slaved away on this, and it was truly impressive to see it come together.

Dreamcatcher is a long term project to write a brand new type of tabletop/online RPG. It's both a setting and mechanics system, but really it's a new paradigm I'm particularly proud of. It's finished it's first draft, and found a second draft of the mechanics, but the book itself requires a total overhaul to get it close to the design goals I'm looking for.

This will be taken down along with all Dreamcatcher works once I get closer to launching the book.

Entropy -

The world decays naturally, and the Nameless of that gradual force has grown since the Day of Slumber, particularly due to the loss of life all over. That fed into many creatures, but none more than the Fungus, one of the few multicellular animals not able to dream. Penumbra infected lands have let fungus swarms grow into sizeable amounts, and even started to warp it into monstrous and even intelligent forms.
These fungal growths are most frightening in the shape of Cordyceps, taking living creatures and warping them while still aware into husks physically, blends of fungus and animal. They all in essence are servants of Entropy, the constant decay and don’t take no for an answer to those infected. Some living creatures may give themselves over entirely, willingly joining the contract and with it immunity to the death or immobility that eventually comes, but it also tries the mind, which may fracture when they eventually uncontrollably bloom.

Signing the Contract Grants:
The host gains the trait regeneration, as the fungal growth will repair injuries with new flesh rather quickly. However this process slowly digests the host body and replaces it with a different type of matter, making the host slowly into a mobile colony of fungus.
The infected are very sensitive to sound, allowing Hearing to be used without costing mental fortitude, and can hear through the ground and vibration allowing for a significant boost in distance.
The infected gains no penalties while in the Penumbra, and in fact may remove one fray from any roll while within the Penumbra.
There’s a loss in the creature’s coordination and muscle movements due to the interface with the Fungus, and they tend to move less smoothly, gaining the flaw Rigid Movement.

The greater bond grants:
Waken may be used to call fungus from the ground and protect allies in Reality. It may be used reactively to remove a threat completely as well as actively as a minor action to block passages or provide cover. The amount of fungal growth is determined by the Dreamweaver and relative presence of Penumbra. Ritual may be used to weaken the veil and increase the effect.
The infection continues to take hold, numbing limbs and granting Skilled (Pain Tolerance) and +3 Weaving bonus to Pain Tolerance.

The greatest bond grants:
As the presence of the fungus inside grows, it slowly converts the infected’s mind, reducing Mental Force by 1, but increasing Spiritual Force by 2. They also lose significant coordination, disabling the Acrobatics skill.
Tendrils of the Fungus bloom out your flesh and can be controlled by the infected like extra limbs. Gain the trait Unusual Dexterity, and you gain two additional Minor Actions on top of what your default shapes limbs grant.
You may infect non-entropy aligned husks by expending a Destiny and succeeding with a martial attack. It will use the fungus to cause long term change of allegiance, as the infection overtakes the spirit controlling them, the rate of change determined by the Dreamweaver. Those aligned with Entropy will no longer attack you or your allies, though may still attempt to bloom and spread their spores.
Occasionally Entropy may take control of them, functioning as per the Crushed Personality in The Possessed section. The duration and actions determined by the Dreamweaver though the occurrence should be rare and generally short lived until the time comes to bloom.

Joining a contract -
Entropy’s Husk’s in Penumbra can be quite infectious, their spores take root in flesh whether the host chooses to or not. While other Kami may provide protection, and medical treatment can prevent infection from taking root, if it does the body won’t last long. At that point Entropy will offer a contract in exchange for the host’s life, and if they are willing they will enter agreement. What they don’t realize is they are tools to spread Entropy regardless of their choices.

Breaking a contract -
Curing the character may break the contract, but it will be exceedingly difficult to do in many cases as the network of fungus living in the bloodstream reacts intelligently and will control the host if it senses it. Should a successful cure happen it would free the host, though the process will cost them 2 LF, but it will leave them with some strange powers and side effects. (Add bonus)
The contract may break when Entropy decides it’s time to bloom, or the character reaches 0 LF. Blooming will kill the character, as the fungus grows and expands out of the body and spores bloom. Sometimes the character’s intelligence may have become so integrated with the fungal colony that they will survive this metamorphosis and their consciousness divided among the spore’s eventual home, though at this point they will be considered a Kami as their soul will pass on.


Cordyceps -

Entropy’s children hardly are misrecognized, though often times victims don’t even realize what they are. They prefer keeping their victims fully aware and concious, sometimes even giving them the appearance of freedom and control and only nudging them in the direction they’d like. Other times they take full control, or even colonize the victim’s flesh converting it into a living fungal colony. The fungus interfaces with the nervous system, and the Kami rides that fungus.
Animals and humans unfortunate enough to be infected by Cordyceps find themselves increasingly sick, dizzy and out of sorts. Eventually they may be pushed into a location to bloom, becoming a static colony rooted in place but kept conscious and aware as the fungus spreads outward over their body. They spread through spores, choosing ripe and prime locations to have the new husk bloom and spread.
They may appear in a range of shapes, usually preferring intelligent creatures, though they are hardly picky. Their stalks grow out from flesh, looking like palid grey tentacles or strange fleshy puffballs, or large masses and stalks in colonies.