Keywords

The Core Mechanical concept

Metanoia is a game mechanized on Language (words and clauses), applied to anything. We call this construct a tag. These are presented in a two main categories:

1. Pre-Defined
2. Un-Defined

Pre-Defined language has meaning within the system and can’t be overwritten. Un-Defined meas that it’s up to the players and the GM to determine what the language means in the rules.

Functional Classifications of Pre-Defined Individual Words

• Polarity = A word that has associated keyword(s)
• Keyword = A word that has a distinct effect

Terminology for types of Keywords

Layer	What it is
Condition	A keyword that performs an effect on a character without inflicting an injury
Passive	A keyword that is always on for the character unless they decide to deactivate it - can be reactivated
Escalator	A keyword that automatically repeats a minimum effect on a tick while it remains active. Which minimum effect it uses is determined by its Injury field - if Injury is true, then it adds an injury every other round.

Every keyword also carries an Injury field (True/Choice/False). If a keyword’s Injury field is True, applying it fills one of the target’s 3 Injury slots directly. Some keywords automatically cause Injurires (T), some don’t (F), and with others, you can choose (C).

The Keywords

Strain costs are provisional. They are set with the method in Keyword Pricing; check a cost against that method before changing it.

Lineage Keywords

Keyword	Effect	Strain	Injury	Polarities
Morphed	You can add a passive keyword to yourself at will at Rank for a period of time	4	F	Transformation
Infused	Push up to Rank*2 Ren into an object and have it retain that Ren (can be consumed from the object to return strain per Ren)	2	F	Coalescence
Banished	Seal the use of a specific polarity for keywords up to Rank	3	F	Coalescence
Rebounded	When you fail, your next Rank actions gains +1 success	2	F	Flux
Resonated	Add the rank of a keyword you choose to another keyword	2	F	Resonation
Discount	Regain 1 Strain whenever you spend 2 strain	2	F	Elasticity
Consolidated	Rank keywords from a specific polarity increase by 1 for each polarity you temorarily remove access to	2	F	Unification
Accumulation	Every time you win a roll, your next roll gains +1 (this builds)	2	F	Recurrence
Equalization	Every Keyword you use is registered at the rank of your highest ranked keyword	4	F	Emergence

Perversion (Damnation’s Keyword)

Everyone is Corrupted by default. Damnation only comes through choosing Perversion, and there is no turning back once you have.

Perversion is earned by choosing atrocity for power. It mirrors the structure of Realm advancement: each rank is a structural shift in who you are, and unlike normal Keywords its Rank is not capped at 5. It can be granted to your character as an extra keyword, even if you have the ‘maximum’.

Each tier requires a sustained pattern of the described behavior, not a single act. The Threshold Act is the deed that finally locks a tier in once the pattern is established, the same way a Realm breakthrough needs both practice and a moment of exposure.

While Perversion is active, its Rank is added to every Keyword you use.

Tier	Name	Pattern	Threshold Act
1	Betrayal	Abandoning people who trusted you to save yourself, letting their lives collapse without lifting a hand	Walking away from a ruin you caused, leaving them to it
2	Cruelty	Beating, robbing, or maiming people loosely connected to you, and starting to enjoy their fear	Hurting someone for the first time because you wanted to, not because you had to
3	Murder	Killing people who trusted or depended on you, in cold blood, for gain	Killing someone who put their life in your hands
4	Torture	Torturing people until their minds break, for information, pleasure, or power	Torturing someone to death and savoring every moment of it
5	Atrocity	Massacring or ritually sacrificing entire communities that sheltered you, leaving nothing standing	Wiping out a town or camp that took you in, down to the last child
6	Desecration	Hunting down and torturing everyone who loves you, one by one, to fuel your power	Sacrificing someone who loves you with your own hands, while they beg you to stop
7	Dark Communion	— the mortal limit of this path	The slow ritual torture, sacrifice, and cannibalization of everyone you have ever loved

Ren Texture Keywords

This shows the table of the expected successes from a d6.

Texture is a measure of how responsive a character’s Ren is to their subconscious - the numbers in the table are the number of successes when you roll that number on each d6 in your dice pool. There are 3 textures, and a character can only have 1, and it doesn’t change.

