Innovation System

Innovation is the heart of progress on Pannotia. Whether it's a botanist cultivating 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 impact the world through the process of Innovation.

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 compound that saves lives A magical spell never before cast A unique steam-powered device that shifts how characters travel, build, or fight A cultivated plant with a genuinely novel medicinal application 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 propose your idea, what roleplay is required, how to write up your final submission, and what it all looks like when it's done.

Who Can Submit

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

• Engineering
• Metallurgy
• Apothecary
• Botany
• Spellbinder (Tier 3 only)
• Arcane Studies

Additional requirements:

• Hextech projects must include at least one participant with 2+ points in Arcane Studies, and at least one with points in Engineering. These can be the same character or two separate ones.
• Group innovations may combine multiple disciplines where it makes sense. For example, an armoured airship would benefit from both Engineering and Metallurgy; a hextech automaton from Engineering and Arcane Studies; a new spell from both Spellbinder and Arcane Studies.
• All characters participating in a group innovation must have their character sheets included in the submission.

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 setting and technology
• Be more than a single crafted item (it should be a repeatable process, new recipe, new spell, et cetera - something that can be mass-produced!)
• Be grounded in the talents and resources your character can plausibly access

Complexity Tiers

Every Innovation is assigned a Complexity Tier during the Proposal stage. The tier reflects the scope and ambition of what you're attempting to create, and determines how many roleplay scenes are required before you can make your final submission.

TIER	REQ. SCENES	DESCRIPTION
1	5	Tier 1 innovations take existing technology, materials, or knowledge and apply them in a way that hasn't been done before; a new use for a known compound, a small mechanical device built on established principles, a plant cultivar with mild improvements over the common strain. No new ground is broken here, just a clever or practical application of what's already understood. These are single-purpose, and achievable by a single practitioner working mostly alone. Examples: mechanical mine canary, a new alchemical salve using known reagents, a cultivated herb variant without its usual side effects, a novel lock mechanism.
2	8	Tier 2 innovations introduce new technology, techniques, or formulations; they aren't just remixing what's known, but the leap isn't enormous, and the end result is something personal in scale. A device, a compound, a tool, a piece of equipment. Collaboration is beneficial but not necessary. Examples: a light firearm, a cheap and reliable prosthetic, a new alchemical compound with a meaningful effect, a simple construction automaton, a cultivated plant with a genuinely novel medicinal application. A Tier 2 innovation requires an innovator with Tier 2 in relevant talents.
3	15	Tier 3 innovations involve significant new developments; complex interacting systems, meaningful advances to a field, or creations whose applications affect more than just their immediate user. These projects benefit strongly from collaboration across disciplines, and the work involved is not insignificant. The setting should be meaningfully different for their existence. Examples: a heavy warfare automaton, a new class of artillery, a hextech medical device, an industrial alchemical process, a new type of generator, a disease-resistant crop cultivated for wide distribution. A Tier 3 innovation requires either an innovator with Tier 3 in relevant talents, or two Tier 2 innovators.
4	30	Tier 4 innovations represent historically significant milestones in their field; new scientific principles, multiple key developments brought together, or infrastructure-scale undertakings. These are explicitly group endeavours, requiring coordinated expertise across multiple disciplines, and are almost impossible to complete alone. A Tier 4 innovation is able to make a significant and decisive impact on the world on potentially vast scales, if properly employed. Examples: a major aerial warship design, a city-scale alchemical water treatment system, a hextech power grid node, a spell capable of deciding an entire battle. A Tier 4 innovation requires at least two innovators with Tier 3 in relevant talents.

The Three Steps

Proposal

Submit the basic concept of your Innovation in a ticket so that it can be reviewed for viability and assigned a Complexity Tier. Your proposal should include: The core concept The basic technology or discipline involved (steamtech, soltech, hextech, alchemy, smithing, botany, et cetera) Whether it is a group innovation, and who else is participating Approved character sheets for all involved Your Innovation DM will confirm whether the idea is viable and fits the world. They may request clarifying changes, but will not redesign your concept for you. Once approved, your Innovation will be added to the Progress Sheet for tracking.

Creation Roleplay

This is the heart of the process. You'll engage in active roleplay around the creation of your Innovation. This can take almost any form, so long as it relates directly to the work - discussing the design with colleagues, working on the device for engineering, experimenting with alchemical components, securing funding or distribution, or any other directly relevant roleplay. At least one screenshot per scene should be submitted via ticket or included in your final submission as evidence. Scene submission limits: A maximum of 3 scenes may be submitted per week. Each group member beyond the first increases this limit by 1. All members of a group innovation may contribute scenes.

Final Submission

Once the required number of scenes has been met, you'll write up your Innovation submission document and submit it for processing to be added to the Wiki. See the checklist below for everything it needs to contain!

Submission Checklist

Make sure to cover all of the following sections in your submission document:

• Innovation Name
• Innovation Creators - character name(s) and player username(s)
• Complexity Tier - as assigned during the Proposal stage
• Patent Type - choose one: ** Public - Free for anyone to make, sell, or own. The state pays the creator(s) a lump sum based on complexity. ** Private - Production rights rest exclusively with the creator(s) unless others are licensed in roleplay. ** Military - Production rights are sold to the Galudonian military for a lump sum based on complexity.
• History - At least two paragraphs of in-character lore covering what led to the creation and any notable moments in the process.
• Construction - At least one paragraph describing the assembly of the Innovation in broad terms.
• Physical Characteristics - At least two paragraphs covering size, appearance, materials, moving parts, et cetera.
• Applications & Weaknesses - At least one paragraph describing intended applications. Weaknesses may be added by Innovation DMs as needed.
• Written By - the username of the player who wrote the submission
• Roleplay Evidence - screenshots of your creation roleplay scenes, if not already submitted via ticket

Once ready, provide this via ticket.

Rules & Constraints

• Only characters with the required Talent points can submit.
• Hextech requires a contributor with 2+ Arcane Knowledge points. Additionally, Hextech is powered by Cymrinite Cores, which should generally be obtained through the Royal Court and always have an in-game item attached.
• The power/size/complexity of an Innovation will be matched to the inventor’s Talent level and lore consistency.
• 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.

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

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Accreditation
Writers Bimberi Processors AWildRhia	Last Editor Bimberi on 04/15/2026.

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