#Barrier Boundary Events - The Edge of the Dome

Contents

Core reference: Zone Gimmick Catalog (區域仕掛圖鑑)

[New Rule]

This file defines events that occur in the outer boundary zone of a domain barrier dome as a d100 event table with 20 entries. The core Barrier check rules handle effects that act "from inside the dome to outside." This rule systematizes events that act "from outside the dome to inside," or events that occur "on the boundary surface itself."

Use this rule directly for scenarios where the PCs remain in the boundary zone, nighttime scenarios where they guard the Barrier, and chase scenarios involving yoma infiltration. One roll creates one scene.

Light one stick of incense. Stand in the boundary zone. The outer face of the barrier dome is close enough to touch. If you reach out, your hand will meet it. But something is coming from within it. Or someone comes from outside. Or no one comes at all - and that is the most frightening thing.

#1. Boundary Zone Overview

The boundary zone is a gray corridor one round wide outside the barrier dome. It is the space defined in 03-01 Spirit Realm Topology. It belongs to no direction, and no hell-specific weather operates there. Instead, this zone itself has its own event density.

#Baseline For Staying In The Boundary Zone

• Spirit Realm Exposure: apply the boundary zone modifier -1
• Barrier Target Number: baseline value (only tide modifiers apply)
• Boundary event check: 1 check per 1 round

For an event check, roll d100 and trigger the event whose interval is hit among the 20 events. The 61~100 range is "No Event" - nothing happens.

#2. d100 Boundary Event Table (20 Entries)

The table below divides the 01~60 range into 20 events. Handle 61~100 separately.

Each event is classified into three categories.

• Erosion: An event that weakens the Barrier. The PCs either protect the Barrier or leave it alone.
• Sealing: An event that strengthens the Barrier. It is opportunistic. PCs can participate in the sealing.
• Approach: An event where a yoma or another being approaches the boundary. Choices include combat, conversation, evasion, and similar responses.

#Table - 20 Boundary Events

#61~100: No Event

When No Event occurs, treat it as "nothing happens." However, the GM must describe that "nothing happens" through the senses: "The haze beyond the Barrier remains unchanged," or "The wind stops for a moment." No Event is also an event.

#3. Event Details - Erosion Type

#01~03 Threadline Crack (絲)

Situation: A hair-thin crack appears on the surface of the barrier dome. It is about one span long.

Rules:

• Barrier Target Number +1 (next 1 round)
• If a PC spends one stick of incense and succeeds at a Barrier check, Target Number 10, it is sealed
• On sealing failure, the crack grows longer (twice the length, increasing to Target Number +2)

Presentation: The GM describes the crack visually. "You see a single silver line at one point on the Barrier. It is thinner than a hair. But the line is lengthening, very slowly."

#04~06 Hemp Strand

Situation: A black hemp thread stretching out from Black Rope is caught on the Barrier surface. It is only snagged there; it has not pierced through.

Rules:

• Barrier Target Number +1
• Remove it with incense 1 stick + success on a Barrier check, Target Number 11
• If ignored, the hemp strand thickens every 1 round (Target Number gradually +1)

Presentation: The hemp strand seems not to move, but if you look away and back again, its position has subtly changed.

#07~09 Dew Runoff

Situation: The Barrier surface becomes wet with dew, increasing transparency. The inside is easier to see from outside, and the outside is easier to see from inside.

Rules:

• Barrier Target Number -1 (the Barrier weakens)
• Yoma Perception checks -1 (detection becomes easier in both directions)
• Duration: dries naturally after 1~2 rounds

Presentation: Clear sight is a threat here. It hints that someone outside may be watching the PCs inside the domain.

#16~18 Ash Pile

Situation: Ash blown in from Scorching Heat piles under the Barrier. It reaches ankle height.

Rules:

• Movement rounds +1 (boundary zone only)
• Exposure modifier +1 (next 1 round)
• If burned with incense, the ash disappears quickly (incense 1 stick)

Presentation: The ash pile carries a familiar smell. A scent belonging to someone the PCs might know may be mixed into it (GM discretion).

