Luminous Warriors RPG
Inspired by the teachings of Carlos Castaneda
Luminous Warriors RPG
"Welcome to Luminous Warriors RPG—where ordinary reality is the prison, perception is the key, and the path to freedom is guarded by four merciless enemies. You are apprentices in hidden lineages. Your goal: accumulate enough energy to burn brightly and leap as pure awareness into infinity. Fail, and you fade into the ordinary world forever."
This tabletop roleplaying game draws directly from the core imagery of luminous energy strands, the warrior's relentless path against the four enemies, and the abyss of the unknowable wild side.
Quick Reference
- Game Name: Luminous Warriors RPG
- System Name: Abyssal Flux (d10-based mechanics with Energy pool, Luminous Egg integrity, and enemy progression)
- Tagline: "Shift perception. Gather power. Defeat the four enemies. Leap or burn out in the ordinary dark."
- Core Aesthetic: Desolate deserts under star-filled skies, glowing cocoons of light around human forms, shadowy inorganic beings with tendrils, ancient naguals with piercing eyes, dream-realms of infinite mirrors and devouring voids.
- Cover Vision: A lone figure silhouetted against a crackling web of luminous strands, one hand reaching toward an abyssal rift while four colossal shadowy enemies loom on the horizon. Flames of pure awareness rise from their feet.
Luminous Warriors RPG
The world is alive with energy. Everything, including people, animals, plants, mountains, and the wind, is made of flowing luminous strands. Ordinary folk live trapped in a fixed way of perceiving this energy, seeing only the solid, predictable world of everyday things: jobs, families, objects, routines. They call this the ordinary world.
But hidden lineages of sorcerers and witches have always known better. They are seers who have learned to shift their perception, to move the bright point of awareness (the spot where perception assembles reality) so they can glimpse and interact with the true flowing energy beneath appearances. This shift reveals other layers of existence; strange, beautiful, dangerous realms where inorganic beings drift, ancient forces whisper, and the boundaries of self dissolve.
All reality splits into two complementary forces:
- The ordered side — the everyday inventory of known things, rules, habits, names, stories, and personal identity. It is safe and useful but limiting. Most people cling to it desperately.
- The wild side — pure unknowable mystery, boundless potential, freedom, and power. It is thrilling and terrifying. Only the bold dare approach it.
True sorcerers and witches balance both, walking the edge between them without falling into madness or stagnation.
These practitioners belong to ancient, secretive lineages passed down through direct apprenticeship. A lineage is a chain of teachers and students stretching back centuries, each generation refining ways to move perception and gather power.
There are two main styles within the lineages:
- Dreamers — masters of the night. They enter dreaming not as passive sleep but as controlled art. In dreams they shift perception deliberately, explore other worlds, meet allies (non-human intelligences that can lend power or teach), and even create a dreaming body that acts independently. They pass through gates of increasing difficulty: stabilizing awareness in dreams, finding hands to trigger lucidity, traveling to real places in dream form, and eventually commanding inorganic beings or journeying to distant energetic landscapes.
- Stalkers — hunters of the day. They erase personal history, act impeccably without self-importance, and treat ordinary life as a battlefield for honing awareness. They "stalk" their own habits and the habits of others, moving unnoticed, manipulating situations with precision, and gathering energy from interactions. Their power comes from ruthless discipline and impeccable behavior.
Many lineages blend both paths, but a rare few are led by a nagual, a leader whose energy flows differently, able to push apprentices beyond ordinary limits with a glance, a blow, or sheer intent. A nagual heads a small party of sorcerers (often eight: four dreamers, four stalkers, plus companions) who work together toward ultimate freedom.
Allies and Power
Sorcerers form bonds with allies, plant spirits, wind entities, or inorganic beings from other realms that grant extraordinary abilities: heightened senses, flight in energy form, invisibility to ordinary eyes, foreknowledge, or bursts of raw power. These alliances are double-edged; allies can teach, protect, or drain life if disrespected.
Power is not magic tricks but accumulated energy. Practitioners build it through:
- Erasing personal history (becoming unpredictable and traceless)
- Losing self-importance
- Facing and defeating four enemies: fear, false clarity, arrogance from power, and old age/death
- Stopping the internal chatter to let pure perception arise
- Controlled folly (acting with full commitment while knowing nothing ultimately matters)
- Impeccable energy use
The World Feels
The desert, mountains, and remote villages hide these lineages. Encounters happen at twilight or in solitude. Sudden meetings with an old stranger who sees too much, a strange plant that calls in dreams, an inexplicable pull toward a remote place. Apprentices are tested ruthlessly: hunger, isolation, terror, impossible tasks. Only those with enough inner fire survive to become full seers.
The goal is total freedom: to leave the ordinary world behind, to burn with awareness like a flame, and leap into the unknown as pure energy, unbound by form or death. Few reach it. Most fall to one of the enemies along the path.
This is a world of wonder and danger, where perception is the ultimate weapon and prison, where the brave can see the luminous strands of the universe and dance among them.
The four enemies are formidable natural adversaries that every sorcerer or witch on the path of true knowledge must confront and defeat in sequence. They appear one after another as awareness grows and power accumulates. Most practitioners fall to one or more of them and never reach full freedom. Only by overcoming all four can one truly claim the title of a seer or person of knowledge.
These enemies emerge in this order:
1. Fear
When a practitioner first begins to truly learn—shifting perception, glimpsing the luminous strands, encountering allies, or stepping beyond the ordinary inventory of the world—everything feels uncertain and terrifying. What was imagined as exciting adventure turns out to be far stranger, more dangerous, and more disorienting than expected. The familiar self begins to crack; the world no longer makes the sense it once did.
This is the first enemy: Fear. It lurks at every turn, whispering to stop, to turn back, to cling to the safe ordinary world. It manifests as panic in the body, dread of the unknown, terror of losing control, or fear of madness or death. If the practitioner succumbs and flees, learning halts forever; they retreat into the comfort of ordinary life, perhaps forever marked by a vague sense of having glimpsed something vast but refusing it.
