variables-and-mythos

/variables-and-mythos - Variable System & Mythos Patterns

Complete reference for Valkyrie's variable system and mythos phase configuration.

Variable Types

Quest Variables (no prefix)

User-defined variables for tracking game state. Any name without a special prefix.

operations: "cluesFound,+,1"
operations: "doorUnlocked,=,1"
vartests: "VarOperation:cluesFound,>=,3"

System Variables ($ prefix)

Built-in variables that control game mechanics.

Variable	Effect
$end	Setting to 1 ends the scenario
$fire	Fire/damage system variable
$mythosMinor	Trigger minor mythos event
$mythosMajor	Trigger major mythos event
$mythosDeadly	Trigger deadly mythos event

Ending the scenario:

upsert_event("EventVictory", {
  buttons: "1",
  operations: "$end,=,1",
  event1: "EventVictoryText"
})

Read-Only Variables (# prefix)

System-provided values you can test but not set.

Variable	Value
#round	Current round number
#heroes	Number of investigators
#heroName	Name of current hero
#heroAshcanPete	1 if Ashcan Pete is in play, 0 otherwise
#heroAgnesBaker	1 if Agnes Baker is in play, etc.
#randX	Random integer 1 to X (e.g., #rand6 for 1-6)

Content pack detection variables:

Variable	Expansion
#BtT	Beyond the Threshold
#HJ	Horrific Journeys
#SM	Sanctum of Madness
#PoI	Path of the Serpent
#CotW	Call of the Wild (fan)

Trigger Variables (@ prefix)

Set by external game events (monster defeat, puzzle completion, etc.). Generally read-only in quest context.

Mythos Scaling

The mythos system creates escalating tension over time. Three tiers of mythos events fire based on round count.

Scaling Formula

deadlyRound = 20 - #heroes
majorRound  = deadlyRound / 2    (integer division)
minorRound  = 1                  (starts immediately or at a set round)

For 4 heroes: deadlyRound = 16, majorRound = 8, minorRound = 1.

Mythos Setup

Step 1 — Initialize in EventStart chain:

upsert_event("EventMythosInit", {
  display: "false",
  buttons: "1",
  operations: "deadlyRound,=,20 deadlyRound,-,#heroes majorRound,=,deadlyRound majorRound,/,2 mythosMinorStarted,=,0 mythosMajorStarted,=,0 mythosDeadlyStarted,=,0",
  event1: "EventSetupContinue"
})

Step 2 — StartRound-triggered events with vartests:

# Minor mythos — starts at round 1
upsert_event("EventMythosMinorCheck", {
  trigger: "StartRound",
  display: "false",
  buttons: "2",
  vartests: "VarOperation:#round,>=,1",
  event1: "EventMythosMinorSkip",
  event2: "EventMythosMinorFire"
})

upsert_event("EventMythosMinorFire", {
  display: "false",
  buttons: "0",
  operations: "$mythosMinor,=,1"
})

# Major mythos — starts at majorRound
upsert_event("EventMythosMajorCheck", {
  trigger: "StartRound",
  display: "false",
  buttons: "2",
  vartests: "VarOperation:#round,>=,majorRound",
  event1: "EventMythosMajorSkip",
  event2: "EventMythosMajorFire"
})

upsert_event("EventMythosMajorFire", {
  display: "false",
  buttons: "0",
  operations: "$mythosMajor,=,1"
})

# Deadly mythos — starts at deadlyRound
upsert_event("EventMythosDeadlyCheck", {
  trigger: "StartRound",
  display: "false",
  buttons: "2",
  vartests: "VarOperation:#round,>=,deadlyRound",
  event1: "EventMythosDeadlySkip",
  event2: "EventMythosDeadlyFire"
})

upsert_event("EventMythosDeadlyFire", {
  display: "false",
  buttons: "0",
  operations: "$mythosDeadly,=,1"
})

Important: Use >= not == for round checks. If a check is skipped for one round (e.g., due to conditions), >= will still catch it on the next round.

One-Shot Mythos Events

For events that should only fire once (e.g., a story beat at round 5):

upsert_event("EventRound5Story", {
  trigger: "StartRound",
  display: "false",
  buttons: "2",
  conditions: "round5Fired,==,0",
  vartests: "VarOperation:#round,>=,5",
  event1: "EventRound5Skip",
  event2: "EventRound5Fire"
})

upsert_event("EventRound5Fire", {
  buttons: "1",
  operations: "round5Fired,=,1",
  event1: "EventRound5Narrative"
})

The conditions check ensures the event is silently skipped after it has fired once.

Random Number Generation

Use #randX to generate a random integer from 1 to X. The value is assigned when the operation executes.

# Roll a d6 and store the result
upsert_event("EventRollDice", {
  display: "false",
  buttons: "1",
  operations: "diceResult,=,#rand6",
  event1: "EventCheckRoll"
})

# Branch on the result
upsert_event("EventCheckRoll", {
  display: "false",
  buttons: "2",
  vartests: "VarOperation:diceResult,>=,4",
  event1: "EventRollLow",     # 1-3
  event2: "EventRollHigh"     # 4-6
})

Hero Detection

Random Hero Selection

Use {rnd:hero} in localization text to insert a random hero's name. Use {c:EventName} to recall the same hero in subsequent events.

set_localization({
  "EventChosenOne.text": "{rnd:hero} feels a strange presence...",
  "EventChosenOneFollowup.text": "{c:EventChosenOne} hears the whisper again."
})

Testing Specific Heroes

Check if a specific investigator is in the game:

upsert_event("EventAshcanSpecial", {
  display: "false",
  buttons: "2",
  vartests: "VarOperation:#heroAshcanPete,>=,1",
  event1: "EventNoAshcan",
  event2: "EventAshcanPresent"
})

Scaling by Hero Count

# Give items based on party size
upsert_event("EventScaleItems", {
  display: "false",
  buttons: "2",
  vartests: "VarOperation:#heroes,>=,4",
  event1: "EventSmallPartyItems",    # 2-3 heroes
  event2: "EventLargePartyItems"     # 4-5 heroes
})

Content Pack Detection

Gate content on expansion ownership to avoid crashes:

upsert_event("EventBtTContent", {
  display: "false",
  buttons: "2",
  vartests: "VarOperation:#BtT,>=,1",
  event1: "EventBaseGameFallback",    # no expansion
  event2: "EventBtTExclusive"         # has Beyond the Threshold
})

This is essential when referencing monsters, tiles, or items from expansions. Always provide a base-game fallback.

Variable Operations Reference

Operators

Operator	Example	Effect
=	var,=,5	Set var to 5
+	var,+,1	Add 1 to var
-	var,-,2	Subtract 2 from var
*	var,*,3	Multiply var by 3
/	var,/,2	Integer divide var by 2

Comparators (for vartests)

Comparator	Meaning
==	Equal
!=	Not equal
>	Greater than
<	Less than
>=	Greater or equal
<=	Less or equal

Multiple Operations

Space-separate multiple operations — they execute left to right:

operations: "clues,+,1 totalClues,+,1 roundClues,=,0"

Logical Operators in vartests

# AND (default) — all must pass
vartests: "VarOperation:key1,>=,1 VarOperation:key2,>=,1 VarTestsLogicalOperator:AND"

# OR — any can pass
vartests: "VarOperation:key1,>=,1 VarOperation:key2,>=,1 VarTestsLogicalOperator:OR"