Domains are pocket realities within Nowhere Land, each with its own rules, inhabitants, and mysteries. They have Willpower (0-10), grant Blessings and Curses, and can awaken, sleep, merge, or die. Portals connect these fragments of the dream.
"Every domain is a thought someone forgot to stop thinking."
Anatomy of a Domain
Domain Components
Willpower (0-10): The domain's strength and resistance to change
Genius: The ruling spirit or consciousness
Laws (2-3): Unique physics or metaphysics (e.g., gravity reversed, fire freezes)
Attunement: How the domain changes long-term residents
Portals: Connections to other domains
Blessings & Curses: Supernatural bonuses/penalties granted to visitors
Domain Willpower Uses
| Mechanic | Formula |
|---|---|
| Social Exchange with domain entities | TN = Willpower x 4 |
| Domain Communion check | TN = Willpower x 4 |
| Paradox Anchor resistance | Contested vs Willpower x 4 |
| Ascension (Legendary Potential) | Contested vs Willpower x 4 |
| Bastion Establishment | Social Exchange TN = Willpower x 4 |
| Domain Birth (Legendary) | Arcane Resonance + Domain Weaving TN 20 |
Named Domains of Nowhere Land
The Passage
Liminal space between worlds
Count's Domain
Where The Count holds court
Clockwork Citadel
Gears, precision, mechanical wonders
Mirror Labyrinth
Endless reflections, identity fractures
Bone Gardens
Death blooms into strange life
Drowned Quarter
Sunken district, memories bubble up
Fever Dream
Nightmares take form, dreams have teeth
Inverted Spire
Gravity-defying tower
Paper City
Fragile beauty, words become reality
Salt Flats
Endless desolation, memory grows
Bleeding Forest
Gothic horror, trees weep crimson sap
Carnival of Shadows
Twisted performers, dark delights
Real World
Earth - the mundane reality
The Verdant Tangle
Jungle/forest primeval
The Ashen Wastes
Desert and fire domain
The Null
Entropy and void
The Abyss
Nightmarish rock swamp, final domain
Domain of Restraint
Iron discipline and order
Domain of Excess
Indulgence and fortune
Sun-High / Moon-Low
Synced twin domains (Eternal Noon / Midnight)
Portal Mechanics
Portals are gateways between domains or from Earth to Nowhere Land. They can be natural, created, or facilitated by The Count. Portals may require keys, trials, or payment to traverse.
Portal Creation (Count's Ledger)
| Ledger Cost | Effect |
|---|---|
| +2 | Summon portal to known domain (1 hr ritual, lasts 10 min) |
| +4 | Create permanent portal between two domains |
| +5 | Create an entirely new domain |
Portal Utilities
- Portal Compass: Item that points toward the nearest portal
- Portal Anchor: Bastion project - 1,000 silver + Arcane Resonance TN 16. Creates permanent portal to one domain
- Thread Severance: Universal Potential that closes a portal for 24 hours
- Paradox Anchor: Stabilizes reality in a 30 ft radius - no portals can form
- Synced Domains: Portals between them never close or fluctuate
- Exploration Roll of 5: Portal or portal remnant discovered
Portal Drift Check
The Abyss Risk
At Drift 5+, travelers roll decreasing dice when entering portals. Rolling 1 sends them to the Abyss instead of their destination.
Die chain: d100 -> d20 -> d12 -> d10 -> d8 -> d6 -> d4
Higher Drift = smaller die = greater chance of rolling 1 = higher Abyss risk. At d4, there's a 25% chance of falling into the Abyss with every portal transition.
Blessings & Curses
Blessing & Curse Rules
- Blessings range from +1 to +5; Curses from -1 to -5
- Cannot have both Blessings & Curses in the same domain
- Stack up to 3 from a single domain; multiple domains can stack
- Some carry to other domains at half effectiveness
- At 3 Blessings from one domain -> may awaken a Domain Potential
- At 5 Blessings (Paradigm Shift) -> one Blessing persists outside, may awaken a Potential, alters domain Willpower
Common Blessings
| Blessing | Effect |
|---|---|
| Safe Haven | +2 recovery rolls |
| Path Sense | +2 Navigation; portals glow visible |
| Tongue of the Land | Speak domain language |
| Domain's Child | Domain creatures are neutral toward you |
| Elemental Affinity | +2 resist domain's element |
| Echo Memory | Visions of domain's history |
Common Curses
| Curse | Effect |
|---|---|
| Marked | Creatures sense you at 2x distance |
| Wanderer's Bane | -2 Navigation |
| Tongue-Tied | Cannot speak domain language |
| Unwelcome | -2 starting Disposition |
| Elemental Vulnerability | +2 damage from domain's element |
| Nightmare Touched | No Reverie from rest in this domain |
Domain-Specific Blessings & Curses
The Passage
Verdant Tangle
Domain of Restraint
Domain of Excess
Managing Blessings & Curses
Gaining Blessings
- • Align with domain nature
- • Serve the Genius
- • Complete domain quests
- • Reach +3 Disposition
Removing Curses
- • Atonement (action opposing the cause)
- • Count's Deal (3-5 Ledger cost)
- • Domain-specific cleansing ritual
- • Time (minor curses fade after 1 month+)
Domain Weaving
Domain Weaving Skill
Essence: Anima | Type: Hybrid Skill
| Application | Roll | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Domain Communion | Anima + Domain Weaving | WP x 4 |
| Dimensional Access | Anima + Domain Weaving | 18 |
| Domain Birth (Legendary) | Arcane Resonance + Domain Weaving | 20 |
| Predict Reality Storm | Domain Weaving | Varies |
Domain Adaptation
Stages of Adaptation
| Stage | Duration | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Acclimation | 1-2 weeks | -2 penalty, then normalizing |
| Attunement | 1-2 months | Minor blessing, +1 navigation/foraging |
| Integration | 3+ months | Significant blessing, withdrawal on leaving |
| Transformation | 1+ year | Physical/mental changes, may become permanent resident |
Bastion Management
Establishing: Suitable location + 500 silver + 1 month + Social Exchange TN = Domain Willpower x 4 (or by force).