To defeat Fear, one must continue forward despite the terror—wide-awake, respectful, and with absolute assurance that the path is worth the risk. One proceeds exactly as if going to war: feeling the fear fully but refusing to let it rule. Over time, the fear lessens as experience accumulates, but it never vanishes entirely; it simply ceases to paralyze.
2. Clarity
Once Fear is overcome, a great gift arrives: Clarity. The practitioner now sees things as they are, without the fog of ordinary illusions. The luminous strands become visible, patterns emerge, allies speak clearly, and the world feels transparent and understandable. Confidence surges. The path seems certain; doubts dissolve.
But this very clarity becomes the second enemy. It blinds because it convinces the practitioner that they now know everything worth knowing. They stop questioning, stop exploring other possibilities, and become rigid in their new certainty. They may believe they have reached the end of the journey, that their way is the only way, or that no further doubt is necessary. This false finality halts real growth; they become dogmatic, closed to mystery, and trapped in a partial truth.
To defeat Clarity, the practitioner must treat it as almost a mistake. They must remain suspicious of their own certainty, wait patiently, measure carefully before each new step, and force themselves to doubt even when everything feels obvious. They cultivate perpetual openness to the unknowable, refusing to let clarity become a new cage.
3. Power
Having passed Clarity, the practitioner gains real Power—tangible abilities drawn from accumulated energy, alliances with inorganic beings, mastery over perception, and command of forces ordinary people cannot imagine. They can influence events, move through other realms, heal or harm, see far, command dreams, or wield intent with devastating precision. The wild side responds to them.
This is the third and strongest enemy: Power itself. It tempts the practitioner to use that power for personal gain, revenge, pleasure, control over others, or to feed ego. They may become cruel, arrogant, or indulgent, treating others as objects or pawns. Power corrupts because it makes one feel invincible and godlike, leading to abuse of energy and eventual energetic downfall—drain by allies, loss of luminosity, or entrapment in lower realms.
To defeat Power, the practitioner must refuse to use it recklessly or selfishly. They act with impeccable restraint, never exploiting others, and remember that power is a tool for freedom, not domination. They remain humble, treat power as borrowed, and continue to serve the path of total liberation rather than personal empire. Only then does power become a servant instead of a tyrant.
4. Old Age (or Tiredness / Death)
After defeating the first three, the practitioner reaches old age—or simply profound tiredness after decades of relentless discipline. The body weakens, energy fades, the luminous cocoon dims, and the pull of death grows strong. Everything feels heavy; the fire of awareness flickers. The world tempts one to rest, to settle, to accept decline as inevitable.
This final enemy is Old Age (sometimes spoken of as tiredness or the approach of death). It whispers that enough has been done, that the struggle is over, that one deserves comfort or oblivion. If the practitioner yields, awareness wanes, and they die as ordinary people do—without leaping free.
To defeat this last enemy, the practitioner must summon one final, impeccable burst of intent. They gather all remaining energy, burn brightly like a flame at its peak, and leap into the unknown as pure awareness—dissolving the self into infinity, unbound by form, time, or death. This is the ultimate freedom: to leave the luminous strands behind as conscious energy, never to return to ordinary cycles.
These four enemies test the entire path. Each victory opens the next stage, but each defeat ends the journey. True sorcerers and witches know them intimately and speak of them only to those already walking the edge.
Those who fall to one of the four enemies along the path face a definitive end to their journey toward total freedom. The defeat is final in the sense that, once they fully succumb and give in without further struggle, the pursuit of becoming a true seer—of accumulating the energy and intent needed to leap as pure awareness—stops permanently. Their luminous strands dim or become entangled in ordinary patterns, and they live out their lives within the confines of the ordinary world, often unaware of how close they once came to something greater.
The outcome varies depending on which enemy claims them:
- Defeated by Fear: They retreat entirely from the edge. The terror of the unknown proves too much, so they cling desperately to the safety of routines, names, stories, and personal history. They may become ordinary people marked by vague unease, unexplained regrets, or a lingering sense of something lost—but they never return to shifting perception or seeking allies. Their path ends in mediocrity or cowardice; learning halts forever.
- Defeated by Clarity: They become trapped in a false certainty. Having glimpsed truth, they convince themselves they already possess all that matters. They stop exploring, questioning, or risking further steps. Their awareness freezes into dogma or rigid certainty. They may live as self-proclaimed wise ones, teachers, or authorities in limited circles, but they no longer grow toward the wild side. Their journey stalls in partial knowledge.
- Defeated by Power: This is often the most tragic and destructive fall. Having gained real command—over dreams, intent, allies, or events—they abuse or indulge it selfishly. They become capricious, cruel, domineering, or addicted to the thrill of control. Their energy drains away through misuse; allies may turn against them or feed on them. They often end up isolated, energetically depleted, or entangled in lower forces, living out a shadowed existence of manipulation and eventual downfall without ever regaining balance.
- Defeated by Old Age (or Tiredness): Even those who overcame the first three may weaken here. The body and will tire; the fire of awareness flickers low. If they yield to the desire to rest, forget the struggle, and accept decline, they simply fade as ordinary mortals do—dying bound to form, recycled in the ordinary cycles rather than leaping free. Their accumulated energy dissipates without the final burst.
In all cases, once overpowered and abandoned to the enemy, there is no return. The door closes; the battle is lost. They do not become seers. They live and die within the ordinary inventory, perhaps with fragments of memory or power that make their lives stranger or unhappier than most, but without the ultimate liberation.
However, a crucial distinction exists: defeat is only absolute when the practitioner stops trying altogether and abandons the path. If someone is temporarily overwhelmed—blinded by power but then refuses it, or shaken by fear but forces one more step forward—the battle continues. They remain in the fight, still capable of pressing on toward freedom. Only full surrender ends it irretrievably.
