* Restricted Information: Dreamers only
1st edition (1996)
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1.1 The Dreamworlds are a separate Plane, for which the responsible Higher Power is MERLO, N/C Demigod of Dreams. His immediate subordinates are the Dream Demons:
The Dream Demons are worshipped as deities in the Dreamworlds, which reflect Their Aspects.
1.2 The Dreamworlds may be entered in two ways:
1.2.1 Spiritually: by dreaming. This is the normal method. The Dreamer assumes a Dream Form, leaving his Real body behind sleeping, daydreaming or in a drug-induced trance (It may even sleepwalk.). Spiritual Dreaming is a higher level of consciousness of one’s dreams. Most people dream or daydream, and they too are entering the Dreamworlds, but only the Dreamer (with a capital "D") has the full experience, and uses the system, described below.
1.2.2 Physically: by entering the Dreamworlds awake. This is an unusual method, achieved by magical means (eg Teleporting to a location in the Dreamworlds) or via some gateway between the Real world and the Dreamworlds (eg on the Isle of Dreams, or by ChaosWalking). In this case the Dreamer's Real body physically enters the Dreamworlds. Note that the Dream Demons (and possibly other Beings of the Dreamworlds) have separate Dream Forms, just as They have Ethereal and Astral Forms, and They enter the Dreamworlds in this way by simply switching to Dream Form.
1.3 The Dreamworlds are recursive. Dreams within Dreams are possible. But these are not separate levels of the Dreamworlds. A Dreamer may interact normally with a Dream-within-a-Dreamer, and the latter may encounter his own sleeping form within Dreams.
1.4 The denizens of the Dreamworlds have Dream Forms only. When they dream, they enter recursive Dreamworlds.
1.5 Dream Forms, whether of denizens of the Dreamworlds or of Physical Dreamers, may not physically leave the Dreamworlds. If a Spiritual dreamer attempted to Teleport to a destination in the Real world, it would fail, though he might succeed in entering a Dream-within-Dream of having Teleported to the Real world, or he might just wake up.
1.6 The Dreamworlds do not have a settled geography. They are formed as if out of Chaos by the Dreams of Dreamers. However, certain shared and/or continuous Dreams have a continuous existence (eg Khalkan-Jho, the City that Never Wakes, which is home to a number of physically-present Dreamers, in addition to its population of dream denizens). Travel within the Dreamworlds may take a variable time, its pace being dictated by the flow of Dreams. Moving between different locations is often achieved by jumping from Dream to Dream (eg via the Mirrors in the Entrance Hall of the Temple of ORORO, and by a number of other less well-known Gateways).
2.1 A Dream Form is an exact duplicate of the Dreamer's Real Form, including current HP, damage, SP, IP, etc. It has the same powers and abilities as the Real Form, subject to any constraints mentioned below.
2.2 SP are recovered whilst Spiritually Dreaming at sleep / deep sleep / trance rates, as appropriate. Dreaming is not a form of Magic-Using, and does not of itself involve SP expenditure. SP expenditure is as normal for Magic-Using whilst Dreaming. However, if any SP are so expended, the one SP currently being recovered is lost. Multiple SP expenditures within 1 / ½ / ¼ hour (for sleep / deep sleep / trance) still only lose one SP recovered. The next SP recovery period starts when it would otherwise have done, not immediately after the SP expenditure.
2.3 SP are normally recovered when daydreaming at the no activity / resting quietly rate (1 per 2 hours), but the actual recovery rate will depend on the current activity when daydreaming. Although daydreaming normally requires no activity / resting quietly, accomplished Dreamers and those foolish (or brave) enough to wander around the Isle of Dreams may daydream in other circumstances.
2.4 SP are expended and recovered whilst Physically Dreaming in the normal way. Note that SP may be recovered as above by Spiritually Dream-within-Dreaming.
2.5 Clerical wishes and credit are expended and gained as normal whilst Dreaming. Note however that the Dream Demons are the Gods of the Dreamworlds, and all Requests therefore go through them. Consult your particular Creed for further explanation, but be careful not to utter any heresy. Some Gods are touchy on this subject!
2.6 IP are expended and gained normally in the Dreamworlds (note Dreams may have strange Circs. Mods.). However, all IP instressed whilst Spiritually Dreaming are lost on waking. IP instressed whilst Physically Dreaming are halved on returning to the Real world. IP are always halved as normal at midnight in the Real world, irrespective of when midnight might occur in the Dreamworlds, which does not halve IP, even those gained in the Dreamworlds.
2.7 Elemental Activation normally carries over into the Dreamworlds, as it does when moving between the Planes. Note that Elementals Activated when Spiritually Dreaming therefore remain Activated on waking.
2.8 The inexperienced Dreamer may Dream he has gained / lost SP / wishes / credit / IP which he has not in fact done. This is due to an inability to distinguish Dreams from Reality, and affects only his perception of events. Such an effect may particularly occur when inadvertently Dream-within-Dreaming. It is also a phenomenon that may be experienced by Dreamers of DrmL < 1 when first stepping beyond simple dreaming into Spiritual Dreaming.
2.9 Damage suffered to a Dream Form (including that of a Physically Dreaming Dream Demon) affects only the Dream Form. Damage suffered to a Real Form whilst Physically Dreaming affects that Real Form normally. Death / unconsciousness effects are as follows:
2.9.1 Death of a Dream Form wakes the Dreamer. A new Dream Form may be gained on Dreaming again (though not for a year and a day for a Dream Demon), but it may be difficult to get back to sleep / dreaming! This is so even if the Dream Form is Destroyed (eg by a Dream of Disintegration). Major traumas (eg significant Dream damage) may also wake the Dreamer.
