remove mask variants (#114)

Author: mirrorcult

src/SUMMARY.md

@@ -116,6 +116,7 @@
   - [Gambler](design/removed/gambler.md)
   - [Loyalist](design/removed/loyalist.md)
   - [Mask Tokens](design/removed/mask-tokens.md)
+  - [Mask Variants](design/removed/mask-variants.md)
   - [Philanthropist](design/removed/philanthropist.md)
   - [Polymath](design/removed/polymath.md)
   - [Sacrifice](design/removed/sacrifice.md)

src/design/masks.md

@@ -75,23 +75,6 @@ Some general archetypes of masks (again, not exhaustive and new archetypes can a
 - **Freak**: Masks whose objectives interact with the simulation in a way that is strange and leads into weird interactions, but not necessarily direct conflict with others. Examples: [glutton](masks/crew/glutton.md), [daredevil](masks/crew/daredevil.md).
 - **Oracle:** Maks which can gain hidden meta-knowledge about another mask. Examples: [insider](masks/crew/insider.md).
 
-## Variants {.es-unimplemented}
-
-With a low random chance (~10%), masks can roll a "variant". Mask variants (or mask modifiers) can change the gear, abilities, or objectives of a mask, keeping its overall vibe the same while changing its gameplay. When a mask is affected by a variant, this is shown as an adjective before the mask name wherever it's displayed; e.g. "Expert Fruit Vendor".
-
-Variants are not automatically created for every mask--custom variants must be implemented for masks, ensuring that each one is hand-tuned. Masks need not have any variants (and many shouldn't), and they certainly need not implement every variant that exists. Variants for masks should only be made when they can be made meaningfully different from their base mask. If a mask has no variants, but it rolls a variant, nothing happens.
-
-The benefit of variants is twofold. First, it acts as a force multiplier on mask variety without requiring you to come up with wholly new concepts and without diluting the mask pool. Variants are much easier to come up with, and the full concept for a fun variant often simply emerges out of asking "how could I apply this general variant to this mask"?
-
-Variants can be general--a thematically similar transformation applied to many masks--or they can be more specialized and mask-specific, if a mask really feels like it calls for a unique variant.
-
-Some general variants with example modified masks:
-- **Dubious**: In some way inverts or makes negative the objectives or items of a mask, though without changing the character of the mask. Examples: dubious veteran (must kill a member of their own troupe instead of an enemy troupe), dubious arms dealer (objective is for people to use the guns to kill rather than not kill).
-- **Professional**: Increases the power level of a mask's abilities/items, enough to be significant. Examples: professional arms dealer (spawns higher-caliber weapons, or even things like rocket launchers), professional VIP (VIP+; card states their name and flashbangs people around them when shown)
-- **Chaotic**: Increases the variance, silliness, or rarity of a mask's items/abilities. Examples: chaotic fruit vendor (only has weirder fruits, gatfruit, combustible lemons etc), chaotic guzzler (pulls from an even weirder pool of chemicals)
-
-Sometimes, variants can be interesting enough to warrant an entire new mask exploring the idea. When in doubt, err towards making it into a separate mask--variants should only be minor tweaks to a mask's gameplay that don't change the entire character of it, and making a new mask can be less restrictive in that regard. New variants should always require less time and energy to create than a full mask, if only because variants are by their nature less frequent. Don't twist yourself into knots trying to come up with variants for a mask if none easily come to mind--if you have to stretch definitions or change too much to make it work, then there's no need to do it at all.
-
 ## Assignment
 
 Masks are given out immediately when players spawn, whether on the transport shuttle or just through cryo.

src/design/masks/crew/angel.md

@@ -33,8 +33,4 @@ The Angel can target any player once. They must guess that player's mask, and if
 
 The Angel is a very broadly useful crew mask, centered around gaining useful knowledge about others and using that knowledge to help them when needed. In this way, it serves as a counterbalance to other more disruptive crew masks, and has a target on their back as a result. Because the Angel is a Guesser-type mask, it incentivizes and rewards basic social deduction gameplay, and a good Angel player could do a lot to help the crew in a dire situation.
 
-Angels provide a little bit of deniability for masks that also are capable of reviving players out of crit on some condition, like the [Subverter](../traitor/subverter.md) or [Parasite](./parasite.md).
-
-## Variants
-
-*Fallen Angel* - Must only guess someone's troupe correctly. Those revived gain an objective identical in function to the [Enthraller](./enthraller.md), but to protect the Fallen Angel.
+Angels provide a little bit of deniability for masks that also are capable of reviving players out of crit on some condition, like the [Subverter](../traitor/subverter.md) or [Parasite](./parasite.md).

src/design/masks/crew/connoisseur.md

@@ -30,10 +30,6 @@ The Connoisseur is a mask that can learn very valuable information about targets
 
 The Connoisseur's action provides some co-deniability with the [Enthraller](./enthraller.md)'s action, which are functionally identical.
 
