Summer's about to leave us behind, but we're still getting our update out! This is a small update, but we're still seeing how the August updates are fitting in.

Development

• The Advancement page has been reformatted, with a table of contents with quick links coming soon. We're still looking for a better solution, but for now it should be easy to ctrl+f your way to the relevant spots.
  
• Shifter page has been reformatted a smidge, with some points clarified. We found contradictory statements about shifting limits in two spots in the document, so to clarify, a shifter can shapechange up to their halved Cinder pool, rounded down, before triggering the Feral state. Read more about Attunement and Feral here
  
• Undying greedily had access to two versions of Null. Now they just have the one.

Upcoming

• The Master-Legendary Keywords are in the process of being updated. The main categories of Space, Time, and Reality will be broken into three keywords each. More to come.
  
• Advancement Prompts for Apprentice and up.
  
• Further details about the Spellbook ability for Arcanists and the components needed will be codified.
  

Spreading the word
Help us get Three on a Match out there by voting at RPG Fix! Or spend a moment to write a review for us on RPG Initiative! We also welcome members dropping our ad on any other forums with an advertising section. Our ad can be found here.

Site Mini-Events

Train Station of the Dead
Check out the Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat City Mystery Event. Phase II should be oncoming soon.

Caught Red-Handed
Check out the Ritual Murders City Mystery! Read about the progress so far and what it's all about at the link!

Hotspots

UMass Library & McCoy Orchards
Begin a thread in a hotspot and submit a mod request for a special encounter.

City Mysteries

Our City Mysteries meters are in our footer, under the board statistics. No Fly Zone is close to triggering!

A new month and a new update! There's an important change to catch in this update, so read carefully and make sure to note the changes.

A reminder as well to everyone, make sure to archive your threads when they are finished. This is done by selecting the Moderation Options drop down and selecting Archive Thread. If a thread is abandoned, you can select Discontinue Thread.

Development

• Assistance has had a major change. It no longer modifies Threshold. It now adds 1d6 to the rolling character’s dice pool. If the assisting player chooses, they may roll and add 2d6 with an exceptional success. Read the new rules here.
  
• Enchanted items with the "Assistance" mechanic will follow the new rules.
  
• Familiar abilities have been rephrased, they still modify the Threshold once per thread, they do not offer Assistance.
  
• Mundane humans have a temporary 4d6 Cinder pool only for ritual Assistance rolls. This is meant to demonstrate that mundane humans are able potentially to read runes or pick out errors, without being dedicated ritualists themselves.
  
• Shifter Synergy’s Threshold modifier has been reduced to 1.
  
• Rules around Mundane Humans and rituals clarified: they have a threshold of 5, but can use the Circlebreaker Cinder pool.
  
• An elaboration on Familiars and their interplay with other magic has been added.
  
• More detail has been added on the interaction of technology and magic, to clarify the original infobit.
  
• Iron Will has been updated. It now offers 5d6 in bonus versus mind affecting magic for Mundane Humans.
  
• In aesthetic updates, the coding in the profiles has been updated and more aesthetic images added. Feel free to edit in pics at the bottom of the editing panel!
  
• Added more custom codes for use in dice tracking, check it out on the code page!
  
• A connections section in the profile has been added, feel free to use this code to add your own connections.

Upcoming

• The rank table for advancement is in the process of being updated as well. Be patient as we work over the code!
  
• The Master-Legendary Keywords are in the process of being updated. The main categories of Space, Time, and Reality will be broken into three keywords each. More to come.
  
• Advancement Prompts for Apprentice and up.
  
• Further details about the Spellbook ability for Arcanists and the components needed will be codified.
  

Spreading the word
Help us get Three on a Match out there by voting at RPG Fix! Or spend a moment to write a review for us on RPG Initiative! We also welcome members dropping our ad on any other forums with an advertising section. Our ad can be found here.

Site Mini-Events

Train Station of the Dead
Check out the Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat City Mystery Event. Read all about it at the link. There's still a couple of threads someone can nab!

