Bonds of the Heart: Relationship & Gifting System

Track emotional bonds, ranks, and unlockable story paths.

In the world of Iris Halo, the connections you forge are just as important as the powers you wield. Friendships provide vital support, rivalries create compelling drama, and budding romances can offer moments of light amidst the darkness. The Relationship System tracks the strength and nature of your bonds with other characters (both player characters and NPCs), while the Gifting System offers a direct way to show you care and strengthen those connections.

These systems are central to the slice-of-life experience in Narasato, unlocking new story opportunities, influencing how characters treat you, providing emotional support (which helps manage Stress!), and adding depth to your character's personal journey.

Core Concepts

Relationship Ranks: Bonds are measured using the Mythic Rank scale, reflecting the intensity and nature (positive or negative) of your relationship with another character.

Dynamic Growth: Relationships evolve organically through shared experiences, dialogue choices, cooperation (or conflict!), and fulfilling (or breaking) promises.

Meaningful Gifts: Giving gifts is a specific action to influence Relationship Ranks, but its effectiveness depends heavily on choosing a gift the recipient genuinely appreciates.

Narrative & Mechanical Impact: Relationship Ranks unlock specific social interactions, influence NPC behaviour, can offer minor synergistic benefits with allies, and play a crucial role in managing Stress.

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Relationship Ranks: Measuring Your Connections

Every significant character your PC interacts with has a Relationship Rank relative to your character. We use the familiar Mythic d20 scale for this:

Rank	Description & Meaning	Potential Effects & Interactions
Incredible	Deepest trust, unbreakable bond. Soulmates, best friends for life, devoted partners. Absolute loyalty and understanding.	Unlocks unique bonding scenes/plotlines. Significant Stress reduction when interacting positively. Powerful narrative synergy. Highest emotional vulnerability if bond is broken.
Exceptional	Very close friends, deep trust, committed romantic partners. Rely on each other implicitly; share almost anything.	Frequent positive interactions. Willing to take significant risks for each other. Unlocks personal secrets/quests. Reliable source of Stress relief.
High	Close friends, strong trust, budding romance. Comfortable sharing personal feelings and vulnerabilities.	Regular positive interactions. Likely to help with moderate requests without persuasion. Can confide in each other. Good source of Stress relief.
Above Average	Good friends. Generally trust each other, enjoy spending time together, share common interests.	Friendly interactions are common. Usually willing to help with small favors. Comfortable casual conversation.
Average	Acquaintances, classmates, neutral colleagues. Know each other by name, generally polite or indifferent.	Standard interactions. May need persuasion or incentive for help. Basic information sharing. (Most relationships start at this Rank).
Below Average	Mild dislike, awkwardness, minor rivals, untrustworthy. Tendency towards friction or avoidance.	Interactions may be tense or uncomfortable. Unlikely to help without strong reason. May engage in minor gossip or obstruction.
Low	Strong dislike, open rivalry, distrust. Actively avoid each other or clash when forced together.	Frequent negative interactions. Actively obstructive. May spread rumors or work against your interests moderately. Interactions likely increase Stress.
Weak	Enemies, betrayal, deep-seated antagonism. Actively seek to harm or undermine each other (socially, emotionally, maybe physically).	Hostile interactions. Attempts sabotage or harm. Significant source of plot conflict and Stress increase. Potential antagonist.

Important Notes:

Relationships are generally reciprocal, but slight differences can exist (e.g., you see someone as 'High,' but they only see you as 'Above Average'). The GM tracks NPC relationship values.

Your actions determine how these Ranks change over time.

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Changing Relationships: Actions Speak Volumes

Relationship Ranks aren't static. They shift based on your choices and interactions:

Positive Actions (Increase Rank):

• Having meaningful, supportive conversations.
• Offering genuine help or comfort.
• Keeping promises made to them.
• Succeeding on cooperative tasks together.
• Sharing vulnerable moments or important secrets (if received well).
• Defending them socially or physically.
• Giving thoughtful gifts (see Gifting System below).

Negative Actions (Decrease Rank):

• Starting arguments or being unnecessarily harsh.
• Breaking promises or betraying trust.
• Failing cooperative tasks due to negligence or selfishness.
• Publicly humiliating or mocking them.
• Sabotaging their efforts or spreading malicious rumors.
• Acting selfishly at their expense.
• Giving disliked or hated gifts.

Other Factors:

• Shared Experiences: Going through intense events (dangerous battles, emotional breakthroughs, shared trauma) can rapidly strengthen or strain bonds depending on how you navigate the situation together.
• Neglect: Consistently ignoring someone or refusing opportunities to interact can cause positive Ranks to slowly decay towards Average over long periods.

Progress between Ranks happens narratively. The GM will inform you when interactions have been significant enough to cause a Relationship Rank to increase or decrease, often after key scenes or a pattern of consistent behaviour.

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The Art of Gifting: Showing You Care (or Appeasing!)

Giving a gift is a concrete action you can take to invest in a relationship. However, a poorly chosen gift can be worse than no gift at all! Understanding the recipient is key.

