Firstfeather Demo

1 Welcome to the Newfeather Demo. This little interactive story demonstrates a type of combat system that can be played with text, dice, and your imagination. You'll need six six-sided dice or a digital equivalent. We'll use notation like "3d6" to mean "three six-sided dice". (This Twine version will provide random die rolls for you, but you'll still need to do the book-keeping yourself.) Set up a Character Sheet. For now, all you need is a section that needs a cool name like "Crest" or "Scroll". It represents the Moves you'll have available in combat. Write it like this: []1: []2: []3: []4: []5: []6: You are a griffin, so you've got talons and agility. Write "Talons: SWORD" next to the 1, and "Dodge: SHIELD" next to the 2. Now roll 3d6. Did any of them roll 1 or 2? Put the dice next to your Character Sheet or otherwise indicate you're choosing these dice to use. You may only choose two dice, even if all three were 1s or 2s. Now, based on those dice, count how many SWORDs and SHIELDs you get. For instance, a roll of "1 1 5" means you'll pick the two 1s, put them both next to "1: Talons: SWORD", and say you got two SWORDS total. Your enemies will roll SWORDs and SHIELDs too. Each round of fighting, if either side gets more SWORDs than the other has SHIELDs, the first side scores a wound against the other. Wounds mean that side rolls 1d6 and "shuts down" that number on their Move list. (Reroll until you get a result that's not blank or already shut down.) Wounded actions are unusable when rolled. Use the checkboxes next to each number to show which Moves are wounded. If you have none left, you have no way to keep fighting, and are defeated! The same happens if you somehow have no dice left to roll. If you're ever left with no Moves that could let you win (eg. you lost your Talons action), you can always turn one Move into a generic Move: "Attack: SWORD". Example: If your enemy rolled to get one SWORD and one SHIELD, versus your two SWORDs, you got more SWORDs than their SHIELDs... but so did they. You, and then the enemy, each roll 1d6 and shut down one of your Moves. Your character sheet should look like this: []1: Talons: SWORD []2: Dodge: SHIELD []3: []4: []5: []6: Now, turn to section [[2]].

2 "Brother Blackpowder's bugging me about studying more chemistry," says Romoni, who the monks insist is not your sister. "I want to throw myself off the roof a couple of times." It's the first time you've seen her in a month. Her wings are even longer than yours, with dark brown feathers that make her white head and golden beak stand out. She's always busy studying from the Ark's science files when you're elsewhere. What do you say? "Flying practice? Have you learned to fly yet?" -> [[Turn to 3|3]] "What's so bad about science?" -> [[Turn to 4|4]]

3 "I wish! I can barely glide. You?" You shake your head. "The same. Apparently it's some magic thing. We were made to depend on magic to have some of the powers we're supposed to, like real flying." Romoni shrugs. "We'll figure it out someday." [[Turn to 5|5]]

4 Romoni's wings spread and tuck in again along her sleek, panther-like body. "It's not so bad, just limited. There are so many things to learn and rebuild around here that puttering around with math seems like it's not doing anybody any good. We've got farmers and miners who depend on us to be more than scholars." [[Turn to 5|5]]

5 "What I really want to do," says Romoni, "is some sparring. Are you up for it?" You show off your wings, white like a gull's with brilliant blue edges. "I'm part bird, but I'm pretty sure it's not sparrow." She rolls her eyes. "Well, now I *have* to swat you one. En garde!" Combat! Romoni uses these stats: Dice: Roll 2, keep 2 1: Talons: SWORD 2: Trip: Enemy rolls 1 fewer die next turn 3-6: - [[Generate random die rolls]] Romoni fights until one of you is defeated. Since this is a practice bout, whoever wins, [[turn to 6|6]].

6 "Not bad," she admits. "But you've got to learn some skills if you ever get into a real fight." "Where would I do that?" "I don't know. Bad guys, bandits, the world blowing up again." You say, "Actually, I did do a little combat training..." You've learned one Skill that you can now add to your Character Sheet. Skills work differently from Moves. The Moves are determined by your dice, but you may (optionally) also use any one Skill you know, each round. Pick one of the following and write it below your Move list: -Berserk: Turn a Shield into a Sword. -Down Shift: Decrease the number on one of your dice by 1, eg. turning a 2 into a 1. -Gather Mana: Put 1 charge on a Magic Move that has none. (Currently useless.) -Reroll 1: Reroll one of your dice that says 1. (See Resting, below.) You can also Rest before Romoni challenges you again. Resting lets you swap out Moves on your list. You still only know two, but you could move "Talons" to another slot and then pick the "Reroll 1" Skill, or take "Down Shift" to turn a Sword (1) into a Shield (2). Resting also restores all of your Moves, ie. you're fully healed. When you're ready, [[turn to 7|7]].