Bastion Resources
| Resource | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1-5 | Determines project slots & workforce |
| Prosperity | 1-5 | Generates silver income per season |
| Stability | 1-5 | Resistance to crises |
| Threat | 0-5 | At 5 = bastion destroyed |
Prosperity Income per Season
| Population | Silver | Extras |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 | - |
| 2 | 250 | - |
| 3 | 500 | +1 trade good |
| 4 | 1,000 | +2 trade goods |
| 5 | 2,500 | +5 trade goods |
Bastion Projects (1 Season Each)
| Project | Effect |
|---|---|
| Fortifications | +1 Stability, -1 Threat |
| Market Square | +1 Prosperity |
| Housing | +1 Population cap |
| Temple/Shrine | +1 Stability, +1 Domain Disposition |
| Workshop | +1 Prosperity, half-cost crafting |
| Portal Anchor | 1,000s + Arcane Resonance TN 16 - permanent portal |
Seasonal Turn
- Collect Income
- Resolve Projects
- Roll Event (1d6 + Threat)
- Adjust Resources
Event Results:
2- Windfall | 3-4 Growth | 5-6 Uneventful | 7 Minor Crisis | 8+ Major Crisis
Crisis Table (1d6): Monster Attack, Plague (Survival TN 16), Bandit Siege (500s tribute), Political Coup, Supply Crisis, Domain Collapse (+2 Threat)
Domain Lifecycle
Domain Splitting
When Domains Break Apart
Triggers: Schism of Belief, Willpower Collapse (hits 0), Count's Foreclosure, death of an Exalted being.
- Cracking (1-30 days) — Reality fractures, micro-portals form
- Separation — Voids form, crossing requires portals
- Division — Willpower split evenly (rounded down); each daughter keeps one Blessing aspect; Curses multiply to full in each
Reunification: Conquest, new Constitution of Reality, or recovering the Keystone artifact.
Domain Synchronization
Aligning Two Domains
Methods: Anchor Ritual (TN 25), Quantum Entanglement, Count's Ledger contract
Benefits
- • Portals never close/fluctuate
- • Shared Willpower (temporary loans)
- • Blessing Exchange (choose 1 from either)
- • Telepathy across boundary
Risks
- • 50% damage transfers between domains
- • Permanent invasion corridor
- • 1d4 Willpower loss if sync breaks
- • Temporal de-sync accelerates time differentials
Newborn Domains
Domain Growth Stages
Genesis: Collective Dream, Trauma Echo, Count's Experiment, Traveler's Wish. Newborns start at Willpower 1, fluid geography, amplified but chaotic magic.
1. Spark: Chaotic, no stable form
2. Form: Geography stabilizes, Elementals appear
3. Name: Gains true Name, Blessings/Curses solidify, Exaltations emerge
4. Power: Major domain power, spawns own portals
The Abyss
The Final Domain
The Abyss is the final domain - a nightmarish rock swamp filled with insect swarms and the remains of lost Travelers. No Potentials function in the Abyss.
Fountain of Abyss: A legendary spring of pure dream-water. Drinking resurrects those who died at max Drift, restoring them at Drift 0 in the Outside. Many false fountains exist.
Swarm-Touched: Humans partially consumed by insect swarms - they retain memory fragments, serve the Abyss, and lead seekers to false fountains.
Numbral Dice: A countdown clock mechanic. Starts at 24, decremented by d6. Rolling 1 steps the die up (d6->d8->d10->d12->d20). At 0 = catastrophic event.
"A domain is a wound in reality that learned to dream."
- The Count, On the Nature of Domains