Covenants:

Covenants allow characters to ally with powerful individuals and may receive rewards and
benefits for their service and loyalty. These differ from factions because a character is allied with a
single person. Covenants have different levels representing the trust earned by the player character
from their ally. The benefits/rewards from covenants depend on the individual with whom the player
character is associated and the level of the covenant. Some rewards may be immediate, while it may be
a very long time before receiving a promised reward from certain individuals. Some covenants may not
reward anyone for anything, but would instead allow them access to a title through which they may
gain renown faster. Covenants are more like business proposals or deals in which the character does
something for the individual and is rewarded, but they are also then expected to take on greater tasks
and responsibilities, earning better rewards for their service. Relationships may form from covenants
(friendships, romance, etc.), but this is rare, since the covenant is a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Covenants rank up when a character accrues Covenant Points by completing tasks assigned to
them by their ally. The number of points a task is worth is up to the DM to decide, as well as the
reward. The rewards listed below are examples of quantities of rewards and types of rewards, but
rewards for a rank are not limited to what is listed. Physical transformations may be present from the
beginning or a character may receive a very powerful item but will be indebted to their beneficiary and
must work off the value of the item by gaining covenant points. Covenants require commitment, but
not so much as a faction does.
Rank
Required Points
Reward Example
1
1000
A small amount of money OR a simple magical item
2
2000
A title OR a larger amount of money OR a magical item
3
3000
A title and a large sum of money OR a number of magical items
4
4000
A title and large sum of money and magical items OR a magical ability
A title, large sum of money, magical items, magical abilities, physical
5
5000
transformations, etc.
6 and up 6000 and up
Whatever the DM deems appropriate per rank
May summon/be summoned to work alongside beneficiary OR access
10
10000
to legendary magical items OR complete transformation

Factions:
Factions are groups characters may join to gain access to specific feats, greater income levels, and
may change how individuals interact with them. These differ from covenants because a character is
allied with a group of people. Factions don't usually have different levels unless one makes a career out
of being an active part of the faction and progressing up through the ranks to their desired position.
Faction rewards are usually smaller than covenant rewards because a faction involves greater numbers
of people participating in them. Factions, however, almost always reward their followers, if they can
spare it. Factions grant player characters access to titles, feats, and a network of peers and colleagues
from whom a character may gain/demand support, depending on their level within the faction. Factions
allow a character to become part of a group, almost requiring them to form relationships (friendships,
romance, etc.), though some types of relationships may prove detrimental to a character's progress
within the faction.
Unlike covenants, factions do not require points to rank up because factions don't have the same
ranking system. Factions require much more commitment than a covenant.
Faction
Description
Reward Example
Military (single
Any single branch of any military in any
Free basic Soldier Feats & free
branch)
realm/area/race
bonus Feats depending on branch
Free elemental weapon of choice
Edgeguard
Jade Realm equivalent of the FBI
& free basic respective Feat
Free money in the form of grants
A coalition of adventurers and explorers
Explorer's Society
intended to fund scientific
of Earth Realm
discoveries
Police Department or equivalent in any
Free basic firearm & Police
Law-enforcement
realm, jurisdiction limited to single area
training Feats
Criminal
Any single group of criminals (gangs,
Vast amounts of money earned by
Underground
villain team-ups, political or commercial
committing crimes
(single syndicate)
organizations, etc.)
Any single religion that is not
Free buffs/Feats depending on
Religion
monotheistic
personal deity
Good
Self-identifying as Lawful Good
Minor de/buffs from good Karma
Evil
Self-identifying as Lawful Evil
Minor de/buffs from bad Karma

Research & Development:

Research & Development is the process through which a character may research, develop, and
experiment with technologies/magics/etc. they may wish to create. Small space-faring fighter craft and
time travel devices/spells aren't readily available for commercial production circa 1993, so a character
will need to R&D their own tech/magic until it becomes a viable option to suit their needs or designs.
Some research in real life outside of the game is somewhat necessary, however. A player cannot have a
character simply state that they are building a device replicate food without a kitchen. That is the idea,
but a player/character needs to know how it would work. Perhaps food is rehydrated like the pizza in
Back to The Future II, or maybe it is assembled inside a machine from the basic elements that would
make up food types, such as replicators from Star Trek. Spells must also be researched in this way,
though less scientific. As can be read in The Books of Magic, a mage must know the basics of how an
element works in order to cast spells based on that element. This is true for other spell-circles, as well.
A time travel spell cannot simply move someone through time. How does it move them through time?
Does it shift them into a time-less bubble that can move through time? Does it throw a character into
Chronospace and they navigate their own way to the desired time?
Depending on the project, R&D could require computers, money, access to a stable supply of
ether/mana, and many other things necessary for the process. Certain projects are also limited to certain
realms. Technology is banned on Jade Realm and Earth Realm doesn't have enough ether/mana to
support research into magic techniques. The process itself has many steps and ultimately it is up to the
DM how difficult/expensive/etc. it should be to get the technology they want to use. The process starts
in the Research phase (1), then proceeds through the Experimental phase (2), Development phase (3),
Production phase (4), and actually leads back into the Research phase (5+) as technologies are updated
or advanced though further R&D. A firearm could be converted into a Ray Gun through the R&D
process, but after the Production phase, when they have a working Ray Gun, it could go back through
R&D and become a better version or a different version. Successive rounds of R&D become
exponentially more expensive. It is up to the player to track the progress of their projects and they can
even work on multiple projects at once, as long as they can afford it.
Below is a table to give a general idea or example about how a DM may choose to set the phases
for a specific invention. The table will use the aforementioned Ray Gun example. A project is
considered complete upon reaching phase 4. Further modification of a project sets the project back at
phase 1, but does not actually reset the project to phase 1, and instead pushes it to phase 5 and beyond,
signaling that the project is advancing, but is now back in the Research phase. New projects that may
be related to a completed project, such as a new type of ammunition for a projectile weapon, are not
part of the original project, the weapon itself, and must start at phase 1.
Phase
Costs/Requirements
Description
What are Rays and how can a
1
Hundreds of dollars/Computers, books, peers, etc.
device shoot them?
Thousands of dollars/Access to a laboratory,
This device shoots Rays in
2
computers, & material/machines to craft the device
theory.
from
Tens of thousands of dollars/More specialized tools The device can shoot Rays, but it
3
for creating smaller components & computers
is too large to be practical.
Tens of thousands to millions of dollars/A way to
The hand-held device can fire
4
produce a final result
Rays.
Could the Rays be more powerful
5
Thousands of dollars/Computers, books, peers, etc.
or of a different type?
6 and up
Etc.
Etc.