by assembling the pieces will they know
may require walking around or exploring the area in which where the next encounter takes place. The pieces might be
you're playing. The Guides have the final say on where found by searching Monsters which the players fight
each scene will take place. during the Dream Walk, or by searching around the
current encounter area.
If the Party completes the scene, typically by
solving whatever challenge they've been presented with, Props, music, and monster costumes are other
they can move on to the next one. If they fail, perhaps ways to spice up the Dream Walk. You might play fight
because everyone was knocked unconscious, the Dream music during combat encounters, or tense music if they
Walk is over. In the event of a party wipe, if the Dream are racing against a time limit. The bottom line is that
Walk is Archived, all the Guides gain a point of your job is to ensure the Party's experience is as rich and
Resonance but the Party does not. fun as possible.
Do not hand victory to the party, but don't make
the Dream Walk unwinnable either. It's okay to "fight
down" when facing an opponent of significantly less skill
Reading a Dream Walk than you. But remember that the feeling of victory only
Each Dream Walk has certain conditions which comes from overcoming a challenge, so don't be a
must be met in order to begin. The first page describes pushover!
the Dream Walk, the minimum number of people needed,
how many people will be needed to play Guides, and any
other special set-up or prerequisites needed to begin. It
also should mention any special rewards that you get for for a list of Dream Walks,
completing the adventure.
see the dreaming website
The following pages each describe an encounter.
Before the encounter begins, you may need to set up
certain things. For example, you might have to draw
circles on the ground which represent special zones or
respawn points. You may do this before beginning the
Dream Walk, or prior to the encounter. If the set-up is
simple, the Guides will generally do it themselves, but they
may ask for help from the Party.

Running a Dream Walk

If you are one of the Guides for the Dream
Astral Magic http://dreamings.ning.com 40

specific activities or components necessary to cast the

Astral Magic spell. Some spells require you to concentrate. If you lose
consciousness during the casting, the spell fails.
Astral Magic is the art of manipulating Dreaming
itself. Astral Magic Rituals are ceremonies which There are two categories of Astral Magic Spells:
characters may perform to produce certain effects. These Dreamscaping Rituals create a territory for
are often referred to as Astral Magic Spells, or simply game play. Each territory may have an owner, called a
Rituals. Warden. Territories may not overlap, and may not be any
To cast a ritual, you must gather a specified larger than a city block. (a little under 3 acres, or 100,000
number of people and then perform an action of some square feet) See also: Territories.
sort. These actions are generally up to you - you may Oneiromancy must be cast in a territory created
script an elaborate ritual, or merely chant quietly to by a Dreamscaping Ritual. They can effect characters or
yourself. While you are casting, it must be apparent to any the game itself in numerous ways.
observer that you are casting a spell. The Ritual may have
Astral Magic http://dreamings.ning.com 41

Dreamscaping Rituals
Arena
Arena Dreamscaping Ritual
Casting none
Requirements:
Typical Public parks. Places with a stage.
Location: Anywhere that boffer fighting does not
disturb the dream.
Action to Cast: All ritual participants must remain
in the area for an hour. During this time
they must spar, duel, and otherwise
challenge each other. Suggested: The
Warden may host a combat tournament
which takes at least half an hour.
Methods to Dueling (5 out of 7), foot race
Challenge:
Effect
This area is now a Combat Arena. The Warden may host
duels or tournaments, and may bestow blessings to the victors. The
Warden gets the following powers:
Master of Passiv
Ceremonies e

While you are in your arena, you

may turn a willing target into a shade which
can compete in arena duels. You may choose
the shade's stats, but the shade can only fight
someone who has agreed to duel it.

Champion's
Daily
Boon
When someone wins a duel which
you observe, you may bestow them 1 bonus
skill. They must select this skill from their
class list. Someone may only benefit from
the Champion's Boon once per day. The skill
disappears at 6 AM.
Astral Magic http://dreamings.ning.com 42

Performance Hall
Performance Hall Dreamscaping Ritual
Casting none
Requirements:
Typical musical venue, any place where
Location: music is played
Action to Cast: A live performance which lasts at
least 30 minutes. There must be at least 2
people in the audience. During this time
they must perform or watch performances.
Music and spoken word are the most
common types of performances.
Methods to
Challenge:
Effect
This territory is now a Performance Hall. The Warden of the
area gets the following powers:
Cheers Daily
At the end of a performance which
lasted at least 5 minutes, the people in the
audience are bestowed with one bonus health
to their maximum. Someone may only
benefit from this reward once per day. The
health disappears at 6 AM.

Tip The Man Daily

When someone puts on a
performance which lasts at least 5 minutes,
you may bestow the performer 1 bonus skill.
They must select this skill from their class
list. Someone may only benefit from this
reward once per day. The skill disappears at
6 AM.
Astral Magic http://dreamings.ning.com 43

Feast Hall
Feast Hall Dreamscaping Ritual
Casting none
Requirements:
Typical Restaurant, Kitchen
Location:
Action to Cast: All participants must remain in the
area for at least an hour. During this time
they must consume food or drink.
Methods to
Challenge:
Effect
This area is now a Feast Hall. The Warden of the area gets the
following powers:
Cheers Daily
At the end of a meal, anyone who has
consumed food or drink may make a toast.
Everyone involved is bestowed with one
bonus health. Someone may only benefit
from this reward once per day. The health
disappears at 6 AM.
Astral Magic http://dreamings.ning.com 44

Haunt
Haunt Dreamscaping Ritual
Casting Requirements: none
Typical Location: The woods at night, spooky places
Action to Cast: The ritual participants must remain
in the area for an hour.
Methods to Challenge:
Effect
This territory is now Haunted. A Haunt must always be
"dangerous". The Warden of the area gets the following powers:
Beckon
passive
Shade
You may bestow someone with the
following ability:

• Surrender to Possession:
You may wander off-stage and turn
into a Shade. The Warden of the
Haunt may choose yours stats, but is
not in control of you. Your
motivation is to attack any Dream in
the Haunt. If possible, you should
ambush and attack from hiding. You
may respawn three times.