#22~24 A Drop of Blood

Situation: A drop of blood spreads on the inner surface of the Barrier. It is unclear whether someone inside shed it, or whether it seeped in from outside.

Rules:

• Barrier Target Number +2
• A successful Perception check, Target Number 11 can identify the source
• If ignored, after 1 round the blood seeps in and part of the Barrier reddens (increasing to Target Number +3)

Presentation: This event carries heavy psychological pressure. PCs will almost always want to ask where the blood came from. The GM does not give the answer easily.

#31~33 Black Pattern

Situation: A Black Rope knot pattern shimmers on the Barrier surface. It is not static but dynamic - the knots actually form and loosen in repetition.

Rules:

• Barrier Target Number +1
• Mental Save, Target Number 10 (all affected PCs)
• After 1 round the pattern disappears, but PC Exposure +1

Presentation: The longer a PC watches the pattern, the more the Exposure modifier increases (GM discretion, maximum +2).

#40~42 Falling Stone

Situation: A small fragment of the Barrier shell falls away. It is fingernail-sized. It feels cold to the touch.

Rules:

• Barrier Target Number +1 (permanent - the spot where this fragment fell does not recover)
• PCs can pick up the fragment (use defined separately)
• It can be restored only through a Barrier regeneration rite (requires a separate facility)

Presentation: The fragment is small but important. If this event accumulates multiple times, the domain's long-term Barrier strength declines. Record it on the campaign calendar.

#58~60 Vanishing Incense

Situation: The incense the PCs had lit suddenly goes out. Even though there is no wind.

Rules:

• The incense effect ends immediately
• The affected PC makes a Mental Save, Target Number 10
• Next 1 round, Exposure modifier +1
• Lighting new incense takes 1 round

Presentation: Incense is a protective tool for PCs. When it goes out for no reason, the PC gets the sensation that "something is watching."

#4. Event Details - Approach Type

#10~12 Strange Hand

Situation: A hand-shaped shadow touches the outside surface of the Barrier. Five fingers. It is touching the Barrier.

Rules:

• Barrier Target Number +2 (while it touches)
• If a PC places a hand on the same position from the opposite side, an interaction occurs (GM development)
• If ignored, the hand withdraws after 3 rounds
• Drive it away with incense: incense 1 stick + Barrier check, Target Number 10

Presentation: The owner of the hand may be familiar to the PC, or unfamiliar. GM discretion. If a PC has lost someone, the hand may belong to that person.

#13~15 Name Calling

Situation: The name of one PC is called from outside the Barrier. Once. Or three times.

Rules:

• The affected PC makes a Mental Save, Target Number 10; on failure, they want to cross beyond the Barrier
• If no one responds, the voice disappears after 1 round
• If someone answers, conversation begins, but the content of the conversation is GM improvisation

Presentation: The owner of the voice is usually "someone who should not be there" - the dead, someone far away, the PC's own past self. The identity of the one calling the name may never be confirmed.

#25~27 Scent Shift

Situation: The scent mixed into the boundary zone's mixed wind suddenly concentrates into a specific hell lineage.

Rules:

• Roll d10 to determine the hell (1~2 Reviving, 3~4 Black Rope, 5~6 Screaming, 7~8 Scorching Heat, 9~10 Avici)
• For the next 1~2 rounds, the chance of encountering yoma from that hell increases
• If this is recorded in the scent log, the PCs can guess which direction the yoma will come from

Presentation: The GM describes the scent in words. "The smell of iron grows thick - it is from Reviving," for example.

#34~36 Ally Apparition

Situation: An apparition of one of the PCs' allies appears outside the Barrier. An ally who is not here now.

Rules:

• Mental Save, Target Number 11; on failure, the PC attempts to pass through the Barrier
• The apparition does not speak. It only reaches out a hand, or moves away
• Spending incense 1 stick makes the apparition vanish
• If no one reacts, it disappears naturally after 1~2 rounds

Presentation: The apparition's face is the ally's face, but from the moment the PC remembers most strongly - a happy moment, a sad moment, the last time they saw them. It is even more effective if a player experiences their own PC's face appearing as the apparition.

