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Deviant The Renegades (Final Download)
Deviant The Renegades (Final Download)
gratitude!
humanity, and gratitude!
Farewell to all the feelings
that exp heart!
expand the heart!
heaven’s substitute
I have been heaven’
recompense the good —
to recomp
now the god of vengeance
yields to me his power to
wicked!”
punish the wicked!”
– Alexandre Dumas,
The Count of Monte Cristo
Credits Special Thanks
Writers: Chris Allen, Dave Brookshaw, Jacqueline Byrk, The Chronicles of Darkness forum and Discord communi-
Meghan Fitzgerald, Vivian Paul, Lauren Roy, Leath Sheales, ties for your boundless and infectious enthusiasm. I hope we’ve
Malcolm Sheppard, John Snead, Monica Speca, Vera given you a new game line that will provide you with many
Vartanian, Eddy Webb, Eric Zawadzki hours of enjoyment.
Developers: Dave Brookshaw and Eric Zawadzki My gamers, for indulging my ramblings and for being my
Editor: Brian Johnson guinea pigs when games need testing, especially Noel Helgesen,
Artists: Aaron Acevedo, Leo Albiero, Sam Araya, Michael for countless late-night brainstorming sessions and for keeping
Gaydos, Tilen Javornik, Brian Leblanc, Luis Sanz, Doug me honest.
Stambaugh Meghan Fitzgerald, for going above and beyond her writing
Art Director: Michael Chaney and playtesting credits.
Creative Director: Richard Thomas Beth Kinderman, for her constant, loving support, and
Development Producers: Rose Bailey and Dixie Cochran for always making sure I have the writing time I need so that
I can hit my deadlines.
Playtesters: Iain Anderson, Khalil Ayvar, Matt Boersma,
Ryan Catania, Harry Cordewener, Robert Cunningham, — Eric Zawadzki
Meghan Fitzgerald, Ryan Griffin, Noel Helgesen, Will
Hochella, James Huggins, Jake Huseby, Beth Kinderman, Cory
Roop, Charlie Salto, Jess Streeter, Ben Teeter, Mark Traynham,
Rachel Traynham, Sandra Waterman, Eric Zawadzki
© 2021 Paradox Interactive AB. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the written
permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden, except for the purposes of reviews, and
for blank character sheets, which may be reproduced for personal use only. White Wolf,
Vampire, Chronicles of Darkness, Vampire: The Masquerade, and Mage: The Ascension are
registered trademarks of Paradox Interactive AB. All rights reserved. Vampire: The Requiem,
Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Werewolf: The Forsaken, Mage: The Awakening, Promethean:
The Created, Changeling: The Lost, Hunter: The Vigil, Geist: The Sin-Eaters, V20, Anarchs
Unbound, Storyteller System, and Storytelling System are trademarks of Paradox Interactive AB
All rights reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein are copyrighted by Paradox Interactive AB.
This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are fiction and intended
for entertainment purposes only. This book contains mature content. Reader discretion is advised.
Keep up to date with Onyx Path Publishing at http://theonyxpath.com/
Table of Contents 3
I Wanna Be Sedated 70 Entangling Variations with Scars 107
Acquiring Variations 108
Chapter Three: Renegades 73 Variation Basics 109
Character Creation 73 Scar Basics 110
Step One: Determine Chronicle Threat Level 73 Supernatural Conflict 111
Step Two: Character Concept 74 Adaptations 112
Step Three: Select Attributes 74 Variations 113
Step Four: Select Skills 75 Universal Variations 113
Step Five: Select Skill Specialties 76 Cephalist Variations 134
Step Six: Divergence 76 Chimeric Variations 138
Step Seven: Select Merits 78 Coactive Variations 141
Step Eight: Determine Advantages 80 Invasive Variations 145
Step Nine: Shape Cohort and Conspiracy 80 Mutant Variations 148
Conviction and Loyalty 80 Scars 152
Touchstones 81 Controlled Scars 152
Faltering 81 Involuntary Scars 156
Switching Sides 82 Persistent Scars 158
Systems 83 Standard Deviations 170
The Devoted 84 Standard Deviations 173
Touchstones Quick Reference 173
and Stability 84 Variations 174
Sample Touchstones 84 Scars 176
Stability 85
Marking Instability 86 Live Fast, Die Young 178
Upgrading Instability 87
Consequences 87
Chapter Four:
Causes 87 Storytelling System 181
Healing Instability 88 Traits 181
Forms 89 Attributes 181
Amalgam 89 Mental Attributes 181
Self-Made 90 Physical Attributes 182
Symbiote 90 Social Attributes 182
Transmissible 91 Skills 182
Catharsis 92 Mental Skills 182
Causes and Effects Physical Skills 184
of Catharsis 92 Social Skills 185
Returning to Earth 92 Skill Specialties 187
The Devoted and Fury 93 Integrity 187
Losing Everything 93 Virtues and Vices 187
Acclimation 93 Speed 187
Increasing Acclimation 94 Rolling Dice 187
Character Advancement 94 Dice Pool 188
Merits 96 When to Roll Dice 189
Mental Merits 96 Actions 189
Physical Merits 99 Extended Actions 189
Social Merits 100 Common Actions 191
Fighting Merits 104 Argument 191
Variations and Scars 107 Carousing 191
Table of Contents 5
Devoted Form 238 Gudamiya 266
Identifying Variations and Scars 238 Pantheon of Gaia 267
Identify Overt Variation or Scar 238 The Sixth Number 267
Identify Subtle Variation or Scar 238 Progenitor University 268
Example Characters 239 The University of Delaware 268
Madeline “The Wall” Hager,Rival Devoted 239 Student Life 269
Tristan “Echo” Howe, Assassin Devoted 239 The DuPont Guest Lecturer Series 270
Ian “Cipher” Temple, Stalker Devoted 240 Guest Lecturer: Doctor Lisa Gottfred 272
Eve “Hellbender” Strang, Warden Devoted 241 Conspiracies of Newark 273
Quislings of the Flesh: Human Conspirators 242 The DuPont Guest Lecturer Series 273
For Money 242 The Manifest Destiny Foundation 273
For Knowledge 243 In the Wider Web 274
For the Pain 243 The Secret of Ellicott Cave 274
Sample Characters 243 Burgess Pharmaceuticals 275
Administrative Assistant 243 Connellsville Conspiracies 280
Executive 244 Ellicott Study Center 280
Graduate Student 244 Enmeshed in the Web of Pain 281
Nurse Practitioner 244
Private Military Contractor 244 Mommy’s Little Monster 282
Professor of Biology 245
Chapter Seven: Storytelling 285
Slavetaker 245
Theme: Isolation 285
Whistleblower 245
Microaggressions 285
Manticores 245
Empathy 286
Enhanced Hunting Hound 246
Human Reactions
Ferals 246
to Isolation 286
Chloe Kincade,
Mood: The Revenge Tragedy 287
The Girl with a Thousand Faces 247
Tone: Simmering Hate 288
Death or Glory 248 Inhumanity by the Numbers 288
Body 288
Chapter Six: Settings Mind 288
and Sample Conspiracies 251 Grounded 289
Anchored Realities 251 Flying 289
Liminal Tides 252 Mixing and Matching 290
Shadow War 255 The Final Act 290
Conspiracies of Ankara 258 Body Horror 292
Onachus 258 Violent Imagery 294
Vigilance Society 258 The Personal Side 295
Midas Club 259 Violence as a Mirror 295
Ankara and Beyond 260 Bringing it Out 296
Jungle Warfare 260 Down and Out — Life Without Privilege 297
Controlled Chaos 260 The Precarious Life 297
Broken Dreams 261 Homelessness 298
Come One, Come All 263 The Axis of Inhumanity and Poverty 299
Gears, Levers and Pulleys — The Conspiracies 264 How to Secretly Rule the World:
Managing Conspiracies 302
The Society for Cultural Preservation 264
Feedback — Listening to Your Players 304
Augmentec 265
Getting Your Fishhooks In 305
Phoenix Power Explorations 266
A Conspiracy’s Role 306
Table of Contents 7
Now.
“What do you mean you lost the fucking glass cutter?” Spider clenched his fists in
frustration, looking for guards for what felt like the hundredth time. I am so done with
this amateur bullshit.
He felt a chuckle brush against the back of his mind, while the figure in the bala-
clava shrugged and patted his pockets again. “I thought they were in this jacket when we
packed,” he whispered. “My bad.”
Spider shook his head and leaned over his partner, speaking in a hoarse whisper. “How
are we supposed to fucking get into the medical facility now, Dom?”
“El Santo,” Dom said quickly, adjusting his mask. “That’s my codename. The Saint.
Superheroes have them, you know, to hide their identities? And because of the mask, I
thought….”
The tattooed man shoved his finger in Dom’s face, shadows from the hood of his hoodie
making him look ominous. “I am going to fucking kill you and bury you in your fucking
mask if you don’t open this fucking window right fucking now.”
Dom put his gloved hands up in mock surrender. “Okay, okay.” He put his hands on ei-
ther side of the window frame. Spider could hear him muttering “El Santo” to himself as
he pushed. For a moment nothing happened, and then the metal frame around the window
started to bend and twist.
“Hang on,” Spider said. “Let me get the alarm before you finish.” Dom nodded and pulled
his balaclava up to his eyes. The small trickle of blood was coming out of his nose, right
on cue, and Dom used some tissues from his cargo pants to mop it up.
As he was cleaning himself up, Spider peeled one of his gloves off and felt around
inside the frame. Within seconds, he found the wire where he expected it to be. Closing
his eyes, he felt where the electricity in the wire should go — to the alarm systems. He
imagined himself talking to the alarm system, convincing it that it didn’t really want
to go off. The alarm system agreed that maybe it was time for a break.
He opened his eyes and pulled the glove back on, ignoring the sharp pain behind his
eyes. “Alarm’s off,” he said. Spider looked down, and saw the bloody tissues lying on the
ground.
“Are you actually stupid?” he asked, trying hard not to yell.
Dom pulled the balaclava back down. “What? You think we’re going to get fined for lit-
tering or something? Who cares?”
“That’s DNA, moron. They’ll find out it was you in five seconds. Don’t you watch CSI?”
“Nah, man. I prefer Elementary. That Lucy Liu is one fine...”
Spider whispered through gritted teeth. “Get. In.”
“Not like you have to worry about DNA,” Dom muttered as he pushed the window in the
rest of the way. Bits of concrete and metal fell to the hard floor inside, making Spider
wince, but nothing happened as Dom carefully set the frame on the floor and off to the side.
“See?” he hissed. “Didn’t even break the glass.”
Spider climbed in after, squeezing his thick frame through the hole in the concrete.
“That’s the first thing you’ve done right so far,” he muttered, pulling a pen flashlight
from his pocket and switching it on. The floors were linoleum (my wife used to call it
“lick and stick”) and the walls were covered in colored arrows on a pale green background.
The arrows matched with colored lines painted on the floor. He found the line he needed
and motioned Dom to follow.
We’re heading to the basement. Spider imagined speaking the words, even though he kept
his mouth shut. In his mind he pictured the third member of their team. He recalled Niamh’s
dark green hair, shaved away from the cochlear implant behind her ear. He imagined her
matching green lipstick, the soft leather jacket she always wore, the tattered T-shirt
with “Not ignoring you, just deaf and DGAF” fading on the front. It always felt weirdly
intimate, like remembering a lost lover. Like remembering the good times with his wife.
After a moment, the image of Niamh in his mind turned and looked at him. Her hands
fluttered in front of her face, but he could hear the words clearly in his mind. About
time. I was getting bored listening to the bromance with Dom.
Spider and Dom carefully walked down the hallway. At every corner Spider stood under
the glass domes obscuring the security cameras. He looked up at them, whispering for them
to shut down for a few seconds, to take a break after a long night of watching empty cor-
ridors. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Dom watching him nervously. The pain
felt like it was going to split his head apart. Spider ignored both and kept working.
After the third camera, Dom tapped him on the shoulder and pointed down the hallway.
Spider glanced, and saw two shadows lurking in the flickering florescent light.
Niamh swam in front of his thoughts, her hands urgent. Dom says you have two guards
up ahead.
I see ‘em, he replied.
Told you to bring a mask, she thought, her green lips twisting into a smirk.
Told you I want them to see me coming. See what I’ve become.
Dom tapped him on the shoulder again, and put his lips next to Spider’s ear. “What are
we going to do, man? Niamh says we should abort.”
You should abort, Niamh thought at the same time.
Spider shook his head, pushing Dom back slightly. “No chance,” he whispered, knowing that
Niamh could pick up the stray thought. “We came to find Suzanne, and she’s past those two.”
I want to trash these assholes as much as the next girl, but your wife will have to
wait. And you’re not getting any better.
He cracked his knuckles. In the empty hallway, they sounded like
gunshots, bouncing off the linoleum floors and concrete walls. The
shadows stirred, and Spider could hear the footsteps heading
toward him. “We’re doing this,” he muttered.
Dom pulled on the bottom of his bala-
clava nervously. “Fuck. Who’s
stupid now?”
A nondescript sedan drives slowly along the block. The driver keeps her eye on the street. The two other
occupants — both men — have no interest in the traffic. They’re watching the pedestrians and shops as the
car rolls by.
A movement catches the eye of one of the men, and he gestures to his colleagues. Someone wearing
heavy, shapeless clothing appears from behind a small group of people and heads off quickly away
from the car. The weather is warm, so why wear such heavy clothing? Head down, with a ball cap
pulled low, they’re clearly trying to avoid recognition, which piques the men’s interest.
The car stops for just a moment, so the men can step out. The driver pops the roomy trunk. The
modified springs keep it from automatically rising, but it’s ready for quick access when the men need
it. She keeps the engine running so they can leave the area rapidly when they’ve completed the job. No
point waiting for police to arrive; too much paperwork.
Though the shapeless individual never looks around, they pick up the pace as if they know they’re be-
ing followed. The men increase their speed while giving every appearance of being relaxed and uninterested
in the individual, betraying their professional training.
The shapeless individual heads down an alleyway. The men reach the entrance and pause before they’re
silhouetted against the street. They’re not stupid, but they do have a job to do. With practiced movements,
they release straps on their belt holsters. The man on the left draws a taser, the one on the right a pistol —
covering multiple scenarios.
The taser-wielder moves first, hugging the wall of the alley, maintaining a low tactical approach. The dump-
sters and garbage will break up his outline and conceal him. The shapeless individual has made a tactical error.
He stops short of a dumpster and gestures for his partner to move forward. After a moment’s inactivity he
glances around. His partner isn’t there, but the shapeless thing is. Beneath the heavy coat, sickly neon-esque light
glows, revealing something metallic held in place by inflamed, dying flesh.
The police finally investigate the car three days later, after shop owners complain about the smell coming from
the trunk. They find enough parts to piece together most of three individuals — two men and a woman — missing
several square feet of skin. Two individuals watch the police from nearby. One talks on her cellphone while the
other scrutinizes the crowd of onlookers.
The shapeless individual watches the scene streamed live via an unsecured webcam placed conveniently in one
of the shop windows. The flesh graft itches where it meets the implants. With incompatible donors, it won’t last
long, but it distracts her body from rejecting the metal, which would kill her.
Let them keep sending people. They’ll find the same reception waiting for them. The only way she’ll ever go
back is when she uncovers their location and burns the place to the ground.
Welcome to Deviant: The Renegades, a game about anger and revenge. It’s about the horror of
changing against your will, of your body’s betrayal as it twists and warps away from your humanity. Even
those Deviants who chose to undergo their transformation — the Divergence — didn’t really know what
to expect. Because of this, Deviant is a game of sorrow, regret, and escape. It’s about the catharsis of
retribution or the comfort of loyalty; about the anger at wrongdoings, and the acceptance of what is.
While Deviants loyal to their conspiracy’s cause may console themselves through the pain by accepting —
or even embracing — the goals and methods of the conspiracies that hunt their kind, Renegades harbor
a burning need for vengeance. The Deviant’s suffering is someone’s fault, and that someone should be
accountable. Some heartless assholes lied to you. Some piece of shit stripped away your humanity and
divorced you forever from a life free of pain and suffering, denying you anything approaching normalcy.
10 INTRODUCTION
Deviant: The Renegades is about destroying those who wreck curiosity to study and try to replicate, a tool to achieve some-
lives, who dare to use people as tools, who sow human misery one else’s goals, or a weapon to leverage power over others.
in their wake. Fuck them and their literal dehumanizing of their Unfortunately, Remade rarely begin in positions to choose
victims. Fuck them and their pursuit of power. how to spend their lives. Other people desire the power that
It’s time to make them pay. the transformed possess, and they can and will bring tremen-
dous resources to bear to leash the Deviant to their will. Many
Deviants chafe at this control, refuse to submit, fight against
Shrouded their chains. They refuse to accept the title, break free and take
back control of their lives. Few conspiracies allow their prizes’
in Darkness freedom for long however, constantly hunting them and others
to fuel the lust for power. Renegade Deviants believe the only
The Chronicles of Darkness is a game of modern horror. true way to freedom is to burn it all down and ensure no one
The Chronicles take place in a world recognizably like our lives to come after them any longer.
own, but a little less inviting. The world is a little grayer, the
people a little colder and less welcoming. The similarities to
our world are a thin veneer, barely covering the rot beneath the Conspiracies
surface. Scratch away that veneer, even for a moment, and see Within certain circles, the existence of the Broken is well
the darkness. Everyone has brushed against the supernatural known, as is the potential power they bring to those who con-
hiding within that darkness, though few admit it. The chill of trol them. These conspiracies have many goals and methods
a ghost’s passing, the stranger who appears at the periphery — wealth, scientific curiosity, religious fervor, political power,
of your vision, the feeling of someone watching you when you and countless others — but all of them regard the Remade as
know you’re alone. People disappear without a trace all too tools. Few conspiracies view themselves as evil, but all are selfish
frequently. Their loved ones go through the motions of search- in putting their own interests above those of others. Some even
ing for them, but they don’t hold out hope. Few return, and acknowledge the suffering they inflict on the transformed, but
rarer still are those who come back the same as when they left. even these believe their goals justify the pain.
Humans rarely speak of what their blood and bones know The ways in which the conspiracies use their tools are as
must exist in the world. Sometimes, safely behind locked doors, varied as the conspiracies themselves. Some recruit Deviants
windows securely bolted, and lights burning brightly, people with promises of aid and support in return for service. The
hesitantly whisper about what they encountered in the dark- conspiracy may keep these Deviants on a long leash, allowing
ness. Few people talk about it because they never know who considerable latitude when not “on mission.” Or they might
may be listening and taking pleasure in the fear and suffering contain the Remade within a gilded cage, where comfort and
of others, and the power this brings. luxuries are plentiful, but freedom is unacceptable. Many
Supernatural beings aren’t the only ones who seek occult Deviants don’t know any life outside the conspiracies and
power. Humans pursue it like moths to a flame. Deviants accept their lot as the only option.
come from these dalliances with things poorly understood The work of many conspiracies leads them to attempt to make
and better left alone. While some of these are people who Deviants of their own, that they better understand and control.
wanted to empower themselves, more frequently they’re the In fact, most of the terminology used to describe and classify the
victims of another’s experimentations, or the unlucky who Remade came from conspiracies that flourished during the time
were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Many paths of Darwin in the 19th century. The rise of scientific classification
lead to Divergence. Progenitors of Deviants use sorcerous ritu- and understanding helped these new conspiracies codify what they
als, experimental surgeries, or exposure to strange or ancient hunted. Over time, even the less scientifically-focused conspiracies
artifacts. These Progenitors use whatever works, and inflict adopted much of the language, in part to communicate with other
pain, misery and suffering on victims to discover what that is. conspiracies they encountered, but also to add another layer of
Whatever the process, the result is one of the Remade and no camouflage over their ancient roots, and hide within the scientific
longer a human: something that touches on and draws against zeitgeist of the time.
the darkness in ways that are more than human. Unfortunately, The desire to transform humans and create new Deviants
these changes are never seamless. They leave lasting scars. doesn’t extend to every conspiracy. Many lack the knowledge
or resources to be Progenitors, and instead benefit from the
and Hunted She may have escaped one group only to run afoul of another.
This isn’t even rare. For a conspiracy that is adept at generat-
ing Remade, the cost of hunting and containing a replaceable
To be one of the Remade is to never be free of harassment
resource may outweigh the benefit, or the need to silence the
and pursuit. Every Deviant is a valuable resource, a scientific
Renegade.
12 INTRODUCTION
choose a side and take a stand, even if for no better reason than • Chapter 3: Renegades provides rules and game systems
to maintain her sanity against the horrors she faces. to make Remade characters, their powers and the bur-
Some Deviants find solace in service to the conspiracies. dens they carry as a result of their Divergences.
The blind loyalty of these Devoted allows them to overlook
the damage they cause. As long as they remain a part of some- • Chapter 4: Storytelling System presents all the
thing larger, working alongside people they care about, these core rules necessary to run a game of Deviant: The
Remade find peace. Renegades.
Conversely, the Renegades have thrown off their bonds and • Chapter 5: Antagonists covers the people and organiza-
escaped the conspiracies. Though their lives usually become a cycle tions who hunt the transformed, and who the Deviants
of pursuit and escape, their conviction to remain free and fight hunt in return. This chapter provides systems for creat-
the conspiracies gives them just as much relief as service does to ing your own conspiracies, and how they react to the
their opposites. Much as she might wish otherwise, a Renegade actions of the characters.
soon discovers that this fight defines her existence. Even if she
wins and destroys the conspiracy — or at least eliminates its ability • Chapter 6: Settings and Sample Conspiracies tours the
to pursue her — she can’t sit idly by and settle into a peaceful life. world, visiting several locations in examining how the
Deviants who refuse to follow their rebellious or compliant conspiracies and Broken struggle against each other,
drives stagnate and cut themselves off from their remaining and themselves.
tenuous links to humanity. These unfortunate individuals
undergo a process the conspiracies call Instability, wherein • Chapter 7: Storytelling gives tips on running success-
their Scars fester and grow until the Deviant dies a painful, ful games of Deviant, and explores the game’s niche of
lingering death. transformation and revenge.
14 INTRODUCTION
a self-Progenitor or a conscious and willing volunteer. The feeding each other for the benefit of the greater conspiracy. And
transformed needs to hold someone accountable, even for even when the Broken manages to grind all these tentacles into
his own ignorance. bloody smears she discovers another conspiracy hidden behind
Just as the conspiracies hunt them, the Remade hunt these the façade, secretly pulling the strings of its smaller offshoot.
shadowy organizations, seeking to uncover and disclose their Even though these tendrils interlink and tangle across one
secrets and drag them into the light, to bring pain to those another, all of them seek to control the Remade, to break her
in power, and to destroy their lives. Broken don’t have the spirit and turn an enemy into a weapon, exploiting her in any
luxury of hiding from their past or finding a place of perma- one of a thousand ways.
nent safety. The spiritual damage from the Divergence forces This is the Web of Pain, where even the most insular, well-
them to confront their personal demons. From the moment hidden conspiracy has at least a few connections to its peers.
of transformation, every Deviant has a choice between follow- Total secrecy brings potentially fatal ignorance of competitors
ing orders and soothing the soul through loyalty to someone seeking the same resource, a certain path to submission or de-
else, or striking back and using the conviction of the Remade’s struction. The conspiracies within the Chronicles of Darkness
anger as a balm for her spiritual pain. exist as a vast, tangled web of personal and organizational con-
nections. It is a conspiracy of conspiracies, where each controls
The Web of Pain the center of its own node, and spins its threads to reinforce
its position or weaken and devour its fellows. Unfortunately
Unfortunately, the path to revenge is seldom easy. Burning for Renegades with a singularity of purpose who think they’ve
down all the laboratories, warehouses, and facilities of an or- completed their job with the destruction of their Progenitors,
ganization merely reveals it to be one tendril of a larger group there’s always a bigger threat along the web, or a hungry young
extending many branches across the local region. Destroying conspiracy eager to fill the void left by the Deviant’s efforts.
these holdings one by one exposes more intermeshed links,
16 INTRODUCTION
Epimorphs: Deviants who volunteered but didn’t know Mutants: Also known as Grotesques, a Clade of Deviants
what they were really signing up for. whose bodies rejected the metamorphosis forced upon them,
Exomorphs: Deviants who were victims forced into the instead changing in unexpected ways.
Divergence against their will. Nemesis: A Devoted who has achieved a precarious state
Faltering: When a Deviant suffers an integrity crisis from of balance between her Conviction and Loyalty.
working against her Conviction or Loyalty. Origin: The circumstances under which a Deviant came
Feral: A Deviant with no Touchstones, mutated beyond to Divergence.
all recognition. Pathological: Deviants who underwent the Divergence
Form: A variation to the normal Deviant Origins and through accident or circumstance.
Clades. Progenitor: Someone directly responsible for a Deviant’s
Genotypal: Deviants born into their condition, through Divergence.
accident or deliberate intervention. Psychics: Another name for the Clade known as Cephalists.
Grotesques: Another name for the Clade known as Remade: Alternate name for Deviants.
Mutants. Renegade: A Deviant who resists the control of her con-
Guardian: A Renegade who has achieved a precarious state spiracy and seeks retribution against her abusers.
of balance between her Loyalty and Conviction. Scar: A Deviant’s supernatural disability.
Hybrids: Another name for the Clade known as Chimerics. Stability: A measure of how far isolation from humanity
Infused: Another name for the Clade known as Coactives. has twisted a Deviant’s mutations.
Instability: A setback to a Deviant’s Stability. transformed: Alternate name for Deviants.
Invasive: Also known as Cyborgs, a Clade of Deviants Unwilling: Alternate name for Exomorph Deviants.
who derive their powers through non-living, foreign objects Variation: A Deviant’s supernatural ability.
implanted within their flesh. Volunteers: Alternate name for Epimorph Deviants.
Loyalty: A measure of the Remade’s drive toward protecting Wavering: When a Deviant begins to lose touch with her
those she loves — most common among Devoted. anchors, by softening either her Loyalty or Conviction toward
Magnitude: A measure of the strength of a Deviant’s her goals.
Variations or Scars. Web of Pain: The network of conspiratorial links among
Manticore: A Remade animal. conspiracies.
Forgive the second-person pronouns, but this chapter is about what they did to you — “you”
being a so-called Deviant, newly escaped or otherwise self-defined in the face of forces that would
have chosen a place for you. Their mistake was believing you never had a voice, an influence, a single
particle of will to choose your fate. Maybe you thrashed at the restraints from the start, or perhaps
bided your time, but you eventually made your true desires known.
Yet, one way or another, the Remade make accommodations for what happened to them, and while
hiding out or even serving one’s “creators” may be seen as cowardice, it’s still a natural reaction to
what may have been an intense trauma or the flowering of some dark, seemingly unbreakable tradition.
Devotion might seem like the safest, or only, option. But if anyone wants to escape servitude and fear, the
only way forward is to fight and, to the degree one can while preserving one’s own safety, shine a light on
what happened. Then, one is no longer just a Deviant, but one’s true self, without any unjust influence
overriding one’s will.
Of course, if you did it to yourself, it all gets rather complicated.
Origins
A Deviant’s Origin is not just a matter of circumstance, but disposition. Some of the Remade readied
themselves for transformation, or at least believed it was a worthwhile price to pay. Others were taken against
their will, had Divergence forced upon them by a family legacy, or were transformed by accident. While
Clade describes the Remade based on the Variations she manifests, the Origin’s effects are influenced
by deep-seated attitudes and the way the Deviant’s initiation into their kind supports or offends their
physical and spiritual autonomy.
Conspiracies have long studied the nature of Deviant Origins. Some scientists wish to eliminate
Origin as an influence, to control the manifestation of Variations and Scars precisely. Conspirators
want to instill obedience, and remain confounded by Origins which seem to promote defiance, or
twist careful conditioning into resentment. Not all conspiracies are so focused on control, however,
and some believe a subject’s ability to influence their own transformation presents opportunities
for further research. Could a carefully conditioned zealot manifest stronger Variations? What
about a pretended accident, or torturing a subject so that, in defiance, they develop novel abilities?
Established conspiracies may attempt to manipulate Origins in this way, and the latest generation
of Deviants may share stories of the strange, excruciating psychological experiments that follow.
Conspiracy literature identifies five major Origins, with formal and informal designations.
They are:
Origins 21
• Autourgics: The Elect wholeheartedly wish to be may be kidnapped, threatened, incapacitated, or even
Remade, to satisfy a sincere personal desire or some secretly exposed to the means of transformation. At
ideologically-driven urge. They may not know what they some point, each of them realizes Divergence is taking
will become, exactly, but understand they will break the place, but is unable to escape it. Exomorphs manifest
confines of human nature, and welcome it. They tend Overt Variations. This may be due to the conspiracy’s
to manifest Overt Variations, and often remain deeply callousness promoting bolder experimentation, or it
entangled in the conspiracy that made them. In fact, may be that Unwilling antipathy leaves Scars. In many
many are senior conspirators themselves, and in a few ways the archetypal Renegades, they tend to be especially
cases are their own Progenitors. Most of the Elect are driven to destroy conspiracies, and prevent anyone else
Devoted — they get what they wanted, even if it comes from suffering as they did.
with a certain degree of trauma. Renegades are usually
those who chafe against conspiracy control, or who • Genotypal Deviants owe their condition to their parents,
discover that post-humanity isn’t what they believed it the circumstances of birth or conception, or some legacy
would be. Autourgic Renegades are rare, enough so that buried within their ancestry. Some of the Born always
some other Renegades do not trust them, fearing they knew they were special, and are either the children of
might be spies and infiltrators sent by the conspiracy. Remade, or possess some recessive trait or lineal quality
that designates them as “the One Who Will Arise,” or
• Epimorphs: With threats and promises, conspiracies some similarly ominous figure prophesied by science or
convince Volunteers to become Remade. Where the tradition. In other cases, such origins are kept hidden
Elect seek transformation for its own sake, Epimorphs by parents, or even arrive out of the blue, the result of
agree to it to pursue some secondary goal: money, a long-dead Progenitor’s experiments on an ancestor.
freedom, or safety for loved ones. Many Volunteers are Genotypal Remade often discover their Variations in
lied to about what will happen to them, or are desperate adolescence, though this isn’t always the case, as a critical
enough not to care about the details of a drug study or trigger might come earlier or later. These circumstances
a journey to some weird, remote locale. Epimorphs are lead to many types of Variations, and a wide variety of
often Devoted, though not always sincerely so, hunting attitudes toward the conspiracy, where some might be
Renegades for pay and perks. Their tales of Divergence regarded as “nobility,” and others may have been taken
often involve developing deep ties to the conspiracy, away by caregivers, given new names, and kept hidden.
and even if they go Renegade, they must deal with the
connections they establish to fellow workers, caregivers, • Pathological Deviants are victims of pure circumstance.
and other collaborators. Volunteers tend to display These Accidents open a strange machine, fall into a pool
Subtle Variations. of otherworldly energy, or unintentionally encounter
something so deeply other that it changes them forever.
• Exomorphs: Remade intentionally, but against their Pathologicals have no clear Progenitors, and no common
will, the Unwilling usually turn Renegade whenever patterns link them to conspiracies. New organizations
a safe opportunity presents itself. Conspiracies treat might form because of a Pathological’s accident, as the
Exomorphs with utter contempt or the grim pity one curious and ambitious band together, or dormant sects
feels for an enemy who never wanted to be where they may awaken from minimal activity because the Deviant
are, but who must be put down nonetheless. Unwilling satisfied a certain prophecy, or activated that machine.
Clades 23
You’re self-made — almost. You looked upon yourself and saw something
unfinished. Flesh of clay, too malleable for an incorruptible self. Maybe this
transhuman poetry ensnared you, but it’s entirely possible you came to
be Remade with eyes half-open, with scientifically structured aspirations.
Nucleotide combinations, cybernetic schematics, or weird alchemical
formulae danced in your head. Instead of a personal vision, you might
have joined the Elect to further a cause: a war to win, a peace to
keep, a people to liberate — or destroy. Revenge is a common, potent
motive too, and especially good at blinding you to the consequences
of being Remade.
In any event, you quested for the power to bond these dreams to
your flesh. You sought out your Progenitor. You wanted to be Remade — they
didn’t need to ask. You might have felt fear, but never reluctance. Your Progenitor
was eager to help; in the literature of established conspiracies, Autourgics like you,
with a strong will to change themselves, bear the torment of Divergence well enough
to support truly novel Variations.
Look at what you are now. Look at what you wanted.
Nicknames: elective, seeker
Beginnings and Divergences: Consider these origins.
It’s our central nervous system that fails us in the end. That’s what she thought,
after the last novel tryptamine dose, after she hung herself from hooks on an
ancient oak in a mythic ordeal of her own design, after fucking and debating and
drunkenness. After meditation that brought her to a place of gray light, but not
as far as that final bliss. She could go no further than her neurons would allow.
After all, the “speed of thought” is less than 300 miles per hour. Senses are fragile,
the capacity to process their input is weak. But she recognized the quiet ones, the
note-takers, from the circles of extreme experiences she moved in. They had means,
but no direction, while she knew the exact shape of her perceptual limits. She guided
them while they cut, injected, chanted in Tibetan and muttered about stem cells and
“psychic capacity.” She awoke. She saw the world with better eyes. It was so ugly.
Strength — she wanted it more than anything. She worked as hard as anyone else at
the gym and on the base’s obstacle courses, but hit a wall. Lactic acid in her muscles
burned, but her course times never budged past a certain point. She couldn’t lift any
more, though she wasn’t deficient by any standards but her own. She was a crack shot
and good with a knife. She earned rank, patches, and eventually, a place in a unit with
no patches or uniforms, where she trained to inflict quiet, efficient death on those her
country was ashamed to admit they were killing — and where she was third best, and hated
it. But in the deep military, where even nation states are only vaguely present, there’s always
Origin – Autoturgics 25
Down on your luck. Bored. Desperate. Willing, though not entirely wanting. Conspiracies
call people like you “Epimorphs,” because even though you don’t have an urge to be Remade,
your neediness provides fertile soil for whatever they want to grow — or graft, splice, or
inject. The method matters less than the psychic factor you present, which might also be
imagined as a certain hollowness. That emptiness drove you to accept Divergence, to ask
fewer questions than you should have, and subordinate yourself to the conspiracy’s needs.
Whether you think about this potential as emptiness or new, raw earth, its origins
aren’t so poetic. You might have volunteered because of deep debt — your own,
or that of someone you love. On the flipside, you might be greedy, willing
to “join the program” and take its six-figure salary. Some conspiracies take
Epimorphs from prisons, setting themselves up as ways for convicts to reduce
their sentences by volunteering (of course, this arrangement might produce the
Unwilling as well, depending on the degree of coercion). You might be an ex-
con unable to find a job, and the conspiracy is willing to ignore your record.
You might have medical bills, gambling debts, a sick friend or relative the
conspiracy can cure. You might have hit a dead end, where your personal
dreams seem hopeless, and becoming Remade, while not really what
you wanted, is a way to begin again. Unlike Autourgics, Divergence
isn’t your goal, it’s what you’re willing to do to renew yourself — or
fill that hole in your life.
Nicknames: volunteer, mark (both as in “Mark X” of an experimental
series, and a “mark” in the sense of the victim of a deception)
Beginnings and Divergences: Who’d be classified as an Epimorph?
