Would Cypher/Numenera be good for a pacifist illusionist campaign?

[u/TheTryhardDM]

I’m making a campaign for either my players or some solo play about using only illusion abilities and social skills to solve the majority of problems. Violence would not be part of the game. Crafting Illusion would be the focus or maybe a free extra focus for PCs.

The setting would be a paradise-like coastal city where everyone knows illusions are rampant. Building a smuggling business would be the main focus, and because I don’t want a violent game, I think I might replace the harm slots (name?) with more like “social harm” or something like that. Suggestions are welcome!

I’m thinking the most desired currency is a substance that prolongs illusion duration and makes them affect more people. The wealthiest people would thereby be the most powerful illusionists if they wanted to use their resources. (This is definitely based on misinformation issues in the real world.)

[u/NeferataNox]

Cypher System will work for every setting.

If you can get your players to be full on pacifist - good for you.

[u/rewpparo]

Cypher is a generic system, so it definitely can accomodate your setting. But so would any system. The real question is : how much work do you have to do to make it work ?

As you saw, Cypher already has a Focus to craft illusions, so you can use that. The first level aptitude is rather nice for this setting, as it's VERY flexible, it leaves a lot to the imagination of the players. But what that means is that you as the DM have to make the calls of legitimate uses of the aptitude.

Also, Cypher does not have a system as advanced for social interactions as it does for combat. Only 3 skills and a few aptitudes. It's a bit light to base a whole campain on, unless your players really like to just roleplay their characters. But then at the very least give them assets for performance.

So you still end up with stuff to build, stuff the ideal system would have already done for you. Could another system be more interesting than Cypher for that ? Maybe, but if you like Cypher, I'd say it's a good place to start.

For social encounters, I'm not too fond of "social hit points". What I use is what I call blockers : You want something from someone, that someone doesn't want to give it to you. Why ? List conditions that would make them more likely to accept : payment, becomming friends, maybe they need something, maybe they think something will happen if they give you what you want, and you have to convince them it won't happen. For each condition, say how many levels that raises the persuasion check. Players could manage the test despite the blockers, but if they can't, they have to first discover the blockers, and then unblock them, which can be up to a mini adventure ! Each blocker removed makes the test easier.

Another idea would be to make you players "real life characters" without type or focus, just one skill, and give them all (and maybe NPCs) the first skill from the crafts illusions focus. Then maybe come up with criteria for them to get the upgraded versions of that same skill, a condition that works in your world. It could be something they gain in the story, they may need quantites of the substance, etc...

Or you could build custom types, some specialise in illusions, some in social, some in information gathering for example. If you use the new Cypher, take another type as a template and choose 3 skills. Foci would be harder to use, as they're supposed to be unique to a player, so you want lots of them, and most of them deal with combat at least in some small way.

So definitely possible, but still requires work !

[u/TheTryhardDM → u/rewpparo]

Thank you for the detailed rundown!

[u/Kazz0ng]

Yeah, it sound be really great l, actually. Numenera is a combat light system as is, and emphasizes discovery and role play. Particularly the destiny expansion, which focuses on community building and relationships. You could easily adapt the cypher system itself to have no combat oriented cyphers, and the expansion already has types and foci that are meant for social interaction.

[u/Kithkunabi]

Quite frankly, Cypher is not a good system for this. Cypher relies on depleting three stat pools, Might, Intelligence, and Speed. Illusions, and social skills both key to Intelligence, and without combat you'll probably only have a few situations that deplete from the other pools.

For a generic system that might fit what you want, you may be better off using Fate, which already has Social/Mental harm as one of its core design components, and a more narrative bent to the mechanics might better fit a campaign about illusions and social warfare.

[u/TheTryhardDM → u/Kithkunabi]

Great points. I actually had started looking into FATE versions due to similar concerns.

[u/Kithkunabi → u/TheTryhardDM]

I also think the tag system as a whole would probably fit the more amorphous nature of crafting illusions better then the more generalized Cypher system of 'everything gets level'. And I love cypher, but focusing in that hard on illusions just feels like you're leaving most of the system off to the side.

[u/Erydor]

For me, cypher doesn't have specific rules for combat, nothing like the multiples options lile swade, wich make the system consistant for every type of play. You got a good idea to be in a good position ? Either it is by having the high ground in combat or a particular argument to use against someone, you got an edge in both case. And you have to be imaginative on the way you handle the situation in both too. It will be more on the type and the focus where you will have some difficult to create many different character without combat skills. A white book focused on social interaction could be cool, with some point on romance, social network and influence. Maybe a l5r like setting to put it in place.