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Interpretive Echo

Manifestation of a Disproven Theory

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Tier 2 Skulk Difficulty 13

When a Lexharrow theory is conclusively disproven — argued down in Concord, struck from the registers, formally abandoned — the residue does not always go quietly. An Interpretive Echo is the manifestation of a theory that refuses to accept it was wrong. It looks like the scholar who first published the theory, or like a creature the theory predicted that never actually existed. It does not know it is not real.

Interpretive Echo

Tier 2 Skulk

*"It was the man from the engraving. He was the wrong height. The engraving had been wrong about his height. He did not know."*

Motives & Tactics:

Description

An Interpretive Echo's appearance is determined by the disproven theory: a scholar who walks like the published-portrait engraving, a creature whose anatomy is exactly the shape the disproven theory predicted, a phenomenon that obeys the disproven law of physics rather than the corrected one. The Echo is faintly translucent in good light and indistinguishable from real in bad. Its voice is the voice of someone who has not yet been told.

Motives

Prove the theory true. Echoes seek evidence — they will try to demonstrate, in real time, the truth of whatever they were spawned from. A Echo of a disproven monster-theory will attempt to become that monster, eating things the theory predicted it would eat. An Echo of a disproven historical figure will attempt to reenact their alleged deeds.

Tactics

Echoes prefer ambush, because the disproven theory often included an ambush. They attack the way the theory said they would, which is usually slightly worse than the way a real creature would, because the theory had a flaw — which is why it was disproven. A PC who has researched the original theory has advantage on rolls against the Echo, because they know the theory's flaw.

Difficulty: 13 | Thresholds: 8/16 | HP: 6 | Stress: 4

ATK: 3 | As-Predicted Strike: Melee | 1d10+3 mag

Features

Bound by Its Theory - Passive: The Echo can only take actions consistent with the disproven theory that spawned it. The GM should determine, before the encounter, what the theory predicted; the Echo cannot deviate. PCs who have read the disproven theory (a Knowledge roll, DC 14, to access Lexharrow Archive references) gain advantage on rolls to predict the Echo's next action.

The Disproof Strike - Action: A PC who has identified the specific flaw in the disproven theory may, on their action, attempt to articulate the flaw aloud to the Echo as part of an attack. The attack is rolled with advantage and, on a hit, deals double damage as the Echo's coherence buckles under the disproof.

Refusal to Accept - Reaction: When the Echo would be reduced to 0 HP by an attack that did not involve a stated disproof of its theory, it instead drops to 1 HP and re-asserts the theory at increased confidence. Its next attack is at +5 instead of +3. It can use this reaction only once per scene.

Citation Chain - Passive: When an Interpretive Echo is defeated through proper disproof (the Disproof Strike feature above), it dissipates into a small scroll containing the disproof itself, written in the Echo's hand. Lexharrow Archive officials will pay generously for these scrolls. Codex Excisors will pay more.