Caught Red-Handed
Check out the Ritual Murders City Mystery! Read about the progress so far and what it's all about at the link!

Hotspots

UMass Library & McCoy Orchards
Begin a thread in a hotspot and submit a mod request for a special encounter.

City Mysteries

Our City Mysteries meters are in our footer, under the board statistics. No Fly Zone is close to triggering!

July's here and so's another update! Notable updates is a moderately large change for Spirits, but this shouldn't impact our existing Spirit path characters until they rank-up, an important note for Exchange characters, and a total change to the Reputation system.

A reminder as well to everyone, make sure to archive your threads when they are finished. This is done by selecting the Moderation Options drop down and selecting Archive Thread. If a thread is abandoned, you can select Discontinue Thread.

Development

• Spirits now only have their native Path Keywords, with no access to the general Magic Keywords.
  
• The Spellbook quick-cast power for Arcanists only functions for non-enchantment spells, so it cannot make items.
  
• A flavour update to the Exchange: all agents, on joining, have signed a contract that marks them with black hands if they break it. More details on the Exchange guidebook page.
  
• Reputation system has been overhauled. Point gaining is now linked to events and there is a single rank ladder, not two. At 31 points, players can choose their character's vanity title.
  
• We’ve refurbished the map Guidebook page. It is now larger on the page and the location names are replaced with icons you can hover over for further information.
  
• A quick reference cheat-sheet for advancement threads has been added to the Advancement page.
  
• Hotspots will now remain static until visited by PCs.
  

Upcoming

• The rank table for advancement is in the process of being updated as well. Be patient as we work over the code!
  
• The Master-Legendary Keywords are in the process of being updated. The main categories of Space, Time, and Reality will be broken into three keywords each. More to come.
  
• Advancement Prompts for Apprentice and up.
  
• Further details about the Spellbook ability for Arcanists and the components needed will be codified.
  

Spreading the word
Help us get Three on a Match out there by voting at RPG Fix! Or spend a moment to write a review for us on RPG Initiative! We also welcome members dropping our ad on any other forums with an advertising section. Our ad can be found here.

Site Mini-Events

Train Station of the Dead
Check out the Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat City Mystery Event. Read all about it at the link. There's still a couple of threads someone can nab!

Caught Red-Handed
Check out the Ritual Murders City Mystery! Read about the progress so far and what it's all about at the link!

July Hotspots

UMass Library & McCoy Orchards
Begin a thread in a hotspot and submit a mod request for a special encounter.

City Mysteries

Our City Mysteries meters are in our footer, under the board statistics. No Fly Zone is close to triggering!

Chapter I: Curious Circles

The Lighthouse March 2022, Volume 1 Issue 4
The Lighthouse May 2022, Volume 1 Issue 5

Introduction

Chapter II: Caught Red-Handed

It's been a long year since The Lighthouse reported on the remnants of ritual circles being found in dark alleys and hidden crannies of the streets of Easthaven. The intrepid agents of the Exchange have puzzled some of it together, concluding that they have a murdering cult on their hands; not one individual but several acting on a common goal. The patterns show the cult have been gathering the life force of their victims, all of which were half-bloods.

Until now, people have only stumbled over the remnants of the crime, a body long dead and scuffed out circles. Over the months, Exchange presence and surveillance in the hidden nooks and crannies of the city has intensified, both by mundane and magical means. No creeping cultists will be left unharassed should they target anyone, as the community have begun calling in reports of unknown faces or strangers approaching them.

Their goals appear to remain unfulfilled, as activity persists even if further murders have been prevented for a few months now. The community has been warned to be careful wandering after dark and alone, and Exchange agents are on task to prevent further murders and attempt to catch a cultist. Lethal force is permitted should the cultists become hostile.

Curious Circles | Completed

• Old Town These violent delights have violent ends (Theo & Don)
  
• Lower Fens This town is only gonna eat you (Theo & Khoury)
  
• Newton The moon rolls through the sky (Brooke, Dune, & Don)
  
• Upper Fens Let not winter's ragged hand deface (Theo & Briar)
  
• Greater Easthaven We are the storm and the wicked inside (Dune & Gaius)
  

Caught Red-Handed

• To participate in Chapter II, you must have participated in Chapter I or join a character who has participated in Chapter I.
  

