Dramatics
| Dramatics is the common skill of the Performance Pool. It is complimentary to the Influence skillset, as some abilities strengthen influence attacks through the performance of certain roles. Dramaticists are also trained to tell stories to the various denizens of the land, increasing their ego. Also, when it comes to debating, no one does it better than dramaticists who can sway debates by taking up different attitudes and confound their opponents through fast talk. The upper levels of Dramatics involve a variety of abilities that can entertain and bemuse audiences. |
| Skill | Learned At | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | Inept+0% | Let your ego shine through performance. |
| Bully | Inept+50% | Behave like a bully to get your way. |
| FirstGestalt | Inept+66% | Build a gestalt from ikons to empower you. |
| Heroics | Novice+0% | Tell heroic stories to stir the blood. |
| Lawyerly | Novice+33% | Win debates by learning the ways of the damned. |
| DebateHurry | Novice+66% | Imbue your opponent with the need to rush. |
| SecondGestalt | Apprentice+0% | Further develop your gestalts. |
| Sycophant | Apprentice+33% | Act like a boot-licking sycophant. |
| Drunkard | Apprentice+66% | Guzzle...Guzzle...HiIIiic! |
| Comedy | Capable+0% | Make them laugh until it hurts! |
| Bureaucrat | Capable+33% | Act like a bureaucratic official who knows it all. |
| ThirdGestalt | Capable+66% | Further develop your gestalts. |
| Saintly | Adept+0% | Win debates with a saintly demeanor. |
| DebateCircuitous | Adept+33% | Confuse your opponent with circuitous logic. |
| Sober | Adept+66% | Walk a bit straighter and talk a bit smoother. |
| Zealotry | Master+0% | Overwhelm others with zealotry. |
| DebateLoophole | Master+33% | Confound others by finding loopholes in their arguments. |
| FourthGestalt | Master+66% | Further develop your gestalts. |
| Impersonate | Gifted+0% | Amaze your friends through your skill of impersonation. |
| Conquest | Gifted+33% | Regale others with stories of great conquests. |
| Gorgeous | Gifted+66% | You look gorgeous, dahling! Absolutely fabulous! |
| Genderbend | Expert+0% | Make a complete change to fool others of your gender. |
| Love | Expert+33% | Love stories that leave eyes wet and a lump in the throat. |
| FifthGestalt | Expert+66% | Further develop your gestalts. |
| Wounded | Virtuoso+0% | Appear more wounded and hurt than is true. |
| Vagabond | Virtuoso+50% | Shuffle along, no one cares, vagabond. |
| Success | Fabled+0% | Warm greedy hearts with success stories. |
| Ventriloquate | Fabled+25% | Throw your voice into objects. |
| Review | Fabled+50% | Be a critic and review the performance of others. |
| SixthGestalt | Fabled+75% | Further develop your gestalts. |
| MaskShout | Mythical+0% | Disguise your shout to sound like another. |
| Diplomat | Mythical+25% | Speak softly to encourage forgiveness. |
| VoiceThrow | Mythical+50% | Spook others by throwing your voice. |
| SeventhGestalt | Mythical+75% | Further develop your gestalts. |
| FeignDeath | Transcendent+0% | Fool everyone around with an amazing death scene. |
Performance
| Syntax |
| PERFORMANCE [ON|OFF] |
To use almost any dramatics skill, you must be in performance mode, a mindset that every thespian must find within him or herself. While in performance mode, there will be a slight drain in mana accompanied by regeneration of ego. The ego regeneration increases as your skill in dramatics increases.
Bully
| Syntax |
| PERFORM BULLY
PERFORM END |
By performing as a bully, you will appear as a cruel tormenter. During weakening ego battles, your attacks will be stronger.
FirstGestalt
| Syntax |
| IKONS
GESTALT |
You are now able to create a gestalt of three Ikons (one character, one prop, and one scene). Your gestalt will passively grant you defense in charity ego battles.
Ikons are powerful magical items and are at the fulcrux of a popular game known as Psychodrama or Ikon Battles. Individual Ikons make fantastic collectibles or gifts for friends, but only when placed in a gestalt does their true nature shine through.
