Mook Mobs

Sometimes you need a little more roleplay than "nice shoes, wanna fuckfight?" Ryona Royale has a scant bit of guidance on using Moves for more than only fighting, fighting mooks instead of Main Characters (MCs), and briefly explains the GM Points system for sharing GM duties between players. This supplement goes into detail on making those mooks, as well as dangerous and sexy environments, and some effects your MCs can deal with over "longer than a knock-up drag-out fight".

You'll feel a little bit of strain taking Ryona Royale out of the ring and into the mean streets, foggy forests, or space-freighter corridors, as your Moves give a little less direct guidance to more varied complications and challenges. But as long as you have quirky, sexy, and interesting baddies to beat or beat off, the fast and simple rules make for fast and simple fun, and will let you tell even more stylish, flashy, and sweaty stories together.

Two-Player

While it doesn't make a huge mechanical difference, the design of all these enemies and hazards assumes you'll use the 'GM Points' system, that you and one other player will take turns narrating the world around your sexy fighters, and that you'll swap the narrating duties once one fighter gets sufficiently fucked or fucked-up through making Moves. You can delegate GMing to just one player forever, but certain Specials and Hazards will feel a bit more cheap if you do. Besides, it's more fun with two players!

As general guidance, while a 'normal' fight in standard Ryona Royale has a set format, introducing Mook Mobs and these more open-world elements calls for some judgment. If you have two MCs tearing it up, you can probably fight and fuck your way through about 5 HP worth of baddies, before one or both MCs will need a breather. So try to put in a narrative excuse for it! Here's a couple:

  • If the MCs didn't take too many cuts, sprains, or other 'this needs to heal up', just actually taking a breather is always fine.
  • If the cuts and bruises narratively aren't too nasty yet, just tear a strip off your shirt and wrap it around the cut, it looks badass.
  • Make excuses to find a handy First Aid Kit or something equivalent, as everyone knows, those work instantly without any medical training and result in full restoration.
  • Don't be afraid to lean into technobabble or magical woo so long as it sort-of fits the setting. Super-latex encounter-suit sprayers, self-repairing chainmail bikinis, your wife's hip-flask that always seems to set you right, as long as you and the other player can agree not to laugh at each other or call bullshit.

By design, GM Points mean the narrator turn-switch will tend to happen just when one MC has gotten seriously fucked and/or fucked-up. This is supposed to also come with resolving that MC's scene, before switching focus toward the other MC (whose player was previously narrating). This also usually is a good sign to get the MCs out of immediate peril for a minute for that recovery, unless the resolution of the scene is the MC getting kidnapped, tentacle-podded, stuck in a mimic-chest, or something else. Even then, consider restoring the MCs at least a little, if not a full recovery.

It also pays to decide upfront when or whether to clear out lingering Dangers the MCs have acquired, restore Edges the MCs have exhausted, and reset Power to zero. But as usual guidelines:

  • Lingering Dangers should disappear at the end of the scene, usually they would stop being relevant as risks to Moves by that point. But see the later section on Twists, Challenges, and Countdowns for more long-lasting consequences.
  • MCs' Edges should probably refresh after the end of a scene as well, unless there's a narrative reason your [Big Dick] isn't up for Round Two yet.
  • Power--actually, you might want to keep that even after the end of a scene, unless you feel like an upcoming conflict would feel cheap if you walked in with a Special already ready.

Again, with a single MC, '3 HP' is enough to make it fifty-fifty whether the MC will win, all else equal, and with two MCs working together, 5 HP total falls just short of that 'fifty-fifty' window. To get a real brawler experience, make sure that in any single fight or fuck, the MCs have better odds than that, and give the MCs excuses to rally and recover . . . unless you're playing to lose, which is fine too.

The Mooks

The villains and antagonists make the story: here you'll find mechanical guidance, reference-scales for "how bad should this be", ideas to come up with challenging encounters that feel only a bit unfair, but you have to dress the mooks and minibosses and stages up yourself, in your narration. And keep in mind, with your MCs no longer fighting each other, you can make your mooks as disposable as you like. While not many people get off on actual blood or broken bones, just as few will flinch at kicking a giant bug into a lava-pit, or smashing a robot into a lightpost. You can get more violent with inhuman adversaries without dampening the sexy. Not that you have to go easy on any of these baddies, they earned it . . .

Ordinary Chump

These make up the default, low-rank, low-threat opposition. It takes like six of these guys to present even a credible threat to a Ryona Royale MC. They exist to get mopped up, their defeat usually fuels someone's Power gauge. You might want to apologize if one of them lucks into cherry-tapping an MC on their very last HP.

  • Attack: reckless (favor the Goal) | cowardly (favor the Danger)
  • Rush: crowd the MC into somewhere dangerous; pin for someone else
  • Evade: the MC 'hit' one of them but there's more (and they haven't lost their 1 shared HP)
  • Read: loudly announce the MC's location, strengths or abilities, weaknesses, intents
  • Combo: they don't have Power so they can't Combo
  • Style: they don't have Power, so Style is more of a vibe
  • 1-Power Special: hope that maybe, if they diligently train--
  • 3-Power Finisher: a frightening but yearning dream
  • Edges: if the Chump(s) deserve remembering, they get one: [they're kinda cute/sexy], [the gang's all here], [your biggest fan], [holding something important]
  • Passive: "my opponent cannot feel fulfilled, until they have thrown me in a garbage can"
  • 1 HP per two Chumps, if only one Chump actually gets hit, the others run in terror; if only one Chump makes sense, describe their demolishment by the MC in excessive detail
  • Special: if there's really only one Chump, or several sub-Chumps that don't coordinate or use pack-tactics, consider having just a very good Evade or Rush be good enough to 'defeat' a Chump, not requiring a real Attack.

Enhanced Chump

While still a Chump, the Enhanced edition gets one (1) improvement over Ordinary:

  • Give them an Edge for a maximum of two, and try to create an Edge, which you can donate to a sturdier enemy.
  • Give them an Edge for specifically being speedy, tough, clever, plucky, flashy, or prepared.
  • Give them an Edge for something that specifically counters or foils an MC, like flying, ranged attacks, poison or 'poison', an element the MC is weak against, or numbers that actually count.
  • Give them 1 Power and any fitting Special, they can use it once during the fight.
  • Give them some situational one-use nonsense via Combo, perhaps using an ability related to their boss.
  • Give them a Style, but it's unlikely they'll live long enough to benefit.
  • Give them a Passive that actually affects the MC for a bit.
  • Give them a whole extra HP, perhaps even choosing between Degradation or Harm damage, before tapping out.
  • Give them a name and if they don't die outright, bring them back later, possibly stronger.
  • Give them two or three from this list for Deluxe or Elite Chumps, if faceless minions get boring.

Flying Bastard

To give an example of a concrete Enhanced Chump, have a 'generic flying bastard': the kind of enemy that transcends disposable Chumpitude, and becomes a real inconvenience instead of scenery, by having One Weird Trick.

  • Attack: impact or sharp bits (favor the Goal) | butting and circling (favor the Danger)
  • Rush: harass and distract the MC; bump the MC into hazards
  • Evade: that [flying] Edge comes in very handy here
  • Read: follow the MC; maybe give away their hiding-spot; literal bird's-eye view
  • Combo: shouldn't have Power as a mere mook, but possibly latching on the MC or baiting an MC Attack to hit The Wrong Thing
  • Style: shouldn't have Power as a mere mook, but Defensive or Passive can pay off quickly
  • 1-Power Special: if applicable, Vanish is good
  • 3-Power Finisher: if applicable, Domination (restrained for a KO Cutscene) or Binding (MC herded somewhere bad)
  • Edges: besides [flying], a second Edge for [taser], [poison], [explosive], [seam-ripper], or [restraining] might fit
  • Passive: "my opponent cannot Attack Non-Sexually, until they Create an Edge" would suit, vary to theme and taste
  • 1 HP per two Flying Bastards, especially if they have any other nice toys from this list, unless they're above Chump-tier

Little Greebly Guys

In a different direction from baseline Chump, also benefiting from special handling, you know and hate these too, they're the little wiggly tiny-hitbox swarmers: worms, maggots, leaping-lizards or frogs, tiny goblins jumping from trees, and the like. Individually they barely rate notice, but with any other risk or hazard around, they can become a Problem. One usually best kicked into lava.

