Ability
Difficulty 0: Fail
When the GM explicitly asks for a level 1-6 Ability
Action, whether for something the GM assumes
they want to do or for something the player just
casually described doing, the player can opt to
fail instead. Their character doesn’t manage to do
whatever it is, or at least not well... but, as
discussed earlier, they recover a point of Wear,
down to a minimum of their “starting Wear.”
Greater Fail (diff 4) allows a Strategist to declare
something basically impossible for them. The
player may also invoke this on their Strategist’s
behalf. This isn’t really advantageous—the
character doesn’t recover a point of Wear, and
may even gain some—but it does have the
advantage of being able to actively oppose
attempts to “make the Strategist feel better,”
“snap them out of it,” “prove that they can do it,”
and the like. subject to a GM veto for use in
cases where the failures begin to blur together
Difficulty 1: Well-Met
Given adequate support systems, sleep,
etcetera, the Strategist can more or less stay on
top of the very basics of life and appear more or
less together. For instance, Well Met allows a
Strategist with a good life situation to declare that
they’re personally presentable or that their home
is clean. Strategists tend to look stylish and
intense but they also tend to look like they’ve
been run over by a truck while having four
hangovers and a migraine; it’s the latter that this
action helps keep under control.
Greater Well-Met (diff 5) lets the Strategist stay
on top of this stuff even when they don’t really
have the resources to do so. It’s what they need
to stay hydrated while being hunted; to maintain
perfect hair despite sleeping on the streets.
Difficulty 2: Function
Function lets the Strategist pull themselves
together and get some basic task done properly.
The exact line between “basic” tasks and the
professional/adult tasks below is for the GM to
determine; roughly speaking, though, this is a
fundamentally everyday task that doesn’t require
specialized expertise. A Function task is typically
at least somewhat consequential, but the GM
may occasionally demand Function from a
character in order to complete some random
small thing without screwing it up or just failing to
do it in the first place.
Greater Function (diff 6) is generally about
having the time and mood to get things done just
right. Because the focus is still just fairly basic
tasks, this is generally gilding the lily: unless one
is expecting foreign dignitaries, one doesn’t need
to set the table “just right” and fold the napkins
into roses. Even when we’re talking about
investigating a legitimate threat at the local
library, is it really worth building your own little
catalog for possibly relevant articles or giving a
full slideshow presentation on whatever you’ve
found?
Difficulty 3: Focus
Focus allows the Strategist to be present. To not
just kind of... get distracted, drift off mentally, and
fail to pay attention.
Greater Focus (diff 7) is a power of intense
attention. This can have magical effects, as
described on pg. XX. Greater Focus may also
grant sharp insights or allow the character to
maintain focus in extremely distracting and
confusing situations.
Difficulty 4: Expertise
Expertise lets the Strategist apply functionality,
focus, and professional expertise to a task that
suits them—one that they’re relatively
comfortable doing. This action is specifically
limited to the professional expertise that the
character actually has: the player may reference
fractional expertise picked up over time, or ask
the GM/group to OK their Strategist knowing
more about something than previously revealed,
but basically, it’s for doing things that they
actually know how to do, and not things that they
don’t. It’s for writers writing, bakers baking,
singers singing, and fighters fighting,
and not, e.g., for any other way around.
Greater Expertise (diff 8) lets the Strategist
produce stunning but ultimately conventional
work, in the fields of work that suit them, with the
kinds of skills they know. For athletes, for
instance, this is enough to win a bronze or silver
medal at the Olympics, but not enough to shatter
a world record, and probably not even quite
enough for a gold. For scientists, it’s enough to
release an impressive paper but not enough to
reshape the modern understanding of the world.
Difficulty 5: Steel
Steel lets the Strategist nerve themselves to
perform and engage with inherently unpleasant
tasks or tasks which they’re just not very well-
suited for. It’s also what lets them persevere past
unpleasant conditions to complete
pleasant/rewarding tasks.