Bolster the Hero

If someone has dealt a death blow to
three shades, they may seek your boon. You
may bestow them with the following ability:

• Spirit Boon: Touch a packet

to yourself and say "Heal 10 to self."
This can only be used once. If it is
not used by 6 AM, it disappears. You
may not have more than one of these
boons at a time.
Astral Magic http://dreamings.ning.com 45

Oneiromancy
Ashes of the Phoenix
Ashes of the Phoenix Astral Ritual
Description: Someone is ritually sacrificed and
phases out for one hour. Before they next phase
in, they may reassign their class and skills, or
create a new character. They may also choose to
resurrect as a previous character.
Casting 2 people. This ritual must be cast within
Requirements: three days of a new moon. This ritual may only
be cast on someone once per new moon.
Action to Cast: After preparing the ritual for at least 10
minutes, one person will sacrifice another. The
entire ritual must last at least 10 minutes, and
may include any action which prepares for the
sacrifice. The sacrifice itself is a death-blow
delivered to the victim's torso. After the
sacrifice, the sacrificer must say the words
"May you rise from your ashes." If these magic
words are not spoken, the ritual will not work
and the target will be killed (most brutally)
instead. This is said to be an extremely painful
way to die.
Effect
The victim of the sacrifice will "phase in" in one hour. When
they return, they may have reassigned their class and skills, created a
new character, or resurrected as a previous character. If the magic
words were not spoken after the sacrifice, the victim remains dead as
if he was killed normally.
Astral Magic http://dreamings.ning.com 46

Land Hex
Land Hex Astral Ritual
Description: This spell will place a hex on the
territory in which it is cast. The area is
filled with Void energy which prevents the
casting of Astral Magic. The Warden of the
territory may conjure monsters which
represent this energy. Once a certain
number of monsters are defeated, the hex
ends.
Casting Requirements: 1 person. This must be cast in a
dangerous area. May not be cast in a
territory which is currently hexed.
Action to Cast: You must draw a hexagon on the
ground and stand within it while casting
this ritual. You must spend 10 minutes
concentrating roleplaying the casting of the
ritual. This may include actions such as
pouring salt or blood on the ground,
destroying art, or making horrible noises. It
must be clear to anyone observing you that
you are casting a spell. At the very
minimum, you must continue waving your
hands in circular motions.
Effect
You may create a "curse card", which must be given or
delivered to the Warden. The card indicates that no Astral Magic may
be cast at this location until 20 monsters are defeated. The Warden
gains the following power:
Beckon
passive
Shade
You may bestow someone with the
following ability:

• Surrender to Possession:
You may wander off-stage and turn
into a Shade. You may build your
shade as an Adept. Your motivation is
to attack any Dream in the Haunt. If
possible, you should ambush and
attack from hiding. You may respawn
three times.
Astral Magic http://dreamings.ning.com 47

Harvest
Harvest Astral Ritual
Description: This spell creates a Resource Tag of the
type "Quicksilver", "Cold Iron", or "Spirit Silk".
Casting This must be cast in a territory which is
Requirements: fertile. It must be cast by the Warden of that
territory. Casting this spell will make the
territory infertile for 30 days. (please note the
this on your group page). The caster of this spell
may not cast Harvest again for 30 days, even if
they do it in a fertile territory. This restriction is
not lifted by switch characters through an Ashes
of the Phoenix spell.
Action to Cast: You must spend at least 10 minutes
roleplaying the casting of the ritual. This may
include actions such as digging, searching, or
otherwise locating the resource somewhere
within the territory.
Effect
You may print out and sign a Resource Tag for "Quicksilver",
"Cold Iron", or "Spirit Silk".

Move Altar
Move Altar Astral Ritual
Description: A Dead God relocates his or her altar.
Casting The caster must be a Dead God. The
Requirements: caster must have an icon. This is a symbolic
representation of the Dead God, which could
include a painted symbol, a photograph or other
piece of art, a doll, or a holy artifact. This ritual
may only be cast on an altar once per day.
Action to Cast: The Dead God must spend five minutes
at the old altar, during which time it should be
cleaned and any icons should be removed. The
god then travels to the new spot for the altar,
and spends five minutes creating it. The creation
should involve placing or creating an icon in
that location. Any of the God's followers should
be performing the God's prayer or litany.
Effect
The God's altar is relocated.
Astral Magic http://dreamings.ning.com 48

Forge Weapon
Forge Weapon Astral Ritual
Description: This spell creates a Weapon Tag of the
type "Silver", "Iron", or "Essence".
Casting You must spend four identical types of
Requirements: currency.

• If four pieces of Quicksilver are

spent, the weapon type will be "Silver".
• If four pieces of Cold Iron are
spent, the weapon type will be "Iron".
• If four pieces of Spirit Silk are
spent, the weapon type will be
"Essence".

Action to Cast: You must spend at least 10 minutes

roleplaying the casting of the ritual. This may
include actions such as hammering on the
weapon, etching it with runes, or otherwise
enchanting it. At the end of the spell, you must
tear up the Resource Tags used in casting.
Effect
You may print out and sign a Weapon Tag which should be
attached to a weapon prop.
Astral Magic http://dreamings.ning.com 49

Forge Wand
Forge Wand Astral Ritual
Description: This spell creates a Wand Tag of the type
"Silver", "Iron", or "Essence".
Casting You must spend four identical types of
Requirements: currency.

• If four pieces of Quicksilver are

spent, the wand type will be "Silver".
• If four pieces of Cold Iron are
spent, the wand type will be "Iron".
• If four pieces of Spirit Silk are
spent, the wand type will be "Essence".