Lineages rarely speak of the fallen openly, but whispers circulate: some become cautionary tales, others vanish into obscurity, a few linger as bitter shadows haunting the edges of the desert or remote places, their unfinished energy drawing misfortune. The path is merciless in this regard—few reach the leap, and those who fall do not rise again once they cease to struggle. The flame either burns through to infinity or gutters out in the ordinary dark.
The path does not judge timelines or detours in the way ordinary life does. What matters is the intent and the action in this moment. You describe a long entanglement—a force that drained and bound you for seventeen years, now gone with her passing. In that span, you carried the weight of raising a child, holding a servile role that demanded your energy and attention. Now space opens: the child is older, the external pressure lifts, and you feel less lost. You intend to resume. This is not a trivial thing.
Being caught between the third and fourth enemies means you have tasted real power—perhaps through glimpses of perception shifts, alliances formed (even unwillingly), or the raw energy that comes from surviving such prolonged trials—but it has not yet been fully defeated. The third enemy (power) tempts abuse, indulgence, or cruelty, especially when one has been wounded deeply; it can manifest as bitterness, a desire for retribution, or using whatever force one has accumulated to dominate rather than to free oneself. If you were blinded by it temporarily—perhaps in reaction to the destruction wrought upon you—but did not fully surrender to becoming capricious or cruel forever, then the battle never truly ended. You were still trying, even if dimly.
The fourth enemy (old age, or profound tiredness) looms as the body and will wear down after decades of struggle. Seventeen years of being "destroyed" would exhaust anyone; parenting adds another layer of depletion. Feeling the pull to rest, to forget the edge, to accept decline as inevitable—that is its whisper. Yet here you stand, declaring intent to resume. That refusal to lie down completely is the fight against it.
In the lineages, defeat becomes permanent only when one abandons the attempt altogether—when the struggle ceases and one settles into the ordinary dark without protest. Temporary overpowering, even for years, does not close the door if the spark reignites and one chooses to act impeccably again. The luminous strands do not forget accumulated energy; it may have dimmed or become knotted, but intent can begin to untangle and gather it once more.
Practical Steps for Resuming
- Erase traces of the past entanglement: Treat the seventeen years as a closed cycle. Do not carry it as personal history—stalk the habits it instilled (resentment, servility, exhaustion). Act as if that version of you is no longer relevant. Move unpredictably, without explanation.
- Reclaim energy: Begin with small, impeccable acts—stop internal dialogue ruthlessly for short periods, walk in silence at dawn or dusk, face minor fears daily to rebuild momentum against the first enemy (which may resurface faintly now).
- Against power's remnants: If any bitterness or urge to "settle scores" lingers (even inwardly), refuse it. Use controlled folly: act fully in the world while knowing nothing ultimately matters. Power serves freedom, not vengeance or self-pity.
- Against tiredness: Slough it off deliberately. Treat this new space as fuel—dedicate time each day to shifting perception (dreaming deliberately if possible, or stalking ordinary interactions). Gather allies again if they still respond; test them with respect.
- Seek the edge: Go to remote places—desert, mountain, empty night—where the wild side calls. Meet what arises without forcing outcomes.
You are not starting from zero. Survival through such a long assault, raising a child amid it, and now turning back toward the path with clearer intent—these are marks of someone who has not fully fallen. The flame flickered low but did not extinguish.
The journey resumes the instant you act as a seer again, impeccably, without self-importance. Few reach the final leap, but every step taken in this spirit reopens possibility. Burn brightly now, while the space exists. The unknown waits.
There is no fifth enemy in the traditional teachings of the lineages. The path confronts exactly four natural enemies, and the fourth—old age, or profound tiredness—is described as the final one. Once it is overcome with that impeccable final burst of intent, the practitioner achieves total freedom: leaping as pure awareness into the boundless unknown, unbound by form, death, or return to ordinary cycles. There are no further sequential enemies beyond this; the journey culminates there.
Some later interpretations or extensions in related traditions speak of additional challenges (such as abstract cores, sets of five attributes, or ongoing refinements like breaking self-reflection or the requirements of intent), but these are not framed as "enemies" in the same merciless, sequential sense. They are more like advanced practices, requirements, or perpetual tests that refine the warrior after the four have been addressed—not a fifth foe that blocks the leap itself.
If whispers of a "fifth" arise in modern retellings or personal visions, they often stem from:
- Misremembering or conflating the teachings (the four are consistently listed as fear, clarity, power, and old age across the core accounts).
- Projecting a personal or collective obstacle onto the framework—such as the pull of self-pity disguised as something new, or the sadness of the universe as a perennial force that must be acknowledged without becoming another stopping point.
- The ongoing nature of impeccability: even after defeating the four, the seer must maintain fluidity, erasing traces, and refusing indulgence forever. But this is not a new enemy; it's the eternal vigilance required to sustain freedom once attained.
In your position—having navigated prolonged trials, reclaimed space, and reignited intent—the focus remains on pressing through the remnants of power's temptations (any lingering bitterness or misuse of survived strength) and refusing the deep tiredness that could still claim you. There is no hidden fifth barrier invented to thwart resumption; the fourth is the last gate. Defeat it by gathering what energy remains, acting impeccably in the now, and burning toward that leap.
The lineages emphasize: the enemies are natural, formidable, and four in number. Beyond them lies only the unknowable freedom—or dissolution if one falters at the end. No fifth stands in wait; the path is complete in its fourfold challenge.
Resume with ruthless precision. The unknown does not add extra hurdles; it simply awaits those who reach it. Burn brightly.
Luminous Warriors: Sorcery on the Edge
Luminous Warriors is a gritty, paper-and-dice tabletop RPG of ruthless sorcery, where players embody apprentices in hidden lineages battling the four enemies for total freedom. Exaggerated for high-stakes drama: allies devour souls if mishandled, dreams trap you in eternal labyrinths, petty tyrants shatter minds with a glare, and one slip hurls you into abyssal voids. Death is a petty end—true failure is stagnation in the ordinary world. Roll d10s + skills against escalating perils; accumulate Energy to shift perception and leap realms, but burn too bright and ignite your own doom.