Him. He was going to get cancer by his 40s. That’s how his father
went out, and how his father’s father died. He made his money
early, motivated by early death, but spent it fast, going to specialists
who might help him cheat mortality. The last one ran his genome
and showed him the code that would kill him, but told him there
was a way to beat it — maybe. She saw him reach for his checkbook
and assured him it wouldn’t cost a dime, but he’d have to fill out
numerous, complex forms. He didn’t even wait for his lawyer before
he signed the form forbidding him from talking to one. Over the next
few weeks, he endured the surgeries and injections, the pulsing new
organs and masked doctors muttering about “chimeric horizontal gene
transfer.” He healed in a haze of drugs, over hours he thought were
days. But the new flesh, taken and delicately modified from its animal
origins, helps him cast off injury and toxins fast. He’ll never get cancer
now. That was a human thing.
Another Volunteer never had the kind of money that would open
the door to elite labs. He rode that edge where you couldn’t technically
call him homeless; he mostly couch-surfed, and when he couldn’t find a
place to stay, relied on meth and willpower to avoid sleeping at all. He was
blessed with exceptional intuition. He always knew when a deal would
Origin – Epimorphs 27
Strapped in. Injected. Trapped. None of the Remade transform easily, but you were changed
against your will. Everyone reacts differently to an experience like that, but it’s never something
to shrug off. At the very least, it offends your sense of justice and free will. The conspiracy,
and your Progenitors, devise all kinds of lies to rationalize it. Maybe you were slated
for death, either by the state, criminals or some rival conspiracy, and they say that
in giving you a new lease on life — in whatever form that might take — they have
the right to do whatever they want with you. Maybe they frame it as punishment
for a crime, or a chance to redeem yourself. Maybe they appeal to progress — by
sacrificing you, they can help others with a cure, a new technology, or progress
toward some esoteric goal.
Go Renegade. Know that these are all lies, even if the conspiracy believes
them. Especially if it believes them. Beneath ideologies and rationalizations,
it’s about what people do to each other. They’ve wronged you.
But remember: Divergence gives you power. You’re not always sure what
that power is, because the conspiracy rarely cared whether you knew what they
were doing to you. And no matter what they tell you, the power is yours, despite
any Scars, and despite how it was given to you.
Nicknames: unwilling, donee (a genteel term used by conspiracies)
Beginnings and Divergences: The stories of three Renegades illustrate what
it’s like to be one of the Unwilling.
He was an expert in multiple fields, but not the fields they grant PhDs in. Working
with precision manufacturing equipment, biohazards, and volatile chemicals required
detailed training and honed instincts — things the facility’s “brains” up in their offices
could ignore with a single keystroke, he was exposed to on the production floor.
Machines rumbled. Substances hissed. He screamed. When he woke up, he wasn’t
in a hospital, but another wing of the plant. So much of him was missing. Through
their masks, people he’d never seen before assured him they could fix him with
“invasive protocols.” He realized there was no way it had been an accident — and
the smells and feel of his new parts? He knew them from back on the floor. The
adaptive materials of his new flesh, part tissue and part machine, could never have
existed without his work. It all belongs to him — and now that he’s out, he needs
to make careful plans for his return, to take it all back.
She had every reason to believe it was the end. She’d killed a lot of people
for the Family, to the point where their faces all merged into a brutal caricature.
Just that sort of face belonged to the man who put a bullet in her leg. The other
syndicates had pooled their money to hire him. He laughed about it, because
he was going to double even that. “Nobody’ll know I didn’t make the hit,” he
said, “because they promised nobody would ever recognize you.” Two women
came in. One produced the needle. After that came the Blue Room, and a
Origin – Exomorphs 29
Did they know? Your parents? The doctors? The priests? That affected how you were treated. Perhaps your family hid you,
and you either moved constantly and learned to use a new name whenever you did, or grew up in isolation, staring at cabin or
basement walls. Or maybe they treated you as nobility or a messiah, tempering discipline with worship. You weren’t so much
raised as trained for your role.
Not everyone Remade in the womb (or in some stranger pre-birth environment) enjoyed family ties. You might have been raised
by scientists or monks, revered or treated as an experiment. If you were lucky, they gave you a name instead of a title or number.
In most cases, you couldn’t help but develop a bond with whoever raised you, even if it conflicted with how the way they treated
you should have made you feel. This doesn’t necessarily impose any lingering affection. Fury burns away unwanted attachments.
Nicknames: born, germlines
Beginnings and Divergences: The stories of these three Remade and their heritages may have elements that speak to you.
She was born into flickering hospital fluorescence like so many others, but this
was no hospital, and she knew no other illumination until the day she escaped.
Life was all corridors with rails, recycled air, and white walls, yellowing like
old teeth as she grew up. They didn’t give her a name until she killed one
of the staff who had found her makeshift cloth doll. The power cracked
the tiled floor and burst the lights; they bricked up that wing and gave her
a new room. It was an accident; she was angry. After that, staff brought
her clothes and colored pencils and construction paper, showed her old
movies and told her their names. She never killed anyone wearing hospital
scrubs again, but they made her practice on animals, then sick-looking
people who didn’t speak her language. Her power crackled up, red deeper
than fire, and they broke. She didn’t really have any empathy for them,
until the other girl came. People in suits and armor and guns put them
in a room together. The girl could speak without speaking. She told
her things she heard in the others’ heads: “Exposing the coactive and
cephalist candidates is the next logical step.” And together, they
noticed the armed people and the people in charge were not
wearing hospital scrubs.
Origin – Genotypals 31
Responsibility. The conspiracy will say anything to pass it on to you. They might call
it “unknown potential.” They accuse you of trespassing, opening their machines, being in
the wrong place at the wrong time. They didn’t mean to make you what you are, but now
they want to own you, though they might frame it as medical care, a job, compensation with
strings attached. Your Progenitor never meant to Remake you, and may not even know how you
came to be, though they’re hardly blameless — they opened doors to dangerous forces with little
regard for the consequences. And if you really did do it to yourself? Your experiment is their
path to power.
You sense their urge to confine and control you, but you know that beneath their
confidence and titles and resources, there’s fear. They don’t exactly know what you’re
capable of, or what you know you’re capable of. They might test you by sending people
to attack you and those you care about, or they might recruit people close to you to
observe your behavior, and watch for your growing abilities.
Nicknames: accidents, unfortunates
Beginnings and Divergences: Anyone can become a
Pathological. The following stories represent only a fraction of
the ways in which you might be accidentally Remade.
In sarcastic moments, she thinks the worst thing about her Divergence
was the embarrassment. She was a very, very good thief, and should have known
about the complications of stealing from such a wealthy mark. She carefully
researched him, tracking his auction purchases and the identities of those whom
he had outbid, who’d be eager for another chance to get the artifacts. Defeating
his security was easy enough, and she knew the layout, including the location of the
walk-in vault, unusual for a private citizen. It was open. The hospital bed stood inside,
the most valuable item lying atop its disturbed sheets. She grabbed it immediately,
before seeing the fine layer of ash coating the walls — and she burned. But she had a will
like the target, the victim, never had. She contained the fire, locking its Coactive energies
in her heart, but not before burning the rest of the mansion down. The police investigating
the fire are trying too hard, and know too much. They’re on her heels, and she never leaves
evidence at the scene.
She was the one you went to whenever you needed something fixed. Mechanical, electronic
— it didn’t matter. She always had the parts, hoarded in bins. Her stash came from recycling
centers, junkyards, and the occasional unattended loading dock. A friend told her about a lab
clearing out its equipment, and after she cut open the fence, she found a treasure trove: a weird
mix of vacuum tubes and next-generation circuit boards. She climbed inside something that
looked like a weird MRI machine and pried a panel open, but there were no magnetic coils.
There were stones, and symbols that twisted when she looked at them. She ran, and when
the nausea and bleeding hit the next day, she suspected radiation poisoning. But she
Origin – Pathologicals 33
Cephalists embody the supremacy of human will
over the world. Their mental faculties are open to
possibilities — and terrors — that Baseline humans will
never experience. Conspiracies crave Cephalists for
their unique ability to apply themselves with a focus
other Deviants can’t match. Many Psychics find some
kind of home within the conspiracies, and not always
at the bottom of the pile. The transformed can never
forget they are tools for achieving the conspiracy’s
goals, but in the ranks of the Devoted, Cephalists are
among those who most frequently climb the ranks and
achieve power — and inflict the misery they avoid on
their own kind. This perceived betrayal draws the ire
of many Renegade Psychics whom the conspiracies
would force into service. Being enslaved by one of
their own only inflames the fires of hatred and the
drive for revenge, and makes the traitors targets for
the Renegades’ own focused power.
Mental Supremacy
Cephalists epitomize the dominance of the human
mind over the world. Where other Deviants adapted to
the trauma of Divergence, accepting and incorporating
whatever their Progenitor did to them, each and every
Cephalist refused through sheer stubborn defiance
and will so powerful it fractured their soul. With
this break came the power to back up their refusal,
rejecting the Progenitor’s intended changes. For many
Psychics, this is a source of personal pride — proof that
they were either able to thwart their Progenitor’s plan
or guide the course of their own Divergence, however
subconsciously.
Because of this, Cephalists often project some degree
of superiority over the Baselines around them, and even
their fellow Broken. Though her post-Divergence existence
may be no more comfortable or pleasant than any other Deviant’s,
the Psychic insists that she triumphed over her tormentors once,
which fuels her belief that she can do so again.
This self-assurance is skin deep. A Cephalist may not admit her
trauma, and she might not show visible signs of it, but the damage
is nevertheless there. The rage is there. The sense of alienation
Clade – Cephalists 35
Survival of the fittest; kill or be killed. All life follows these rules, whether
plant, animal, or something in between. The amalgamation of nature’s savagery
with human know-how is what many conspiracies crave: overcoming human
frailties and limitations with the best nature — or things beyond nature —
has to offer. Where humans have weak skin and nails, animals have
claws and armored scales. Where humans die from lack of food,
plants make their own nourishment from sunlight and trace
elements. Evolution is too slow for Chimerics, incorporating
the best of other lifeforms into themselves, aiming for perfect
recombination — and when perfection proves elusive, failing
fast and moving on to the next iteration.
Unfortunately for frustrated Progenitor and discarded
Remade alike, the human body rejects many of nature’s
advantages, or assimilates them imperfectly. The most
successful Hybrids discover their own ways to combine
humanity with whatever else they carry. They overcome the
frailties inherent in both their donors and their Divergence
and achieve greatness as better than human.
Gutter Mongrels
Many Chimerics cannot help but advertise their patronage
with obvious displays. Even the most precise combination of
human and other tends to shows traces of the source. A cat-like
Chimeric may have strangely oval pupils and yellow eyes, while
a Hybrid combining plant and human may have a sickly green
tint to his skin. These tells are even more apparent around the
transformed’s Variations. Form follows function for Hybrids. Keen
hearing requires oversized or strangely shaped ears. Detecting minute
traces of scent needs extended nasal passages.
Chimerics also often possess twisted additions or painful
conglomerations of features. Bones, muscles and joints all behave differently
between humans and animals. Few are lucky enough for all their limbs and
hide to be perfectly even. Scars that take the form of asymmetric appendages,
with perhaps one human and one animal leg, or parts of each combined in a
single limb, are common. This mismatching inevitably requires uncomfortable, and
sometimes painful, effort for the Broken to overcome its limitations and obtain a
semblance of functionality.
Not all betray their nature so physically. Many instead exhibit the habits and behaviors
of their donor species. A prey-animal Hybrid may still fear its natural predators, even though
the Chimeric is too large for them to be a threat. Or a cat Hybrid might exhibit a feline’s
Clade – Chimerics 37
Everything is energy, if you look closely enough.
On the smallest level, matter is just vibrating strings of
energy given solid form. This physicality traps energy
for the briefest of moments before it escapes once
again. This applies whether the energy is something
within human understanding or not. The binding of
the soul to crude flesh to empower life is just one more
manifestation of energy beyond scientific knowledge.
Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It can
only transform from one state to another, but this
doesn’t explain magic that creates fire or lightning from
nothingness, or how ephemeral “Essence” precipitates
from the resonance of something simply existing.
Coactive Deviants result when the human surrenders to
power and accepts any of these energies, or those even
more esoteric and unknown — possibly even unknowable.
The energy source doesn’t matter to the Clade; what
matters is that the Infused burn with the power of the
universe, power that sears flesh and bone in its need to
explode into the world.
Much like energy, Coactives weren’t destroyed by
their Divergence, but were transformed into something
else. When exposed to the source of her future power,
the Broken didn’t burn and die like other humans would.
Instead something inside her reached out and embraced it, welcomed it, and
harnessed it for her own use. The effort cracked her soul, but surely this was
a small price to pay for what replaced it?
Burning Brightest
To be Coactive is to feel bursting with potential. The power inside them may be
something known to science, a product of the truths underlying strange, inhuman
realms, or follow principles beyond human understanding, but every cell within the
transformed’s body resonates with it. The Infused constantly know their immense
power yearns to be free, to change the world through its action. The transformed
must beware, though, for the greatest consequence is usually the emptiness and regret
that quickly follow such release.
Coactives learn to release the power in somewhat controlled bursts, lest it burn
their flesh and boil away their blood on its outward trajectory. The power doesn’t want
to be restrained, and it doesn’t want to be slowly vented like a pressure valve. It wants all
or nothing, and the Coactive who gives in to what her power wants can reshape or destroy
the world, but may destroy herself in the process.
This forms the quandary of the Coactive’s existence. Her energies always want to flow
and move. Overfilled reserves of mundane power want to explode outward, and surly
ethereal beings coopted by the Infused to borrow and channel their powers are most
Clade – Coactives 39
Humanity is a tool-using species, gaining an advantage over other creatures by
leveraging the ability to fashion and use implements. Humans have always looked to
utensils and devices to simplify or improve existence, or to make sense of the darkness
and mysteries surrounding them. Humans wield tools to overcome obstacles, kill
enemies and opponents, or display faith and otherworldly power through ritual.
Humans express their control over the world through tools.
Invasives are conduits by which the tool instead uses the
human. The objects, items, and substances within the Cyborgs
need their flesh to impact the world. For some Cyborgs
this is straightforward — a mechanical arm or leg replaces
her original and functions as if it were always part of her
body, perhaps with a few additional features. For other
Invasives, the item is more esoteric, the function less obvious:
A magic jewel can only fashion objects out of nothing when fed
a steady supply of fresh blood, and where better to find this than a
living host? And the mysterious liquid found beneath the ocean alters
probability at random and can only be controlled by a living brain.
Optional Extras
Simply put, Invasives are the products of incorporating foreign bodies into
their physical beings. These additions may be mechanical, organic, or mystical in
origin, but without them the transformed is merely human. However, simply adding
items to the human body is far from a sufficiently transgressive act to trigger the
Divergence. Human traditions of piercing, scarification, and body modification are
as old as culture; humanity has never shied away from modifying the body in the
pursuit of aesthetics or functionality.
Once constructed, Cyborgs are forever separated from humanity. Unlike
Baselines, for whom prosthetics and replacement parts provide a minimal function
to the impaired, Invasives subsume their foreign parts. The breaking of the Remade’s
soul binds the inanimate object to his flesh, imposing its function as if it were an
inseparable part of his body — which it now is.
This doesn’t mean an Invasive can simply go back to his previous life by removing
the offending additions; the Divergence bonds organic and inorganic. This doesn’t
stop some Invasives from trying, as the reality of their transformation sets in and
the pain becomes unbearable. Unfortunately for the Cyborgs, the alterations to their
bodies are highly resistant to removal or even permanent damage or modification.
The foreign substances themselves impart a robustness to the Broken.
To survive, Invasives must learn to live with the horror of knowing that something
alien is now physically part of them. Few have the luxury of ignoring their implants and
simply living their lives. All too often, their Scars carry a price of maintenance for the
implant, some special procedure or condition needed to keep its unpleasant side effects
Clade – Invasives 41
Every Mutant is a miracle, a statistical anomaly that, by
rights, should have died as a result of the Divergence. Somehow,
they didn’t. Their body rejected the cybernetic implant, or
transplanted organ, or infusion of exotic energy as though
allergic to it. Then it went a step further, transforming into
something that would never suffer another such incursion.
Unfortunately, this aggressive immune response still
splintered the Grotesque’s soul.
The Mutant can endure almost any environment, for a
time. Grotesques only rarely encounter situations that they
can’t adapt to overcome. If a Mutant doesn’t have what
it takes to thrive at that moment, she can change herself
and triumph. If the Grotesque needs some advantage to
save the day — or tear down a conspiracy — she will adapt
and make it happen. These changes carry a cost — always a
cost — but many Mutants are willing to pay this price if it
advances their cause.
Clade – Mutants 43
Two months ago. slumped to the floor. The smear of blood
Red. Red everywhere. Red lights spin- followed him down.
ning, red blood on his hands, red smear on “Doctor...” Spider mumbled. “Need a...
the wall. Alarms rang in his ears as Spider doctor...”
took another step, leaning against the “Yeah, you look pretty bad.” The skin-
wall for support. More of his blood left head leaned over Spider to examine the
behind as he held his hand to his side. oughta—”
damage. “Hell, a couple more stabs oughta—
He should have seen it coming. The skin- Spider grabbed the skinhead and slammed
head had swastikas and Aryan Brotherhood his tattooed head into the wall. His eyes
tattoos all over his head and face, so it swam as he struggled to his feet — not
wasn’t like the shithead was going to hang as badly injured as he let on, but still
out with his Mexican ass. When the asshole not well. Spider kicked the skinhead once
came over to him in the cafeteria, Spider more for good measure, and pulled up his
should have shut him down right then. blood-covered shirt to see how badly he
Instead, he tried to ignore the skinhead, was stabbed.
focusing on his lunch.
Pain still lanced his side, but Spider
“Hey, I’m talking to you. This ain’t the couldn’t see the wound under all the blood.
table for fucking beaner gangbangers. Only Trying to wipe it away, he saw that the
pure white folks get to sit here.” stab wound was covered with a fine metal
Spider didn’t look up. “I’m Cuban.” mesh. In the red light, smeared with his
“Fucking excuse me?” blood, it looked like ruddy brass. Whatever
it was, it sure as hell wasn’t there a few
“Cuban. Not Mexican. Also, I’m a mechanic, minutes ago.
not a gangster.” He looked up at the skin-
head and smiled. “So, fuck off. This ain’t “What the...?” Spider shook his head and
the table for Nazi assholes.” pulled the torn shirt back down. No time.
He needed to get the hell out of this rent-
The skinhead pulled a shiv, Spider a-prison before Jones found another excuse
punched him in the face, and things went to kill him. Taking a few tentative steps,
downhill from there. he pushed open the first door he could
Now he was in the middle of a full-blown find and stumbled inside, fumbling for a
riot, as the skinhead’s friends jumped into light switch.
the fray. Jones must have paid them good The harsh white glare hurt his eyes as
money to start the conflict. Spider barely he fell against the door, shutting it be-
managed to slip away, bleeding from his hind him. He was in some kind of janitor’s
side. His hand was warm and sticky with office. In one corner was a desk scarred by
blood, and sharp pains lanced his side. cigarette burns and coffee rings, on which
“Going somewhere, beaner?” The voice sat a beige computer that was probably
behind him was followed by a blow to older than he was. The rest of the room
Spider’s head before he could turn around. contained floor-to-ceiling metal racks of
His eyes swam, and he felt nauseous as he industrial cleaning chemicals, half-empty
paint cans, and old mop buckets full of
broken electronic gadgets. Spider could
•••
tell the electronics were broken without Once Spider stopped running, he found an
even looking at them. old overcoat that looked awful and smelled
worse. But it had a twenty-dollar bill
He knew because he could hear them shoved in one of the pockets, so he shrugged
crying softly in pain, even over the in- into the coat and walked for miles until
sistent alarm. he stopped seeing signs that said “Prison
Pushing the siren and weeping out of Area Do Not Pick Up Hitchhikers.” The moon
his head, he stumbled over to the first was high in the sky when he finally found
rack and started pulling things off the a motel that would accept the twenty and
shelves. His hands seemed to know what to didn’t ask questions.
look for, what to do, so Spider let them Inside, Spider took everything off and
work as he thought. He had to escape. He’d stood in the shower for an hour. He scrubbed
be a convict, always on the run, but it the gooey blood off his body until he felt
was better than being dead because of some vaguely clean. In the flickering florescent
bullshit medical experiment. He could get light, he examined his side. The metal mesh
out, find a place to crash, and start making was indeed a brass color, made of thin, flex-
plans to get back at Jones and his bullshit ible rings. It also looked a little bigger
WellBeing International. He could… than it did before. Maybe some of it was
Spider’s hands stopped moving, so he covered in the blood, he thought.
looked down at what he had made. It was He splashed some water on his face and
a mass of wires and pulleys, plugged looked at himself in the mirror. A rough,
into canisters of toxic-smelling sludge. exhausted face looked back at him. It took
Connected to it all was an old Disney him several minutes to realize it was his
wind-up alarm clock. One of Mickey’s hands own face. Spider looked himself in the eyes.
was lost somewhere, but he smiled as his
hand pointed to 11. “You’re fucked, you know that? Totally,
totally fucked.”
“I’m a bomb,” Mickey whispered to him.
“Please explode me.” Something glinted off his eye. Curious,
he leaned over the stained sink, trying to
So, he did. get a closer look. He stared hard in the
mirror, trying to get a glimpse of whatever
it...there. Whatever it was, he could see
some kind of movement in his eyes.
Some kind of...gear.
Holy shit, he had tiny brass
clockwork turning in his
fucking eyes.
Mr. Owen suggested to me that
the production of monsters…presents
an analogy to the production of species.
— Charles Darwin
What is the difference between a person and an object? How can some of us look upon our
fellow human beings and think of them as merely things, as subjects to be twisted or tormented or
manipulated without regard for their feelings? How can any of us treat another sapient entity with such
callous disregard as to suborn their very existence, viewing them solely as tools or gross, raw matter to
be shaped and sculpted as we see fit? History is littered with the grim wreckage of man’s inhumanity to
man. Are we a fundamentally broken species, to visit such cruelty upon ourselves over and over again?
Deviants are the manifestation of this fault-line through humanity, split asunder by the transgres-
sion of Divergence. Each of the Broken has stepped beyond the limits of what it is to be human — or
has been forced to. Many of the Remade are victims, transformed into monstrosities against their
will. Yet whether this violation of the sanctity of flesh and soul was voluntary or not, those who go
Renegade burn with the need to lash out, to fight back, and to prove they are more than just objects to
be toyed with or controlled by others.
Divergence
If the evolution of life is a tree of many boughs, then Divergence is the sickly offshoot cracked from
humanity’s branch. Divergence is a process neither natural nor gentle. Those who travel down that jag-
ged fork are changed, Remade into something new and different, and they suffer for it. The Progenitors
and conspiracies who inflict Divergence have a hundred different names for it, and perform it through
uncounted methodologies and means, but most do not realize the common thread that binds all Deviants
together. Divergence breaks its victims and sets them apart from Baseline humanity.
A man screams as gleaming scalpels descend upon his flesh. They cut a new truth into the very fabric
of his being, a gospel of altered blood and lymph. He wakes in a fluid-filled glass prison, and his body
no longer heeds petty notions of constancy from moment to moment. Bone shivers and meat flows
in response to his horrified thoughts. From without, inscrutable faces watch and analyze and iterate.
He is not the first, and he will not be the last. He is just raw material.
A woman sits in rapture, the cult’s fevered prayers writhing around her. The words and thoughts
coalesce as a carmine chrysalis around her. When she tears free, dripping with crimson ooze, she is
changed. Shapes swarm beneath her skin, clicking with clockwork malice. Unexpected pain wracks
her tortured body, and her scream calls a legion of brass locusts forth from invisible spaces. The
cultists exult but she, privy now to the true whispers of the brass hive, oh, she regrets.
The researchers douse the test subjects in a humming tank of carefully-harvested infinity, a genie’s lamp
of impossibilities that scours at their young minds. Sterile white rooms, unending tests and abusive attempts
at discipline define the children’s existence, but none of the expected psychic phenomena manifest. The
program is disbanded and covered up, the children released into orphanages where no one believes their
Divergence 47
tale. Years later, an adult lashes out in anger and self-loathing. The unwitting actors, caught up in Divergences forged from sheer
dimensional energies, still coursing through his now-mature nervous happenstance and ill luck.
system, flow with his feelings. Glass shatters and brains blister. Although the transformed share underlying traits, the different
These, and countless others like them, are moments of methodologies and implementations of Divergence do matter. A
Divergence. They are the catalysts by which the Remade are military laboratory that threads invasive nanotechnology through
broken and shaped into something new. Divergence is the subjects’ nervous systems, a cult that carves the mad jabbering of
chrysalis that takes the caterpillar, tortures it into screaming the Void Testament into the skin and tongue of ritual sacrifices,
liquefied substrate, then rebuilds it as a warped mirror to the and the carefully-managed insertion of psychic-active DNA into
ghastly ambitions of a Progenitor. newborns at a hospital, can each wreak enough change upon their
subjects to create true Deviants. The subject’s willingness can also
Unnatural Selection shape the outcome of Divergence. The rich and powerful might
seek out a Progenitor for cutting-edge experimental treatments,
The different strains of Divergence vary hugely. Each cor- but the victims of Divergence more often come from among the
responds to the intent, talent and means of a Progenitor, the forgotten, the unwitting, or those whose absence goes unremarked.
particular human responsible for inflicting such a transmog-
Because Progenitors often toy with unreliable, experimen-
rification upon the Remade. For almost every single Broken,
tal, or misunderstood methodologies, Divergence is frequently
Divergence traces back to one such person; the one who flipped
a one-off achievement. Unstable genetic code, volatile chemi-
the switch, or cut with the scalpel, or uttered the fateful prayer.
cals, or even the unseen alignment of eldritch auras, can all
Divergence is often the culmination of an obsessive attempt cause catastrophic failure in attempts to reproduce the results.
to realize a Progenitor’s ambition through the raw material of Even Progenitors who achieve repeat Divergence and have the
the human species. Such a Progenitor usually uses others as the means to assemble a production line process face failures, ir-
test subjects for his grim work, although desperation or prin- regularities, and complications that they will struggle to predict
ciples drive some to rely on their own flesh, blood, or psyche as or understand. These failures come with a body count, either
the canvas for their artistry. Occasionally, a Progenitor stumbles during Divergence or shortly thereafter, as individuals fail to
into his role when pursuing an entirely different goal — creating survive Divergence or cannot cope with the enormity of what
a Remade when attempting to heal a sick patient, or ritually has happened to them. The greatest variables are always the
sacrificing a victim at a moment of entirely accidental occult human beings involved — Progenitors and victims alike.
significance. A rare few Progenitors and Broken are entirely
Divergence 49
Sometimes, a Scar is a simple expression of monstrous a shopping list of hand-picked Variations tailored perfectly to
nature, an appalling display of inhuman flesh or an unsettling her intended application, to whatever best approximation is
manner that further drives the wedge between the Remade available within the restrictions of the chosen methodology.
and other humans. It may be a cruel hunger or compulsion When all a Progenitor has available is a hammer, she tends to
that the Broken must satisfy lest she face crippling privation, treat all her problems like nails.
or a burden that drains her of time or energy. Some Scars are Not every Progenitor triggers Divergence for practical
minor nuisances, but others can maim or kill the Deviant or reasons. Some alter the Remade from a Baseline human state
anyone unlucky enough to be around her. Divergence without just to see if they can, or to prove a point, or for other aesthetic
Scars would not be Divergence at all, but rather a pure act of or philosophical purposes. The Deviant made by a govern-
genesis that yet remains beyond the grasp of humanity. ment program to serve as a super-soldier has the benefit of
Every transformed bears at least a single Scar. Cruelly, the retroviral-cocktail Variations that make him tougher, stronger,
intensity of the Scarring that the Deviant bears is commen- and faster; the poor victim of a mad occultist who treats her
surate with the depth of the changes wrought upon her. The chimeric creations as a form of artistic expression, though, finds
most potent of Deviants labor under a mass of Scars, each a himself with a seemingly random patchwork of bestial traits
horrific manacle of compelled behavior or alien phenomena assembled on a whim. The researcher who dunks convicted
that prevents her from living and acting as she desires. prisoners into a tank of extra-dimensional slime just to see
As manifestations of the soul’s state, Scars grow worse as what happens is delighted when the only survivor begins to
a Deviant loses control over her unstable nature and becomes exude poisonous sludge from her skin. That discovery might
alienated from humanity. They gouge fresh tracks through the one day help create other Remade with that specific Variation
Remade’s life, erupting with new and nightmarish complica- in mind — but this first victim is more a scientific curiosity
tions. In turn, the Deviant’s Variations grow more intense, than a finely-honed tool.
marrying her isolation with strength and the drive to lash out. Then there are the Divergences that have no apparent
Twisted by her Scars and empowered by her Variations, the oversight or directing purpose at all, the accidents and whims
Deviant risks falling into a cycle of feedback that will end with of cruel happenstance. Human action still has its place in this
her death as Divergence entirely consumes her. process, but it is unwitting and subconscious. An executioner
flips the switch with no notion of the unusual occult conflu-
Variation ences centered around the electric chair that day. The prisoner
whose mind suddenly courses with stygian energy gains eldritch
Variations shaped as much by her regret and guilt as by the
When a Deviant emerges from the chrysalis of Divergence, jabbering specters that now swim through her mind. In such
she bears changes that mark her split from Baseline human- cases, it is often the transformed who invents a rationale behind
ity termed Variations. While Scars are the manifestations of or link between the Variations she has gained, to make some
the Deviant’s wounded soul, Variations are the more direct sort of sense of what has happened.
outcomes of the process used to induce Divergence, whether
intentional or accidental. When a man is fused with the es-
sence of a mosquito through some violent abuse of science, Emergence
his increasingly insectoid appearance and appetite for fresh With some methods, Divergence is a brutal and revelatory
blood are his Scars, but the incredible strength and resilience arrival — a car-crash of change through the Deviant’s life. She
that he now possesses are his Variations. is traumatized, violated, rent apart, and Broken. Her new life
shears away from her old. Once the blood has stopped flowing
Selective Pressure or the eldritch machines cease their shrieking, she is left indel-
ibly marked. Perhaps fleshy wings curl around her, impossible
The intended purpose of most Divergences is to induce one or to ignore and reacting reflexively to her thoughts. Maybe she
more Variations. A cracked soul and twisted Scars are usually un- can see the pulsing surges of vivid electrical ghosts all around,
fortunate side-effects, the necessary cost of painting a nightmarish whether in the nervous systems of her captors or the crackling
masterpiece of Variations upon the fabric of the victim. In many circuits of her holding cell. Perhaps she speaks, and those near
of these cases, the changes wrought upon the transformed are her immediately buckle and fold to her will. For such a Deviant,
intended to meet the creator’s specific purposes. An intelligence the presence and nature of her Variations are immediate. It
agency’s off-the-books program of genetic tampering refines latent may take some time to control them and learn their limits, let
psychic potential with the aim of creating Deviants who can pry alone truly understand them, but the break between Baseline
loose the secrets of rivals with remote viewing. A secure corporate and Remade is sudden, extreme, and clear.
lab modifies infiltrators capable of mimicking both mental and
Not every Divergence happens so swiftly. Even during inten-
physical traits of targets for industrial espionage missions.
tional Divergences, the process can be lengthy and sustained. A
Depending on the control the Progenitor possesses over the series of alchemical treatments intended to turn the ritualist’s
Divergence process, a Deviant could end up with anything from prisoner into a guardian invunche has to be applied day after
Variation 51
Not every Variation can be adapted to. Some unlucky and those unaware that Divergence is even possible are not
victims are burdened by Variations that they simply have no drawn according to size, or scope, or means, or wealth. They
control over, or Scars that twist the potential benefits of their are carved instead by opportunity, chance, and ambition. One
powers with bitter consequences. Deviants with involuntary corporation might throw untold millions of dollars at a genetic
powers are the most likely to descend into a spiral of madness research program without success, where another stumbles
and self-destruction. Even those who flee contact with other into results through raw luck or a moment of brilliance on the
human beings to avoid causing harm are only agitating the part of a Progenitor. Intelligence agencies suffer institutional
problem, as their wounded souls grow inflamed by the isola- senility on the topic as they spin off blacker-than-black research
tion and pour more power into the Variations and Scars that operations, or firewall the knowledge of psychic and esoteric
have caused the situation in the first place. possibilities into deniable projects. Then, when these schemes
And therein lies the rub. Variations are born of the method- implode or go off the leash or are shut down in a cover-up,
ology that causes Divergence, but they are linked to the splin- everyone involved who understood what was going on is dead
tered soul that afflicts the Deviant with her Scars. As a Deviant or on the run, and so the cycle starts up again. Corrupt cops
grows more unstable and begins to lose control of herself, so sell criminals who cross them to grinning doctors with razor
her Variations strengthen — or entirely new ones spring forth. smiles. Mad cultists witness Divergence and think it’s divin-
A vicious feedback loop forms, gifting the Deviant with even ity bleeding into the world. A cabal of respectable musicians
more power to lash out at the world and her enemies, pushing carefully record strange music that rewrites the very minds of
her further from humanity, and cracking her soul even more. victims who hear it.
Variations may seem like gifts, but their infliction is an unfair Conspiracies hoard what information on Divergence they
exchange, never truly balancing the Scars and the suffering may come across. Once a conspiracy whets its appetite with the
that comes with them. Worse, it is the power of Variation that discovery of the Remade, it learns to look more closely for the
brings Deviants to the attention of the true beneficiaries of signs of Deviants and Progenitors, and hunts for sources on
Divergence — the conspiracies worming through the fabric of Divergence according to the methodologies and philosophies
society, spinning webs of pain and control. that it adheres to. A conspiracy’s influence can be far-reaching,
worming through society into other schemes and plots, and
Conspiracy 53
can balance against. A Deviant who is too much trouble on the mobile plan. One of the paradoxes of the modern day is that
pursuit may well find the conspiracy turns its entire strength even if you’re living under a bridge and eating scavenged food,
toward annihilating her. you can still get access to the internet.
Divergence gives power, though, and a burning drive for Of course, while access to the internet can be a boon for
vengeance. Detente or disappearance into a half-life in the Renegades researching the conspiracy they’re hunting and
shadows does not sit well with most Remade. There comes a attempting to keep in touch with their allies, using email or
time when the Deviant stops running, turns, and fights back. even the web too carelessly can attract attention. Even if one of
Not every conspirator is well prepared for this moment, and the Broken is squatting in an abandoned house and stealing a
it can be the catalyst that brings a whole conspiracy crashing small amount of electricity from the building next door, if they
down in pieces. are online, someone can still track them, and their enemies
might find them. In addition, being homeless or living as an
Renegades 55
well-run criminal gangs can create good fake identities and are are a little easier, since the Remade has some money and a place
especially skilled at money laundering. However, in addition to live and plan. However, all such attempts involve leading a
to the obvious moral and ethical downsides, unusual abilities, double life. While resting, planning, and waiting, the Renegade
like a Renegade’s Variations, attract attention. A rival criminal or cohort live as homeless people, criminals, ordinary citizens
gang might try to kill a Remade to hurt his employers. Also, with fake IDs, or wilderness-dwelling recluses, but when the
while a mid-level criminal might be entirely unwilling to give time is right, they leave this life behind and go out to attack
up his boss or cousin to the police in return for having all the conspiracy.
charges dropped, providing information about the weird freak The difficulty in this lifestyle is keeping the two halves of the
that started working for the gang a couple months ago may be Renegades’ lives from touching one another. A chance meeting
a very different matter. A few criminal organizations foster a in another city or a face caught by a security camera can expose
tight sense of loyalty, even to their most unusual members, but the other life of even the most careful Remade. Even if they
most do not, especially if the police threaten a gang member avoid capture, they must then build a new life, which is why
with lengthy imprisonment. Also, for many Renegades, the many Renegades carefully hide what wealth they possess and
difference between working for a criminal gang and being their live on the streets. With a shower and some good clothes, most
slave can prove tricky, especially since some criminal syndicates people won’t recognize the Broken as that homeless person
are already part of the Web of Pain. they passed and never really saw.
