Valthorne: WAND & Warrant in the City of Living Law
Welcome to Valthorne, a desert gigapolis where the Law is a living, psychic force shaped by the people’s dreams, grief, and joy. As Arcane Constables, you wield your WAND* to enforce this fluid justice, solving crimes that ripple through the city’s soul.
Inspired by Law & Order’s gritty procedural drama, this sword-and-sorcery RPG setting blends mythic resonance, communal rituals, and moral ambiguity. Powered by TiGGR’s fast, narrative rules, each session is a 30-45 minute “episode” of investigation, ritual, and justice. Ready to feel the Law’s breath? Cha-chunk!
* Waveform Augmenting Noetic Device (yes, it’s a sword and sorcery setting where quantum mechanics are part of the arcana)
Valthorne: The City of the Living Law
Setting: Valthorne is a sunbaked sprawl of adobe arcologies, rune-lit alleys, and humming markets, built on ancient ley lines. The Law isn’t written—it’s a psychic current, the Flow, shaped by the Commons’ emotions. Justice is fluid, felt through rituals, duels, or civic songs, but it’s holy, dangerous, and unstable.
- Tone: Mythic civic opera meets psychic desert folklore. Think Law & Order with spell-slinging constables, griefstone rituals, and trials by arcana.
- Key Locations:
- Whisper Markets: Where rumors shape the Flow. A merchant’s lie can spark a verdict.
- Murmuration Squares: Open forums where citizens speak to the wind, their mood shifting the Law.
- High Tribunal: A ritual arena where spell-duels reveal truth, judged by psychic resonance.
- The Flow: A living force that amplifies authentic emotion but resists manipulation. Track it with a Flow Track (0-6):
- 0: Stagnant (-1 to rolls, civic apathy).
- 3: Neutral (normal rolls).
- 6: Volatile (+1 to rolls, Hard Difficulty rises to 12).
- WANDs: Amplify intent into the Flow. They’re psychic megaphones, but misfire if your heart clashes with the city’s.
Governance: Queen Lysandra III rules distantly via dream-broadcasts. Verdicts, nobles elevated by deed, govern locally. Constables serve the Flow, not the crown, but Verdicts can demand Trials by Deed—combat or quests as courtroom spectacle.
No Swords, Only Wands: Melee is illegal; wands are licensed power. A sword-brand (-1 Charm) marks you as subversive.
Rules of TiGGR
Stats: Body, Mind, Charm. Distribute 3 points (e.g. 2/1/0).
Rolls: Roll 2d6 + relevant stat.
Easy = 6, Medium = 8, Hard = 10
Attack: 2d6 + Body vs. 8
Defend (Main characters only): 2d6 + Body vs. 8
If hit, take 1d6 damage.
Zero HP = knocked out, fainted, stars for eyes, pick it back up next scene.
Players: 5 HP, Goons and minions: 1-3, no defense rolls.
Vehicles (mecha, spaceships, special sidekicks): 10 HP
Special Abilities: 1 use per scene. Boosts a stat roll or triggers a cool effect.
Gear: +3 to a roll or damage (usually once per scenario).
Optional: After a session, tweak 1 stat or evolve your Special to match the story.
Factions of Valthorne
- Arcane Constabulary (Body 1, Mind 2, Charm 1, 5 HP, Gear: WAND of Clarity, +3 Mind): Spell-slinging enforcers who sense and shape the Flow. Risk Undertow—losing themselves to the Law’s current.
- Cerulean Cloaks (Special WAND And Tactics) (Body 2, Mind 1, Charm 0, 5 HP, Gear: Ley-Leash Gauntlet, +3 Body): High-threat responders using Mirrorstrike spells. Their magic risks spellflak to bystanders (Mind 10 or take 1 HP).
- Iron Veil Syndicate (Body 2, Mind 1, Charm 0, 4 HP, Gear: Shadow Dagger, +1 damage): Spell-traffickers who bribe or kill to guard secrets.
- Order of the Saffron Veil (Body 0, Mind 2, Charm 1, 3 HP, Gear: Truth Rune, +1 Charm): Mystic prosecutors with hidden agendas, slippery outside court.