Greater Steel (diff 9) allows the Strategist to
break past their limitations. It’s what’s necessary
for stunning work that fits the Strategist’s skill set
but is way out of their comfort zone, as well as for
pushing on despite injury and doing just a bit
more than they can possibly do.
Difficulty 6: Organization
Organization lets the Strategist bring
mindfulness, diligence, and organization to the
table. It’s usually the highest level the Strategist
will ever need to tackle the responsibilities of
adult, independent, and professional life.
Ultimately, which tasks actually need
Organization is somewhat subjective, principally
decided in play by the GM picking certain tasks to
ask for a level 6 action for and by the player
picking certain tasks for which to volunteer one.
Greater Organization (diff 10) is used to weather
major life transitions; for leadership; and for the
kind of awe-inspiring competence that has all the
details handled. These ideas tend to blur together
at the edges, but when tackling more than one at
once, or tackling them while also doing
something amazing (see Greater
Expertise/Steel), it tends to devour more time.
Difficulty 7: Flow
Flow lets the Strategist reach a flow state—to be
at, or slightly beyond, their personal best. At this
level, they’re still them, so the peak of what they
can accomplish, in the big picture, is only a few
standard deviations above where they usually
hang out... but everything’s aligned, everything’s
smooth, it all fits together, it works.
Greater Flow (diff 11) gives rise to legendary
professional achievements at or past the peak of
what’s been done before. It’s also useful for
unlocking the sealed and hidden resources of the
Strategist’s mind and body, from sharpened
senses to hysterical strength to completely
shutting out the sense of pain. If it’s the kind of
thing that a person like the Strategist can
possibly achieve, a level 11 Ability action can
achieve it.
Difficulty 8: Study Up
Given a few days of background practice or a few
scenes of intense study, Study Up lets a
Strategist pick up the basics of a new non-
magical professional skill or a special trick for a
skill that they already have. They can learn to
drive, learn to read Sumerian, or learn how to
quickly do cube roots in their head. An acquired
technique like this is “stored” in a quest slot (pg.
XX)—as long as they keep it around, they can’t
also use that slot for a quest, and conversely, if
they actually have five quests running, they don’t
have the brain space available to learn
something new.
Greater Study Up (diff 12) works in much the
same way, but they can also learn magical skills
or memorize relatively specific level 8-11 Ability
effects as repeatable “tricks.” Once memorized,
the new tricks fall under the Strategist’s baseline
professional expertise—they can, e.g., maintain
peak professional performance, or trigger
hysterical strength on command. Actually using
the new skill or effect is generally an Ability 4
action, but can range from 1 -6 as best fits.
Eide
Difficulty 0: The Agony Rite
The Agony Rite invokes itself as an involuntary
reflex. It protects the Strategist against “attacks”
that would erase their infection. It can also
restore this curse if it is lost or impose a new
understanding of it upon the world.
Greater Agony (diff 4) is a miracle that invokes
some new manifestation of this curse.
Difficulty 1: Intensity
Intensity makes it easy and comfortable to go
along with the Strategist. Standing up to them
becomes an Ability 3 task. If the Strategist
actively invokes a title/authority, it’s Ability 5.
The Greater Intensity Rite (diff 5) makes the
Strategist seem so valuable to the target, so
important and necessary, that it manifests as a
Geas. The Geas lasts until the end of the next
story. If the target is utterly defeated while the
Geas yet remains, the Strategist gains 20 points
of a Cost.
Difficulty 2: Stunt
Stunt lets the Strategist perform a cinematic or
low-fantasy action that fits their Technique. This
action is functionally a mundane action with the
same action level as the miracle, and a default 3
Edge.
Greater Stunts (diff 6) are in the same rough
cinematic/low-fantasy oeuvre, but represent the
bigger moments therefrom.
Difficulty 3: Costumery
Costumery is used while unobserved. It lets the
Strategist instantly assume their traditional
costume, along with its weapons, goods, and
tools, or return to what they had been wearing
previously.
Greater Costumery (diff 7) is an Unreal power
that calls up special effects associated with the
Strategist’s traditional costume and identity. It
can’t summon or banish physical things in places
being intently observed.