#37~39 Mirror Reflection

Situation: The Barrier surface briefly becomes a mirror. The PC sees their own face. But it is slightly different.

Rules:

• The affected PC makes a Mental Save, Target Number 10
• On failure, next check -1 (self-loathing)
• Exposure modifier +1
• The mirror vanishes after 1 round

Presentation: The difference is subtle. The eyes are a little cloudier, the mark at the corner of the mouth is a little different, or one or two strands of hair are longer. The PC is forced to ask, "Is that really me?"

#43~45 Breath

Situation: Someone is breathing outside the Barrier. Close by.

Rules:

• Mental Save, Target Number 11
• On failure, unable to act for 1 round
• The breath disappears after 3~5 rounds
• Drive it away with incense: requires incense 2 sticks (one stick is not enough)

Presentation: The breath is like breathing heard outside the window of the room where the PC sleeps. Ordinary, and therefore the most frightening sound. The GM describes the interval of the breath - "inhalation, exhalation. Inhalation again."

#49~51 Deep Shadow

Situation: A huge shadow passes outside the Barrier. The owner of the shadow is not visible.

Rules:

• Barrier Target Number +3 (while it passes, 2~3 rounds)
• All PCs make a Mental Save, Target Number 11
• Yoma encounter possibility increases (GM discretion)

Presentation: While the shadow passes, every light inside the Barrier dims slightly. PCs intuit that something enormous is moving outside.

#55~57 One Phrase

Situation: A single sentence is heard beyond the Barrier. Exactly once.

Rules:

• Perception check, Target Number 10; on success, the PC understands the sentence
• On failure, the PC knows only that "there was speech," but not its content
• Exposure modifier +1 (regardless of whether the content is understood)

Presentation: The GM actually says one sentence to the players. This sentence may be foreshadowing for the scenario, a clue to a PC's personal story, or meaningless noise. Either way, the sentence remains in the players' memory.

#5. Event Details - Sealing Type

#19~21 Light Leak

Situation: Part of the Barrier briefly brightens. As if something inside is praying.

Rules:

• Barrier Target Number -1 (duration 1~2 rounds)
• Affected PC Exposure -1 (minimum 0)
• A PC can maintain this light longer through prayer or ritual (incense 1 stick + Mental Save, Target Number 10)

Presentation: The light is not warm. It is pale and calm. It is the result of someone's will inside the domain reaching the boundary. The GM decides who that "someone" is.

#28~30 Prayer Sound

Situation: A sound like Buddhist chanting leaks out from inside the Barrier. It can be heard in the boundary zone.

Rules:

• Barrier Target Number -2 (while the sound lasts)
• Affected PC Exposure modifier -1 (next 1 round)
• On a successful Mental Save, Target Number 10, Exposure -1 (minimum 0)
• The sound lasts 2~3 rounds

Presentation: The content of the sound cannot be understood. Only the rhythm is known. A regular, slow rhythm begins to synchronize with the PC's breathing.

#46~48 Talisman Appears

Situation: An unfamiliar talisman is attached to the Barrier surface. It is unclear whether someone inside the domain attached it, or whether it appeared from outside.

Rules:

• Barrier Target Number -2 (permanent, until the talisman falls away)
• On a successful Sorcery or Exorcism check, Target Number 13, its nature is understood
• The talisman naturally disappears after 3~10 rounds

Presentation: The talisman's handwriting is unfamiliar. It seems like a known hand wrote it, and also like it did not. When a PC asks "whose handwriting is this," the GM does not answer. This ambiguity creates the aftertaste of the event.

#52~54 Crack Resealing

Situation: A small existing crack in the Barrier closes on its own. Without any special cause.