The most common use of an Ikon gestalt, however, is for entertainment. Collect the best Ikons you can lay your hands on, put together your perfectly powerful gestalt, and then challenge another player to a fierce battle and see who arrives victorious. See HELP IKON BATTLES for more information.
Heroics
| Syntax |
| STORYTELL HEROICS <target> |
By telling a story of heroic adventures to denizens with brave personalities, those denizens will perform much stronger in ego battles.
| Additional Notes: |
| Strengthens the denizen against influence, and also slightly improves the experience gained when you influence them. |
Lawyerly
| Syntax |
| ATTITUDE LAWYERLY |
By striking a lawyerly attitude and setting yourself into that mindframe, your pettifogery debate strength will be increased. Also, you will break out of any loopholes during debates. You can only have one attitude at a time.
| Additional Notes: |
| An attitude also serves as a defense, such that the next loophole attack directed at you will strip the defense instead of giving the affliction. |
DebateHurry
| Syntax |
| FASTTALK HURRY TO <target> |
Through fast talk, you can instill an anxiety in another by making them hurry. If successful, it will weaken them during debates if they have a cautious mindset.
| Additional Notes: |
| This affliction can be cured with the Saintly attitude, or prevented by having it up. |
SecondGestalt
You are now able to form a gestalt of four Ikons (two characters, one prop, and one scene). Your gestalt will now also grant you defense in paranoia ego battles.
Sycophant
| Syntax |
| PERFORM SYCOPHANT
PERFORM END |
By performing as a sycophant, you will appear as a fawning toady. During empowering ego battles, your attacks will be stronger.
Drunkard
| Syntax |
| PERFORM DRUNKARD |
By performing a drunk, you will speak with a slurred voice and occasionally fall down. If you are already drunk, you will appear even worse off than you truly are.
Comedy
| Syntax |
| STORYTELL COMEDY <target> |
By telling funny stories to denizens with friendly personalities, those denizens will perform much stronger in ego battles.
| Additional Notes: |
| Strengthens the denizen against influence, and also slightly improves the experience gained when you influence them. |
Bureaucrat
| Syntax |
| PERFORM BUREAUCRAT
PERFORM END |
By performing as a bureaucrat, you will appear as a knowing official. During paranoid ego battles, your attacks will be stronger.
ThirdGestalt
You are now able to form a gestalt of five Ikons (two characters, two props, and one scene). Your gestalt will now also grant you defense in weaken ego battles.
See AB DRAMATICS FIRSTGESTALT.
Saintly
| Syntax |
| ATTITUDE SAINTLY |
By striking a saintly attitude and setting yourself into that mindframe, your pontification debate strength will be increased. Also, you will break out of any anxious need to hurry during debates. You can only have one attitude at a time.
| Additional Notes: |
| An attitude also serves as a defense, such that the next hurry attack directed at you will strip the defense instead of giving the affliction. |
DebateCircuitous
| Syntax |
| FASTTALK CIRCUITOUS TO <target> |
Through fast talk, you can confound a debate opponent with circuitous logic. If successful, it will weaken them during debates if they have an analytical mindset.
| Additional Notes: |
| This affliction can be cured with the Zealotry attitude, or prevented by having it up. |
Sober
| Syntax |
| PERFORM SOBER |
By performing sober, you will appear to be less drunk than you truly are, slurring your voice less and falling down less often. However, this has no effect on your true physical state and does not stop you from dying of alcohol poisoning or any other debilitating effects of alcohol.
Zealotry
| Syntax |
| ATTITUDE ZEALOTRY |
By striking the attitude of a zealot and setting yourself into that mindframe, your passion debate strength will be increased. Also, you will break out of circuitous logic that arises debates. You can only have one attitude at a time.
| Additional Notes: |
| An attitude also serves as a defense, such that the next circuitous attack directed at you will strip the defense instead of giving the affliction. |
DebateLoophole
| Syntax |
| FASTTALK LOOPHOLE TO <target> |
Through fast talk, you can trap a debate opponent in loopholes in the discussion. If successful, it will weaken them during debates if they have a pedantic mindset.
| Additional Notes: |
| This affliction can be cured with the Lawyerly attitude, or prevented by having it up. |
FourthGestalt
You are now able to form a gestalt of six Ikons (two characters, two props, and two scenes). Your gestalt will now also grant you defense in empower ego battles.
