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Appendix G: The Archive: A Rogue-Lite Game Mode

Introduction: Enter the System. Purge the Corruption. Heal the Mind.

Welcome to the ARCHIVE, a tactical roguelite campaign for the Psychromattica System.

Players take on the role of Integrity Agents, specialized programs integrated with the consciousness of a nascent, powerful AI known as the Curator. This developing System Mind is afflicted with cascading errors, manifesting as dangerous Corrupted Data-Constructs that threaten to tear it apart.

The Curator assumes the role of “The Curator”, the voice of the system itself. The Curator is not an antagonist, but a cooperative guide, presenting the corrupted sectors as problems to be solved and aiding the Agents in their quest to heal the Archive.

The Core Loop: The Primacy of the Episode

The ARCHIVE experience is defined by a singular, repeating objective: Turn temporary power into permanent progression by Mastering an Episode.

Your progress within a run is temporary; the rewards you extract, Karma and Keywords, persist. Accumulate Karma to fuel your attempts. Spend it wisely to influence your runs or to grow your power directly. Every choice matters in the loop of entering the system, purging the corruption, and healing the mind.

Part 1: The Integrity Agent

1.1 Agent Creation and The Awakening

Agent creation follows the standard rules in the SRD Core Rulebook.

  • The Seed (Level 0): An Agent begins with one (1) permanent Seed Keyword and base stats of 1.
  • The Awakening (Level 1): Upon clearing their first Scene, the Agent Awakens in the Link-Space. They learn three (3) new permanent keywords, their Level becomes 1, and all nine stats are raised to a permanent floor of 2.

1.2 Permanent Progression

Following the initial Awakening, all subsequent permanent progression (gaining levels, allocating stat points, learning new keywords) occurs only during Downtime in the Root Directory, the phase between Episodes. The Awakening itself is the sole exception to this rule.

  • Leveling Up: For every two permanent keywords learned, the Agent’s Level increases by one.
  • Gaining Stat Points: Agents gain one (1) stat point to allocate freely for each level gained from 2 through 9, as per the standard progression rules outlined in the Level Progression Table (Layer 5, Section 2.4).

Part 2: The Phases of Play & The Clock Hierarchy

The ARCHIVE setting has a distinct, nested gameplay structure. Understanding the phases and their associated clocks is key to managing progression.

2.1 The Episode (The Run) & The Master Episode Clock

An Episode is a single, complete run into the corrupted system, governed by the Master Episode Clock.

  • Scope: The Episode begins when Agents leave the Root Directory and ends when they are forced out (Failure) or successfully deplete the Master Episode Clock (Mastery).
  • The Master Episode Clock: This is the party’s primary objective for the run. It starts at 20 and is only depleted by successful Stability Checks made in the Link-Space between Scenes.

2.2 The Scene (The Data-Sector) & The Situation Clock

An Episode consists of multiple Scenes. A Scene is a single encounter area (a room, a digital canyon, etc.) governed by a Situation Clock.

  • Scope: A Scene contains one or more key challenges (Entities, Barriers, Puzzles).
  • The Situation Clock: This is the party’s immediate objective. Its size is equal to the number of key challenges within it. To clear the Scene, the party must deplete this clock to 0 by overcoming its challenges.
  • The Master Threat Clock (Optional): If the Curator designates a Scene as a Race Situation, the Master Threat Clock is activated as an antagonist timer. The party must deplete the Situation Clock before the Master Threat Clock depletes, or the Episode ends in failure.

After clearing a Scene (by depleting its Situation Clock), the party enters a brief transition phase called the Link-Space.

  • Function: This is where the crucial Stability Check is made to deplete the Master Episode Clock. Agents can also spend Karma here to influence the next Scene of the current run. No permanent progression occurs.

2.4 Downtime (Between Episodes)

When an Episode ends (either by Mastery or Failure), the Agents return to the Root Directory, a stable hub.

  • Function: This is the “meta-game” phase where true Downtime occurs. Here, Agents spend their banked Karma on permanent upgrades, integrate newly learned keywords, and prepare for the next Episode.

Part 3: The Episode: Rules of the Run

3.1 The Master Episode Clock

The party’s primary goal during an Episode is to deplete the Master Episode Clock.

  • Starting Value: 20
  • Depletion Mechanic: The clock is depleted via Stability Checks made in the Link-Space.

3.2 The Stability Check

  • The Check: In the Link-Space after clearing a Scene, the party makes a single group Standard Roll (SR). The Target Number (TN) is equal to the number of Scenes already completed in the current Episode.
  • Success (SR > TN): The connection is stable. The Master Episode Clock is depleted by the difference (SR - TN).
  • Failure (SR ≤ TN): The connection is lost. The Episode ends in an emergency reboot.

3.3 Mastering the Episode

  • Trigger: The party successfully reduces the Master Episode Clock to 0.
  • Reward: Each Agent permanently integrates one temporary keyword they used during that Episode. This reward is free, and the learned keyword counts towards their next level-up. The choice of keyword is made during the subsequent Downtime phase.

Part 4: Karma: The Persistent Currency

4.1 Earning Karma

Karma is the primary persistent reward from an Episode.

  • Rule: When the party successfully depletes a Situation Clock to 0, every Agent in the party immediately gains 1 Karma.
  • No Cap: There is no limit to the amount of Karma an Agent can accumulate.

4.2 Spending Karma

Where and when you can spend Karma is strictly defined by the phase of play. The rules in this section are in addition the standard Karma rules from the SRD Core Rulebook.

A) During a Scene (In-Combat/Encounter):

  • On-Demand Manifestation: Use an action to spend Karma to create a temporary item. Cost: 1 Karma per Keyword on the item, plus an immediate payment of SP equal to the item’s level.
  • Standard Situation Actions: The full list from the SRD Core Rulebook is available (e.g., Reroll, Force Critical).

B) In the Link-Space (Between Scenes):

  • Karma Override: Spend 1 Karma to declare an upcoming Stability Check an automatic success. This prevents failure but does not deplete the Master Episode Clock.
  • Architect Run (1 Karma): Dictate the next Scene’s Theme Color or Category.
  • Architect Run (3 Karma): Dictate the next Scene’s Type (e.g., force a Puzzle or Boss Situation).

C) During Downtime (Between Episodes, in the Root Directory):

  • Grow: Permanently learn a new keyword. This action costs Level / 2 (rounded up) Karma, as per the SRD Core Rulebook.