  • Attack: bite, sting, or cut (favor the Goal) | Jump at or drop down on the MC (favor the Danger)
  • Rush: cling somewhere hard to reach; squirm under armor or clothing; harass the MC into hazards
  • Evade: [tiny] helps sometimes, and as long as there's a lot of them, squishing or punting one doesn't help
  • Read: follow the MC, stare at them from underneath, give away their hiding-spot
  • Combo: shouldn't have Power as a mere mook, but could bite, infest, attach, explode, activate a tracker, steal something, or other
  • Style: shouldn't have Power, so Style is more of a vibe
  • 1-Power Special: if applicable, Range or Maim can reflect "one of them is hanging onto the MC and does damage", or Hazard for "one the MC didn't see strings up a cable or knocks something over"
  • 3-Power Finisher: if applicable, Binding works for infesty greebles, otherwise very humiliating Domination
  • Edges: besides [tiny], a second Edge for [poison], [explosive], [thief], or [restraining] might fit
  • Passive: "my opponent cannot Attack Non-Sexually, until they Create an Edge" would suit, especially any 'area of effect' mass-wipeouts
  • 1 HP per four Greebles, give or take, and remember that for an individual lone Greeble, just a mere Evade or Rush should be enough force to 'defeat' them, without an Attack

Credible Threats

You only see a few of these total in a single stage, they're not bosses, but they command the area. Alone, they're still manageable, but with some hazards around and some mooks at their disposal, they're a serious threat. They might be holding valuable items or plot beats, and probably they fuck pretty good.

Mook Commander

In all honesty, this is just a Chump that graduated and got a well-earned promotion, by something other than attrition. Presented here as a baseline and generic default, the other more specialized Credible Threats have more interest and distinction, honest! But study this meat-and-potatoes miniboss, it's a respectable challenge if you get stumped for ideas.

  • Theme: if your adversity or the locale has any particular palette or motif (fire, machinery, bugs, psychic powers) then this character should reflect that theme somehow.
  • Attack: with a weapon (favor the Goal) | with a shield or armor (favor the Danger)
  • Rush: knows the area and wants to fuck or fuck up the MC
  • Evade: knows the area and avoids hazards
  • Read: learns and uses any disadvantages or injuries that the MC walked in with, or creates a new advantage
  • Combo: might start with 1 Power, and can do a thematic or stage-related one-off trick: oil, clothing-acid, lava pits, activate phase one of The Machine, or if nothing else summon in a few mooks
  • Style: preferably something that rewards or punishes the MC's recent strategy or approach
  • 1-Power Special: anything but Heal, unless you have a good reason
  • 3-Power Finisher: Binding can start off a side-quest, Domination would be a little anti-climactic, but possibly fitting
  • Edges: one or two, as a treat: [pretty sexy], [empathetic], [let's get a drink later], [holding something important], [knows the area], or your basics of strong, tough, quick, well-armed, or other competence
  • Passive: put some thought into it, hinder the MC's Evade for a confined space or close-up enemy, or Read to reflect a weird inscrutable enemy or dark or confusing environment, but probably don't interfere with Attack, and don't make the condition too tedious to get
  • 1 HP Wonder, maybe two if they have a fun personality but no other rule-based advantages
  • Special: this tier is a bit too low to join forces and turn against the Main Villain, but it's fun to try

Slippery Shadow

As a more specific Credible Threat, this sneaky miniboss might not have reinforcements to call in, but gets by on just slowing the MC down and wasting their time. So use sparingly, and make sure to give them some good personality while they taunt and probably molest the MC.

  • Theme: you could use actual shadows, slipping into the shadows, ripply mirage cloaking, smokebomb poofing or teleporting, melting into the ground, or just jumping out of reach really really fast.
  • Attack: in the open (favor the Goal) | from stealth (favor the Danger)
  • Rush: pop out from hiding and corner the MC somewhere inconvenient or compromising
  • Evade: jump, flash-step, or cloak
  • Read: make chortling peanut-gallery commentary on the MC, use the environment
  • Combo: if you don't spend the 1 Power on Vanish, have a good cool one-off magic trick instead
  • Style: Defensive to stay in the fight longer, Aggressive to put more pressure on
  • 1-Power Special: Vanish, obviously
  • 3-Power Finisher: Domination reflects a good "dragged or portaled into the shadows", Mastery if they sneeringly release the MC to try again when they're stronger
  • Edges: besides something for being elusive or wily, [uncanny powers], [watching you], [come to my lair], [knows something important], [knows the area], or something for being magic, a ninja, or having weird technology
  • Passive: to drag things out, interfere with the MC's Attack, to be inscrutable mess with Read, to be slippery hinder Rush; and a condition of "Create an Edge" suggests having to study or scrutinize the Slippery Shadow or the area, while "Spend/Lose Power" means the MC has to work or invest
  • 1 HP is enough as long as the Slippery Shadow keeps it, every Move the MC makes can make their life more complicated, but you can go up to 2 HP if you really want the MC to get to know and hate this goon
  • Special: it's worth restating, an enemy that's hard to hurt can get frustrating, so make sure that the time the MC spends with the Slippery Shadow is steadily interesting

Status-tician

Edging into Boss Tier, the Status-tician can break from the normal mechanics of Ryona Royale, and affect MCs with more than just HP, Harm, or Degradation. See the sections on Enemy Specials for some ideas, and Twists, Challenges, and Countdowns for detailed, long-term, progressive effects that the Status-tician might dip into. But if you just want to keep things only a little complicated, with effects that don't last much longer than a fight, you sure can.

  • Special: the simplest 'status effect' you can do to an MC as a narrator is just declaring an extra Danger on an MC's moves, in addition to the Moves' usual Danger. For a 'mere' miniboss, make it clear which Move the Status-tician can complicate, and stick to just that Move. To power the Status-tician up, give it influence over more of the MC's Moves.
  • Theme: insect queen, AI dominatrix, slutty sorceress, their primary mode of harm is magic or magic-equivalent
  • Attack: they can attack normally, or if you want to spice it up, they can worsen or intensify statuses they've already inflicted
  • Rush: think about a Danger on the MC's Evade
  • Evade: think about a Danger on the MC's Rush or Attack
  • Read: guess or predict the MC's later plans and inflict statuses against them
  • Combo: for 1 Power, inflict a mild but all-purpose, any-Move Danger
  • Style: Ruthless if they impose statuses by Attacking, otherwise Defensive or even Passive is good
  • 1-Power Special: Hazard is obvious, Range also suits the magic/equivalent mode
  • 3-Power Finisher: Domination reflects "succumbing to the curse/drug/nanobots", or Binding can simulate a geas or curse the MC has to break or cure they have to find
  • Edges: two-ish, as suited to the actual theme, [uncomfortably sexy], [knows best for you], [appealingly evil], something flexible and with personality
  • Passive: this is one time you might want to hinder the MC's Attack specifically, but in general, funnel the MC into having to deal with these added Dangers.
  • 1 HP is enough if the Status-tician is hard to injure, but consider 2 if the MC has a good shot at one-shotting, the Status-tician needs some time to work their magic

Stage Bosses

These baddies are what the mooks prepare, educate, and hype you up for, and they round out the climax of an arc, which means they get to use weird and unusual mechanics. They can easily rival an MC, but a pair of MCs could take them out, hint hint.

A Stage Boss needs personality and character, even if they can't talk. Ask yourself "where was [boss] in the last numbered entry of this series?" Defeating a Stage Boss doesn't have to result in turning them against the Final Boss, but it's an option. Defeating a Stage Boss should usually clear all the threats of the stage, if your MCs backtrack or navigate around in their story, or at least, beating a Stage Boss should give your MCs some tangible and lasting benefit.

The Big Guy

Remember the Ordinary Chump and Mook Commander? Here's their boss, a generic template for you to tweak and embellish, but pretty serviceable even served plain, if you also give some character and flair.