2.9.2 Death of a Real Form in Dreams is real death. Reincarnation is possible as normal.
2.9.3 Unconsciousness / Stunning of a Dream Form terminates the Dreaming, but not necessarily the sleeping / trance (unless treated as a major trauma as above), and Dreaming may recommence on recovery from the unconsciousness / stunning effect. Unconsciousness / Stunning will normally result in waking from daydreaming.
2.9.4 Unconsciousness / Stunning of a Real Form in Dreams is as normal.
2.9.5 Sleeping of a Dream Form or of a Real Form in Dreams is as per unconsciousness / stunning, but may lead to Dreams-within-Dreams if an accomplished Dreamer is Slept (just as it can lead to Dreams if he is Slept in the Real world).
2.9.6 Most mental Spells will have full effect on Real and Dream Forms. In appropriate cases these may persist even beyond waking from Spiritual Dreaming.
Spell Casting is as normal whether Spiritually or Physically Dreaming, except as follows:
3.1 SP and IP expenditure are respectively as per 2.4 and 2.6 above.
3.2 Casting between Planes incurs the usual 2/3 penalty. Spells must be targetted in the normal way. Note that Casting from Dreams into Dreams is not between Planes, but from Dreams-within-Dreams into Dreams or vice-versa is between Planes. Exceptionally, Casting from Dreams-within-Dreams-within-Dreams into Dreams would incur two successive 2/3 penalties. But any Cast from any of the Real, Ethereal, Astral or Dream (including recursive Dream) Planes to any of the others incurs the normal 2/3 penalty. Note that no 2/3 penalties at all are incurred if a Dreamer Casts at a target within his own level of Dreaming, even if that target is himself at a different level of Dreaming (see 1.3 above). The level of Dreaming of the target is determined subjectively to the Caster, not the target.
3.3 Planist locations may be learnt in Dreams, and Teleported to at 2/3 penalty resulting in Physically Dreaming. However, because of the shifting nature of Dreams, the chance of remembering the location sufficiently accurately to Teleport to it again depends on Dreamer level (see 4.3 below).
3.4 Likewise the success of scrying Spells into Dreams depends on Dreamer level. There is no range minus to reach any observation point in Dreams, but certain points may be harder to reach.
4.1 Successful Dreaming gives Dreamer experience. Dreamer level does not count towards MU level.
4.2 Non-Dreamers (those without Dreamer experience) may Dream as normal, but lack the ability to have any significant influence upon their Dreams, and often do not remember them fully or at all upon waking. Such Dreaming is not run by the DM. Such Dreaming non-Dreamers may be indistinguishable to most Dreamers from the denizens of the Dreamworlds (Indeed, there is a school of thought that such denizens are composed entirely of such beings.).
4.3 Dreamer experience gives the following abilities (in ascending order of difficulty):
4.4 The higher level Dreamer one is, the easier these things are. The chance of success is at the DM's discretion, having regard to Dreamer level, the difficulty of what is being attempted, and all other relevant circumstances. The DM may also have regard to the imagination shown by the player. Dreams have their own logic, and once a Dream sequence begins, certain events may be more likely to follow on than others. The player who identifies and follows a thread of the Dream is more likely to be successful than the one who attempts to introduce a new thread.
4.5 Entering Dreams Physically is not of itself dependent on Dreamer level, though successfully locating an entry point or remembering a Planist location in Dreams may be. Once Physically Dreaming, progress is dependent on Dreamer level. The non-Dreamer who Physically enters Dreams may find events rapidly spiralling out of control. Alternatively, he may gain significant Dreamer experience.
4.6 There is no formal Dreamer Initial Basic Training. Dreamer experience up to level 1 may be gained by exceptional Dreaming. A Dreamer of less than level 1 will effectively function as a non-Dreamer.
4.7 Other forms of experience may also be earned whilst Dreaming. But note that Spiritual Dreaming will normally involve no risk of death, and will therefore be a non-stress situation.
5.1 By default the Spiritual Dreamer has Dreams of his Real Form's current possessions with his Dream Form.
5.2 Possessions may be lost and gained as normal whilst Spiritually Dreaming, but on waking the Real Form still has the same possessions as when the Dreamer went to sleep (thieves permitting!).
5.3 Accomplished Dreamers may Spiritually Dream of having different possessions of their choice, including possessions gained in previous Dreams (those lost in previous Dreams being virtually impossible so to recover). Less accomplished Dreamers may inadvertently Spiritually Dream of having different possessions not of their choice.
5.4 Physical Dreamers carry their real possessions in and out of the Dreamworlds and gain and lose them there normally. Real possessions so lost in the Dreamworlds are really lost on waking. Though it may be possible to recover them in subsequent Physical dreams, they are normally recovered as dream possessions only. Dream possessions will disappear on being brought into the Real world, except for Dreamer Magic Items with the facility to enter the Real world (see 5.6 below).
5.5 Magic items are subject to the above rules. Items which are Beings in their own right (eg Bound Elementals) will normally Dream with their wielder, and their Dreams will be governed by his. If they possess him, the reverse may be the case (note that certain powerful items to be found in Dreams may have this effect).
5.6 There exist Dreamer Magic Items, which may facilitate, or control, Dreaming. Often these tend to induce Physical, rather than Spiritual, Dreaming, and can freely move between the Real and Dreamworlds. Such items are typically associated with a specific Dream Demon.
6.1 The Dreamworlds may be physically entered by ChaosWalking. The boundary between Chaos and Dreams is not clear, just as the boundary between Chaos and Reality is unclear.
6.2 See the ChaosMastery System (if any) for further exposition of this topic (or lack thereof).
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Version 1.2, © P.R. Wild, 1 December 1996
HTML conversion, 13 December 1998