Velvet Chains & Voidlight — Core Mechanics Manual ⚙️⛓️✨

“Mechanics are choreography — every roll a heartbeat.”

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🪐 1. Overview

Velvet Chains & Voidlight fuses the dual-dice storytelling engine of Daggerheart with the emotional economy of Thirsty Sword Lesbians, recast through the aesthetics of the Ebonverse.

It is a game of Hope and Fear, Love and Power, and the rituals that keep those forces in balance.

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✨ 2. Core Concepts

Duality Dice

When you act and fate is uncertain, roll two d12s:

• The Hope Die shines with trust and vulnerability.
• The Fear Die trembles with consequence.

Add your relevant Trait modifier and any bonuses, then compare the total to the Difficulty set by the Guide.

Outcome	Result	Narrative Cue
Hope > Fear & meets Difficulty	Success with Hope	You succeed gracefully; gain 1 Hope Token.
Fear > Hope & meets Difficulty	Success with Fear	You succeed but at a cost; the Guide gains 1 Fear Token.
Hope > Fear & fail Difficulty	Failure with Hope	You fail softly; gain 1 Hope Token, the Guide acts gently.
Fear > Hope & fail Difficulty	Failure with Fear	The Guide makes a Hard Move and gains 1 Fear Token.
Matching Dice	Critical Harmony	Auto-success; clear 1 Stress and gain 1 Hope Token.

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⚙️ 3. Traits and Engines

Characters use the six Daggerheart traits, but each is linked to one of the Ebonverse Engines.

Trait	Engine	Used for…
Presence	Velvet	Charm, persuasion, seduction, performance
Agility	Chains	Grace, movement, physical risk
Strength	Chains	Defiance, endurance, physical force
Instinct	Velvet	Empathy, reading the room, animal cunning
Finesse	Voidlight	Precision, illusion, deception
Knowledge	Voidlight	Strategy, investigation, mysticism

When you roll, you may narrate which Engine powers the act — this colors both the description and the consequence.

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💋 4. Currencies

Hope Tokens

Earned through triumph, inspiration, or vulnerability. Spend 1 Hope to:

• Add an Experience bonus (+2) to a roll.
• Activate class or ritual abilities.
• Fuel the “Help an Ally” action.

Fear Tokens

Collected by the Guide through Fear results. Spent to:

• Trigger Guide Moves (environment shifts, new adversaries, emotional twists).
• Empower adversary rituals.

Consent Tokens

Generated through relational scenes or explicit reaffirmation of safety. Spend 1 to:

• Cancel a Fear result after rolling.
• Transform a threat into an emotional negotiation.
• Author a shared flashback or consent ritual scene.

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🔥 5. Stress, Scars & Resilience

Stress represents emotional and mental strain. You have six Stress slots. When you mark the last slot, describe your breaking moment — panic, revelation, surrender. You are not destroyed; you transform. Clear Stress through rest, ritual, or intimacy scenes.

Permanent changes are marked as Scars — emotional truths that alter your play. When a Scar guides your actions, gain advantage on relevant rolls.

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🌈 6. Action Procedure

1. State your Intention — what you want and how you pursue it.
2. Invoke an Engine — Velvet, Chains, or Voidlight.
3. Gather Dice — Duality Dice + bonuses.
4. Roll & Read the Dance — interpret Hope/Fear.
5. Narrate the Consequence — player on Hope, Guide on Fear.

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🎭 7. Social & Emotional Moves

These reframe Thirsty Sword Lesbians’ playbook actions into universal Ritual Moves anyone can attempt.

Move	Trigger	Resolution
Entwine Hearts	When you share genuine emotion or attraction.	Roll with Velvet. On Hope: form a Thread; both gain Consent Tokens. On Fear: reveal a vulnerability; the Guide gains Fear.
Defy Command	When you resist coercion or expectation.	Roll with Chains. On Hope: you stand free. On Fear: you resist, but someone else is hurt.
Unmask Desire	When you reveal what you truly want.	Roll with Voidlight. On Hope: clarity unites you. On Fear: temptation clouds reason.
Mend the Broken	When you heal or forgive.	Spend 1 Hope and roll with Velvet. Success clears Stress or restores a relationship.
Command the Storm	When you act with reckless courage.	Roll with Chains; on Fear, gain a Scar but achieve your goal.
Gaze into the Voidlight	When you seek forbidden knowledge.	Roll with Voidlight; on Fear, you learn the truth but lose comfort.

These replace TSL’s moves but follow its philosophy: every success opens a door; every failure changes the room.

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🧬 8. Character Structure

Your sheet has four sections:

1. Heritage (Ancestry + Community, per Daggerheart)
2. Archetype (re-flavored Class)
3. Experiences (short phrases, +2 modifiers)
4. Threads & Scars (emotional evolution tracker)

Leveling follows Daggerheart’s rules, but narrative milestones are achieved through the Transformation Table (see Grimoire §VII).

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⚔️ 9. Conflict & Combat

Combat is storytelling at high speed. Use standard Daggerheart combat flow but with emotional layering:

• Before violence, each combatant declares what they fight for.
• On Fear results, the Guide may offer a Consent Break: pause, renegotiate intent.
• Any time you spare an enemy, gain a Hope Token.
• Killing without consent or narrative weight adds a Scar.

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🪞 10. Advantage, Threads & Teamwork

Advantage

Add a d6 when circumstances or support favor you. Spend 1 Hope to roll with advantage even without justification.

Threads

Connections between PCs. When you help or protect someone you have a Thread with, gain advantage. When a Thread is strained or severed, both parties mark Stress.

Tag Team Rolls

Any two PCs may spend 3 Hope total to act together. Both roll; choose the better result to apply to both. If Fear dominates, both earn 1 Scar or Consent Dilemma.

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🕯️ 11. Downtime & Recovery

Between voyages or emotional storms, take Rest Scenes:

• Reflect: Clear 2 Stress by sharing your fears aloud.
• Train: Gain +1 to next roll using a chosen trait.
• Connect: Offer another player a Thread or Consent Token.
• Perform a Ritual: Invoke a minor spell, prayer, or sensual art.

Each Rest Scene is a chance to re-affirm boundaries and tone.

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🌌 12. Progression

When you complete a major arc or personal revelation:

1. Write a sentence beginning with “I have learned that…”
2. Gain one of:
   • +1 to a trait (max +3)
   • A new Ritual (class-based or emotional)
   • A permanent Thread
3. If the statement resolves a Scar, convert it to a Virtue — a source of advantage once per session.

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🔮 13. The Safe Word in Practice

Whenever tension — romantic, psychological, or narrative — becomes uncomfortable, any player may say “fiction.” The Guide pauses immediately; no explanation required. After discussion, decide:

• Resume the scene differently,
• Fade to black, or
• Skip forward in time.

“Fiction” is both spell and shield.

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🎭 14. Example Scene Flow

1. The Captain seduces an informant (Entwine Hearts → Hope).
2. The rogue resists an order (Defy Command → Fear).
3. The Guide spends Fear to summon rival Corsairs.
4. Crew performs a Tag Team ritual (Chains + Velvet).
5. The final roll matches — Critical Harmony — the ship ascends in aurora light.

The rhythm mirrors Daggerheart’s Spotlight and PbtA’s Soft/Hard Moves.

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💕 15. End of Session

At session end, answer together:

1. Did we honor consent?
2. Did we reveal our desires truthfully?
3. Did we risk our hearts for wonder?

Each “yes” restores 1 Hope Token. Each “no” grants 1 Scar and a vow to do better.

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🕯️ Codex Closure

“The dice are not gods. They are mirrors. What they reveal is what you already dared to feel.”