Difficulty 4: The Cliffhanger Rite
The Cliffhanger Rite is a feint of some sort
involving feigned defeat. Something supernatural
and unwanted happens to the Strategist, but they
don’t “take damage”; instead, they use this Rite.
Then, after the scene has ended and the
supernatural effect is not being sustained, the
Strategist automatically recovers.
The Greater Cliffhanger Rite (diff 8) works the
same way, but doesn’t require that the scene end
—the Strategist can shake off the effect as soon
as it’s not being sustained. It then turns the effect
around in some way, if the player and GM can
agree on how, inflicting poetic justice on the
attacker.
Difficulty 5: Talent
Talent doesn’t need an action. It can be used
whenever something tests the Strategist’s
qualifications in their Technique. It makes sure
they pass—and by whatever standard is relevant,
which often means “brilliance.” They also do
better on each test than the one before. Mundane
sabotage can screw this up by making it not
really a test, but at a minimum difficulty of 7.
Greater Talent (diff 9) is too much. Base-level
Talent can already pass any test. Kicking it up a
notch cracks the world. Facing such a hard test
that the character’s Eide breaks, or when
showing too much talent to fit in a mortal frame,
the character’s self-presentation cracks, they turn
into a giant symbolic monster, and they rampage.
The monster, and the details of the rampage, are
not always the same. The whole thing is Unreal
at the GM’s option: sometimes the rampage
happens, sometimes it’s retroactively allegorical
or approximate. It depends how well it fits the
story of the game.
Difficulty 6: Strategy
Strategy is a planning miracle (pg. XX). It makes
reactive plans that fit the Strategist’s Technique.
“Reactive” here means that the Strategist must
be responding to someone else shaking up the
status quo or grabbing an opportunity that just
appeared—this power can’t just change long-
standing situations in an arbitrary way.
Greater Strategy (level 10), on the other hand,
can. The character can form one proactive
objective in response to their most recent Serious
or Transformative Wound. They can then form a
plan to achieve that. It may take multiple 0-3
chapter steps to achieve, but the solution lasts
longer than for most plans as well.
Difficulty 7: The Casting Rite
The Casting Rite is a time-consuming Rite for
forging a minion out of the Strategist’s Eide. The
minion is not terribly impressive but can
manipulate emotions to a certain extent, have a
decent Ability or a few minor powers, spend its
tiny 2-point Cost pool on stuff, and vampirically
push that Cost pool onto someone else.
Maintaining control over the minion requires a
quest slot.
The Greater Casting Rite (level 11) is a very
time-consuming effect for warping the whole
world around the Strategist into a twisted space
that fits their Eide. The logic behind the upgrade
is that both forms of casting are about
externalizing (“casting”) bits of the self.
Difficulty 8: Misdirection
Misdirection is a power to hide something. It is
discriminating: the Strategist can choose who it is
hidden from. It’s bleak: the heroic heart in a
mortal can possibly beat it, but not hardly as an
everyday thing. And, finally, it is extraordinary: it
can do some truly incredible tricks.
Greater Misdirection (level 12) is even more
extraordinary. It allows the Strategist to declare
something that the world will now perceive. Any
contrary evidence, while this miracle is sustained,
will be made Unreal.
Flore
Difficulty 0: Connection
Connection lets a Strategist understand their
Treasures’ hearts. They can “hear” or “feel” when
a Treasure needs them, no matter how far away.
Greater Connection (diff 4) gives additional
context on that warning. Alternatively, it allows the
Strategist to understand the needs and moods of
nearby Treasures that would otherwise be hard to
read. (Like bees, rocks, or invisible aliens.)
Difficulty 1: The Projection Rite
In the Projection Rite, the Strategist slips into a
sleep or trance state. Their spirit goes to visit a
Treasure in the same Region. They perceive
through its senses and can communicate
mentally with it. Alternately, they can touch its
mind on a deep level. This gives the same level
of understanding as Greater Connection does,
lets the Strategist share their mental abilities and
Costs, may grant inanimate Treasures a small bit
of added mobility, and lets the Strategist take
damage to defend the Treasure. The Treasure’s
memory will be muddled to the extent that it
actually uses the Strategist’s abilities.
