Access on the StoryCopy link
Access is edited in the opening chapter of the narrative. Its existing Status contribution is included in Hero Statistics; it does not need to be entered again in another section.
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Who Answers When You Ask Copy link
Access represents a Hero’s social reach, legitimacy, and place within the systems around them. It reflects who recognizes them, who is willing to respond, and what communities or institutions are prepared to help when the Hero seeks aid, information, opportunity, or entry.
Access is not Wealth. It is not what the Hero owns. It is the network of people, affiliations, and institutions willing to answer when the Hero calls.
A Hero with strong Access may own very little while still commanding considerable influence through alliances, reputation, obligation, or institutional support. A Hero with weak Access may possess resources, but have no one to rely upon when support truly matters.
CHOOSING ACCESS Copy link
During Hero Creation, choose the Access Rank that best reflects the Hero’s upbringing, affiliations, reputation, social legitimacy, and place within the world.
Access helps establish how easily the Hero can secure introductions, assistance, information, institutional support, and social opportunity. It also contributes to Status, representing how much the Hero’s presence matters within a social environment.
Access describes who will respond.
Status describes how much weight the Hero carries when they arrive.
ACCESS RANKS Copy link
Access Rank | Status | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
Unseen | +0 | Outside established systems |
Attached | +0 | Legitimacy through another |
Familiar | +1 | Known within limited Circles |
Connected | +1 | Supported by reliable networks |
Influential | +2 | Recognized and socially powerful |
Embedded | +2 | Deeply rooted within institutions |
UNSEEN Copy link
+0 Status Copy link
An Unseen Hero stands largely outside recognized systems of power, influence, and legitimacy.
Few institutions know their name, and reliable assistance can be difficult to obtain. They often depend upon self-reliance, improvisation, companions, or relationships developed during the campaign.
Being Unseen does not mean being powerless. It means the Hero has little established support to call upon.
ATTACHED Copy link
+0 Status Copy link
An Attached Hero gains legitimacy through someone or something else.
Their standing may come from a household, mentor, patron, guild, military unit, Order, family line, or other affiliation. Doors may open because of that connection, but the Hero’s Access remains tied to the relationship that grants it.
If that relationship weakens, their Access may weaken with it.
FAMILIAR Copy link
+1 Status Copy link
A Familiar Hero possesses modest but dependable recognition.
People within certain regions, professions, or Circles know who they are. Local organizations may recognize their name, and small favors, introductions, or assistance can often be secured without extensive explanation.
Their influence is limited, but established.
CONNECTED Copy link
+1 Status Copy link
A Connected Hero maintains an active and dependable network.
Their name travels through communities, guilds, factions, professions, or political circles. They know people who can answer questions, make introductions, provide assistance, or connect them to someone more powerful.
Connected Access represents more than recognition. It represents relationships that can be called upon.
INFLUENTIAL Copy link
+2 Status Copy link
An Influential Hero carries meaningful regional authority.
Powerful individuals and organizations recognize their name, and their involvement may alter negotiations, opportunities, or public perception before they ever make a formal request.
Their Access can secure substantial assistance, but greater influence also creates greater expectation. People notice how an Influential Hero uses their standing.
EMBEDDED Copy link
+2 Status Copy link
An Embedded Hero is deeply rooted within systems of power, legitimacy, or obligation.
Institutions trust them. Networks recognize their role. Their position is reinforced through authority, reputation, family, sacred responsibility, political standing, or long-established alliances.
Support may come quickly because the Hero is already part of the structure being called upon. That same connection also creates scrutiny, expectation, and responsibility.
The more deeply a Hero is embedded, the more difficult it becomes to act without consequence.
ACCESS & STATUS Copy link
Access contributes to Status, but the two are not identical.
A Hero may possess strong Access yet carry little authority in a foreign region, hostile culture, or opposing faction. Likewise, a Hero with limited Access may still command considerable Status through reputation, fear, military authority, divine significance, or extraordinary accomplishment.
Access represents social reach. Status represents social impact.
Where the Hero is and who they are dealing with determines how much either truly matters.
ACCESS IN PLAY Copy link
Access is intended to create narrative possibilities rather than function as a simple purchasing system.
A Hero with Access may know who can acquire a difficult item, who controls passage through a restricted area, who can provide information, or which institution might be willing to help. The question is not always whether the Hero can afford something, but whether they know who can make it happen.
Access turns the world into a network of relationships, favors, institutions, obligations, and reputation.
THE WEIGHT OF ACCESS Copy link
Access is never absolute.
Distance, damaged reputation, hostile affiliations, competing loyalties, or repeated demands may all limit what even a well-connected Hero can accomplish.
Relationships must be maintained. Institutions remember how they are treated. Favors create expectations, and support may come with conditions.
Access opens doors, but every open door belongs to someone.