The Realm of Dreams

The Realm of Dreams is a dynamic space, with realities popping in and out of existence as mortals enter and exit their dreams. Every sleeping mortal enters the Realm of Dreams, usually multiple times per night. Usually these dreams are passive: the dreamer’s mind enters the Realm, a Panorama forms around it, and the dreamer goes along with the dream. 

Usually.

A dreamer can occasionally take an active, conscious part in their dreams, and take control of anything within their Panorama. With practice they can turn a nightmare into a pleasant dream, conjure or dismiss figures within the dream, and on occasion even exit their dream. This ability is called Lucid Dreaming, and any human can learn this skill with enough patience and practice, whether Gifted or Mundane. All lucid dreaming tests and tasks use the Lucid Dreaming skill.

The first step in lucid dreaming is for the character to realize that they are dreaming in the first place. This is done with a difficult Perception Test (or a Perception and Lucid Dreaming Test). This is usually triggered by the character noticing something inconsistent or unnatural occuring within the dream such as a glass bouncing off a stone floor or the appearance of a person who couldn’t possibly be there. A character with the Situational Awareness Quality gets +2 on this test. A person who goes to sleep planning on trying to enter a lucid dream can perform meditative techniques prior to falling asleep, getting a bonus on the test equal to their Success Levels on a Willpower (doubled) Task. 

If the test fails, the dreamer continues to be swept along with the dream until they wake up. If the test succeeds, the dreamer realizes that they are in a dream and may begin to affect it.

Unless stated otherwise, all actions taken while in a lucid dream use a Difficult Willpower Test (or a Willpower and Lucid Dreaming Test). The test is the same regardless of the magnitude of the changes: conjuring an apple on a plate takes roughly the same effort as making Times Square appear through the bathroom door. A dreamer’s Panorama is not the most logical of places.

A dreamer attempting to perform a dream action in someone else’s Panorama takes a -2 penalty on their lucid dreaming test, as the Panorama’s magic tries to repel outside interference.

Actions in the Realm of Dreams

Awakening

The ultimate fail-safe for a lucid dreamer, if things in the Realm of Dreams get too far out of hand, they may attempt to wake up. If the dreamer is within their own Panorama, this allows them to instantly wake up. If the dreamer is in someone else’s Panorama or somewhere else within the Realm of Dreams, this transports them to their own Panorama, and a subsequent Awakening wakes them.

If the dreamer is in another Outer Realm, the first Awakening returns them to the Realm of Dreams, a second Awakening can then return them to their Panorama, and a third Awakening will wake them up.

If someone or something attempts to detain a dreamer, the Awakening becomes a Resisted Task against that entity’s Willpower (and possibly a relevant skill or power, such as the Dreamsight Seer Power). If the dreamer loses this resisted task, they become unable to wake up for 10 minutes minus their Willpower. If the dreamer loses the Resisted Task and rolled  1 natural 1, they become locked in the dream for an hour. In addition to preventing active Awakening attempts, this prevents external forces applied to the dreamer’s body from waking them up for the duration.

Conjuration

Lucid dreamers can summon any object or person within their dreams, whether real or imaginary. Any conjured object that is used to counteract another’s conjuration is resolved in an opposed Willpower (or Willpower and Lucid Dreaming) Task. For example, if a dreamer conjures a key to a locked door within someone else’s Panorama, they must overcome the Willpower of whoever conjured the door in the first place (whether the door was created consciously or unconsciously).

Departure

An incredibly rare technique, some talented dreamers can exit their Panorama and wander the Outer Realms through their dream persona. Exiting one’s own Panorama requires a Difficult Willpower (or Willpower and Lucid Dreaming) Test with a -5 penalty. Failure indicates that the dreamer failed to release themselves from the panorama, and they cannot try again for another 10 minutes minus their Willpower. If the test succeeds, the dreamer finds themselves in the Realm of Dreams, just besides their Panorama.

Dream Attack

A dreamer can use their environment to attack other beings in the Realm of Dreams. Damage dealt within the Realm of Dreams is always taken as Essence damage, making dream combat far more dangerous to spirits than it is to mortals. Any attack, be it a summoned object, falling rocks, or an erupting volcano, deals 3x Willpower damage, no matter their actual form - a slingshot, a bazooka, and the Master Sword are all equal in the Realm of Dreams.

Flight

The law of gravity tends to wield little power in the Realm of Dreams. Any character trained in lucid dreaming can choose to fly at a speed up to 100 kph times their Willpower Level. Particularly complex maneuvers might require Dexterity and Lucid Dreaming.

Search

When outside a Panorama, a dreamer can try to locate creatures or objects within the Realm of Dreams. Dreamers tend to search for two entities in particular: a Panorama, a creature, or a Gateway. A search always requires a Difficult Perception (or Perception and Lucid Dreaming) Test.

Searching for a panorama requires a Test with a -3 penalty. If the searcher is particularly close to the Panorama’s owner (such as a parent and child or a couple in an intimate relationship), the penalty is reduced to -1. If the wanted Panorama isn’t currently in the Realm of Dreams, the search fails. Finding one’s own Panorama doesn’t require a Test, as the dreamer’s persona is naturally drawn to it.

Searching for a creature carries a bonus equal to the target creature’s Willpower, as their minds act as beacons within the Realm. If the target creature attempts to hide on the Realm of Dreams, treat this as a Resisted Task against their Intelligence and Lucid Dreaming.

Searching for a Gateway requires a Test with a -5 penalty. Once found, the dreamer’s persona needs only to step through the Gateway to emerge into the Realm to which it leads.

Shift

Dreams rarely take place in a single location, and lucid dreamers can often alter the area around them to their liking. A dreamer may make their own Panorama look like any environment. Within someone else’s Panorama, this becomes a Resisted Task against their Willpower and Lucid Dreaming - or just Willpower if they aren’t lucid.

Dreamers can also change their environment in the Realm of Dreams outside of Panoramas, but to a lesser extent - usually limited to adding or modifying minor landmarks, rather than changing the scene entirely.

Transformation

An individual’s appearance within a dream need not be static. While within the Realm of Dreams, a dreamer may make themselves look like anything they can imagine. The dreamer may choose to grow claws or wings, or even turn themselves into a polar bear or dragon. As part of the Transformation, the dreamer may choose to transform part of their body into a natural weapon (for use with a Dream Attack).