- Commons (Body 0, Mind 0, Charm 0, 3 HP, Gear: Drift Song, +1 Charm): The city’s heart, their mood drives the Flow. Their riots or songs can shift verdicts.
Creating Your Constable
Stats: Assign 3 points across Body (physical), Mind (smarts), Charm (social). E.g., 2/1/0 or 1/1/1.
HP: 5 HP (0 = knocked out, recover next scene).
Special Ability: Pick one (e.g., +1 to a stat roll or a narrative effect, once per scene).
Gear: Choose a WAND or item (+3 to a roll, once per session).
Core Roll: 2d6 + Stat vs. Difficulty (Easy 6, Medium 8, Hard 10).
Progression: After a session, shift 1 stat point or redefine your Special Ability based on the story.
Sample Constables
- Brakthar, Dwarven Blade-Warden
Stats: Body 2, Mind 0, Charm 1
Special: “I’ve Seen Worse” (+1 Body vs. fear or pain).
Gear: Runed Warhammer (+3 Body).
Vibe: Grizzled veteran, trusts steel but faces prejudice (Bladebrand: -1 Charm). - Lyra Voon, Elven Spelltracer
Stats: Body 0, Mind 2, Charm 1
Special: “Arcane Echo” (Reveal a magical clue, once per scene).
Gear: WAND of Clarity (+3 Mind).
Vibe: Ambitious mage, reads ley lines like forensics. - Tormen Quill, Human Flow-Singer
Stats: Body 0, Mind 0, Charm 3
Special: “Pry the Truth” (+1 Charm to spot lies).
Gear: WAND of Presence (+3 Charm).
Vibe: Charming negotiator, sways crowds and suspects. - Zethra, Gnoll Flow-Warden
Stats: Body 1, Mind 2, Charm 0
Special: “Scent of Guilt” (+1 Mind to track suspects).
Gear: WAND of Resonance (+3 Body).
Vibe: Feral rookie, loyal but unpredictable.
Vehicle Equivalent in Valthorne: The Constabulary Golem
10 HP | Special: Flow-Bound Servitor
“It does not walk—it is carried by duty.”
What It Is
The Constabulary Golem is a semi-autonomous construct assigned to precincts by the High Tribunal. It is not truly a vehicle in the mechanical sense—it is a walking civic consensus engine, a resonance-bound automaton made of sunbaked clay, driftglass, and scraps of sanctioned verdicts. Some say it hums when the Commons agree. Others say it dreams of laws yet unwritten.
Suggested TiGGR Stats
- Body: 2 (hulking strength)
- Mind: 1 (basic logic, rune reading)
- Charm: 0 (can’t speak; expresses through gesture or rune-light)
- HP: 10
- Gear: Consensus Bell (+3 Body to protect an ally or breach a sealed site, once per session)
Functions in Play
- Transport: Carries prisoners, supplies, or injured constables.
- Mobile Courtroom: May serve as a portable ritual anchor, stabilizing the Flow during high-stakes trials in remote areas.
- Public Symbol: Adds +1 to Flow Track when seen assisting civilians (once per session).
- Public Menace: If deployed aggressively, it causes a Drift Event (“The city shudders—the golem is not meant to punish.”)
Narrative Hooks
- Its clay can record emotional impressions, retrievable only through ritual.
- It remembers every verdict it’s witnessed—but only hums the true ones.
- A rogue golem has been seen weeping red clay near the Spiral Mouth...
Variants
- Petition-Golem: Built from fragments of written grievances.
- Hollow Golem: Used for psychic surveillance; now illegal, but some still walk.
- Golem 6-K: Nicknamed “Sixkick” for resolving riots with a single stomp.
Golem Model 4-LAW-4
- Designation: ED-201 (Etheric Detainer)
- Primary Directives:
- Enforce remembered verdicts.
- Protect public resonance.
- Sing if the Flow turns volatile.
Problem?
The Law’s too alive.
Where ED-209 couldn’t walk down stairs, 4-LAW-4 refuses to enter buildings with civic dissonance. One time it spent 11 hours outside a bakery humming because a customer yelled at a teen barista.