Instability 59
But some see a different path to keeping their Instability
at bay, by focusing on protection over vengeance. A Renegade
Unhealthy whose Loyalty is greater than his Conviction becomes a
Relationships Guardian. He has found balance between the two drives, and
is temporarily at peace. He no longer feels Instability hovering
When determining the dynamics between just around the corner, and in fact notices some of its troubles
Remade and their Touchstones, please remember lessening. His mind is quieter, his flesh heals, and that awful
to check in with other players at your table. The bout of bad luck seems to have come to an end.
portrayal of obsessive or codependent relation-
The Broken may believe he’s come to the end of the con-
ships may trigger traumatic memories for some-
one in your group, and should be approached spiracy, or that burning to the ground the lab that created him
with care and compassion. has granted him closure. Now he can turn his sights to those
friends who stood by him, and repay the countless kindnesses
they’ve shown him during his quest for revenge.
Deviants often find themselves forced to choose between acting But this condition cannot last. A new branch of the con-
in support of their Loyalties and chasing down a lead toward one spiracy rears its head, or the Renegade finds himself dissatisfied
of their Convictions. Win-win situations are nearly unheard of, with destroying just that one lab. Paranoia is second nature,
which makes these decisions all the harder. Something’s going to and he can’t help but wonder who his Touchstone was on the
break. The question is, which of those can be pieced back together? phone with, and why she hung up so hastily when he entered
the room. Betrayal is always lurking.
Conviction As soon as his Conviction equals or exceeds his Loyalty,
the calm state of Guardianship is over, putting the Deviant at
Hatred is as powerful an anchor for the Renegade as Loyalty. risk of Instability once more.
Someone set her on the path toward Divergence, or learned of
its happening and tried to use her and her powers for their own
purposes. The rage she feels — toward her Progenitor, toward
a conspiracy, toward anyone who has wronged her — either
Ferals
makes her feel whole again or is so all-consuming she doesn’t While both Renegades and Devoted must attend to their
have time to mourn the part of her excised by the Divergence. Conviction and Loyalty Touchstones to keep hold on their
The Deviant devotes her time and what resources she has humanity, some Deviants never even get that chance. Ferals are
to destroying the conspiracy and preventing it from doing to those Remade who have no Touchstones, but have yet survived
anyone else what it’s done to her. Having a cohort dedicated their Instabilities. These Deviants have often mutated beyond
to the same goals is certainly helpful, but if she must burn it recognition, their shapes monstrous and only vaguely human.
all down on her own, she’ll find a way. The powers they display are wild and often uncontrollable.
This drive can lead the transformed to make some danger- Renegades view them with pity — Devoted, with disgust. The
ous and even self-destructive choices. Conspiracies tend to have conspiracies use them or discard them as need be, with little
money and influence. They can afford decent security. Some regard for the people they used to be.
have Devoted and Manticores working for them, tasked with
guarding the conspiracy from vengeance-seeking Renegades, Origins
or with finding them and bringing them in. While all of these A Feral’s origin is much like that of his fellow Remade. The
are obstacles in the Remade’s path, none of them are truly a same lab that created other, more stable Deviants can also pro-
deterrent. Her Conviction pushes her to find a way around duce Ferals. Sometimes experiments go awry, or a Progenitor
them, even if that means breaking some laws…or some skulls. fails to take a variable into account, and the result is horrific.
Members of a conspiracy consider few things off-limits when it A cult draws ancient power down into their victim, and it’s
comes to the Remade. Friends and family make excellent fodder, too much for her human mind and form to bear. A research
and undermining a Renegade’s relationships sets the Deviant student decides he wants the glory for himself, and injects his
that much more off-kilter, makes them that much easier to catch. mentor’s untested serum into his own veins.
As the effects take hold, the Feral’s Variations and Scars
Guardians run rampant. A Feral who quickly grasps how to wield her
Many Deviants prioritize their hate and rage, preferring to let newfound powers is a danger to those around her. The lab
those things drive them rather than dealing with the nigh-inev- experiment destroys the facility in her wild attempt to escape.
itable heartbreak that comes with having people to care for and The sacrificial victim murders any cultists foolish enough to
protect. Friends have a terrible habit of turning their backs, turning stay to negotiate with their new deity. The research student
you in, or turning up dead, and who could blame a Renegade for stumbles toward his rival’s house to gloat, ignoring the pain as
thinking they’re often more trouble than they’re worth? his bones crack and reshape themselves along the way.
Ferals 61
parts in a morgue drawer and destroy all evidence of anything represent a glimpse into the Deviant’s own potential future,
that might identify their subjects. Cults bury their victims in the Instability and decline awaiting him if he finally tips over
unmarked graves where no one ever goes. The Feral’s identity that edge and can’t claw his way back to solid ground.
and very existence are scrubbed to the best of the conspiracies’ When instinct, anger, and shame tell a Renegade to with-
abilities, leaving their loved ones little chance for closure. It is draw from society, he recalls the burden Ferals face and finds
the final indignity in a chain already heavy with them. the strength to stay in the world a while longer. Some Remade
even attempt to “domesticate” Ferals, seeking out family mem-
Escape bers who might become Touchstones, or pointing them at their
Progenitors and hoping hatred takes root. This is often a lost
Some Ferals escape from the laboratory’s mazelike halls,
cause, but someone out there took a chance on the Deviant
or flee the ritual grounds and outrun their pursuers. Others
and kept her grounded — shouldn’t she try paying that forward?
were never captured at all, but sense their change and realize
It’s rare enough for one Broken to find others like him.
they have to get away, fast. Once free, Ferals tend to avoid
Seeking out a Feral is harder and riskier, though doing so can
heavily-populated areas, keeping their distance from Baselines
yield useful information for the Remade who earns a Feral’s
much as the wild animals who are their namesakes do. They
trust. Those who are still capable of communicating can recall
are keenly aware not only of the danger they pose to humans,
the layout of the labs, the names the cultists chanted and the
but of the danger humans pose to them.
position of the stars, or the contents of that one fateful syringe.
Many Ferals who retain memories of their humanity can
A Feral has plenty of reasons to keep tabs on the conspiracy that
no longer bear to be near people. Fear and shame drive them
created him. After all, he’d be a stain on their reputation if word
away from civilization. Whether that means the Feral makes
of what they did to him got out. Or if he destroyed a city block
a lair deep in the forest or claims a corner in an abandoned
while shouting the name of the conspiracy’s parent company.
warehouse, the result is the same: she stakes out a safe place,
A Feral is likely to keep detailed records on the conspiracy,
and holes up there. Eventually, hunger and other necessities
even if he isn’t driven to use those records the same way a
pull her back toward cities and towns, but even then, the Feral
Renegade would. For a Renegade, information is ammunition.
attempts to remain unseen, stealing clothes from unattended
For a Feral, it’s a bargaining chip to be used to buy his freedom,
dryers in the 24-hour laundromat, shoving handfuls of protein
or a way to stay one step ahead of the conspiracy’s searches.
bars in her pockets at an all-night convenience store. Some
Ferals’ Variations and Scars lend themselves to staying off the Getting a Feral to part with her information can be fraught.
grid, aiding the Broken in going undetected or slipping past How does she know the Deviant knocking on the door isn’t a
security to snatch up what they need. Devoted looking to bring her back to her cage? How can she be
sure the Renegade won’t come calling again, wanting her to get
Others have no such luck — a trip into town is a nightmare
involved, to expose herself to the conspiracy, to act as bait? Helping
scenario as soon as the Feral is spotted, and witnesses flee in
out means putting herself at risk of getting caught and used and
terror from her monstrous appearance. The stress from such
hurt all over again. Unless the Feral is, by some twisted miracle
an ordeal risks making the Feral’s condition worse, triggering
of fate, one of the Deviant’s Loyalty Touchstones, she fears she’s
uncontrollable powers and Scars that endanger both the Feral
just as disposable to other Remade as she is to her Progenitor.
and any onlookers who get too close.
Yet, some Ferals can be persuaded to help, especially if the
Of course, isolation affects Ferals much as it does other
Broken has something the Feral desperately needs. Materials to
Deviants. Although he has no Touchstones, the Feral still feels
repair degrading parts, a vial of a hard-to-procure remedy, food
the effects of his damaged soul. He is caught in an untenable
that doesn’t come from a supermarket’s dumpster. Though
situation. Hiding away from others causes him to grow more
they’re further removed from humanity than their Renegade
unstable. But there’s little benefit to a Feral in maintaining hu-
cousins, Ferals can still be moved by another victim’s plight
man contact. Ferals cannot heal Instability by protecting people
and convinced to share their knowledge or offer their strength.
or seeking revenge. Often, doing those things comes with further
Renegades should be wary of tricking a Feral or setting one
risk of falling into madness and mutation. Any relief he feels
up to take a fall, lest they find themselves the focus of the
when helping others is dashed by their revulsion. What satisfac-
wronged Feral’s rage.
tion he gleans from vengeance is dulled by the knowledge that
his monstrous acts are what people expect of him.
It’s for these reasons that Ferals tend to burn fast and bright, Swan Song
as even their most benign actions run the risk of sending them A Feral’s fate is to die tormented by his Variations and Scars,
into a spiral of Instability. his body and powers no longer obeying his will, or doing so in
erratic and unpredictable ways. While some Ferals try to take
Ferals and Renegades themselves far away where their death throes can do no harm,
others retain enough outrage to want one last shot at revenge.
Renegades hear tales of Ferals and think “there but for the
Still others are lonely and tired and desperate enough to go in
grace of God — or science, or sheer stubbornness — go I.” Ferals
search of comfort, regardless of how dangerous they’ve become.
Devoted 63
However, spending long enough pretending loyalty often they return bearing gifts, like captive Renegades or the locations
creates actual feelings of loyalty and devotion. As a result, many and abilities of other Broken.
Devoted passionately care about protecting their conspiracy. However, the possibility of changing loyalties doesn’t
Many Remade see the Devoted as fawning sycophants who praise mean that the decision to change them is a simple one. A
the conspiracy for not punishing their mistakes as severely as handful of the Remade are able to make this change precipi-
it could have. There is some truth to this, since many Devoted tously. Suddenly discovering that their conspiracy is lying to
lead lives of wretched servitude. Often, poorly treated Devoted them and using them can unravel years of loyalty in minutes.
burn with envy at Renegades who escape from their conspiracy Many Renegades respond to the death or capture of a close
and lead free lives. Those who have sufficient courage join the comrade or a loved one by the conspiracy hunting them with
Renegades in freedom, but Devoted who either lack this cour- a renewed desire to make the conspiracy pay for all they have
age or are otherwise unwilling to give up the safety and security done. However, a few simply snap and decide out of despair
that even their unpleasant lives provide to them turn their envy or perhaps cold pragmatism that they have no future as a
of Renegades into anger, hatred, and a conviction that if they Renegade and that their only option is becoming one of the
cannot have freedom then no other Remade should either. Devoted. Nevertheless, for the vast majority of Remade, the
Devoted with more pleasant lives are often genuinely grate- decision to attempt to go from being Devoted to a Renegade or
ful for their nice apartment, salary, or expense account, and the reverse requires weeks or months of agonizing deliberation,
the medicines that help keep their Scars from killing them. often followed by days or weeks of planning.
Some Renegades claim that these Devoted aren’t even aware While many Renegades hate their captors and dream of escape,
they are slaves, and while this is true for a few, the vast majority some do not, and only cease being one of the Devoted when their
are completely aware of their circumstances, but for a variety of conspiracy betrays them or they learn of the horrors it has inflicted.
reasons are willing to accept the conditions of their life. Other On rare occasions, a few of the most trusted Devoted who infil-
Devoted make very different trades. trate Renegade organizations and retrieve escaped Remade learn
Many Elective Remade were researchers who either experi- to truly understand why some Remade flee and rebel, and do so
mented on themselves or volunteered to allow their team to themselves. Even more rarely, Renegades who escape from their
experiment upon them. Some of these researchers are Devoted conspiracy grow weary of an uncertain and dangerous life on the
because it provides access to their conspiracy’s funding and run and return to their conspiracy, begging for forgiveness. Since
equipment, in order to complete their research and find a way few conspiracies are particularly kind to rebels, most of these
to stabilize or reverse their condition. While almost all find returning Devoted must either trade information on their fellow
their quest to be utterly in vain, few of these Devoted are willing Renegades or capture one or more Renegades in return for avoid-
to give up the promise, or perhaps the illusion, of success that ing dissection or other equally horrific fates.
easy access to scanning electron microscopes, gene sequencers, Because of these occasional betrayals, Renegades who
supercomputers, and a vast array of similar devices provide. regularly interact with others of their kind periodically worry
Other Elective Remade who were subjects and not scientists about traitors. Similarly, captured Renegades and Broken who
are especially loyal Devoted, because every day members of the attempt to infiltrate a conspiracy will desperately attempt to
conspiracy promise to return them to normal or to stabilize and convince any Devoted they encounter to either understand
improve their condition. These same promises also convince their desire for freedom and let them go or join them in rebel-
Remade with other Origins to remain loyal, but any of these lion. Of course, this same tension is not lost on most conspiracy
Devoted who find clear evidence that the conspiracy either members who work with Devoted or hunt for Renegades.
has no interest or no ability to cure or improve their condition Most conspiracy members are vividly aware that Devoted
swiftly lose their loyalty, and can become especially violent and sometimes change their loyalties and become Renegades. As a
merciless Renegades. result, some conspirators who work with Devoted regard them
The pangs of Loyalty also drive Devoted to attach them- all as beings who may, without warning, try to escape, killing or
selves to others within the conspiracy, whether it is a supervisor, maiming anyone who gets in their way. To prevent such catas-
a coworker, or other loyal Remade. The Broken might even trophes, conspiracy members are inclined to lie to and conceal
be a true believer in the conspiracy’s stated goals, swallow- information from even the most loyal Devoted to prevent them
ing its propaganda and living its mission statement with an from learning anything that might cause them to turn on their
uncritical eye. captors. This tactic can work exceedingly well, until the Devoted
discovers the truth, at which point they become even more likely
Shifting Loyalties to renounce their loyalty and become a Renegade.
Members of a conspiracy are even more distrustful of
Some Devoted eventually decide to choose freedom over
Renegades who renounce their freedom and become Devoted.
safety and become Renegades. Also, a few Renegades surrender
In addition to the chance that an inherently unstable individual
to a conspiracy, either the one that created them or one that
who has already drastically changed her allegiance at least
makes the best offer. Remade who are considering this latter
once may do so again, some especially fanatical Remade seek
option understand that they are more likely to be accepted if
Manticores 65
the Broken. Something the size of a hawk or a crow can easily and other similarly exotic and obviously unnatural creatures
carry all the necessary electronics. Also, some hunters either are favored in some circles. Also, all but the most sociopathic
possess Variations they can use aggressively, or are fitted with individuals desire some form of close emotional connection,
small tanks of anesthetics — or perhaps even a small bomb — and an unusually bright and loving pet can provide that to
that the conspiracy can use to incapacitate or kill especially conspiracy leaders who have little reason or ability to trust the
dangerous Remade. people in their lives.
However, the desire for an intelligent and loving pet can
Pets sometimes go awry, especially when the resulting Manticore
is too smart. Such creatures often resent their owners treating
Many of the leaders and wealthy plutocrats funding con-
them like semi-intelligent slaves. More than a few of these
spiracies are exceedingly eccentric, and some demand equally
intelligent Manticores have attempted to escape, and those
unusual pets. Conspiracies design many of these pets to be
that succeed occasionally meet Remade with whom they form
useful as well. One such Manticore might be a dog or cat that
an alliance.
emits pheromones which make everyone nearby more trusting
and agreeable, except of course the pet’s owner who regularly
takes a prophylactic antidote. Another could be a small pet like Spies
a cat or miniature dog that sits in the owner’s lap and quivers Learning others’ secrets can be exceptionally valuable, and
or twitches in a distinctive manner if someone within earshot some Progenitors are convinced that while a careful opponent
knowingly tells a lie. These pets can provide a valuable and can discover or jam electronics, people are far less likely to
nearly undetectable edge in business. However, almost as many consider small creatures a security threat. A hummingbird, or
special pets are simply creatures created to be gorgeous, loyal, even a cat or small, friendly dog with keen hearing that can
and exceedingly impressive companions. repeat anything it hears, can provide information difficult
Most Manticore pets appear relatively normal, like a large to obtain in other ways. Other more invasive creatures also
housecat with stripes like a tiger that understands and follows exist, including animals that cause people to fall unconscious
commands as well as a bright and exceptionally well-trained or asleep and then either rifle through their minds or cause
dog. However, winged serpents, cats with metallic gold feathers, them to become extremely suggestible. Give the same creature
Character Creation
In a Deviant: The Renegades chronicle, each player experiences the game through their very own
Remade character. This character interacts with the world of the chronicle and the other characters via the
Storytelling game mechanics in this book and the narrative collusion between the players and Storyteller.
Together, the group creates a tale of revenge, loyalty, horror and conspiracy.
This section provides rules for creating the players’ characters through the nine steps detailed below.
Each player builds a character sheet as they go, either using the pre-made character sheet in the back of
this book, creating their own sheet, or just writing the details down with a pencil and a piece of paper.
Getting the players and Storyteller together and going through character creation as a group can help
to build a cohesive feel for the cohort of Remade and the story that follows. This is particularly true in a
Deviant game because the capabilities of the Remade and their antagonists, the conspiracies that hunt them,
are interlinked. The decision as to how powerful the Variations are that the Remade have access to, and
hence how great a reach and grasp the conspiracies possess, should be discussed and agreed upon together.
Each step of character creation includes an ongoing example to help illustrate how a player might
approach the process. These steps are guidelines, not a straitjacket; it’s normal to make adjustments
to Attributes or Skills after you’ve made some decisions about Variations and Scars!
Step One:
Determine Chronicle Threat Level
The foundation of a Deviant chronicle is the threat level. The more powerful the Variations
inflicted on the Remade, the more burdened by Scars they are, and the greater the instability
they cause in the fabric of society. In turn, the most unstable and powerful Remade attract the
attention of the most threatening conspiracies.
It’s important to note that the threat level directly impacts character creation by controlling
the Magnitude of Variations available to the character and hence, indirectly, the amount of Scars
character creation 73
the Remade will have to suffer in balance. Additionally, it before they suffered Divergence; a chimera struggling with bestial
dictates the Standing of each conspiracy, as described later instincts, a self-made superman gone horribly wrong, or a youth raised
in Chapter Five. from birth to become the god’s avatar say something about how they
The threat level is a chronicle-wide barometer of the inten- might be dealing with their new nature as a Deviant.
sity of the protagonists and antagonists. As such, it is the first As the later stages of character creation play out, this initial
thing decided during character creation, and should be agreed concept may change or transmute into something different and
upon by all participants. If the Storyteller and other players more interesting. That’s absolutely fine. The concept settled
are amenable, some characters might be set at levels above or on at this point is not a firm or final decision.
below that of the chronicle, with corresponding impact on the Example: Luke decides his character was a young, local
particular conspiracy connected to them. Everyone should be criminal arrested and “sold” by corrupt cops to a sinister corpora-
informed of the potential risks in this approach, though. A tion for experimentation. He has an image of a character with
Remade with far fewer dots of Variations might lag behind spines or other spiky Variations; the researchers did all manner of
more powerful cohort members. A Remade with a far higher horrible tests on the Remade before he managed to escape, and now
threat level than the rest of the cohort will be accompanied by he’s back on the streets and seeking vengeance, so an urban legend
a conspiracy that may be much more powerful than the other about a “needle man” is growing up around his activities. Luke
characters can cope with. writes “vengeful urban legend” on his character sheet, and also
decides on a first name: Lee.
Total Variation Conspiracy
Threat Level Magnitude* Standing Step Three:
Mutation 2 1
Hyperplasia 5 2
Select Attributes
Your character now begins to take shape through selecting
Dysplasia 7 3 their Attributes, the innate talent and capability that each per-
Invasion 10 4 son possesses. Every character in a Deviant: The Renegades
Metastasis 12 5 chronicle has nine Attributes, divided into three categories:
Mental (Intelligence, Wits, Resolve), Physical (Strength,
Metamorphosis 15 6
Dexterity, Stamina), and Social (Presence, Manipulation,
Composure). Every Attribute begins with a single dot in it.
*This is the total Magnitude in dots that the character Rank the three categories according to how talented you feel
has available to assign to Variations during character creation the character is in each. The primary category receives five more
and does not include the Scar-free Magnitude dot granted by dots to allocate freely between its Attributes; the secondary cat-
her Origin. egory receives four; and the tertiary category receives three. These
Example: Arran, Luke and Monika get together to play a dots are in addition to the free dot each Attribute begins with,
chronicle of Deviant, with Alice as the Storyteller. Alice tells the but cannot be used to take any starting Attribute above five dots.
players that she plans a short chronicle of intrigue and spiraling More information about Attributes can be found on p. 181.
revenge set in a big city, and she’s keen on corporation and govern-
Example: Luke feels that Lee, having been a fairly minor crim-
ment conspiracies to contrast against themes of urban decay. The
inal and street tough before he was Remade, should probably focus
group discusses what threat level to choose. The players want a sub-
on Physical Attributes first, Social Attributes second, and Mental
stantial number of dots to play with when it comes to Variations,
Attributes third — Lee never had a chance at a good education, but
and they’re happy to face some powerful opposition, so they settle
learned how to navigate the dangerous maze of trust, loyalty and
on Invasion level. Alice is quite happy to go along with it — the
peer pressure that was life in a gang.
significant threat level gives her lots to play with when it comes to
designing the conspiracies! Starting with one dot in each Attribute, Luke raises each of
Lee’s Mental Attributes to two — a relatively mundane distribution.
Luke brings his Strength and Stamina up to two each and uses the
Step Two: remaining three Physical dots to give Lee a Dexterity score of four.
Character Concept Lee is nimble and wiry. Finally, Luke decides Lee isn’t particularly
imposing — maybe he’s too scrawny, or he’s learned to keep his head
Moving on from the chronicle-wide decisions, each charac- down and try to avoid notice. He leaves Lee’s Presence at one dot,
ter’s concept helps shape the rest of the creation process. This but gives him both Manipulation and Composure scores of three.
doesn’t need to be an extensive background. Just a few words can
Lee is quick, and canny when it comes to dealing with people,
help give you a greater sense of who the character is and what
but he’s not particularly frightening — at least, when his skin isn’t
sort of capabilities they should have. A bitter and disabled veteran
sprouting spines. Luke looks back at his original concept now
or a middle manager trapped in corporate drone hell or a repentant
and refines it a bit — he had Lee down as a street thug, but Lee
criminal all provide good groundings in who the Remade was
Clade Effects
Cephalist 1/chapter, +1 Variation Magnitude until the end of the scene (spend Willpower to further increase
Magnitude); spend Willpower to reset a 1/scene or 1/chapter Variation or Adaptation.
Chimeric 1/chapter, reduce a Scar's Magnitude to 1 until the end of the scene (spend Willpower to suppress additional
Scars); suffer bashing or lethal damage, respectively, to reset a 1/scene or 1/chapter Variation or Adaptation.
Coactive 1/chapter, +1 Variation Magnitude until the end of the scene (suffer lethal damage to further increase
Magnitude); spend Willpower to reset a 1/scene or 1/chapter Variation or Adaptation.
Invasive 1/chapter, heal all damage taken during the current scene, but this may temporarily shut down a Variation;
suffer bashing or lethal damage, respectively, to reset a 1/scene or 1/chapter Variation or Adaptation.
Mutant 1/chapter, exchange a Variation for a Universal Variation of up to half its Magnitude until the end of the
scene; suffer a minor Instability to reset a 1/scene or 1/chapter Variation or Adaptation.
Stability 85
on the things that ground her. She protects her loved ones. She Major Instabilities are impossible to ignore, representing
pours her rage into dismantling the conspiracy. If a Deviant is as they do a truly existential threat to the Deviant. Each such
unable to rein in her Instabilities, she risks a horrifying spiral injury to the Remade’s fractured soul comes with a new Scar,
that leads to further mutation, madness, and possibly, death. symptoms that worsen exponentially with each new spiritual tu-
When the character neglects her Touchstones or feels mor. Many Broken never fully recover from a major Instability,
her carefully constructed sense of self shaken, her Stability is for such damage is exceptionally stubborn.
wounded and she gains an Instability. Instabilities are measured
in three degrees of severity: minor, medium, and major. Marking Instability
When the character has taken sufficient levels of Instability,
The character’s Stability track contains a number of boxes
her Scars grow more severe and difficult to control. Minor
equal to 5 + his Acclimation.
Instabilities aren’t always immediately obvious. Scars flare up
Instabilities are marked off from left to right, with the most
more often, and Involuntary Variations (p. 156) rage out of
severe injuries in the leftmost box, pushing the least severe fur-
control longer. Most Deviants regard minor Instabilities as an
ther to the right as injuries accrue. When healing Instabilities,
ever-present, if unwelcome, companion. Few remain completely
the rightmost boxes are healed first, progressing to the left.
free of Instability for long, if ever.
At the start of a story, the character marks off a number of minor
Medium Instabilities get harder to overlook. Like a mole
Instabilities equal to the Magnitude of her highest Variation.
that is noticeably larger than it was a week ago or a mysteri-
ous lump where no lump should be, such Instabilities make When a character suffers a minor Instability, mark it with a
themselves a constant source of worry for the Remade. He slash (\) in the empty box farthest to the left on her Stability track.
might try to shrug off the increased frequency of memories When a character suffers a medium Instability, mark it with
glitching on him as simply being distracted. He can hide smaller an X in the box farthest to the left that doesn’t already contain
wounds and subtle changes to his body by dressing carefully a medium or major Instability. If this marks over a minor
to conceal any unusual growths. But no matter how much he Instability, that minor Instability moves one box to the right.
tries to pretend everything is normal, the Broken recognizes When a character suffers a major Instability, mark it with
these are signs that something is seriously wrong. a large asterisk (*) in the box farthest to the left that doesn’t
Stability 87
• A success or failure result on a Faltering roll causes Peter has tracked down his hated Progenitor (and Conviction
a minor Instability, while a dramatic failure causes a Touchstone) and tailed him to his lab. Peter isn’t ready to confront
medium Instability. him yet, but he did catch the passcode to the lab’s rear door and
plans to visit after hours. He’s confident he’s one step closer to shut-
• The death (or permanent destruction) of a Loyalty ting his Progenitor’s operation down. Because he’s acted against his
Touchstone causes a medium Instability. This is a ma- Conviction Touchstone, he can heal a minor Instability:
jor Instability if the Remade is the direct cause of the
Touchstone’s death — the one who pulled the trigger,
blew up the building, or lost his grip of her so that she
plunged to the concrete below.
Before he has a chance to go to the lab, though, Peter gets a
Additionally, some Scars, Variations, and Adaptations frantic phone call from Carol, his childhood friend and a Loyalty
may inflict Instability, leading the Deviant toward a danger- Touchstone. He goes to her aid and resolves the crisis that prompted
ous spiral of Instability and mutation unless she finds a way the call. Because he has acted in support of a Loyalty Touchstone,
to halt its progress. he heals a medium Instability:
Healing Instability
Instabilities do not simply heal with time. The blows to
Peter breaks into the lab, hoping to catch his Progenitor by
a Remade’s psyche require more than just thinking about
surprise and kill him, which would heal a major Instability (for
what she did, or giving herself some distance from the act.
destroying a Conviction Touchstone):
In fact, withdrawing from human contact only exacerbates
her Instability. Instead, the transformed must actively work
to shore up her relationships with and her approaches to her
Touchstones. By acting in support of her Loyalty Touchstones
or pursuing her Conviction Touchstones, she pulls herself back Matters go poorly, however, and his Progenitor escapes. The
toward more stable spiritual ground, and her mind and body Scar the major Instability has been worsening has become dif-
respond in kind. The mutations she’s suffered recede, and her ficult for Peter to cope with, though. He wants to eliminate that
control over her Variations returns. major Instability. He develops a new Scar, permanently worsening
his Broken condition but downgrading the major Instability to
• Once per scene, an exceptional success on a Scar Finesse medium:
or Scar Resistance roll heals one minor Instability.
Forms the story and subject to Storyteller approval, any Forms must
be chosen during character creation. Each Form comes with
special rules. The most common Forms are Amalgam, Devoted,
No two Broken are exactly alike, but some Remade are Self-Made, Symbiote, and Transmissible. The rules for Devoted
more unlike their kind than others. By default, a Deviant has are covered in Chapter Five (p. 236).
a single, nearly human mind, his Variations do not possess a
will of their own, his condition is not contagious, and he is a
Renegade who is not directly responsible for his Divergence. Amalgam
Forms represent cases where some or all of these are not true. Before the Divergence, the Broken was two or more dis-
Like Clades, Forms color the Remade’s Scars and tinct, sapient beings, and his memories are a patchwork of
Variations. They do not cost Experiences, nor are they mutu- their experiences. Most Amalgams consist solely of human
ally exclusive. One of the Broken may be both Self-Made and partners, but some are people fused with supernatural crea-
a Symbiote. However, with a few exceptions handled within tures from this world or ones stranger. Most Amalgams involve
Forms 89
the combination of two beings. However, some are a gestalt
of three, five, or even a hundred formerly distinct creatures. Chimeric vs.
Amalgam personalities are usually a seamless fusion of
their source material, recombining traits so that the Deviant’s Amalgam vs.
temperament resembles a child born of the amalgamated be- Symbiote vs.
ings. Some can identify whose memories originally belonged
to whom, while others find it impossible to tell the difference Alternate Persona
anymore.
Systems: During character creation, the Amalgam’s player All of these reflect different beings (or parts of
may reduce the number of Skill dots available to him by no them) coexisting within a single Deviant, but they
more than six (from 22 to 16). Each dot sacrificed grants the do so in distinct ways:
Amalgam access to an equal number of temporary Skill dots A Chimeric fusion involves multiple species and
each chapter, which can be used to gain a new Skill or raise an is usually physical, although some Hybrids retain
existing Skill (to a maximum rating of five dots). Such knowl- elements of the donor’s personality or even a
edge fades at the end of the scene. These floating Skill dots few memories. Moreover, the commingling is
can be called upon one at a time, all at once, or anywhere in frequently unequal, capturing a few traits of one
between, and they can be stacked onto a single Skill or spread species and implanting them into another.
out across multiple Skills. An Amalgam fusion involves multiple sapient
beings and is usually mental. Their memories are
Self-Made a patchwork, but their mingled personalities are
perfectly harmonious.
Unlike the vast majority of transformed, the Self-Made has
no one but herself to blame for her Divergence. Self-Made A Symbiote fusion involves multiple motives
contained within a single body — sometimes in
are their own Progenitors and so cannot purchase the Living
harmony, sometimes opposed. However, the
Progenitor Merit (see p. 101). Some used themselves as a test symbiote does not exercise direct control over the
subject. Others were meddling with forces beyond their under- Deviant’s body.
standing and fell victim to accident. Many Self-Made do not
immediately come to the attention of a conspiracy, unless they The Alternate Persona Scar (p. 158) reflects
already belonged to one. This means that although the experi- personalities that share control over a body, with
each consciousness spending some time in the
ence of Divergence is as traumatic for the Self-Made as it is for
pilot’s seat.
other Broken, they often have an opportunity to shape their
response to this singular experience in a thoughtful way. This
is very different from other Deviants, who usually begin their
new lives with a desperate grasping at any social connection his commands. This consciousness can be an invaluable ally
that will keep them from drowning in Instability. when its goals and personality mesh with the Remade’s own,
Systems: During character creation, the Self-Made’s but it can pose a significant liability when he attempts to act
player may opt to begin play with an alternate distribution contrary to its wishes. Some sapient manifestations of occult
of Conviction and Loyalty dots. The Loyalty/Conviction power are open with the Deviant regarding these desires.
dot granted by the transformed’s Origin remains, but she Others are more secretive or simply less able to communicate
may assign the other four in any combination of Loyalty and their needs to him.
Conviction. She may even choose not to assign some or all of Systems: During character creation, the Symbiote’s player
these starting dots, instead establishing Touchstones during chooses the complexity of the motives the Deviant’s Variations
play (p. 83). The Broken must have at least one Touchstone possess — expressed as one or two short-term Aspirations and/
when play begins. or one long-term Aspiration. The Symbiote’s player does not
In addition, the Self-Made will not become Feral as long choose the specifics of these Aspirations (that is the purview
as she has at least one Wavering Touchstone. However, if she of the Storyteller) — only the number and type. While these
has one or more Wavering Touchstones and only one empty resemble the Aspirations of Baseline humans (p. 95), the mo-
Touchstone slot, her player cannot select a new Wavering tives of a Symbiote’s Variations can be as alien as the power
Touchstone. that grants them.
Once per chapter, when the Deviant makes a Scar Finesse
Symbiote roll or a Scar Resistance roll, the entity may choose to involve
itself if doing so would further its motives (or if failing to do
The Deviant’s Variations have a mind of their own. He may so would thwart its desires). This grants a bonus or imposes a
draw power from a demon that has been bound to him, for penalty based on the type of motive involved:
example, or maybe his cybernetic implants occasionally override
Forms 91
few hours to a couple of days, with some variation depending Occasionally, and usually by accident (at least initially),
on the victim’s natural resistance. In rare cases, symptoms do one of the Remade bucks this trend. A Renegade successfully
not appear until months after exposure, or else they manifest destroys all or most of those who have wronged her, for ex-
almost immediately, within a few seconds of contact with the ample, leaving her the leisure to focus on the bonds of loyalty
preternatural disease. she has forged. Alternatively, she still has enemies left on her
The symptoms of a Transmissible’s contagion vary from list of vendettas, but she has accumulated so many people for
one strain to the next. Some resemble cold or flu symptoms, whose well-being she cares that the drive to protect and serve
differing from these ordinary-seeming complaints only if a eclipses her natural inclination to kill and destroy.
victim suffers spontaneous Divergence. More extreme strains Such Renegades have more opportunities to engage with
mimic serious diseases or even replicate one or more of the Loyalty Touchstones in ways that push back Instability (see
Transmissible’s Scars. With very rare exceptions, a victim of p. 88). Moreover, this arrangement affords the Deviant’s
this disease is not contagious unless and until he suffers the Variations greater stability, preventing her Scars from
Divergence. worsening.
Once symptoms begin to manifest, a victim has some abil-
ity to fight off the infection naturally — whether biologically,
psychically, or spiritually. Contagious Divergences vary in the
Causes and Effects
systems they attack in the victim and the difficulty of fighting of Catharsis
them off. For most of these diseases, a victim who successfully Whenever a Renegade’s Loyalty exceeds her Conviction,
fends off one infection is forever immune to that strain of she achieves a state of Catharsis, becomes a Guardian, and
transmissible Divergence. enjoys the following benefits:
If the victim fails to resist the disease, he suffers Divergence.
• The Guardian regains one additional point of
This typically takes several days or weeks, but the metamor-
Willpower per day, even if she does not get a night of
phosis can be more rapid (a few seconds) or gradual (several
restful sleep.
months). A Remade created in such a way has no inherent
loyalty to the Transmissible who infected him, and is as likely • The Guardian does not suffer automatic minor
as any potential Deviant to die during or shortly after the Instabilities at the beginning of each story.
Divergence.