-## Variants
-
-*Professional Connoisseur* - Rather than learning 3-4 masks which they are not, learn that they are one of 3-4 masks.
-
 ---
 
 ![](https://media1.tenor.com/m/ZtGJnU_AYUgAAAAd/dexter-james-doakes.gif)

src/design/masks/crew/coveter.md

@@ -35,7 +35,3 @@ On conversion into a Coveter, you are barred from targeting your converter with
 The Coveter is a mask which can quickly devolve into completely insane situations and absolute hilarity, even with just one guess. Stealing someone's mask is sure to get them angry at you, though they'll soon enough find themselves preoccupied with trying to covet someone else's mask before they explode. If this chains enough, it can lead to a "hot potato" situation where everyone is trying to find someone to quickly pass the mask off to.
 
 Swapping in general is a huge wrench to throw into deduction--someone you thought you knew as a friend could become your enemy, you might have to suddenly deal with a completely different traitor partner, or your careful surveilling of a target could go haywire as they become someone completely different.
-
-## Variants
-
-- *Chaotic Coveter* - Rather than receiving the guessed mask, the Coveter receives a completely random new crew mask.

src/design/masks/crew/enthraller.md

@@ -40,8 +40,3 @@ The Enthraller is a lite-Converter type mask that generally throws a wrench into
 Enthralling someone, in many cases, can lead to interesting situations. A traitor with an objective to murder the Enthraller may find themselves a thrall, or in general any mask hunting the Enthraller over a grudge or suspicion might find themselves in their grasp instead. Because becoming a thrall doesn't change your mask, characters with wildly diverging goals may find themselves aligned on the task of trying to prevent the Enthraller's death by any means--and medbay could become swarmed by a group of thralls all trying to keep them alive.
 
 The Enthraller's action provides some co-deniability with the [Connoisseur](./connoisseur.md)'s action, which are functionally identical.
-
-## Variants
-
-*Dubious Enthraller* - Objective given is to kill the Enthraller, rather than help them live. But the Enthraller's objective to enthrall people remains. What a conundrum!
-*Chaotic Enthraller* - Objective given is to prevent a random person's death, rather than the Enthraller's.

src/design/masks/crew/mind-reader.md

@@ -33,7 +33,3 @@ Additionally, the ability to see through an identity disguise and learn someone'
 In terms of their interactions with others, the mind reader is subtly threatening in that they are likely to stalk their target and wait for inactivity in order to start learning information about them.
 However, their forced inaction while mind-reading also makes them vulnerable to others.
 While it's technically possible to placate a mind reader by willingly allowing them to access your mind, this creates a tradeoff where you have to willingly give up potentially private information.
-
-## Variants
-_Professional mind reader_ - A single mind reading can reveal multiple pieces of information about a person.
-The process of reading a mind can also be quicker.

src/design/masks/crew/pilferer.md

@@ -31,7 +31,3 @@ This ability cannot be used on unconscious or dead players.
 ## Gameplay
 
 The Pilferer's objective and actions lead them into direct minor conflict with many people, while the random nature of their action means they're unlikely to be able to powergame very hard with the items they do manage to steal. The leadup to the steal--having to be outside of their viewcone--integrates nicely with the viewcone mechanic itself and other related mechanics, like footsteps being muted when walking.
-
-## Variants
-
-*Professional Pilferer* - Action usable N times (>1) per player, and with a faster doafter.

src/design/masks/crew/scapegoat.md

@@ -27,7 +27,3 @@ On death, the Scapegoat immediately spawns a station event, targeted on the loca
 The Scapegoat provides a small amount of fallibility to Oracle masks, injecting some occasional intrigue into deductive situations. Furthermore, the fact that they count for objectives like the [Veteran](./veteran.md)'s means there is occasionally a trade-off between killing the Scapegoat or letting them live.
 
 The Scapegoat's on death effect provide a passive disincentive to letting people die, at least in areas where the event might matter, like Security or Medbay. Because the effect triggers on death, and not just on being killed, the Scapegoat *can* more or less trigger it when they feel like, either tactically or just for the lulz. No objective unlike other Jesters means that the Scapegoat is unlikely to run headfirst into deadly situations for the purposes of fulfilling an objective, and thus functions as a sort of reverse-Jester--avoids death, but finds it anyway.
-
-## Variants
-
-*Professional Scapegoat* - Spawns in a guaranteed exceptionally dangerous event on death, like meteors. That, or a [portal event](../../jobs/scientist.md), or multiple events?

src/design/removed/empath.md

@@ -30,8 +30,3 @@ Which aura they see is dependent on the mask the player has:
 The empath is a mask that, while lacking objectives pushing them towards gameplay, is deeply involved with the deduction of the game due to their strong abilities.
 Since the detection of an aura is not a sure-fire confirmation of being a member of an enemy troupe, it is a strong piece of evidence that can help seal the deal.
 If combined with other clues deduced by a player's actions, it may give the station enough certainty to make a definitive decision.
-
-## Variants
-Variants for this mask tend to either improve or decrease the veracity of the auras sensed.
-For example, a professional empath may be able to distinguish between a crew-aligned or traitor-aligned killing intent.
-A dubious empath may give incorrect or useless reading, derived from insignificant characteristics rather than the target's mask (all gingers have a killing intent, passengers have a strange feeling, etc.)