Editing Little Fears (section)

==Gameplay==
Players are encouraged to have their characters think and act like children. Instead of being poor woobies in need of saving, the children are their own heroes. The rulebook states that missing children worldwide are often the victims of the Kings, who influence real world events such as pedophiles or just outright spirit the children away into Closetland where they are never seen again. Adults are of little to no help, sometimes being outright causes of danger or at best the provider of useful items like toys or simple advice. 
"I am rubber, you are glue-" if passed from a concerned older sibling curious why a character is crying a lot and missing sleep can be a magic spell protecting the PCs from danger in Closetland for example. 

Players are encouraged to do research before playing a game by watching movies about children, or made for children, to relearn mannerisms their characters can emulate. To watch children's educational shows, as well as daytime television they perhaps shouldn't have been watching, to get an idea for the knowledge their character could have; an example given as a child who watches crime shows instead of Sesame Street knowing the basics or forensics which could advance the plot if one of their friends disappears. 

Character creation involves specifics on height, eye and hair color, nicknames, friends, trusted adults, hopes and dreams, favorite belonging, what makes them feel safe if scared, and so on. Most of these are either DM fodder or help players really get a feel for their character before actual crunch begins. 

Players invest points into their attributes with "Playground Points". They begin with six. 

Stats are the actual numerical abilities of characters. They come at a minimum of 1, and a maximum of 5. All start at 2, but can be lowered to 1 to gain extra Playground Points to spend elsewhere. They consist of:
* Smarts - Book learning and creativity. This represents potential, not existing qualities as a child held back for poor school performance may just not have a home life that allows them to study rather than them being actually stupid. The higher the Smarts, the more a child can get out of the same book as others or find the book in the first place. 
* Muscle - General health and physical abilities, possessed by kids who play outside a lot generally. Huck Finn characters have high Muscle, kids who spent a lot of time in the hospital with something like leukemia would have low Muscle. 
* Hands - Hand dexterity. High Hands means great hand/eye coordination, aim, and the ability to perform difficult or delicate tasks. Low would be a klutz. 
* Feet - Feet dexterity.  Same rule as Hands, characters with high Feet can run and dodge, low will trip on their feet and move more slowly. 
* Spirit - Willpower, awareness, and soul powers. Its opposite effect is Fear. Characters who are well-loved and feel safe have high Spirit, characters who feel alone in the world or are dealing with traumatic events have low Spirit. Belief, religious or in things like magic and parallel universes, also provide higher Spirit. 

Virtues are the next set of attributes, representing qualities of their current psychological and spiritual state. 
* Soul - The literal immortal soul of the character. This can be hurt, damaged, splintered, and even entirely stolen. Generally speaking only things from Closetland or affected by Closetland can affect this. It begins at 10. Attacks by magical things, mostly Closetland beings, damage the Soul. Characters can heal their Soul with faith, but characters who no longer believe in higher beings (God, Spider-man, grandpa Joe, etc) can no longer restore their Soul. Darkening occurs when Soul reaches 6, causing unhealthiness and insanity. By 3 Soul the character comes down with severe fever, losing one Soul every 48 hours until 0 when they lapse into a coma, mental and spiritual stats drop to 0 while physical stats decay at one point per hour. At that point the soul cannot leave Closetland, and a silver cord that children can see connects the body and soul to any creature that caused it. Killing attached creatures and returning the Soul saves the child. 
* Innocence - Inner purity, which is also naivety and ignorance. This is the result of upbringing. A character who is sheltered and unaware of any of the issues of growing up would have high Innocence, characters who watch a lot of crime shows and news on television, come from troubles homes, or have had to take responsibility early in life will have lower scores. The Innocence of the character directly correlates to their age starting the game, and may be raised for two Playground Points each or lowered to gain one Playground Point each. Six year olds begin with 8 Innocence, and it decreases by one for every year of age (theoretically a fifteen year old has no Innocence left). The higher the Innocence the easier children are to find for evil spirits but harder to hurt. The lower the Innocence the more invisible and less appealing to drain the soul of, but easier to harm. For every three points of Fear gained, one point of Innocence is lost. 
* Fear - Fear is a direct result of Closetland, a kind of corruption. It affects their mental state primarily. Characters start the game with 0 Fear. Anytime a character gains a point of Fear, they gain one Playground Point. Characters can lose Fear (and keep Playground Points) using their faith, but can only be awarded by the DM rather than a dice roll. Unpleasant quirks are gained by reaching Fear 3, and by Fear 8 actual mental illness begins. At Fear 10 the character is insane. Fear always results in either Schizophrenia, Manic Depression, or Multiple Personality Disorder. 

Qualities are rules pertaining to the character that affect them, similar to Feats and Skills in [[Dungeons & Dragons]]. The Qualities taken are suggested by the rulebook to emphasize personality rather than to [[Munchkin]], an example being a character who acts tough having low Spirit and/or the Scaredy Cat Quality making them an overcompensating bully or braggart.  Positive Qualities cost one Playground Point, and negative ones give you one Playground point each but can only be spent on other Qualities. 

Belief is the magic by which impossible or magic things occur, and is more likely the higher the Innocence. Material Belief is caused by an object (a stuffed toy becoming a protector) and Incidental Belief is a ritual behavior (like praying resulting in protection). Incidental Belief can also bend reality, for example making X-ray glasses actually work although once this fails it can never be attempted again unless the child gains reason to believe it will (for example being told that the glasses just don't work on rainy days by another child). Belief can also work in reverse, causing a detrimental effect if the DM wills it such as accidentally looking into a mirror in the dark damaging the Soul. Every ten times the child tries to make a Belief work and it fails, they lose one Innocence. 

Blindness is the state where characters no longer believe in Closetland and lose awareness of it. It is associated with loss of the Innocence stat, but can happen early if a child accepts the world as a bad place or believes abuse and misery are normal; these characters are called Tainted. This results in a character with Innocence left who is unable to perceive what wants to hurt them, although since abuse lowers Innocence characters who are Blind but Innocent may find themselves being helped by more Fey than evil beings. Blind characters are NOT immune to spirits, and can be hurt or manipulated by them. 
Simple and Vestal characters are immune to Blindness. Simple characters are the insane and mentally handicapped who's minds cannot be closed. Vestals cannot lose Innocence. Tainted, Simple, and Vestals can all be manipulated into doing the bidding of spiritual beings. 

Hand-me-downs are magical items, sometimes corrupted, the player has access to. Family heirlooms or lucky trinkets, these are purely awarded by the DM.