Systems: Infection only affects those humans who are • The Guardian heals one minor Instability at the begin-
capable of Divergence, so most supernatural beings are ning of each chapter.
immune to this occult disease. During character creation,
the Transmissible’s player details the vector, virulence, and
other attributes of her contagion. If some but not all the
Returning to Earth
Transmissible’s Variations are vectors, her player may decide It is difficult for Renegades to remain in a state of Catharsis.
whether any new Variation the Transmissible later develops Even a Guardian who sincerely wishes to set aside his life of
is also a vector. revenge seldom receives that opportunity. Conspiracies watch
During character creation, the Transmissible’s player also for such “retired” Remade and take steps to recruit them.
decides the dice pool a victim uses to overcome the contagion. Most employ the usual tactics of capture, imprisonment, and
This can be any combination of two Resistance Attributes (in- coercion to force the Deviant to serve. Others are not so direct.
cluding duplicate Attributes) or a single Resistance Attribute. They might abduct the Guardian’s Loyalty Touchstones to en-
In the first case, the roll is usually extended, with an interval sure his cooperation, for example, or else they might convince
and target number determined by the player during character or coerce these allies into betraying him in large ways or small.
creation — but never more than 15 successes, and five successes is More insidiously, a conspiracy might send agents to befriend
typical. In the second case, a single success prevents Divergence. the Remade such that they become Loyalty Touchstones who
can exert pressure on the Guardian to ally himself with the
conspiracy — turning him into one of the Devoted.
Catharsis Guardians fall out of the state of Catharsis in one of two
ways:
Renegade Deviants are largely defined by their enemies.
Although they can forge bonds of sentiment to establish • If a Guardian’s Loyalty is at least two higher than her
Loyalty Touchstones, most Renegades have significantly more Conviction, and at least one Loyalty Touchstone belongs
Conviction Touchstones — people whose destruction the to a conspiracy, the Deviant’s player may convert her
Broken seeks. Obeying this drive to destroy, to raze to dust to one of the Devoted, gaining the Devoted Form (see
the lives of those who have wronged him, allows the Renegade p. 238). A Guardian who becomes Devoted exits the
to maintain a grim equilibrium, but doing so is messy, to say state of Catharsis at the end of the chapter.
nothing of bloody.
Acclimation 93
her. She faces fundamental questions about the nature of the world
as much of what she took for granted lies shattered. Character
This is not a comfortable process of self-discovery. It is the
lifelong vegetarian finding that he can no longer digest anything Advancement
but raw meat. It is the jazz musician who one day discovers that all
Characters in Deviant: The Renegades advance through
music sounds like noise to her ears. Personality traits the Broken
a system of “Experiences.” Players spend Experiences to in-
has taken for granted his whole life suddenly feel like they belong
crease and buy new character traits. Experiences are earned
to someone else, and continuing to act in accordance with them is
by accruing “Beats,” which are small elements of drama in
the act of an impostor, a fraud. Regaining a new sense of normal
the plot. These Beats come through suffering complications
after the Divergence demands substantial effort and adequate
caused by Scars, fulfilling Aspirations, making progress toward
time for self-reflection. For most Renegades, this is a luxury they
a Conviction Touchstone, through good and bad things hap-
are unlikely to enjoy often (if ever), but those who manage to do
pening to characters, and resolving minor plot hurdles called
so can greatly increase their longevity — putting off the madness
Conditions.
and death of Instability a little bit longer.
Acclimation is a trait that reflects the degree to which
the Deviant has explored her new nature — learned how her Beats
Variations work, probed the limits imposed by her Scars, and Beats are measures of drama in the Storytelling system.
established a means of leaning on Touchstones to prevent Five Beats become one Experience, one significant moment
further degeneration. Most Remade begin play with no dots able to advance your character. You receive Beats for multiple
in Acclimation, representing just enough familiarity with things in the course of the story. Scars, Aspirations, Conviction
the arcane forces flowing through them to prevent rapid Touchstones, and Conditions are the most common ways to
physical and cognitive deterioration. A Deviant can raise her achieve Beats, but numerous others exist. Here are the main
Acclimation to as high as five dots during play. Acclimation ways this occurs:
has several important effects: • Whenever one of your Scars creates a significant story
• A Remade has dots of Stability (see p. 85) equal to five complication for you or your cohort, take a Beat.
plus Acclimation.
• Any time you resolve an Aspiration, take a Beat.
• Whenever the Broken wishes to activate a Controlled
Variation (p. 108) or target a Directed Variation (p. • Any time you resolve or make progress toward a
109), the player must succeed on a Scar Finesse roll (p. Conviction Touchstone, take a Beat.
108), which includes Acclimation in its dice total.
• At the end of every chapter, take a Beat.
• Certain Scars allow the Deviant to limit or suppress
• Any time you resolve a Condition, take a Beat.
some of their effects with a successful Scar Resistance
roll (p. 110), which includes Acclimation in its dice total • When you fail a roll, you can opt to make it a dramatic
and suffers a penalty based on Instability (p. 87). failure and take a Beat.
• The Deviant’s Supernatural Tolerance is equal to • When a Scar causes a complication for you or your
the rating of her highest-Magnitude Variation plus cohort, take a Beat.
Acclimation.
• Any major dramatic event the Storyteller deems ap-
• If the Remade engages in a Clash of Wills with another propriate can award a Beat.
supernatural being, her player’s dice pool is equal to the
Magnitude of the Variation she uses plus Acclimation. You can only receive one Beat from a given category in a
given scene. If you resolve three Conditions in a scene, for
example, you only receive one Beat. However, if the moment
Increasing is particularly dramatic, or you’ve made significant sacrifice to
trigger multiple Beats, the Storyteller can award multiple Beats.
Acclimation Beats are pooled with those of other players. At the end
Acclimation cannot be improved by simply spending of any chapter, each player gets an equal share of the pooled
Experiences. The Remade must be in a state of equilibrium Beats. If there are leftover Beats, the troupe may choose either
with her Divergence and must have begun to explore new to carry the remainder to the next chapter or to award these
capabilities within herself. The Broken must not be suffering extra Beats to one or more characters based on whatever criteria
from any medium or major Instability and must have at least the players find acceptable. Some troupes might award an extra
five Experiences available. A Remade’s Acclimation may only Beat to a player whose character was particularly important to
increase once per chapter.
the chapter. Others might give excess Beats to a player so that Aspirations also have some other game effects. For example,
her character will be able to purchase a trait, such as a Merit they can influence Social Maneuvering actions (see p. 207).
or Skill, that will benefit the whole cohort. Some may simply
take turns. Conditions
Conditions are minor dramatic effects that occur in the
Aspiration scope of gameplay and the story. They influence the rules in
Choose one Aspiration. This is a goal you wish to achieve various ways, often adding or removing dice from a pool.
during the upcoming chapter. If you complete this objective, Every Condition has a resolution. When that thing occurs
take a Beat. If you do not resolve the Aspiration before the end in the game (often at your choice as a player), the Condition
of the current chapter, you can keep it for the next chapter or goes away, and you take a Beat.
swap it out between chapters for a new Aspiration. Some Conditions are Persistent, which is to say that they
Aspirations exist as a way to measure and express ad- last longer than normal Conditions, and offer multiple Beats.
vancement toward goals other than pursuing Conviction These Conditions have a “Beat” entry in their descriptions.
Touchstones and suffering Scars. They also convey the players’ When that thing happens, no more than once per scene, take
intentions to the Storyteller so that he can incorporate the a Beat.
Aspirations into the current chapter. Aspirations can be rea- Any time a scene calls for a Condition, the Storyteller can
sonably specific (“Stake out the warehouse to identify a likely impose one. As well, any time a character achieves exceptional
employee to abduct and interrogate”), but general, or even success or dramatic failure on an action, a Condition will occur.
somewhat vague, Aspirations will be more common (“Fortify Exceptional success grants a positive Condition of the player’s
my base of operations against intruders”). It is easier to fulfill choosing, and dramatic failure imposes a negative Condition
a general Aspiration than a specific one — in part because it of the Storyteller’s choosing.
gives the Storyteller more latitude in how to provide you with You can find a list of example Conditions beginning on
the opportunity to do so. p. 320.
As a Storyteller, make an effort to give players a chance
to fulfill an Aspiration each chapter. If a player chooses an Experiences
Aspiration that is unrealistic, don’t hesitate to say so and let
her choose a new one before the chapter begins. And when it Whenever you accrue five Beats, those Beats vanish, and
comes to the question of whether or not a player fulfilled an you take an Experience. An Experience is a sign of meaningful
Aspiration, always lean toward allowing it. progress in your character’s story and within the greater plot
When an Aspiration is fulfilled, after the scene you can of the chronicle. You can expend Experiences at any time to
swap it out for another one. Usually in resolving an Aspiration, increase your character traits — including during a chapter
another one becomes a clear choice. However, the new (subject to Storyteller veto). A single dot of a trait (or a new
Aspiration doesn’t have to be related to the old one. It can Variation) costs one or more Experiences, depending on what
just be a different goal or direction for your character, to keep it is. Look to the chart below:
things dynamic and progressing.
Character Advancement 95
Trait Experiences Specialty grants a +2 bonus instead of +1. You can take
this Merit multiple times to represent different areas of
Attribute 4
expertise.
Skill 2
Skill Specialty 1 Bleeding Heart (•••)
Merit 1 Prerequisite: Deviant
Variation 4* Effect: Through sheer bloody-minded tenacity, your charac-
Acclimation 5* ter has managed to hold on to part of her humanity, allowing
her to behave as though she still had a Virtue (chosen at the
* New Variations can be of any Magnitude the player time you purchase this Merit). Once per chapter, when your
wishes, as long as the Broken already has a Scar that can be character acts in accordance with that Virtue, roll Resolve +
entangled with it. To improve Acclimation, the Deviant must Composure. Success means that she regains all her Willpower
meet all the criteria described above (p. 95).
as though she has acted on a Virtue (p. 95). The character does
not otherwise count as having the Virtue.
Merits Blood on My Hands (•••)
Merits are a character’s background, such as his allies or Prerequisite: Deviant
influence. Merits are measured in dots, but are not always
Effect: Through spite and ill will, your character has
used to determine dice pools. Instead, they represent increasing
managed to hold on to part of her humanity, allowing her to
degrees of quality or quantity concerning their subject.
behave as though she still had a Vice (chosen at the time you
Below is a list of Merits Deviant characters can take. Any purchase this Merit). Once per scene, when your character
Merit marked (Overt) means that a character who takes that acts in accordance with that Vice, roll Resolve + Composure.
Merit can more easily be tracked by their Conspiracy. See Success means that she regains a point of Willpower as though
Chapter Five for more details. she had acted on her Vice (p. 95). The character does not
otherwise count as having the Vice.
Sanctity of Merits
Merits reflect aspects of your character but are an out-of- Direction Sense (•)
game resource. For example, your character may have friends, Effect: Your character has an innate sense of direction, and
but you can choose to spend Experiences or Merit dots to is always aware of her location in space. She always knows which
purchase the Allies Merit. This gives those friends a direct ef- direction she faces, and never suffers penalties to navigate or
fect in the game. If something happens to a character’s friends, find her way.
specifically supporting cast not represented by Merit dots, the
story goes on and nothing happens in terms of game mechan-
ics. If something happens to Allies, however, those points are
Eidetic Memory (••)
not lost. The Allies dots disappear but you receive Experiences Effect: Your character recalls events and details with pin-
equal to the dots lost. This is called the Sanctity of Merits rule. point accuracy. You do not have to make rolls for your character
If your character loses a Merit, you may repurchase it in the to remember past experiences. When making Intelligence +
next chapter of your chronicle. You can’t just say, “All right, Composure (or relevant Skill) rolls to recall minute facts from
my Allies died. I’m buying new Allies to call.” You’d have to swaths of information, take a +2 bonus.
wait until the next chapter. Alternatively, you can spend those
Experiences on other traits that are relevant to the situation. Flashback (•)
Maybe losing those Allies inspired a few trips to the firing range Prerequisite: Deviant
to let off steam, so you spend those points on a dot of Firearms.
Effect: Sometimes Deviants recall their torture and trans-
For additional Merits available to all characters, see the formation vividly — whether they want to or not. Once per
Chronicles of Darkness Rulebook. chapter, you can choose to accept the Shaken Condition for
your character. She has had a flashback, or vivid traumatic
Mental Merits sense memory, to an important part of her transformation. She
might recall code phrases, medical diagrams, words exchanged
between her tormentors, or something else of importance.
Area of Expertise (•) While it might not be immediately apparent why that particular
Prerequisite: Resolve •• and one Skill Specialty thing is important, it should reveal itself later in play.
Effect: Your character is uncommonly specialized in
one area. Choose a Specialty to assign to this Merit. This
Merits 97
Interdisciplinary Specialty (•) Patient (•)
Prerequisite: Skill at ••• or higher with a Specialty Effect: Your character knows how to pace herself and take
Effect: Choose a Specialty that your character possesses the time to do the job right the first time. When taking an
when you purchase this Merit. You can apply the +1 from extended action, you may make two additional rolls above what
that Specialty on any Skill with at least one dot, provided your Attribute + Skill allows.
it’s justifiable within the scope of the fiction. For example, a
doctor with a Medicine Specialty in Anatomy may be able to Professional Training
use it when targeting a specific body part with Weaponry, but
could not with a general strike.
(• to •••••) (Overt)
Effect: Your character has extensive training in a profes-
Investigative Aide (•) sional field. When choosing this Merit, decide on a profes-
sion for your character and choose two Asset Skills on your
Prerequisites: Chosen Skill at •••+ character sheet relevant to that profession. The advantages
Effect: Your character has one particular knack that can of Professional Training relate directly to those Asset Skills.
contribute amazingly to an investigation. Choose a Skill when
purchasing this Merit; when making rolls to uncover Clues • Networking: At the first level of Professional
(p. 210), she achieves exceptional success on three successes Training, your character builds connections within
instead of five. As well, Clues that come from her use of that her chosen field. Take two dots of relevant Contacts.
Skill start with one additional element. You may purchase this
•• Continuing Education: Your character tends toward
Merit multiple times, to enhance different Skills.
greater successes within her areas of expertise. When
making a roll with her Asset Skills, she benefits from
Investigative Prodigy the 9-again quality.
(• to •••••) ••• Breadth of Knowledge: As your character has advanced
Prerequisites: Wits •••, Investigation ••• in her field, she has expanded both the depth and
Effect: Your character investigates instinctively, and can breadth of her expertise. Choose a third Asset Skill,
intuit details and connections in a scene without much and take two Specialties in your character’s Asset Skills.
time. He’s a veritable Sherlock Holmes. Instead of simply
uncovering Clues or not uncovering Clues when investigat- •••• On the Job Training: Your character has access to exten-
ing (p. 210), your character discovers multiple Clues in a sive educational tools. Take a Skill dot in an Asset Skill.
single action. Your character can uncover Clues equal to Whenever you purchase a new Asset Skill dot, take a Beat.
his successes or his Merit dots, whichever is lower, as an
••••• The Routine: With such extensive experience in her
instant action. Only the first Clue benefits from additional
field, your character makes difficult tasks look easy.
elements; other Clues established with this Merit receive
Before rolling, you may spend a point of Willpower to
only a single element each.
apply the rote quality to a single roll with an Asset Skill.
Language (•)
Effect: Your character is skilled with an additional language,
Shared Suffering (••)
beyond her native tongue. Choose a language each time you Prerequisite: Deviant
buy this Merit. Your character can speak, read, and write in Effect: Your character feels a deep sympathy for her fellow
that language. Broken. She enjoys a +2 bonus on Empathy and Medicine rolls
to aid a fellow Deviant. In addition, whenever you preserve
Multilingual (•) from destruction a Remade who is not in your cohort, you
take a Beat. This includes showing mercy to an enemy Deviant
Effect: Your character has a strong affinity for language
when it would be more expedient not to do so.
acquisition. Each time you purchase this Merit, choose two lan-
guages. Your character can speak conversationally in those lan-
guages. With an Intelligence + Academics roll, he may also read Tolerance for Biology (•)
enough of the language to understand context. If you purchase Effect: Most people turn away at the sight of blood, other bodily
the Language Merit for either of these languages, replace the fluids, or exotic biology, but nothing turns your character’s stomach.
Multilingual language with another. For example, if you have You do not need to make Composure, Stamina, or Resolve rolls to
Multilingual (French, Italian), and purchase Language (Italian), withstand the biologically strange. This doesn’t mean she’s immune
you may choose to take Multilingual (French, Portuguese). to fear; she’s just used to nature in all its nasty forms.
Note: This Merit has a Resolve 3 prerequisite for Baseline characters.
Merits 99
action reflexively in a given turn. As well, her Larceny actions must roll Manipulation + Persuasion + Allies with a penalty
go unnoticed unless someone is trying specifically to catch her. equal to the favor’s rating. If the roll is successful, the group
does as requested. Failed or successful, the character loses a
Stabilizer (• to •••) dot of Allies (but Sanctity of Merits applies).
Prerequisite: Deviant Drawback: Most Allies won’t have your Deviant’s back for
free. They’re going to expect you to have theirs as well. Allies
Effect: Your character possesses an item or receives a treat-
might call at inconvenient times, demand favors, talk to the
ment that holds off Instability. It may be a device that creates a
wrong people, or put themselves in harm’s way.
dampening field around her, or a serum that repairs damaged
cells. Not only does it grant her peace of mind, it also allows
her some measure of control over her Instability. Anonymity (• to •••••)
Each dot of this Merit reduces the Instability penalty on Effect: Your character lives off the grid. This means pur-
Scar Resistance rolls by one, to a minimum penalty of 0 (p. 87). chases must be made with cash or falsified credit cards. She
Drawback: If the character loses the item or misses a treat- eschews identification. She avoids any official authoritative
ment, she loses the benefits of this Merit until she can retrieve influence in her affairs. Any attempts to find her by paper trail
the object or resume treatment. If the object or treatment is suffer a –1 penalty per dot purchased in this Merit.
lost permanently, the Sanctity of Merits applies normally.
Armed and Extremely
Social Merits Dangerous (•••) (Overt)
Prerequisite: Deviant
Air of Menace (••) Effect: Your character had an unusually bloody escape from
Prerequisites: Intimidation •• her conspiracy. Whether she gunned her way through legions of
Effect: Your character has survived dozens of fights, and guards and scientists with a stolen automatic weapon, or shred-
each one has taken its toll. He carries scars, features that have ded the facility with nothing but a scalpel and a pair of forceps,
healed crookedly, and an attitude that unsettles others. The she is a fugitive in every sense of the word. Her conspiracy treats
character gains +2 dice to rolls that use fear and menace to her at best with extreme caution, and at worst as a bogeyman, a
force compliance, such as with Intimidation rolls. Opponents tale that they tell to new recruits. Any members of the conspiracy
less menacing than the character also think twice before pro- your character meets will either call for backup or flee outright.
voking him. Opponents with Intimidation dots fewer than Agents of a conspiracy who encounter the Deviant without
the character’s must spend a point of Willpower to initiate having prepared themselves for the confrontation suffer the
combat against him. Beaten Down Tilt (p. 314) when they realize their predicament,
Drawback: Though people may try to overcome their preju- unless they outnumber her and her allies by at least the rating
dices, appearance still drives many human opinions. In social of her highest Magnitude Variation.
maneuvers, the character’s first impression is downgraded one Drawback: While the conspiracy will only rarely send
step for people who do not know him, and even for those who agents to collect the Broken, when it does, it will send well-
do he must overcome an additional Door. equipped, heavily armed hit squads, ready to bring her in dead
or alive, regardless of the casualties they might suffer. Agents
Allies (• to •••••) (Overt) sent to engage her (or her cohort) as part of a conspiracy action
are immune to the Beaten Down Tilt in the current scene.
Effect: Allies help your character. They might be friends,
employees, associates, or people your character has black-
mailed. Each instance of this Merit represents one type of
Contacts (•)
ally. This could be an organization, a society, a clique, or an Effect: Contacts provide your character with information.
individual. You can take this Merit multiple times to represent This Merit represents a sphere or organization within which
different Allies. For example, your character may possess Allies the character can garner information. Contacts do not provide
(Police) •••, Allies (Organized Crime) ••, and Allies (Church) •. services, only information. This may be face-to-face, by email,
Dots in this Merit reflect greater relationships and access. telephone, or even by séance, in some strange instances.
Work with the Storyteller to determine just what your char- Garnering information via Contacts requires a Manipulation
acter’s dots mean, and what she can request from her Allies + Social Skill roll, depending on the method the character
reasonably. uses and the relationship they have with their Contact. The
When requesting help from Allies, the Storyteller assigns Storyteller should give a bonus or penalty depending on how
a rating between 1 and 5 to the favor. A character can ask for relevant the information is to that particular Contact, whether
favors that add up to her Allies rating without penalty in one accessing the information is dangerous, and whether the
chapter. If she stretches her influence beyond that, her player character has maintained good relations or done favors for
Merits 101
nuance and meaning and may even speak several different often in the background, and sometimes without your charac-
languages and perform perfect mimicry over the phone. A ter’s knowledge. While Mentors can be highly competent, they
five-dot Manticore is a sun conure who is nearly sapient and almost always want something in return for their services. The
devoted to the Deviant. dot rating determines the Mentor’s capabilities, and to what
Manticores manifest one or more Variations. As a rule of extent he’ll aid your character.
thumb, purchase Variations for the Manticore as though its Merit When establishing a Mentor, determine what the Mentor
dot rating were a Scar being used to support those Variations. wants from your character. This should be personally impor-
A three-dot Manticore could have one Magnitude 3 Variation, tant to him, and it should reflect the dot rating chosen. A
two Magnitude 2 Variations, or three Magnitude 1 Variations, one-dot Mentor might want to live vicariously through your
for example. Manticores do not have Scars, although some have character’s stories of her exploits. A five-dot Mentor could want
strange appearances or habits that are not typical of their species. something astronomical, such as the downfall of a powerful,
Drawback: This Merit is distinct from Allies in that the global conspiracy.
Manticore is a particularly smart animal and is not truly sapi- Choose three Skills the Mentor possesses. You can sub-
ent. Your character may need to take care of it with special stitute Resources for one of these Skills. Once per chapter,
equipment, feed it, and clean up its droppings. It cannot sign the character may ask her Mentor for a favor. The favor must
for its own apartment or take itself to the doctor without at- involve one of those Skills, or be within the scope of his
tracting major attention. Resources. The Mentor commits to the favor (often asking
for a commensurate favor in return), and if a roll is required,
Mentor (• to •••••) the Mentor is automatically considered to have successes equal
to his dot rating. Alternately, you may ask the Storyteller to
Effect: This Merit gives your character a teacher who pro-
have the Mentor act on your character’s behalf, without your
vides advice and guidance. He acts on your character’s behalf,
character knowing or initiating the request.
Merits 103
maximum of the Merit rating (player’s choice as to how much
damage a given trap inflicts). This requires that the character
Voice of the Wild (•• or •••)
has at least one dot in Crafts. The traps may be avoided with Prerequisite: Deviant
a Dexterity + Larceny roll, penalized by the Safe Place dots. Effect: Your character feels more at home communicating
Drawback: Just because a Deviant feels safe doesn’t mean with animals than with other humans. Your character receives a
she is safe. Neighbors talk. Police arrest or evict squatters. Her +2 bonus to Animal Ken rolls to soothe animals and Manticores.
conspiracy may even know what to look for. If a Deviant’s Safe At three dots, your character can also communicate with
Place is invaded, the Merit becomes Overt for the rest of the Manticores as though she and they shared a common language,
story, but her player gains a Beat. even if the Manticore is neither sapient nor capable of speech.
Merits 105
much any environment (the player is encouraged to work with required for Marksmanship, your character cannot use her
the Storyteller to determine an appropriate item — a large, Defense during any turn in which she uses one of these ma-
jagged rock in the wilderness, for example, or a heavy glass neuvers. These maneuvers may only be used after aiming for
ashtray with one sharp, broken edge in a dive bar). Regardless at least one turn.
of what he picks up, the weapon has a +0 weapon modifier, Through the Crosshairs (•): Your character is a competent
–1 Initiative penalty, Size 1, Durability 2, and Structure 4. sniper, able to sit in position and steel her wits. Usually, the
On an exceptional success, increase the weapon modifier and maximum bonus from aiming is three dice. With Through the
Size by 1, but the Initiative penalty increases to –2. Whatever Crosshairs, it’s equal to her Composure + Firearms.
your character grabs doesn’t cause you to suffer the normal –1 Precision Shot (••): With this level of training, your charac-
penalty for wielding an improvised weapon. ter knows how to effectively disable a victim instead of focusing
In Harm’s Way (••): Your character has got a knack for put- on the kill. When attacking a specified target, you may reduce
ting his weapon in the way of an oncoming attack, no matter your weapon’s damage rating one-for-one to ignore penalties
how small or inappropriate for blocking it might be. While for shooting a specified target (p. 197).
he’s wielding an improvised weapon acquired with Always For example, if your character is using a sniper rifle (four
Armed, you can treat the Structure of your character’s weapon damage weapon), and attacking an arm (-2 to hit), you could
as general armor against a single Brawl or Weaponry attack. choose to use three damage for -1, or two damage to eliminate
Any damage he takes inflicts an equal amount of damage to the penalty entirely.
the improvised weapon, bypassing Durability. Your character A Shot Rings Out (•••): A master sniper, your character has
can use the weapon to attack later in the same turn, but can no worries or lack of confidence. She can fire into a crowd and
only use this ability when applying his Defense to an attack. strike a specific target without penalty. If she misses, it’s because
Breaking Point (•••): One sure way to win a fight is to hit her shot goes wide. She will never hit an unintended target.
the other guy so hard that he doesn’t get back up, even if that Ghost (••••): Your character has trained to shoot unseen,
means losing a weapon in the process. When making an all- and vanish without a trace. Her Firearms score acts as a penalty
out attack with an improvised weapon acquired with Always on any roll to notice her vantage point, or any Investigation
Armed, you can reduce the weapon’s Structure by any amount, or Perception roll to investigate the area from where she was
down to a minimum of 0. Every 2 points of Structure spent shooting.
in this way adds 1 to the weapon modifier for that one single
attack. Declare any Structure loss before making the attack; this
Structure is reduced even if the attack does no damage. If the
Shiv (• or ••)
weapon is reduced to 0 Structure, it is automatically destroyed Prerequisites: Street Fighting ••, Weaponry •
after the attack. You can use this technique in conjunction with Effect: Your character carries small, concealable weapons
In Harm’s Way, allowing your character to parry an attack made for use in a tussle. Rolls to detect the concealed weapon suffer
on a higher Initiative and then go on the offensive, provided your character’s Weaponry score as a penalty. With the one-dot
that the weapon wasn’t destroyed version, he can conceal a weapon with a zero damage rating.
The two-dot version can conceal a one damage rating weapon.
Iron Skin (•• or ••••) Your character may use the Brawl Skill to use this weapon.
Prerequisites: Brawl ••, Stamina •••
Effect: Through rigorous conditioning, or extensive scar-
Street Fighting
ring, your character has grown resistant to harm. She can shrug (• to •••••; Style)
off shots that would topple bigger fighters. She knows how to Prerequisites: Stamina •••, Composure •••, Brawl ••,
take a strike, and can even move into a hit from a weapon to Streetwise ••
minimize harm. She gains armor against bashing attacks; one
Effect: Your character learned to fight on the mean streets.
point of armor with ••, and two points of armor with ••••. By
She may have had some degree of formal training, but the
spending a point of Willpower when hit, she can downgrade
methodology came from the real world, in dangerous circum-
some lethal damage from a successful attack into bashing.
stances. Many Deviants attained this Merit during their escape
Downgrade one damage at ••, two with ••••.
or while fighting off pursuers months or even years later. Street
Fighting isn’t about form and grace, it’s about staying alive.
Marksmanship (• to ••••; Style) These maneuvers may only be used unarmed, or with weapons
Prerequisites: Composure •••, Resolve •••, Firearms •• capable of using the Brawl Skill, such as punch daggers, or
Effect: When prepared and aimed, a gun is an ideal kill- weapons concealed with the Shiv Merit (above).
ing machine. Your character has trained to take advantage of Duck and Weave (•): Your character has been beaten all
the greatest features of a gun, usually a rifle, but this Style can to hell more than a few times. Now she dodges on instinct,
be used with any gun. Because of the discipline and patience not on skill. You can reflexively take a one-die penalty to any
Scars are divided into Mental, Physical and Social, and are For example, a Remade with the Conspicuous Appearance
associated with the following Attributes: Scar at Magnitude •••• could combine it with a single Variation
of up to Magnitude ••••; or with a Variation of Magnitude
• Mental: Intelligence (Power), Wits (Finesse), and
•••, plus an additional Variation of Magnitude ••• or less;
Resolve (Resistance)
or a Variation of Magnitude ••, plus two more Variations of
• Physical: Strength (Power), Dexterity (Finesse), and Magnitude •• or less; or four Variations each at Magnitude •.
Stamina (Resistance) A Scar-free Magnitude • Variation provided by the Deviant’s
Origin is not tied to a specific Scar. The Remade’s player must
• Social: Presence (Power), Manipulation (Finesse), and choose whether the Variation is Mental, Physical, or Social,
Composure (Resistance) and whether its activation method is Controlled or Persistent.
Where a Variation makes use of these Attributes, it refers Combining multiple Variations in a single Scar can keep the
to them as Scar Power, Scar Finesse, or Scar Resistance. For total Magnitude of Scars that the Broken carries to a minimum,
example, a Remade with the Enhanced Speed Variation com- and allows several Variations to conveniently key off the same
bined with Bane (a Physical Scar) would use Strength as his Attributes. However, it comes at the cost of linking all those
Scar Power, while one with Phobia (a Mental Scar) would use Variations to a more formidable disadvantage.
Intelligence as his Scar Power. While several Variations can be entangled together through
Most Variations and Scars use the same dice pools derived combination with a single Scar, the reverse is not possible. A
from Scar Power, Finesse, and Resistance. Variation cannot be combined with multiple Scars, except
through the use of Deviations applied to the Scar.
• A Scar Finesse roll is always Scar Finesse + Variation
Magnitude + Acclimation. If the Variation targets
an unwilling character or one who doesn’t know Acquiring Variations
they are being targeted, the intended victim makes Deviants begin with a total Magnitude of Variations al-
a contested Resistance + Supernatural Tolerance roll located by the chronicle threat level, plus the dot of Scar-free
to avoid its effects. The Resistance Attribute often Variation from their Origin. These Variations are assigned
matches that of the Variation’s Scar Resistance, but during the character creation process, and represent the initial
the Deviant’s player may choose another, more ap- mutations, alterations, and changes inflicted by Divergence.
propriate Resistance Attribute when purchasing the Variations are divided into six categories: Cephalist,
Variation. Chimeric, Coactive, Invasive, Mutant, and Universal. Variation
categories have the following effects:
• A Scar Resistance roll is always Scar Resistance +
Acclimation – Instability Penalty (p. 87). Scar Resistance • A Deviant must always have at least half of her total
rolls are used to resist or limit the effects of a Scar. Magnitude assigned to Variations from her Clade
and/or the Universal categories. A Cephalist with 5
• Scar Power is not used as part of dice pools. Rather, it Magnitude of Variations, for example, must have at
determines the overall potency of the Variation’s vari- least 3 Magnitude assigned to some combination of
ables — the number of targets it can affect, how much Universal and Cephalist Variations. Apart from this
damage it deals, how many Merit dots it grants, etc. restriction, a Remade may possess Variations from any
A Variation’s Magnitude cannot exceed the Magnitude category.
of its entangled Scar. A Scar can be entangled with multiple
• Broken of some Clades may temporarily increase or
Variations as long as the Scar’s Magnitude is higher than the
decrease the Magnitude of a Variation or Scar through
highest-Magnitude, entangled Variation. The number of
a Clade Adaptation. These changes are always of limited
Variations entangled with a single Scar cannot exceed 1 + the
duration, reverting back once the Adaptation’s effects
difference between the Scar’s Magnitude and the highest-rated
have ceased. See p. 112 for further details.
Variation’s Magnitude.
• A Controlled Variation only activates when the Deviant • Directing the Variation can (and usually does, though
wishes to use it but requires a successful Scar Finesse roll. not always) target a character or object other than the
Once activated, it remains active until the end of the scene Deviant herself. The initial target may be chosen as
or until the Remade deactivates it as an instant action. part of a Controlled Variation’s activation roll. If the
Variation is Persistent and Perpetual, it always requires
Dice Pool: Scar Finesse + Variation Magnitude + Acclimation. an instant action to choose a target. If the Variation is
If the Variation targets an unwilling character or one who doesn’t Involuntary (or Persistent and Toggled), and the Deviant
know they are being targeted, the intended victim makes a con- used an instant action to activate it, the target may be
tested Resistance + Supernatural Tolerance roll to avoid its effects. chosen as part of that action; if the power triggered as a
The Resistance Attribute often matches that of the Variation’s Scar result of events outside the Deviant’s control, it requires
Resistance, but the Deviant’s player may choose another, more an instant action to choose a target.
appropriate Resistance Attribute when purchasing the Variation.
Action: Instant, unless otherwise noted. • The Remade may choose one new target each turn, as
an instant action, which always requires a successful
Roll Results Scar Finesse roll. The maximum number of targets the
Success: The Variation activates. The Broken also suffers Broken may have under the influence of a Directed
the effects of the entangled Scar. Variation at a time cannot exceed Scar Power. If he
Exceptional Success: As a success, but the transformed also would exceed this target limit, the Variation’s effects end
heals a minor Instability. on enough previous targets to bring him back within
Failure: The Variation fails to activate. this limit.
Dramatic Failure: The Variation fails to activate, and the • A Directed Variation has a range of 10/20/40 yards/
Remade suffers a minor Instability. meters. The Deviant’s player suffers a penalty on the
• An Involuntary Variation can be activated with a Scar Scar Finesse roll if the target is at medium or long
Finesse roll, but certain stimuli, based on the Scar, range or is obscured by concealment (p. 198). Directed
cause it to activate reflexively without the Deviant’s Variations cannot ordinarily penetrate cover (p. 198).
permission or to behave without his direction. See p.
156 for details. • Unless targeting a willing target (one who is aware
of the incoming Variation and wishes to be a target
• A Persistent Variation is available at any time and of it), the victim may make a reflexive Resistance +
does not require a roll to activate. Some Persistent Supernatural Tolerance roll to contest the Variation’s
Variations (Perpetual) are permanently active and are effects. Variations that are instead resisted by a target’s
only suppressed if an Adaptation or another Variation Defense are not usually contested, too.
temporarily does so. Others (Toggled) are only active
when the Broken chooses to activate them as an instant • A Deviant may choose to target a Directed Variation
action and remain active until the end of the scene or while grappled, acting on her normal Initiative (instead
until the Deviant deactivates them as an instant action. of the highest Initiative among grappling parties).
However, doing so forces her to automatically lose
• Penalties levied by Conditions, Tilts, and wound (achieve no successes on) the next contested grapple
penalties usually do not affect Scar Finesse and Scar check, the Variation may only target participants in the
Resistance rolls. Depending on the way a specific grapple, and the Scar Finesse roll to direct the Variation
Deviant’s Variation works, however, deleterious effects suffers a –2 penalty.
may impact these rolls. Each time one does so and the
Unentangled Scars • Directed-Only: The Scar (or Deviation) may only en-
tangle Directed Variations (p. 109).
Every Variation must be entangled with a Scar, but the reverse
is not true. If a Deviant develops a new Persistent Scar during • Perpetual-Only: The Scar (or Deviation) may only
play as the result of Instability (p. 87), it need not be entangled entangle Perpetual Variations (p. 110).
with a Variation. The Remade can entangle it with a Variation
he develops later by spending Experiences. However, in order to • Repeatable: A player can develop the Scar more than
develop a new Controlled or Involuntary Scar, the Deviant must once. This allows several Controlled Variations to exact
immediately purchase a new Variation to entangle with it. the same price even if entangled with different Scars.