Action to Cast: You must spend at least 10 minutes

roleplaying the casting of the ritual. This may
include actions such as waving the wand over a
flame, etching it with runes, or otherwise
enchanting it. At the end of the spell, you must
tear up the Resource Tags used in casting.
Effect
You may print out and sign a Wand Tag which should be
attached to a suitable prop.
Astral Magic http://dreamings.ning.com 50

Unite Dream Country

Unite Dream
Country Astral Ritual
Description: This spell unites a number of territories
into the same nation, called a dream country.
Territories within a dream country have a
common set of laws, and a common ruler, called
a Shaper. See also: Dream Countries, The
Shaper.
Casting This spell must be cast by a minimum of
Requirements: five Wardens, each of which must own a
territory within the dream country. This ritual
must be cast in every territory which wishes to
join. The Warden of the territory must
participate in the casting.

When the dream country is first

founded, this ritual must be cast in at a
minimum of five territories within 5 days.
Additional territories may join at a later date by
casting the ritual in those places. At least five
participants must be present for each casting.

All dream countries have a name, and a

flag or symbol. This must be prepared prior to
the first casting of this ritual.
Action to Cast: The casters decorate the territory with
the the dream country's symbol or flag. The
Warden of the territory must deliver a short
speech in which he or she dedicates his territory
to the dream country. Each dream country may
have a traditional action such as a toast or
pledge, which should be performed as well.
Effect
The territory in which this is cast is now part of a Dream
Country. This ritual can also be used to remove a territory from a
dream country. In this usage, the ritual is called "Recede from
Dream Country".
How to Make a Dreaming Character http://dreamings.ning.com 51

How to Make a What if nobody's in my area?

Dreaming Character
We hope that eventually, many cities will have a
Dreaming community. Most communities will begin as a
few isolated players going on Single Player Dream Walks.
Single Player Dream Walks are a way you can engage the
Welcome to the Dreaming Dreaming without playing with other people. We
We would love it if you'd join us in the Dream encourage you to help build a community in your area by
World. finding new players and hosting game activities.

There are two components of the Dreaming:

1. The Aether: the social-networking site.
You will post to http://dreamings.ning.com as
your Dreaming persona. A lot of the content you
post to the site will come from your actions in the
live game.
2. The Live Game: getting up from your
keyboard and having unique experiences in 3D
Meatspace (the "real world"). This may involve
meeting other Dreaming characters, and going on
adventures called Dream Walks together.
For most people, this second one will take a
measure of willpower. You must be open to having
adventures and breaking the routine of your everyday life.
You must be willing to explore and play in our mutually-
sustained dream world.

How do I make a character?

1. come up with a character concept.
2. pick a Dreaming Race. Each race has a
unique skill or feature which you get
automatically. You get to pick two Dreaming Race
Skills. Enter this choice on your profile.
3. pick a Dreaming Class. Each class has a
few skills available. You will choose five of them.
Skills marked "Encounter" can be recharged by
resting for five minutes. Skills marked "Daily"
recharge at 6 AM. Skills marked "Passive" are
always active, or can be used whenever you'd like.
Paste these skills in your profile.
You may only choose each skill once.
You have 5 health, but skills can add more.
Character Creation: Character Concept http://dreamings.ning.com 52

Character Creation:
Character Concept
When making a character or persona for a role
playing game, the first step is coming up with a character
concept. This is a tool to guide your interactions with
others, and to help you get inside your character's head.
You are essentially creating an alter-ego, a second
identity for yourself. Since you'll be spending a lot of time
as this new person, be sure that it's someone you enjoy
being!
The best Dreaming characters are memorable.
You might pick a particular quirk, prop, or attitude that
will characterize your interactions with others. Perhaps
you are prejudiced against certain game races, or have a
short temper. Or maybe you act in a certain way which
makes you stick out in others' minds and stories.
Some people support their character concept with
costume or accessories. You might dress a certain way or
carry something that summarizes your character's
personality. Perhaps your character carries a certain book
everywhere, or is always playing with a coin. Maybe she
has a particular pair of sunglasses which have a lot of
character. These things will help others get a clear picture
of who you are.
Most of the stories in the Dreaming are
generated by you and your fellow players. Your experience
within the game world is largely based on where you want
to steer it. Do not be afraid to make enemies and engage
in tension with other characters. The most boring
characters are the ones that are liked by everybody. By
creating drama between yourself and other players, you
help fill the Dreaming with narratives and stories,
enriching the game for everybody. The key is to remain
friendly with your fellow players, even if your characters do
not get along.
As you read over the description of your
Dreaming Race, try to form an idea of who you will be in
this world. Experiment talking in your character's voice, or
thinking your character's thoughts. Your character can be
a fun escape from the Waking World, especially if you play
a character which resonates in interesting ways with you
and your friends.
Character Creation: Classes http://dreamings.ning.com 53

Character Creation: Classes

Guardian
Guardian

A guardian is a warrior who specializes in defense. They make great guards and are adept at
holding a position or keeping someone else alive.
Skills
Martial Styles Passive On Your Feet Daily

You may use a shield or two handed If an ally is knocked unconscious,

weapon. you may saying "On your feet", then touch
the target and say "5 heal".