  • Theme: good fashion sense helps, fit in with the stage, but most importantly, they look like they're In Charge, and maybe should also be physically large
  • Attack: consider a status effect even if they're not a Status-tician, or have them use a protective Edge to make them a bit sturdier
  • Rush: commands the area, maybe narrate mooks helping hold the MC in place, just as flourish and flavor
  • Evade: has already been expecting you, and has some defenses prepared
  • Read: has been watching the MC (gleefully, angrily, hornily) and has the perfect counter--give them an actual Edge if they succeed
  • Combo: if the Stage Boss is spending Power on a Combo, go wild: lasers, shock-gates, lower the hostage toward the tentacles, have fun with it
  • Style: reward or punish the MC's actual play and choices, or the likely playout of this fight
  • 1-Power Special: okay, Heal, as a treat, if you want them to hang around, or 'summon a mook or weak gribbly', drain one MC Power (not steal, just remove); something worth no more than stretching the fight out longer with an HP, or weakening the MC by taking an HP
  • 3-Power Finisher: Domination is obvious if a Bad End feels fitting, but if you want MCs that can try try again, Binding for a penalty-quest, or modify Mercy to give the MC a lasting Danger that bends them to the Stage Boss' will
  • Edges: at least two, and make them both useful for this specific fight, and flavorful for this character's personality, vibe, and place in the plot, and if you really can't think of anything, [no-sell] is fine, ignoring an MC's Strongest Attack (but only once)
  • Passive: put some thought into it, this is the tier where you can excuse messing with the MC's Attack (but still broken into 'sexually' or 'non'), or stop Attack entirely if the condition is still easy to unlock
  • 3 HP at most, and only if the Big Guy lacks any Heal, defensive Edges, or other damage mitigation or deflection
  • Special: the Big Guy is basically an Enhanced Chump or Mook Commander plus a couple or three more enhancements. Make sure the Big Guy is no better than the MC, and if you cook up any bespoke Combo or use Enemy Specials, weigh them against the currency unit of "an Attack costs one Move of a turn and might not succeed and might cost one Injury, in return for inflicting one Injury". This means that 1 Power or 1 Injury is the cap on how hard a bespoke custom cheap trick should hit. The MCs should at least get to trade their statistical-average of five sexy blows with the Stage Boss.

Bullshit Caster

Where the Status-tician tosses out debuffs, mostly through Dangers, you'll definitely want to see the Enemy Specials and the Challenges section later, possibly even a Countdown, either during the fight, or as a hangover for the MC to remember the Caster by. A good Challenge in particular lets the Bullshit Caster put some thematic or narrative shackles on MCs, without taking away the tactical gameplay options of Moves.

  • Theme: plugged-in AI-core with a suspiciously-designed chassis, slutty silken sash, robe with nothing under, pretty-boy with impeccable taste, or pheromonal insect
  • Attack: try to Attack only when cornered, and otherwise use Combo to impose a Challenge on the MC
  • Rush: instead of physically cornering the MC, use sorcery or technobabble to restrict movement
  • Evade: use sorcery, but please don't use a 'magic shield', those are just boring
  • Read: psychic perception or AI simulation predictions
  • Combo: impose or worsen a Challenge, start with 'effective only during this fight', and worsen by extending the timeframe
  • Style: whatever will likely earn Power, Passive is good
  • 1-Power Special: consider Heal, but Maim fits, and Vanish can help, depending how the MC deals with indirect threats
  • 3-Power Finisher: Domination probably works best, Binding is redundant if the MC ends up having to do some quest to cure their nanoplague demon curse
  • Edges: at least two, something like [nexus of power], [satellite dataflow], [precursor technology], vaguely ominous and Probably Bad
  • Passive: instead of locking out Moves, use a Challenge or three to complicate something normal and Move-adjacent
  • 3 HP at most, if they don't have Heal or the MC has Maim
  • Special: see the Challenges section, quick recap: MC now has a new Move but it covers something mundane (like 'talking') and gives it a chance of failure and complication (like 'shadows slip out of your mouth'). For some examples:
    • "When you try to speak, you might only croak wordlessly, and the Danger is shadows slither from your lips."
    • "When you try to look at the Caster, you might only see mist, and the Danger is hearing your loved one pleading for mercy."
    • "When you try to jump, you might bump into the ceiling, and the Danger is the artificial gravity malfunctioning even worse."

Mirror Match

Sure, some fighting games don't have this, and brawlers rarely do, but it's a fun trope. Maybe an MC's Biggest Fan who has imitated and mastered the MC's techniques, or the Evil Organization attempting to match the MC's power, or maybe a long-lost twin, if you're into twincest. Either a copy of one MC's Edges, Specials, Style, and Passive if applicable, or if you want things finished faster, a mix'n'match of both your MCs' kit. Or for a really punishing fight, both MCs fight their (mechanical) copy, possibly switching partners mid-fight.

  • Theme: probably an 'evil' version of the MC's own style, or you can be really mean and make it a parodic caricature
  • Attack: if not identical, then at least an approximation or work-alike, such as a flamethrower or shockwave if the MC has a 'one of a kind unique' ki-blast, or an enchanted arrow to 'copy' a space-hunter's plasma-bolt attack
  • Rush: the Mirror should always gloat, sneer, or threaten the 'original', unless you have a good reason they wouldn't
  • Evade: whenever the MC has the Mirror on the defense, show some anxiety and insecurity
  • Read: even an 'exact clone' might still need to Read the MC's immediate tactical ploys, as well as just the environment for advantages
  • Combo: like with Attack, if it's not an exact copy of the MC's traits and talents, it should be a work-alike, obviously intended to copy the MC's effects
  • Style: if you go with "mashup of both MCs' suites", Style matters quite a lot, pick the one that will keep the Mirror alive longest against two MCs
  • 1-Power Special: if you use one Mirror at a time, for one MC at a time, make the MC annoyed at receiving what they dish out
  • 3-Power Finisher: if you use two Mirrors, one per MC, Domination is extra fun, but best saved for the end of the fight scene (unless one MC will try to rescue the other)
  • Edges: same as the MC(s)', if you're lazy; reworded to thematic effect if you wanna really make a memorable impression
  • Passive: if your Mirror isn't an 'exact copy', you can probably justify varying this to whatever would make for the most fun clash, possibly even using a 'soft-lock' that especially ties up the MC for the first couple Moves
  • HP matches the MC, including if you're using Degradation Damage instead of the normal Injury counter
  • Special: the classic Mirror Match is a good chance to have some fun with both how a character works mechanically, as well as who they are narratively, so try to do both

Distant Director

Maybe 'distant' is a strong word, they might just be gloating behind a desk behind a bulletproof window, or they might be monologuing from the swirly extradimensional portal. The MC has to deal with their Attacks, but can't directly Attack the Director themselves, yet they can still talk and interact. The key to making it a good encounter is designing in something else for the MC to Attack that would reasonably end the fight and hopefully deliver the Director into the MC's hands.

  • Theme: stylish clothes, or snazzy AI circuitry, or spooky abomination aesthetics
  • Attack: turrets, a sniper-rifle, magic curse-balls, as long as the Director's Danger results in the Director getting believably Injured when they Attack, such as losing manna, circuits fritzing out, or biomass organs depleting
  • Rush: pop-up electroshock posts or weird gas clouds, a 'hazard' the MC can possibly turn against the Director (or the Director's goons or turrets)
  • Evade: some kind of defensive-lockdown mode to prevent the MC Attacking the Director, but it can shut down the Director's own Attacks or other Moves
  • Read: to keep things spicy, consider the Director as voyeur and exhibitionist, play on the MC's IC tastes
  • Combo: Vanish really would be double-dipping, in a sense, they're narratively Vanished for the entire fight; keep to the idea that 1 Power should never buy more than 1 Injury on the MC, or one 'guaranteed Move success'
  • Style: the rest of your "keep this fun and not too unfair-feeling" choices matter more; choose a Style that just suits the Director's personality
  • 1-Power Special: again, at this tier, while you can use any standard MC Specials if they fit, you're also at the level of custom Specials--which means the boundary between a Special and Combo is mostly imaginary
  • 3-Power Finisher: switch things up with Mercy and a mandatory side-quest (for the MC to try to derail or turn against the Director), or Mastery if the MC should be able to live and fight another day--but the Director will have further beefed up their deathtrap office, or eldritch nexus, or mutated tentacave
  • Edges: consider using 'exhausted Edges' instead as the Director's 'HP', if you can't think of a good way for the MC to Attack in a way that eventually beats the Director
  • Passive: do not block Evade or Rush without some very good reason, and making Attack actually a way to beat the Director, like the Status-tician, the Director has potential to feel very unfair and frustrating without caution
  • 3 HP if Attack still somehow works; otherwise the Director happens to only have three waves of Ordinary Chumps or equally easily-beaten 1HP wonders; or consider Edges, Power, or 'number of Attacks the Director can make', as a limit on how long the MC has to hold out in order to win
  • Special: being behind a barrier, a swirling portal, or otherwise not directly reachable, you have a good opportunity for a Second Phase if that seems called-for, or to beef the Director up into a Final Boss

Puzzle/Pursuit

Even more abstract than the Distant Director, you can have a 'stage boss' encounter that isn't even a boss! Instead, the MC runs from, chases after, or tries to unlock or disable something in the face of environmental hazards, obstacles, or other difficulties. Make it extremely clear to the player and to the MC what they have to do to win, because unlike any other enemy, it won't be Attack.