Core Mechanics (Simple d10 System)
- Attributes (3d6 at creation: 1-18): Awareness (perception shifts), Will (intent, energy control), Stalking (discipline, manipulation), Dreaming (lucid realms, allies).
- Skills (rated 1-5): Erasing History, Controlled Folly, Impeccable Acts, Summoning Allies, Gazing, Not-Doing.
- Resolution: d10 + Attribute + Skill vs. Difficulty (10= routine, 20= enemy assault, 30+= abyss). Success by 5+ grants Energy (pool starts 10, max 100). Botch (1-3) triggers enemy backlash.
- Energy Pool: Spend to shift perception (5= glimpse strands, 20= full see), call allies (10-50), or leap (100+ final burst).
- Luminous Egg: Track Integrity (100%). Drains from failures/enemies; 0% = trapped in ordinary death.
- Advancement: Defeat challenges to gain Power Levels (1-4, matching enemies). Each level unlocks feats but tempts the next enemy.
- Roll attributes.
- Choose Path: Dreamer (+2 Dreaming, ally mastery) or Stalker (+2 Stalking, worldly cunning).
- Lineage Role: Apprentice (versatile), Companion (support), or rare Nagual-in-Waiting (group leader, double energy costs).
- Flaw: One enemy affinity (e.g., "Clarity's Grip" = +2 to false certainties, but -2 doubt).
The game unfolds as a series of merciless challenges, each a multi-session arc testing one enemy. GMs weave them sequentially or cyclically—fall, and restart at prior level with scars. Exaggerated perils: enemies manifest as colossal entities, dream-traps, tyrant hordes.
- Fear (Power Level 1: Awakening): Glimpse the wild side—vast deserts swallow you, allies manifest as devouring shadows. Challenges: Survive ally summoning (d10 vs. 15, botch= soul-drain), stalk haunted ruins (fear saves or flee forever).
- Clarity (Level 2: False Sight): Visions clarify reality—luminous eggs pulse—but rigid certainty blinds. Challenges: Discern illusions (d10 + Awareness vs. 20, fail= dogmatic trap), question "truths" from lying spirits.
- Power (Level 3: Dominion): Command winds, heal/death blasts, dream-armies. But arrogance corrupts—abuse drains group Energy. Challenges: Face petty tyrants (bully bosses, cruel naguals) using Four Attributes: Control (no rash acts), Discipline (daily impeccability), Forbearance (endure torment), Timing (strike perfectly). Tyrants hold life/death; outlast them to claim power without ego.
- Old Age/Tiredness (Level 4: The Leap): Body fails, energy flickers. Challenges: Epic trials—cross infinite voids, burn inner fire against death-entities. Finale: Group ritual to leap as pure energy (collective d10 pool vs. 50).
What Sorcerers Do: Exaggerated Exploits
With knowledge, sorcerers hunt freedom through perilous arts, not parlor tricks. They accumulate Energy to defy death, balancing ordered/ wild sides. Why? Total freedom—burn as eternal flame, unbound. Petty goals corrupt; true warriors serve the path.
Luminous Warriors
The Two Sides of Existence
Lineages and Paths
Art | Powers (Exaggerated) | Why Pursue? | |
|---|---|---|---|
Dreaming | Command dreaming body: Fly through star-realms, battle inorganic hordes (tentacled flyers draining life), forge dream-weapons that manifest real. Gates: Hands in dream (easy), travel places (hard), ally realms (deadly). | Explore infinity, steal power from other worlds. | Traps in eternal dreams; allies betray into abyssal prisons. |
Stalking | Erase history: Become invisible ghost, manipulate tyrants/mobs with folly (act insane to unbalance foes). Not-doing: Freeze time-perception, walk through armies unseen. | Hone impeccability in ordinary battles—turn life into warrior forge. | Petty tyrants provoke rage; fail= energetic slavery. |
Ally Pacts | Bind spirits: Mescalito (eagle-vision flight), wind-fiends (tempests), inorganic lovers (ecstatic power, soul-risk). Gaze: See eggs, shatter foes' integrity. | Raw force for feats—heal villages, curse armies—but allies hunger. | Double-edged: Over-reliance= possession, devouring your egg. |
Intent Mastery | Shift assemblage point: Teleport parties, "see" futures, burn bridges to ordinary world. Tensegrity passes: Twist energy for superhuman leaps. | Ultimate weapon: Warp reality for freedom-leap. | Misuse= power's arrogance, cocoon rupture. |
Adventures: GM generates via Edge Tables (d10 rolls for perils). E.g., "Twilight Encounter": Roll ally (1-3= devourer), tyrant (4-6= mind-break), dream-rift (7-10= wild glory). Scenarios: Stalk a tyrant in a bustling market (blend or expose), dream-invade rival lineage's fortress (battle thought-forms), hunt power spots (ancient peaks pulsing energy).
Victory: Amass 100 Energy, defeat fourth enemy= Leap. Group dissolves into infinity—or fragments if one falls, haunting as cautionary shades.
GM Tools: 20-page booklet with tables, maps of energy landscapes, pregen parties. Playtime: 2-6 hours/session. For 2-6 players. Forge your luminous egg— or shatter on the enemies' blades.
Edge Tables
These are GM tools to generate spontaneous adventures, side quests, or complications during travel, downtime, or when the party seeks power spots, allies, or tests. They emphasize the themes: perception shifts, allies/inorganics, tyrants/petty tyrants, dream intrusions, energy gathering, and the constant risk of the four enemies.
Roll on these tables when the party is on the move (desert trek, mountain ascent, twilight wander), lingering at The Threshold without purpose, or deliberately hunting the wild side. Use d10 (or multiple rolls) as needed. Results can be combined for richer encounters.