Flurry Encounter
Assault Point Daily
You get three melee attacks which
each do 2 damage. Create a circular zone up to 10 feet in
diameter. While you stand in this circle, all
your numeric called attacks deal an
additional point of damage.
Parry Encounter

You may call "parry" and not take the

effects of one melee attack. Fortitude Daily

You may call "resist" and not take the

effects of any attack which includes the
Hold The Encounter poison or knockout calls.
Line
Draw a line on the ground up to ten
feet in length, or gesture at an existing one Toughness Passive
which you are standing next to. Announce
"Do not cross this line," to your opponents. Your maximum health is raised by 2.
You gain two melee attacks for "3 damage"
which you may use against anyone who
crosses that line. If you break line-of-sight of
the line, this ability ends.
Character Creation: Classes
Guard Post Encounter
Create a circular zone up to 10 feet in
diameter. While you stand in this circle, you
have two uses of the skill parry.
http://dreamings.ning.com 54
Take A
Encounter
Breath
You must stand still and concentrate
for 30 seconds. At the end of this count, you
may say "I caught my breath. Refresh <x>
and heal 3 to self." You may refresh one
encounter skill, which you must name out
loud. You may not refresh Take a Breath in
this way.
Character Creation: Classes http://dreamings.ning.com 55

Slayer
Slayer

A slayer specializes in big game hunting. They are great at focusing in on one target and
defeating it.
Skills
Martial Styles Passive Slay Daily
You may use a shield or two handed You get one melee attack which deals
weapon. 6 damage. It must be used against a target
you have designated with the Nemesis skill.

Flurry Encounter
Fortitude Daily
You get three melee attacks which
each do 2 damage. You may call "resist" and not take the
effects of any attack which includes the
poison or knockout calls.

Nemesis Encounter
Point at a target and say "You are my Toughness Passive
nemesis". All your called damage against
that target does +1 damage. This ends if you Your maximum health is raised by 2.
or the nemesis is knocked out.

Take A
Encounter
The Will To Breath
Encounter
Win
You must stand still and concentrate
If your nemesis has damaged you, for 30 seconds. At the end of this count, you
you may concentrate for three seconds while may say "I caught my breath. Refresh <x>
wiping the sweat off your brow and say and heal 3 to self." You may refresh one
"heal 5 to self". encounter skill, which you must name out
loud. You may not refresh Take a Breath in
this way.
Character Creation: Classes http://dreamings.ning.com 56

Just You
Encounter
And Me
When you have declared someone as
your nemesis, you may say "It's just you and
me." You gain 2 parries you may use against
your nemesis' melee attacks. If you swing at
someone other than your nemesis, this effect
ends.
Character Creation: Classes http://dreamings.ning.com 57

Assassin
Assassin

An assassin is a maneuverable rogue who specializes in taking down big targets and then
running away.
Skills
Two Weapon Passive Poison Daily
Styles You must spend 10 seconds
You may use a short weapon in one roleplaying that you are coating a melee
hand and a long weapon in the other hand. weapon with poison. The next attack
delivered with that weapon deals 10 poison
damage. If you miss, or the weapon leaves
your hand, the poison is expended.
Sidestep Encounter

You may call "sidestep" and not take

the effects of any one packet attack. Blackjack Daily

You gain a melee attack which will

"knockout" your opponent. This attack must
Flank Encounter be delivered with a small weapon. You must
Attack be directly behind your target and able to see
both of their shoulder blades.
You gain three melee attacks for
which you may call "3 damage". To deliver
them, you must be directly behind your
opponent and able to see both of their Precision Daily
shoulder blades.
Say, "I see a flaw in your defenses!"
while pointing at a target. You may now
deliver your next two Flank Attacks from the
Back Off Encounter front. If you have not used both attacks
before your next rest, this skill is expended.
You may use a melee weapon to call
"push" against one target.

Toughness Passive

Your maximum health is raised by 2.

Character Creation: Classes http://dreamings.ning.com 58

Take A
Encounter
Breath
You must stand still and concentrate
for 30 seconds. At the end of this count, you
may say "I caught my breath. Refresh <x>
and heal 3 to self." You may refresh one
encounter skill, which you must name out
loud. You may not refresh Take a Breath in
this way.
Character Creation: Classes http://dreamings.ning.com 59

Skirmisher
Skirmisher

A skirmisher is a melee combatant who does best when out numbered. They specialize in
moving around the battlefield and hitting different targets.
Skills
Two Weapon Passive Hit And Encounter
Styles Run
You may use a short weapon in one You get one melee attack for 2
hand and a long weapon in the other hand. damage. If it lands and your opponent
doesn't negate it with a defense, you gain an
attack for 3 damage which you must use
against a different target. If this lands, and
Flank Encounter your opponent doesn't negate it with a
Attack defense, you gain an attack for 4 damage
which you must use against a different target
You gain three melee attacks for from the first two. If there are no enemies
which you may call "3 damage". To deliver visible, Hit and Run ends.
them, you must be directly behind your
opponent and able to see both of their
shoulder blades.
Finish The Daily
Job
Sidestep Encounter If you have already damaged an
opponent and have since damaged another
You may call "sidestep" and not take target, you gain one melee attack for 6
the effects of any one packet attack. damage you may use against the original
target.

Back Off Encounter

Toughness Passive
You may use a melee weapon to call
"push" against one target. Your maximum health is raised by 2.
Character Creation: Classes http://dreamings.ning.com 60