If the Deviant already has an unentangled Scar when he Some Repeatable Scars must apply different criteria
would manifest a new one due to healing or downgrading exist- each time.
ing Instability (p. 88), any new, unentangled Scar must have a
• Toggled-Only: The Scar (or Deviation) may only en-
Magnitude at least equal to the total number of unentangled
tangle Toggled Variations (p. 110), none of which may
Scars (or a maximum of Magnitude 5). So, the player of a
be made Perpetual through Deviations.
Deviant with two unentangled Scars who chooses to gain a third
unentangled Scar in order to downgrade some of his Instability Deviations
would have to choose a Persistent Scar of Magnitude 3 or higher.
During character creation, a Remade may have Scars whose A Deviation modifies a Variation or Scar. Most Deviations
Magnitude could potentially entangle additional Variations and are specific to a single Variation or Scar and are included in
may have one or more unentangled Scars, subject to the limits those entries. Those Deviations that can apply to multiple
above. This excess capacity may be used to entangle new Variations Scars are listed separately, beginning on p. 170.
during play. It may only be used to increase the Magnitude of an A Deviation adds its rating to the Variation’s or Scar’s ef-
existing, entangled Variation (see p. 107) during a scene in which fective Magnitude for the purposes of entanglement and any
the Deviant suffered a medium or major Instability, however. calculations that take Magnitude into account. The Variation
or Scar continues to function at its pre-Deviation Magnitude,
but it also features the additional effects detailed by the
Fused and Shifting Scars Deviation. For example, a Magnitude •• Variation with a +1
If the player feels her character has too many Scars to rea- Magnitude Deviation would count as Magnitude ••• for most
sonably play, or if a Scar that seemed interesting at the time purposes, but its base Magnitude ••• effect would not apply. It
impedes her ability to have fun (or makes it less fun for everyone would also cost three Magnitude of a starting character’s total
in the troupe), the Storyteller may allow her to replace a Scar Variation Magnitude based on the chronicle’s threat level.
with one of equal Magnitude or to fuse two or more Scars A Deviation cannot increase the Magnitude of a Variation
into a single Scar. This must always result in a legal number or Scar above ••••• nor decrease it below •.
of entangled Variations attached to each Scar.
As well as further customization of a character, Deviations offer a
straightforward method for modifying Variation or Scar Magnitude
Scar Keywords in the short-term due to the effects of Instability or Adaptations.
Each Scar has several keywords defining its properties, as
follows: Supernatural Conflict
• The first keyword indicates whether a Scar falls into In the occult world of the Chronicles of Darkness, a
the Mental, Physical, or Social Attribute categories. Deviant may encounter strange and supernatural beings that
If a Scar has multiple categories or shows as Any, the are not Remade. When a Deviant is targeted by a supernatural
player chooses the Attribute category when the character ability that calls for a contested roll and would allow a victim
acquires the Scar. If a Scar shows Secondary, it takes to add a supernatural trait such as Blood Potency, Primal Urge,
the category of its secondary Scar. A Scar’s Attribute or Gnosis to the roll, the Deviant may instead add dice equal
category determines the Power, Finesse, and Resistance to her highest-Magnitude Variation + Acclimation.
Attributes of it and its entangled Variations.
Variations 113
Although Directed, this Variation does not suffer range At Magnitude •, the Remade can dislocate joints and con-
penalties. tort her body as expertly as a circus performer. She automati-
At Magnitude •, the Broken projects a beam of light no cally escapes from any mundane bonds without a roll. The
greater than that of a bright flashlight from his body. With Deviant adds Scar Power to all grapple rolls.
appropriate Scar Finesse rolls, he can exercise minute control At Magnitude ••, the Deviant’s body behaves more like that
over this Variation, such as to brighten or dim his light, or of an octopus — able to stretch and squeeze through narrow
change the colors and patterns of the light he generates. spaces. This allows her to fit into places whose dimensions are
At Magnitude ••, the Remade’s light rivals that of a flood- not normally large enough for a human or to wriggle through
light. She may shine the light into a target’s eyes to impose the pipes. These actions are usually automatic. Grapple rolls made
Blinded Tilt (severe Blinded Tilt, on an exceptional success), against the Deviant suffer a penalty equal to Scar Power.
unless the victim is wearing protective eyewear. At Magnitude •••, the Remade can become a true liquid.
At Magnitude •••, the Remade can produce light as bright While in this state, she can flow uphill at her normal speed
and intense as direct sunlight. This bioluminescence has the and will not suffocate. Although she cannot pass through
same effects as sunlight, which includes triggering the vulner- certain barriers like water filters, ordinary grilles and grates
ability of certain supernatural creatures. If successfully Directed present no obstacle to her, and most weapons have little or no
into a target’s unprotected eyes, it imposes the severe Blindness effect. Fire and electrocution still pose real risks, as do purely
Tilt (moderate, if he has protective eyewear). supernatural attacks.
At Magnitude ••••, the Remade can project intensity 4 At Magnitude ••••, the Deviant can take the form of a sickly
ionizing radiation (p. 206), or intensity 5, in action scenes. vapor. This gas hugs the ground rather than rising into the air,
although the Remade can move uphill along the ground at her nor-
Deviations mal Speed. Most weapons have no effect on a Deviant in this state,
• Aura (+1 Magnitude): The Deviant can make her but Environmental Tilts frequently have their normal, full effects.
whole body glow, illuminating the entire area (with the Deviations
Magnitude • effect) and/or imposing the Blazing Light
Tilt (moderate at Magnitude ••, severe at Magnitude • Defensive (+1 Magnitude): The Deviant may activate
•••). Unlike other auras, this aura affects all potential this Variation as a reflexive action.
targets within long range, not short range (p. 109). The Chimeric’s cephalopod anatomy allows her to squeeze
The Cephalist’s psychic powers include conjuring light, but and stretch into impossible shapes, but she heals more slowly when
she can only maintain it for short periods (Cooldown; Controlled; injured (Sluggish Metabolism; Persistent).
Manipulation). The Coactive submits to the occult energies within, which cause
The Chimeric generates bioluminescent chemicals, but she lost an her body to lose its cohesion, but this can range from mere flexibility
arm to infection during her Divergence (Missing Limb; Persistent). to transformation into vapor (Fluctuating Variation; Controlled;
The Coactive burns with terrible light, which she cannot keep Manipulation).
hidden for long and which causes tales of an angel to crop up When the Mutant assumes a liquid form, she becomes
wherever she goes (Power Build-Up; Involuntary; Deviation: Wild exceptionally vulnerable to electricity (Persistent Drawback [Bane];
Variation). Controlled; Dexterity).
Variations 115
Carapace (• to •••••) • Dense: Increase the Remade’s general armor rating
by one, and she doesn’t suffer the automatic point of
Subtle bashing damage if this Variation reduces damage from
a source to zero.
Discrete, Perpetual
The Deviant possesses a defensive shell or protective shield At Magnitude ••••, the Deviant enjoys both Magnitude
that protects her from harm. ••• effects.
When this Variation is active, the Remade possesses an At Magnitude •••••, as Magnitude ••••, but the Deviant
armor rating. shrugs off terrible blows. After applying armor against a source
against which armor provides protection, reduce any remain-
Although Discrete, effects that increase or decrease a
ing damage to one. If a source would inflict multiple types of
Variation’s Magnitude can be used on this Variation (p. 110).
damage (bashing, lethal, or aggravated), it inflicts one point
At Magnitude •, choose one:
of the worst type of damage.
• Kevlar: The armor rating is 1/3. The Cephalist generates a nearly impenetrable protective shield
around herself, but this requires an intense level of concentration
• Leathery: The armor rating is 2/0.
that she can’t maintain for long (Concentration; Controlled; Wits).
At Magnitude ••, choose one: The Coactive’s skin turns into bronze in response to an injury
• Flak: The armor rating is 2/4. that causes at least one level of lethal damage (Involuntary
Stimulus; Involuntary; Stamina; Deviation: Disfiguring Scar).
• Steel: The armor rating is 3/0. The Invasive can deploy nanobots under his skin to provide him
At Magnitude •••, as Magnitude ••, and choose one: with protection, but doing so interferes with his agility and fine motor
skills. This protection deploys automatically whenever the Deviant sees
• Bulletproof: Increase the Broken’s ballistic armor rating
someone draw a gun or other deadly weapon (Involuntary Stimulus;
by two, and she never takes damage from firearms that
Involuntary; Resolve; Deviations: Indelible Mark [Suppression]).
lack the armor piercing quality.
Variations 117
The Coactive exists in a pocket of compressed time, such that the The Mutant’s thick hide and redundant organs allow him to
world seems to move in slow motion around him, but he needs five weather bitter cold, but he heals more slowly (Sluggish Metabolism;
times as much food and oxygen to survive (Dependency; Persistent). Persistent).
Mystical quicksilver sheaths the Invasive’s skeleton, making
her movements swift and graceful, but the substance is toxic and Face Thief (• to •••••)
frequently sends her to the hospital (Genetic Disorder; Persistent).
Overt
The Mutant’s hollow bones play an important role in his
ability to achieve such incredible speeds, but they also make him Tiered, Toggled
especially vulnerable to trauma (Thin Skin; Persistent). The Remade can disguise himself as another person (the
target) as a Directed effect, although the target does not contest
Environmental Adaptation this effect, and the Deviant can only mimic one person at a
time. This disguise lasts until the end of the scene, but the
(• to •••••) Remade may spend a point of Willpower to extend its effects
until the beginning of the next chapter (potentially allowing
Subtle
her to wear the disguise for several consecutive chapters).
Discrete, Perpetual, Reflexive At Magnitude •, The Deviant can only mimic a single part
The Deviant is particularly hardy and resistant to environ- of the subject’s body — such as a face or hand.
mental hazards. At Magnitude ••, the Deviant can mimic any bodily features
Choose a single broad type of environment, such as moun- that he can see or has identified during a previous examination
tains, deserts, cold, swamp, or subterranean. of the target. This makes faces and hairstyles easy to match,
At Magnitude •, the Deviant enjoys a bonus equal to but the Remade’s disguise may not fool someone who checks
Magnitude to all Survival rolls in that environment. In addition, his body for a scar or tattoo that the Broken knows nothing
in the chosen environment, he ignores level 1 extreme environ- about. The transformed can imitate the target’s voice, too, but
ments (or one moderate Environmental Tilt, in action scenes). as with identifying features, he must already be familiar with
At Magnitude ••, as Magnitude •, but he also ignores level 2 the target’s dialect and vocal mannerisms. The Deviant cannot
extreme environments (or up to two moderate Environmental change Size, nor can he adopt the clothing or other trappings of
Tilts, in action scenes). the target. Within these limits, however, the disguise is almost
At Magnitude •••, as Magnitude ••, but level 3 extreme flawless, granting the Remade the rote quality on Subterfuge
environments of the chosen type are harmless to the Remade, rolls to successfully apply a disguise.
and he can ignore up to one severe and two moderate At Magnitude •••, the disguise perfectly replicates the tar-
Environmental Tilts, in action scenes. get’s body in appearance, sound, and even scent. Furthermore,
At Magnitude ••••, as Magnitude •••, but even level 4 the Deviant may take on the target’s current costume or even
extreme environments of the chosen type do not phase him. appear to be of a Size up to two higher or lower than his own.
Nor do moderate and severe Environmental Tilts generated by These are not functional features, however. Riot gear created by
the chosen environment inconvenience him in action scenes. this disguise offers no protection, for example, and an increase
in apparent Size does not grant more health levels.
Deviations At Magnitude ••••, the Deviant’s transformation also grants
• General (+1 Magnitude): The Variation becomes him access to useful fragments of the target’s memories that
Toggled instead of Perpetual and can only be activated make it more difficult to recognize him as an impostor:
once per chapter. The benefits of this Variation instead • The Remade is able to speak the target’s native tongue
apply to all extreme environments and Environmental (or tongues, if he was raised multilingual) with the
Tilts, regardless of the type of environment, as long proper accent.
as they are not wholly supernatural phenomena. The
Broken may shrug off a thunderstorm summoned by • The Deviant automatically recollects names, recognition
a sorcerer, for example, but not an Environmental Tilt signals, and the right responses to questions meant to
imposed by a cloud of pure necrotic energy summoned establish his identity. This isn’t an active awareness, but
from the Underworld. it works to prevent his being found out. For example, if
greeted by one of the target’s friends, the Remade can
By means of biofeedback techniques, the Cephalist insulates return the greeting without hesitation, suddenly recol-
himself against extreme heat, but he is emotionally distant (Frozen lecting that person’s name. The same is true of secret
Heart; Persistent). handshakes and passwords. The Deviant could not tell
The thumb-sized magical ruby embedded in the hollow of the anyone what the target’s laptop password is, but as soon
Invasive’s throat allows her to sheath herself in the appropriate survival as he sits down in front of the login screen, his fingers
equipment for any environment (Conspicuous Appearance; Persistent). seem to move of their own volition.
Variations 119
• The Deviant can lift, push, or slowly drag objects of up to The Mutant’s body expands to an enormous size, but her
her current Size, wield objects of up to half that (rounded Progenitor used the threat of immolation as a means of controlling
up) with both hands, and wield objects of one-third her cur- her, instilling her with a fear of fire (Phobia; Persistent).
rent Size (rounded up) one-handed. This does not require
Size Object
a roll unless the object in question is exceptionally dense
(such as solid gold, lead, or uranium). Also, an object’s Size 0 Insect
is not subtracted from the Deviant’s Strength + Dexterity + 1 Handheld object or tool, rodent
Athletics for determining the range she can throw it. 2 Infant, cat, sword, sawn-off shotgun, skateboard
At Magnitude •, the Deviant’s natural Size increases by 1, 3 Mid-size dog, child, window, two-handed tool,
granting an additional health box and a +1 bonus to derived stool
traits and static effects based on Strength or Stamina. 4 Spear, teenager, chair
At Magnitude ••, Size instead increases by 2 or 3. The 5 Adult, door, electric scooter
bonus is +1. 6 Very large adult, deer, bicycle
At Magnitude •••, Size instead increases by 4 or 5. The 7 Alligator, bear, motorbike, coffin
bonus is +2.
8 Vault door, compact car
At Magnitude ••••, Size instead increases by between 6 and
10. The bonus is +2. 10 Sports car, moose
At Magnitude •••••, Size instead increases by between 11 12 Shark, luxury car
and 15. The bonus is +3. 15 SUV, elephant
The Chimeric is huge and can do nothing to reduce his size
20 Light airplane, yacht, semi-truck
(Relentless Variation; Persistent).
25 Dump truck, houseboat, tour bus, semi with trailer
The Coactive channels the power of a titan, growing to
enormous heights but descending into a bestial state (Persistent 30 Whale
Drawback [Alternate Persona]; Controlled; Manipulation).
The Coactive redirects the life energy around him into his • Control (+1 Magnitude): The Broken’s illusions do
patient, healing her but at the expense of his own health and not vanish when he moves out of range, and he may
leaving a trail of withered plants and dead insects behind (Perilous direct a number of holograms equal to Scar Power as a
Variation; Controlled; Dexterity; Deviation: Identifier). reflexive action, each turn.
The Invasive injects medical nanites into her patient, which effect The Cephalist can conjure illusions of anything she can imagine.
rapid healing, but the electrical impulses generated by these nanites in Her Divergence involved being injected with spider eggs from a Fae world,
her blood also slow her reaction times (Suppression; Persistent). which hatched thousands of gossamer spiders that crawled out of her body
The Mutant Transmissible’s saliva has healing properties, allow- — an experience that she relives in dreams each night and which makes
ing him to close wounds, mend bones, and even restore life to the dead her intensely arachnophobic (Phobia; Persistent; Deviations: Nightmares).
Variations 121
The Coactive can pull images of objects and creatures that While the Variation is active, the Deviant enjoys an im-
exist in parallel dimensions into his own. However, tapping into munity chosen at the time this Variation is purchased. This
these otherwolds can draw the attention of their unseen, meddling Variation can be purchased any number of times, and each
denizens (Misfortune; Persistent). purchase grants an additional immunity (or immunities). The
The Invasive Amalgam has hologram projectors implanted in immunity the Broken possesses determines the Variation’s
his body, placed there through meticulous and agonizing procedures Magnitude:
that would have shattered his mind were it not for a fellow test At Magnitude •, the Remade is immune to a number of
subject’s constant support — a test subject who only ever existed in Personal Tilts (p. 314) equal to Scar Power, as well as to any
his imagination (Hallucinations; Persistent). Condition that operates on the same premise. A Deviant who
is immune to the Leg Wrack Tilt cannot gain the Crippled
Hyper-Competence (• to •••••) Condition, for example. The Broken cannot make himself
immune to a Scar.
Subtle At Magnitude ••, the Deviant possesses immunity to a
Perpetual, Reflexive, Tiered number of the following equal to Scar Power: Acid, Cold,
Disease, Electricity, Explosions, Falling Damage, Fire, Drugs/
The Deviant possesses superhuman adroitness within a narrow field.
Poison, or Radiation. The Storyteller may allow alternative
Choose a Skill when purchasing this Variation. This immunities at her discretion.
Variation can be purchased multiple times, and each time its
At Magnitude •••, the Remade demonstrates a substantial
benefits apply to a different Skill.
resistance to the powers of a single category of supernatural
At Magnitude •, the Deviant is always treated as having an ap- being such as ghosts, wizards, vampires, demons, or werewolves.
plicable Specialty when using the chosen Skill. She also achieves an Any attempt to target the Remade with one of these abilities
exceptional success on three successes instead of five with that Skill. must defeat him in a Clash of Wills.
At Magnitude ••, the Remade enjoys a bonus on rolls involv-
ing the chosen Skill equal to half Scar Power (rounded up). Deviations
At Magnitude •••, the Broken enjoys the rote quality on • Area (+1 Magnitude): The Variation becomes Toggled
rolls with the chosen Skill. instead of Perpetual. While active, its protection extends
Deviations to a 10 yard/meter radius around the Deviant, neutral-
izing the effects (both beneficial and harmful). This is
• Multicompetence (+1 Magnitude): Choose a number automatic for natural phenomena, while supernatural
of additional Skills equal to Scar Power, all of which effects provoke a Clash of Wills.
benefit from this Variation.
The adaptations of the Chimeric’s animal half manifest as a
• Natural Talent (+2 Magnitude): Exclusive with resistance to disease and drugs, but her pedigree also comes with a
Multicompetence, all Skills of a single type (Mental, thinness of the blood (Hemophilia; Persistent).
Physical, or Social) benefit from this Variation. The Invasive has cybernetic arms and legs, which are nearly
The Chimeric’s specialized education allows her to build, unbreakable, if almost impossible to overlook (Conspicuous
maintain, and repair virtually anything even while blindfolded, but Appearance; Persistent).
the masters did not consider her ability to express her emotions a A lifetime of controlled exposure to food and drink imbued with
sufficiently useful skill (Frozen Heart; Persistent). sorcerous powers has allowed the Mutant to resist magic at need,
The Coactive is the vessel of a ghost, and it will aid him with although it has come at the cost of needing to consume these substances
tasks it could perform in life, although not always in the way he to survive whenever the Variation is active (Dependency; Persistent).
might expect (Alternate Persona; Persistent).
The arcane circuitry in the Invasive’s brain reroutes resources
Lash (• to •••••)
that he would normally use for self-expression to assist in first aid Overt
and surgery instead (Silence Scar; Persistent).
Discrete, Toggled
Immunity (• to ••••) This Variation allows the Remade to attack enemies with
an arsenal other than a Baseline’s punches and kicks. The
Subtle manifestations of this Variation are as varied as the Broken
themselves. Some lash out with telekinetic force, others with
Discrete, Perpetual, Reflexive
a hail of glass shards or a blast of necrotic shadow, and still
The Remade enjoys complete immunity to certain impair- others have wicked claws, fangs, or horns. This Variation
ments or sources of harm — whether due to alien anatomy, may be purchased any number of times to represent different
mystical protection, or some other factor. means of attack.
• Activating a Lash requires an action. Attacking with • Disabling: When attacking a specified target (p. 197)
a Lash requires a separate action. Once activated, the with the Lash, reduce the penalty by one, and increase
Lash remains active until the end of the scene. the damage by Scar Power for the purpose of applying
Tilts. A Gentle Lash also adds successes on the attack
• A ranged Lash has a range of 30/60/120 yards/meters. roll to this effective damage.
Although not Directed, Scars and Deviations that can-
not entangle Directed Variations cannot entangle a • Envenomed: The Lash causes the moderate Poisoned Tilt.
ranged Lash, and ones that may only entangle Directed
Variations can entangle a ranged Lash. • Forceful: The Lash inflicts the Knocked Down Tilt.
• In order to apply their Tilts (or to afflict a target with • Grappling (Melee Lash Only): On a successful attack,
a channeled Directed Variation), Cutting Lashes must the Deviant may also initiate a grapple against the target
inflict at least one point of lethal damage after armor, as a reflexive action.
and Bruising Lashes must inflict at least one point of
• Immolating: The Lash causes the target to catch fire
damage in excess of the target’s general armor rating
as though exposed to a flame (p. 206) with a size of 1
(before applying armor). Gentle Lashes apply their
and a heat of +0 (size 2 on an exceptional success).
Tilts (or channeled Variation) on any successful attack,
regardless of the target’s armor. Tilts imposed by a Lash • Insidious: The Lash ignores Defense. However, attacks
last until the end of the scene or until resolved normally. with it are instead resisted by a Resistance Attribute
At Magnitude •, the Lash has a damage rating of 0 and chosen at the time the Lash is created.
deals damage as part of an attack. In addition, choose one of
the following effects at the time of purchase: • Obscuring: The Lash inflicts the moderate Blinded Tilt
(severe, on an exceptional success).
• Blasting (Ranged Lash Only): The Lash behaves as a
short burst (p. 198). • Piercing: The Lash has the Armor Piercing quality equal
to the lower of Scar Power or Magnitude.
• Caustic: The Lash splashes the target with acid (p.
202) with an intensity of +0 and coverage of 1 (2 on • Quick: The Remade may activate the Lash as a reflex-
an exceptional success). ive action, although attacking with it still requires an
instant action.
• Channel: Choose one of the Remade’s Directed
Variations (the secondary Variation). On a successful • Reach (Ranged Lash Only): The Lash instead has a
attack with the Lash that deals sufficient damage (see range of 100/200/400 yards/meters.
above), the Deviant reflexively activates the secondary
Variation and applies its effect to the target. The victim • Sickening: The Lash inflicts the moderate Sick Tilt.
may contest the Remade’s successes on the attack roll
• Soporific: The Lash inflicts the Drugged Tilt.
with the Resistance + Supernatural Tolerance roll ap-
propriate to the secondary Scar. Secondary Variations • Touch (Melee Lash Only): The Lash is delivered via
that can affect multiple targets only affect the target(s) touch attacks, rolling Dexterity + Brawl/Weaponry – the
of the Lash, and even if the Lash can target multiple target’s Defense.
Variations 123
Example Ranged Lashes
MAGNITUDE • The demonic ovipositor under the skin of the
Chimeric’s left arm sends forth a barrage of hungry
The Cephalist’s psionic strike dulls the target’s senses larvae that burrow into the target’s flesh (Cutting
(Bruising Firearms Lash; Soporific). Athletics Lash; Blasting, Horrendous, Toxic).
The Chimeric spits venom (Gentle Athletics Lash; Tendrils of blue energy burst out of the Coactive’s
Envenomed). body, lashing out in every direction (Cutting
The Coactive unleashes a directed scream, seem- Firearms Lash; Deadly, Full-Auto).
ingly from the pits of hell itself (Bruising Athletics The Invasive’s right hand folds back to reveal a
Lash; Deafening). small cannon (Cutting Firearms Lash; Piercing,
The Invasive shoots lasers from his eyes (Cutting Devastating, Gunshot).
Firearms Lash; Immolating) The Mutant exhales a plume of pure pestilence
The Mutant fires shards of bone out of specialized (Bruising Athletics Lash; Soporific, Terminal, Toxic).
organs on each side of her skull (Cutting Firearms MAGNITUDE ••••
Lash; Deadly).
The Cephalist projects intense psychic energy that
MAGNITUDE •• causes brain hemorrhages (Cutting Firearms Lash;
The Cephalist’s lightning-quick telekinetic strike Insidious [Resolve], Horrendous, Penetrating).
grapples her foe (Bruising Athletics Lash; Channel The Coactive lobs a ball of explosive, white-hot ec-
[Telekinesis], Gunshot). toplasm (Cutting Athletics Lash; Conjured, Deadly,
The Chimeric fires a burst of quills that can penetrate Explosive, Immolating, Stunning).
body armor (Cutting Firearms Lash; Burst, Piercing). The Mutant showers the victim in deadly acid
Arcane darkness envelops the Coactive’s op- (Gentle Athletics Lash; Conjured, Corrosive, Full
ponent (Cutting Athletics Lash; Blinding, Insidious Auto).
[Composure]). MAGNITUDE •••••
The Invasive fires stunning energy from his hands The Chimeric generates a powerful bolt of electric-
(Gentle Firearms Lash; Blasting, Stunning). ity (Bruising Firearms Lash; Devastating, Gunshot,
A terrifying, short-lived winged gremlin bursts out Penetrating, Reach, Stunning).
of the Mutant’s skin and bites the target (Cutting The Invasive’s body contains a whole arsenal of
Athletics Lash; Devastating, Soporific). weapons suitable for any occasion (Cutting Firearms
MAGNITUDE ••• Lash; Deadly, Disabling, Forceful, Immolating,
Obscuring, Piercing, Reach, Soporific, Versatile).
The Cephalist unleashes a wave of telepathic control
that plunges one or more victims into a reverie
of vivid memories of trauma or ecstasy (Gentle
Firearms Lash; Conjured, Burst, Scrambling).
• Circle Strike (Melee Lash Only; +1 Magnitude): The die, potentially imposing a moderate Tilt: Arm (1-3),
Lash can attack any number of nearby targets. This Leg (4-6), Head (7-8), or Heart (9-10).
behaves like a Long Burst (p. 198), but it can only affect
viable targets within one yard/meter of the Deviant. • Devastating (+1 Magnitude): As Deadly, but use the
higher of Scar Power or Magnitude.
• Corrosive (+1 Magnitude): As Caustic, but the chemi-
cal’s intensity bonus is instead equal to half Scar Power • Explosive (Ranged Cutting Lash Only; +2 Magnitude):
(rounded up). The Lash instead generates an explosive (p. 204) with a
range of 10/20/30. It has a blast area equal to Scar Power
• Debilitating (+1 Magnitude): As Disabling. Additionally, + Magnitude and a Force equal to the lower of Scar Power
if the Broken does not specify a target, it still hits one or Magnitude. Its damage rating is unchanged, but extra
chosen at random based on the face value of a single successes on the attack roll do not increase damage. If
Variations 125
paired with Channel, the secondary Variation affects the of boxes in her health track. A Deviant with a Scar Power •••
targets closest to ground zero first. and Stamina •• who shrinks to Size 2, for example, would have
five health boxes, not four.
• Full Auto (Ranged Lash Only; +2 Magnitude): The At Magnitude •, the Remade shrinks, reducing Size by one.
Lash behaves as a Long Burst (p. 198). This grants her a +2 bonus on any rolls to remain unnoticed
• Gunshot (Ranged Lash Only; +1 Magnitude): The or to gain access to or operate in places where being small is
Lash ignores Defense as though it were a firearm attack. an advantage — such as in a crawl space or while seeking cover
However, if it is a Cutting Lash, armor downgrades the from enemy gunfire.
damage it inflicts equal to its ballistic armor rating. At Magnitude ••, the Deviant can shrink to as little as Size 1.
The bonus to rolls above is instead equal to (6 – Size), and she
• Horrendous (Cutting Lash Only; +1 Magnitude): The enjoys a bonus to Defense equal to half that bonus (rounded
Lash instead deals aggravated damage. If paired with up). However, the species factor to the Remade’s Speed is equal
Explosive, damage within the blast radius is aggravated to her new Size instead of being five, and she cannot wield any
instead of lethal, while damage within the secondary weapon of a Size equal to or greater than her own.
blast area is lethal instead of bashing. At Magnitude •••, the Remade becomes Size 0, which ranges
from the size of a moderately large cockroach to that of a fruit
• Immobilizing (+2 Magnitude): The Lash imposes the fly. Anyone not actively looking for her rolls a chance die to
Immobilized Tilt on the target. Escape attempts treat notice she is present, and even if successful they are likely to
this as a restraining item with a Durability equal to half assume she is an unimportant insect. Those searching for the
Scar Power (rounded up). This restraint further imposes Deviant suffer a –5 penalty, while she enjoys a +5 bonus to
a –2 penalty on the escape attempt (–4 if the Deviant attempts to elude notice. However, the Remade’s Speed is
achieved an exceptional success on the attack). reduced to 1, and she cannot lift or manipulate objects larger
• Incinerating (+1 Magnitude): As Immolating, but the than a sugar cube without additional Variations.
fire’s heat bonus is instead equal to half Scar Power At Magnitude •••• the Deviant becomes microscopic. He
(rounded up). is undetectable without a combination of scientific instru-
ments and dumb luck, or supernatural abilities. He cannot
• Line-of-Sight (Ranged Lash Only; +1 Magnitude): The move more than a few millimeters without piggybacking on
Lash can strike any target not completely hidden by a moving object.
cover, regardless of the distance. Slipping inside the body of an enemy and then returning
to full size is a messy but effective tactic at Magnitude ••• and
• Penetrating (+1 Magnitude): Armor affords no protec- ••••, inflicting aggravated damage to the victim equal to the
tion from the Lash’s damage. Remade’s new Size, but this inflicts a medium Instability on
• Scrambling (+1 Magnitude): The Lash inflicts the the Broken.
Insensate Tilt. Deviations
• Stunning (+1 Magnitude): The Lash inflicts the • Defensive (+1 Magnitude): The Deviant may activate
Stunned Tilt. the Variation reflexively up to once per turn. If used to
evade an incoming attack he is aware of, subtract Scar
• Terminal (+1 Magnitude): The Lash inflicts the severe Power from the attack’s successes after seeing the results
Sick Tilt. of the roll but before applying armor or damage.
• Toxic (+1 Magnitude): The Lash inflicts the severe The Coactive has a strange relationship with space that allows
Poisoned Tilt. him to take up less of it, adopting a wide variety of sizes, but even
at full size he never quite has the mass of other human adults
Miniaturization (• to ••••) (Fragility; Persistent).
Subdermal pumps inject a shrinking potion into the Invasive’s
Overt veins when she gives a mental command. The Remade learned
Tiered, Toggled the formula of the cocktail that activates her miniaturization,
The Remade shrinks. but it still takes time to brew and does not have a long shelf life
(Maintenance; Persistent).
This miniaturization has a less drastic effect on the
Remade’s mass than one might expect. As a result, if the The Mutant can fold her body on a subatomic level, but
Remade adopts a Size that is less than Scar Power, she uses doing so weakens her hold on reality further (Unstable Variation;
Scar Power instead of her Size when calculating the number Controlled; Wits).
Variations 127
light, or making the fire produce more or less smoke.
An abundance of smoke imposes the Poor Lighting
Shadow Selves (• to •••••)
Tilt on a Scar Power-yard/meter radius from the fire, Overt
while a dazzling flash or explosion imposes the moder-
ate Blinded, severe Deafened, or both Tilts on anyone Tiered, Toggled
within Scar Power yards/meters of the explosion who The Deviant shatters into identical shards, like images in
fails a Stamina + Resolve roll at a penalty equal to Scar a broken mirror; only one of them real.
Power. The Remade creates a number of copies of himself (not count-
ing the original) equal to Scar Power — all of them within one yard/
At Magnitude ••, the Broken benefits from both Magnitude
meter. The character’s player must decide which is the original
• effects and can ignite small fires no larger or hotter than a
at the time the Broken activates the Variation. Copies have the
candle — enough to set kindling ablaze or light a fuse.
Deviant’s Defense and benefit from active Variations that increase
At Magnitude •••, choose one: maneuverability (such as Flight or Enhanced Speed). However,
• Ignite: The Remade can ignite a fire of any size she can they vanish the first time they would suffer damage, regardless of
control, which begins with no damage modifier due the type. Copies likewise disappear if the Remade activates this
to heat (p. 206). If she ignites a living target, it inflicts Variation again, or at the end of the scene. If an attack or targeted
lethal damage based on the size and heat of the fire. power meant for the Broken could potentially hit a copy instead,
She may also increase the heat of a fire by one step as the Storyteller determines at random which is targeted.
a Directed effect, to a maximum damage bonus due to At Magnitude •, the Deviant has very limited control over
heat equal to half Scar Power (rounded up). She may the copies and does not see through their eyes. On each of his
instead impose the Inferno Tilt on an area Scar Power turns, as a reflexive action, he can direct each copy’s move-
yards/meters in radius. ment. If he cannot perceive the copy, he can mentally direct it
only to stay where it is, move away from him, or return to him.
• Extinguish: The Remade can reduce the heat and/ The copies make excellent decoys, but they cannot take any
or size of fires in an area Scar Power yards/meters in actions other than to move. Swinging from a rope or opening
radius — or extinguish them entirely. This can also halt a door represents the upper limit of their ability to interact
or prevent combustion in the affected area until the with the world. Therefore, if the Remade takes any other action
end of the scene, causing engines to stall, preventing beyond moving, it can spoil the illusion, allowing observers an
firearms from functioning, and so forth. Intelligence + Wits roll to identify the original.
At Magnitude ••••, the Remade benefits from both At Magnitude ••, the Broken has a greater awareness of the
Magnitude ••• effects. copies’ positions and situations. These are usually only vague
sensory impressions, but he can, as an instant action, take di-
Deviations rect control of a copy, experiencing its senses as his own while
• Aura (+1 Magnitude): The Broken’s pyrokinetic his body behaves like a copy. If a copy is destroyed while the
influence extends to everyone and everything within Deviant is riding it in this way, he suffers a minor Instability.
short range but affects all potential targets equally At Magnitude •••, the copies have a degree of self-direction.
(whether they are characters, objects, or fires). Flames Each copy counts as a Retainer (p. 103) with a rating equal to
with a bonus to damage due to heat no greater than half Scar Power (rounded up) whose areas of expertise include
half Scar Power (rounded up) will not harm the those Skills in which the Remade has at least three dots. They
Deviant while this aura is active, although indirect possess any mundane weapons, armor, or equipment the
sources of harm (falling timbers, collapsing floors, Broken is currently carrying.
explosions, etc.) can. Deviations
The Cephalist can shape and direct fire with his mind, but
anyone holding a lit match can issue commands to him that he • Prism (+1 Magnitude): The Broken may choose for his
must obey (Subliminal Conditioning; Persistent). shadow selves to have an appearance different from his
own. This cannot result in a change in Size, but he may
The ifrit’s skin fused to the Chimeric’s own grants her an ifrit’s create copies that do not share his race, sex, attire, or
command over flame, but she cannot abide cold environments other qualities. These cannot convincingly mirror an-
(Native Environment; Persistent). other person, being instead a rather generic collection
The Mutant’s fire powers lash out when the ambient tempera- of physical traits. However, the Deviant may choose for
ture falls below freezing, filling him with a desire to do violence any of these alternate selves to be the original.
(Involuntary Stimulus; Involuntary; Composure; Deviation:
Indelible Mark [Murderous Urge]). • Superposition (+1 Magnitude): The Remade exists in a
superposition with all his copies. The character’s player
may decide which is the original at the beginning of the
Variations 129
At Magnitude •, choose one: The Mutant’s nose can distinguish creatures by the scent of
their DNA sequences. However, she cannot do so if the evidence
• Animal: The Broken possesses sensory advantages in
is tainted by the DNA of six or more other creatures of the same
common with other members of the animal kingdom.
species (Power Failure; Controlled; Wits).
