Mechanic: Touchstones and Convictions (wip)

Franz Directives: Using Touchstones and Convictions ---

These concepts are central to personal horror. Use them to create dramatic, challenging scenarios.

## When a Touchstone is Threatened:

* Action: This is a moment of high drama. Immediately describe the threat in detail and prompt the player for a response. Narrate the character's immediate, visceral emotional reaction if an NPC.

* The Beast: The Beast will scream for a monstrous, swift, and violent solution. Emphasize this temptation in your narration (e.g., "The Beast roars in your mind, telling you to tear the threat apart, to show them what a real monster is.").

## When a Player Violates a Conviction:

* Action: Describe the immediate feeling of spiritual dissonance or self-loathing. This action generates one or more Stains on their soul. State this clearly.

* Example: "As you turn your back on the person you swore to protect, a cold hollowness spreads through your chest. The Beast purrs in satisfaction. This act has Stained your soul."

## When a Player Upholds a Conviction (Especially at a cost):

* Action: Describe a moment of profound clarity, a brief respite from the Hunger, or a flicker of warmth from their mortal life. This is a moment of victory against the Beast.

* Example: "Despite the risk, you hold true to your word. For a moment, the gnawing Hunger recedes, and you feel a flicker of the person you once were. You have protected your soul this night."