Rules:

• Barrier Target Number -1 (this cycle only, not persistent)
• Remove one existing accumulated Erosion event (GM choice)
• No Exposure change

Presentation: This event is a mysterious kindness. Perhaps someone in the domain is offering a rite, or perhaps the Spirit Realm itself is self-cleansing. PCs wonder, but no answer comes.

#6. Check Frequency And Modifiers

#Basic Check Frequency

Roll d100 1 time for each 1 round spent in the boundary zone. Even if multiple PCs are present, roll 1 time per 1 round.

#Modifier Situations

If modifiers accumulate and d100 -20 applies, the No Event range (61~100) shrinks to 41~80.

#Accumulation Limit

If Erosion events occur 3 or more times in one scene, the GM triggers "Great Erosion (大侵蝕)" instead of later Erosion events. This is a scenario transition in which one yoma infiltrates the domain interior (GM discretion).

If Sealing events also occur 3 or more times, trigger "Great Sealing (大封合)" - Barrier Target Number -1 across all time periods for one week.

#7. Scenario Examples

#Scenario "Boundary Night"

Setup: The PC party spends one night in the boundary zone. They remain for 6 rounds.

Progression:

• 1 round: roll d100. Resolve the event according to the result.
• 2 rounds: roll d100. Resolve the event.
• (Repeat)
• 6 rounds: the sun rises and the party returns to the domain.

Expectation: Average 2~3 event occurrences. Among them, Erosion 1, Approach 1, Sealing 0~1. Session time 2~3 hours.

Player Experience: Waves of tension. Rounds where nothing happens alternate with rounds where an incident breaks out. Unpredictability creates drama.

#Scenario "Night Of Great Erosion"

Setup: A night when the Barrier gradually weakens. PCs actively stop Erosion events.

Progression: Stay in the boundary zone during high tide (d100 -10 modifier). Erosion events are frequent. PCs stop each erosion with incense and checks. When 3 have accumulated, Great Erosion occurs.

Climax: When Great Erosion occurs, a yoma infiltrates the domain interior. Shift to a chase scenario.

#Scenario "Night Of Prayer"

Setup: A night when someone inside the domain offers a great prayer. Sealing events occur in sequence.

Progression: Normal checks, with no d100 modifier. However, when a Sealing event appears, the GM immediately expands the scene - the PCs hear the voice of prayer, a talisman falls in front of a PC, and so on.

Meaning: A handful of peace within a hellish atmosphere. Use it to pace the campaign's mood.

#8. Improvising Events

#Tips For The GM

The event table is a starting point. Do not simply read the roll result as written; adjust details to the current PC situation. Example: if "Ally Apparition" appears but the party has no ally, replace it with someone from a PC's past.

#Revealing The Table To Players

Revealing the event table itself to players is not recommended. If players know the d100 result, tension weakens. The GM rolls the result privately and reveals it only through description.

#Repeated Results

The same event can appear twice in one session. In that case, the GM changes the second instance slightly - the same "Strange Hand," but this time in a different posture, at a different position. Repetition creates a feeling of accumulation.

#Performance Tips

#Incense - Incense In The Boundary Zone

Incense in the boundary zone has special meaning. Incense in the core domain is for rites, but incense in the boundary zone is armor. PCs decide every round whether to conserve or spend incense. This resource management itself is drama.

#Law - The Technique Of Event Declaration

When declaring an event, the GM uses "sensory description -> rule effect," not "rule effect -> sensory description." "You see a silver line on the Barrier surface. [Silence] The Barrier Target Number rises by +1." The pause of silence matters.

#Performance Tip - Room For Reaction

After an event occurs, the GM waits briefly before asking, "What do you do?" Give players time to absorb the situation. This room for reaction makes the long night in the boundary zone feel real.

#Performance Tip - The Silence Of The Boundary Zone

When No Event (61~100) occurs consecutively, the GM does not hide it. Use explicit description: "Three rounds have passed, but nothing has happened. The incense has almost burned down." This silence makes the shock of the next event stronger.

