NOWHERE LAND
Drift (La Dérive)

Drift (La Dérive)

Drift (La Dérive) measures how far a character has strayed from their original reality. Inspired by Situationist theory, Drift represents the psychological and metaphysical displacement experienced by Travelers in Nowhere Land. The more you drift, the more powerful you become—but the harder it is to return home.

What is Drift?

When you cross portals, linger in domains, and use the Potential of Nowhere Land, the territory begins to claim you. Like Karasumori in Kekkaishi, Nowhere Land reinforces those who belong to it. Your Drift is a measure of how much you've become part of this impossible geography.

Low Drift means you're still tethered to the Outside—the real world. You can use Imagination freely, but Potentials are expensive and limited.

High Drift means you've become attuned to Nowhere Land. Potentials flow naturally, but Imagination costs soar. At maximum Drift, you become a Settler—forever bound to this realm.

The Drift Scale

Drift is rated from 0 to 10. At 0, you're fully grounded in the Outside. At 10, you've become a Settler—native to Nowhere Land, unable to return.

DriftNameEffect
0GroundedFully connected to the Outside. Cannot use Potentials. No Drift substitution.
1DisplacedCan substitute Drift for any Essence once per scene. +1 Imagination cost for Potentials.
2WanderingDrift substitution twice per scene. +1 Imagination cost. Begin feeling "at home" in Nowhere Land.
3AdriftCan add Drift to rolls when Exalted in a domain. +2 Imagination costs. Dreams shift toward Nowhere Land.
4LostDrift substitution unlimited. +2 Imagination costs. Memories of the Outside begin to fade.
5SeveredCannot voluntarily leave current domain without assistance. +3 Imagination costs.
6RootedDomain Potentials cost -1 Imagination (min 1). Cannot return to Outside without lowering Drift first.
7EntangledAdd Drift to all Potential checks. The Count recognizes you as "claimed by the territory."
8ClaimedDomains respond to your presence. Can sense portals within 1 mile. Maximum Imagination reduced by 1.
9ConsumedGain one permanent Domain Potential. Cannot leave Nowhere Land. Reverie maximum halved.
10SettlerFull Settler status. No Imagination/Reverie. Maximum Potential power. Native to Nowhere Land forever.

The Abyss: Death's Domain

Portal Drift & The Risk of the Abyss

At Maximum Drift (10), crossing portals becomes extraordinarily dangerous. The territory claims you so completely that reality itself may reject your passage—casting you into The Abyss, the last known domain of Nowhere Land, a place of nightmare where the desperate and the doomed go.

Portal Drift Check:

When crossing a portal with high Drift, roll a die based on your Drift level. If you roll the maximum value, you drift to an unintended destination—and at Drift 9-10, you may be cast into The Abyss.

Drift LevelDie RolledDrift on Max
0-4No roll neededSafe passage
5-6d100On 100: Different destination
7d20On 20: Different destination, possibly hostile
8d12On 12: Random domain, hostile arrival
9d6On 6: The Abyss (50%) or random domain
10d4On 4: The Abyss guaranteed

The Abyss: Domain of Nightmare

The Abyss (L'Abîme) is the final domain—a place where the desperate go, where those without solutions find themselves, where the territory of Nowhere Land consumes those who have drifted too far. It manifests as a rock swamp shrouded in perpetual twilight, buzzing with insects of all sizes: flies, butterflies, beetles, moths—some as large as horses, others microscopic.

When a character at maximum Drift crosses a portal and triggers the Abyss, they vanish from all known detection. No Potential can locate them. No portal leads directly there. They are nowhere to be found—even by the Count's gaze. The character enters their own final trial.

The Final Trial:

In the Abyss, the character must find the legendary Fountain of Abyss—the place where wishes are made. But beware: the Fountain is not what it seems. It is actually a deep well, and many "fountains" scattered throughout the swamp are false—poisonous pools that attract monstrous insects to burrow into those who drink from them.

Escaping the Abyss

✓ Finding the True Well

If a character finds and enters the true Fountain of Abyss (the well), they emerge alive in a random portal land domain with their Drift reset to 0. They return changed—most who escape think of their time in the Abyss as a dream or nightmare. Only players, the Count, the Encyclopedist, the Doctor, and Khore retain full memory of Abyss experiences.

✗ Death in the Abyss

Characters who die in the Abyss are dead forever. There is no resurrection, no bargain with the Count, no wish that can restore them. The Abyss consumes them entirely. Even drinking from a false fountain—letting the insects enter—leads to a fate worse than death.