• Tranquil - Your Ren is naturally precise, but hesitates or rarely moves without your instruction (consistent but moderate)
• Volatile - Your Ren can move without your instruction, but doesn’t do it very often. (This is the inbetween texture)
• Rampant - Your Ren moves without your instruction all the time, but is harder to control. (Swingy but powerful)

Roll on a d6	Success # (Rampant)	Success # (Volatile)	Success # (Tranquil)
1	0	0	0
2	0	0	1
3	0	1	1
4	1	1	1
5	2	2	1
6	3	2	2

Interaction Keywords

Keyword	Effect	Strain	Injury	Example
Stack	None, but interacts with other keywords. Is applied from excess successes on a roll. Stacks are consumed from the target creature, not collectively pooled	N/A	F	basically chips that can be used to activate keywords that go on a threshold, or get converted by another keyword. They can be used positively or negatively.
Negating [Keyword]	Completely stops whatever the other keyword is	3	F
Resistant [Keyword]	Reduces the impact of another keyword on the target	2	F
Susceptible [Keyword]	Increases the impact of another keyword on the target	3	C
Empowered [Keyword]	Adds the rank of this to the keyword that the target uses	2	F
Enabled [Keyword]	Increases the target’s ability to effect a keyword by adding 1 die	2	F
Weakened [Keyword]	Decreases the ability the target has to effect this keyword by removing 1 die	3	C
Diminished [Keyword]	Decreases the rank at which the target can apply the specified keyword	3	C
Siezed	consume 4 stacks to completely restrain a target	0	C
Explosion [Keyword]	consume stacks to create an 1 Zone AOE effect of rank = to # of stacks consumed	0	C
Snoozing	Once the stacks on a creature exceed the threshold of 1 + their Realm, consume 3 of its stacks and it falls asleep for one round	0	F
Comprehending	You can consume 4 stacks to learn about the creature	0	F
Virulence	Consume 3 stacks on a target to apply Rank level Weakened to it, and 2 stacks to a creature in the same or an adjacent zone	0	T
Sickening	Consume 3 stacks to add a Realm ranked Slowed, Weakened, or Misdirected Keyword	0	F
Overloaded	Deal an Injury with no keyword to a target for every 3 stacks consumed, up to Rank Injuries on a single target.	0	T
Drained	Consume 4 stacks from a target to remove Strain from yourself equal to Rank, that then is applied to the target	0	F
Siphoning	Consume 5 stacks to remove one Injury from yourself by inflicting the removed Injury on the target	0	T
Trap	This keyword causes another keyword to activate, at a max range = to Rank in zones. You must select duration twice for abilities with this keyword, once for the duration the trap lasts, and another for the keyword it’s applying	0	F
Insight	consume 2 stacks to gain +1 die on your next roll against a creature	0

Escalator Keywords

Escalator Keywords scale up over time, but are limited by the Rank your character has

Keyword	Effect	Strain	Injury	Example
Terminal	Escalating. Every 2 rounds, the target gains another Injury	5	T	Open wound losing blood
Deteriorating	Escalating. Every round, the target loses 1 Strain	4	C	Toxin draining vitality
Deceleration	Escalating. Every Round, reduce stride by 1	3	C
Conditioning	Escalating. Reduces the rank of a keyword over any time you’re attacked with the keyword	3	F
Exposure	Escalating. Increases the rank of a keyword over any time you’re attacked with the keyword	4	C
Depleting	Escalating. Every 2 rounds, lose access to a keyword	5	C
Petrifying	Escalating. Every round, increase rank. At enemies’ Realm, they are paralyzed	5	C
Corroding	Escalating. Every 2 rounds, reduce the Rank of a target’s Item	4	C
Withering	Escalating. Every round, reduce the max Strain a target can have for the duration of the keyword	4	C
Swelling	Escalating. Every round the target gains 2 stacks	4	C

Active Offensive Keywords

Keyword	Effect	Strain	Injury	Example
Pinned	Cannot move for Rank # of Turns	4	T
Pierced	Injuries from this attack can’t be cleared with Armor	4	F
Biding	Every round you wait with this on, store Rank successes to use on your next attack	4	F
Crushed	When this attack lands, it takes Rank*2 points from the Armor pool to clear.	2	F
Disintegrated	Damages or destroys weapons and structures	4

Active Defensive Keywords

Keyword	Effect	Strain	Injury	Example
Slip	Enemy takes additional Strain equal to Rank	2	F
Block	Add Realm+Rank to Successes when defending, requires a shield	3	F
Parry	The attacking item is not calculated into Rank of keywords it may apply, if it is lower than the Rank of Parry	2	F
Counter	You apply a true ‘no condition’ Injury with a Strain cost of Rank to the target if you succeed on your defense, but if you fail, you take double the effect.	3	F
Dodge	You move up to 1+Rank zone(s)	1	F