  • Theme: should be the epitome and epicenter of the stage the MC has traversed so far
  • Attack: if the Puzzle Boss can Attack normally at all, make sure its Danger will reasonably diminish its threat to the MC, or progress the MC to winning
  • Rush: the floor is lava / lightning / clothes-dissolving acid, pendulums or swinging chunks of broken machinery, nests of giant clingy bugs
  • Evade: a boulder rolling after the MC or bad fluid rising up a conveniently platform-lined shaft probably doesn't need to Evade, but the mad scientist with the cure sure would, and Evade might reflect a security lockout or ancient dildo-puzzle resetting itself, with a Danger of jamming its MC-harming mechanisms
  • Read: probably leave this to the MC, but if it really makes sense, then it makes sense to you, so do it
  • Combo: most any sudden interference or happenstance could work, but never take away the MC's progress toward winning after they earn any headway
  • Style: doesn't likely make sense, as this isn't a single character that does things, so just start the Puzzle Boss with 1 or 2 Power, or create a way it gains Power if you can think of one
  • 1-Power Special: Hazard is pretty obvious, Maim if it's especially dangerous, but as with Combo, this kind of boss is less of a single agentive character
  • 3-Power Finisher: if the Puzzle Boss can gain Power at all, stopping that is probably a concern for the MC, and Domination would represent the whole situation consuming the MC and ending their story
  • Edges: despite not being a distinct 'character', you can have the Puzzle Boss as an environment or situation feature Edges to the Moves it makes on MCs, instead of Dangers. MCs can decide what dice to put into a Danger on their own Moves, while you can decide how to assign an Edge when the Puzzle Boss makes a Move.
  • Passive: these can reflect complications like "can't shoot or use fire or electricity, because of flammable gas", or "can't Rush with all the dangling vines"
  • 3 HP equivalent, but it won't be Injury from Attack, instead "place the magic stones along this corridor", or "align the laser collection mirrors", while other hassles molest the MC
  • Special: consider using "spent all its Edges" or "used all its Power" as the win-condition for the MC, if you can't think of a foolproof 'puzzle' element to solve, and if you're not using an actual chase (by or of the MC); make sure the player always feels like their character is either making progress, or knows how to make progress after a complication

Enemy Specials

A good porn brawler features action-stopping grapples, [STRUGGLE!] button-mash events, and semi-disabling animations from a few specific bullshit attacks or hazards you're meant to just avoid, or else to just account for with some enemies. These Specials aim for a sweet-spot of 'kinda bullshit': not fair moves from an honorable opponent, but cheap and (emphasis) dirty tricks to have enemies visit on an MC. They're fun seasoning if you don't overdo them.

As a basic concept, a frame of reference for "struggle against a status ailment", consider:

  1. the enemy applies a Danger to the MC's Move, if the Danger hits (1-2), then
  2. the MC loses use of a Move (partially, or altogether), and gains a different Danger; if this gets a 1-2 then
  3. the MC fully loses a Move like Attack or loses Power or takes Injury, and gains a new different Danger
  4. if this third Danger gets a 1-2, then either the player intended it, or fate has decreed it, so if the player is okay with it, the MC might be defeated even if they have Harm or Degradation left

If the MC Reads their enemy or situation, even if the player doesn't ask specifically, give at least a hint that "this baddie looks like they have something tricky up their sleeve". If the player does ask specifically, a successful Read should tell them everything they need to know or watch out for (even giving an Edge for dealing with it).

Some Specials, Passives, or other status effects might leave an MC 'soft-locked' (or even hard-locked) out of doing any normal Attacks. While this is a bad place for that MC to be, as long as the enemy has to roll to Attack the MC, it's not over! The Danger on Attack can still give Injuries to the enemy even if the MC can't Attack directly, so keep that in mind and give MCs a sporting chance.

Some Specials might implicitly or explicitly mess with an MC's mind, making them more submissive or pliant, or making them more aggressive or reckless, or otherwise changing what the MC would do from how the player would usually play that MC. This can be really sexy when done well, especially if the player is into it, but make sure to never push the player to play their character in a way they don't enjoy. If your Bullshit Caster's Bimbo Slut Gas would stop the other player from enjoying things, scrap it and do something else.

Lastly, not every Enemy Special needs to end with a Game Over or even K.O., it's fine to stop at "partially disable a Move" or "drain one Power", or to impose a short-term Challenge as described later. The 'status struggle' outline gives you a reference for scale, rather than a required template. So use the following broad types of Enemy Special, within that scale of reference:

  • Disarm: limit or constrain the MC's Attack, but don't remove it outright. This can mean actually removing the MC's weapon, or making that weapon useless or too dangerous to use, or putting an annoying weight or padding on their hands or feet. The standard is to limit the MC to only Attacking sexually, or non-sexually.
  • Tackle: pin the MC down, prevent Rushing, maybe prevent Attack, or the Attack has to defeat the Tackler. The key feature is that breaking out of the Tackle puts the MC back to normal.
  • Cling: someone or something hangs on or attaches to the MC, and the MC can't Evade it, and maybe can't Attack it either. The Clinger may be able to Attack (but only once), or may apply a different status effect.
  • Blind: smoke/fog/darkness, or a bright flash, it probably prevents Attack, puts a Danger on Rushing, and likely requires the MC to Read. It doesn't have to be literally (or only) blindness, but stops the MC from knowing the environment or enemies.
  • Bind: for magic or techno-inclined MCs, disable flashy special-effects powers (especially any use of Power), a psychic dampener or power-suppressor or EM-jammer or vague disempowering curse. This won't completely shut down most MCs unless they need to use techno/magic powers for some other reason.
  • Drug: progressively hinders Moves by harming coordination, or making the MC less 'motivated' (or more motivated to something besides winning). For instance, the staggering and wobbly MC can only Evade things right next to (or on top of) them, then can only Rush sexually, then only Attack with their hips or mouth, and at this stage the MC might lose without taking all their Harm or Degradation.

These Enemy Specials don't make a lot of sense in standard fuck-duel Ryona Royale, because the presumption there is at least one fighter intends to fuck the other into submission. But with longer stories and fighting varied NPCs, it does make sense to have enemies that are easy to beat, but still a serious threat even to a full-HP MC. It also helps to have some variety to sexy danger, and not only HP to worry about, especially if 'defeat' doesn't necessarily mean 'Game Over'. Using these Enemy Specials, wimpy tentacles can make you submit your womb, a seductive sorceress can wring your soul from your cock, a dinky flying drone can facefuck you full of sedatives for capture, without having to make a full fight about it.

Stages Themselves

You have all these mooks to beat up, but where to put them? You probably have a good idea of what kind of plot and story you want to tell, but these stock locations will show you how to dress up a place for flashy erotic violence, and how to put nonviolent characters and encounters around!

Corridors, Halls, Tunnels

Easily 80% of any brawler takes place in one of these: a fancy abandoned castle dining hall, or mutant-filled hospital corridor, or sparking service tunnel, or even rattling subway or train or bus. Implicitly, you're passing through to somewhere else, but it's about the journey, not the destination. And the journey is full of goons to beat up (or get beaten by).

  • Theme: here's where you show that off, with steaming pipes, dangling cables, elaborate sconces, billowing cobwebs, pulsating meatwalls, whatever suits the location, corridors are 'the location'.
  • Mooks: keep to pretty low-tier, and even then, only if things seem dull, or no one has gotten groped in awhile. They can pop surprised out of doors, rush up prepared from stairwells, even jump down from ceilings or vents in an ambush. Don't abuse that too much, though, corridors exist to get you from one place to another, and you do want to get there eventually.
  • NPCs: here's a good place to put random or wandering ones, decide whether they're hurried or unhurried, friendly or hostile. 'Hostile' here just means their attitude or whether they like the MC, if they could fight then they'd be Mooks. NPCs in the Enemy Compound or EvilCorp Office might still be friendly ("I never knew they'd use my power-rape serum to make super-rape soldiers!"). NPCs in service-tunnels or abandoned mines will usually be a lot more sketchy than average. NPCs make a more-believable substitute for 'flashing item on the ground', whether they cheerfully hand it over, or you scare it out of them.
  • Items: nothing too important should just be lying in a hall, unless the MCs are chasing after someone and they dropped it. Still, some minor excuse to remove an Injury, or add Power, or a map suggesting where to next, all make good finds. A proper 'you are here' map, hastily-scrawled note, even no-really a snack or drink, or just the chance to take a breather while walking uninterrupted somewhere, might all justify a bit of healing or power-up if that seems good for the MC.
  • Special: try to keep at least a loose record of which tunnels or halls lead from where to where. The main aspect that defines 'a corridor' is your inability to really go much of anywhere else, aside from any adjoining rooms. Try putting letters or names on 'rooms of interest', and remember that a corridor can have ladders, stairwells, even elevators, so long as its main nature is "from one place to another".

