Drawbacks

Ah yes, not everything can be good now, can it?

In addition to all of these fun new powers and capabilities, there will be drawbacks as well. Drawbacks, by definition, will be mechanics that will actively hinder and hold back characters while they attempt to use their powers and progress through the campaign. For now there are two distinct types of Drawbacks, and those are–


Side Effects
First introduced in Paradise Rising, side effects are intrusive, personal issues that crop up as a result of a character having a certain Soul Class. As they level up and grow stronger, these Side Effects are known to grow more apparent, more intrusive, and more frequent, but once characters Soulroot at or near the end of the campaign, these Side Effects will dissipate entirely.

How much or how little a character leans into these Side Effects is determined by their player, but the GM may also utilize them as prompts in Checkpoints as an added challenge.


PURPLE
Due to the distant and aloof nature of Purple Souls, they can be prone to closing themselves off and acting without regard for others, especially at higher levels. They're known to choose self-survival over empathy or compassion.

RED
Due to the temperamental and stubborn nature of Red Souls, they can be prone to emotional outbursts and extreme fits of rage, especially at higher levels. They're known to overreact and lash out in the heat of the moment.

YELLOW
Due to the overbearing and meddling nature of Yellow Souls, they can be prone to controlling those around them and rejecting any authority that is not their own, especially at higher levels. They're known to use whatever means necessary to get their way.

GREEN
Due to the self-sacrificial and meek nature of Green Souls, they can be prone to losing themselves in their pursuit of saving others, especially at higher levels. They're known to ignore their own well-being to extreme degrees.

BLUE
Due to the capricious and cautious nature of Blue Souls, they can be prone to deep levels of mistrust and manipulation of others, especially at higher levels. They're known to change tactics on a dime, garnering them a reputation of being two-faced.

BLACK
Due to the short-sighted and absolutist nature of Black Souls, they can be prone to casting extreme judgment on others without exception, especially at higher levels. They're known to shun those around them, never finding someone who fits their ideals completely.


Power Overuse

Just like characters can't run faster than they've trained to run, powers cannot be used too far removed from where a character's actual capabilities lie.

At max, a character can only use powers 3 levels higher than their own. This means, at the start of the Campaign, all characters can only use up to Level 3 powers, if their corresponding Soul Class stat allows for it.

As it was briefly touched upon on the Leveling Up page, all characters will start the Campaign at Level 0 and will have to grow up to Level 5 throughout the Campaign either through leveling up during a Chapter via the 10 posts, submitting level up prompts during Interims, or some mix. That said, there is something to be said for characters who share a Soul Class, but who have different starting stats within that Soul Class. In general, those who have a higher corresponding Soul Class stat will have access to higher level powers right off the bat. This is true for this Campaign as well, but there will be risks involved.

In addition to these personal Drawbacks, there's also an enhanced probability for power usage to go wonky when attempting to use more power than you have, so use your powers wisely!

Here's a chart of the ramifications of using higher leveled powers:

Using 1 Level Higher

Your character feels light-headed, sore, and weak in the paws.

For two posts after your post, your character will not be able to attack, flee, or dodge with any success. These posts don't have to be your own, they can be posts from your teammates as well.

You can only use powers 1 Level Higher than your own 3 times per Chapter, your Soul Class stat permitting.

Duration-based attacks or abilities are 1/2 of their duration time, rounded up to the nearest number divisible by 5!

Using 2 Levels Higher

Your character feels dizzy and sore, and they immediately crumple to the ground after they use their powers.

For four posts after your post, your character will not be able to attack, flee, or dodge with any success. These posts don't have to be your own, they can be posts from your teammates as well.

You can only use powers 2 Levels Higher than your own 2 times per Chapter, your Soul Class stat permitting.

Duration-based attacks or abilities are 1/4 of their duration time, rounded up to the nearest number divisible by 5!

Using 3 Levels Higher

Your character immediately passes out after use, and wakes up feeling nauseous, exhausted, and very sore.

For four posts after your post, your character will not be able to wake up from unconsciousness. These posts don't have to be your own, they can be posts from your teammates as well.

You can only use powers 3 Levels Higher than your own 1 time per Chapter, your Soul Class stat permitting

Duration-based attacks or abilities are 1/6 of their duration time, rounded up to the nearest number divisible by 5!

For Example

Root and Gorse are both Level 0 Red Souls, and will both have to level up from Level 0 throughout the campaign. However, while Root's Strength Stat is 3, Gorse's Strength stat is 10. This means that, at max power, Root would have access to Level 1 Powers, and Gorse would have access to up to Level 3 powers since he's currently level 0.

That said, once Gorse makes it to Level 2, then that means due to his 10 in his Strength stat, he would have access to Level 5 powers should he choose to use them.

The table for stat number to Level can be found on the Leveling Up page!