Folktale Angle
Imagine if the city’s old verdict archives were misfiled—not destroyed, just emotionally misplaced. And now the golem is operating on the will of a district that no longer exists. It’s enforcing ghost resonance.
One citizen gets arrested for “inadequate grief attire.” Another is detained for not humming along with a public song.
Tribunal Memo
Precinct Bulletin 7-A
“The golem has declared ‘The Mourning Hour is Eternal’ and turned its body into a civic barricade.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ARGUE PHILOSOPHY WITH IT.”
Playing the Flow: Game Loop
Each session is a Playable Folktale, a 30-45 minute procedural episode:
- Spark (5 min): A crime disrupts the Flow (e.g., a merchant’s death ripples grief). Set the goal: solve the case, restore resonance. Flow Track starts at 3.
- Resonance (20 min): Investigate via:
- Move & Act: Non-risky actions (e.g., examining runes) succeed; risky ones (e.g., dispelling a curse) roll 2d6 + Stat vs. 6/8/10.
- Read the Flow: Mind 8 to gauge public mood (+1 next roll if successful).
- Combat: Roll Body 8 to hit (1d6 damage + Gear). Enemies have 1-5 HP.
- Drift Events: GM triggers if Flow shifts (e.g., “Crowd sings a forbidden tune, Flow drops to 2”).
- Ritual (15 min): Resolve via trial, duel, or civic song (Mind/Charm 8-10). Success aligns the Flow; failure risks Undertow (1 HP loss or narrative scar).
- Echo (5 min): Reflect on impact, shift stats/abilities, tease the next case.
WAND Combat: Resonance Over Muscle
When using a WAND in combat, roll 2d6 + your highest stat, not just Body. WANDs strike with emotional resonance—conviction, clarity, and connection. Add +1 (once per scene) or +3 (once per session) from your WAND bonus. Roll for damage: 1d6 + stat + WAND bonus.
A whisper can hit harder than a warhammer if the Law agrees
Sainted Thief Clause: If an action (e.g., theft) resonates with public relief (Charm 8), the character is sainted (+1 to rolls, untouchable for one session). Next session, they face rejudgment (Charm 10 or Flow drops by 1).
Undertow (Optional Table):
| Roll | Consequence |
|---|---|
| 1 | Echo someone else’s verdict |
| 2 | Forget a kindness |
| 3 | Speak in the Law’s voice |
| 4 | +1 Mind, lose Charm for session |
| 5 | Compelled to preemptively punish |
| 6 | Disappear into civic hallucination |
Sample Folktale #1: The Griefstone Murmur
Spark
A griefstone in a Whisper Market wails, a noble is found dead nearby, their WAND accusing a tavern keeper. Flow Track starts at 2 (stagnant).
Goal
Uncover the truth and calm the griefstone before a psychic storm (Flow Track 6).
Clues
- Mind 8: The WAND’s resonance links to a Saffron Veil ritual.
- Charm 6: A Drift Choir singer saw another noble nearby.
Complications
- Iron Veil thugs (Body 2, 3 HP, Shadow Dagger +1) ambush (Body 8 to fend off).
- Drift Event: “Commons sing a dirge, Flow rises to 4, Hard rolls now 12.”
Ritual
Confront a corrupt Verdict, Serethine Vahl, in the High Tribunal:
- Mind 10: Cast Revelation Glyph to expose her tampering.
- Charm 10: Lead a civic song to calm the griefstone.
- Body 10: Duel her (5 HP, Truth Rune +1 Charm).
Echo
Success calms the griefstone, Flow at 4. Failure lets Serethine escape, Flow drops to 1. A singer’s hymn hints at a Verdict conspiracy.
Cha-Chunk!
The griefstone hums softly, fading to a child placing a vibrating stone.
Sample Folktale #2: Dude, Where’s My Golem?”
Setup
Last seen humming its way out of a precinct courtyard, the precinct’s Constabulary Golem (designation: 4-LAW-4) has vanished. No commands were issued. No rituals were performed. No forms were filed (a crime unto itself). The city’s Flow is… oddly amused.
Goal
Track down the missing golem, determine why it left, and recover it before it fulfills a verdict that no one remembers authorizing.