The Only Resurrection: The only way to resurrect someone who has died (outside the Abyss) is to wish at the true Fountain of Abyss. This forms the heart of many desperate quests—to bring back a loved one, a leader, a child. The quest for the Fountain is central to the rivalries between the Encyclopedist, the Doctor, the Count, and Khore.

The Fountain Quest: Key Campaign Hook

The search for the Fountain of Abyss is one of the main quests for Travelers who know of Nowhere Land but haven't found a way out. It represents:

  • • The Encyclopedist's greatest gap: She has documented almost everything—except the Abyss's true nature
  • • The Doctor's obsession: What illness could he cure if he understood death's domain?
  • • The Count's mystery: Does he know the Fountain's location? Why won't he say?
  • • Khore's desperation: What would the eternal wanderer wish for?

Campaign Seed: "There and Back Again"

A depressed student who lost his girlfriend seeks the Fountain to bring her back—an Orpheus and Eurydice journey through Nowhere Land. The players follow him in, discover the truth about the Abyss, and must decide: help him complete his Faustian wish, or convince him to let go?

Drift Substitution

Using Drift as an Essence

At Drift 1 or higher, you may substitute your Drift rating for any Essence (Forma, Anima, Umbra, or Reverie) on a single check. The domain itself assists you—vines reach out to catch you, winds push you forward, reality bends to your will.

⚠️ Critical: Skills Do Not Apply

When using Drift substitution, your skill bonuses do not apply. You are not using your trained abilities—the domain is acting through you. The territory does not know your craft; it simply bends reality to achieve the result.

This is both a power and a limitation: Drift substitution gives you raw dice equal to your Drift rating, but without the refinement of learned skills. A master swordsman using Drift to fight wields only the domain's crude force, not their years of training.

💡 Strategic Implication: Skill Progression

Skills improve through meaningful use—when you push yourself, fail on a Reach, or take wounds while attempting difficult tasks. Using Drift substitution bypasses this learning process. You succeed through the domain's power, not your own growth. Players who rely heavily on Drift may find their skills stagnating, while those who risk their own Essences grow stronger over time.

Drift Substitution Limits:

  • Drift 1-2: Once per scene
  • Drift 3: Twice per scene, or add Drift bonus when Exalted
  • Drift 4+: Unlimited substitution

🎭 Example:

Mira (Forma +1, Athletics +2, Drift 4) needs to leap across a 20-foot chasm. Normally she'd roll Forma +1 plus Athletics +2 = 3 dice. Using Drift substitution, she says: "I feel the domain pulling me—the vines reach toward me, the wind pushes at my back." She rolls only her Drift 4 (4 dice)—her Athletics skill doesn't apply. The domain carries her, but she doesn't learn anything from the experience.

How Drift Increases

Drift accumulates naturally as you spend time in Nowhere Land and interact with its forces:

ActivityDrift Gain
Cross a portal (any direction)+1 Drift
Spend one week in a single domain+1 Drift
Become Exalted in a domain+1 Drift
Use 3+ Potentials in one session+1 Drift
Kill or Exalt a Genii/domain entity+1 Drift
Accept a major gift from the Count+1 to +3 Drift
Domain Expansion (Zekkai)+1 Drift

Reducing Drift: Cartography & Understanding

Mapping Nowhere Land

The key to resisting Drift is understanding. When you map territories, document creatures, and comprehend the logic of domains, you anchor yourself against the pull of Nowhere Land. This is why the Encyclopedist, the Doctor, and even the Count maintain their sanity despite centuries in this realm—they understand where they are.

Like the journeying mechanics in Ryuutama and Mappa Mundi, exploration and documentation are meaningful gameplay in Nowhere Land.

Drift Reduction Activities

ActivityDrift Reduction
Complete map of a domain's geography-1 Drift
Document 5 species of flora/fauna-1 Drift
Understand a domain's Willpower patterns-1 Drift
Discover a portal's activation conditions-1 Drift
Complete bestiary entry for a domain-1 Drift
Establish Bastion with cartography room-1 Drift (one-time)
Meditation, prayer, yoga (extended, several hours)-1 Drift
Study the land, ponder ecosystem (during rest)-1 Drift
Study with the Encyclopedist (one arc)-2 Drift
Study with the Doctor (one arc)-1 Drift + medical knowledge
Bargain with the Count for understandingVariable (Ledger cost)

Skill Progression and Drift

How Skills Improve

Skills in Nowhere Land improve through meaningful struggle—similar to Basic Roleplaying games like Call of Cthulhu. When you push yourself to the limit, risk harm, and truly test your abilities, you learn and grow. Drift substitution bypasses this growth entirely.