The Greater Projection Rite (diff 5) has
unlimited range and can potentially visit up to the
Strategist’s Ability in Treasures at once.
Difficulty 2: Administration
Administration lets the Strategist’s spirit visit a
Treasure while awake. However, they can’t touch
the Treasure’s mind on a deep level—all they can
do is communicate with the Treasure and borrow
its senses.
Greater Administration (level 6) has unlimited
range and can potentially visit up to the
Strategist’s Ability in Treasures at once.
Difficulty 3: Guidance
Guidance grants a Treasure, or someone using
the Treasure, comfort in some task. It grants
either the Strategist’s professional competence,
or ordinary professional competence, whichever
is better. It grants a +1 Ability bonus, to a
maximum of the Strategist’s own Ability, and 2
Edge. If the Strategist invests some time, the
effect can linger.
Greater Guidance (diff 7) works similarly, but
also increases the target’s effective Ability to 7. It
can grant inanimate targets limited mobility, as
per Projection. Alternatively, with a great deal of
time, the Strategist can train someone in a
relatively narrow mundane or magical skill—even
one they don’t have; even someone who isn’t a
Treasure—granting every action the trainee takes
with it the benefits of (lesser) Guidance. This
second version of the effect is stored in a quest
slot.
Difficulty 4: Glorification
Glorification awakens a unique special power in
a Treasure. This manifests as a Technique. It
normally lasts while sustained, but the Strategist
can create a lingering effect with Time-
Consuming preparation.
Greater Glorification (diff 8) awakens an
extraordinary special power. If the Treasure’s
power is not normally extraordinary, it awakens
an extraordinary version of it, which can be kind
of rough on the Treasure itself. Again, the
Strategist can create a lingering effect with Time-
Consuming preparation. Alternately, with Very
Time-Consuming preparation, they can grant a
Technique that lasts indefinitely, which is stored in
one of the Strategist’s quest slots.
Difficulty 5: Ignition
Ignition grants a Treasure’s action, or someone’s
action using a Treasure, 3 Edge. It also allows
the action to contend with miracles if that makes
sense: for instance, a Treasure mirror might
reflect a miraculous attack. Or, a Treasure-bird
might dodge a curse.
Greater Ignition (level 9) goes beyond Edge: it
makes the action unopposable by mundane
actions. In addition, when using the power
granted by (Greater) Glorification, it can raise
the target’s effective Ability to 9. Greater Ignition
includes Ignition by default and (Greater)
Glorification as an option.
Difficulty 6: Trust
Trust allows a Treasure to reach the Strategist
quickly and “in time” from anywhere in the
Region. This does not use an action. The
Treasure also gets the benefits of Ignition and,
optionally, Glorification.
Greater Trust (level 10) allows the Treasure to
reach the Strategist quickly from anywhere. The
Treasure also gets the benefits of Greater
Ignition and, optionally, (Greater) Glorification.
It may, as a further option, replace the Technique
received from (Greater) Glorification—for the
purposes of this action—with a secondary
Technique it gets from thematically merging with
the Strategist’s powers, spirit, or flesh. When
using granted powers through Greater Trust, it
can raise its effective Ability to 10.
Difficulty 7: Design
The Design Rite lets the Strategist perform a
cinematic or low-fantasy action to create an
artifact or device—or repair, retrofit, customize,
tune, or integrate minor improvements into an
existing artifact or device—using any form of
magic or mundane craft they are reasonably well
acquainted with. This action is functionally a
mundane action with the same action level as the
miracle, and a default 3 Edge. The Strategist can
spend 1 -4 Cost to somewhat speed or improve
the results.
The Greater Design Rite (level 11) is a very
time-consuming power that creates, customizes,
or repairs a fortress-scale artifact. These artifacts
usually invoke new metaphysical laws or Region
Properties.