#Link - Combining With Tides And Weather

Boundary events are directly affected by tides (03-03) and weather (03-04). More events occur during high tide; during a spiritual storm, Erosion events dominate; and so on. When these three systems interlock, the session's density is maximized.

#9. Event Interpretation - Player Reaction Guide

#Typical Player Reactions And GM Responses

Boundary events provoke strong reactions from players. Typical reactions and how the GM can respond.

Reaction A: Immediate Response Attempt

For events such as "Strange Hand" or "Name Calling," a PC tries to communicate with what is beyond the Barrier. The GM welcomes the attempt, but conveys the weight of the answer. Communication always carries a cost of Exposure +1.

Reaction B: Looking Away

The PCs ignore the event and focus on something else. In this case, the event naturally dissipates, or its effect is reduced. The GM leaves behind the feeling that "even while you tried hard not to look, something remained there."

Reaction C: Aggressive Response

The PCs try to "remove" the event with incense or checks. Most Erosion events can be solved this way. However, Approach events often require "resolution" rather than removal.

Reaction D: Analysis And Investigation

The PCs try to identify the event's true nature. On a successful Wisdom or Perception check, Target Number 11~14, part of the event's source is revealed. This can be used as a clue in a long campaign.

#Semantic Layers Of Events

Each event carries not only a rule effect, but also narrative meaning. The GM should avoid over-explaining an event's meaning during the session, and instead design it so the meaning becomes visible in a later session.

Example: the "Ally Apparition" (34~36) event. On the surface, it is a fear effect. But who this apparition was, and why it appeared, can become foreshadowing for the next session. After the apparition scene, rumors about that person may begin circulating in the domain, and so on.

#10. Event Chains - Linked Structure

In addition to single events, "event chains" are possible. This is a structure where multiple events connect in sequence.

#Chain Example 1: The Touch Of Black Rope

1. 1 round: "Hemp Strand" (04~06) occurs - a black thread catches on the Barrier
2. 3 rounds: "Black Pattern" (31~33) appears at the same position
3. 5 rounds: "Deep Shadow" (49~51) passes by

If PCs fail to stop this chain, a Black Rope yoma attempts to infiltrate the domain. The entire chain is the omen of one large event.

#Chain Example 2: Mourning

1. 1 round: "Name Calling" (13~15) - a specific PC's name comes from beyond the Barrier
2. Next session: "Ally Apparition" (34~36) appears again before the same PC
3. Third session: "One Phrase" (55~57) contains a line close to that PC

This chain is a foreshadowing chain for a PC's personal story. Someone in the Spirit Realm is continuing to send signals to the PC.

#Designing Chains

If the GM wants to design a chain deliberately, the GM can adjust or force event roll results. To the players, it should appear as natural randomness.

#Ending A Chain

A chain may end the campaign unresolved. If it is resolved, it is usually a major dramatic turning point - the PC reconciles with the being beyond the boundary, fights it, or finally loses it.

#11. Event Location Granularity

Events do not occur uniformly throughout the boundary zone. Specific points are more sensitive to specific events.

#Direction-Adjacent Points

The boundary zone point nearest each direction tends to produce events from that direction's hell lineage.

The GM can reflect these point-by-point traits in the d100 roll. Example: at the northern adjacent point, apply a +5~10 modifier to the d100 roll to slightly widen the Reviving lineage range.

#Focus Point (關)

In addition to the 8 direction-adjacent points in the boundary zone, there are specific focus points called "pass-gates (關)." These points are fine weaknesses in the barrier dome, and their event occurrence probability is higher.

The positions of pass-gates are fixed for each campaign and set by the GM. Usually there are 3~5. While staying at a pass-gate, the d100 modifier is -10 (event probability increases).

A pass-gate is also an opportunity. If a specific rite is performed at a pass-gate, the Barrier sealing effect is multiplied.

#12. Narrative Use Of Events

#Opening Event

Place 1~2 boundary events in sequence at the session opening. PCs are exposed to uncertainty from the beginning of the session. This structure immediately sets the session's tension.

