system:cartoon_logics

You may take either zero or two cartoon logics, which must cancel to net zero.

For instance, you could take both Hammer Time (+) and It Says Gullible (-), but cannot take both Hammer Time (+) and Artistic Liberty (+).

Hammer Time (+): Once per hour you may reach behind you and produce an object. The object is not an Item, and does not have specific mechanics, but can be expected to behave as an object of that type would in a cartoon, which may be used to your advantage. Examples of things you may want to produce include hammers, anvils, blocks of TNT, grand pianos and small cars. You may spend one Zip to produce any number of items in that Scene instead. Your object lasts for the duration of the current Scene.
If you are unsure whether you can produce an object, ask a member of crew.

It Says Gullible (-): When someone tells you of the existence of something, it appears there for you, regardless of whether or not it was actually there.
Note that this does not actually manifest objects into existence, rather the illusion of an object from your perspective. Although physically interacting with it breaks the illusion, you cannot tell if it is real or not until you do. Other players will know that you have taken this.

Artistic Liberty (+): Once per hour you can draw basic shapes into (or out of!) existence in the background. You cannot use this to get rid of anything animated, including characters and most objects they interact with, however you can use this to create bridges, tunnels, trees, etc. Your edit lasts for the duration of the current Scene.
If you are unsure of whether you can get rid of something, ask a member of crew.

Stubborn Acknowledgement (+): Once per hour you can selectively ignore a physical phenomenon present in the cartoon world. You can use this to prevent an Injury if and only if you would have long enough to regret your life choices between the phenomenon beginning to act on you and the Injury occurring, for example falling from a great height or being in a pot of water being brought to the boil.
Ask a crew member if you are uncertain as to whether this can be used.
Examples of physical phenomena include:

  • Gravity
  • Momentum (including the transfer thereof)
  • Friction
  • Temperature
  • Magnetism

For those with advanced physics knowledge, this only refers to effects your typical animator would have an understanding of: you cannot get freaky with this.

Magnetising (-): Metal always sticks to you, or if the object is big enough, you stick to metal. This limits the ability to which you can use Items made out of metal, often leading you to more expensive alternatives. Whenever you touch something metallic, it becomes stuck to you. You can remove it with brute force, but if you're not careful, you can inflict Injuries on yourself in the process. Other players will know that you have taken this.

No, You! (+): When another character would give you an Injury, you may spend 1 Zip to have them receive it instead.

Unexpectedly Flammable (-): You burn easily. Super easily. Even saying the wrong word around you could cause you to catch fire. Once per hour, when you receive an Injury that lasts for the duration of a scene, you instead receive the Incinerated Injury. This includes non-physical injuries such as Humilitated and Inconsolable.

Please, I’m Begging ‘Ya! (+): The Writers like using your character to break the fourth wall. You may spend one Zip to make a direct IC appeal to the Writers of the show to exercise their unlimited power for your benefit. You get one Discord message in which to convince them that what you want is hilarious. The GMs will do something, but it probably won’t be exactly what you ask, and if they don’t like your suggestion, beware the rage of the Overworked, Underpaid Writer.

Sticky Hooves (+): Your appendages (or mouth or whatever) can do anything a human hand (or claw, or tentacle or other grabber) can… even if this makes absolutely no sense. Crew and GMs will allow you to do things that simply aren't possible with your physiology, like climbing a perfectly smooth wall or swimming with immense speed, or perhaps even gliding or flying to a limited extent.
This cannot be taken alongside Conservation of Budget (-).

Conservation of Budget (-): Perhaps you are hard to draw or the animators need to save money for your Curtain Call, but most of the time you don’t move that much. You aren’t capable of moving quickly or dynamically or utilising the full features that your physiology would suggest that you can do, and will suffer penalties to tasks that require precise movements or speed on your part.
This cannot be taken alongside Sticky Hooves (+).

Screaming Makes you Stronger (+): For you, anger translates directly into physical power. Once per session, in response to someone making you extremely angry, you may gain an Effect of your choice associated with the Beef Ability for the rest of the Scene.

Actual Dissassembly (-): When faced with a problem that you can't immediately solve, you fall to pieces. Literally. The first time each hour that you fail a conflict, you suffer the effect of the Diced Injury.

Musical Number (+): Once per session, at the cost of one Zip, you may begin a musical number. The Scene will pause momentarily while you post your song lyrics, be they original, a parody or a segment of a real song! Describe a process you are confident you would succeed in given enough time, such as gathering a crafting Component, building a house to live in, hiking up a mountain or counting your thousands of bucks. The process elapses over the course of the song instead of however much time it should take.
Players are reminded to be considerate of their fellow players who have opted into the themes present in the CAT policy, not those in music in general. This means avoiding quoting any lyrics relating to themes prohibited by the CAT policy.

Environmental Dependence (-): Choose two locations from the list of locations, as places that are deeply unfamiliar to you, weakening your Abilities. When in these places, you lose the beneficial effects of all your Abilities.
You may also find that the GMs and Crew make these locations particularly important for some of your goals.

Frame Clipping (+): If you are moving quickly you can get through thin barriers.
Note: quickly here constitutes either having an Ability Effect that makes you fast together with a run up, or some way of accelerating beyond normal speed such as falling a long way or riding a rocket.

Respect For Boundaries (-): Any restrictive boundary, such as a cage, handcuffs or fence, is impossible for you to get through, regardless of whether it should actually be able to stop you.

Selective Dimensionality (+): Once per hour you are able to swap between normal cartoon physics, in which you act as if you had depth, to 2D cartoon physics, in which you act as if you were very, very thin and stuck in one plane. This allows you to move through narrow spaces, avoid being forced into other z-planes against your will, makes you very unlikely to be hit by bullets moving parallel to your plane and any other advantage a two dimensional being might have. You cannot switch back during that Scene.
As a note, under normal circumstances from every characters' perspective, the entire world is 3D.

Two Dimensional (-): Your character is a little less developed than some others. You must take one fewer positive Ability Effect, limiting you to two positive and two negative. This does not impact the number of Writing Conventions or Cartoon Logics you can take.

Perspective Shift (+): Once per session, you can adjust the perspective of the Scene to drastically change the events, allowing you to move people and things around to be standing over the edge of cliffs, or perhaps establishing that a wall doesn’t go all the way around a building by looking at it side on.

Overlay (-): Your design or the way you are animated makes it difficult for you to interact with things. You may only use Items that have already been used by other characters in that Scene. This means that you cannot use Items that only have one charge.

  • system/cartoon_logics.txt
  • Last modified: 2024/07/11 18:50
  • by gm_harry