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Harmonic Traditions

AX.GIL.08.01 - Harmonic Traditions: Powers

Overview

In the Iron Lattice setting, magic did not disappear; it stabilized. What the ancient world called "spellcasting" is now understood as applied physics: the deliberate manipulation of harmonic frequencies that underlie all matter, information, and probability. Practitioners call these frequencies The Axioms and the act of working with them Harmonics.

Harmonics replaced the broad-spectrum magical traditions of older settings. In the Iron Lattice, there is no generic "Arcane" or "Divine" power. Each lineage evolved a distinct and coherent relationship with the Axioms over millennia, shaped by biology, culture, and necessity. The result is five Harmonic Traditions, four full Traditions and one Modifier, each mechanically distinct, each governing a different domain of reality.

This module defines those Traditions as AxiomRPG Odd Talents, using the existing dice pool framework with one Setting Rule addition: the Friction Rule, which governs the cost of sustained Harmonic activity.

System Integration

Harmonic Traditions as Odd Talents

Each Harmonic Tradition functions as an Odd Talent per AX.C.04. The rules governing Odd Talents apply in full:

  • A Harmonic Tradition is not bound to a specific Attribute. Each Tradition has a Default Attribute reflecting its most common expression, but a player may choose any Attribute at character creation to govern their Tradition, representing an unusual method of power expression.
  • The roll is: Governing Attribute + Harmonic Tradition (+ Focus if applicable) vs Threshold.
  • Tradition dice are purchased at character generation from the player's Talent budget (see AX.C.06) or acquired through Advancement (AX.C.13) at the cost of parent Attribute × 2 XP for a new Tradition, or current value × 2 XP for improvement.
  • Maximum Tradition rating: 5D. Maximum Focus rating: 3D.
  • A character may hold only one Harmonic Tradition unless a specific Profession Progression Track grants additional access.

Power Access

A character gains access to a Harmonic Tradition through one of two paths:

Profession Access (AX.C.08): When a Profession lists a Harmonic Tradition as its Power Access, the character receives the Tradition at 1D at no Talent cost. Subsequent improvement costs apply normally.

Independent Study: A character without Profession Access may purchase a Harmonic Tradition as a new Talent during Advancement. This requires a mentor with at least 3D in the relevant Tradition and one week of Deliberate Training (see AX.C.13 Downtime). Cost: governing Attribute value × 2 XP.

Lineage and Tradition: Lineage does not restrict Tradition access, but it does define social context. A Human who studies Tectonic Harmonics under a Dwarven Song-Smith is mechanically functional but culturally anomalous; they will face different social responses than a Dwarf practitioner. The Kinetic Modifier (see below) applies to all Traditions a Human uses, regardless of which they learned.

The Axiom Pool

All Harmonic Tradition rolls use the standard AxiomRPG dice pool:

Governing Attribute + Tradition (+ Focus if applicable)

Successes are counted normally: each die showing 5 or 6 counts as one success. The Wild Die follows standard rules (6 = Explosion: reroll and add to successes; 1 = Implosion: remove one success from total).

Thresholds follow the standard scale with Harmonic-specific interpretations:

Threshold Scale of Effect
Easy (1) Minor effect; instantaneous or brief duration; self or Touch range; fully reversible
Standard (2) Moderate effect; scene duration; single target within Near range; recoverable
Difficult (3) Significant effect; extended duration; small area or multiple targets; requires Short Rest to reverse
Hard (4) Major effect; lasts until Long Rest; large area or persistent alteration; requires counter-Harmonic to reverse
Epic (5+) Dramatic or permanent effect; wide area; fundamentally alters a subject or environment

Excess successes above the Threshold may be allocated by the character to one of the following: extend duration by one step, increase range by one Band, increase affected targets by one, or enhance a secondary effect as described under the specific Tradition.

CROSS-REFERENCES AND DESIGN NOTES

Dependencies

  • AX.C.02: Wild Die Explosion/Implosion rules apply to all Tradition rolls; Critical Failure chain rules apply to Backlash triggers
  • AX.C.06: Tradition dice purchased from Talent budget at generation; Attribute governs Tradition per AX.C.03
  • AX.C.08: Power Access (Tradition at 1D free) is a Profession benefit; Progression Tracks may unlock cross-Tradition access
  • AX.C.04: Traditions are Odd Talents; Focus rules (max 3D, stacks with Tradition) apply in full; Attribute flexibility per Odd Talent design
  • AX.C.09.03: Technomancy Disciplines are extensions of existing AX.C.09.03 framework; reference that module for base Technomancy rules
  • AX.C.11: Range Bands (Touch/Close/Near/Far/Distant/Remote) used throughout; Reactions and Action types per combat rules
  • AX.C.12: Backlash damage is Health damage subject to normal damage and healing rules; Conditions applied by Backlash follow AX.C.12 Condition severity rules
  • AX.C.13: Tradition advancement (current value × 2 XP); new Tradition acquisition (governing Attribute value × 2 XP + mentor requirement + Deliberate Training)

Open Questions (for Genre Catalog development)

  • Probability Engine encounters, how does the HIA's large-scale Signal-Read infrastructure interact with a Marginal Harmonics practitioner in the field? Is there mechanical interference? Does a Probability Engine "notice" a field operative running Marginal Prediction nearby?
  • Multi-Tradition characters, Within the IL setting, only one Tradition can be practiced by an individual due to the Harmonic Dissonance trying to cross Traditions would cause.