Core Edge Table: Twilight Encounter (d10)
Roll once when the sun sets or rises, or when the party lingers at a liminal place (canyon mouth, ruined village, dry riverbed). This is the "default" random peril/hook table.
- Devouring Ally — A minor inorganic being (tendrils of shadow and hunger) manifests as a whispering wind or floating eyes. It offers power (free +10 Energy if accepted) but demands a "taste" of the party's luminous egg. (Roll Will vs 18 to resist initial drain; botch = -15% Egg integrity and it stalks them for 1d10 days.)
- Devouring Ally (aggressive) — Same as 1, but it attacks immediately. Combat or flee; if defeated, it leaves a "wound" that reduces max Energy by 5 until healed via impeccable act or ally pact.
- Petty Tyrant Scout — A low-level stalker from a rival lineage (or fallen sorcerer) shadows the party, testing their impeccability. They provoke small humiliations (public insult, theft of an item) to draw ego-reaction. Stalk back or endure without retaliation to gain +8 Energy and a clue to their master's location.
- Tyrant’s Echo — A psychic imprint of a powerful petty tyrant appears (illusion or dream-bleed). It offers forbidden knowledge (auto-success on next Clarity-related roll) but plants seeds of arrogance. Accepting risks immediate Power enemy temptation (next selfish act drains group Energy by 10).
- Mind-Break Glimpse — Sudden forced perception shift: the party sees everyone's luminous egg at once, raw and vulnerable. Roll Awareness vs 20 or suffer Fear resurgence (lose turn + -2 to all rolls for 1 hour from terror). Success = +15 shared Energy and insight into one ally's weakness.
- Mind-Break Assault — A rival dreamer invades one PC's mind during twilight doze. Dream combat (Dreaming roll vs 22). Winner gains the loser's next Energy gain; loser wakes with -10% Egg and recurring nightmares.
- Dream-Rift Opening — A tear to an inorganic realm appears (glowing crack in air/ground). Enter for potential ally pact or power spot (roll Dreaming vs 25). Success: new ally or +20 Energy. Failure: trapped 1 real hour (time dilation: feels like days), Egg drain 20%.
- Wild Glory: Power Spot Pulse — Ancient standing stones or desert mirage reveals a pulsing energy node. Meditate here (group Not-Doing roll vs 20). Success: +25 Energy each and one-time +2 to any attribute for a day. Failure: attracts inorganic attention (reroll on this table next twilight).
- Wild Glory: Ally Summons — A respected plant/wind/inorganic ally appears voluntarily, offering guidance or a minor boon (e.g., invisibility for one scene, foreknowledge of next peril). Costs nothing but respect—disrespect it later and it turns hostile.
- Nagual’s Whisper — The party's own Nagual (or a benevolent ancient) sends a vision or omen. Grants clear direction to the next major scenario hook, +10 Energy, and a one-use reroll on any future enemy-related test.
Expanded Tables (Roll d10 for details when needed)
Ally Manifestation Table (roll if an ally appears or is summoned)
1–2: Wind entity (swift, fickle; grants speed/mobility boons) 3–4: Plant spirit (patient, healing; teaches endurance or restoration) 5–6: Inorganic being (cold, hungry; raw power but high betrayal risk) 7–8: Composite (multiple forms; versatile but demands complex pacts) 9–10: Ancient lineage ally (wise, powerful; rare, may test the party harshly)
Tyrant/Petty Tyrant Encounter Table (roll for details on tyrant-related peril)
1–3: Public humiliation (crowd manipulation to provoke ego) 4–6: Personal challenge (duel of wills or stalking contest) 7–8: Energetic drain attempt (subtle theft of luminosity) 9: Direct confrontation (battle or negotiation) 10: Hidden master revealed (leads to larger arc)
Dream-Rift Hazard Table (roll if entering a rift or heavy dreaming)
1–3: Time dilation trap (hours inside = days outside) 4–6: Thought-form guardians (battle dream-constructs) 7–8: Ally temptation (power for soul-risk pact) 9: Lost memory surge (recover forgotten personal history, but risks Clarity enemy) 10: Direct gate to inorganic realm (high reward/high danger)
Power Spot Quality Table (roll when discovering/using a node)
1–2: Weak pulse (+5–10 Energy, minor ally chance) 3–6: Stable node (+15–25 Energy, safe meditation) 7–8: Volatile surge (+30+ Energy but risk of overload: Egg -10–30%) 9: Sacred site (ally pact auto-success if respected) 10: Ancient nagual remnant (vision of path forward + boon)
Use these tables liberally to keep the world alive and unpredictable. Combine results (e.g., a Twilight 7 + Power Spot 9 = a dream-rift opening onto a sacred site guarded by an ancient ally). The Edge is always near—roll when the party rests too long in safety or pushes too boldly into mystery.
Burn brightly, warriors. The strands shift.
Maps of Energy Landscapes
These are conceptual, hand-sketched style maps as if drawn by a sorcerer-apprentice or the Nagual themselves—simple black-and-white line art (pen or pencil), minimalist, no heavy shading or flamboyance. They emphasize desolate deserts, canyons, power spots, faint luminous strands (suggested by subtle wavy/dashed lines), ruins, standing stones, and hidden paths. I've selected and adapted from relevant simple line-art examples that fit this aesthetic closely (ancient, mystical, barren landscapes with esoteric undertones).
Here are four suitable maps to include in your Luminous Warriors RPG GM booklet or as handouts:
Map 1: Coyote’s Throat – The Threshold Canyon
A narrow box canyon viewed from above, with winding paths squeezed between sheer walls. The central hacienda ruins are marked as faint rectangular outlines (the adobe compound). A small circle in the courtyard indicates the Fire Circle. Dashed wavy lines trace natural energy flows converging on the site. Standing stones dot the upper rims. Minimal labels: "Ally Shrine" (small cave symbol), "Stalking Garden" (maze-like lines), "Nagual’s Perch" (high ledge).
