Aura and Destiny

Audeo has a card system called Aura that is resolved by a set of rules called Destiny.

Aura Overview

Aura is a celestial energy that surrounds each person in the world(s) of Audeo. It should be noted that the term celestial used in this game has little to do with the concepts of heaven or spirits. It literally is taken here to mean the hidden force that drives all, and is considered by most to be the glory of the sun exclusively.

The Aura around adventurers is defined as a set of one to five cards. Each must have one to five at all times, or they are enter one of two special conditions:

Vision: When something would cause you to discard the last Aura card for your adventurer, they have a vision. In the end they will get one to three new Aura cards to put them back in the 1-5 zone. However for a moment, they are out of it and struck by a vision.

Destiny: When something would cause you to draw a sixth Aura card for your Adventurer, they will meet destiny. In the end they will get one new Aura card to put them back in the 1-5 zone. However they have a pending moment of destiny awaiting them the next time they risk.

Both of these moments have meaning for the story of your adventurer, though you are free to interpret them as you wish for them. The exact details of the vision or moment of destiny will come from the GM based on the values of your current aura cards (or a random set in the case of vision). These two events stop play for a second and get resolved before you continue on.

Destiny is far more common than vision. This is because most mechanics cause you to draw Aura, and few take them away.

Aura Technical Details

Each aura card has not only a type (Protean ◈, Shadow ◆, and Brilliance ◇), but a number value (3, 4, 5) and a suit (♣, ♠, ♥, ♦). This means there is a set of 3 types X 3 values X 4 suits = 36 cards. You will need two of these for three players, and three of them for four or more players.

You can construct a deck of these cards using plastic protective sleeves, this print out: (coming soon), and three decks of normal playing cards trimmed to contain only 3, 4, and 5 from each suit. You could also just print out these makeshift cards: (coming soon) and that will prevent you from needing to secure six decks of cards to play.

The suit of the card is the theme. Each suit has implications about the events resolved by destiny or vision, and a given suit dominates any one event. Here is what each suit means in the game.

Clubs ♣: This is the domain of might and the feelings of confidence, tenacity, and idea of daring. Clubs share a bond with the two force abilities of the adventurer: Drive and Push.

Spades ♠: This is the domain of savvy and the feelings of serenity, composure, and the idea of dignity. Spades are tied to the three abilities of the adventurer: Hurry, Sharp, and Trick.

Hearts ♥: This is the domain of health and the feelings of charity, empathy, and the idea of humanity. Hearts connect loosely with the Merits and Story of the adventurer.

Diamonds ♦: This is the domain of wealth and the feelings of desire, aspirations, and the idea of passion. Diamonds roughly connect with the Faults and Means of the adventurer.

Destiny Overview

Destiny are moments where something important befalls the adventurer. Its not that they can't have other important moments, its that these are random events that showcase who the adventurer is and what they may yet become. The narrator will craft the event based on the aura cards and how they add up. In the end the adventurer will face a choice. Its up to you then, as the player of the adventurer, to make that choice for them and then deal with any consequences that result.

Destiny Technical Details

When an Adventurer reaches six Aura cards, its time to meet Destiny. That player picks a card to discard and then lays down all their remaining five cards for all to see. The narrator then pulls one of their choice from the random set to complete the showing. Now the analysis begins!

The narrator and player look over the set of cards, matching up the suits to generate totals for each. If two hearts are showing with the values 3 and 4, then you have a total of 7 hearts. Determine the suit with the most, or in the case of a tie, the player chooses. Once this is done, flip all the other cards over.

The backs of the flipped over cards show Protean, Brilliance, or Shadow. Count the cards that show Brilliance or Shadow, in the case of a clear winner, note how many of those cards were present adding in any protean. If their is a tie, the narrator picks. Regardless the card count is boosted by the number of Protean present. For instance, if you have a Protean, two Shadow, and one Brilliance the Shadow wins with two cards and counts as three because the Protean joins it. This card count is called the grade of the event. Continuing the example, that is a grade 3 Shadow event.

At this point the narrator has all the information they need to look up the event in the Celestial Calendar and think up something that ties into the ongoing narrative. They have: A suit, A suit total, and a grade associated with Brilliance or Shadow (card count from step 2). The narrator looks this up on the calendar and uses the ideas there to create the event.

Vision Overview

Vision Technical Details