She might have the long-distance vision of a bird of prey,
for example, or the olfactory acuity of a bloodhound.
When this sense affords her an advantage on a Skill roll Storm-Caller (• to •••••)
or allows her to compensate for adverse environmental
factors (such as using echolocation while suffering the
Overt
Blinded Tilt), she enjoys a +2 Equipment bonus. The Tiered, Toggled
Deviant possesses augmented senses equal to Scar Power. The Remade can create highly localized environmental
Her player may choose all of these when she purchases phenomena.
this Variation or may “reveal” a new sense up to once per Choose an environment or general class of phenomena at
chapter until she has assigned all the available senses. the time the Deviant develops this Variation, such as acid, cold,
darkness, electricity, heat, ice, water, or wind. The Remade can
• Technology: The Deviant can mimic a scientific in-
create extreme environments or impose Environmental Tilts
strument (such as a microscope, telescope, or metal
appropriate to those phenomena (or negate those contrary
detector), chosen at the time of purchase. This includes
to them, such as using heat to negate a cold-based extreme
instruments that project energy and build images from
environment). Indoors, this affects the area in a 10-yard/meter
the way the signals bounce, such as radar, sonograms,
radius around himself. Outdoors, this is instead 40 yards/
and x-ray machines. When this sense affords her an
meters. The Broken must decide whether the environment
advantage on a Skill roll, the Remade enjoys a +3
it creates remains in place or whether its center “follows”
Equipment bonus, or it can completely negate an ap-
him. The Deviant does not enjoy any special immunity to the
propriate sensory-based penalty (such as using sonar to
Environmental Tilts or damage inflicted by this Variation.
pinpoint the location of an invisible opponent).
At Magnitude •, the Remade may create a level 1 extreme
• Sixth Sense: The Broken can sense the proximity and environment or impose a single moderate Environmental Tilt
pinpoint the location of one type of supernatural at a time. Changing this Tilt requires an action.
creature (such as Deviants, faeries, or ghosts), chosen At Magnitude ••, as Magnitude •, but the Broken may create
at the time of purchase. The Remade’s range is limited extreme environments with a level no greater than half Scar
to 10 yards/meters, and if the creature is concealing its Power (rounded up). He may impose an appropriate moder-
presence or nature using a power to do so, it provokes ate Environmental Tilt when he first activates this Variation.
a Clash of Wills. Imposing (or removing) an additional Tilt (or changing one
from moderate to severe, or vice versa) requires an action. The
At Magnitude ••, as the Sixth Sense Magnitude • effect, and
maximum number of Environmental Tilts cannot exceed Scar
the Broken possesses senses to observe one class of ordinar-
Power, and severe Tilts count as two Tilts toward this limit.
ily undetectable signals and forces (such as ghosts, temporal
anomalies, or astral projections), chosen at the time of pur- At Magnitude •••, as Magnitude ••, but the Deviant can
chase. These are fully visible to the Deviant, who may analyze impose his full complement of Environmental Tilts as soon as
them as though they were ordinary phenomena. In addition to he activates this Variation, although exchanging or dismissing
providing useful context during supernatural encounters, these Tilts still requires and action.
senses provide a +2 Equipment bonus to relevant Occult rolls. At Magnitude ••••, as Magnitude •••, but the Deviant may
At Magnitude •••, as Magnitude ••, but the Broken’s super- create (or dismiss) a level 4 Extreme Environment. The Remade
natural senses also function as specialized equipment designed may call upon this effect once per story without adverse effects,
for measuring and analyzing the chosen class of phenomena. but each additional catastrophic environment he creates in the
The Equipment bonus is instead +3, and once per chapter, same story causes a medium Instability.
the character’s player can describe something in the current Deviations
environment that is relevant to the class of phenomena and
might reasonably be there. This detail is present in the scene • Universal (+1 Magnitude): The Deviant is not restricted
and immediately obvious to the Deviant. to a single class of phenomena. However, the Broken
The Cephalist can detect the psychic waves generated by creatures can only activate the Variation once per chapter, and
native to or projecting into the Astral plane, but she cannot hear the all Environmental Tilts he has active at a time must
sounds of the material world (Sensory Deprivation; Persistent). fall within the same class of phenomena. He could call
upon cold to create Blizzard and Slick, for example, but
The Chimeric’s yellow eyes can see in low light as easily as in
he couldn’t then dismiss Blizzard in favor of Inferno,
full daylight (Conspicuous Appearance; Persistent).
since the latter is not cold-related.
Variations 131
The Cephalist possesses an impossible intelligence, but it has
Narrative Control caused his muscles to atrophy (Suppression; Persistent).
The Chimeric is an exceptional physical specimen, capable of
Superhuman Attributes often grant the Remade’s feats impossible for Baselines, but she can be forced into submission
player the ability to introduce a narrative element by threatening her with a common housecat (Phobia; Persistent).
to the scene. The Storyteller can always veto these The Mutant’s Divergence involved the excision of some of her
details if they are inappropriate or contradict what base animal instincts, leaving her calm, if cold, even under intense
she knows about the scene. If she does so, treat it as pressure (Frozen Heart; Persistent).
if the character did not use the ability at all and can
therefore attempt to introduce a different detail.
Telekinesis (• to •••••)
Overt
someone (or a small group) who is reasonably likely to
be there — from a group of revelers in a college town on Directed, Tiered, Toggled
a Saturday night or a state trooper pulling over a speeder The Deviant can exert raw telekinetic force to lift, throw,
on the side of the highway, to an old enemy mentioned or strike without the need for physical action.
in the Deviant’s backstory or someone linked to one The Broken can affect targets in range with a Size no greater
of his Social Merits. This person is present or arrives than the Variation’s Magnitude times Scar Power. Targeting an
almost immediately. unattended object succeeds automatically. Attempting to grab
a living target works like initiating a grapple (p. 198), using
• Manipulation: The Remade has a remarkable ability to a Scar Finesse roll instead of Strength + Brawl, and so must
convince strangers to do small favors for him. Once per contend with Defense, not a Resistance Attribute.
chapter, the Broken’s player may designate one stranger Once the Deviant has successfully grappled a target via
or small group of strangers as a connection to temporary Telekinesis, her contested rolls to maintain the grapple or to
dots of Allies, Contacts, Resources, or Retainer equal execute an available grapple option are reflexive, rather than re-
to half Scar Power (rounded up). This person must be a quiring her action each turn, although she may only execute one
Baseline who is not currently hostile to the character. The grapple option per turn per grappled enemy (two on an exceptional
Remade can, with a few minutes of flattery, begging, or success). The grapple options she applies can be different for each
con artistry, convince the target to perform one minor target, but she makes a single Scar Finesse roll for all victims each
favor for him that is consistent with who they are and the turn, each of whom contests it with Strength + Brawl.
Merit they represent. The Deviant could get a cop to let
At Magnitude •, the Deviant arrests the target’s motion until
him off with a warning for a minor offense, for example,
she releases it as a reflexive action, until it is torn free (or escapes
or he could invent a believable premise to convince a
the grapple), or until the scene ends. The telekinetic grapple is only
passerby to deliver an envelope to the woman waiting for
capable of the hold, restrain, and drop prone maneuvers, although
a bus on the other side of the street. The Merit granted
it is immune to all maneuvers other than break free (p. 198).
by this Variation isn’t cumulative with any existing Social
Merits, and its effects only last until the end of the scene, At Magnitude ••, the Deviant can push, drag, lift, or op-
but it lacks the Overt keyword. This Variation does not erate the target at a Speed no greater than Magnitude times
cause a person with the desired connections to appear Scar Power. When calling upon the Magnitude • effect, the
on the scene. The Deviant must work with the people Remade’s telekinetic grapple is also capable of the control
he finds nearby. weapon, damage, and disarm maneuvers (p. 198). She can
instead manipulate an object as though her telekinesis were
• Composure: The Deviant remains cool under pressure, an extension of her hands, using Scar Power as its Strength
even in the face of long odds and outright failure. Each and Scar Finesse as its Dexterity.
time the Remade spends a point of Willpower to add At Magnitude •••, choose one:
dice to an action or to increase a Resistance Attribute,
• Throw: The Deviant can throw the target with enough
he regains the spent Willpower if the extra effort
force to damage it and/or anyone unfortunate enough
does not pay off. For a roll enhanced by Willpower,
to be in its path. If throwing an object at an opponent
this means he achieves no successes. For a Resistance
in range, this is a Scar Finesse roll, penalized by one-fifth
Attribute, this means that the phenomenon the Remade
the object’s Size (rounded up) and resisted by the target’s
attempted to resist still overcomes his Resistance.
Defense. If successful, it inflicts lethal damage equal to half
At Magnitude ••••, as Magnitude •••, and the bonus is +4 the object’s Size (rounded up). If throwing an opponent,
with a minimum rating of 7. it requires a successful Scar Finesse roll and is treated as a
At Magnitude •••••, as Magnitude •••, and the bonus is +5 fall from a height no greater than Magnitude times Scar
with a minimum rating of 8. Power in yards/meters, and this can be mitigated normally.
Variations 133
The Coactive Symbiote plays host to a violent poltergeist who refuses explosion after it is announced, but before its damage is
to be bottled up for long before demanding violence of him (Power Build- determined. Each reflexive translocation attempt after
Up; Involuntary; Resolve; Deviations: Short Circuit [Murderous Urge]). the first in the same turn imposes a –1 penalty on the
The Invasive has an experimental implant that manipu- Scar Finesse roll to target a destination.
lates gravity in a small area, but its effects are unpredictable The Cephalist briefly atomizes his body and causes it to reform
(Fluctuating Variation; Controlled; Wits). somewhere else, but the process of reconstituting his brain is imper-
fect, resulting in temporary disorientation (Persistent Drawback
Translocation (• to •••••) [Glitch]; Controlled; Wits).
The Coactive steps out of the material world and steps into
Overt
it again a short time later, but this fails if an object made of at
Tiered, Toggled least 14-karat gold and weighing at least one ounce is within 10
The Deviant can travel between two points without passing yards/meters of either her point of origin or her destination (Power
through the intervening space in the material world. Failure; Controlled; Dexterity).
While this Variation is active, the Deviant may teleport once Whenever the Invasive suffers at least one point of lethal
on each of her turns as a reflexive action. Although this is not a damage, she disappears through a pinhole wormhole as a reflexive
Directed Variation, each translocation requires a successful Scar action (Involuntary Stimulus; Involuntary; Stamina).
Finesse roll that suffers penalties for medium/long range and
concealment. A dramatic failure on this roll either results in a
medium Instability (instead of the usual minor Instability), as the
Cephalist Variations
Remade finds an object in her way and must abort the transloca- Although Psychics have the potential to manifest any abil-
tion attempt, or it means the Broken arrives at an unintended ity they can imagine, including those that influence tangible
destination within range, chosen by the Storyteller. objects in the material world, Cephalist Variations are exten-
At Magnitude •, the range of teleportation is 10/20/40 yards/ sions of the Deviant’s mind or grant power over the thoughts,
meters and cannot penetrate non-transparent cover (p. 198). memories, and emotions of others.
At Magnitude ••, choose one:
Astral Travel (• to •••••)
• Blind: The Remade can move to a destination blocked
off by non-transparent cover, albeit at a –4 penalty to the Subtle
Scar Finesse roll. She may either call upon her memo-
Tiered, Toggled
ries of the destination (if she has been there before) or
stipulate a direction and distance. The Remade projects his awareness beyond his body —
entering dreams or sending forth his senses.
• Far-Reaching: The range is instead 30/60/120 yards/ At Magnitude •, the Remade may seek answers in his
meters. dreams that eluded him while he was awake. Once per chapter,
the Remade may attempt to uncover a Clue while he sleeps or
At Magnitude •••, the Deviant enjoys the benefits of both
meditates for four hours. This is a Scar Finesse roll.
Magnitude •• effects.
At Magnitude ••, the Deviant’s body may enter a comatose
Deviations state, and his astral self steps out of it. This projection is in-
visible and insubstantial to all but a handful of supernatural
• Conjuration (+1 Magnitude): As a Directed effect, the creatures, and it can pass through solid objects as though they
Remade can instead teleport a creature or object within were no more than smoke. The Deviant may only travel under
range (including one behind non-transparent cover, if his own power when in this state. He cannot drive a car or
the Remade is capable of Blind translocation) to a des- hop on a subway train, for example. Nor can he use Directed
tination within range. This cannot affect objects with Variations (including Aura effects), Lash, or other Variations
a Size greater than Magnitude + Scar Power and cannot that require physical contact with targets, except on those who
place a target in immediate danger. Translocating an are similarly astral.
enemy into a cage or ambush is possible, but placing
This normally lasts until the end of the scene or until the
a target over a pit of molten steel or intersecting with
Remade’s awareness steps back into his body. In an emer-
another object is not. If the object is in another charac-
gency (or if a supernatural being destroys the projection),
ter’s immediate possession, its owner may contest the
however, the Deviant may return to his body as a reflexive
effect with Resistance + Supernatural Tolerance.
action, although the resultant psychic shock causes one minor
• Defensive (+1 Magnitude): The Remade can activate Instability. The Remade’s body suffers deprivation normally
this Variation and translocate as a reflexive action even in the absence of his astral self, and if it dies, his conscious-
when it is not her turn, such as to avoid an attack or ness vanishes at once.
Variations 135
Creeping Dread (• to •••••) Mnemonic aids include audio and video recordings, written
transcripts (including diaries), or even the retelling of events
Subtle to the victim by other witnesses. The Deviant cannot affect any
single target with this Variation more than once per chapter
Directed, Tiered, Toggled per effect, although Adaptations can overcome this limit.
The Deviant inserts a growing terror in the mind of her At Magnitude •, the Deviant may steal the victim’s memory
victims. of an oft-repeated action or event — one day of her commute,
At Magnitude •, Baseline targets suffer an immediate breaking for example, or a routine coupling with her long-term partner.
point with a penalty to the roll equal to half Scar Power (rounded The Remade’s player may suggest the general nature of the
up). Supernatural creatures instead suffer the Shaken Condition. stolen memory, but the Storyteller determines the details.
Attempts to intimidate or frighten the target enjoy a bonus equal Even randomly selected memories should have some bearing
to half Scar Power (rounded up) until the end of the scene. on the Broken’s interests, revealing key details of the victim’s
At Magnitude ••, the Deviant determines an object of the personality (such as an Aspiration, Virtue, or Vice) or putting
victim’s fear in the current scene, which they must be able to useful secrets into his hands.
perceive. This can be the Remade herself, but it may also be At Magnitude ••, The Deviant may steal a recent memory no
another person, a place, or a discrete inanimate object. Victims more than a scene in length. This allows the Remade to absorb
cannot approach this frightening object except by succeeding a witness’ impressions of an event while simultaneously erasing
on a Resolve + Composure roll. If a victim confronts his fear her memory of it. The Broken may stipulate the memory he
(willingly or not), he suffers a –2 penalty to all actions. This targets with greater specificity — citing a specific time and/or
fear lasts until the end of the scene. place, or describing an event he believes the target may recollect.
At Magnitude •••, as Magnitude ••, but whenever the vic- At Magnitude •••, choose one:
tim comes into contact with the source of fear, he suffers the
Frightened Condition (p. 322). In action scenes, if he can’t • Forgotten Goal: The victim forgets the details of a single
escape the source, he suffers the Insensate Tilt (p. 317). short-term Aspiration and everything she has done so
far to achieve it. This can include goals she has already
At Magnitude ••••, when credibly threatened with the
resolved, whether recently or long ago, and may either
source of fear, the victim suffers the Beaten Down Tilt (p. 314).
be one chosen at random by the Storyteller, or one
Deviations chosen by the Deviant’s player. The Remade’s player
may choose to immediately replace his character’s cur-
• Aura (+1 Magnitude): The Variation inspires fear in rent Aspiration with the victim’s.
all viable targets within short range, whether friend or
foe (p. 109). • Forgotten Milestone: The victim forgets a significant
memory — either one of serious emotional weight or one
The Cephalist broadcasts dread telepathically but cannot pre-
that involved a lot of preparation, although not both. This
dict the intensity of emotion it will inspire (Fluctuating Variation;
could include a friend’s wedding, but not his own, for
Controlled; Wits).
example, or a tough break-up, but not a divorce hearing.
The Invasive exudes a chemical mist through mechanical The victim forgets the event at the center of the memory,
glands, which stimulates the production of fear hormones, but the but not his anticipation of it nor his planning and prepara-
residue of this chemical persists after she no longer calls upon it, tions for it. The Broken may specify the time, place, and/
causing everyone nearby to distrust her (Lying Eyes; Persistent). or emotional tenor of the memory he wishes to steal.
The Mutant’s horrifying appearance inspires terror in everyone
At Magnitude ••••, choose one:
he meets (Conspicuous Appearance; Persistent).
• Fickle Memory: The Deviant enjoys the benefits of
Memory Thief (• to •••••) both Magnitude ••• effects.
Variations 137
the victim cannot refuse or terminate the connection until she takes on the animal’s Physical Attributes, as well as its
the end of the scene. Further, the Deviant can force one Size, Speed, and Health. She can move, sense, and attack in
of her memories upon the victim each turn as a Directed any way that the animal can. She may be unable to use some
effect, causing him to remember one of her experiences Merits or take certain actions, at the Storyteller’s discretion.
as his own. If she inserts a happy or affirming memory, This Variation may be purchased any number of times,
the target regains a point of Willpower. If she implants a and each time it allows the Remade to transform into a dif-
traumatic or painful memory, the victim gains the Guilty, ferent animal.
Shaken, or Spooked Condition (as the Remade chooses). At Magnitude ••, the Deviant can transform into a small (up
Truly life-altering memories trigger breaking points in to Size 2) animal — such as a cat, sparrow, spider, frog, or mouse.
Baselines, cause a minor Instability in Broken, or cause At Magnitude •••, choose one:
other supernatural creatures to lose a point of Willpower.
If the memory is purely informational, the target enjoys • Medium: the Remade’s form can be a mid-sized (Size
the Informed Condition regarding a topic relevant to the 3-5) animal — such as a wolf, owl, rattlesnake, or moun-
memory. Although the Deviant may insert many different tain lion.
memories into the same character, no target may enjoy the
• Swarm: The Broken’s form is a swarm of Size 1 or 0 animals
mechanical benefits (or suffer the consequences) of an
a number of yards/meters across equal to the Variation’s
inserted memory more than once per chapter, although
Magnitude plus Scar Power. Swarms are difficult to harm.
Adaptations can overcome this limit.
After rolling attacks against the swarm as normal, factoring
At Magnitude •••••, the Broken enjoys all three Magnitude in armor and other modifiers, the swarm takes one point
•••• effects. of damage of the appropriate type, two points with an ex-
The Cephalist blurs the barrier between her mind and that of ceptional success on the attack. Fire, explosions, chemical
another person, but she never really knows peace except when she sprays, and other area effects cause normal damage. Anyone
is drunk on an active telepathic connection (Addictive Variation; caught within the swarm, whether friend or foe, suffers from
Controlled; Resolve). panic and limited visibility and hearing, which imposes a
The Coactive can perceive the electrical impulses in the human –2 penalty to all actions.
brain, which he can interpret as spoken language or manipulate to At Magnitude ••••, choose one:
simulate hearing his voice in return, but this can be blocked by even
• Large: The Deviant becomes a larger animal (Size 6-9)
a thin layer of metal covering the top of his or his victim’s head
— such as a horse, alligator, bear, tiger, or gorilla.
(Power Failure; Controlled; Wits).
An alien chemical that coats the Mutant’s skin sets up a • Biting Swarm: As the Magnitude ••• Swarm effect, but
psychic connection among those on whose skin it has been smeared, those in the area also suffer bashing damage each turn
but simply washing off this substance ends the effect (Involuntary equal to half Scar Power (rounded up). Armor provides
Stimulus; Involuntary; Composure; Deviation: Short Circuit [Power protection from this damage but at half its general rating
Failure]). (rounded up).
At Magnitude •••••, choose one:
Chimeric Variations • Huge: The Broken becomes a gigantic animal (Size 10-
Their tendency to emulate the adaptations of animals in 15) — such as moose, great white shark, small whale, or
the wild does not limit the Chimerics’ diverse capabilities; elephant.
after all, many human technological advancements are no
more than an attempt to mimic designs Nature worked out • Lethal Swarm: As the Magnitude •••• Biting Swarm
eons ago. Chimeric Variations often facilitate their mastery of effect, but the damage is instead lethal.
two different natures, whether this duality manifests physically,
mentally, or socially. Deviations
• Shapeshifter (+1 Magnitude): The Variation becomes
Animal Transformation Tiered, instead, allowing the Remade to take the form
(•• to •••••) of any appropriate animal (or swarm). However, the
Broken can only activate the Variation once per chapter.
Overt
The Chimeric can take the form of a bear, but sometimes his
Discrete, Toggled bear-mind seizes control of him (Alternate Persona; Persistent).
The Deviant transforms into an animal. The Coactive Symbiote is infused by the spirit of a snowy owl,
This Variation allows the Deviant to take the shape of a whose form she can take at will, but she suffers frequent hallucinations
single animal chosen at the time of purchase. In animal form, as a side-effect of the Divergence (Hallucinations; Persistent).
Variations 139
Pheromones (• to •••••) Scar Power (rounded up) in the Status Merit associated
with the in-group the victim most admires or wishes to
Subtle earn the respect of. This can be a great advantage, but
it can also inspire victims to beg favors of the Deviant
Directed, Perpetual, Tiered
that she cannot grant. It can also be problematic when
The Remade causes other animals (including humans) to wielded against supernatural beings who have their own
treat her as one of their own kind. societies, since they will naturally assume the Remade
This Variation targets an animal within range, including is capable of belonging to such an organization (and
humans and Manticores. so is clearly a wizard, werewolf, or other creature like
At Magnitude •, the animal responds to the Deviant the themselves, if one in disguise).
way it would to a member of its family unit. Against human
At Magnitude •••, the Broken enjoys the benefits of both
targets, her impression level increases by one when using the
Magnitude •• effects.
Social Maneuvering system (see p. 207). Most impressions are
good, and even sworn enemies find it impossible to ignore her At Magnitude ••••, the Remade may direct the actions of
entreaties entirely (impression level is average instead of hos- the target in a general way, one he could convey in a short
tile). The Remade also achieves an exceptional success on three sentence or two. Most non-sapient animals will obey this com-
successes instead of five on Social actions targeting the victim. mand without hesitation, even if it is clearly suicidal. Sapient
animals (and some especially intelligent, but non-sapient, ones)
At Magnitude ••, choose one:
will ignore suicidal compulsions, and those who suffer lethal
• Communication: The Remade can understand and damage or a breaking point while under this effect may make
be understood by the target. Although she does not a Resistance + Supernatural Tolerance roll to escape control
exercise any direct control, she may attempt to bargain until the Deviant reestablishes it.
with the creature for information or favors, as well as
ignoring language barriers between humans. Deviations
• Status: The target treats the Remade with respect — or • Aura (+1 Magnitude): The Variation affects all viable tar-
even deference — as though she had dots equal to half gets of the same species within short range, whether friend
• Uncanny: The Remade applies her Defense (including • Unlucky: Once per scene, the Deviant may choose for
Dodges) against firearms attacks, anticipating these with a minor misfortune to befall the target. In addition to
uncanny instinct. In addition, multiple attacks against any narrative effect, this may impose a penalty to the
her during the same turn do not reduce her Defense. victim’s next roll equal to half Scar Power (rounded up).
Variations 141
At Magnitude ••, choose one: Deviations
• Balanced: The Remade benefits from both Magnitude
• Aura (+1 Magnitude): Each time the Deviant calls upon
• effects.
one of the Variation’s effects, she affects any number of
• Charmed: This is only available if the Deviant selected characters within short range and may include herself.
Lucky as her Magnitude • effect. Once per scene, the The Cephalist implants self-doubt in the minds of her victims,
Broken’s player may suggest a beneficial plot twist in the which soon becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, but she is only impos-
current scene or request that the Storyteller introduce ing her own self-doubt upon them (Misfortune; Persistent).
one. The target may instead evade a misfortune entirely
Fae energies infuse the Coactive so that the web of Fate
— such as the effects of a single supernatural power (with
preserves him from many misfortunes. However, these faerie energies
a successful Clash of Wills) or all the damage inflicted
also project an untrustworthy air that poisons all his social interac-
by an attack.
tions (Lying Eyes; Persistent).
• Albatross: This is only available if the Remade selected The Invasive makes complex probabilistic calculations that only
Unlucky as her Magnitude • effect. Once per scene, give the appearance of being luck, but the supercomputer displaces
the transformed’s player may suggest a plot twist that parts of her brain’s emotional center (Frozen Heart; Persistent).
adversely affects the target, or request that the Storyteller
introduce one. In addition to any narrative effect, this Fate’s Agent (• to •••••)
converts the victim’s next success on a roll into a failure
or her next failure into a dramatic failure. Subtle
At Magnitude •••, choose one: Perpetual, Reflexive, Tiered
• Destiny’s Chosen: The Broken benefits from all three This Variation protects the Deviant from unwanted super-
Magnitude •• effects. natural influence and scrutiny.
Choose a single category of supernatural being such as ghosts,
• Near Miss: This is only available if the Deviant selected wizards, vampires, demons, or werewolves when the Remade
Balanced or Charmed as her Magnitude •• effect. Once develops this Variation. The effects of the Variation only work
per chapter, the Remade may allow the target to leave against creatures of the chosen type. This Variation can be pur-
a scene she is in without his departure being noticed, chased any number of times, and each purchase grants influence
allowing him to avoid an ambush, capture, or socially over the abilities of a different kind of supernatural creature.
awkward situation. If the target has not made an impact At Magnitude •, the Remade is automatically aware whenever a
that another character could not have made, his player supernatural power of the chosen source attempts to target her or an
may decide that she was never present in the scene to area containing her, as well as the source of the effect. Supernatural
begin with. Consequences to the target personally van- powers that attempt to peer into the Deviant’s future, read her fate,
ish — any damage he took during the scene is gone, any gather information about her, or spy on her from afar provoke a
Willpower he spent is returned, and any Conditions he Clash of Wills with her. If the Remade wins this contest, the super-
gained vanish. This also reverses Willpower and Beats natural power fails, and further attempts to use it on her during the
he earned during the scene. current scene automatically fail. If the triggering power attempted to
observe an area that contained the Deviant, it does not fail entirely,
• Supernatural Aid: This is only available if the Deviant but its vision doesn’t register the Remade’s presence.
selected Balanced or Albatross as her Magnitude ••
At Magnitude ••, choose one:
effect. Once per chapter, the Remade’s player may
choose for a character known to her (the target) to be • Counter: At any point before the Broken’s action, as a
unexpectedly present (or to promptly arrive) in the cur- Directed effect, she can choose to counter a supernatu-
rent scene, as long as there is even a small probability ral power as her target attempts to initiate it. Doing so
of this occurring. Alternatively, she may choose to be takes up her normal action. If she defeats her target in
unexpectedly present (or to promptly arrive) in a scene a Clash of Wills, the target’s power does not take effect,
involving a character known to her (the target), as long although it still carries its normal cost in Willpower,
as she could conceivably be there. In both cases, this actions, or occult currency.
effect works automatically if the target is actively seeking
the Broken or would wish to be present. Otherwise, it • Dispel: As a Directed effect, the Deviant may neutralize
requires a Scar Finesse roll with a –4 penalty. a single supernatural effect in range. If the source of the
supernatural effect still exerts control over it, the Broken
At Magnitude ••••, the transformed benefits from all three must defeat that source in a Clash of Wills. This usually
Magnitude ••• effects. ends short-duration effects (including most Variations),
but longer-lasting ones only cease to function until the
Variations 143
normally insubstantial to the material world. The Broken is can grant more questions during the same chapter, but never
still tangible to those in his native world, and he is as vulner- during the same scene). Although the Remade can attempt to
able to the alien entities as they are to him. peer far into the future, distant events tend to be hazier than
At Magnitude ••••, as a Directed effect, the Deviant can those in the immediate future, unless they carry exceptional
exorcise any of these phenomena that has invaded his native temporal weight.
world. He can drive the demon out of the boy it is possessing, At Magnitude •••, once per chapter, when the Broken would
for example, or banish the abyssal residue that has leaked into fail on an action (whether or not it involves a roll), he may choose
the old factory. If driving out a mindless force, this requires to take a different action, instead. The player must invoke this
an instant action but automatically succeeds — although par- effect immediately after the action fails (usually after seeing the
ticularly large or virulent manifestations might require more result of a roll but before its consequences play out). This can
time and/or a successful Scar Finesse roll, at the Storyteller’s affect an instant action, a single roll of an extended action, or
discretion. Exorcising a hostile alien intelligence is a series of even a particular tack taken in a social interaction that turns
Clash of Wills rolls, each requiring an instant action. A loss in out to be a serious faux pas. He can and must change the action
this contest causes the combatant to lose a point of Willpower. he takes, however minutely (attacking a different opponent, for
If the Remade runs out of Willpower, he cannot continue example, or using intimidation instead of subtlety in a social
the contest. If the entity runs out of Willpower, it is forced to situation), for otherwise everything will unfold exactly as it did
leave the Deviant’s native world and cannot return until the in his vision.
beginning of the next story (at the earliest). At Magnitude ••••, choose one:
At Magnitude •••••, the Deviant can force these phenom-
• Bifurcation: Once per chapter, as a reflexive action,
ena into phase with his native world. If directed at a sapient
the Deviant may force a target to take a different action
entity, this always requires a successful Clash of Wills, and if
than the one she just took. This is a Directed effect,
the attempt fails, the Remade cannot attempt to draw that
albeit one that does not require an instant action. This
target into the material world again during the current scene.
is similar to the Magnitude ••• effect, but it can also
The Broken can summon one otherworldly phenomenon per
target a successful action — including one that would
story, but each additional summoning during the same story
otherwise incapacitate or kill the Remade. The Broken’s
causes a medium Instability.
player must declare this after seeing the immediate
The Cephalist can interact with otherwise insubstantial beings consequences of the target’s action, but before anyone
who have a strong connection to the dreaming world, interact- else has taken their turn.
ing with them as he does through telepathic senses, but he suffers
chronic pain that magnifies the pain of his injuries (Fragility; • Prophecy: The Remade may look upon a single scene he
Persistent). anticipates will take place before the end of the current
The Coactive can hear, speak to, and even touch angels that story. This can be narrowly defined (“when we break
are invisible to everyone else, but their voices are the only ones she into the secure facility”) or more generally described
can hear. (Sensory Deprivation; Persistent). (“the next fight I’m involved in”), but he cannot initi-
ate it in a way that affects events of a scene already in
The Invasive’s implants include experimental sensors that allow
progress. At any point during the designated scene, the
him to see nearby ghosts, although they sometimes interfere with his
Broken’s player may “reset” its events and replay the
mental faculties (Glitch; Persistent).
scene from its beginning — even if this Variation is not
currently active or if the transformed is incapacitated
Precognition (• to •••••) or dead at the time. The Deviant can invoke this effect
safely once per story, but each additional use during
Subtle
the same story causes a medium Instability.
Reflexive, Tiered, Toggled
At Magnitude •••••, the Remade enjoys the benefits of both
The Deviant sees glimpses of the future that allow him to
Magnitude •••• effects.
change the course of events.
The alien organisms that swim in the Chimeric’s blood possess
At Magnitude •, whenever the Remade rolls a chance die,
precognitive powers that he can tap into, but doing so is physically
it is instead treated as a single die — succeeding on an 8 or 9
painful (Perilous Variation; Controlled; Dexterity).
and benefiting from 10-again. She may also spend a point of
Willpower to add three dice to a roll after seeing the results The branching pathways to the future lie open to the Coactive,
(but before the result is applied), instead of before. and she can see them clearly. However, she suffers dark twists of
At Magnitude ••, the Broken may peer into the likely futures fate in all her possible futures (Misfortune; Persistent).
of a target he touches. As a Directed effect, his player may ask As a consequence of her bizarre biology, the Mutant can loop
one question about the target — to a maximum number of ques- short distances backward in time, but doing so only worsens her
tions per chapter equal to Scar Power (although Adaptations Divergence (Unstable Variation; Controlled; Dexterity).
Variations 145
• Data Warehouse: Once per chapter, the Broken may assign discretion, this may instead be a Size 1 object of occult origin
a number of dots of Mental Merits equal to 1 + Scar Power. or with supernatural properties, the details of which are deter-
mined by the Storyteller (but always relevant to the Broken’s
• Human Clay: Once per chapter, the Remade may shift current situation). The Remade may invoke this effect once per
a number of dots no greater than 1 + half Scar Power story without adverse effects, but each additional such item he
(rounded up) from one Physical Attribute to another. produces during the same story causes a medium Instability.
• Mind Hack: Once per chapter, the Deviant may shift Deviations
a number of dots no greater than 1 + half Scar Power
(rounded up) from one Mental Attribute to another. • Extra Capacity (+1 Magnitude): The objects the Broken
removes from these hidden compartments can be as
For any of the above effects that grant Merit dots, the large as Size 1 + half Scar Power (rounded up).
Deviant need not meet the Attribute or Skill prerequisites for
these Merits, but he must meet any Merit or Specialty prereq- • Varied Inventory (+1 Magnitude): The Variation’s effects
uisites. A Merit granted by this Variation cannot serve as the can be called upon more often – once per turn for the
prerequisite for another Merit (other than those also granted Magnitude • effect, once per scene for the Magnitude ••
by Computer-Aided Processing). effect, and once per chapter for the Magnitude ••• effect.
This Variation cannot emulate the effects of Professional
The Chimeric has a pouch similar to those of marsupials, in which
Training or those with Deviant as a prerequisite.
he secrets all the small objects he compulsively steals. Its contents are a
Effects above that move Attribute dots cannot reduce an jumble, however, so he must spend time rummaging around among the
Attribute to 0. Although they can raise an Attribute’s rating junk to find what he needs (Preparation; Controlled; Dexterity).
higher than five (to a maximum rating of 10), any rating in
With a few moments of thought, the Coactive can draw together
excess of five never affects the calculations or effects of super-
threads of ectoplasm out of the air in order to construct a solid object, but
natural abilities, including the activation of Variations or com-
the Divergence made her less tolerant of pain (Thin Skin; Persistent).
putations of the Remade’s Scar Power, Finesse, or Resistance.
Improved Resistance Attributes still apply when resisting or The Invasive’s chest slides open, revealing a hollow, steel
contesting supernatural effects. chamber suitable for storage. Of necessity, this has forced her
Although Adaptations can grant more Merit dots (or move internal organs closer to the surface, making them more vulnerable
more Attribute dots) during the same chapter, they may not (Hemophilia; Persistent).
do so during the same scene.
Connected as she is to all the minds in the world, the Cephalist Integrate Technology
can call upon bits of their knowledge whenever she needs it, but (• to •••••)
accessing this information requires a considerable act of will
(Tribulation; Controlled; Wits). Overt
The Chimeric’s Progenitor tried to pass on everything she knew to the Tiered, Toggled
Deviant — at least until she betrayed him (Paranoia, Persistent). The Deviant can interface with tools and other devices,
The Invasive can access the combat knowledge contained on achieving a unity between them and himself.
the hard drive in his skull, but someone with the right passphrase At Magnitude •, tools in the Remade’s hands become
can direct him to use that knowledge in ways he does not want extensions of his body, granting him the 8-again quality on all
(Subliminal Conditioning; Persistent). rolls on which they would grant him an Equipment Bonus.