📝 Marking Skills for Improvement

Mark a skill for potential improvement when any of the following occur:

  • • Wound on Push: You Push a skill check and take a Wound as a consequence
  • • Fail on Reach: You Reach for extra dice and fail the check
  • • Critical Success: You roll maximum results (all 6s) on a skill check
  • • Meaningful Failure: You fail a check at a dramatically significant moment

🎯 Skill Advancement Threshold

Each skill has a Mark Threshold based on its current rank:

Skill RankMarks NeededAdditional Requirement
0 → 13 marksNone (basic training)
1 → 25 marksPractice or project
2 → 37 marksComplete a related project
3 → 49 marksMentor or extended training
4 → 512 marksMaster-level project

Note: Even with all marks filled, advancement requires completing the additional requirement during downtime or as part of a project. Marks make advancement faster, not automatic.

⚠️ Drift Substitution: No Marks

When you use Drift substitution instead of your natural Essence + Skill, you cannot mark that skill. The domain does the work, not you. This creates a fundamental trade-off: use Drift for immediate power, or use your own abilities to grow stronger over time.

Drift and Imagination Costs

The Price of Power

High Drift grants power but makes Imagination expensive. As you become more attuned to Nowhere Land's instinctual Potential, the conscious effort of Imagination becomes harder:

Drift LevelImagination Cost Modifier
0-2Base cost (no modifier)
3-4+1 to all Imagination/Reverie costs
5-6+2 to all costs
7-8+3 to all costs
9-10Cannot use Imagination; Potentials become instinctual (free but uncontrollable)

At Drift 6+, Domain Potentials cost -1 Imagination (minimum 1), partially offsetting this penalty. The domain rewards those who belong to it.

The Seven Techniques of Potential

Drawing inspiration from the Kekkai techniques of Kekkaishi, characters with Potentials can learn seven fundamental techniques. Each represents a different way of channeling Nowhere Land's power:

方囲 Hoi (The Ward)

Create a protective barrier around yourself or an area.

Cost: 1 Imagination | Duration: 1 scene

上昇 Jōso (The Ascent)

Enhance movement, speed, or physical capabilities temporarily.

Cost: 1 Imagination | Duration: 1 minute

結 Ketsu (The Bind)

Create a constraining field that traps or holds a target.

Cost: 2 Imagination | Check: Contested Arcane Resonance

解 Kai (The Release)

Dispel supernatural effects, break bindings, neutralize Potentials.

Cost: 1-3 Imagination (based on target power)

滅 Metsu (The Destruction)

Offensive Potential technique—direct destructive force.

Cost: 2 Imagination | Damage: Drift wounds

天結 Tenketsu (Heaven's Bind)

Large-scale territory effect affecting an entire area.

Cost: 4 Imagination | Area: 100ft radius

絶界 Zekkai (The Absolute Territory / Domain Expansion)

Create a personal domain—a space where your Drift becomes the law. Like Domain Expansion in Jujutsu Kaisen, this is the ultimate expression of Potential.

Cost: 5+ Imagination + 1 Wound | Requires: Drift 7+ | Duration: 1 minute

Polarity: Metsu vs Ketsu

At character creation or when first learning Potentials, characters develop an affinity toward one of two polarities:

滅 Metsu Affinity (Destruction)

Offensive Potentials cost -1 Imagination
Defensive/Binding Potentials cost +1 Imagination

結 Ketsu Affinity (Binding)

Defensive/Control Potentials cost -1 Imagination
Offensive Potentials cost +1 Imagination

Characters may also choose Balanced polarity with no cost modifiers.

Domain Expansion (Zekkai)

Creating Your Territory

At Drift 7 or higher, you may attempt Domain Expansion (Zekkai)—creating a temporary personal domain where your will shapes reality:

Domain Expansion Requirements:

  • Drift: 7 or higher
  • Cost: 5 Imagination + 1 Wound
  • Area: 30ft radius centered on you
  • Duration: 1 minute or until concentration broken

Within Your Domain:

  • ✓ All your checks use Drift instead of Essence
  • ✓ Enemies suffer -2 to all checks
  • ✓ You sense all creatures and objects within
  • ✓ Domain Potentials cost no Imagination
  • ⚠️ Using Domain Expansion grants +1 Drift at session end

Settlers: The Final Stage

Those Who Belong

Settlers (Les Établis) are those who have reached Drift 10 or were born in Nowhere Land. They have no Imagination—no connection to the dreaming creativity of the Outside—but possess instinctual mastery of Potential.