Trails, Streets

What if you had a corridor, but outside? This actually changes a few things, as you'll see. More kinds of things can be lying around or jump in, and you can wander off to a true open-world experience if you really want to.

  • Theme: fog and swamps are generally good, streets can be dilapidated or flashy, but it's hard to put a lot of theme so much as keep or adjust the tone. Going outside is a pretty good chance for that though, so take the time to get more serious, more hopeful, or more mysterious.
  • Mooks: you don't need to excuse random randy wildlife, buxom bandits, or any other jerk that pops up to get knocked down. This is also a good time to have a Credible Threat or Stage Boss try to strike after tracking the MCs down. You can even have nonliving hazards, sudden drastic weather, sewer grates and manhole covers, falling branches and sinkholes, things to Evade from or Rush after.
  • NPCs: aim for the spooky, sketchy, and untrustworthy, or maybe flavor things up with an innocent to help or rescue. Someone might even recognize the MCs from some past exploits, and ask for an autograph or swear revenge (later).
  • Items: you actually can just find neat stuff lying around on the ground out here! A street-vendor selling pork-buns, or illicit drugs, a rare restorative fruit, or even just a rock to sit on and enjoy the gorgeous sunset and recover some Injury.
  • Special: while corridors funnel you to your destination, trails and streets let you go anywhere you want, so if you have any doubt about where the MC should go next, put up some kind of interesting roadblock. Nothing motivates the bored and restless quite like "what do you mean I can't go there?"

Flashy Nightclub

It could instead be a bawdy tavern or even a cult temple, the gist is it's full of hot and horny bystanders all here to have a good time. Some of them will probably get involved if a fight or orgy breaks out, and most probably have a preference between 'fight or orgy'. Luckily, you don't have to make them choose.

  • Theme: smoky, steamy, decadent and debauched, a place for the degenerate lowlives of the setting to go wild. Usually a tavern or nightclub or cult bacchanal will have its own theme, but it should probably be an intensification of whatever the palette is for the rest of the setting.
  • Mooks: aside from literal tough customers whose drink you might spill or who might want a dance, strippers and other entertainers with rough routines, more organized goons might already be reveling when you arrive, or might crash the party. It's also a fun and chaotic venue to unleash monstrosities, mutants, or mecha.
  • NPCs: this is a great place to put a sketchy special contact, underworld ally, loner eccentric, or possibly a noble and honorable sort who's trying to keep a low profile in hiding, which is exactly why they'd go to a crowded and unsecured venue. And of course there's scantily-clad hotties and vice-peddlers, maybe even aspiring mooks the MC's could take on as hirelings.
  • Items: drinks, drugs, discarded underclothes or wardrobes or cheapish weapons, napkin notes or conversations to overhear, but the food is probably overpriced and underwhelming.
  • Special: verisimilitude would say the MCs need to pass the bouncer or be VIPs to get in, but porn brawler wisdom would say the MCs can beat up the bouncer without any issues, or just wander in casually from the alley without anyone remarking. Either one is valid, pick the more fun option.

Crowded Market

This is the nightclub's mellower big sibling, with a bit more variety, and a bit less public sex. A bit, anyway. Expect crates full of chickens, barrels of various mostly-harmless fluids, crashing trucks, carts of the shopping, rickshaw, or automated variety, and lots of scattering and gawking. Or just pick up some eggs.

  • Theme: this is where the people of your setting most visibly do their peopling, so it should match the palette of the setting (neon, gloom, dinosaurs, whatever), but be a bit restrained and at least semi-practical. People do their business here every day, after all.
  • Mooks: only if organized, mission-bound mooks or minibosses are hunting the MCs. Otherwise, keep things reasonably chill, until an MC picks a fight. Unless you really want some tough punks to make trouble, then go for it.
  • NPCs: busybodies, gossips, slightly more reputable peddlers and contacts, more vice-peddlers, and anyone the MCs might want to meet on neutral territory. Also, some normal mundane folk to flex in front of and impress, don't forget that!
  • Items: you shouldn't find much of interest just lying around, but reward any really diligent scrounging, and if you pay money, you can probably buy any reasonable thing, and maybe one or two unreasonable things. You probably can buy a lot without paying, too, but that's a different kind of encounter.
  • Special: not every setpiece and locale has to be explosions and stripper-ninjas. Take a breather every so often, and contrast your near-cartoonish fuck-fighters with whatever your setting calls 'normal', maybe even get into some less violent side-quests for a bit.

Fancy Resort

Maybe this place doesn't belong to the Final Boss or their organization, but who's going to bill you for trashing it? Still, maybe hold off long enough to get some hors d'oeurvres and wine, and maybe a room alone with one of the well-dressed elite for some 'hob-knobbing'.

  • Theme: luxurious obviously, probably in stark contrast to the rest of the setting: grit and grime outside, polished splendor within, or flash and panache on the streets, elegant minimalism for the elite. Regardless, the MCs stand out no matter where or what.
  • Mooks: of course there's mooks. If the resort doesn't belong to the Final Boss or their Evil Organization, then goons will have followed the MCs here. Failing that, the noble's guards or hotel security will hassle the MCs for having too much fun, and failing that, someone is probably a mutant cyborg cultist, probably a whole bunch, as shown by rich patrons removing their faces to attack. Unleash the Credible Threats!
  • NPCs: covert and furtive contacts with secret information, gadgets, or defectors to protect; staff who manage to eavesdrop on interesting things; jaded dilettantes who might want the MCs 'unique talents and services' (clothed or otherwise); sneering and/or sniveling elites to shake down; and of course Evil Organization lackeys (even if the resort doesn't belong to the Evil Organization--they're corrupt lackeys, of course they want to revel in style).
  • Items: fancy finery, if you're really into that and get someone else out of it; secret documents, conversations to eavesdrop on; decadent food and drink and maybe drugs. And maybe some fancy perverted toys, considering the clientele.
  • Special: unless your MCs get paid for all the erotic violence they do, this isn't a place they'll fit in. You don't have to smash the joint or patrons up, but really, come on, why else would you bring your MCs to a place like this?

Hazard Factory

Rapedrone assembly-line, fuckbug research lab, tentacle-vine seedbed, sex-ghoul mausoleum, this is where at least a lot of the mooks come from, and there's definitely a Stage Boss here per contractual obligation. This place is inherently hostile, and visibly a source of badness. It should be at least a little worrisome whether the MCs will make it out of this one.

  • Theme: bugs, plants, robots, undead, or if your main opposition so far hasn't been 'faceless hordes', at least have some ominous goops and sludges pumping gratuitously, sparking cables and deathtrap machinery, or creaking branches and crumbling stonework.
  • Mooks: yes. Just, all the mooks. The MCs should have had to fuck up a miniboss to even get here, and they'll have to face a Stage Boss before they can leave. Stick the MCs with some kind of lingering hangover if they leave without defeating the Stage Boss, it doesn't have to be especially bad, but it's why you don't simply walk into the Hazard Factory.
  • NPCs: cackling or regretful researchers, squirming captives for conversion, or underlings deluded into supporting this madness only to realize it's Gone Too Far. Maybe a quirky 'defective' bug-robot-ghoul that might help the MCs.
  • Items: you can get away with more fantastical items here, experimental Health Serum, restorative reagents, super-nutritious fruit-pods, a relic channeling positive life-force, and any weird equipment, alembics, datacubes, alien gadgets, sparkly weapons, or whatever you can justify the location having.
  • Special: try to have an NPC root their emotional arc here, it doesn't have to be fancy, but it doesn't have to be "my parents' research ended up like this" either. Other than that, blow the whole budget and go nuts on the scenery, enemies, and events!

Haunted Shrine

The Hazard Factory's weird sibling, it can actually be technological or industrial such as a crashed spaceship, what makes it 'haunted' is abandonment and dereliction. If this is where all the badness comes from, it's been kept there for ages and only recently released. Its key tone is alienness, it's foreign to the MCs' entire world, and will outlast that world--unless the MCs do something about it.