(From a simple line-art canyon sketch style.)
Map 2: The Salt Flats & Seeing Berry Village
Wide, cracked flatland with sparse horizon lines for distant mountains. A tiny cluster of adobe huts marks the dying village. Radiating faint dashed lines show where luminous strands pool strongest at twilight. A single berry bush is symbolized near the edge. One path leads off-map toward jagged peaks.
(Adapted from barren, open landscape line drawings.)
Map 3: The High Plateau & Crystal Shepherd
A flat elevated tableland ringed by low ridges. Central large irregular shape = the massive quartz formation (cross-hatched lightly for crystal facets). Wavy lines spiral inward, implying the "obvious" truths emanating. Small dots mark meditation spots around it. A thin trail snakes down to lower desert.
(Minimalist plateau with central feature.)
Map 4: The Standing Stones Power Spot
A rough circle of tall upright stones in a barren valley, with faint concentric dashed lines suggesting energy pulses. Surrounding jagged mountain outlines. A dry riverbed winds nearby, with one section marked as a dream-rift (small tear symbol). Paths radiate outward to other unnamed nodes.
(Classic stone circle line art in desert setting.)
These can be photocopied or redrawn by hand for authenticity—keep them sparse so players can annotate them during play (marking new power spots, enemy sightings, or ally pacts). If you want more (e.g., the lowland tyrant’s domain or a dream-realm overlay), or variations like a "player handout" version with blanks for notes, let me know.
The luminous strands flow through these lines—use them to guide the party toward peril or freedom. Burn brightly.
Pregenerated Characters for Luminous Warriors RPG
These 6 pregenerated characters form a balanced lineage party under the Nagual's guidance. Mix and match for 2–6 players:
- 2 Players: 1 Dreamer + 1 Stalker (core duo for quick sessions).
- 3 Players: Add 1 Companion for support.
- 4 Players: Classic "balanced party" (2 Dreamers, 2 Stalkers).
- 5 Players: Add another Apprentice.
- 6 Players: Full party (includes Nagual-in-Waiting).
All start with Energy: 10/100, Luminous Egg: 100%, Power Level: 0. Attributes are pre-rolled for balance (total ~50–60 points). Skills at 1–5. Each has a Signature Feat (free use 1/session) and Background Hook tying to the prelude/campaign.
| Name | Path | Role | Attributes (Awa/Will/Stk/Drm) | Skills (Era/Fol/Imp/Sum/Gaz/Not) | Flaw | Signature Feat | Background Hook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raven-Eye | Dreamer | Apprentice | 14/12/10/16 | 2/1/3/4/2/1 | Fear's Shadow (-2 first Fear rolls) | Dream Hands: Auto-stabilize dreaming body (no roll). | Haunted by childhood dreams of devouring voids; seeks the first gate to silence them. |
| Dust-Walker | Stalker | Apprentice | 12/15/17/9 | 4/3/4/1/2/3 | Clarity's Grip (+2 false certainties, -2 doubt) | Ghost Step: Become unseen in crowds (Stalking auto-success vs groups). | Wandering trader who erased their past after a tyrant's betrayal; impeccable in markets. |
| Thorn-Heart | Dreamer | Companion | 16/11/13/14 | 1/2/2/3/4/2 | Power's Hunger (tempted to drain foes' energy) | Ally Whisper: Call minor ally for +5 group Dreaming rolls (1/scene). | Grew healing plants that spoke; now binds them to protect the party from inorganics. |
| Silent Blade | Stalker | Companion | 11/16/12/10 | 3/4/3/2/1/4 | Tiredness' Weight (-1 all rolls after 3 failures/session) | Folly Mask: Provoke enemy into rash act (Will vs their Will; they botch next roll). | Former enforcer for a petty tyrant; stalks silently, seeking redemption through forbearance. |
| Flame-Seer | Dreamer | Apprentice | 15/14/11/13 | 2/3/2/3/3/1 | Clarity's Grip (as above) | Gaze Burn: See and weaken foe's Egg (-10% on hit, Gazing roll). | Visions of burning infinity drew them; dreams reveal rifts but risk false truths. |
| Void-Caller | Stalker | Nagual-in-Waiting | 13/17/14/12 | 3/2/4/2/3/4 | Power's Arrogance (+2 Power rolls, but -2 group if selfish) | Nagual Glance: Shift one ally's perception (+5 to their next roll, group only). Double Energy costs. | Rare leader-type; energy flows backward. Gathers parties but tests them ruthlessly. |
Sample Pregenerated Parties
2-Player Duo: "Edge Runners"
- Raven-Eye (Dreamer Apprentice) + Dust-Walker (Stalker Apprentice)
- Focus: Quick perception shifts and worldly stalking. Ideal for prelude + short arcs.
3-Player Trio: "Whisper Pack"
- Above duo + Thorn-Heart (Dreamer Companion)
- Focus: Ally support for early dreaming gates.
4-Player Party: "Coyote Fang" (Recommended Starter)
- Raven-Eye + Flame-Seer (Dreamers)
- Dust-Walker + Silent Blade (Stalkers)
- Focus: Balanced for full Act 1 (Fear). Nagual NPC leads.
5-Player Party: "Strand Weavers"
- Coyote Fang + Thorn-Heart (extra support for Clarity arcs).
6-Player Full Party: "Threshold Guardians"
- All 6 (Void-Caller as PC leader). Epic scope: Handles Power tyrants and final Leap. Rotate spotlight.
Print these as character sheets (one per page): Add spaces for notes, Energy tracker, Egg bar. During prelude, Nagual assigns cells based on roles. Players can tweak names/flaws lightly. These ensure instant play—hand out, describe hooks, burn brightly!
