The Wellspring A Supply Drop Playbook By Lawson Coleman For Austin Ramsay’s Beam Saber Credits & Required Texts This playbook was made on the unceded traditional territories of the Matsqui, Kwantlen, Katzie, and Semiahmoo First Nations. The Wellspring Designed & Written by: Lawson Coleman Playtested by: The Wellspring is an in-development playbook, and the design & layout in this PDF is subject to change for any multitude of reasons.Some Abilities or gear may be imbalanced, and your mileage may vary. There will be a more formal feedback system coming eventually after the release of the Wellspring V0.2, but in the meantime you can either @ me on twitter or leave a comment on itch.io(please try to be respectful & patient if you do either of these things,& I will return the favor). If you are interested in following updates on the Wellspring(and other things I make), you can follow me on twitter @TheLawsonC! The Game Mechanics listed in this playbook require a copy of Beam Saber by Austin Ramsay, which can be found here: Beam Saber by Austin Ramsay Thank you to Austin for Designing & Writing such an awesome game, and for cultivating a creative & positive culture around the beam saber community. I’ve had a great time running beam saber, and designing for it has been a refreshing exercise. Beam Saber is a Forged in the Dark Game, which is based on Blades in the Dark (found at http://www.bladesinthedark.com/ ), product of One Seven Design, developed and authored by John Harper, and licensed for our use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Table of Contents 1: Touchstones/ Pilot Gear 2: Starting Build/Play The Wellspring if.../Vehicle Gear 3: Starting Ability: Life From A Machine of Death 4: Starting Ability: Speak to Plants 5: Ability: No More Abstractions 6: Ability: The Door’s always open 7: Ability: Roots Run Deep 8: Ability: An Eye For Kindness 9: Ability: Not Now, Not Yet 10: Ability: See Their Journey Through 11: Ability: Let Me Get to the Point Here 12: Ability: Veteran 13: Example Gather Information Questions 14: Example Allies and rivals/Example Handlers Touchstones Poison Ivy(DC comics), The Witch In Glass & Alyosha(Friends at the Table), D&D Druids, Mother Earth’s Plantasia by Mort Garson, Caduceus Clay(Critical Role) A Fine Set of Gardening Tools(1 Load): A collection of spades, clippers, fertilizer, and other tools for tending to plant life. A Seed Pouch (1 Load Per use): A wide array of fast-growing plant seeds. When you throw a handful of seeds at a target or location, a plant grows from them in seconds, which survives for about an hour before withering. Choose an effect that the plant creates for each use: - A cloud of spores that that puts a person to sleep when inhaled. - A thick, glue-like substance that obstructs machinery. - A Thicket of Giant, carnivorous plants. - A Flammable oil that covers and spreads to objects easily - A High-pressure growth that bursts upon contact, launching heavy spines at high speeds. A Reminder of home(1 Load): A keepsake, photograph, or other item that grounds you in times of stress. When you would normally take a scar while holding this, instead take a point of breakdown and describe how your memories of home kept you going. A Grounding Tool(1 Load): A Staff, Wand, Rod, Device, Stone, etc. that provides improved position and effect when dealing with plants and similar organisms. Your Own Custom Vehicle(0 Load): The vehicle assigned to you suitable to your needs. It’s represented by the Vehicle entry on your Pilot sheet. Pilot Gear 1 Wellspring end of mission XP Trigger: Mark XP if you addressed a challenge with Patience or Fortitude Starting Build +2 Interface, +1 Survey, Starting Abilities A Fine Farming Implement(1 Load): A Chainsaw, Spade, Claw, Plow, Industrial Hose or other Mechanical tool meant for Harvesting or maintaining plants that is just as good as a weapon. A Hydroponic Garden(1 Load Per use): A Garden with the amenities necessary to be capable of growing the seeds from your pouch at Vehicle Scale, whose effects last for about an hour before withering. A Mundane Appearance(1 Load): Looks like the average labor-oriented machine, even under some scrutiny. Internal Tool Sheds(1 Load per use): A Shed that is packed with all sorts of tools of the trade. Counts as 3 load of pilot tools, outfits, supplies or gear per use. Vehicle Gear Play The Wellspring if... 2 You are interested in playing a “non-violent” character, introducing more fantastical elements to your game, enjoy playing support/healer classes, or if you just like the idea of plant magic in a mecha TTRPG. Wellspring Starting Abilities Life From a Machine of Death: Your vehicle can take the level 1 damage “Entangled: Debilitated by growing plant life” to fully heal a harm of any level to a nearby pilot. This Damage can only be repaired by cutting loose with the healed pilot. 3 Wellspring Starting Abilities Speak to Plants: You are capable of commanding mundane plant life, and can communicate with and be conveyed basic information about a situation by some. When your technical skill of using these abilities would be strained, you may roll interface in place of another action. 4 Wellspring Abilities No more abstractions: In place of taking damage to your vehicle as a result of Life From a Machine of Death , you may take an equivalent level of harm instead. 5 Wellspring Abilities The Door’s Always Open: Each Downtime, the first time you cut loose costs you 0 downtime actions. Whenever a connection clock involving you is ticked, mark XP. 6 Wellspring Abilities Roots Run Deep: When you push yourself, you can do one of the following in addition to the normal benefits: Entangle an area or target in stalks and roots, Lift yourself to a new position with vines, or Create a barrier out of Heavy Bark. The Scale of these effects matches the scale of the action being taken. 7 Wellspring Abilities An Eye For Kindness: You always know what a person needs to be put at ease. 8 Wellspring Abilities Not now, not yet: You may spend your spark to ignore the effects of damage to your vehicle for the remainder of the mission. 9 Wellspring Abilities See Their Journey Through:When you spend your drive clocks on someone else’s agenda, mark 3 XP per clock spent. 10 Wellspring Abilities Let Me Get to the Point Here: When you provide honest advice to a person when it would be easier to provide platitudes, you may both heal 2 stress. Additionally, you can heal pilots far from your vehicle using Life from a Machine of Death. 11 Wellspring Abilities Veteran: Choose a special ability from another source. Can be taken up to three times. 12 What’s really going on here? Who here is hesitant? What can I leverage that others can’t? Is the soil here capable of supporting roots? Are there any injured nearby? How can I deescalate the situation? They’re too focused on destruction. I should teach them to keep a garden. They are a beacon of kindness in this war. I will endeavor to make sure their light is not dimmed. Their methods concern me. I’ll try to make sure they don’t step too far. They are directionless. I may be able to help them find their path. Example Gather Information Questions 13 Example Starting Beliefs Example Wellspring Allies And Rivals 14 d6 Example Allies 1 _____, a tired and wavering Mech pilot 2 _____, a resistance cell leader 3 _____, an intrepid botanist 4 _____, a community representative 5 _____, a hopeful musician 6 Roll twice. First result is their background, second is their current life. d6 Example Rivals 1 _____, a calculating General 2 _____, a strict beaurocrat 3 _____, a cynical politician 4 _____, a zealous and cruel Mech pilot 5 _____, a reckless and selfish starbreaker 6 Roll twice. First result is their background, second is their current life.