  • Theme: go for stark contrast to the rest of the setting, it doesn't have to be actually extraterrestrial, but if the Crowded Market is iron and wood, go for weathered graven stone, or if it's flashy neon go for austere art-deco.
  • Mooks: keep a bit more mellow but tricky, fewer and more mechanically creative enemies, rather than a bunch of chumps plus a boss. The MCs should have reason and opportunity to see just how weird and mysterious this place is, and hopefully learn something about the rest of the world / themselves and their power / our destiny together / et c.
  • NPCs: few if any. At most, one sneaked-in outsider and one enigmatic caretaker, captive spirit, servitor drone, or equivalent. Or, one quirky long-time inhabitant that has gone loopy. The one or two NPCs shouldn't know what answers to offer, if they have any answers about the Haunted Shrine, or it should be hard to piece together. No info-dumps!
  • Items: rare but very special and should be pretty obviously Shiny: a healing bracelet or pendant, technoserum injector, mind-mending headband, even a fancy weapon with a couple charges left in it. Possibly even something juicy enough to deserve having some kind of spicy downside to it.
  • Special: aim for a slower pace with more punctuation and weight. If the Hazard Factory is machine-guns, this should be mortar-fire. Consider revisiting a few times and uncovering progressive mysteries, or finding new ways the Haunted Shrine's secrets can tie into whatever else the MCs and opponents get up to.

Holding Cells

The Evil Organization keeps their prisoners, failed experiments, or random creatures here, and probably either put the MCs here too, or the MCs are here to bust someone out. Probably not everyone, though: there's usually a good reason for the MCs to not throw the huge switch labeled "Open All Cells". They'll probably still do it anyway.

  • Theme: match the genre and palette of the rest of the setting (sci-fi, fantasy, pulp, et c), but obviously it's a prison, dungeon, and probably has some overt bondage and sex things--more than other places.
  • Mooks: guards obviously, escaped captives that might not be grateful, possibly a semi-open pit of rowdy randy mooks, and plausibly some oversize vermin for variety. Probably at least a miniboss or two, or even a Stage Boss running the show, or kept captive because they're too powerful.
  • NPCs: magician or scientist imprisoned for knowing too much, or some other innocent, MCs' friends and allies, possibly some Very Sketchy or Evil Captives who promise a favor if you bust them out.
  • Items: improvised weapons, tools, or other gadgets, maybe hoarded contraband or other items confiscated from new captives, maybe useful armor or armaments, or bondage-gear (which MCs could repurpose).
  • Special: goodness, badness, guilt, or innocence, probably has nothing to do with how or why any given captive is here. It might not even be a prison, as-such, but it's a tightly-controlled place full of chaos ready to break loose, and some of that chaos will favor the MCs while the rest will not.

Power Core

The palette and theme could be anything, dimensional nexus, underworld soulpower channel, floating alien crystal, the creature's red eye, a big generator with lines sucking inward. Whatever it is, it powers the Evil Organization, or at least the Final Boss or Hazard Factory or Haunted Shrine. Smash it! Definitely nothing bad will immediately happen, and you might even get cool powers!

  • Theme: whether archaic, sci-fi, or surreal, the central feature is the core itself, whatever it is. Every accoutrement exists for or because of this core, and every sight-line or accent piece should lead there.
  • Mooks: a few low-tier mooks ineffectually protecting the core, before they run away when the MC starts to properly tamper. The core itself might be a fancy Stage Boss, or might activate or release one when it starts to malfunction.
  • NPCs: panic-stricken maintainers, possibly the core itself, or a spirit or AI bound to the core or its surrounding systems or shrine.
  • Items: maybe one or two really unique and specialized gadgets or fragments, more likely to be actual alien technology or primordial relics.
  • Special: you have license to get real weird with it here, surreal distortions to the world, temporal anomalies, smash the genre-wall to say there's demons from the quantum cyber-engine. At the least, make sure there's a big explosion, implosion, or sexplosion. What, you weren't going to fuck the power core?

Non-Character Characters

You could call these 'NCCs': things that aren't even characters, such as sparking cables, falling trees, rushing streams, or plasma vents, that aren't conscious or even alive, but it might make a fun button-mashy QTE-like interruption or part of the environment to inflict on an MC. The Danger might take some imagination, but if it comes true, it should be something that helps the MC, if maybe in a backhanded way.

These indifferent hazards can still roll dice and make Moves just like characters can:

  • Attack: look out for falling rocks, because they won't look out for you. The Danger might mean a barrier or impasse weakening, or indicating a way to go.
  • Rush: traffic and bystanders can corral an MC toward an enemy without realizing, or caring. The Danger means the enemy might get just as inconvenienced (if not any safer from you).
  • Evade: a sudden distraction or misleading diversion, like a car backfiring or transformer blowing or chipmunk rustling. The Danger means the MC is actually safe for now, at least until they make a Move.
  • Read: a bit of a stretch, but something gives away the MCs' presence or intent, where previously no one was around or paying attention.
  • Combo: even more of a stretch, but an inanimate object or location that can store or build up Power is interesting enough to think about seriously.

Using Edges for this is pretty unlikely, but if the MCs are really on a roll and could use some diversion, giving a place an Edge might also give it some interesting character, even make it worth revisiting later in the MCs' violent and sexy adventures.

Pacing and Structure

Your ordinary fighter has a strict linear flow, and brawlers barely deviate from "beat up these mooks, then those mooks, then that big mook all the way over there". If you have a clear, goal-oriented, action-based course in mind for your MCs, cool! If not--

You'll need to think in terms of (little-g) goals and tasks. You can simplify and gamify this with Task Points, which are basically Countdowns, but backwards: you do the thing, and the Countdown goes up, rather than the other way around.

Suppose your MCs have a lofty aspiration to "reclaim the Cyber-Castle". Break that down, and you might get "dispel the invaders", "clean up the hazards", and "purify the Soul-Frame in the core". Three chunkier but clearer tasks! But you can break those down even further: decide (roughly) how many invaders (mooks, minibosses, stage-bosses), decide perhaps there's one main kind of hazard per corner of the Cyber-Castle, and you can wave your hands and mumble something about the Soul-Frame if that needs to be more than one task.

This leaves you with something like:

  • Beat up 10 mook mobs (0/10), 4 minibosses (0/4), 1 stage boss (0/1)
  • Clear the [electrical sparks] (0/3), [flooding] (0/2), [toxic gas] (0/2), and [crumbling walls] (0/3)
  • Purify the horny corruption of the Soul-Frame Core by slaking its warped desires (0/6)

And now you can do any of these in whatever order, though it's fun if "clearing hazards" makes enemies easier, or if minibosses hold tools for clearing hazards, or if either of those help you scratch the Soul-Frame's ineffable itch.

As with Countdowns, try to set meaningful narrative milestones for each task along the way: after beating up a few mook mobs, or a miniboss or two, other enemies may try to run, while also using the hazards against the MCs, and may even try to worsen the corruption of the Soul-Frame. Or after some progress with the Soul-Frame, the stage boss has to adjust their approach. This way, the Task Points don't feel like just a number to get an achievement popup, but a choice in an ongoing arc.

Twists, Challenges, and Countdowns

While Ryona Royale normally suits short one-scene sex-duels, if you're using mooks and NPCs and environments with shared narration duties, you might also have call for these longer-term mechanics! Twists, Challenges, and Countdowns model a range of lingering, progressive, or corruptive conditions your MCs might face, and some of these enemies and environments might just inflict such effects!

Twists

At heart, a Twist is just a Danger on a Move. What makes it a Twist is the fact that normally, the MC would never need to deal with it as a Danger, and now they do--possibly all the time. Twists fall into three broad categories, but they all work the same. The categories depend on "how bad an effect does it have" and "how often does it happen".

Minor Twists

A minor Twist only applies to a single Move, or can affect any Move but only under some narrow circumstances. It would have to have drastic effect before such a rare hindrance could be anything but 'minor'.

Examples:

  • when you do any Move with the Haunted Sword, it's devastating, but you want to keep cutting
  • when you Evade or Rush in the Pollinated Steam Grove, your faster breath gets you drugged by the pollen
  • when you Attack while wearing the Dark Sorceress' armor, the messages to submit ring in your mind

When to use: minor Twists reflect locational, circumstantial, or other situational risks or dangers as Dangers. Using risky artifacts or drugs, coping with environmental hazards, or the beginning stages of some corrupting influence, all work well with a Twist that adds some special Danger onto a normal Move until the condition no longer applies.

Moderate Twists

A moderate Twist affects several Moves, or the Twist comes up infrequently but has a very harsh effect. When it starts affecting a lot of Moves often, or has a devastating effect when it happens, it's no longer just moderate.

Examples:

  • when you do anything but Evade or Read in the slugsnake mating nest, a slugsnake can snare you
  • when you Read to persuade someone while wearing a Hospital Collar, you instinctively want to offer your body to your persuade-ee
  • when you Attack, Rush, or Evade in the Holy Ruins, the dormant guardians can wake up and begin indoctrinating you immediately

When to use: moderate Twists serve best for serious antagonists, direct attacks designed to have such effect, or sunk-in and established corruption. Usually a moderate Twist reflects "this is why this was a bad idea", or else "this is exactly why we have to fix this". Anything that follows a character around and imposes a moderate Twist is probably a priority for them to solve somehow . . . unless they start to like it.