Take A
Encounter
Breath
You must stand still and concentrate
for 30 seconds. At the end of this count, you
may say "I caught my breath. Refresh <x>
and heal 3 to self." You may refresh one
encounter skill, which you must name out
loud. You may not refresh Take a Breath in
this way.
Character Creation: Classes
Archer
Archer
An archer uses ranged weapons like bows to snipe their enemies from afar.
Skills
Bow Use Passive
You may use a bow. Your arrows are
spell packets with 12" of ribbon attached to
the end. They may be blocked by a weapon
or shield. Your bow will come unstrung after
you fire six shots, or after it is hit with a
weapon. You must spend 5 seconds
concentrating while roleplaying that you are
restringing it before you may fire again.
Foot Shot Encounter
You may shoot an arrow with the
effect "Roots for 10 seconds"
Sharp Shot Encounter
You gain 3 arrow attacks which deal
"2 damage" each.
Camp Encounter
You may create a circular zone up to
ten feet in diameter. When you are standing
in that zone, all of your called damage
attacks deal +1 damage.
http://dreamings.ning.com 61
Bullseye Daily
If you are standing in your Camp, or
your target is in your Ambush Point, you
may shoot an arrow at them for 6 damage.
Ambush Point Daily
You may create a circular zone up to
ten feet in diameter. When someone is
standing in it, you regular arrow attacks
against them deal 2 damage. If your arrow
hits someone outside of the circle, the zone
drops immediately.
Toughness Passive
Your maximum health is raised by 2.
Take A
Encounter
Breath
You must stand still and concentrate
for 30 seconds. At the end of this count, you
may say "I caught my breath. Refresh <x>
and heal 3 to self." You may refresh one
encounter skill, which you must name out
loud. You may not refresh Take a Breath in
this way.
Character Creation: Classes
Sorcerer
Sorcerer
Sorcerers specialize in dropping their opponents using magical ranged attacks.
Skills
Ice Shards Encounter
Evocation - Say an incantation of at
least 30 words. You gain six spell packets
which each do "1 ice". You may not activate
any other Evocation spells until these attacks
are spent. You may also deactivate this spell
at will, but any remaining charges are lost. If
an attack misses, it is not expended. If the
opponent does not acknowledge the attack
through roleplay, or by calling a defense, this
spell is not expended.
Flame bolt Encounter
Evocation - Say an incantation of at
least 30 words. You gain three spell packets
which each do "2 flame". You may not
activate any other Evocation spells until
these attacks are spent. You may also
deactivate this spell at will, but any
remaining charges are lost. If an attack
misses, it is not expended. If the opponent
does not acknowledge the attack through
roleplay, or by calling a defense, this spell is
not expended.
http://dreamings.ning.com 62
Roots Encounter
You may say "I root your feet to the
ground" and throw a spell packet at your
target.
Lightning Bolt Daily
Say an incantation of at least 30
words. You gain 1 spell packet which does
"6 shock". You may not activate any other
Evocation spells until these attacks are spent.
You may also deactivate this spell at will,
but any remaining charges are lost. If an
attack misses, it is not expended. If the
opponent does not acknowledge the attack
through roleplay, or by calling a defense, this
spell is not expended.
Toughness Passive
Your maximum health is raised by 2.
Take A Encounter
Breath
You must stand still and concentrate
for 30 seconds. At the end of this count, you
may say "I caught my breath. Refresh <x>
and heal 3 to self." You may refresh one
encounter skill, which you must name out
loud. You may not refresh Take a Breath in
this way.
Character Creation: Classes http://dreamings.ning.com 63

Tanglefoot Encounter
Evocation - Say an incantation of at
least 30 words. You gain two spell packet
attacks which each do "slow". You may not
activate any other Evocation spells until
these attacks are spent. You may also
deactivate this spell at will, but any
remaining charges are lost. If an attack
misses, it is not expended. If the opponent
does not acknowledge the attack through
roleplay, or by calling a defense, this spell is
not expended.
Character Creation: Classes
Shaman
Shaman
Shaman do not have many offensive abilities, but they use zones and status effects to aid and
protect their allies.
Skills
Tanglefoot Encounter
Evocation - Say an incantation of at
least 30 words. You gain two spell packet
attacks which each do "slow". You may not
activate any other Evocation spells until
these attacks are spent. You may also
deactivate this spell at will, but any
remaining charges are lost. If an attack
misses, it is not expended. If the opponent
does not acknowledge the attack through
roleplay, or by calling a defense, this spell is
not expended.
Water of
Encounter
Healing
Evocation - Say an incantation of at
least 30 words. You gain six spell packet
attacks which each may "heal". You may not
activate any other Evocation spells until
these charges are spent. You may also
deactivate this spell at will, but any
remaining charges are lost. If the packet
misses, the charge is not expended.
Disarm Encounter
You may say "I disarm your
<target>" where <target> is "right hand" or
"left hand" and throw a spell packet at your
target.
http://dreamings.ning.com 64
Circle Of
Daily
Force
You may create a circular zone up to
ten feet in diameter. Touch the circle with a
spell packet and say "I enchant this circle to
be impassable." No one may cross the
borders of the circle while the spell is active.
You may touch the circle and say "circle
down" to end the effect. The circle also
lowers if you are leave line of sight of the
circle or lose consciousness. It will last a
maximum of one hour.
Circle of
Daily
Healing
You may create a circular zone up to
ten feet in diameter. Touch the circle with a
spell packet and say "I enchant this circle
with healing". You gain a packet which has
the effect "heal 3", delivered by touch. You
may only use it when you are inside the
circle. If you concentrate for 60 seconds, this
packet recharges.
Character Creation: Classes http://dreamings.ning.com 65

Dispel Daily
This spell can be used in one of two
ways: to dispel a zone, or cure an ongoing
effect.
Mystic
Encounter
Lasso • To dispel a zone, you may
touch the edge of a zone effect with a
You may say "I bind your arms to
spell packet and say "dispel zone" to
your sides", and throw a spell packet at your
end its effects. If there are multiple
target.
spells cast on the same zone, this
spell removes all of them.
• To cure an effect, you may
touch your target and say "dispel
<x>", where <x> can be "roots",
"evocation", or "slow".

Toughness Passive
Your maximum health is raised by 2.