1. Acquiring Gifts:

• Shopping District (#shopping-district): Purchase gifts from various stores (sweets, accessories, books, flowers, trinkets). Requires spending money (allowance/job earnings).
• Cooking: Use the Cooking System to create homemade meals or treats. These can be particularly effective if tailored to the recipient's tastes and well-made.
• Crafting: Use Crafting Skills (Art, Sewing, etc.) or participate in relevant School Clubs (#gakuen-club-rooms) to make personalized gifts.
• Finding: Occasionally, you might find items suitable as gifts during exploration or as rewards.

2. Understanding NPC Preferences:

Every significant NPC has personal tastes! Knowing these is crucial for effective gifting. Preferences generally fall into categories:

• Loved Gifts: Their absolute favorite things! Often tied to deep passions, cherished memories, specific aesthetics, or rare/valuable items they desire. Requires knowing them well.
• Liked Gifts: Things they genuinely appreciate and enjoy receiving. Align with their known hobbies, general tastes (favorite colors/foods), or practical needs they've mentioned.
• Neutral Gifts: Generic, inoffensive items (e.g., simple snacks, standard stationery). They'll likely accept politely, but it won't make a strong positive impression.
• Disliked Gifts: Things they actively don't care for, find annoying, useless, or mildly offensive (e.g., foods they dislike, styles they find tacky, reminders of bad memories).
• Hated Gifts: Things they strongly object to. This could be due to allergies, past trauma, direct opposition to their values/beliefs, items associated with rivals, or things they find deeply insulting.

3. How to Learn Preferences:

• Listen Carefully: Pay attention during conversations when NPCs mention hobbies, favorite foods/colors/music, things they need, or things they complain about.
• Observe: Notice their belongings, what they eat/drink, the style of their possessions, how they spend their free time. Check out their dorm room or personal space if possible.
• Ask Around: Discreetly talk to their friends or other characters who might know their tastes. (Risk: gossip might get back to them!)
• Trial and Error: Give a gift and carefully observe their reaction! (This is risky, especially with potential Disliked/Hated items).
• Relationship Unlocks: As your Relationship Rank increases, NPCs may naturally reveal more specific preferences through dialogue or shared activities.

4. Gifting Results & Impact:

Giving a gift usually occurs during a slice-of-life scene. The effect on the Relationship Rank depends on how well the gift matches the NPC's preferences:

Gift Type	Typical Relationship Rank Impact	Typical Reaction / Roleplaying Cue
Loved / Perfect	Major Boost: Virtually guaranteed +1 Full Relationship Rank increase. Represents a truly meaningful gesture.	Genuine delight, heartfelt thanks, possibly blushing or becoming emotional. May significantly improve their Mood. Might unlock special dialogue or scene immediately.
Liked	Moderate Boost: Significant progress towards the next Rank (counts as roughly "halfway" there, GM determines specifics).	Warm smile, sincere thanks, positive Mood shift likely. Strengthens the bond noticeably. Shows you pay attention.
Neutral	Minor Boost: Small progress towards the next Rank (multiple neutral gifts or other positive interactions needed to rank up).	Polite thanks, acknowledges the gesture but isn't overly moved. Might be quickly forgotten.
Disliked	Minor Setback / Awkwardness: No rank change. May negate a small amount of previous positive progress. Creates friction.	Awkward silence, forced smile, polite but brief thanks ("Oh... thanks."). Might make excuses or subtly try to get rid of it later. Can increase your Stress slightly.
Hated	Potential Rank Decrease: May cause -1 Relationship Rank decrease, especially if the bond was already strained or Average/Below.	Visible displeasure, outright refusal, pointed questions ("Why would you ever give me this?"). Potential argument. Likely increases your Stress Level.

Homemade Gift Quality: A perfectly cooked favorite dish using the Cooking System could count as Loved. A burnt or poorly made attempt might drop to Neutral or even Disliked, regardless of intent. Effort matters, but so does execution!

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Relationships & Other Systems

Your connections weave through every aspect of Iris Halo:

Stress System: Positive interactions with characters you have high Relationship Ranks with are a primary method for reducing Stress. Conversely, conflicts (especially with those you care about) or interactions with low-Rank rivals/enemies are major sources of gaining Stress.

Mood System: Your Mood affects how you approach social interactions, potentially impacting Relationship gains/losses. Successful (or failed) interactions can, in turn, influence your Mood for the rest of the day.

Teamwork & Synergy: Higher Relationship Ranks (High or above) with fellow Chroma Knights might grant narrative permissions for spontaneous combo moves or provide a minor +1 Rank Shift on checks made to directly assist or coordinate with that specific character in critical moments (GM discretion). Low Ranks might impose narrative difficulties or penalties on teamwork.

Information & Quests: NPCs are far more likely to share sensitive information, offer crucial help, confide their problems (potentially leading to side quests), or trust you with important tasks if you have a high Relationship Rank with them.

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Building strong bonds – navigating friendships, rivalries, and perhaps romance – is core to the Iris Halo experience. Invest time in the people around you, choose your actions thoughtfully, and remember that your relationships are your greatest strength and support network when facing the trials ahead.