Major Twists

Major Twists affect almost every Move with something minor but troublesome, or else affect several Moves with a very serious risk. A character dealing with a major Twist has probably either entirely fallen under hostile control (such as captivity or brainwashing), or soon on their way to being so (such as a parasite infestation or curse).

Examples:

  • in the Dread Warlord's camp, any Move risks getting used by a soldier for her quick gratification
  • while wearing a Hive Mask, doing anything but Evade risks locking your mind into that moment until you can free yourself
  • in the last stages of the infestation, any Move but Read risks tendrils emerging from you to lash you in place as an incubator

When to use: major Twists work best at the end of the line, or--if your character can somehow turn it all around--the gripping climax to this arc of their story. In principle, an MC can carry on under the burden of a major Twist, but as you can see, it won't come easily. Have a new character in mind to play.

Twists as Injury

Ordinary injuries and sickness are basically Twists. Minor Twists for sprains, burns, fevers, if you could sleep it off or take medicine for it. Moderate Twists for maimed limbs, poisoning, or effects that will readily worsen if you don't keep them managed. Major Twists for punctures to vital organs, deadly toxins, or anything that you should treat with a tourniquet or gas mask just to stay alive.

Challenges

Twists model an external factor just hindering your normal Moves, but a Challenge is a Move--except it covers doing something that should be automatic. Challenges are more nebulous than Twists, they don't neatly sort by severity. However, all Challenges represent taking away something normal an MC could do easily, and making it risky and uncertain.

Examples:

  • after the infestation, when you're alone with someone, you have to Evade your own impulses to avoid infecting them
  • after the Dark Sorceress branded you, when you encounter any stranger, you have to Read to persuade them that you're not one of her spies. (Even if you really aren't.)
  • after being hobbled in the Dungeon, even staying on your feet or moving around constitutes an Evade or Rush
  • after being declared a [traitor] by the City Guard, you have to Evade anytime you go near the Town Square
  • after the Chairwoman's speech, you have to Evade the emotions it implants
  • after being broken in by the Dread Warlord, even asking a close friend to do something for you is as stressful as an Attack, as far as your mind is concerned

When to use: Challenges generally result from some drastic or traumatic change or prolonged abuse or conditioning. Something has crippled the MC mentally or physically, compared to their normal abilities. Just like Twists, this can also represent mundane injury, such as having to Rush or Evade in order to even crawl if you've lost a leg, or having to Read to cope with blood loss or pain.

In general, a Challenge can help you keep playing your character after a Bad End. Instead of rolling credits, Challenges let you reflect why a story might fade to black, and why you won't.

Countdowns

If you have a lot of different corrupting or transforming influences, you might need more structure to govern the MCs' degeneration, submission, or assimilation. Countdowns model gradual, progressive, or other postponed or deferred consequences to immediate events, to pace out changes over time.

Countdowns all have the same basic structure, based on 'ticks', or phases of progression:

  • The 'type' of tick: winning rounds, buying time, or ironclad deadline
  • How many ticks in total
  • How much 'time' each tick represents
  • What happens on each tick that passes
  • What finally happens after the last tick

Type: a Countdown can have three basic 'end conditions':

  • Rounds you can win: each tick of the Countdown prompts some kind of Move, with successful Moves adding up to a good end to the Countdown, while failed Moves lead to some bad end. Generally 'winning' a majority of these rounds should suffice, but you should still play the Countdown out in full, even if you succeed (or fail) a majority of the ticks' Moves.
  • Buying time: for an open-ended or variable condition, each tick of the Countdown prompts a Move, success postpones the end of the Countdown, and failure prompts some worsening or degeneration. This suits corruption the MC can fight against, but which they can't reverse easily. By buying time, an MC could pursue some difficult cure or reversal.
  • Ironclad deadline: for truly fateful conditions, the ticks of an ironclad deadline Countdown offer no reprieve, but instead let the MC dramatically barely keep hold of themselves as the condition progresses. Counterintuitively, this also works well for recovery from an injury, if you want to play out healing up.

Number: a Countdown has some definite number of ticks, after which the Countdown concludes. Consider the number of distinct phases or milestones that an MC's condition would present if left unchecked, and give that many ticks. Usually, six is a good number to start from.

Time: the feel of a Countdown depends heavily on the amount of in-game time between ticks. The fastest you could go is "each Move provokes a tick", for something covering mere minutes or an hour. Still extremely fast, "a tick happens after each scene", for a condition covering one night or a few days. More useful, "each in-story day" (or several days). You can also tie ticks to events, such as touching an artifact, encountering a cursed person, or even failing a Move the MC was making naturally, with each such event causing a tick on the Countdown.

Move: each tick of a Countdown provokes some kind of Move. As a good default, Evading against mental corruption or Rushing to handle physical changes, which cover most obvious or likely conditions for which you'd use a Countdown. But, you could use Read to struggle against maddening, whispering spirits, or you might Attack your shadow as it slips the bonds of your feet each sunset. Any sort of Move can work, but decide what Move at the outset.

Outcome: every Countdown ends eventually. Define what happens after that if left unchecked. It might be "transformation into a creature", or "mindless servitude", or "hatch abominable spawn", or even "receive divine enlightenment". After the MC has done a Move for each elapsed tick, narrate this outcome, especially if the outcome would vary, as in 'winning rounds'.

To give a worked-out in-play example: Alice and Betty have teamed up to brave the mean streets of Neo Kowloon to take vengeance on Lady Scorpio, who razed their favorite ramen strip-joint to the ground. But just before Betty could finish her, Lady Scorpio 'implanted' one of her dreaded Slave Larva into Alice! A mere mortal would succumb to its growth in only a week, but Alice is made of sterner stuff, and can hold it off--but for how long?

This is a 'buying time' Countdown, six ticks, one per day, at sunset Alice has to Evade (the Danger of 'waylaid' means she's debilitated with the writhing sensation, even if she holds the larva at bay). Success means her condition doesn't worsen, giving her time to find a bio-priest and beat a cure out of them. Failure means the condition does worsen, and she chooses one:

  • Cannot Evade a (little-a) attack, must instead Attack or Rush (can still Evade other non-combat risks)
  • Cannot Rush unless it's to Attack someone afterward
  • Cannot Read except to fight or fuck
  • Cannot Attack nonsexually
  • Grow a scorpion trait (can be chosen more than once, cross off the item chosen): insect plating, clawed fingers, stinger, mandible-mouth

After the sixth tick, the Slave Larva transformation becomes permanent, and Alice will become one of Lady Scorpio's mutant warriors. Betty wouldn't mind except Alice is irritable, treacherous, and dangerous enough without being spiky, poisonous, armor-plated, and--she's already pretty instinctively driven to fuck or kill, so no difference there. So Betty and Alice will try to use Alice's 'bought time' from successfully Evading every sundown, to find a bio-priest or guru-surgeon to remove or reverse the mutation before it's too late! (Or maybe leave the tail, Alice thinks it's pretty cute.)

You can find more (as well as ideas for monsters, critters, and locations) in Monsterfucking Mechanics! It was written for Into the Peril, so you'll need to adjust a few Actions into suitable Moves, but surely you can make it fit.

Sundry Miscellany

A couple other topics deserve some love, but not a whole lot of words. So here they are:

New Moves

The standard Moves of Ryona Royale work for short fuck-fights, but don't support nuanced social conflict, delicate intrigue, or unique phenomena of a distinctive setting. This section gives a few example Moves you can use directly, or as templates to supplement or replace the core Moves:

Pull Favor: when you ply a loyal peer in a group you belong to, remind a superior of your great potential, or press an inferior to your bidding. The Goal is to gain an Edge of useful information or secrets, a valuable device, or the benefit of some rare phenomenon. The Danger is taking on a duty imposed by your benefactor.

While you could fight the others in your ninja clan, secret government department, or vampire coven, Pull Favor lets you just cut to "do I get backup, or am I a loose cannon".

Travel: when you hike through the jungles or trudge through the wastes to get to a specific place. The Goal and Danger work differently:

  • The Goal is your speed of travel, you may get to your destination in:
    • 1-2: several days' time; 3-4: under a day; 5-6: a few hours' trip.
  • The Danger is your relative safety in your travels, which may hassle you with:
    • 1-2: a nasty encounter; 3-4: weather, damage, or lingering risk; 5-6: nothing but smooth progress.

Adjust the time-scale to something sensible for how far you'd really have to travel. You always eventually reach your destination, and your mishap does not bring Danger dice onto your next Moves, but can say what kind of state you're in when you arrive. You should only detour your trip into a messy encounter if that kind of side-quest seems like fun!

