#master mode

[animinarts]

This is for the lack of civilian and suit interactions (^з^)-♥︎

Also V-cinema spoilers??? I’m just kidding probably ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[tashacee]

Did I make a series for Aspects: Master Mode? Yes. Does this mean anything? Ummmmmmmmaayyyyybe.

[bootstrapped-leitmotif]

THE WANDERER’S OATH: RPG MODE

A Survival RPG Challenge for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

CORE PHILOSOPHY

You are not a chosen hero guided by divine power. You are a lone wanderer surviving the wilds of Hyrule. Every decision matters. Every fight has risk. Every journey must be planned out.

I wanted a reason to come back to Hyrule that actually felt different. It's not just harder, but more alive. A world where I can completely immerse myself.

At some point, things like the hoverbike start to feel like a shortcut that takes more away than it gives. You skip the roads, the danger, the planning. This is the opposite of that. No easy outs. If you want to get somewhere, you have to actually go there.

This turns the game into more of a survival RPG. You plan your routes, manage your supplies, and think twice before every fight. The goal is not to punish you. It is to make the world feel real again and to make every journey matter.

Note: This mode is extremely challenging, but not impossible. Areas that normally rely on the paraglider require more thought, preparation, and creativity. I considered allowing it, but the instinct to rely on it is too strong. Removing it forces a different kind of play, one where movement, like everything else, has to be earned.

Allowing it would also require adding layers of extra rules just to keep it in check, which goes against the spirit of this challenge. The goal is clarity and discipline, not complexity.

Play like the world is real. Plan your journeys, respect the danger, accept what you can't control, and take the long way there.

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CORE RULES

No paraglider

No Skyview Towers

No fast travel

No optimized flying machines (e.g., hoverbike)

No healing during combat

You must sleep each night

Morning Fate Roll (after sleeping; see Survival Rules below)

Must seek shelter during storms

Only eat at campfires or in towns (no eating during combat)

You may carry up to 10 meals and elixirs

Must choose and follow a class

Death carries consequences (see Death System below)

No Amiibos

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CLASS SYSTEM (CHOOSE ONE)

Your class defines your combat identity. You must follow its restrictions at all times.

🛡️Knight

Allowed: Swords, shields, heavy armor

Restricted: Bows (utility only)

Armor: Heavy armor preferred (high defense sets encouraged)

Playstyle: Defensive, durable, disciplined

🏹 Ranger

Allowed: Bows, spears, light weapons

Restricted: Heavy weapons

Armor: Light armor only (mobility and stealth focused)

Playstyle: Agile, ranged, survivalist

🪓 Barbarian

Allowed: Two-handed weapons only

Restricted: Shields

Armor: Limited (no high-defense sets preferred)

Playstyle: High risk, high damage

🔮 Mystic

Allowed: Rods, elemental weapons, wands/staves

Restricted: Strong melee weapons

Armor: No heavy armor (focus on utility or elemental sets)

Playstyle: Elemental control, environmental advantage

⚙️Artificer

Allowed: Zonai devices, basic one-handed weapons

Restricted: Strong melee weapons

Armor: Light or utility armor only (no high-defense sets)

Playstyle: Engineering solutions, indirect combat

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LEVELING SYSTEM

Every 4 Shrines = 1 Level Up

At each level up, choose ONE:

+1 Heart

+1 Stamina Upgrade

Unlock a Perk

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PERK SYSTEM

You begin with no perks. Each perk represents growth and adaptation.

Available General Perks:

Field Medic - You may heal once during combat per encounter

Stormwalker - You no longer need to seek shelter during storms

Weapon Mastery - Expand your class to allow one additional weapon type not already allowed by your class (cannot be a restricted weapon type, may only be taken once)

Survivor - You may eat outside campfires (not during combat)

Nightwalker - You may travel through the night but must sleep before the next nightfall.

Wayfarer - You may use fast travel once per Blood Moon

Second Chance - Upon death, you may keep your equipped items once per Blood Moon

Pack Rat - Increase your meal carry limit by +5

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Class Specific Perks (only available for your class):

🛡️ KNIGHT PERKS

Battle Recovery - You gain an additional combat heal per encounter (2 total if you have Field Medic)

Hold the Line - Ignore storm + night restrictions during active combat scenarios

🏹 RANGER PERKS

Trail Rations - You may eat uncooked foods freely while traveling, even in dangerous situations.