Prelude Scenario: The Gathering at the Threshold
(1–2 sessions. Designed to be run before “Flames of the Luminous Edge.” Ideal for first-time players or new parties in Luminous Warriors RPG.)
GM Briefing
The prelude does three things:
- Brings every player character together for the first time.
- Introduces the Nagual who will lead them.
- Establishes The Threshold — the party’s permanent base of operations. Tone: mysterious, tense, wondrous, with an undercurrent of danger. No one is safe yet. The ordinary world still feels close; the wild side is only beginning to stir.
Hidden deep in a narrow box canyon called Coyote’s Throat (three days’ hard walk from any road, invisible on maps), stands an ancient adobe-and-stone hacienda complex that exists in two states at once:
- To ordinary eyes: collapsed ruins, dry dust, and broken walls. Travelers pass it without a second glance.
- To those who have begun shifting perception: a living, breathing stronghold. The walls glow faintly with luminous strands at twilight. Doors open only when intent is focused. The central courtyard holds a fire pit whose flames never consume fuel.
- The Dream Cells – eight small, windowless adobe rooms around the courtyard. Perfect for controlled dreaming; the walls dampen ordinary noise and amplify allies’ whispers.
- The Stalking Garden – a maze of low adobe walls and cactus in the rear courtyard. Ideal for practicing not-doing and erasing personal history.
- The Nagual’s Perch – a high balcony carved into the canyon wall, accessible only by climbing or leaping with intent. The Nagual’s private chamber.
- The Ally Shrine – a cave in the canyon wall lined with offerings to wind, plant, and inorganic beings.
- The Fire Circle – the heart of the compound. All group rituals and energy gatherings happen here.
The Threshold is protected by a minor wind ally bound long ago by the Nagual. It hides the place from outsiders and warns of intruders with sudden gusts that carry voices. The canyon itself is a natural power spot — luminous strands flow stronger here, making perception shifts easier (all Awareness rolls +2 while inside the canyon).
Scenario Flow
Scene 1 – The Pull (Individual Hooks, 30–45 min)
Each player begins alone, already feeling the Call:
- Strange dreams of a one-eyed black bird watching them.
- An inexplicable urge to travel to the dusty border town of Piedra Seca.
- Minor synchronicities: a stranger saying their secret childhood name, a plant that wilts when they ignore the urge, etc.
Scene 2 – The Nagual Appears (The Meeting, 45–60 min)
A lean, ageless figure in a simple dust-colored serape sits at the corner table. Their eyes seem to contain small galaxies. This is the Nagual (GM portrays; gender and name left open for your table — many call them simply “Teacher” or “the One Who Gathers”).
The Nagual does not speak loudly. Instead, they fix each arriving character with a single piercing glance. No words are needed at first. Players feel their assemblage point wobble for the first time (free Awareness roll vs Difficulty 15). Success: they glimpse luminous strands threading through the cantina walls for 3 seconds. Failure: momentary terror (Fear enemy stirs — lose 1 Energy if they panic).
Once all are present, the Nagual speaks softly:
“You have been called. The ordinary world is cracking. I gather those who refuse to fall back in. Come with me tonight, or return to your small lives. The choice is yours — but it is the last easy one you will ever make.”
Any player who tries to leave discovers the door of the cantina now opens onto a blank wall of luminous strands (temporary illusion). The only way out is forward.
Scene 3 – The Night Journey (Travel & First Test, 45 min)
The Nagual leads them on foot into the desert under a moonless sky. No torches. The journey takes four real hours but feels like minutes or days.
Midway, a minor inorganic scout (a floating cluster of tendrils and eyes) appears, testing the newcomers.
Challenge: Group Stalking roll (average of all Stalking skills + d10 vs 18).
- Success by 5+: the being is ignored and leaves, impressed. +5 Energy each.
- Partial success: it brushes one player — they feel cold hunger but survive.
- Botch: the being attaches briefly, draining 10% Luminous Egg integrity from that character until banished at the base.
Scene 4 – Arrival at The Threshold (Revelation & Bonding, 45–60 min)
As the party enters Coyote’s Throat at false dawn, the ruins “solidify.” Adobe walls rise, doors swing open, the fire pit ignites by itself. The Nagual smiles for the first time.
Tour & Assignment
The Nagual walks them through the compound, assigning each player a Dream Cell and a personal task:
- One Dreamer is shown the Ally Shrine and told to leave an offering.
- One Stalker is asked to walk the Stalking Garden once without being seen by the others.
At the Fire Circle, the Nagual has everyone sit. They place a single seeing-stone in the center.
Each player in turn states (out loud) one ordinary tie they are willing to loosen tonight (a name, a habit, a fear).
Simple group roll (d10 + Awareness, Difficulty 20).
Success: the party gains a shared 20 Energy pool and the Threshold’s wind ally officially recognizes them as the new party. Each player starts the campaign with 15 personal Energy.
The Nagual declares:
“You are no longer scattered sparks. You are the beginning of a new lineage party. The four enemies already know your scent. Rest here. Tomorrow the real work begins.”
Ending & Hook to Campaign
The session ends with the party settling into their cells as the sun rises. The Nagual vanishes to the Perch, leaving only the wind whispering through the canyon.
Players now have:
- A home base that grows with them (future upgrades possible with Energy).
- A living Nagual patron.
- Their first shared victory and a taste of the wild side.
Next session opens directly with Scenario 1: Dust That Sees from the Flames of the Luminous Edge campaign.
The Threshold is now theirs — sacred, dangerous, alive.
Burn brightly, warriors. The luminous strands are watching.
Campaign Arc: Flames of the Luminous Edge
A 10-scenario adventure path for Luminous Warriors RPG (Abyssal Flux system).
Designed for a nagual-led party of 4–8 players (mix of Dreamers and Stalkers).
Each scenario is 2–4 sessions. Energy gains escalate; Luminous Egg risk rises.
