Innovation System

Innovation is the heart of progress on Pannotia. Whether it’s a gardener experimenting with a new plant strain, a smith hammering out a groundbreaking alloy, or a spellbinder weaving magic into an entirely new form, your character has the power to change the setting through invention.

An Innovation isn’t just a one-off item; it’s a new technique, discovery, or creation that can ripple outward to affect others. For example:

• A new alchemical mixture that saves lives
• A magical spell never before cast
• A unique steam-powered device that shifts how characters travel, build, or fight
• A plant that produces exotic psychedelics

Every Innovation is a chance for your character to leave a legacy, change the course of stories, and open up roleplay opportunities for others. This guide will walk you through exactly what steps to follow: how to submit your idea, what to include in your write-up, what to expect during the in-character experimentation phase, and how success or failure plays out.

Innovation submissions open regularly, and will be announced in the lore announcements channel on the Gears of Galudon Discord, with their results presented in an Innovation Progression once the submissions for that period have been completed. Innovations cannot be submitted outside of these periods!

Who Can Submit

Any character with talent points invested in a relevant Talent can submit an Innovation. Relevant Talents are:

• Gardening
• Smithing
• Engineering
• Medicine / Alchemy
• Arcane Knowledge
• T3 Spellbinder

Additional requirements:

• Hextech projects must include at least one participant with 2+ points in Arcane Knowledge.
• If other characters helped invent or contributed expertise, include them in the submission (with links to their character sheets). Collaborators should be present for in-character testing. Adding additional characters improves your chances of success.
• Evidence of roleplay toward the design of an invention can be provided for bonus points, making success more confident.

What Counts as an Innovation

An Innovation is a new method, product, spell, plant, device, or technique that introduces something not previously available to players in the world. It must:

• Be original and fit the steampunk setting
• Be more than a single crafted item (it should be a repeatable process, new recipe, new spell, or novel device/technique)
• Be grounded in the talents and resources your character can plausibly access

What Happens After You Submit

• Review - Staff check for fit and clarity. They may request clarifying edits but will not redesign your concept.
• Experiment - You’ll be invited to an in-character roleplay session where a DM tests the practical steps you described (checks, consequences, obstacles, and breakthroughs).
• Results - One of three outcomes occurs:
  • Inspired Success - The Innovation works with an additional bonus.
  • Success - The Innovation works as intended.
  • Failure - The attempt fails, but you gain a bonus on your next attempt.

If the Experiment succeeds, the Innovation is finalised and uploaded to the Wiki, and can optionally be showcased in an in-character innovation fair.

Submission Checklist

Make sure to cover the following in your submission document:

• Name of Innovation
• Invented by - character name(s)
• Collaborators - characters for the experimentation stage (include sheet links!)
• Purpose - public/private/military
• History - at least two paragraphs of in-character lore (inspiration, earlier attempts, cultural context)
• Construction - clear step-by-step description (this is what will be tested in experimentation, so be thorough!)
• Physical Characteristics - size, appearance, moving parts, materials, fuels, et cetera
• Applications & Weaknesses - uses, limits, and shortfalls
• Business / Owner - who owns or sponsors it in-character
• Written by - your username

Rules & Constraints

• Only characters with the required Talent points can submit.
• Hextech requires a contributor with 2+ Arcane Knowledge points.
• The power/size of an Innovation will be matched to the inventor’s Talent level and lore consistency.
• Must fit the steampunk setting (no modern/cyberpunk/dieselpunk tech).
• Do not submit a direct copy of a real-world device; inspiration is fine, but make it original!
• Very large and complex inventions such as walking cities may require multiple preliminary inventions first.
• Staff may refuse or require adjustments for lore or balance reasons.

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Accreditation
Writers Bimberi Processors N/A	Last Editor Bimberi on 09/30/2025.

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Systems Talent | Combat | Progression | Crime | War | Innovation | Artifacts