Level 8: Divine Plan
Divine Plan is a planning miracle that destines a
Treasure to do something. It may take a long time
if the Treasure is not suited to the task. For this
reason the plan is stored in a quest slot. The
Treasure gets the benefits of Ignition on relevant
actions and possibly the benefits of Greater
Glorification for the duration.
Greater Divine Plan (level 12) is a very time-
consuming power that uses a Treasure to do
something by turning them into a kind of cauldron
of destiny and pulling forth a wish from their
power.
Lore
Difficulty 0: Investigation
Investigation gives the Strategist a sentence or
two of basic information about an Arcanum.
Technically they have to research it, but that can
be as easy as “I try to remember” or “I flip
through my grimoire ...”
Greater Investigation (diff 4) can also get:
• a sentence or two of general information about
an Arcanum, plus a bit of secret or expert
knowledge,
• a sentence or two of basic information about
anything,
• a bit of “why” and “how” about anything, or
• a “clue.”
Difficulty 1: Vision
Vision lets the Strategist directly perceive things.
They ignore darkness and muting/silencing;
attempts to obstruct their senses become less
effective; and, most importantly, they can
perceive Ninuan.
Greater Vision (diff 5) is either “automatic Vision”
that doesn’t use an action and lasts the rest of
the scene, or “sharpened Vision”—a mundane
sensory action at roughly the Greater Flow level
of effectiveness, with level equal to the miracle
level and a default 3 Edge, augmented by
miraculous Vision.
Difficulty 2: Spherecraft
Spherecraft lets the Strategist perform a
cinematic or low-fantasy action to make proper
use of the Strategist’s Arcana, defend against
them, bring them into Creation, banish them from
Creation, survive in regions tied to the Strategist’s
Sphere, or be mobile in regions tied to their
Sphere. This action is functionally a mundane
action with the same action level as the miracle,
and a default 3 Edge.
Greater Spherecraft (diff 6) offers two
alternatives:
• it can be Spherecraft for other people’s Arcana,
specifically, for defending against them, inviting
them into Creation, or banishing them from it; or
• it can be a somewhat improved (greater stunt-
level) Spherecraft.
Difficulty 3: Hunt
Hunt is a planning miracle that lets a Strategist
catch and bind an Arcanum. Specifically, an
Arcanum with power closer to a mortal’s than a
Strategist’s, and one that’s either pretty “ordinary”
or has already shown up in play.
Greater Hunt (diff 7) lets a Strategist catch rare
Arcana and powerful Arcana. Powerful Arcana
can take a long time to catch. If the GM permits,
Greater Hunt may also catch a weak, common
Arcanum instantly or near-instantly.
Difficulty 4: Navigation
Navigation is a Time-Consuming miracle to work
around some navigational obstacle. It can find a
way across roughly a quarter mile of physical or
an analogous spiritual distance.
Greater Navigation (level 8) is an Extraordinary
and Very Time-Consuming miracle that makes an
accessible path between any two points and then
holds it open for at least as long as the miracle is
sustained. In its epic form, it can even grant
access to impossible places like “a year ago” and
“my imaginary friend’s house.”
Difficulty 5: Percipience
Percipience is a planning miracle. It lets the
Strategist train themselves to perceive or interact
with some subtle, elusive, or intangible thing.
Once they’ve managed it, they can do that as a
bonus Technique for as long as they stick to the
plan, and then maybe a few chapters more.
Greater Percipience (diff 9) is an extraordinary
planning miracle that lets the Strategist train
themselves in impressive versions of the above
talents, or, conversely, attune a small/medium
organization or a portion of a Region to some
hidden or subtle thing. The second version lasts a
few chapters unless they invoke the epic form of
this power, in which case it might last indefinitely
but suffer a balancing drawback.