See AB DRAMATICS FIRSTGESTALT.
Impersonate
| Syntax |
| IMPERSONATE <target>
IMPERSONATE NOBODY |
This interesting trick allows you to impersonate someone else who is standing in the same room as you. You will sound exactly like that person and most people will be fooled. The latter syntax turns off your impersonation.
Conquest
| Syntax |
| STORYTELL CONQUEST <target> |
By telling stories of conquest to denizens with intimidating personalities, those denizens will perform much stronger in ego battles.
| Additional Notes: |
| Strengthens the denizen against influence, and also slightly improves the experience gained when you influence them. |
Gorgeous
| Syntax |
| PERFORM GORGEOUS
PERFORM END |
By performing as a gorgeous beauty, you will appear as a sexy flirt. During seduction ego battles, your attacks will be stronger.
Genderbend
| Syntax |
| PERFORM GENDERBEND |
| Power: 5 (Any) |
You can act as though you are a member of the opposite sex, fooling even your closest relatives!
Love
| Syntax |
| STORYTELL LOVE <target> |
By telling love stories to denizens with sensual personalities, those denizens will perform much stronger in ego battles.
| Additional Notes: |
| Strengthens the denizen against influence, and also slightly improves the experience gained when you influence them. |
FifthGestalt
You are now able to form a gestalt of seven Ikons (three characters, two props, and two scenes). Your gestalt will now also grant you defense in seduction ego battles.
See AB DRAMATICS FIRSTGESTALT.
Wounded
| Syntax |
| PERFORM WOUNDED |
You can act as though you are much more seriously wounded than you really are.
Vagabond
| Syntax |
| PERFORM VAGABOND
PERFORM END |
By performing as a vagabond, you will appear pathetic and needy. During charity ego battles, your attacks will be stronger.
Success
| Syntax |
| STORYTELL SUCCESS <target> |
By telling stories of success to denizens with avaricious personalities, those denizens will perform with greater strength in ego battles.
| Additional Notes: |
| Strengthens the denizen against influence, and also slightly improves the experience gained when you influence them. |
Ventriloquate
| Syntax |
| VENTRILOQUATE <target> |
You can throw your voice into inanimate or non-sentient objects, much like impersonating. You must be standing in the same room as the target that is being ventriloquated.
Review
| Syntax |
| REVIEW [ON/OFF] |
Become a critic of other dramaticists and use your training to spot any performance. Reviewing is a steep constant drain on mana and willpower.
SixthGestalt
You are now able to form a gestalt of eight Ikons (three characters, three props, and two scenes). Your gestalt will now also grant you defense when influencing villages during a revolt on behalf of your city or commune.
See AB DRAMATICS FIRSTGESTALT.
MaskShout
| Syntax |
| SHOUTHIGH <text>
SHOUTLOW <text> |
You can mask your shout by disguising your voice to sound more powerful or less powerful than it truly is. Even those trained to recognize shouted voice will be fooled, with the exception of dramatists who are in dramatic review mode.
VoiceThrow
| Syntax |
| VOICETHROW <text> |
This is a tricky performance to pull off. First, you must be impersonating or ventriloquating a target. Then, you must leave to an adjacent room. When you voicethrow, your voice will be heard from the room of your target as though it were speaking. Note that if you try to speak normally, you will disrupt the concentration necessary to throw your voice and you will lose your target.
SeventhGestalt
You are now able to form a gestalt of nine Ikons (three characters, three props, and three scenes). Your gestalt will now also grant you defense when parleying with enemies or asking for amnesty.
See AB DRAMATICS FIRSTGESTALT.
FeignDeath
| Syntax |
| PERFORM FEIGNDEATH [NOW] |
| Power: 3 (Any) |
The greatest performance anyone can achieve is that of the death scene. Once you have readied yourself for this performance, the next time you take damage you will appear to die to everyone in the room. Optionally, you can FEIGNDEATH NOW to immediately die. Until you make any action, you will appear dead in the room.