MET LARP SRD

Chimerical illusions are shaped from the stuff of dreams, a quasi-substantial essence that members of the Ravnos clan call maya. Items made with this power are not real, but they are also not entirely insubstantial, as they are formed of the physical substance of dream. A chimerical gun has the appropriate weight and heft. A chimerical flag will sway in the wind and will cast a shadow. However, if a chimerical item is disbelieved, it loses all physical qualities — but only to the individual who successfully disbelieves.

A Chimerstry construct cannot physically deflect anything more substantial than a bright light or a slight breeze. Items or creatures made with this power cannot cause harm. Chimerical armor doesn’t stop bullets, and a chimerical sword can’t cut anything.

One of the most important things to remember about Chimerstry is this: illusions can add to the world, but they can never subtract from it. A character could create a chimerical wall and hide behind it, but could not use this power to create a hole in the ground, as Chimerstry cannot “subtract” the dirt that is present. A character cannot use Chimerstry to make items or people invisible, nor to duplicate the powers of Obfuscate. However, you can use Chimerstry to create a chimerical bucket to put over an item and thus hide it. This power cannot alter a character’s overall appearance, as Mask of a Thousand Faces does, but it can change the color of a trenchcoat from red to blue.

Chimeristry is made of semi-tangible maya, mixed with the mind’s willingness to believe what it can perceive. An illusionary wall can block your progress, but it is not substantial enough to support more than a few ounces of weight. An individual is blocked by a chimerical wall in large part because her mind will not allow her to pass that barrier. However, if a falling person grabs hold of an illusionary rope, it will fail to support her weight.

Disbelieving Chimerstry : Recognizing that something is chimerical is not the same as disbelieving the illusion. Disbelieving a construct requires an active attempt to destroy the chimerical creation, indicated by a contest of wills with the illusion’s creator. It is possible to realize that an illusion is false, but fail to disbelieve it. The subject’s subconscious mind simply cannot agree that this construct isn’t real. In this manner, if a character sees a chimerical sword pass harmlessly through an object, she may realize the sword is an illusion. However, the sword will still exist, and will still look and feel real unless she chooses to actively disbelieve and then defeats its creator in a contest of wills.

If a character suspects that something is formed of Chimerstry, she can make an active attempt to disbelieve that illusion. To do so, she must expend her simple action and enter a contest of wills with the illusion’s creator. Make an opposed challenge using your Social attribute + Willpower versus the Chimerstry user’s Social attribute + Subterfuge. If the attempt to disbelieve succeeds, the illusion becomes a semitransparent shadow of itself. Characters cannot interact with items they have successfully disbelieved. For example, after disbelieving a chimerical wall, a character can see through it clearly and can move through the wall without impediment.

After disbelieving an illusory sword, the character is unable to pick it up; it will pass through her hand if she tries. If a character successfully disbelieves an illusion, other individuals will not notice any change in that illusion. Even if the character sees someone walk through an illusionary wall, she must make a separate test and successfully disbelieve it in order to walk through the wall herself. If she fails to disbelieve, she must treat that wall as if it is real, and must bash it down or go around it in order to pass. If a character who has successfully disbelieved a chimerical illusion then does something to demonstrate that it is not real, such as walking through a chimerical wall, it provides an excellent opportunity for other observers to realize that the illusion is not real and call for their own challenges. If an individual fails an attempt to disbelieve an illusion, she cannot attempt to disbelieve that illusion again for five minutes.

If an illusion’s creator disbelieves her own illusion, it immediately ceases to exist. The user must treat her illusions in all ways as though they are real or the maya fades.

“Eternity is as ephemeral as breath, as fleeting as dream. Seize what you can while you can, and never let go.” — Vassily Taltos