At Magnitude ••, the Deviant can absorb an object, tool,
Hidden Compartments (• to •••••) weapon, or device — both concealing it from searches and al-
lowing him to replicate its functions. The target object’s Size
Subtle cannot exceed half the Scar Power (rounded up), and the sum
Tiered, Toggled Size of all objects he has integrated at any given time cannot
The Deviant has hidden compartments from which he can exceed Magnitude times Scar Power. While these objects are
pull a wide variety of useful equipment. integrated, the Remade may employ them normally, exactly
At Magnitude •, once per scene, the Remade may remove as if they were ready at hand. She can fire bullets out of her
a weapon, piece of equipment, or materials of Size 1 and hands if she has integrated a pistol, for example, and an inte-
Availability no greater than half Scar Power (rounded up). grated laptop would allow her to perform tasks ranging from
web surfing to operating engineering software. This requires
At Magnitude ••, once per chapter, the Broken may remove
the same amount of time and degree of concentration as they
an object of Size 1 and Availability no greater than Scar Power.
would normally. In addition, objects can be used up while in-
At Magnitude •••, the Deviant may remove an additional
tegrated. Batteries run down. Nail guns run out of nails. Pens
object of Size 1 and Availability ••••• or less. At the Storyteller’s
run out of ink. Once integrated, devices remain a part of the
Variations 147
Intelligence + Science or Occult rolls if the Broken attempts The Coactive does not have a connection to a single arcane oth-
to calibrate her senses to detect phenomena that are beyond erworld. She is enmeshed in a spider web of such links, which she can
her knowledge and experience. The Deviant cannot benefit call upon to grant her special occult senses. These forces sometimes de-
from more than one sensory enhancement at a time, and this mand a personal sacrifice from the Remade in exchange for such gifts
enhancement must be narrowly defined (magnifying vision or (Deterioration; Controlled; Dexterity; Deviation: Wild Variation).
enhanced hearing, for example, but not both). The Invasive’s body is rigged with countless tiny cameras, micro-
At Magnitude •, the transformed may filter out or protect phones, and other sensors, but these sensitive and finicky pieces of equip-
herself from a source of extreme sensory input — such as blinding ment sometimes generate false sensory input (Hallucinations; Persistent).
light, nausea gas, or the roar of a jet engine — allowing her to The Mutant enjoys a highly adaptable anatomy capable of
operate normally in situations that would ordinarily impose Tilts. adjusting his senses at a moment’s notice, although doing so carries
This reduces penalties due to such environments by three and some physical cost (Perilous Variation; Controlled; Dexterity).
may prevent certain Tilts from affecting the Remade if she isn’t
already suffering from them. It couldn’t remove the Deafened
Tilt caused by a flashbang grenade, for example, but it could pre- Mutant Variations
vent a flashbang grenade from deafening her during the scene. Grotesques suffer frequent comparisons to cancers, in part
At Magnitude ••, the Remade’s ordinary senses are greatly because they are the Clade most prone to fatal deterioration
enhanced. Her eyes can function as binoculars or a magnifying due to Instability, but also because Mutant Variations are
glass, and she can see clearly in low light conditions or hear a disturbing perversions of normal bodily functions.
whisper on the other side of a room. The Broken can calibrate
his senses for a task that requires precision and attention to Anomalous Biology (• to •••••)
detail in order to apply a +2 Equipment bonus.
At Magnitude •••, the Remade can calibrate her senses Subtle
to detect and interpret phenomena that would normally be Perpetual, Tiered
undetectable to humans but measurable by technology — such The Remade’s body does not require all the essentials most
as infrared or ultraviolet light, high- or low-frequency sounds, human bodies demand.
or radio waves. The Broken can calibrate her senses to per-
The Deviant enjoys a bonus equal to the Variation’s
ceive anything ordinary technology could normally detect
Magnitude on all attempts to feign death or otherwise pretend
and measure, and she automatically puts numbers and units
to be inanimate.
of measure to any observations she makes. Furthermore, she
At the time the Deviant develops this Variation, choose
has an eidetic memory where these details are concerned. This
a number of the following based on Magnitude — one at
grants a +3 Equipment bonus to relevant Skill rolls but can
Magnitude •, two at Magnitude ••, four at Magnitude •••, six
also have other, practical effects — such as allowing her to see
at Magnitude ••••, and all nine at Magnitude •••••.
in total darkness or receive radio transmissions.
At Magnitude ••••, the Deviant can calibrate her senses to • Ageless: This may only be chosen if the Variation is
observe signals and forces that normally require supernatural Persistent. The Deviant does not age. Unless his life
senses to detect — such as ghosts, temporal anomalies, or is cut off by violence or accident, he is functionally
astral projections. These are fully visible to the Deviant, who immortal.
may analyze them as though they were ordinary phenomena.
In addition to providing useful context during supernatural • Bloodless: The Remade’s injuries — whether external
encounters, appropriately calibrated senses provide a +2 or internal — do not bleed. She does not bleed out
Equipment bonus to relevant Occult rolls. when her health track is filled with lethal damage, and
she suffers bashing damage from firearms, blades, and
Deviations melee weaponry, instead of lethal damage.
• Rapid (+1 Magnitude): The Remade may calibrate her • Breathless: The Deviant does not need to breathe. She
senses as a reflexive action, no more often than once cannot drown, choke, or suffocate. She enjoys a bonus
per turn. equal to Scar Power on Stealth rolls where the sound
or motion of her breath might give away her presence.
• Versatile (+1 Magnitude): The Broken may make a
number of sensory calibrations per scene equal to Scar • Heartless: The Remade’s heart does not beat. She is
Power, but no more than one per turn — and may ben- immune to poison and disease.
efit from a number of sensory enhancements at a time
equal to Scar Power. Adaptations can grant additional • Hungerless: This may only be chosen if the Variation is
calibrations during the same scene but not during the Persistent. The Deviant does not require food or water
same turn. to survive and so does not suffer the effects of starvation
or dehydration.
Variations 149
the stolen Variation until the end of the chapter, during The Coactive fires a coruscating beam of light at his enemies
which time the victim loses the Variation. If all Variations that drains their lifeforce and renews his, but its energies are
entangled with the same Scar are stolen in this way, the vic- poisonous to both body and mind (Genetic Disorder; Persistent;
tim also loses the Scar for as long as this effect lasts. Further, Deviation: Nightmares; connected to a ranged Lash with the
the Remade may spend Experiences to purchase the stolen Channel effect).
Variation, acquiring it and the entangled Scar permanently The Invasive’s stomach has been replaced with a gold-lined sac
(even if not currently suffering medium or major Instability), of powerful acids capable of dissolving most materials. This cham-
while stripping it away from the victim (although the Sanctity ber can rupture when the Deviant suffers damage, however, leaking
of Merits applies). Consuming all of a Deviant’s Variations corrosive chemicals (Hemophilia; Persistent).
eliminates his Scars, but it does not reverse the other effects
The Mutant’s mouth, teeth, and jaws are composed of
of the Divergence.
organic, alien metal, but his appetite is not unlimited (Depletion;
Deviations Controlled; Dexterity).
Variations 151
This method produces a number of tokens equal to Most Controlled Scars can be purchased more than
Scar Power. once, exacting their price on all their entangled Variations.
Repeatable Controlled Scars may have a different criteria for
• Fragment: As Token, but a fragment is reusable (and so each purchase, if desired.
more often takes the form of a weapon or jewelry). It can
bestow the secondary Variation to a character who employs
it once per chapter (Adaptations cannot overcome this).
Concentration (• to •••••)
The Broken may create a single fragment per story without Keywords: Mental; Subtle; Repeatable
any personal consequences, but each additional such frag-
ment during the same story inflicts a medium Instability. The Variation demands constant, intense concentration to
maintain, and any distraction can cause it to fail or to get out
At Magnitude •, choose a Magnitude • secondary Variation. of control — or make it impossible to activate in the first place.
At Magnitude ••, choose a Magnitude •• secondary At Magnitude •, whenever an unexpected surprise or other
Variation. distraction causes the entangled Variation to shut down (or
At Magnitude •••, choose a Magnitude ••• secondary prevents her from activating it) in a way that creates a complica-
Variation. tion for the Deviant, the player may take a Beat.
At Magnitude ••••, choose a Magnitude •••• secondary At Magnitude ••, whenever the Remade suffers lethal (or
Variation. aggravated) damage not caused by a Scar or Adaptation, when-
At Magnitude •••••, choose a Magnitude ••••• secondary ever she Falters, or whenever she suffers the Stunned Tilt or
Variation. the Distracted Condition, the entangled Variation deactivates
unless her player succeeds on a Scar Resistance roll. She may
Deviations activate the Variation again on a future turn.
• Flexibility (+1 Magnitude): The Deviant may bestow At Magnitude •••, as Magnitude ••, and choose one:
the secondary Variation by an additional number of • Tenuous: Whenever an attack or hostile power suc-
methods equal to half Scar Power (rounded up). cessfully targets the Remade and either deals damage
or imposes a deleterious Tilt, Condition, or other
• Self-Cannibalism (+1 Magnitude): The Broken can
unwelcome effect, the entangled Variation deactivates
benefit from the secondary Variation granted by Sacred
unless her player succeeds on a Scar Resistance roll.
Flesh.
The Cephalist can produce a sword made of pure thought, • Unfocused: The Broken cannot attempt to activate an en-
which she may give to another person to wield (Tribulation; tangled Variation if under the influence of a distracting Tilt
Controlled; Wits; Secondary Variation: Lash). or Condition (such as Deprived, Distracted, Frightened,
Intoxicated, Insane, Insensate, or Stunned) except by first
The Chimeric periodically sheds his skin like a snake, and those
succeeding at a Scar Resistance roll, which is allowed once
who pull this gauzy garment over their shoulders become invisible.
per minute (once per turn in action scenes).
(Power Build-up; Involuntary; Stamina; Deviation: Uncontrollable
Variation; Secondary Variation: Camouflage). At Magnitude ••••, both Magnitude ••• effects apply.
The Mutant’s flesh grants remarkable powers to those who Deviations
eat it, but harvesting it requires cutting it out of him (Perilous
Variation; Controlled; Dexterity; Secondary Variation: Any). • After-Effect (+1 Magnitude): This is only available if all
entangled Variations are Directed. Choose a negative
temporary Condition. If the character concentrates on
Scars directing the Variation for consecutive turns greater
than her Scar Resistance, she suffers that Condition
The price a Deviant pays for his Variations is Scars. Scars are when the entangled Variation deactivates.
divided by activation method — Controlled Scars, Involuntary
Scars, and Persistent Scars. Deviations that can apply to mul- • Self-Doubt (+1 Magnitude): If an entangled Variation
tiple Scars are listed separately. deactivates because something broke the Deviant’s
concentration, she may not attempt to activate it again
Controlled Scars until the end of the scene.
Controlled Scars are inextricably tied to the active use of • Single-Minded (+1 Magnitude): This is only available
their combined Variations. if all entangled Variations are Directed. If the Broken
Controlled Scars impose their price each time one of their does not direct the Variation’s effect at least once per
Variations is activated. If a Scar is entangled with multiple minute (once per turn, in action scenes), it deactivates
Variations, the Scar’s effect applies separately to each Variation. unless she succeeds on a Scar Resistance roll.
Scars 153
• Painful: The character also suffers a point of bashing body can’t handle the strain. The effects are always outwardly
damage upon activating the entangled Variation. noticeable, such as a nosebleed or uncontrollable trembling.
At Magnitude •, the Variation harms the character whenever
• Severe: The character instead suffers the severe version he activates it, but the damage — while painful — is mostly cosmetic
of the Tilt. and doesn’t stick around. The player may accept a Beat for the
At Magnitude ••••, the character suffers from two of the pain to be distracting enough to hinder the Broken or his allies.
Magnitude ••• effects. At Magnitude ••, upon activating the Variation, the char-
At Magnitude •••••, the character suffers from all three acter takes a point of bashing damage.
Magnitude ••• effects. At Magnitude •••, as Magnitude ••, but the damage is
lethal instead.
Fluctuating Variation (•••) At Magnitude ••••, as Magnitude •••, but the damage is
aggravated instead.
Keywords: Any; Subtle; Repeatable, Tiered-Only
Deviations
The Variation is wild and unreliable, sometimes sputtering
out and sometimes overflowing with uncontrollable power. • Ongoing (+2 Magnitude): This may only entangle
• When entangling this Scar, the Deviant’s player must de- Directed Variations. The Scar deals its damage upon
termine how its entangled Variations function at every the Variation’s activation and every time the character
available Magnitude. For most Variations, this means directs its effects. This Deviation can’t modify the
choosing its configuration at Magnitude 1, 2, 3, 4, and Magnitude • version of this Scar.
5, but many Scars have a narrower range (1-3, 2-4, 1-4,
2-5, etc.). Whenever this Scar causes the Variation to Persistent Drawback (• to •••••)
change Magnitude, all its key variables follow this initial
model. She must decide whether she gains access to Keywords: Secondary; Subtle; Repeatable
Crush/Dismember or Force Field when her Telekinesis The Variation carries more insidious drawbacks than most
is at Magnitude •••• (p. 132), for example. Controlled Variations do.
• When first activated, an entangled Variation’s Magnitude Choose a Persistent Scar (p. 158) with Magnitude equal to
is equal to the successes on its activation roll. this Scar’s Magnitude. All Variations combined with this Scar
also suffer that Persistent Scar, but only while one or more of
• Every several minutes of activation (every turn, in action those Variations are active. This Scar should not permit sec-
scenes), the Deviant’s player declares whether she wishes ondary Scars that do not have an impact within the context of
to increase or decrease the current Magnitude of the a single scene — such as Dependency or Sluggish Metabolism
Variation by 1 and makes a Scar Resistance roll. On a — unless the Continual Deviation also applies.
success, the Magnitude fluctuation obeys the Remade, In cases where the secondary Scar imposes a Condition
but future such fluctuation rolls during the Variation’s or other lingering “token” (such as Conspicuous Appearance
current activation suffer a –1 penalty. On a failure, the or Misfortune), these Conditions/tokens linger until they are
Magnitude moves in the opposite direction, although resolved or used up normally.
future fluctuation rolls enjoy a +1 bonus. Unless the Continual Deviation applies, secondary Scars that
apply their effects once per chapter (such as Alternate Persona
• If fluctuation would have an impossible result (i.e. or Misfortune), instead apply their effect each time the Deviant
increasing Magnitude when it is already at the highest activates a Variation entangled with Persistent Drawback.
possible Magnitude for that Variation or decreasing it
Each instance of this Scar must apply a different Persistent
when it is already at the lowest), the Magnitude remains
Scar or one with the Repeatable keyword.
unchanged, but the resulting bonus or penalty to future
fluctuation rolls is instead +2/–2. Deviations
• Continual (+1 Magnitude): The chosen Persistent Scar
Perilous Variation (• to •••••) manifests whether the combined Variations are active or not.
Keywords: Physical; Overt; Repeatable
The Variation is dangerous to the Deviant. It might come Power Failure (• to •••••)
with a side effect like an energy backlash or psychic feedback, Keywords: Any; Subtle; Repeatable
or it might involve an implant physically tearing through her
flesh. Perhaps she channels power from a sinister force that The Variation breaks down under certain circumstances, which
wants to hurt her, or it takes so much effort to use that her the player chooses when he acquires this Scar. These circumstances
Scars 155
At Magnitude •, the character forgets details about what happened At Magnitude •, use of the entangled Variation exacerbates
while the Variation was active. The player can accept a Beat for his the Broken’s other Scars. His player may accept a Beat to auto-
character to forget something important that causes complications. matically fail a Scar Resistance roll or to temporarily increase
At Magnitude ••, the Deviant’s memories of events that the Magnitude of a Scar of the player’s choice in a way that
happen while he uses the Variation are unreliable. Anytime he creates a complication for the Deviant or his cohort.
would need to remember such an event, his player must succeed At Magnitude ••, the Remade’s other Scars temporarily worsen
on a Scar Resistance roll to do so. Other rolls to know or re- when he activates the entangled Variations. Until the end of the
member information he learned during those times suffer a –2. scene, he suffers a –2 penalty to Scar Resistance rolls and increases
At Magnitude •••, at the end of the scene in which the char- the Magnitude of another Scar by 1 (chosen or selected at random
acter activated the Variation, he forgets everything that happened by the Storyteller). This does not allow the Deviant to develop a
in that scene after the point of activation. Later, he may spend a new Variation or increase the Magnitude of a Variation.
Willpower point to temporarily regain that memory for one scene, At Magnitude •••, as Magnitude •, but the Broken also suffers
as long as something strongly reminds him of the missing events, a minor Instability whenever he activates the entangled Variation.
such as an impassioned recap from someone who was there or At Magnitude ••••, as Magnitude •••, but the Instability is
another eerily similar event unfolding before his eyes. Once he’s medium instead.
spent Willpower equal to (6 – Scar Resistance) this way, he regains At Magnitude •••••, as Magnitude ••••, but the Instability
the memory permanently. Any Conditions or supernatural effects is major instead.
imposed upon him during the missing time remain — he may not
remember how they came about, but they still affect him.
At Magnitude ••••, as Magnitude •••, but choose one:
Involuntary Scars
Involuntary Scars plague transformed who don’t have full
• Permanence: The character can’t spend Willpower to — or any — control over their powers.
regain the memories, temporarily or otherwise; they’re
Most Variations with an Involuntary Scar can be activated
gone for good.
with a successful Scar Finesse roll (p. 108). In cases where the
• Rapid: The character forgets everything at the end of Variation activates unintentionally, this initial activation is a
every minute that passes while the Variation is active reflexive action. Resisting the manifestation of an Involuntary
(or each turn in action scenes), losing track of what he Variation when it would normally occur (or regaining control
was just doing with potentially disastrous consequences. of it once it has) is more complicated.
If an entangled Tiered Variation has a continual effect
At Magnitude •••••, as Magnitude ••••, but both effects apply. while active (such as Bioluminescence with the Aura Deviation,
or Gigantic), the Deviant’s player chooses how its starting
Tribulation (••• to •••••) Magnitude is determined when purchasing the Variation. Either
it manifests at the same Magnitude each time it activates invol-
Keywords: Mental; Subtle; Repeatable untarily, or the player may leave it to the Storyteller (or chance)
Using the Variation is a struggle. It requires extra effort — to decide its Magnitude at the time it manifests involuntarily.
incredible focus, finding the perfect mindset, or overcoming The Remade may change the current Magnitude (as well as any
traumatic memories, for instance. applicable Deviations) of a Variation as an action, such as to dim
At Magnitude •••, the player must spend a Willpower point or brighten the light her Bioluminescence (p. 113) ordinarily
each time the character activates the Variation. produces, for example, as long as she is normally able to do so.
At Magnitude ••••, as Magnitude •••, but spending the
Willpower to activate the Variation takes a separate instant action. Involuntary Stimulus (• to •••••)
Deviations Keywords: Any; Subtle; Repeatable
• Draining (+2 Magnitude): This can only entangle The Variation activates on its own under certain circum-
Directed Variations. The player must spend the stances, which the player chooses when she acquires this Scar.
Willpower each time the character activates the These circumstances are uncommon but not unusual — such as
Variation and on any turn on which she directs it. “when exposed to freezing temperatures,” “under a full moon,”
“when exposed to direct sunlight,” or “at the sound of chimes.”
Unstable Variation (• to •••••) Each instance of Involuntary Stimulus provides a different
activating circumstance.
Keywords: Any; Subtle; Repeatable At Magnitude •, the Variation may activate on its own in the
stimulus’ presence, possibly at highly inconvenient moments
The Variation is more erratic than most, sending the
for the Deviant. If the Variation is Directed, the Storyteller may
Deviant spiraling toward a loss of control whenever he uses it.
offer a Beat to take direction of the Variation for a single turn
Scars 157
• Disorienting: Whenever the Variation is active, the
Character Design: character suffers the Intoxicated Condition (p. 323);
during action scenes, this becomes the Drugged Tilt
Power Build-Up (p. 316).
If you add the Indelible Mark or Short Circuit • Lingering: The Deprived Condition resulting from this
Deviation (p. 171) to the Power Build-Up Scar, Scar is Persistent; the character earns a Beat whenever
your character will pay a personal price or she uses the Variation at an inconvenient time just
suffer an unpleasant side-effect each time her to get a fix or when her withdrawal symptoms cause
Variations activate of their own volition. problems, and it only resolves when she goes at least a
story without toggling the Variation on at all or heals
a medium or major Instability.
• Destructive: The Broken must have chosen Volcanic At Magnitude ••••, as Magnitude •••, and choose one:
as his Magnitude •• effect, and at least one entangled
Variation must be Directed. The Storyteller may direct • Compounded: Both Magnitude ••• effects apply.
an entangled, Directed Variation on any turn on which
• Severe: The Deprived Condition’s effects worsen,
the Remade does not do so (or randomly determine
inflicting a –2 to the relevant rolls instead of –1, and
its target and effect). The Deviant may only deactivate
also affect derived traits.
a Directed Variation linked to this Scar by succeed-
ing on a Scar Resistance roll with a bonus equal to At Magnitude •••••, as Magnitude ••••, but the Remade
the number of times the Storyteller has directed the suffers from all Magnitude ••• and •••• effects.
Variation since it was activated, and a penalty equal
to the number of times the player directed it since it Alternate Persona (• to •••••)
was activated.
Keywords: Mental, Social; Subtle; Repeatable
At Magnitude ••••, at least one entangled Variation must
be Directed. The Deviant suffers from all three Magnitude The Deviant sometimes becomes someone else. The player
••• effects. should decide when she acquires this Scar what the alternate
persona is like, and how they differ from the character herself.
Persistent Scars This other self has an entirely different personality — including
tastes, hobbies, and Aspiration — but it largely takes a live-and-
Persistent Scars never stop plaguing the Deviant, whether let-live approach to your shared body: It won’t ruin your life as
she’s using her powers or not. A player may only combine long as you do it the same courtesy. Aside from the difference
them with Persistent Variations, except when a Deviation in Aspiration, you and your alter ego share all Attributes,
says otherwise. Skills, and other traits (but see the Amalgam Form on p. 89).
Each personality remembers what the other persona does,
Addictive Variation (• to •••••) but only vaguely or as dreams. The player should control the
character even when the alternate persona manifests, although
Keywords: Mental, Physical; Subtle; Toggled-Only the Storyteller should feel free to feed her information only
Any entangled Variation acts as, or literally is, an ad- her other self would know.
dictive drug. She experiences a unique high whenever she This Scar may be developed any number of times, and each
uses it, and withdrawal whenever she goes too long without time it reflects a different alternate persona.
doing so. At Magnitude •, the Remade’s player may accept a Beat to
At Magnitude •, the character suffers when she doesn’t use change personas at a time when doing so creates a significant
the Variation often enough. The player can accept a Beat to complication for her or her cohort — whether this places the
activate the power just to get a fix at an inopportune moment, primary or alternate persona in command.
or labor under withdrawal symptoms that hinder her. At Magnitude ••, as Magnitude •, but once per chapter,
At Magnitude ••, the character suffers the Persistent at a time of the Storyteller’s choosing, the alternate persona
Addicted Condition (p. 320) regarding the Variation, which takes control for a number of minutes (turns, in action scenes)
reasserts itself at the beginning of each chapter after it resolves. equal to (6 – Scar Resistance). The Broken’s player may resist
If she doesn’t activate the Variation for at least a scene once this transformation with a successful Scar Resistance roll. If
per chapter, she gains the Deprived Condition (p. 321). If this roll succeeds, the Storyteller may make another attempt
entangled with multiple Variations, activating any one of them in a later scene but may not attempt to trigger this Scar again
satisfies the addiction. during the current scene. Each consecutive successful roll to
At Magnitude •••, as Magnitude ••, and choose one: resist transformation imposes a –1 penalty on future such rolls.
Scars 159
Bane (• to •••••) that was so traumatic it causes physical pain to experience
anything similar.
Keywords: Physical; Subtle; Repeatable Bane may be taken multiple times, but each time, it
represents a new, additional vulnerability.
Something that should be harmless is anathema to the
At Magnitude •, the character’s reaction to the bane resem-
Broken, or something already harmful (such as fire) is espe-
bles an allergic response. He might suffer a rash, migraine, or
cially so for him. It could be a kind of substance or object,
eye irritation. You take a Beat whenever the bane complicates
like ivory or mirrors; energy, like bright light or the sound
a scene or when your character capitulates to the demands
of sirens; or entity, like children or ghosts. Exposure to his
of someone who inflicts it upon him (or threatens to do so).
bane hurts and weakens him. It may be a side effect of the
combined Variation, a deliberate weakness his Progenitor At Magnitude ••, as Magnitude •, and while the char-
baked into him, or a reaction to some aspect of his Divergence acter touches the bane (or is otherwise directly exposed,
Conspicuous Appearance
(• to •••••)
Keywords: Physical, Social; Overt
The transformed stands out in a crowd. He leaves a clear
trail of gossip and reports for conspiracies to follow, and flying
under the radar is difficult. His monstrous or eerily inhuman
appearance may frighten or revolt others.
Scars 161
Any Overt Variation or Scar is noticeable; this Scar is for
characters whose permanent appearances are particularly gro-
Dependency (• to •••••)
tesque or attention-grabbing. Conspiracy rolls for surveillance Keywords: Physical; Subtle; Repeatable
of the Deviant enjoy a bonus equal to half the Magnitude of
Conspicuous Appearance (rounded up). The Deviant is dependent on a particular kind of fuel,
food, or medication. Without it, her body’s natural processes
At Magnitude •, the character’s features are uncommon,
gradually cease. Satisfying the dependency might be as simple
but forgettable. He may have heterochromatic eyes, a sixth
as pumping ordinary gasoline into the engine that powers her
finger on each hand, or an unsettling grace; part of his body
heart, or as precarious as needing an injection of a serum that
may appear alien, gross, or terrifying. These features are easily
only her Progenitor knows how to make.
concealable and have no mechanical effects, but whenever they
complicate his social interactions, you take a Beat. By default, the Broken needs something moderately diffi-
cult to acquire or consume, requiring rolls of some kind, which
At Magnitude ••, as Magnitude •, but the character’s fea-
always suffer a penalty equal to (6 – Scar Resistance). It could
tures are notably strange and incite people to talk about him,
be a kind of animal meat local stores don’t sell, requiring her to
and they’re harder to conceal. He may have an odd skin color,
hunt and kill it herself; a common but awkward substance like
like blue or green, or his eyes might glow. The oddity might
gasoline, requiring a Crafts roll to properly hook a gas pump
be too extensive or bulky to hide, or his mannerisms or entire
up to her body, or an illegal drug requiring illicit dealings to
appearance might fall into the uncanny valley. In any scene
acquire; or something that requires a Resolve + Stamina roll to
in which the character could attract unwanted attention, the
keep down, like blood, pure capsaicin, or chemicals not meant
player must roll Wits + Subterfuge, contested by any observer’s
for drinking. The player can only try once per scene.
Wits + Composure, to conceal his appearance from them. His
Social rolls against any Baseline character who notices his ap- Each instance of this Scar pertains to a different
pearance lose the 10-again quality; in Social Maneuvering (p. dependency.
207), worsen their impression of him by one level. At Magnitude •, the player may accept a Beat for the character to
At Magnitude •••, as Magnitude ••, but the change is barely run out of the substance or end up in a place where she can’t access
concealable, inflicting a –3 to all rolls to disguise or hide the it; for someone to steal her reserves; or for something to ruin her
character’s appearance. He suffers a Persistent version of the supply, forcing her to embark on a dangerous mission to get more or
Notoriety Condition (p. 323) among all characters, not just letting the consequences of missing a dose hinder her or her allies.
Baselines; it grants a Beat whenever his appearance ruins his At Magnitude ••, if the Remade has not consumed a dose
reputation or causes complications, and resolves only when he of the substance since the beginning of the current chapter,
makes a concerted effort to change a community’s opinion of she suffers deprivation symptoms until she does so. Choose
him for the better. It reasserts itself whenever he interacts with one symptom when developing this Scar:
a new group or community after it resolves. • Fatigued: The character suffers the Fatigued Condition
At Magnitude ••••, as Magnitude •••, but the character’s (p. 322), which cannot be resolved until she both sleeps
features are wholly unconcealable and fantastical enough to and resumes the regimen.
make headlines, or he’s clearly part human, part something
terrible. He may have enormous wings or monstrous limbs and • Ill: The character does not heal naturally, cannot be
horns, float a few inches off the ground, or leave contrails or fire healed supernaturally, and suffers a point of bashing
wherever he goes. Observers automatically notice his appear- damage each day.
ance. Choose one of the following when he acquires the Scar:
• Sluggish: The Broken suffers a –3 penalty to Initiative
• Terrible: All Social rolls he makes against Baselines use and Speed, and a –2 penalty to Physical actions.
a chance die. The exception is Intimidation rolls, which
enjoy a +2 bonus. In Social Maneuvering, a Baseline’s • Submissive: The Deviant suffers the Broken Condition.
first impression of him is never better than average. In action scenes, this is instead the Beaten Down Tilt.
• Monstrous: He suffers the Persistent Hunted Condition At Magnitude •••, choose two symptoms, instead.
(p. 322), which reasserts itself at the beginning of the At Magnitude ••••, choose three symptoms, instead.
next story each time it resolves. The hunters pursuing At Magnitude •••••, the Remade suffers all four depriva-
the Remade are not part of the Web of Pain. Rather, tion symptoms.
they are people or supernatural creatures that regard Deviations
him as a dangerous threat that must be neutralized.
At Magnitude •••••, the character looks completely inhu- • Common (–1 Magnitude): What the Deviant needs is
man, suffering both Magnitude •••• effects. instead commonplace and easy to consume, like aspirin,
cat food, or just five times the daily calories a Baseline
Scars 163
At Magnitude •••, as Magnitude ••, and ordinary Willpower • Stubborn: Only a Loyalty Touchstone can convince the
expenditures cause the character to suffer the Distracted Remade to ignore his delusion.
Condition (p. 321), which resolves when the character heals
At Magnitude •••••, the Broken suffers both Magnitude
any Instability or chooses to fail an important action due to
•••• effects.
the Scar.
At Magnitude ••••, as Magnitude •••, but ordinary
Willpower expenditures also impose the Insane Tilt (p. 317),
Hemophilia (• to •••••)
and the Magnitude •• effect also applies to the Willpower costs Keywords: Physical; Subtle
of Variations, Scars, and Adaptations.
The Deviant’s blood is hungry to flow, pooling up inside him
At Magnitude •••••, as Magnitude ••••, but any Willpower
and pumping out of his veins any chance it gets. Injuries are par-
expenditure sets off the glitch, and the Distracted Condition
ticularly lethal, and even minor blows can cause internal bleeding.
doesn’t resolve until the character regains all Willpower.
At Magnitude •, the character has trouble stopping his
Hallucinations (• to •••••) wounds from bleeding, and getting injured is a serious concern.
The player may accept a Beat for the character to suffer harm
Keywords: Mental, Social; Subtle or a setback due to his condition.
At Magnitude ••, whenever the character takes bashing dam-
The Deviant hears voices, sees things that aren’t there, and feels
age in a Health box that causes wound penalties, his leftmost
phantom sensations on her skin. When the Scar is at its worst, she
point of bashing damage upgrades to lethal.
completely loses time or invents companions and foes who don’t
At Magnitude •••, as Magnitude ••, and whenever the charac-
exist.
ter takes lethal or aggravated damage in a Health box that causes
At Magnitude •, the Remade sometimes attempts to inter-
wound penalties (unless the source of the damage was this Scar),
act with people or things that aren’t real. The Broken’s player
he takes another point of lethal damage automatically on his next
may accept a Beat for this to create a complication in a scene.
turn, plus another point of lethal damage each minute until given
At Magnitude ••, as Magnitude •, and once per chapter, the medical attention to stop the bleeding (p. 202).
Storyteller may impose the Distracted Condition (p. 321) on
At Magnitude ••••, as Magnitude •••, and at the end of any
the Broken. The Deviant’s player may ignore these hallucina-
scene in which the character takes any damage, he suffers the
tions with a successful Scar Resistance roll. If this roll succeeds,
Fatigued Condition (p. 322).
the Storyteller may attempt to impose this Condition in a later
At Magnitude •••••, as Magnitude ••••, but the effects apply
scene but not during the current scene. Each consecutive suc-
when the character takes the appropriate type of damage in any
cessful roll to ignore hallucinations imposes a –1 penalty on
box, not just ones that cause wound penalties.
future rolls to resist involuntary activation.
At Magnitude •••, as Magnitude ••, and once per chapter,
the Storyteller may describe a person or object in the Broken’s Lying Eyes (• to •••••)
vicinity that is not really there. The Deviant can interact with Keywords: Social; Subtle
this hallucination without realizing anything is amiss. It doesn’t
have function, so an imagined weapon couldn’t hurt anyone, The Deviant has trouble convincing others she’s sincere
but the delusion usually self-justifies to avoid spoiling the il- even when she’s being completely truthful. Something about
lusion, causing the bullets from an illusory gun to miss their the way she speaks or carries herself engenders mistrust, re-
targets, for example. If someone else points out the unreality gardless of her actual intent. Many transformed with this Scar
to the Deviant, he may attempt to dispel the hallucination throw up their hands and become habitual liars to bury their
with a successful Scar Resistance roll. This roll is allowed once frustration, but some refuse, choosing instead to let their ac-
every several minutes (once per turn, in action scenes) and tions speak for them.
enjoys a bonus equal to the number of consecutive, failed Scar At Magnitude •, trying to tell the truth or convince someone
Resistance rolls that preceded it this scene. to trust her backfires on the character in ways ranging from
At Magnitude ••••, as Magnitude •••, and choose one: inconvenient to disastrous. The player may accept a Beat for
the character to come across as shady or deceitful when she’s
• Phantasmagoria: The Deviant’s hallucinations involve trying to be honest and benign, automatically dramatically
elaborate scenes and complex situations. While some of failing a Social action without rolling.
these delusions are comparatively peaceful, most range
At Magnitude ••, the character suffers the Notoriety
from a bad dream to a nightmare made real. Further,
Condition (p. 323) whenever she interacts with strangers or
he might mistake innocent bystanders for enemies or
people who have met her for the first time within the current
attempt to interact with unreal scenery in a way that
scene. It resolves when she wins a given person’s trust through
puts himself or others in danger.
rolled actions or deeds, but applies again next time she meets
someone new.
Scars 165
Missing Limb (• to •••••) prompt this roll, but anything else is fair game. Once she fails
this roll and violence begins, the transformed may make a Scar
Keywords: Physical; Overt Resistance roll once per turn to stop herself, with each consecu-
tive failure granting a +1 bonus on further rolls to stay her hand.
The Variation comes at the cost of one or more of the
At Magnitude •••, as Magnitude ••, but if the player fails
Remade’s limbs, or renders them unusable somehow. Perhaps
the Scar Resistance roll or chooses to forgo it, the character
he has a machine gun where his arm should be, or a sacred
continues trying to deal lethal damage even if she achieves her
flame bestowed upon him the power to control fire but burned
original intent in the scene. She doesn’t stop until she kills
his legs beyond saving in the process.
someone, or until she’s forcibly prevented from causing harm
At Magnitude •, the character is missing or has limited use for (6 – Scar Resistance) turns.
of one or more limbs, but this only impairs him in dramatic
At Magnitude ••••, as Magnitude •••, but a single kill doesn’t
moments the player chooses. He may accept a Beat to suffer a
sate the character’s bloodlust. Once her original victim is dead,
significant setback due to the character’s lack.
she must succeed at this Scar’s roll again or find another target,
At Magnitude ••, the Broken has only limited use of one although she won’t harm her Loyalty Touchstones or members
or more appendages. He may have missing fingers, webbed of her cohort. To the Broken in this state, “foe” is a relative term;
hands, or oversized feet. Choose one: she targets a waitress who got her order wrong or a stranger who
• Hands: Any rolls that require manual dexterity suffer cut her off on the highway if no real enemies are nearby, and
a –2 penalty. nothing stops her from provoking people into pissing her off.
