• Overview
  • Map
  • Areas
  • Points of Interest
  • Characters
  • Races
  • Classes
  • Factions
  • Monsters
  • Items
  • Spells
  • Feats
  • Quests
  • One-Shots
  • Game Master
  1. Fate & Lunar Moon
  3. Lore

Core Design Principles

Core Design Principle

Power should feel earned, not declared.

In a Tsukihime-style setting:

  • Early power = unstable, vague, limited

  • Personal powers = trauma-activated, story-triggered

  • Endgame power = identity-defining

If PCs start with bespoke powers immediately, you lose:

  • Mystery

  • Escalation

  • The sense that the city is reacting to them

Recommended Structure (Best Fit for Kurotsuki City)

PHASE 1 — Shared Baseline (Levels 1–2)

All characters of a class draw from the same spell framework.

At this stage:

  • Spells are externalized

  • Power feels borrowed or conditional

  • PCs don’t yet know why they can do things

Think: “Something happens when I do this”
Not: “This is my unique power.”

PHASE 2 — Personalization (Levels 3–6)

Characters begin to:

  • Modify spells

  • Reframe effects

  • Add narrative tags or conditions

This is where:

  • Spells begin reflecting personal trauma or origin

  • Visual novel “routes” lock in

  • Moon Attention reacts strongly

PHASE 3 — Signature Abilities (Levels 7+)

Characters gain:

  • One unique spell or feature

  • A named technique

  • A cost only they pay

Now power is identity.

CLASS-BY-CLASS SPELL DESIGN

Observer

Level 1 Standard

Observers start with perception-based magic:

  • Detect Magic

  • Detect Thoughts (limited)

  • Guidance

  • Minor Illusion (sensory-only)

Why:
They are learning to see, not to act.

Personalization Later

At higher levels:

  • Death-line sight

  • Future echoes

  • Seeing hidden states

These become named abilities, not generic spells.

Executor

Level 1 Standard

Executors start with:

  • Smite-like effects

  • Protection spells

  • Simple wards

Why:
Their power is certainty, not specialization.

Personalization Later

Executors later:

  • Define what they reject

  • Gain bonuses against specific entities

  • Develop ritual executions

Bound Heir

Level 1 Standard

Bound Heirs begin with:

  • Limited innate magic

  • One recurring visual motif

  • Unstable burst abilities

Why:
They don’t understand their inheritance yet.

Personalization Later

  • Bloodline-specific spells

  • Manifestation abilities

  • Corruption mechanics

Mediator

Level 1 Standard

Mediators start with:

  • Charm

  • Illusion

  • Emotional influence

Why:
They influence relationships before reality.

Personalization Later

  • Faction-based leverage

  • Named manipulations

  • Route-locking effects

Occultist

Level 1 Standard

Occultists begin with:

  • Ritual magic

  • Wards

  • Prepared symbols

Why:
Preparation defines them, not raw power.

Personalization Later

  • Custom rituals

  • Unique costs

  • Environmental magic

WHY NOT FULL CUSTOM AT LEVEL 1?

If everyone starts unique:

  • Power feels arbitrary

  • PCs feel “chosen” instead of pressured

  • The Black Moon loses narrative weight

In Tsukihime-style stories:

You don’t start special.
You become dangerous.

BEST PRACTICE RULE

Level 1 spells represent how the city allows you to survive.
Later spells represent how you stop asking permission.