???

• To participate in Chapter III, you must have participated in Chapter II.
  

How-To & Rules

• Begin a thread in one of the five neighbourhoods in Easthaven. If you post an open, note it is for the "Ritual Murders" event.
  
• There are limited threads, so a player should stick to one or two characters for this event.
  
• For Chapter II, there is a limit of 2-3 characters per thread.
  
• When you feel like it's time for the encounter to drop, submit a Monster Encounter Request and tag @Admin in the #mod-request channel on the Discord. Be sure to note that it is for the "Ritual Murders" event.
  
• Once you have the encounter, you may solve it with combat, socially, or by escaping.
  

June's here and summer is just around the corner! Only a couple of edits this month and some upcoming changes to the Guidebook. As always, check out the city mystery events and spread the word!

Development

• Channel ability for Half-Bloods has been slightly modified in how it manifests in flavour.
  
• Advancement requirements for Aberrant (Novice) to Herald (Apprentice) modified.

Upcoming

• Planned reorganising of the Advancement page in the Guidebook for general QOL improvement.
  
• The Reputation system is seeing an upcoming overhaul, but this will take a while to arrive.

Spreading the word
Help us get Three on a Match out there by voting at RPG Fix! Or spend a moment to write a review for us on RPG Initiative! We also welcome members dropping our ad on any other forums with an advertising section. Our ad can be found here.

Site Mini-Events

Train Station of the Dead
Check out the Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat City Mystery Event. Read all about it at the link. There's still a couple of threads someone can nab!

The Ritual Murders
The Exchange and the EPD have been pursuing a string of murders for the past few months where the culprits are still unknown. So far, only Exchange Agents have investigated the ritual murders. They know the rituals are necromantic, the victims appear to be primarily half-bloods, and a strange seal broken into fragments has been found at all locations. Clues found on site appears to imply that either the victims or the culprits spend some time at Baxendale College. Only one thread needs to conclude before phase 2 triggers! Keep an eye out!

June Hotspots

Eden Cemetery & Easthaven Lighthouse

City Mysteries

Our City Mysteries meters are in our footer, under the board statistics. No Fly Zone is close to triggering!

Very few changes to the system in May, only a clarification for the Cursed and anyone unfortunate enough to be in their vicinity. Our ongoing Event Ides of March is still active, but will end on the last day of May. And, as always, there's some City Mysteries to be discovered!

Development

• In the event of the Sorrows impacting other players through abilities such as Reflection or anything similar, any mechanical penalty is limited to a single post.
  
• Some guidelines and advice on developing Sorrows for Cursed have been added to the Sorrows section.
  

Spreading the word
Help us get Three on a Match out there by voting at RPG Fix! Or spend a moment to write a review for us on RPG Initiative! We also welcome members dropping our ad on any other forums with an advertising section. Our ad can be found here.

Site Mini-Events

Train Station of the Dead
Check out the Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat City Mystery Event. Read all about it at the link. There's still a thread someone can nab!

The Ritual Murders
The Exchange and the EPD have been pursuing a string of murders for the past few months where the culprits are still unknown. So far, only Exchange Agents have investigated the ritual murders. They know the rituals are necromantic, the victims appear to be primarily half-bloods, and a strange seal broken into fragments has been found at all locations. Clues found on site appears to imply that either the victims or the culprits spend some time at Baxendale College. All threads are taken and underway. Once these are complete, the next stage triggers. Keep an eye on this space!

May Hotspots

McCoy Apple Orchard & Pebbleway Cove

City Mysteries

Our City Mysteries meters are in our footer, under the board statistics. No Fly Zone is close to triggering!

Not a lot of changes this month, but there's still a few! Read below for the details. We also have multiple events running, one large site event and two city mystery events. Read all about the Ides of March event here, and read up on the city mysteries events at the bottom of this post!