Flow Track: Starts at 4
The Commons think it’s hilarious. For now.
Clues (choose 2–3):
- Charm 6: A market scribe says the golem passed through humming a nursery rhyme.
- Mind 8: Its footprints lead toward the Spiral Mouth, but they skip every seventh step—suggesting partial resonance overwrite.
- Mind 10: Lyra analyzes the residual spell-trail and uncovers a forgotten Tribunal docket about “Case 0-NOPE-1.”
Complications
- Iron Veil pranksters claim to have “borrowed” the golem and sold it to an artisan cult. (They’re lying. Body 8 to subdue or Charm 8 to out-trick.)
- Drift Event: “Commons begin posting poems addressed to the golem. Flow rises to 5. All NPCs treat the situation as a civic art piece.”
- Cerulean Cloak Directive: A rival team shows up, claiming jurisdiction. (Mind 8 to stall them, or escalate to wand-off: Body 10).
Ritual / Climax Options
- Charm 10: Convince the golem it’s fulfilling an invalid verdict. (Requires reciting the nursery rhyme backwards while touching its chest glyph.)
- Mind 10: Perform a “verdict purge” using the WAND of Resonance. Risk misfire—Flow drops to 2 if failed.
- Body 10: Subdue the golem in non-lethal ritual combat (must break its stride without cracking the civic sigils on its arms).
Echo
If recovered:
- Flow resets to 3.
- The golem paints “DO NOT RESUSCITATE OLD LAWS” in civic blue ink on the precinct wall.
If lost or destroyed:
- Flow drops to 1.
- A child begins dreaming of a second golem—one that judges laughter.
Cha-Chunk!
The precinct returns to quiet paperwork, but outside, someone has left a small clay sculpture of the golem with a note:
“You asked it to protect the city. You just never told it what from.”
GM Tips: Running Valthorne
- Start with a Ripple: Open with a Flow disruption (e.g., “A WAND misfires, the market stills”).
- Make the Commons Live: Describe their mood vividly (e.g., “The crowd’s grief thickens the air”). Their reactions shift the Flow Track.
- WANDs Are Personal: Each WAND has a unique hum (e.g., “Lyra’s pulses with hope”). Tie it to player narration.
- Undertow Threat: Over-aligning with the Law risks Undertow (1 HP loss or narrative cost, e.g., “You enforce a dream-verdict”).
- Ritual Climaxes: Trials are mythic—use spell-duels, songs, or griefstone silences. Roll Mind/Charm 8-10 to resolve.
- Humor & Absurdity: Add WAND licensing mishaps or a “Sacred Mole” (+3 Charm) that burrows mid-trial.
- Ethical Play: Offer a Shroud of Self (Mind 8, once per session, to shield thoughts, +1 vs. Undertow, -1 Flow Track). Pause for player consent if psychic probing feels heavy.
- Ritual Generator (1d6):
- Song by three or more voices.
- Memory burned in silence.
- Runes stepped across only by innocents.
- Shared meal prepared with intent.
- Spell cast backwards.
- A name whispered by a stranger.
System-Agnostic Notes: For Fate, use Aspects (e.g., “Flow-Sworn Constable”) and Empathy for Flow rolls. For Blades in the Dark, treat the Constabulary as a crew, with Flow as a Clock. For story-only, narrate actions and resolve via group consensus on emotional authenticity.
Closing Thoughts
Valthorne transforms Law & Order’s procedural grit into a psychic, desert-folklore epic. The Flow, WANDs, and Commons create a living world where justice is felt, not decreed. TiGGR’s rules keep sessions punchy, while the Sainted Thief Clause and Undertow add moral depth. Whether you’re chasing spell-traffickers or leading a civic song, Valthorne hums with stories of resonance, dissent, and hope.
Credits
Valthorne: City of Living Law was created by HK Kahng, with co-authored support and iterative development from ChatGPT (OpenAI) and Grok (xAI).
This project was built through collaborative storytelling and dialogic design—an entangled act of narrative resonance, system invention, and thematic drift.
License
Text content is released under the
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You are free to:
• Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
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Under the following terms:
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Full license text: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Law listens.
You are invited to hum back.