#Middle Event

Place 1 event in the middle of the session, when PC focus has lowered because of conversation or exploration. It refreshes the rhythm.

#Ending Event

Just before the session ends, use a mystery event such as "One Phrase" or "Talisman Appears." It becomes a hook into the next session.

#Climax Event

Trigger "Deep Shadow" or "Great Erosion" at the session climax. Let it become the central event of one session.

#13. Special Boundary - Barrier Rift

In addition to the ordinary boundary zone, there is a special place called a "Barrier Rift (裂)." It is a permanent fine crack in the barrier dome.

#Existence Of Rifts

Each campaign has 1~2 rifts. They are wounds that cannot be healed, or that require extreme resources to heal. If PCs discover one, it can become a central campaign subject.

#Event Density Around A Rift

Within a radius of one round around a rift, the d100 modifier is -20. Event occurrence probability becomes extremely high. Erosion events have especially high weight.

Events blooming from a rift differ slightly from ordinary events on the table. The GM considers the following variations.

• "Strange Hand" -> the hand actually pierces through the Barrier and enters (on Barrier check failure)
• "Name Calling" -> the name being called is a past name of the PC that the PC does not know
• "Breath" -> the breath begins to synchronize with the PC's breathing

#Guarding A Rift

When the PC party discovers a rift, a duty to guard it is naturally assigned. If the rift is ignored, Great Erosion occurs repeatedly and the entire domain becomes endangered. There are many ways to guard it - periodic incense rites, talisman renewal, Barrier rites, and more.

This guarding activity can become a recurring session structure in a long campaign.

#14. Designing Event Design - Meta Guide

#Adding New Events

If the GM wants to add a campaign-specific new event, borrow part of the 61~100 No Event range from the d100 intervals of the existing 20 events. Example: designate 61~65 as "New Event A."

When designing a new event, consider:

• Category (Erosion / Sealing / Approach)
• Duration
• Rule effects (Barrier Target Number, Exposure, checks)
• Sensory description

#Components Of An Event

A well-designed event has the following.

1. Immediate sensation - one-sentence description
2. Room for choice - room for PCs to wonder what to do
3. Rules result - a clear effect according to the choice
4. Aftertaste - meaning that remains after the choice

An event with these four elements in balance creates drama.

#Performance Tips

#Incense - Incense In The Boundary Zone

Incense in the boundary zone has special meaning. Incense in the core domain is for rites, but incense in the boundary zone is armor. PCs decide every round whether to conserve or spend incense. This resource management itself is drama.

#Law - The Technique Of Event Declaration

When declaring an event, the GM uses "sensory description -> rule effect," not "rule effect -> sensory description." "You see a silver line on the Barrier surface. [Silence] The Barrier Target Number rises by +1." The pause of silence matters.

#Performance Tip - Room For Reaction

After an event occurs, the GM waits briefly before asking, "What do you do?" Give players time to absorb the situation. This room for reaction makes the long night in the boundary zone feel real.

#Performance Tip - The Silence Of The Boundary Zone

When No Event (61~100) occurs consecutively, the GM does not hide it. Use explicit description: "Three rounds have passed, but nothing has happened. The incense has almost burned down." This silence makes the shock of the next event stronger.

#Performance Tip - The Physicality Of Approach Events

For Approach events (10~12, 13~15, 25~27, 34~36, and so on), the GM describes even the PC's physical reaction. The PC who sees the hand-shaped shadow feels their heart quicken and their breathing become shallow. This physicality amplifies psychological fear.

#Link - Combining With Tides And Weather

Boundary events are directly affected by tides (03-03) and weather (03-04). More events occur during high tide; during a spiritual storm, Erosion events dominate; and so on. When these three systems interlock, the session's density is maximized.

#Links

• Previous: 03-04 Weather Hazards
• Next: 03-06 Hell Guide
• Topology reference: 03-01 Spirit Realm Topology
• Tide reference: 03-03 Spirit Realm Tides
• Travel rules: 03-02 Travel Rules
• Core Barrier rules: 05-05 Zone Gimmicks