Take A
Encounter
Breath
You must stand still and concentrate
for 30 seconds. At the end of this count, you
may say "I caught my breath. Refresh <x>
and heal 3 to self." You may refresh one
encounter skill, which you must name out
loud. You may not refresh Take a Breath in
this way.
Character Creation: Classes
Summoner
Summoner
The summoner may turn Wakes into Shades.
Skills
Summon Encounter
Shade
If a character has died and they have
become a wake, and the wake is still in the
area, you may approach and ask if they
consent to being a Shade under your
command. If they agree, you may create
them as an Imp.
The imp is under your control, and
you may issue it basic commands. ("wait
here", "follow me", "attack", "guard this
area", etc) The imp will try to defend and
protect you, and will attack anyone who
attacks you. The imp must remain in your
line-of-sight, and dies if you are knocked
unconscious or it leaves your line-of-sight
for more than ten seconds.
This skill may only be used on non-
players (who may want to give the game a
try without making a character) or players
whose characters are dead. It cannot be used
on living characters. You may only create
one Shade at a time. The Shade may not
choose Daily skills or any skill which allows
them to summon shades (ie, this one).
http://dreamings.ning.com 66
Mystic Encounter
Lasso
You may say "I bind your arms to
your sides", and throw a spell packet at your
target.
Gust of Encounter
Wind
Evocation - Say an incantation of at
least 30 words. You gain three spell packets
which each do "push". You may not activate
any other Evocation spells until these attacks
are spent. You may also deactivate this spell
at will, but any remaining charges are lost. If
an attack misses, it is not expended. If the
opponent does not acknowledge the attack
through roleplay, or by calling a defense, this
spell is not expended.
Toughness Passive
Your maximum health is raised by 2.
Character Creation: Classes http://dreamings.ning.com 67

Water of
Encounter
Healing
Evocation - Say an incantation of at
least 30 words. You gain six spell packet
attacks which each may "heal". You may not
activate any other Evocation spells until
these charges are spent. You may also
deactivate this spell at will, but any
remaining charges are lost. If the packet
misses, the charge is not expended.
Take A
Encounter
Breath
You must stand still and concentrate
for 30 seconds. At the end of this count, you
may say "I caught my breath. Refresh <x>
and heal 3 to self." You may refresh one
encounter skill, which you must name out
loud. You may not refresh Take a Breath in
this way.

Tanglefoot Encounter
Evocation - Say an incantation of at
least 30 words. You gain two spell packet
attacks which each do "slow". You may not
activate any other Evocation spells until
these attacks are spent. You may also
deactivate this spell at will, but any
remaining charges are lost. If an attack
misses, it is not expended. If the opponent
does not acknowledge the attack through
roleplay, or by calling a defense, this spell is
not expended.

Roots Encounter
You may say "I root your feet to the
ground" and throw a spell packet at your
target.
Character Creation: Race Skills http://dreamings.ning.com 68

Character Creation: Race Skills

Vision
Sunder the
Daily Shape the Encount
Dreaming
Wound Away er
You may rip open the Dreaming,
preventing anyone from passing the rift. You may say, "Veritas: your wounds
Draw a line on the ground, or indicate one vanish, 5 heal", and touch a packet to your
which is a maximum of 10 feet long. Say target.
"Veritas - as long as I am within ten feet of
this line, no one can step over it." Ranged
attacks may still cross the rift, and you can Shape the
Encounter
swing a weapon over it, but no character Blade
may step over it. You may seal the rift at any
time by pointing at the rift and stating "Zone You may touch a packet to a weapon
down". and say, "I Bestow this weapon's next called
damage to be X", where X is Silver, Iron, or
Essence. For example, if the person's next
attack dealt "2 damage", it could now deal "2
Phasing Daily
iron damage". If this bestowment isn't used,
You may vanish from the Dreaming it fades away at 6 AM. You may not use this
and enter the minds of wakes. To do this, ability again until the previous bestowment
you must stare at the sky and concentrate for has faded.
1 minute. At the end of this time, you may
say "I phase out", and remove your game
badge or arm band. At any time, you may
phase back in by putting your arm back or
game badge back on and saying "I phase in.
Drain to self". After you do this, you are still
somewhat ethereal for a short time. You may
not take any game actions until you have
concentrated for 1 minute. At the end of this
count, say "Dispel drain to self"
Character Creation: Race Skills http://dreamings.ning.com 69

Fae
Hideous Encounte
Portal to r
Daily Glamour
Faerie
You may say "Behold my hideous
You may cause a door to open up into form, push" and throw a packet at a target
the realm of Fae. You and your friends will
be safe on Faerie, but only for an hour. You
may attach a card to the entrance to a room
which reads: "VERITAS: Portal to Faerie.
You may only enter if your name is on this Healing
Encounter
list: ______" You may then fill in the names Glamour
of anyone you want. A portal to faerie will
only last for one hour, and then the room You may say, "That doesn't look so
becomes the Dreaming again. bad, 5 heal", and touch a packet to your
target.

Inconspicuous Dail
Glamour y
Luck of the
You tricksy Fae spirit may hide itself, Daily
Ffolke
leaving behind only a wake. Once per day,
while sitting down, you may say "I fade out If you have the skill Parry, Sidestep,
1, I fade out 2, I fade out 3", while removing or Fortitude, you may use it an additional
your arm band or game badge. You are now time.
a wake, and are not affected by anything
within the game. If you must stand up or
move from that spot for any reason, you
must return to game by saying "I fade in 1, I
fade in 2, I fade in 3", while putting your
arm band or game badge back on.
Character Creation: Race Skills
Dead God
Common
Encounter
Prayer
Put your hand on the head of an ally
who is kneeling before you. Say "Refresh 1
encounter skill." If this skill is used at your
altar, you may target two people with it. The
Common Prayer may not be refreshed in this
manner.
Daily Prayer Daily
Put your hand on the head of an ally
who is kneeling before you. Say "Refresh 1
daily skill." If this skill is used at your altar,
you may target two people with it. The Daily
Prayer may not be refreshed in this manner.
Divine
Daily
Protection
Put your hand on the head of an ally
who is kneeling before you. Say "Bestow 1
armor until sunrise." This armor does not
stack with armor from any other source. The
target can refresh this armor by
concentrating for 60 seconds. If this skill is
used at your altar, you may target two people
with it.
Divine
Encounter
Healing
Put your hand on the head of an ally
who is kneeling or unconscious before you.
Say "Heal 5" and touch the target with a
spell packet. If this skill is used at your altar,
you may target two people with it.
http://dreamings.ning.com 70
Blessing of
Encounter
War
Put your hand on the head of an ally
who is kneeling before you. Say, "I bestow
two additional damage upon your next
weapon swing." Only one target may benefit
from this blessing at a time. (so you may not
rest and then grant it to a second person)
Majesty Daily
If you are at your altar, or if two
people kneel and pray to you while you rest,
you may concentrate for 60 seconds and
benefit as if you had rested for five minutes.
Cleric's
Encounter
Boon
Put your hand on the head of an ally
who is kneeling before you. Say "Bestow
ability: 3 heal by touch. This may be used
once ever, and fades at sunrise." If this skill
is used at your altar, the ability granted is "6
heal". Only one target may benefit from this
blessing at a time. (so you may not rest and
then grant it to a second person. You may not
grant your boon to anyone else until the first
target's ability is spent.)
Character Creation: Race Skills http://dreamings.ning.com 71