Focus: when you control your breath, steady your hand, and try a fraught or complicated task, while under pressure or in jeopardy, or to help someone else in jeopardy, if no other Move quite applies. The Goal is to do the fraught or complicated task for which no other Move applies. The Danger is whichever pressure or threat causes the task to be fraught or perilous.

This is basically a catch-all wild-card Move, use it only as a last resort. P6 of Ryona Royale lists some off-label uses of your normal Moves, giving them some wider applicability, and you should see if any of those can apply first. But if they don't, Focus can help you answer the eternal question these rules exist for: "okay, so what happens now?"

And if you really need to, you can import Actions from Into the Peril, Harem Tales, or even Assembly Line if they suit a need you regularly run into! They all use the same basic dice, Dangers, and Edges, but might need some adjustment to stitch them into your normal fighting Moves. But that's between you and the other player to ROMhack together.

'Weaknesses'

You wouldn't need or want Ryona Royale if all the parties consented--if they did, then they'd just have sex. But as strong as your fuckfighters and raperuffians are, it's fun sometimes to get bowled over not by a kick to the gut, but a kick to the kinks. That's what 'Weaknesses' are for!

A bit like the opposite of an Edge that makes your MC cooler and tougher, a Weakness is some kink or horny-appeal your MC ICly has a weakness for, something that would make them tap out of a fight and let the opponent have their way, if this is what 'losing' means. Specifically, a Weakness is an Edge that any qualifying baddie, hazard, or technically even NPC can put on Moves they make against your MC. This helps these specific qualifying baddies/etc to hit your MC more often and with less risk to themselves, until they use up the free Edge you gave them by putting a 1-2 die into it. Putting a 5-6 die into it only takes the Weakness off the table for the rest of this scene.

You don't have to have your MC react to this in any particular way, but since you singled out this one kink or appeal as your MC 'having a weakness' for this thing, you should at least describe the MC going jelly-kneed, tenting their pants, gawking and stammering, or something equivalent and appropriate.

As a few examples of Weaknesses your character could have:

  • [Big and Tall]: any character noticeably bigger than yours gets an Edge, especially useful for Rushing or Attacking you.
  • [Goth Girls]: any character with a noticeably 'goth' vibe and aesthetic gets an Edge against your MC.
  • [Bugfuck]: horny insects get an Edge to use against your MC.
  • [Tied Up]: Moves made against your MC get an Edge, if your MC is bound or restrained.
  • [Rear Parking]: any Move gets an Edge if it might end with the MC's cock in someone's ass.
  • [Creampie Queen]: an Edge on any Move likely to lead to your MC having a dicklike insertion unload a semenlike fluid inside them.

In return for putting a Weakness on your MC, you get one of the following:

  • An additional regular Edge, atop the usual four you get for your MC.
  • Raise the limit of Power you can save up, usually that's three.
  • Raise the amount of Degradation Damage you can take by one, normally two at most.
  • Raise the amount of Harm you can take by one, normally also two at most.
  • If you're not using Degradation Damage, an extra Harm requires two Weaknesses.
  • If you have an ongoing Countdown, you can take on a Weakness forever, to cancel the Countdown immediately. If the other player is cool with it, this can also undo some or all the effects the Countdown has already had. Roleplay some kind of flimsy justification for how this happens.

Using Weaknesses like these helps keep everyone focused on the really appealing kinkery, by both telling the narrating player "hey, hit me with this, even my fictional character won't resist very hard", and letting the narrating player say "hey, I'm about to hit you with that thing you like, just look at this Edge". And by putting it into the dice themselves, these Weaknesses help lower the odds of RNGesus cockblocking you!

The reason it takes two Weaknesses if you don't use Degradation Damage is that undifferentiated Injury counts for a lot more that way, versus the value of having either an extra physical-only or mental-only damage. And try to keep to three Weaknesses or fewer, to keep your MCs simpler, and not give the other player too much to mind and track.

Clutch Moves

When you're on or in the ropes, gasping and panting and almost spent, your Clutch Move might just turn the tables, and let you fuck someone into them! You gain use of your Clutch Move when you have three Harm (using normal damage), or two Injury and two Degradation (using Degradation Damage). It's for when you're one hit away from losing, but--

  • Power: simple as, you gain one Power the moment you have only one hit remaining, use it wisely or at least erotically.
  • Unshackle: you have a pile of Dangers on you? No you don't. They all drop as if with a 5-6 (this does not grant Power for Styles).
  • Revive: you really wish you could take one more hit--but at least all your permanent Edges refresh, letting you use them again.
  • Left Hand: that's right, all along you secretly knew a different 1-Power Special or 3-Power Finisher! You can use that right now if you have the Power for it.
  • Old Tricks: your Passive Power takes effect if your opponent overcame it, and your opponent's Passive Power ends if you haven't overcome it yet.

Choose one of these, alongside your usual fighter creation options. The stated effect or option takes place immediately when your Harm or Injury/Degradation reach their last hit, including if this came from the Danger on an Attack or other Move you made. But if you did make the Move that unlocked your Clutch Move, you still owe the other player their turn in response, so time your Moves well, as always.

Fancy Junk

Throughout this document, mooks and locations and encounter ideas have suggested various fancy loot, gear, and general flashing pickups for your MCs to get. Have a few samples, tuned specifically to quick and dirty fuckfight brawling, not-too-bloody violence, speedy recovery, and convenient sexual use.

'Realistic':

  • First Aid Kit - the classic anyone would recognize anywhere, don't fret too much about what's in it, or the training needed to use it, it Just Works.
  • Stimulants and Painkillers - don't mix these in real life, but your peak-condition or better-than-human MC can probably shoot up a vial of adrenaline and some perfectly safe unspecified analgesics and feel good as new. It'll have strange effects on your sensitivity though.
  • Bandages and braces - these won't do much for broken bones or internal organs, but surely it's just a flesh-wound, and you look badass.
  • Time and Support - on the mental end of things, just getting a moment to breathe and remember that someone roots for you or depends on you can help a lot against shock, humiliation, and mindbreak.
  • Coffee, a Shot, a Smoke - for a classic pulp vibe, indulge a quick harmless vice to shake off what you've been through, and brace you for what's next.
  • Cattle-prods and Stun-guns - likewise saps, socks full of pennies, less-lethal weapons let your MCs get violent without causing too much mutilation.

Sci-Fi:

  • Suit-Sprayer - automatically get a painted-on 'encounter suit' to protect from nasty things, an easy excuse to get a lot of easily-repaired 'clothing damage', and a better excuse for glossy functionally-nude latex or spandex looks.
  • Autojector - a mix of antibodies, peptides, nanobots, and electrolytes, definitely probably mostly safe, ish. Restores your health, stamina, and 'stamina'.
  • Mind-Massage - a visor fitted with transdermal magnets, sonic vibration transducers, deep-neural electrodes, and soothing lights, to dull the impact of recent psychological traumas or mental triggers.
  • Stun-Shot - a futuristic ranged stun-weapon, it might use electricity, confined plasma, focused ultrasound, laser ionization, or whatever technobabble you like. Bonus, it can have whatever 'secondary' effects you can handwave.
  • Repulsor Pod - using gravity, magnetism, ultra-infra-sound, and probably subspace fields, these very conveniently-sized pods can propel you or others around, for movement, defense, or creative entertainment.
  • Glue-Shooter - spits a thick sticky white fluid that quickly adheres and hardens, great for making hand-grips, disarming or restraining, and stopping 'leaks'.

Fantasy:

  • Healing Altar - you can't take it with you, but praying at one of these can mend your body and soothe your mind.
  • Purifying Potion - a rare and complex elixir, pour it onto--or into--a body-part that has been defiled, poisoned, cursed, infested, or possessed, to expel the corruption.
  • Transference Tonic - sometimes enjoyed simply for fun, if you have Harm or Degradation, this will shift the damage from one type to the other, mending bodily injuries while damaging the mind, or vice versa.
  • Second Skin - a living symbiotic suit that can absorb some damage for you, but it will take 'nutrients' from you to heal itself.
  • Dazzle-Dust - a tiny pouch of cheap mixed reagents to leave a victim stunned and disoriented for a short time.
  • Shadow-Shard - a spike of darkness wrapped in a blessed cloth, it passes through armor and flesh to melt into the soul.

You'll have to do a little mechanical translation, but you can find even more, in Cursed Items, a supplement for a Into the Peril, but with similar-enough heart (and other organs) that you can probably make it work!

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Pub: 14 Jun 2023 03:38 UTC
Edit: 05 Jun 2025 19:14 UTC
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