Advanced Rules (Mostly for me)

The following page is mostly just for me, and I don't really expect anyone else to follow the rules laid down here. This is just to keep them in mind for later routes, and so that I have somewhere to add new rules or exceptions as and when they evolve. The reason that it is public is because anyone can use it if they want, I simply do not expect them to and they are not obligated to.

Here are the advanced rules as I have them currently worked out:

Having an item makes one more resistant to other items.
Not immune, but resistant. A character who holds an item can still be effected in some way by the power of another one unless they find a way to defend themselves, but they will not be instantly overcome. The longer they are exposed to the power of another item the more their defences wear away. Exactly how long it takes probably depends on strength of will and also the item that they hold. This does not apply to their own item - it can effect them directly - and the defences that they are granted by default are limited. They're not immune to new rules or changing how the world sees them, but they are resistant to direct manipulation. I.e new memories, new history, things that mess directly with their thoughts and their minds.

This does mean that it's easier to trick a would-be victim into making the wrong choice with their own item than attacking them directly with yours. Since this defence doesn't work against your own power.

If two items clash, the one which was triggered first has priority.
Some items have overlapping powers. In those cases if two different items are contradicting one another in what they are trying to do, the one which was triggered first will take precedence. However, there is a slight catch to this. The second command, though not active, is still triggered. That means that if at any point the first command is rescinded or broken, the second one which was previously inactive will come into play instantly.

An Item can be used by anyone who holds it, but it also has a specific bearer.
The bearer of an item is the one who found it first. After that point, it belongs to them. It can be loaned or stolen by someone else, and they can still use it but they will not be considered its true bearer. This is important because only the bearer will be granted the resistance against other items, and each item can only have one bearer at a time.

At any point, an item's bearer can lose their right to it via one of a few means.

If they are beaten in some way by the holder of another item. This is a complex and dangerous affair and requires two item users to clash and one to be decisively the victor. If the defeated is crushed so utterly that they no longer see even a glimmer of hope for their position then they can lose their right as an item bearer. However this is difficult and dangerous to do because the limit of each person is different, and it can be hard to know if someone is truly defeated or just pretending. An item that is taken while its former user still holds out hope does not transfer ownership.

If the item is given away by the bearer with the intention of grating the receiver true ownership then the new owner will become the bearer and the old owner will lose that position.

If the old bearer is killed, the item will become ''free'' again but only after a period of a year during which it cannot be used. Old changes created by it before its bearer was killed remain in effect until the year is up and a new bearer is chosen and granted the power to repeal them. This means that when item holders fight or clash, they usually don't fight to kill because if you kill someone you can't undo anything they did or use their item for a whole year. Considering what both sides are likely to be throwing at one another, this is pretty bad.

No two items do exactly the same thing.
There is overlap between some of them of course, but each one has its own unique spin on things, and its own unique powers. This way acquiring multiple items is beneficial to a user, and one's power grows the more they have accumulated.

When it gains a new Bearer, an item will show them how to use it.
When someone is chosen as the bearer of an item - if they find it when it has no other bearer for instance - then they will be given the basic information required to make use of the item. Note that an item doesn't tell them everything it can do, but it does give them enough to have some idea of what it does and how to use it.

This ability only triggers for new bearers, not for new users. So if someone stole or was loaned the item, they would not be automatically informed of its powers. Likewise, if someone is made a bearer but already has a rough idea of what it does, the item may not feel the need to fill them in.