This is why Settlers are dangerous: they don't think about using Potentials. The power flows through them as naturally as breathing. But they also cannot return to the Outside. They are forever bound to Nowhere Land.

Settler Characteristics:

  • ✓ No Imagination/Reverie (reduced to 0)
  • ✓ Potentials are instinctual (no cost, but less controlled)
  • ✓ Domain Potentials work anywhere in Nowhere Land
  • ✓ Can sense all portals in current domain
  • ✓ Immune to certain domain Curses
  • ✓ Can communicate directly with domain Willpower
  • ⚠️ Cannot voluntarily leave Nowhere Land
  • ⚠️ Physical appearance may change to reflect adopted domain

Drift Resets: Crossing Boundaries

Drift at Realm Boundaries

Drift isn't just about time spent in Nowhere Land—it's about crossing the threshold. The boundary between the Outside and Nowhere Land resets your metaphysical state:

🌍 Returning to the Outside

When you leave Nowhere Land and fully enter the Outside world, your connection to the territory is severed. Your Drift immediately resets to 0.

Effects:

  • • Drift → 0 (immediate)
  • • Potentials become dormant
  • • Domain Blessings suspended
  • • Count's Ledger debts REMAIN

🌀 Entering Nowhere Land

When you cross a portal into Nowhere Land, the territory immediately begins claiming you. Your Drift resets to 1 (if it was 0).

Effects:

  • • Drift → 1 (minimum)
  • • Can use Drift substitution
  • • Potentials reawaken
  • • Territory begins sensing you

⚠️ Important Clarification:

The reset to 1 only applies when entering from the Outside. Crossing portals between domains within Nowhere Land still grants +1 Drift as normal—it doesn't reset to 1.

Drift in the Outside World

Living in the Outside

When a Traveler returns to the Outside (the real world), their connection to Nowhere Land is severed:

  • Immediate Reset: Drift drops to 0 upon full arrival in the Outside
  • Dormant Potentials: All Potentials become unusable (not just expensive—dormant)
  • Fading Blessings: Domain Blessings and Exaltation effects are suspended
  • Count's Ledger: Debts REMAIN (dreams, compulsions, hallucinations)
  • Exalted Marks: Still visible to those with Arcane Resonance

This is why many Travelers return to Nowhere Land even after escaping: their Potentials fade entirely, but the Count's debts remain. The Outside feels empty, colorless. They dream of impossible geometries and wake reaching for portals that aren't there. And when they finally cross back... Drift 1. The cycle begins anew.

Drift vs. Count's Ledger

Two Different Debts

Drift and the Count's Ledger are separate but related mechanics:

Drift

Your connection to Nowhere Land itself
Increases through presence and action
Decreases through understanding
Affects Potential power and costs
Can prevent you from leaving

Count's Ledger

Your debt to the Count specifically
Increases through deals and favors
Decreases through payment/service
Grants artifacts like the Fanal
Follows you even in the Outside

The Fanal: A gift from the Count—a lantern-like object that, when placed on a dwelling, repels Nowhere Land creatures (including Settlers, but not Travelers). All Count-given objects bear a crown symbol. The Doctor's gifts bear an eye symbol; the Encyclopedist's bear a scroll.

Character Advancement & Drift

In Nowhere Land, there are no experience levels. Instead, advancement comes through:

  • 🏛️
    Great Works: Creating something lasting—a Bastion, an alliance, a mapped domain. Each Great Work advances a Career or grants a new Boon.
  • ⏳
    Downtime Projects: During rest periods, invest in skills, relationships, or understanding. Completed projects grant skill points or Drift reduction.
  • ✨
    Exaltation: Becoming Exalted in a domain grants permanent Blessings and new Potentials, but also increases Drift.
  • 💀
    Domain Victory: Killing or claiming a domain's Genii grants power but dramatically increases Drift.

"The territory knows its own. Stay too long, and you'll forget you ever belonged anywhere else. Map it, name it, understand it—or let it understand you instead."

— The Encyclopedist's Warning

See Also