Difficulty 6: Infusion
Infusion uses an Arcanum to grant someone a
temporary Bond, transforming them as
appropriate to manifest the Bond’s truth. It’s a
quick process if the Strategist has done this
particular infusion before but Time-Consuming if
they’re innovating a new Bond. The effects last 0-
2 stories or until the Strategist applies a new
infusion to that target, cancels the infusion with a
specific mundane procedure, or something
breaks the effect.
Greater Infusion allows extraordinary
transformations and Bonds with extraordinary
Techniques. It lasts until the Strategist applies a
new infusion, cancels it with a specific mundane
procedure, or something breaks the effect.
Level 7: Inchoation
Inchoation creates energies from the character’s
Sphere. This can manifest Unreal Sphere
phenomena instantly, birth simple Arcana and
paraphernalia as a Time-Consuming effect, or
enkindle meaningful influences and artifacts as a
Very Time-Consuming effect.
Greater Inchoation is a wish. It creates and
shapes powerful energies of the character’s
Sphere. It can be used to do a lot of stuff, but it’s
hard to get the most out of it unless the character
is in tune with their Sphere—e.g., has high
Fugue, lets the wish do what it wants, and/or
specifies things that are mostly aligned with the
Sphere’s natural inclinations.
Level 8: Invocation
Invocation is a Time-Consuming action to stretch
the possible uses of one of the Strategist’s
Arcana. Both the stretching and the final use
brush the top end of the cinematic/low-fantasy
spectrum, and the final action is stored in a quest
slot for immediate, later, or repeated use. Like
Traduction, when used, Invocation is
functionally a mundane action with the same
level as the miracle and a default 3 Edge.
Greater Invocation (level 12) is a planning
miracle to chain, bind, banish, or attack someone
from afar. The plan can include using weird ritual
powers that only exist within the aegis of these
particular plans. If the target is a viable Arcanum
for the target’s deck, the miracle’s effects are
faster—maybe even instant, not even really
requiring an actual stated plan, if the target would
be vulnerable to Hunt.
Wyrd
Difficulty 0: The Wailing Rite
The Wailing Rite activates “infection state.” The
character becomes a doomed living weapon:
• each point spent on the Four Costs counts as
two.
• oaths sworn in Creation become invalid.
• their starting Costs are fixed where they are.
• Destruction and Unfettering become stronger.
• ... but they no longer recover Cost at the
beginning of every chapter and every story.
Infection state can only be deactivated during
certain major story events. It sometimes activates
on its own unless the Strategist takes damage to
fight it.
The Greater Wailing Rite (diff 4) is a desperate
flight from the world:
• It increases a level 0-5 Infection by +1.
• If not already active, it attempts to activate the
Wailing Rite.
• It grants access to 15 points of the omni-
applicable Cost, Desperation, lasting the scene.
• It grants a +2 Ability bonus to “destruction” and
“fleeing the world to the comfort of the void,”
including to intermediate steps,
•... but lowers Ability to 0 for everything else, and
doesn’t let the Strategist spend Desperation as
Wear.
This Rite lasts until the character reaches the
void. It auto-activates at Infection 6.
Difficulty 1: Elysium
Elysium transports the character to their
sanctuary from appropriate symbolic entrances
anywhere. For instance, they might walk around
any bookshelf to get there.
The Greater Elysium Rite (diff 5) makes this
more feasible, ensuring that they, e.g., can find a
bookshelf. If there’s any chance that they can find
an entrance to their sanctuary or construe
something as one, they succeed; if not, they may
be able to reverse this unfortunate state of affairs
by taking damage. Note that as a Rite, it can
pierce through Wards that might otherwise seal
them from their goal.
Difficulty 2: The Revenant Rite
The Revenant Rite is performed when spending
an XP Action in the sanctuary, skipping an XP
Action to be in the sanctuary, or spending a lot of
time recuperating in the void. It lowers Infection
by a point and recovers 3 points in Costs.
The Greater Revenant Rite (diff 6) lowers
effective Infection by a point for a scene,
anywhere, anywhen. Or, it mitigates a problem
like the infection for a scene, in the Strategist or
someone else. When spending an XP Action in
the sanctuary (etc.), it can even erase such a
problem for good!