Lost Soul
Ascended
Memory of Encounter
Passive Soul
Life
You may touch an ally for 3 seconds
You may pick one additional skill and then say "5 heal". This may not be used
from your class list. on yourself.

Initiative Encounter
Damned
Encounter
Your first called damage after you Soul
rest deals +1 damage
After you successfully deliver a
killing blow, you may say "3 damage" and
throw a spell packet.
Still Soul Encounter
You may concentrate for 3 seconds
and then say "5 heal to self"
Advice: Goals http://dreamings.ning.com 72

somebody takes pictures and archives the Dream Walk, or

Advice: Goals it won't count!

So you've created a character. You've got some By going on Dream Walks you can influence the
boffer weapons. Now what? game's ongoing plotlines. Dream Walks which have been
Archived also earn you Resonance, points you collect to
Your character needs goals. This will give you earn special skills or power-ups.
something to do when you go into the game. A good goal
is something that you can work towards. An interesting Single Player Dream Walks are adventures geared
goal is one that conflicts with other players, creating a for one player. If you don't know anybody in your area
tension between you and them. who plays the Dreaming, these are adventures you can go
on without a party. You can only earn Resonance from
The Dreaming becomes a boring place if one Single Player Dream Walk per week.
everybody is friends with each other. Don't be afraid to
make enemies, thwart others, or hold unfair prejudices.
The drama that you create will become fuel for others'
game experience.
Experiences, Not Points
If you're bored, do something about it! The game is
just as interesting as players make it. Create guilds, orders, Use the Dreaming as an excuse to do fun things
plots to kill each other, marketplaces, events, et cetera. you might not otherwise do. The Dreaming is also a great
The game will be so much more interesting if you engage venue for your creative or artistic energy. Music, art,
yourself in the politics rather than trying to be cool with fiction, or other creative expressions, particularly those
everyone. World peace would be nice in real life, but it which blur the line between the real world and the dream
would make a really boring Dreaming! world, can be Archived for other players to enjoy. Your
work may be awarded Resonance by game staff. (check
your post's comments!)
It can be enjoyable to immerse yourself in your
Location, Location, Location character's headspace, allowing yourself to become this
alternate persona. Within the dreaming, you can explore
Every Dreaming character can be the Warden of familiar places with a new set of eyes.
a territory. Think about places where you could invite
others to hang out - these might be the ideal place to cast The Dreaming culture and society, as it forms
a Dreamscaping Ritual. over the social networking site, can become whatever we
make of it. Many people enjoy this element of the game,
Once you've got a location, establish it as a group forming governments, customs and traditions which
on the social network. Post folklore, pictures, and invite others will participate in. What does law, goodness, and
local players to join. Create a schedule of events at your justice mean within our world? As social reality is formed
location-- make it a gathering point for Dream Walks or by consensus, one can change the essence of a situation
other Rituals. Host social gatherings, parties, votes, by convincing others of your point of view. The game's
elections, or any excuse to get people together and talking. forum is a venue for you to discuss and explore these
Many people like to decorate their territory. ideas.
Music, lights, or art can go a long way to make an area feel We hope that the Dreaming is a game where
more dreamlike. Having a really cool territory is a point of much of the content is supplied by other players. If the
pride amongst Dreams. game seems boring, perhaps you should do something
which spices it up in the way that you'd like to play.
Gamers are creative people - bring something to the game
Dream Walks for others to enjoy!
Dream Walks are one of the more exciting things
you can do in the Dreaming. Coordinating a Dream Walk
can be tough - generally, you'll need to get six or more
people in the same place at the same time. Make sure
Advice: Starting a Dreaming Group http://dreamings.ning.com 73

Advice: Starting a
Dreaming Group
So you've read about the Dreaming. You think it
sounds like fun, and you want to play. Now what?
Odds are there aren't any people playing the
Dreaming in your area.... yet. Recruiting people to game
with can be tricky, but here are some tips to help generate
interest in your area.
• Plan an intro activity - like a boffer
making workshop, character creation day, or
Q&A session. Here, you'll be able to talk about
the game and answer people's questions
• Put up posters - We have a few
printable advertisements for the game. Put these
up in coffee shops, the library, gaming stores,
your school, or any place that people gather.
• Recruit your gaming group - if you
play live action or tabletop roleplaying games, you
probably already know gamers in your area.
Convince them to give the game a try.
• Social Networking Sites - are great
places to recruit other bored gamers. Your town
might have a local bulletin board for posting local
events. You could also post a gathering on
meetup.com.
• Host a Gathering - Once you've got a
few recruits, pick a time and place for everybody
to gather. Invite everybody to the spot for a game
night. Make sure you have some activities planed
such as dueling, fighting Shades, or perhaps a
Dream Walk. Bringing some food and drink won't
hurt either.
• Encourage Others to Lead -
Encourage people to think about good spots for
the game and fun things to do while playing. Get
them to recruit their friends who might be
interested.
Advice: Archiving http://dreamings.ning.com 74