Silent Journey - You may travel at night if you remain undetected/avoid combat

🪓 BARBARIAN PERKS

Unchained - You may heal freely during combat only while below 3 hearts

Death Defied - First death of the day has no penalty

🔮 MYSTIC PERKS

Arcane Flow - You may craft elixirs outside proper cooking locations

Arcane Sustenance - You may consume elixirs anywhere

⚙️ ARTIFICER PERKS

Auto-Builder - Freely use Autobuild

Engineered Endurance - Ignore storm and night restrictions while operating a Zonai device

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SURVIVAL RULES

Food can only be consumed:

At campfires

In towns

Cooking:

Must be done at campfires or proper cooking locations

Cannot cook freely in unsafe conditions

Weather:

Must seek shelter during storms (unless perked)

Night:

Must sleep each night

Morning Fate Roll (after sleeping): Each morning, roll 1d6 to determine your condition for the day:

1 — Hunted: Avoid combat; -2 to death rolls 2 — Lightened: Lose 1 meal; -1 to death rolls 3–4 — Ready: No change 5 — Fortified: +1 to death rolls and your next meal counts as 2 6 — Blessed: +2 to death rolls and you may reroll one die today

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DEATH SYSTEM

Choose your preferred difficulty:

Wounded Soul (Recommended)

☠️ DEATH ROLL When you die, roll 1d6 to determine your penalty

1 — Broken: Drop all equipped weapons; must return to a town or stable and rest 2 — Shattered: Drop 5 weapons; must find a place to rest 3 — Wounded: Drop 3 weapons; avoid unnecessary combat 4–5 — Scarred: Drop 1 weapon; no rest required 6 — Spared: Fate Saves You, no penalty

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Ironman Mode (Hardcore)

Death = full restart

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OPTIONAL IMMERSION RULES

Follow roads when traveling long distances

Only change armor in safe locations

Keep and care for a horse (if it dies, it’s gone)

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WIN CONDITIONS

Choose one win condition below, roll 1d6 to decide at random, or complete them all. Treat it as your character’s story and let the path evolve as you go.

⚔️ 1. Demon King’s Fall

End the threat consuming Hyrule

Defeat a major overworld boss (Gleeok or Lynel)

Defeat Ganondorf

🏰 2. Savior of Hyrule

Unite the regions and restore balance

Complete all 4 Regional Phenomena temples

Obtain the Master Sword

🌑 3. Into the Abyss

Face the darkness beneath the world

Activate 60 Lightroots

Defeat at least 1 major Depths boss (Frox, Lynel, etc.)

☁️ 4. Child of the Sky

Uncover the secrets above Hyrule

Complete all 25 Sky Shrines

Complete at least 2 major sky questlines

🗿 5. Seeker of Trials

Walk the path of endurance and discovery

Complete 40 Surface Shrines

Solve at least 10 shrine quests (not just found shrines)

🛡️ 6. Forged in Survival

Become a warrior shaped by hardship

Max stamina

Fully upgrade 2 armor sets

Defeat 3 high-tier enemies (Lynel, Gleeok, etc.)

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FINAL NOTE

This is about slowing down and playing with intention. You start limited and exposed, and over time you grow stronger by learning the world, not by bypassing it. It may seem counterintuitive to limit yourself, but a philosophy built on immersion, player choice, and creative problem solving brings the experience to life in a different way.

Are you ready for your next great adventure in Hyrule?

[nickpeppermint]

Bro forgot he's in Kamen Rider

[ranchygoober]

wip fanart... +poll

so the characters from left to right will be Horrortale Queen's Legacy, Undertale Master Mode, and some sort of TITR*2 variant I don't know the name of.

My concern is that I often have plain backgrounds, and I kind of want to actually make a background that isn't just gradient colors and shit. so for the meantime, I will leave a poll related to that..

What kind of background should I make?

Idea 1 - A background for each Sans of their original au.

Idea 2 - Judgement Hall

Idea 3 - Snowdin, or a snowy area

Idea 4 - The Hotlands, maybe?

Other - Comment what you want for the background I guess

Voting ended onApr 9

[dearestcherry]

@taintedmegane and i have been playing master mode terraria. after two years of working on our save, we finally defeated its final boss, the moon lord! it's been such a fun challenge to play on master mode.

[kattherippa]

I BEAT A FUCKING GOLDEN LYNEL ON MASTER MODE OMFGGGGGG I'm absolutely HOLLERIN. Definitely not running around the house screaming in excitement 😅

That moment when they start to disintegrate

Also-

Look at his stupid face

I'm so stoked for the upcoming Ganon fight to actually be difficult vs the 5 min it was in regular mode

[l-inator]

I call this one...

"Is it Worth it?"

An ode to Terraria master mode.

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The biblically accurate blurry furry below vvv