Growth Opportunities

When it comes to character growth, many tabletop RPGs rely on vertical growth to scale characters to face greater challenges. In such games, a character gains bonuses or increases skills in such a way that the numbers associated with a character become permanently greater with each moment of growth. Relics of the Moon has vertical growth in two areas: Psionic Powers and Faction Rank.

A Power can become permanently stronger over time as its Rank increases. A character can also gain new Psionic Powers, and these can become permanently stronger over time. The quest for this raw power is focused in the game mechanics and the world lore surrounding Powers: The hunt for and trade of Moonshards and Moon Relics reflects that people may become objectively more powerful the more Powers they have and the more each Power is enhanced.

Faction ranks give increasing modifiers for activities related to the faction. A character’s vertical growth in this area also has narrative implications for the balance of power in the world and a character’s place in it.

The remaining opportunities for character growth in Relics of the Moon are lateral rather than vertical. That is, characters and Cohorts unlock new ways to use what traits they have, or acquire new traits with set modifiers rather than give traits permanently higher modifiers. Often this is through unlocking traits for bioforms, factions, or Cohort Tactics. While this lateral growth can open up powerful new options, the modifiers of the traits do not go upward over time.