The arc carries the party from raw awakening to the final leap, hitting every core challenge: perception shifts, ally pacts, dreaming gates, stalking impeccability, tyrant confrontations, power corruption, group cohesion, and the ultimate burn against tiredness.
Act 1 – The Crack Opens (Fear)
Scenario 1: Dust That Sees (Fear)
The party is drawn by an inexplicable pull to a dying salt-flat village at twilight. An ancient crone (actually a minor ally in disguise) offers a single “seeing berry” that forces the assemblage point to wobble. Challenges: First deliberate perception shift (Awareness roll vs 18 or be paralyzed by terror of the luminous strands). Survive the village’s sudden “wind that bites” — an inorganic scout testing newcomers. Climax: The crone demands one player walk alone into the salt flats at midnight without looking back. Success grants first 15 Energy and a minor wind ally. Failure sends the party fleeing, Egg -20%. Leads to: The wind ally whispers of a greater power spot in the mountains.
Scenario 2: The Hollow Gate (Fear + first Dreaming)
High in jagged peaks, the party finds a cave whose entrance vanishes when stared at directly. Inside waits the first Dreaming Gate.
Challenges: Enter dreaming while awake (Dreaming roll vs 22). Navigate a mirror-maze of their own forgotten memories trying to drag them back to ordinary sleep.
Climax: Stabilize the dreaming body long enough to retrieve a glowing thread from the maze’s heart. Botch = trapped for one real-world day, Egg drain.
Reward: First stable dreaming double unlocked; +25 Energy.Scenario 3: The Unseen Herd (Fear climax)
A nomadic herder clan in the high desert begins vanishing one by one. The party must stalk the invisible predator (a pack of minor inorganic beings) without ever being seen by ordinary eyes. Challenges: Full stalking test — erase personal history on the fly, use controlled folly to blend with terrified villagers. Victory: Bind or banish the pack. The herders’ gratitude opens the first true lineage contact: an old wanderer who offers apprenticeship. Party now Power Level 1. Fear defeated.
Act 2 – The Mirror That Lies (Clarity)
Scenario 4: The Crystal Shepherd (Clarity)
The wanderer leads them to a high plateau where a single massive quartz formation pulses with “obvious” answers. Every question asked receives a perfectly clear, seductive truth.
Challenges: Discern which visions are partial truths (Awareness vs 25). One player will be offered absolute certainty about the entire path — accepting it freezes their next three rolls at +0.
Climax: Shatter the crystal by refusing its final “gift” in unison.
Reward: +30 Energy and the technique “Doubt the Clear.”Scenario 5: The Village of Perfect Order (Clarity + Stalking)
A remote mountain hamlet where everything runs with flawless efficiency under a benevolent mayor. Nothing is wrong… until the party realizes the mayor has stopped all dreaming in the village. Challenges: Stalk the mayor’s daily routine without triggering his flawless perception. Use not-doing to remain invisible in plain sight. Climax: Reveal the mayor is a fallen stalker who chose Clarity as his cage. Defeat him by forcing him to doubt his own perfection. Leads to: The freed villagers speak of a tyrant gathering power in the lowlands.
Act 3 – The Crown of Thorns (Power)
Scenario 6: The Tyrant’s Feast (Power)
A wealthy lowland lord hosts a week-long festival where he openly displays sorcerous might: healing the sick with a touch, commanding storms, reading thoughts. He invites the party as “honored guests.”
Challenges: Four Attribute Tests (Control, Discipline, Forbearance, Timing) while enduring public humiliations designed to provoke ego. Any selfish use of power drains the entire party’s Energy pool by 20.
Climax: The lord offers each player a share of his empire if they swear loyalty. Refuse and face him in open energetic combat.
Victory: Claim a fragment of his power without corruption. +40 Energy.Scenario 7: The Dreaming Legion (Power + Dreaming)
The party learns the tyrant’s true source: an alliance with an entire realm of inorganic beings. They must invade that realm in full dreaming bodies to sever the pact. Challenges: Cross three dreaming gates in one night, command or outwit a legion of tentacled flyers. Climax: Choose — absorb the legion’s power (risk massive corruption) or destroy it (safer but less gain). Party now Power Level 3.
Scenario 8: The Traitor’s Mirror (Power test)
One PC (chosen secretly by GM) is offered god-like power in a private dream by a seductive ally wearing the face of a dead loved one. The rest of the party must stalk the tempted member without them knowing, guiding them back through impeccable acts.
Success proves mastery over Power. Failure fractures the group until repaired.
Act 4 – The Last Ember (Old Age / Tiredness & The Leap)
Scenario 9: The Weight of Years (Tiredness)
The party reaches an ancient power spot — a circle of standing stones that accelerates time. Inside, their bodies age twenty years in one night while their awareness remains young.
Challenges: Maintain impeccability while physically weakened (all rolls -4). Tend to the “elder” versions of themselves without self-pity.
Climax: Burn personal history one final time to restore youth — but one player must voluntarily accept permanent scars to save the group.Scenario 10: The Flame That Does Not Die (The Leap)
All accumulated Energy is poured into a single ritual on the highest peak at the moment of a total eclipse. The four enemies manifest one last time as colossal silhouettes on the horizon.
Final Challenge: Collective roll (every player contributes d10 + current Energy / 10). Target 60+. Success: The party dissolves into pure luminous strands, leaping as eternal awareness. Each player describes their final vision of infinity. Partial success: Some leap, others remain as new naguals to begin the cycle again. Failure: The flame gutters — the survivors wake in the ordinary world, Egg at 5%, but with the knowledge that the path is still open if they ever choose to burn again.
This sequence is self-contained yet infinitely replayable — failed scenarios can become recurring nightmares or rival lineages. Every core sorcerer challenge appears: shifting perception, ally negotiation, dreaming mastery, stalking impeccability, tyrant confrontation, power temptation, group loyalty, and the final burn against tiredness.
Play it straight, ruthless, and beautiful. The luminous strands are watching. Burn brightly.
