write up a Cypher System version of icon relationships

pages/cypher/homebrew.md

@@ -175,6 +175,55 @@ cost and investment. Others focus on an particular style or school, you prefer f
 * *Sky/Air (2 Intellect points).* You or a creature you touch can fly short distances for ten minutes. You must land at
   the end of your movement, or otherwise fall. Action.
 
+## Optional Rules
+
+### Relationship Connections
+
+> This rule is inspired by 13th Age's Icon Relationships, though not a direct copy. It tries to get the same feel but in
+> a Cypher System framework. ~bss
+
+To more closely connect characters with the (other) significant movers and shakers of the game, relationship connections
+generate free 1 XP spends that represent a close mystical, operational, or situational tie with a major world NPC (or
+their factions). As a reminder, 1 XP can be spent by players on:
+
+* Immediate benefits (a reroll, or refuse a GM intrusion)
+* Player intrusions (varies, see the rules as they are pretty open-ended)
+
+**Obtaining relationship points:** As an extra step in character creation, you receive 4 relationship points, which you
+allocate to 1 to 3 significant NPCs. These NPCs may be provided by the GM ahead of time, or GMs may allow players to
+define key NPCs and organizations themselves, at their discretion. Each point represents an increasingly stronger
+connection between the player character and that NPC and agents of that NPC, and makes obtaining connections more
+likely.
+
+**Regularly obtaining relationship connections:** After taking ten hours of rest (or otherwise making the recovery roll
+associated with a ten hour rest), roll a difficulty 5 generic (not associated to a pool) task for each relationship you
+put points into during character creation. Each point eases the task by one step. For example, a character with all of
+their points in one particular relationship makes one difficulty 1 roll after each ten hour rest, all but guaranteeing
+that their relationship will factor in to one of the upcoming scenes or conflicts, whereas a character with their points
+spread across three relationships makes three rolls that are together to succeed on but may yield more points to use.
+Since this roll is not associated to a pool, Effort cannot be used to ease the roll.
+
+If a player fails all of their relationship connection rolls, they get one connection to a relationship of the GM's
+choosing (whether or not the character is normally aligned with the relationship), which can be spent as normal, but
+it comes with a GM intrusion as an extra little gotcha when used.
+
+**Obtaining relationship connections ad hoc:** The GM can call for connection rolls for a specific relationship, as
+above, at any point if the story warrants it --- for example, if the party is encountering a site blessed by a related
+deity or meeting with officials of a related faction. The results of these rolls do not invalidate any existing
+relationship connections, but also do not yield a "gotcha" consolation connection.
+
+Generally, a player can only roll for the relationships they have, unless the GM feels the situation warrants otherwise.
+The GM may also grant free relationship connections as desired, for example if the party receives a boon from the
+emperor of the kingdom.
+
+**Using relationship connections:** Any time before their character's ten hour rest, the player has the option at any
+time to spend a connection as if it was 1 XP. The player should frame the use in light of some sort of positive or
+negative influence from the connection's people, factions, magical effects, or so on. A sudden ally appears, they recall
+some off-camera intel, the relationship's spirits suddenly appear to whisper a secret or bless their attack roll, and so
+on.
+
+Connections not spent by the time the next ten hour rest is rolled are lost.
+
 ## Rituals
 
 ### Read Object

pages/cypher/index.md

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ homebrew](homebrew). Additionally, I use the following house rules:
 * [Optional spellcasting uses pool points, not recovery rolls](homebrew#cost-of-optional-spellcasting)
 * [Recovery rolls can be applied in any
   order](https://callmepartario.github.io/og-csrd/#house-rule-making-recovery-rolls-in-any-order)
+* [Relationship connections](https://orb.moe/cypher/homebrew#relationship-connections)
 * [Weapon properties](https://callmepartario.github.io/og-csrd/#optional-rule-weapon-properties)
 
 ### General Advice