should endeavor to do things which will make you stand

Advice: Archiving
What is the Archive?
The Archive is a collective memory shared by all
Dreams. The Archive is kept in a place called the Aether,
which can be accessed through any web terminal. All
Dreams can write to the Archive or post to the Aether.
When you go on a Dream Walk, cast Astral
Magic, or do something which should be a part of the
game's story, you should post it to the archive. In some
ways, things to not "count" unless they are archived as
part of the Dreaming's collective memory.
out in the Archive. While your experience your character's
personal story, your are a character in other people's
stories. So make your performance memorable!
What to Archive
At the very minimum, an archival entry should
describe what happened. You don't need to write long,
flowery prose. It's okay to list events and attendees in
bullet points. Another simple form of archiving is to snap
a photo with your cell phone, and then e-mail it to the
address listed at the bottom of the photo uploader page.

Before you go on a Dream Walk, you should You may also archive your character's personal
make sure somebody in the party agrees to archive the thoughts or reactions to things.
adventure. You get a point of resonance for the archive
of any Dream Walk you've been on. Be sure to tag your
archive entry with the names of each player involved. Resonance
(hint: all tags must be one word. The name "Jeffery Typically, only the Archiving of Dream Walks
Lyons" will appear as two tags: "Jeffery" and "Lyons". grants you resonance. Things like Astral Magic must be
Instead, use "JefferyLyons") archived in order to "count", but they do not give you
It helps to have a notepad and camera handy at allresonance.
times during live play. If you are taking a photo or video Resonance can be awarded by game staff
of gameplay, people shouldn't attack you or interfere with members for exceptional contributions to the Archive.
you. Even monsters will ignore you so that you can be an
impartial observer and get a good shot. You may not use The archival account of an event must be posted
this custom defensively - if monsters are about to tear you within two days of the event itself, or it does not count.
limb from limb, you can't (necessarily) save yourself just You may only gain resonance once per day per
by pulling out a camera. Dream Walk. For example, if you go on the Capture the
Flag Dream Walk four times in one day, you only gain
resonance for the first archival account. You cannot space
out your posts over multiple days so that it appears like
Good Archiving you went on the Dream Walk on separate days. If you go
on three different Dream Walks in one day, you can
You should endeavor to make your archival posts potentially gain three points of resonance, as long as they
interesting and fun to read. Your posts will be richer if are three different Dream Walk scripts.
you use photos, video, and well written text. Archival
posts should demonstrate to others what is fun or cool
about this game.
A good archival entry builds narrative. Think about
each archival post as a chapter of the game's story. It's
okay to report on things like tension or cooperation
between characters, philosophical discussions, or even
gossip. Other players and archivists will latch onto these
particles and build more narrative from them.
Even if you are not the one writing the post, you
Glossary http://dreamings.ning.com 75

Glossary
Archive
The Archive is a record of things which
happen in the Dreaming. Anything posted at
http://dreamings.ning.com is part of the archive.
After something interesting happens in the
Dreaming, it should be archived. This includes
Dream walks, rituals, meetings, assassination
attempts, or anything that others might like reading
about. You should try to use photos and video in
your Archiving. If possible, tell part of a story
which others may build on.

Good Archiving prevent disputes about

cheating. If there ever is disagreement about
whether or not someone should have a certain
power or item, the Archive is a public record you
can reference to prove that you earned it.

In-Game, the Archive is a collective

memory that all Dreams can access through an
internet terminal.

See also: Archiving

Concentration
Concentration means standing still (or
sitting) for a certain amount of time without using
any game skills. Some skills require you to
concentrate for a specified period of time while
performing an action. For example, it takes ten
seconds to put poison on a sword. "Resting"
involves concentration for five minutes. While
concentrating, you cannot take a step, be carried, or
use game skills. You may talk or take damage, but
if you lose consciousness, concentration is broken.

Dream
Someone who lives in the Dreaming.
Glossary http://dreamings.ning.com 76

Wake
Someone whose mind is in the Dreaming
Dreamstone while their body is in the Waking World. When
A Dreamstone is a stone which your you're playing, you are acting as characters in the
Dreaming character carries around. Any rock could Dreaming. All the other people in the world are
be used, but many people prefer to pick one which considered wakes, people who are wandering
says something about themselves. A philosophical through the dreamscape in a sort of trance. If you're
Vision might pick an amethyst, whereas a dark and having a boffer fight in a park somewhere, and
brooding Lost Soul might pick a lump of coal. people stop to watch, those are just people who are
Over time, the Dreamstone will begin to awaken. It having a dream of a sword fight. You also become a
gradually becomes sentient, forming a psychic wake when your character dies -- you take off your
connection with the character who carries it. Many game badge, and you're back to being a non-player,
Dreams treat their Dreamstones like companions, just a dreamer.
and will make conversation with their
Dreamstones.

Zone
Some abilities let you create a zone. The
Rest ability specifies the shape of the zone, usually a
A five minute break. Some abilities room, or a circle up to ten feet in diameter. The
recharge when you rest. To rest, you must border of the zone can be pre-existing, such as a
concentrate for five minutes. You cannot walk or circle on a tiled floor. You could also create it using
use game skills while resting. Doing so will reset chalk, drawing in the sand, or laying down a rope.
the count. At the end of a rest, all your "encounter" (hint: a 31 foot rope will create a circle 10 feet in
abilities recharge, and all your wounds heal. diameter) The border of the zone must be clear to
anybody. If there are any breaks or gaps in a zone's
border, the spell will not work. Characters must
stand clearly on the inside or outside of a zone -
you cannot stand with one foot on each side.