Mechanical truths and setting laws that shape how the world functions.
This is a toolbox of possible Constants that the narrator or game designer can choose to implement.
Arcane knowledge is spread throughout the fabric of the world
Arcane magic is not the exclusive domain of trained wizards or ancient bloodlines. Through the widespread diffusion of arcane knowledge across the world, any character may learn the fundamentals of Tier 1 Arcane Spells.
A character may acquire a new Tier 1 Arcane Spell by either:
Dungeons that replay moments of dramatic history
Some dungeons are not places, but echoes — living replays of dramatic scenes from history, even events lost to memory. These dungeons appear and may disappear randomly. Each time a character enters such a dungeon, they step into a self-contained scene from the past.
Within these dungeons, characters may fight, interact, and participate in the historical moment. Any items, knowledge, or resources they successfully salvage from the echo become permanently theirs to keep upon exiting.
The longer they wait, the greater their reward
Mystery chests spontaneously appear throughout the world. Their contents grow in value the longer they remain unopened — the longer a chest sits undisturbed, the more powerful or valuable its rewards become.
Because of this mechanic, chests located in remote, dangerous, or difficult-to-reach places naturally become more valuable over time, as it takes longer for anyone to discover and open them.