Editing Shinobido (section)

== THEME ==

The main theme of Shinobido is that of cost. Everything has a cost. Powers have the obvious cost of using Focus, but more than that, doing one thing costs you the ability to do another. Characters are expected to make hard decisions, and sometimes there is no right answer, just wrong ones. 

The biggest example of things having a cost is in the forbidden techniques. Darkness is a literal thing in the world of Shinobido. It's more than evil, it's selfishness and malevolence. It's callous disregard. Whenever players use forbidden techniques, they gain Dark Points, showing them how close to the edge they are.

In the beginning, these forbidden techniques have no cost. They're cheaper and easier to use. As Dark Points accumulate, the price becomes apparent. There's a mental cost, where the character becomes less stable. There's a physical cost, where seals and markings appear on the character's skin. And there's a social cost, where characters are ostracised for their willingness to use the darkness.

Things aren't so simple, though. Characters might NEED to use the darkness. Maybe to save themselves, or one of their allies. They might need to tap into that darkness to save an innocent. Things should never be so clear cut as good and bad.

Once a character has made that jump, though, things will get harder for them in the future. They won't be as able to avoid making more jumps like that in the future, and soon they've paved the road to their own Hell with good intentions.