StoryGraph · Node types
Complication
Complication is the beat that pushes back. It puts an obstacle in the protagonist’s path — resisting the goal and turning the pressure up.
ComplicationNode type
An obstacle that pushes back and raises tension.
Complication is a beat that resists — a force, event or flaw that gets in the way of what a character is trying to do. It carries the obstacle itself as its defining phrase.
AffectsRaises tension and stakes at that point in the arc; the engine treats it as the scene’s obstacle.
Wire itPlace it after a goal is set, wherever the story should push back. Name the obstacle plainly.
Parameters
Obstacletext
What gets in the way.
AffectsNames the scene’s obstacle — what the beat throws against the goal.
Example
The ferry the Ministry watches is the only way off the island.Use-case variants
- External obstacle — a force in the world blocks the way
- Internal obstacle — the character’s own flaw or fear resists
An obstacle with no goal to obstruct has nothing to push against — set the goal first.
In the editor