Spreading the word
Help us get Three on a Match out there by voting at RPG Fix! Or spend a moment to write a review for us on RPG Initiative!

Development

• The keyword "Pandora" has been changed to "Disorder" for clarity.
  
• The old effect where Spirits are more affected by magic has returned. Cinder Magic use targets a Spirit’s Manifested DC even when unmanifested.
  
• The constraints of healing magic have been codified. Be sure to read and refresh yourself here.
  

Site Mini-Event

The Ritual Murders
The Exchange and the EPD have been pursuing a string of murders for the past few months where the culprits have disappeared before anyone, or anything could catch a glimpse. Very few clues have been found.

So far, only Exchange Agents have investigated the ritual murders. They know the rituals are necromantic, one victim was a half-blood, and a strange seal broken into fragments has been found at two locations. All threads are taken and underway. Once these are complete, the following stage triggers.

Train Station of the Dead
Check out the Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat City Mystery Event. Read all about it at the link!

April Hotspots

Ashford Hotel & Samadhi Gym

City Mysteries

Our City Mysteries meters are in our footer, under the board statistics. No Fly Zone is close to triggering!

2023 rolls on, and we've hit March! Just a small update this month, with a few changes to look forward to on the Advancement ranks.

We've also finished the Feb flash event on the arctic blast, so no more special encounters can be requested. Don't worry if you missed out; there'll be another event come mid-March, so keep an eye out for the announcement!

The planned server migration in February has been pushed back to March as well, so keep an eye on any announcements in the Discord for planned downtime soon.

Development

• The Cursed, Possessed, Undying, and Spirits have gained an additional Cantrip at Apprentice rank.
  
• Shifters have gained another Aspect at Apprentice rank.
  
• The Half-blood ability “Embody” has been further defined as an additional Cantrip and Maker’s Mark.
  

Upcoming

• Host Migration - We plan to move hosts during March, so expect a bit of downtime. We will keep you updated as we get closer to that time.
  
• The Master-Legendary Keywords are changing. The main categories of Space, Time, and Reality will be broken into three keywords each. More to come.
  
• Advancement Prompts for Apprentice and up.
  

Site Mini-Event

The Ritual Murders
The Exchange and the EPD have been pursuing a string of murders for the past few months where the culprits have disappeared before anyone, or anything could catch a glimpse. Very few clues have been found.

So far, only Exchange Agents have investigated the ritual murders. They know the rituals are necromantic, one victim was a half-blood, and a strange seal broken into fragments has been found at two locations. All threads are taken and underway. Once these are complete, the following stage triggers.

The Train Station of the Dead
Check out the Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat City Mystery Event. Read all about it at the link!

March Hotspots

Wicked Shipping Co. & Forum Industrial Park

City Mysteries

Our City Mysteries meters are in our footer, under the board statistics. No Fly Zone is close to triggering!

We made it through cold, icy January, and now we're in rainy and still cold February! A few things are happening this month. The Sheol event, Train Station of the Dead, has kicked off, and all of the ritual murder first-phase threads are underway or complete, so we're getting somewhere!

The planned host migration is coming at the end of February, hopefully improving our server stability. Anticipate some downtime in connection to this, but we'll give a warning beforehand in the Discord server before it starts.

As always, the updates relating to mechanics only kick in in the month they're announced, so older threads can choose to carry on using the old mechanics.

Development

• Familiars can now cast their associated Arcanist's Charms, although the instances where the familiar uses the Charm do not count towards Advancement.
  
• A "Lore Addition" thread has been added to keep track of and ensure internal consistency of the different groups and orgs. on-site.
  
• Afflicted Shifter DCs have been adjusted. Their DC is 4 in human form and 5 when entirely shifted.
  
• The amount of times a shifter can shift before turning feral has been adjusted. They now can shift up to half the number of dice in their Cinder pool, rounded down, before they become feral. They can be feral in both shifted and human forms.
  