Difficulty 3: Contagion
Contagion inflicts curses or blights based on the
character’s infection. The effect is Unreal, and
lasts for at most two dawns or twilights after the
miracle ends.
Greater Contagion (diff 7) inflicts stronger
curses or blights in the form of Geasa that last for
0-2 stories. The normal target is a person;
affecting other things takes more time, potentially
even a lot of time (if affecting, e.g., the State of
New York.)
Difficulty 4: Destruction
Destruction unleashes a personalized power of
un-creation. It normally has a fairly narrow
selection of applicable targets. When the Wailing
Rite is in effect, though, it can target anything.
This is a Bleak power; hard work and love form
Wards against it, and mortals can sometimes
exceed themselves to resist it. Its effects on λ-
beings are Unreal.
Greater Destruction (diff 8) unleashes a related
but substantively stronger personalized power of
un-creation; all other details are the same.
Difficulty 5: Shattering
The Shattering Rite can only be used when the
Strategist takes 5+ points of damage. It
unleashes a (specific) Unreal disaster. It only
needs an action if the disaster is something the
character retains meaningful control over;
otherwise, it doesn’t.
Greater Shattering (diff 9) is used when the
character just can’t take it any more. They turn
into a giant symbolic monster, and they rampage.
The monster, and the details of the rampage, are
not always the same. This power is Unreal at the
GM’s option—sometimes the rampage happens,
sometimes it’s retroactively allegorical or
approximate, depending on how well it fits the
story of the game.
Difficulty 6: Unfettering
Unfettering dodges miracles, magic, and
metaphysical/spiritual effects that assume that
their targets are real by pointing out that the
Strategist is in fact a λ-being and not a part of the
world around them whatsoever. Which miracles
make this assumption? That’s up to the person
invoking the miracle, whether they have reason
to suspect Excrucian presence, and whether they
worry about it—but assuming that targets are
real, in reality, is the default. When the Wailing
Rite is in effect, Unfettering can be invoked
without an action, and lasts the scene.
The Greater Unfettering Rite (diff 10) is a Time-
Consuming power that breaks the grip of
metaphysical, spiritual, or psychological effects or
fundamental, or widespread local conditions on
the target. This includes physical conditions and
λ-aware conditions and effects. If the effect is
ongoing, like, say, the widespread condition of
“gravity,” the effect lasts while sustained plus a
few chapters. Otherwise, or if the Strategist pays
for the epic form, it can be effectively permanent.
Like Greater Contagion, Greater Unfettering
normally targets a person, but can be applied to
other or larger things with a greater time
investment.
Difficulty 7: The Casting Rite
The Casting Rite is a time-consuming Rite for
forging a minion out of the Strategist’s heart. The
minion is not terribly impressive but can
manipulate emotions to a certain extent, have a
decent Ability or a few minor powers, spend its
tiny 2-point Cost pool on stuff, and vampirically
push that Cost pool onto someone else.
Maintaining control over the minion requires a
quest slot.
The Greater Casting Rite (diff 11) is a very time-
consuming effect that warps the whole world
around the Strategist into a twisted space that fits
their heart. The logic behind the upgrade is that
both forms of casting are about externalizing
(“casting”) bits of the self.
Difficulty 8: Masking
The Masking Rite is a time-consuming Rite for
altering the character’s personality or identity.
The character changes themselves—often to
create a new worldly personality and identity that
“seems to check out” under mundane
investigation, but sometimes just to mess around
in their head. The effect is generally recorded as
a Geas and stored in a quest slot.
Greater Masking (diff 12) is a stronger version.
It’s implemented as a wish. It’s explicitly allowed
to be extraordinary. But most importantly, it allows
the character to impose a destiny or goal upon
the identity they create or the alteration they
make; the wish will inexorably move events
towards that destiny or goal. The Strategist is
unable to use the Masking Rite to undermine
this self-alteration until that destiny is realized ...
or until they use this power again to change their
mind and their goals.