7 Romoni says, "I won't hold beak this time!" Combat! Romoni's dice: roll 2, keep 2 1: Talons: SWORD 2: Claw Kick: SWORD [[Generate random die rolls]] Win -> [[Go to 8|8]]. Lose -> [[Go to 9|9]].

Your dice: (roll 3, keep 2) (random: 1,6) (random: 1,6) (random: 1,6) //(If you're hit with Trip, ignore the third number and keep the only two dice you have left.)// Foe's dice: (roll 2, keep 2) (random: 1,6) (random: 1,6) Hit the Back button, in the upper-left, to go back to where you were.

Romoni grins as she staggers back up to her feet. "Pretty good, drake!" You give a prideful bow. You may Rest. Just then, Brother Brightwall comes running up from Sacred Hill, holding a crossbow. "We've got a problem." [[Turn to 10|10]]

10 Brother Brightwall is the expert on defensive magic, with a smattering of other kinds of spell. "We need to get you two trained up on practical magic. Very practical. Like, today." "What for?" asks Romoni. "Never you mind! Just... just get ready to practice." How will you practice? [[Fight alongside Romoni|11]] [[Practice attacking using magic|12]]

11 Romoni high-fives you with one wing. "Let's show Brightwall what we can do!" This time, you have an ally. Romoni has rested and shifted her actions: Romoni's dice: roll 2, keep 2 5: Talons: SWORD 6: Trip: Foe rolls one fewer die next round. You roll only your usual three dice. However, you can assign them to actions on Romoni's Move List instead of your own, making it much more likely you'll hit. All damage goes to you, though, and if your Moves are all shut down you still lose. (That's the price of being a leader.) Brother Brightwall uses simple attack spells against you. Whenever he rolls their Moves, mark one of the checkboxes after its name. When a Move reaches full charge, it takes effect immediately unless it says otherwise. Brother Brightwall's dice: Roll 2, keep 2 1: Dodge: SHIELD 2: Spark (Magic): Charge []: SWORD 3: Magic Missile (Magic): Charge [][]: SWORD SWORD Whatever happens, [[turn to 13|13]].

12 Romoni sits this one out to cheer you on. You recall some magic training you had. For this fight, replace one of your Moves with: -Magic Missile (Magic): Charge [][]: SWORD SWORD Whenever you roll a Move with a Charge meter like this one, mark one of the checkboxes after its name. When a Move reaches full charge, it takes effect immediately unless it says otherwise. Fight against Brother Brightwall: Brother Brightwall's dice: Roll 2, keep 2 1: Dodge: SHIELD 2: Spark (Magic): Charge []: SWORD Whatever happens, [[turn to 13|13]].

Start making a list of all the Moves you know. Whenever you Rest, you can swap out any Moves you know from this list to your Move List that you use in battle. (No, you can't put multiple copies of one known Move into several slots.) You still have a maximum of two Moves equipped. If you don't already have it, add the following Move to your collection. -Magic Missile (Magic): Charge [][]: SWORD SWORD Brother Brightwall says, "That's a good start, but it's not enough. We've got to... Look. Can you meet me back here in a few minutes? There's something you need to learn, in a hurry." //To be continued!// [[An out-of-context fight to show off more ideas|14]]

Suddenly, a huge red dragon shows up. "Hey, guys. Want to fight?" You go all-out with these stats: Your dice: Roll 4, pick 3 1: Crystal Talon Gauntlets: SWORD SWORD 2: Balanced Stance: SWORD SHIELD 3: Defensive Stance: SHIELD SHIELD 4: Freeze (Magic): Charge [][][][]: Destroy one enemy die. (As in, foe rolls one fewer die for the rest of the fight.) 5: Mana Drain (Magic): Charge []: Remove one Charge from any enemy Magic Move. 6: Durium Mail (Armor): Armor [][]. (Starts fully Charged. Does nothing when rolled. If you are wounded, you may remove one Charge from here to ignore one wound, before rolling to see where you're hurt.) Your Skills (use one, or none, after you roll): -Gather Mana: Put 1 charge on a Magic Move that has none. -Reroll Even: Reroll one of your dice showing an even number. -Down Shift: Decrease the number on one of your dice by 1, eg. turning a 2 into a 1. Tolmarar, the Hard To Spell: Tolmarnar's dice: Roll 3, pick 3 1: Fire Breath (Magic): Charge [][]: SWORD SWORD SWORD SWORD 2: Stomp: SWORD SWORD SHIELD 3: Thrash: SWORD SHIELD 4: Bite: SWORD SWORD 5: Trip: Foe rolls one fewer die next time. 6: - Tolmarnar's Skills (these work differently than hero skills): -Desperation: if he has three or fewer Moves available, replace all SHIELDs rolled with SWORDs. //That's the end of this demo! Thanks for playing/reading.//