• Added Reputation section on the Monster Encounter Request
  

Upcoming

• Host Migration - We plan to move hosts at the end of February, so expect a bit of downtime. We will keep you updated as we get closer to that time.
  
• The Master-Legendary Keywords are changing. The main categories of Space, Time, and Reality will be broken into three keywords each. More to come.
  
• Advancement Prompts for Apprentice and up.
  

Site Mini-Event

The Ritual Murders
The Exchange and the EPD have been pursuing a string of murders for the past few months where the culprits have disappeared before anyone, or anything could catch a glimpse. Very few clues have been found.

So far, only Exchange Agents have investigated the ritual murders. They know the rituals are necromantic, one victim was a half-blood, and a strange seal broken into fragments has been found at two locations. All threads are taken and underway. Once these are complete, the following stage triggers.

The Train Station of the Dead
Check out our recent kick-off of the triggered Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat City Mystery. Read all about it at the link!

February Hotspots

Barton Art Gallery & Easthaven Brewery

City Mysteries

Our City Mysteries meters are in our footer, under the board statistics. No Fly Zone is close to triggering!

Introduction

Chapter I: Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat

The Upper Fens train station has always been somewhat strange. Practically everyone has a first, second, or third-hand story about it:

"My grandma was at the platform alone-"

"My brother was coming back from a night out, and he saw-"

"-she heard-"

"-they all swear they spotted-"

"Ghosts."

Little glimpses of shades, cold spots, odd sounds, unearthly smells... Train lights for trains that never arrive. People standing on opposite platforms, shrouded in shadows.

There are a few fun urban legends: keeping a little packet of salt in your pocket before heading down to the platform ensures your train arrives on time. The deli at the Fens Field station entrance hates this one. Unfortunately, people keep stealing their little salt packets, so they keep it all behind the counter and have a sign out front that says 'no salt'. Newcomers assume it means to behave. Old townies know they can't get their SIS there.

But all of it can be dismissed as superstition. Right? Odd stories, something spooky to tuck the kids in with at night on Halloween.

Unfortunately, nobody knows everything, not even the people in the know. The most they know is that the subway lines seem to have been built along leylines, either by coincidence or design. One could find this in the libraries of Baxendale and the APL, sorting through old city maps. They know that there are rumours of long-abandoned subway tunnels in the Upper Fens that go somewhere subterranean. They know that sometimes the ghosts aren't just a trick of the eye.

The only truth is that something extra odd is going on in the subway, and it seems to have spread along all the lines. That people are now claiming to have spoken to ghosts. That there are creatures lurking in the far back tunnels. There have been hallucinations of ghostly waters flowing along the tracks, and the sound of a distant bell, tolling the dead.

The Exchange and perhaps some other organizations are on the case, keeping the very strangest things contained or studying the phenomenon, but things always get through the cracks.

Ethereal sightings and encounters abound. Who will venture into the subways to find out the truth?

Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat

• Upper Fens | In the light of an oncoming train | Theo & Asphodel | Complete
  
• Old Town | End of Line | Malik & Mina | Complete
  
• Newton | Ticket to Nowhere | Sunako & Yuto
  
• Lower Fens | Put me on a Train | Evan & Wil | Complete
  
• Newton | Midnight Train Going Anywhere | Markus, Max, & Goki | Complete
  

???

• To participate in Chapter II, you must have participated in Chapter I or join a character who has participated in Chapter I.
  

???

• To participate in Chapter III, you must have participated in Chapter II.
  

How-To & Rules

• Begin a thread in one of the five subway locations in Easthaven. If you post an open, note it is for the "Train Station of the Dead" event.
  
• There are limited threads, so a player should stick to one to two characters for this event.
  
• For Chapter I, there is a limit of 2-3 characters per thread.
  
• When you feel like it's time for the encounter to drop, submit a Monster Encounter Request and tag @Admin in the #mod-request channel on the Discord. Be sure to note that it is for the "Train Station of the Dead" event.
  
• Once you have the encounter, you may solve it with combat, socially, or by escaping.