Active Utility Keywords

Keyword	Effect	Strain	Injury	Example
Overwritten	Another’s will/Ren temporarily imposes intent on you. You act partially or fully under their control for the duration	5
Hastened	Increases the target’s Stride by Rank	1
Slowed	Reduces the target’s Stride by Rank	1
Misdirected	Gain +1 die on your next roll against the target	1
Illusion	Target	4		Target is in an illusory world, or there’s a major illusion
Hidden	Gain +1 die on your actions against targets that are unaware of you, and you are not targetable. Rank determines how many successes are necessary to discover you.	4
Obscured	You are not targetable. Rank determines how many successes are necessary to discover you.	3
Eased	The target’s sense Rolls are reduced by 1 die, the target removes 2 strain, and Rank determines how many successes are necessary to discover this state	2
Silenced	Cannot speak or make sound; blocks vocal actions	3
Disrupted	Keywords applied to the target land at their Rank + Disrupted’s Rank	2
Protected	You are behind cover	2
Fear	effected creature’s keywords are lowered by rank	2
Tracked	You know the tracked target’s location (its zone) despite distance, cover, or terrain, and it cannot gain or keep the Hidden mark against you	2
Observed	Reveal a creature’s Injuries, Marks, and Conditions. Contested by Inscrutability based on Rank.	2
Dampened	Increases strain costs by Rank	2	F
Clear	Remove stacks from a character equal to Rank	1	F
Heal	Removes an Injury:True keyword, clearing that Injury slot, and stabilizes	3	F
Dispel	Removes a Keyword, or ends an ongoing effect/ability	3	F
Rejuvenate	Enhances Strain recovery during rest by Rank	1	F
Restrained	Binds the target’s hands: cannot wield, gesture, or take hand-based actions	3
Gated	Cannot remove injuries for the duration you have this keyword	3
Disabled	Items no longer contribute to keyword ranks	4	C
Displace	Move a creature	3
Move	Move yourself up to Rank in Zones, omnidirectionally	1
Teleport	Move but ignore obstacles	4
Portal	Connect with another portal to move vast distances	4
Phase	Pass through solid materials of thickness equal to 10cm per Rank	4
Step [polarity]	Move but to a specific area containing that polarity, within Rank in zones	3	F
Apparition [polarity]	make an ephemeral humanoid creature (has phase) with your stats that you can use to sense, but can’t interact with the world	3
Construct [polarity]	Make a solid, humanoid creature with your stats that can interact with the world, the Rank is how many successes on a hit it takes to dispel the construct	4
Golem [polarity]	Make a large humanoic creature with your stats, but +1 die on physical interactions	4
Weapon [polarity]	Make a weapon out of Ren for yourself or others. Its rank is the rank of this keyword	4
Armor [polarity]	Make a Armor out of Ren for yourself or others. Its rank is the rank of this keyword	4
Terraform [polarity]	Alter the terrain’s shape with this polarity	4	C
Barriered	Stop ephemeral movement into and/or out of an area	3
Communication	Telepathic Communication within awareness Range with up to Rank individuals	1
Paralyzed	Target cannot move, act, or speak for the duration	5
Foresight	Gain Rank Successes on your next roll	4	F

Social Keywords

Keyword	Effect	Strain	Injury	Example
Swayed	Consume 3 stacks to break 1 Conviction	0	F
Entrenched	Only invokable if a condition is being applied to you in a social frame, and only after the other side has applied a Condition this frame. Restore Conviction equal to Rank, up to its starting value	2	F
Shaken [Motive/Identity]	Invoking the shaken Motive or Identity costs 2+Realm Strain. Can’t be cleared with Strain. Clears after Rank days, or early once you’ve invoked the shaken Motive or Identity Rank times	N/A	F

Entrenched is defense only so a target can’t restore Conviction on its own turn faster than a frame can remove it.

Shaken is applied by the Hold rule in Social Frames, never cast. Shaken [Motive] and Shaken [Identity] are tracked separately. Neither stacks with itself: a new Shaken of the same type replaces the old one only if its Rank is higher, and its days and invocation count start over.

Passive Keywords

Keyword	Effect	Strain	Injury	Example
Resistance	Reduces the impact of another keyword	N/A	F
Vulnerability	Increases the impact of another keyword	N/A	F
Inscrutable	Injuries, Stacks, and Keywords up to Rank cannot be read by Observed	N/A	F
Perceptive	Any creatures attempting to hide from you have to beat Rank+1 to hide from you	N/A	F
Splintered	Your will is divided: keyword ranks you apply to others are reduced by 1, but removing a keyword you applied requires a 1/turn d6 roll (rolling above the rank of splintered allows the removal of the keyword) in addition to the normal strain cost.	N/A
Tough	You have extra slots for injuries = to Rank before you are bleeding out	N/A
Network	You can communicate telepathically within awareness Range with up to Rank individuals	N/A
Masked	Your awareness in its extended state is not detectable to others, attempts to sense it must beat Rank.	N/A
Concealed	Your awareness in its projected state is not detectable to others, attempts to sense it must beat Rank.	N/A
Veiled	Your awareness in its focused state is not detectable to others, attempts to sense it must beat Rank.	N/A
Shrouded	Your awareness in its Suppressed state is not detectable to others, attempts to sense it must beat Rank.	N/A
Stealthy	Any creatures attempting to sense you have to beat Rank+1 to sense you.	N/A	F
Precognitive	The GM can activate this keyword at will to tell you about something important/dangerous that’s about to happen and to give you +1 Success on the next Rank number of rolls	N/A	F
Overextended	Lose 1 Die from your dice pool. The default keyword for any Injury with no specified keyword, including self-inflicted Injuries taken to regain strain	N/A	T