Swift

OOC

See also: Paradigm

The Swift is a special layer of reality where many unseen events happen. It's the border between planes. (The Swift is inspired by the multiverse model described in the Player's Handbook, p. 300.)

What's in the Swift?

The Swift is different depending on your current plane. If you're on the Material Plane, the Swift includes:

• The Weave, where it intersects the Material Plane
• The border of the Feywild
• The border of the Shadowfell
• The border of the Positive Plane
• The border of the Negative Plane
• The Border Ethereal
• Mindspace (aka the Border Astral), which is shaped by minds, especially those with psychic power
• Dataspace (or the Cloud), which is shaped by information technology and magitec

Various beings and other things enter, travel, stay, or leave the Swift all the time. This especially includes spells, spirits, telepathic messages, and wireless network packets. The mental ping of an Alarm spell travels through the Swift. A magitec teleporter might convert matter to data, move the data through the Swift, and convert the data back to matter. Spirits who are being summoned or banished move through the Swift.

What's the Swift Like?

Different paradigms have different mindsets about the Swift. A being's mindset partly defines their beliefs about the Swift, how they enter it, and what they can perceive and do in the Swift.

Mindspace and Dataspace are always part of the Swift, although they may be barren if there are few or no minds or sources of technology or magitec. Dataspace is closely related to the electromagnetic spectrum (e.g., radio waves, microwaves). In some paradigms, the Swift is the medium through which electromagnetic waves travel. In some paradigms, the Swift is light and its absence.

Most paradigms distinguish the Swift from the Grid. The Grid is the reality where most beings remain in most of the time. If you're on the Material Plane right now, that's the Grid for you right now.

Slang or technical names for the Swift includes the Mesh, the Murk, the Haze, and the Collective Unconscious.

Most things in the Swift can't directly affect things on the Grid, and vice versa. Most actions, spells, and class features function in a comparable way in the Swift. This includes choices like Hide, cast Invisibility, and cast Fireball. Some things may have different functions or effects in the Swift, including unpredictable effects (DM's choice).

Entering the Swift

Different paradigms have different means for entering the Swift. Most means are some form of shifting or projecting. You can shift yourself into the Swift, leaving nothing behind on the Grid. Alternatively, you can create a projection of yourself in the Swift, leaving your physical body behind on the Grid. There are pros and cons to each means of entering. Your paradigm and/or your means of entering the Swift may dictate whether you can shift, project, or either (DM's choice).

In combat, entering or leaving the Swift requires an action. Where you arrive is partly a matter of your will (DM's choice).

If you project into the Swift, your Swift form must return to the Same place as your Grid form before you can safely stop projecting. (See "Movement in the Swift" below.)

You always have just one HP pool, whether you're on the Grid, projecting, or shifted. It includes any Temporary HP. If you project, any effects that target your body will affect you.

If you shift to the Swift and die, you actually die. If you project and die in the Swift, you don't die. Instead, you return to your body. Your body now has exactly 1 HP and gains 3 levels of Exhaustion. (If that much Exhaustion would usually cause death, it does so.) If you project and your body dies on the Grid, then you may actually die, or become a spirit or have a different experience (DM's choice).

Your Gear in the Swift

Your non-magical gear is usually irrelevant and unusable in the Swift (DM's choice). You can only use a magic item if you're linked to it.

The following magic items are automatically linked:

• A magic item that you purchased via Essence Points
• A magic item to which you're attuned

Beyond that, you can have links to a maximum of 3 magic items.

As a bonus action, you can do any of the following:

• Unlink a magic item
• Link a magic item
• Unlink one magic item and link a different magic item
• Create a basic Swift melee weapon. You're automatically proficient in this weapon, and it uses your highest mental ability for attack and damage (INT, WIS, or CHA). It does 1d8 slashing, magic damage.
• Create a basic Swift ranged weapon. You're automatically proficient in this weapon, and it uses your highest mental ability for attack and damage (INT, WIS, or CHA). It does 1d6 piercing, magic damage.
• Create a suit of basic Swift light armor. You're automatically proficient in this armor.
• Create a suit of basic Swift medium armor. You're automatically proficient in this armor.
• Create a suit of basic Swift heavy armor. You're automatically proficient in this armor.
• Create a basic Swift shield. You're automatically proficient with this shield.

Your Abilities Change

The DM will create two effects for your PC: "Swift (Projected)" and "Swift (Shifted)." When you enter the Swift, apply one of these effects. When you leave the Swift, remove the effect or ask the DM to remove it.

The effect will do the following

• Your physical abilities become equal to your mental abilities. These may increase or decrease them.
  • STR = CHA
  • DEX = INT (this may increase your AC)
  • CON = WIS

Movement in the Swift

Your position and movement in the Swift are often metaphorical rather than Euclidean. Distance can be arbitrary. Instead, everything in the local area of the Swift has three possible relationships to everything else in the Swift and on the Grid:

• Same: two things are in the same place. Usually, two things can only be in the Same place if they have a special connection, such as your Gridside body and your Swiftside projection, or your Gridside body and your familiar in Swiftside form.
• Near: two things are close enough to easily affect each other. Melee attacks are possible.
• Far: two things are far enough apart that they can't easily affect each other. Only ranged attacks are possible.

You typically move in the Swift by the force of your will. If two beings want to be Near, they can do so almost instantaneously. But if one being wants to remain Far from another being, they can try to evade. The two beings have a contest of will or similar Swiftside power. Typically, the DM will have each roll a check of Int, Wis, or Cha (being's choice). The higher check wins. There may be various complications. For example, one being might get to roll with advantage because they have a special connection to the local area of the Swift.

Improving Swift Abilities

You can improve your swift abilities as follows:

• Wheel: Raise swift armor from Light to Medium: Unbound, DC 15, 2 ticks
• Wheel: Raise swift armor from Light to Heavy: Unbound, DC 17, 4 ticks