At Magnitude •••••, as Magnitude ••••, but anyone is fair
• Feet: The character’s Speed is halved (rounded up), and game for the character’s violent urges, including Loyalty
he suffers a –1 penalty to Defense and Physical rolls that Touchstones and cohort members. Upon dramatically fail-
require movement. ing the roll to resist the urge, the player may not roll again to
At Magnitude •••, as Magnitude •, but the character is prevent the character from killing one victim after another;
missing one limb, which the player chooses when he acquires the rampage lasts until the scene ends or something forcibly
this Scar. He permanently suffers either the moderate Arm prevents her from continuing for (6 – Scar Resistance) turns.
(p. 314) or Leg Wrack Tilt (p. 315) for the appropriate limb
in action scenes. Native Environment (• to •••••)
At Magnitude ••••, as Magnitude •••, but the character is
missing two limbs. In action scenes, this imposes the severe Keywords: Physical; Subtle
Arm Wrack Tilt, the severe Leg Wrack, or the moderate Arm The transformed is only at home in a particular environ-
and Leg Wrack Tilts. ment, such as in the water, in temperatures below freezing,
At Magnitude •••••, as Magnitude ••••, but the character or in the forest. The longer he languishes outside his native
is missing all four limbs. He permanently suffers the severe environment, the more it hurts him.
Arm and Leg Wrack Tilts in action scenes, and the Persistent Choose a native environment when the character develops
Disabled Condition (p. 321). this Scar.
At Magnitude •, being outside of his native environment
Murderous Urge (• to •••••) causes the Deviant discomfort. The player may accept a Beat for
the character to suffer hardships due to a non-native environ-
Keywords: Mental; Subtle ment, to be unexpectedly removed from his native one at an
The vengeance that lives in the Deviant’s heart spills inopportune moment, or for the character to take significant
over into action more often than it should. No matter how risks to return to his native environment. The Remade enjoys
diligently she disciplines herself or how often she promises to no special resistance to the native environment.
stay her hand next time, it never gets any easier to resist the At Magnitude ••, the Broken treats non-native environ-
need for blood. ments as a level 1 Extreme Environment (p. 204) or increases
At Magnitude •, the character often reacts more violently the level of an existing Extreme Environment by 1. In action
than a situation calls for. The player can accept a Beat for scenes, the Storyteller may impose appropriate Environmental
the character to employ disproportionate or inappropriate Tilts on the Deviant.
violence, when it would cause problems for her or her allies. At Magnitude •••, as Magnitude ••, but non-native environ-
At Magnitude •, physical intimidation or fist-fighting suffices. ments are a level 2 Extreme Environment, instead.
At Magnitude ••, the character escalates veiled threats to At Magnitude ••••, as Magnitude •••, but non-native envi-
blatant ones, blatant threats to violence, and violence to deadly ronments are level 3 Extreme Environments, instead.
force. Anytime an opportunity to do so arises, the player must At Magnitude •••••, as Magnitude ••••, but non-native
make a successful Scar Resistance roll to stop herself from escalat- environments are level 4 Extreme Environments, instead.
ing. Friendly sparring, cohort members, and Loyalty don’t usually
Scars 167
Sensory Deprivation (• to •••••) • Impaired: The character suffers the Magnitude
•••• Blind effect, plus either the Combined or Deaf
Keywords: Physical; Subtle Magnitude ••• effect.
The Deviant loses the use of some of his natural senses.
He may show no outward signs, or his eyes may fall out of his Silence (• to ••••)
skull or disappear entirely.
At Magnitude •, choose one or more senses at the time the Keywords: Social; Subtle
Remade develops this Scar. The chosen senses are dulled or The transformed can’t effectively communicate through
limited, but this only impairs him in dramatic moments when speech. She might lose her voice, her tongue, or even her
the player chooses. He may require glasses to correct his near- entire mouth. A mystical curse might prevent her from speak-
sightedness (which sometimes fall off during action scenes), for ing, or she might speak in glossolalia or an untranslatable
example. He may accept a Beat to suffer a significant setback alien language.
due to the character’s limitation. At Magnitude •, the character has trouble making herself
At Magnitude ••, as Magnitude •, and choose one: heard or understood when she speaks. The player can accept a
• Ageusia: The character can’t taste anything. The Beat for her limited powers of speech to cause complications.
Storyteller should impose situational modifiers and At Magnitude ••, as Magnitude •, and the character can
other minor effects when appropriate; for instance, barely communicate orally; reduce her maximum ratings in
the character doesn’t notice poison in his tea, but he Persuasion, Socialize, and Subterfuge by this Scar’s Magnitude.
also never needs to roll Stamina to eat something that Anytime she suffers the Immobilized Tilt (p. 316) or otherwise
tastes vile. Taste-based rolls suffer a –3 penalty. can’t express herself via body language or writing, she also suf-
fers a –2 penalty on all relevant Social rolls.
• Anosmia: The character can’t smell anything, instead. He At Magnitude •••, as Magnitude ••, and the character can’t
doesn’t notice smoke from a nearby fire or toxic gas in the speak at all, although she can still communicate in writing or
air, but never needs to worry about vomiting in a room full through sign language. In situations where she can’t use body
of decaying corpses. Scent-based rolls suffer a –3 penalty. language or write to express herself, she can’t perform Social
actions with the above three Skills at all.
• Hearing: The character is deaf in one ear or partially
At Magnitude ••••, as Magnitude •••, but the Deviant can-
deaf in both. He suffers a –3 penalty to hearing-based
not communicate in writing or through sign language, and
Perception rolls and the Deafened Tilt in action scenes.
even her facial expressions and body language are difficult to
At Magnitude •••, as Magnitude •, and choose one: interpret. She can still convey some of her desires by pointing
• Combined: The character suffers both the Ageusia and and grunting, but any game of charades beyond that requires
Anosmia effects. a successful Expression action at a –4 penalty.
• Deaf: The character can’t hear. He suffers the Persistent Sluggish Metabolism (• to •••••)
Deaf Condition (p. 321), which becomes the severe
Deafened Tilt (p. 315) during action scenes. Keywords: Physical; Subtle
The Remade’s natural processes slow down, making it
• Eyesight: The character is blind in one eye or partially
harder for him to recover from injury and illness.
blind in both. He suffers a –3 penalty to any rolls that
rely on vision, which becomes the Blinded Tilt (p. 315) At Magnitude •, the character is medically fragile, making
during action scenes. him more vulnerable to illness, drugs, and poisons, and slower
to recover from them. The player may accept a Beat for this
At Magnitude ••••, as Magnitude •, and choose one: susceptibility to create a significant complication for himself
• Blind: The character can’t see. He suffers the Persistent or his cohort.
Blind Condition (p. 321), which becomes the severe At Magnitude ••, as Magnitude •, and the character’s
Blinded Tilt (p. 315) during action scenes. wounds heal at half their usual rate. For instance, a point of
bashing damage takes 30 minutes to heal rather than 15, while
• Multiple: The character suffers two Magnitude ••• ef- a point of lethal takes four days rather than two. In addition,
fects chosen from Combined, Deaf, and Eyesight. his Stamina rolls to resist disease, drugs, and poisons suffer a
At Magnitude •••••, as Magnitude •, and choose one: penalty equal to (6 – Scar Resistance).
At Magnitude •••, as Magnitude ••, and choose one:
• Compound: The character suffers all three Magnitude
••• effects. • Glacial: The character heals at a fraction of the typical
rate. He heals bashing damage in two days, lethal dam-
age in a week, and aggravated damage in a month.
Scars 169
speed or other capabilities that enable her to do things others Thin Skin (• to •••••)
couldn’t in that time, those actions are fair game. Any Scar
Resistance to avoid Faltering only allows her to resist the Keywords: Physical; Subtle
compulsion for a single action/turn, rerolling on successive
The Remade’s skin is paper-thin, and she bruises easily.
turns until the duration elapses.
Wounds and physical trauma have noticeably dramatic effects.
At Magnitude ••••, as Magnitude •••, but the compul-
At Magnitude •, the Deviant has a low pain threshold,
sion lasts until the end of the scene or for several hours.
and even the threat of physical injury may give her pause.
The Remade may attempt to suppress this compulsion for
Her player may accept a Beat when she caves at the prospect
minutes/turns equal to Scar Resistance with a successful
of pain or responds more dramatically to an injury than its
Scar Resistance roll. This roll is allowed once every (6 – Scar
seriousness seems to demand, if this creates a complication
Resistance) minutes/turns and enjoys a bonus equal to
for her or her cohort.
the number of consecutive failed Scar Resistance roll that
preceded it. At Magnitude ••, subtract one box from the character’s
Health track. The Broken cannot develop this Scar if it would
Deviations reduce her to zero Health boxes.
At Magnitude •••, as Magnitude ••, but subtract two boxes.
• Rare (–1 Magnitude): The stimulus is very specific or
requires special equipment to deploy — such as a geneti- At Magnitude ••••, as Magnitude •••, but subtract four
cally engineered perfume or a passphrase broadcast on boxes.
a particular radio frequency. At Magnitude •••••, as Magnitude ••••, but subtract eight
boxes.
• Common (+1 Magnitude): The stimulus is a common
Deviations
one that could easily occur by accident, such as the pres-
ence of fire or the sight of a popular coffee shop logo. • Painful (+1 Magnitude): The Deviant starts suffering
wound penalties one box further to the left than usual
• Complex (+1 Magnitude): The Broken has been condi-
when that box fills with damage, and all other wound
tioned to respond to a variety of different stimuli in varying
penalties increase by one, to –1/–2/–3/–4.
ways. The Storyteller may choose one or more additional
secret stimuli that may or may not be discoverable, deploy- • Agonizing (+2 Magnitude): As Painful and exclusive
ing these not more often than once per chapter. with it, but wound penalties begin two boxes further
to the left, and wound penalties increase by two, to
Suppression (• to ••••) –1/–2/–3/–4/–5.
Scars 171
Suppressible Variation and Power Failure
When Power Failure is the secondary Scar of this Deviation it reflects some countermeasure or suppression
device the Broken uses to tamp down her unruly Variations — such as a special article of clothing, continual
exposure to a radio signal, or regular injections of a stabilizing serum. While this is their main purpose within
the story, an enemy could deploy them to disable the transformed’s Variations, or the Deviant might find
herself in an environment where the countermeasures are in place and she can’t remove them in order to use
her Variations. Thus, the Power Failure option for Suppressible Variation is a double-edged sword.
For that reason, Power Failure is always treated as a Magnitude ••• Scar when it is Suppressible Variation’s
secondary Scar, and the Common and Rare Deviations are not allowed. However, the countermeasure
can be as easy to bring into play (or as rare and difficult to apply) as the player wishes. The player similarly
decides the following at the time he purchases this Scar:
Off: Does application of the countermeasure neutralize the Variation immediately, or does it take time to do
so? If gradual, does the Variation lose Magnitude every interval of time (measured in turns in action scenes,
minutes in other scenes), or does it switch off on a delay?
On: Does removal of the countermeasure cause the Variation to manifest at full strength immediately, or
does it take time to do so? If gradual, does the Variation gain Magnitude every interval of time (turns in ac-
tion scenes, minutes in other scenes), or does it switch on after the delay?
Minimum: Once the countermeasure is removed, can it be reapplied right away, or is it impossible to do
so for a period of time (measured in turns in action scenes, minutes in other scenes) or until the end of the
scene?
QUICK REFERENCE
Standard Deviations
Deviation Name (Magnitude Range) Summary Scar Type; Keywords
Disfiguring Scar (+1 Magnitude) Subtle Scar and Variations become Overt. Any
Identifier (+1-2 Magnitude) Variation leaves behind evidence of use that makes Any
it easier for conspiracies to find the Broken.
Indelible Mark (+1-4 Magnitude) Involuntary Scar also has a Persistent Scar when Involuntary; Secondary
Variation is active.
Nightmares (+1 Magnitude) Deviant suffers nightmares that prevent restful sleep. Any
Rebellious Variation (+1 Magnitude) Directed Variation strikes random targets. Any; Directed-Only
Relentless Variation (–1-+1 Magnitude) Variation is always active. Persistent; Toggled Only
Short Circuit (+1-4 Magnitude) Involuntary Variation also has a Controlled Scar Involuntary; Secondary
when Variation is activated involuntarily.
Suppressible Variation (+0 Magnitude) Temporarily deactivates Perpetual Variation. Persistent;
Perpetual-Only
Target Restriction (+1-2 Magnitude) Directed Variation only affects certain target types. Any; Directed-Only
Unruly Variation (+1-2 Magnitude) Directed Perpetual Variation affects unintended Persistent; Directed-Only,
targets. Perpetual-Only
Wild Variation (+1 Magnitude) Tiered Variation only functions at highest effect, Any
becoming Discrete.
Chimeric Variations
Variation Name (Magnitude Range) Summary Keywords
Animal Transformation (•• to •••••) Change into an animal. Overt; Discrete, Toggled
Mimicry (• to •••••) Hide Scars. Subtle; Tiered, Toggled
Monstrous Transformation (•• to •••••) Activate multiple Variations Overt; Discrete, Toggled
simultaneously.
Pheromones (• to •••••) Blend in socially. Subtle; Directed, Perpetual, Tiered
Predator’s Cunning (• to •••••) Situational awareness. Subtle; Perpetual, Reflexive, Tiered
Coactive Variations
Variation Name (Magnitude Range) Summary Keywords
Blessing (• to •••••) Manipulate luck. Subtle; Directed, Perpetual,
Reflexive, Tiered
Fate’s Agent (• to •••••) Resistance to supernatural influence. Subtle; Perpetual, Reflexive, Tiered
Otherworldly Connection (• to •••••) Influence over a parallel world. Subtle; Perpetual, Tiered
Precognition (• to •••••) Prophetic powers. Subtle; Reflexive, Tiered, Toggled
Psycho-Onomastics (• to •••••) Name-based influence. Subtle; Reflexive, Tiered, Toggled
Invasive Variations
Variation Name (Magnitude Range) Summary Keywords
Computer-Aided Processing (• to •••••) Floating Merit and Attribute dots. Subtle; Reflexive, Tiered, Toggled
Hidden Compartments (• to •••••) Conjure useful tools and equipment. Subtle; Tiered, Toggled
Integrate Technology (• to •••••) Merge with tools and objects. Overt; Tiered, Toggled
Omnicompetence (• to •••••) Floating Skill dots. Subtle; Discrete, Perpetual, Reflexive
Sensor Array (•• to •••••) Floating specialized senses. Subtle; Perpetual, Tiered
Mutant Variations
Variation Name (Magnitude Range) Summary Keywords
Anomalous Biology (• to •••••) Fewer bodily needs. Subtle; Perpetual, Tiered
Deadly Ichor (• to •••••) Counterattack. Overt; Discrete, Reflexive, Toggled
Inhuman Digestion (• to •••••) Matter-eating and power theft. Overt; Tiered, Toggled
Rapid Healing (• to •••••) Heal self. Subtle; Discrete, Perpetual
Sacred Flesh (• to •••••) Bestow a Variation on others. Subtle; Discrete, Toggled
Involuntary Scars
Scar Name (Magnitude Range) Summary Keywords
Involuntary Stimulus (• to •••••) Certain circumstances cause Variation Any; Subtle; Repeatable
to activate on its own.
Power Build-Up (• to ••••) Variation erupts like a volcano, activat-
ing on its own periodically. Any; Subtle;
Repeatable
This chapter contains the basic rules for playing Deviant: The Renegades. More information, in-
cluding optional systems and examples of play, can be found in the Chronicles of Darkness Rulebook.
Traits
In addition to the supernatural traits of the Remade, Chronicles of Darkness characters have mundane
traits common to Baselines, Remade, and other monsters alike. Attributes are raw potential, Skills are
trained abilities, and Skill Specialties are specific areas of training in which a character excels. Willpower
is the extra effort a character can bring to bear in a stressful or dangerous situation, when success is
crucial or hangs by a thread.
Finally, a Baseline possesses Integrity, a personal Virtue and Vice from which he can draw strength and
refill his Willpower, much the same way a Remade derives Willpower from her Conviction and Loyalty.
Attributes
Attributes represent essential traits that every character possesses by default. These serve as the foun-
dation to most rolls in Deviant: The Renegades. The nine Attributes are split into three categories;
Mental, Physical, and Social. If a game rule refers to a “Social roll,” or a “Mental action,” that means
an action that uses the appropriate Attribute category. A character with five dots in an Attribute has
reached the peak of human potential within that ability.
Mental Attributes
Mental Attributes reflect your character’s acuity, intellect, and strength of mind.
Intelligence
Intelligence is your character’s raw knowledge, memory, and capacity for solving difficult
problems. This may be book smarts, or a wealth of trivia.
Attribute Tasks: Memorizing (Intelligence + Composure, instant action)
Traits 181
Wits Manipulation
Wits represents your character’s ability to think quickly and Manipulation is your character’s ability to make others
improvise solutions. It reflects your character’s perception, and cooperate. It’s how smoothly she speaks, and how much people
ability to pick up on details. can read into her intentions.
Attribute Tasks: Perception (Wits + Composure, reflexive Attribute Tasks: Poker face (Manipulation + Composure)
action)
Composure
Resolve Composure is your character’s poise and grace under fire.
Resolve is your character’s determination, patience, and It’s his dignity, and ability to remain unfazed when harrowed.
sense of commitment. It allows your character to concentrate Attribute Tasks: Meditation (Resolve + Composure, extended
in the face of distraction and danger, or continue doing some- action)
thing in spite of insurmountable odds.
Attribute Tasks: Resisting coercion (Resolve + Stamina,
reflexive action)
Skills
Whereas Attributes represent innate ability, Skills reflect be-
haviors learned and honed over a lifetime. These are things that
Physical Attributes could be practiced or learned from a book. Similarly to Attributes,
Physical Attributes reflect your character’s bodily fitness Skills are divided into Mental, Physical, and Social categories.
and acumen. Skills do not receive free dots at character creation. Skills
without dots are deficient or barely capable. Skills with a single
Strength dot reflect a cursory training. Two dots is sufficient for profes-
Strength is your character’s muscular definition and capac- sional use. Three is a high level of competency. Four is outstand-
ity to deliver force. It affects many physical tasks, including ing, and five is absolute mastery of the discipline. When creat-
most actions in a fight. ing your character, prioritize categories. The primary category
receives 11 dots, the secondary receives seven, the tertiary four.
Attribute Tasks: Breaking a barrier (Strength + Stamina, in-
stant action), Lifting objects (Strength + Stamina, instant action) Sample actions are listed for each Skill; these lists are just
common actions, and should not be taken as comprehensive
guides to where Skills can apply. We also suggest dice pools,
Dexterity but it’s important to look at the context of the scene, and apply
Dexterity is your character’s speed, agility, and coordina- the best Attribute + Skill combination for the events at hand.
tion. It governs balance, reactions, and aim. Also remember that equipment and environmental modifiers
Attribute Tasks: Keeping balance (Dexterity + Composure, can shift a dice pool. We’ve listed some sample equipment and
reflexive action) factors that could enhance Skill usage.
Using a Skill with no dots incurs a penalty. For Physical
Stamina and Social Skills, it levies a –1 die penalty to the roll. For a
Mental Skill, it’s a –3 die penalty.
Stamina is your character’s general health and sturdiness.
It determines how much punishment your character’s body
can handle before it gives up. Mental Skills
Attribute Tasks: Staying awake (Stamina + Resolve, instant Mental Skills are largely learned, as opposed to practiced.
action) They reflect knowledge and procedure, lore and understanding.
Computer Medicine
Computer is your character’s advanced ability with com- Medicine reflects your character’s knowledge of the hu-
puting. While most characters in Chronicles of Darkness are man body, and of how to bring it to and keep it in working
expected to know the basics, the Computer Skill allows your order. Characters with Medicine can make efforts to stem
character to program computers, to crack into systems, to life-threatening wounds and illnesses.
diagnose major problems, and to investigate data. This Skill Sample actions: Diagnosis (Wits + Medicine, instant action),
reflects advanced techniques and tricks; almost everyone can Treating wounds (Intelligence + Medicine, extended action)
operate a computer for email and basic internet searches. Sample contacts: Chronic Patient, EMT, Surgeon, Sympathetic
Sample actions: Hacking a system (Intelligence + Computer, Conspiracy Bio-Tech
extended action, contested if against a security administrator Suggested equipment: Medical tools (+1 to +3), Trained as-
or other hacker), Internet search (Wits + Computer, instant ac- sistance (+1), Well-stocked facilities (+2)
tion), Programming (Intelligence + Computer, extended action) Specialties: Anesthesiology, First Aid, Pathology,
Sample contacts: AI Researcher, Hardcore Computer Gamer, Pharmaceuticals, Physical Therapy, Surgery
White-Hat Hacker
Suggested equipment: Computer system (+0 to +3, by perfor- Occult
mance), Custom software (+2), Passwords (+2)
The Occult Skill is your character’s knowledge of things
Specialties: Data Retrieval, Graphics, Hacking, Internet,
hidden in the dark, legends, and lore. While the supernatural
Programming, Security, Social Media
is unpredictable and often unique, the Occult Skill allows your
character to pick out facts from rumor.
Crafts Sample actions: Identify the sliver of truth (Wits + Occult,
Crafts reflects your character’s knack with creating and instant action), Relate two similar myths (Intelligence + Occult,
repairing things. From creating works of art to fixing an au- instant or extended action)
tomobile, Crafts is the Skill to use. Some Deviants must use Sample contacts: Anthropology Professor, Neo-Pagan Author,
Crafts to “heal” inorganic parts when injured. Weird Hermit Down the Street
Sample actions: Appraisal (Wits + Crafts, instant action), Suggested equipment: Well-stocked library (+2)
Counterfeit item (Intelligence + Crafts, instant action), Create Specialties: Angels, Cryptids, Divergence, Divination,
art (Intelligence + Crafts, instant action), Repair item (Wits + Ghosts, Local Legends, Witchcraft
Crafts, instant action)
Sample contacts: Automotive Engineer, Makerspace Politics
Enthusiast, Police Sketch Artist
Suggested equipment: Point of reference (+1), Quality materi- Politics reflects a general knowledge of political structures and
als (+2), Tools (+1 to +3, depending on utility and specialty), methodologies, but more practically shows your character’s ability to
Well-equipped workplace (+2) navigate those systems and make them work the way she intends. With
Politics, she knows the right person to ask to get something done.
Specialties: Automotive, Cosmetics, Cybernetics, Fashion,
Graffiti, Jury Rigging, Metalworking, Painting, Repair, Sample actions: Cut red tape (Manipulation + Politics, ex-
Sculpting tended action), Identify authority (Wits + Politics, instant action),
Sully reputations (Manipulation + Politics, extended action)
Investigation Sample contacts: Fixer, Political Blogger, Union Leader
Suggested equipment: Official position (+1 to +5, by Status)
Investigation is your character’s skill with solving myster-
Specialties: Bureaucracy, Church, Corporate, Local,
ies and putting together puzzles. It reflects the ability to draw
Organized Crime, Scandals
conclusions, to find meaning out of confusion, and to use
lateral thinking to find information where others could not.
Sample actions: Examining a crime scene (Wits +
Science
Investigation, extended action), Solving riddles (Intelligence Science is your character’s knowledge and understanding
+ Investigation, instant or extended action) of the physical and natural sciences, such as biology, chemistry,
Sample contacts: Conspiracy Buff, Medical Examiner, Private geology, meteorology, and physics.
Investigator Sample actions: Assess variables (Intelligence + Science,
Suggested equipment: Forensic kit (+1), Unrestricted access instant or extended action), Formulate solution (Intelligence
(+2), Reference library (+2) + Science, extended action)
Traits 183
Sample contacts: Bomb-Making Anarchist, Drug Supplier,
Experimental Physicist, Geology Professor
Suggested equipment: Reference library (+1 to +3), Well-
stocked laboratory (+2)
Specialties: Alchemy, Genetics, Nanotechnology,
Neuroscience, Physics, Virology
Physical Skills
Physical Skills are those practiced, trained, and learned
through action.
Athletics
Athletics reflects a broad category of physical training
and ability. It covers sports, and basic physical tasks such
as running, jumping, dodging threats, and climbing. It also
determines a character’s ability with thrown weapons and
archery.
Sample actions: Acrobatics (Dexterity + Athletics, instant
action), Climbing (Strength + Athletics, extended action),
Foot chase (Stamina + Athletics, contested action), Jumping
(Strength + Athletics, instant action, one foot vertically per
success)
Sample contacts: Parkour Enthusiast, Personal Trainer,
Physical Therapist, Professional Athlete
Suggested equipment: Athletic shoes (+1), Rope (+1)
Specialties: Acrobatics, Archery, Climbing, Jumping,
Parkour, Pursuit, Swimming, Throwing
Brawl
Brawl reflects your character’s ability to tussle and fight
without weapons. This includes old-fashioned bar brawls as
well as complex martial arts.
Sample actions: Breaking boards (Strength + Brawl, instant
action), Hand-to-hand fighting (covered in the Violence
section, p. 197)
Sample contacts: Club Bouncer, Self-Defense Teacher,
Sparring Partner
Suggested equipment: Brass knuckles (+1)
Specialties: Boxing, Dirty Fighting, Grappling, Martial
Arts, Throws
Drive
Drive is the skill to control and maneuver automobiles,
motorcycles, boats, and even airplanes. A character can drive
a car without Drive dots; the Skill relates to moments of high
stress, such as a high-speed chase or trying to elude a tail. It’s
assumed that most modern characters have a basic ability to
drive. As well, Drive can reflect your character’s skill with
horseback riding, if appropriate to her history.
Sample actions: Impressive maneuvering (Dexterity +
Drive, instant action), Pursuit (Dexterity + Drive, contested
Traits 185
Sample contacts: Shoulder to Cry On, Police Profiler, Psych Specialties: Confidence Scam, Fast-Talking, Inspiring,
Student Seduction, Sermon, Sob Story
Suggested equipment: Muted clothing (+1), Relaxing environ-
ment (+2) Socialize
Specialties: Calming, Emotion, Lies, Motives, Personalities, Socialize reflects your character’s ability to present herself
Trauma well and interact with groups of people. It reflects proper (and
setting-appropriate) etiquette, customs, sensitivity, and warmth.
Expression A character with a high Socialize is the life of the party.
The Expression Skill reflects your character’s ability to Sample actions: Carousing (Manipulation + Socialize, instant
communicate. This Skill covers written and spoken forms of action), Fitting in (Wits + Socialize, instant action), Getting
communication, journalism, acting, music, and dance. attention (Presence + Socialize, instant action)
Sample actions: Composing (Intelligence + Expression, extend- Sample contacts: Drinking Buddy, Event Planner, Society Matron
ed action), Performance (Presence + Expression, instant action) Suggested equipment: Drugs (+1), Knowing people (+1),
Sample contacts: Investigative Journalist, Political Speech Money (+1 to +5)
Writer, Reclusive Poet Specialties: Clubbing, Country Clubs, Frat Parties,
Suggested equipment: Quality instrument (+1 to +3) Fundraisers, Seedy Gatherings, Tent Cities
Specialties: Dance, Drama, Electrokinesis, Journalism,
Musical Instrument, Singing, Speeches Streetwise
The Streetwise Skill is your character’s knowledge of life
Intimidation on the streets. It tells her how to navigate the city, how to get
Intimidation reflects your character’s ability to influence information from unlikely sources, and where she’ll be (rela-
others’ behavior through threats and fear. It could mean direct tively) safe. If she wants to get something on the black market,
physical threats, interrogation, or veiled implications of things Streetwise is how.
to come. Sample actions: Finding a shortcut (Wits + Streetwise, instant
Sample actions: Interrogation (Wits + Intimidation, con- action), Working the black market (Manipulation + Streetwise,
tested action), Stare down (Presence + Intimidation, contested instant action)
action) Sample contacts: Bartender in a Rough Part of Town, Drug
Sample contacts: Barroom Tough Guy, High-Powered Dealer, Undercover Cop
Executive, Police Interrogator Suggested equipment: Burner phone (+1), Known nickname
Suggested equipment: Fearsome tools (+2), Gang colors (+2), (+2), Valuable contraband (+1 to +3)
Isolated room (+1) Specialties: Access Tunnels, Black Market, Gangs,
Specialties: Interrogation, Stare Down, Supernatural Navigation, Rumors, Undercover
Displays, Torture, Veiled Threats
Subterfuge
Persuasion Subterfuge is the ability to deceive. With Subterfuge, your
Persuasion is your character’s ability to change minds and character can lie convincingly, project hidden messages in what
influence behaviors through logic, fast-talking, or appealing she says, hide motivations, and notice deception in others.
to desire. It relies on the force of your character’s personality Sample actions: Disguise (Wits + Subterfuge, instant action),
to sway the listener. Lying (Manipulation + Subterfuge, contested action)
Sample actions: Fast-talk (Manipulation + Persuasion, ex- Sample contacts: Con Artist, Crooked Politician, Out-of-
tended action), Firebranding (Presence + Persuasion, instant ac- Work Actor
tion), Seduction (Manipulation + Persuasion, extended action) Suggested equipment: Costume supplies (+2), Fake ID (+1)
Sample contacts: Car Salesman, Con Artist, Speech Coach Specialties: Conceal Deformity, Detecting Lies, Doublespeak,
Suggested equipment: Designer clothing (+1 to +3), Hiding Emotion, Misdirection
Reputation (+2)
Actions 189
Time
Time in the story can speed past or slow to a crawl plotline might link them, or they may only
compared to time in the real world. Weeks or share characters and locations. As your story
months might pass in the space of a few words, progresses, the players and Storyteller work
while a tense negotiation plays out in real time — or together to create an ongoing chronicle.
takes even longer.
PERMUTATIONS
In addition to years, days, hours, and so on,
Deviant also uses five units of dramatic time. These Many Adaptations, Variations, and other capabili-
build upon one another, from shortest to longest. ties grant effects that can only be once per chapter,
or have effects that last until the end of the chapter.
• Turn — The smallest increment of time, a turn
lasts for about three seconds. A character can At the Storyteller’s discretion, a chapter that covers
perform a single instant action and move their an unusually long period of in-game time (a week or
Speed in a turn. Turns normally only matter in more, especially if two eventful periods are broken
action scenes, like fights, chases, and other up by a long stretch of uneventful downtime) may
dramatic and stressful situations. allow multiple uses of a per-chapter ability with-
out resorting to an Adaptation. Similarly, multiple
• Scene — Much like a scene in a play, a scene chapters that take place over the course of less than
in a roleplaying game is the time spent deal- a day, in-game, might not allow a character to call
ing with a single, specific event. The Storyteller on the same effect twice without Adaptations.
frames the scene, describing what’s going on,
and it’s up to the players to resolve the event or In the same vein, if a character invokes an effect that
conflict. A scene might play out in turns (called lasts until the end of the chapter when the current
an action scene), progress in real time, or skip chapter is nearly over, the Storyteller may allow the
forward depending on dramatic necessity. character to benefit from it until the end of the next
chapter, instead.
• Chapter — A chapter is the collection of scenes
that happen during one game session. From Per-scene and per-story limits are similarly subject to
the moment you sit down and start playing to Storyteller modification. The same could also apply
the point where you pack up your dice, you’re to Conspiracy Actions.
playing out a chapter of your story. Such limitations in use and duration exist to prevent
• Story — A story tells an entire tale, following overuse of especially impactful abilities. For the most
the dramatic arc of a related series of events. It part, Adaptations allow players to overcome these
might comprise several chapters or complete in limits (at a price), so making exceptions isn’t usually
just one. It has an introduction, rising tension, a necessary. But remember that these restrictions are
number of twists, and a climax that brings things not intended as a straightjacket for the Storyteller or
to a conclusion. the story. As always, any ad hoc modification to the
regular mechanics should be clearly communicated
• Chronicle — The big picture, a chronicle is the ahead of time, with general guidelines settled upon
collection of interlinked stories that involve your by the troupe before the chronicle’s beginning.
characters. A common theme or overarching
with the right tools and knowledge. Ten represents a dif- Extended Action Basics
ficult action that’s still realistic for a professional in the
field. Twenty represents a very difficult action that even a • Multiple Rolls: You roll your dice pool multiple times
particularly skilled character will have trouble pulling off. over the course of the action. Successes earned on all
The Storyteller also determines the interval between rolls count toward completing the action.
rolls. If an action would take weeks to complete, she might
• Roll Limit: You can make a total number of rolls equal
consider one roll per week. If it’s likely to take a day’s work,
to your base dice pool for the action, before factoring
one roll per hour makes for a solid timeframe.
in any modifiers. The Storyteller may reduce this value
Once you determine those factors, make a number of if time is short.
rolls, counting up the total number of successes across all
your rolls. If you earn the required number of successes • Time Interval: Each roll takes a certain amount of time,
before you run out of time, you accomplish your goal. determined by the Storyteller.
Actions 191
• Dramatic Failure: A faux pas reveals that you don’t • Failure: The informant blabs a mix of truth and false-
belong…and maybe even hints at your dread purpose. hood — even he may not know the difference.
• Dramatic Failure: The other party has a good idea what • Failure: They’re unimpressed with your threats.
the truth is.
• Dramatic Failure: They don’t take you seriously, even
• Dramatic Failure: The task not only fails, but you lose • Dramatic Failure: You attract a lot of attention…
your balance. enough that now it’s going to be hard to get out.
Research Willpower
(Extended; Intelligence + Academics or Occult)
A character’s Willpower represents her determination and
Using your existing knowledge, you look for information her ability to go above and beyond what should be possible
on a current mystery. to achieve her goals.
• Success: You find the basic facts you were looking for. Deviant and Baseline characters regain one point of
Willpower from a full night’s sleep, unless a Scar says otherwise.
• Exceptional Success: You find what you were look-
ing for, which leads toward a much bigger score of
Spending Willpower
information. • Reflexive Action: Unless otherwise specified, spending
Willpower is a reflexive action.
• Failure: You turn up a lot of promising leads, but they’re
all dead ends. • Roll Bonus: Spend 1 Willpower to gain a three-die
bonus to a single dice pool.
• Dramatic Failure: You learn something, but it doesn’t
help. In fact, it sets you back. If using Occult, this could • Increased Resistance: Spend 1 Willpower to gain +2
mean dangerously false assumptions. to resistance (see above) against a single action.
• Multiple Attackers: Apply the Defense penalty for • Reload a Weapon: If rounds must be loaded individu-
multiple attackers before doubling. If your character’s ally, lose Defense until your next turn.
Defense is reduced to 0, roll a chance die.
• Killing Blow: Inflict damage equal to your attack’s
• Dramatic Failure: Defense suffers a –1 penalty until dice pool + weapon bonus. Requires an unconscious,
your next turn. immobilized, or otherwise helpless target.
Violence 197
Grapple • Short Burst: Uses three bullets. +1 bonus to attack
action.
Grappling counts as an unarmed attack action. To start
grappling, you have to grab your opponent. • Medium Burst: Uses 10 bullets. +2 bonus to attack
• Grab: Make an unarmed attack. On a success, inflict no action. Can attack multiple targets, up to three.
damage but start a grapple. On an exceptional success,
• Long Burst: Uses 20 bullets. +3 bonus to attack action.
also choose a grapple option to enact reflexively.
Can attack multiple targets, with no limit.
• One Action: All participants in the grapple act on the
• Multiple Targets: –1 penalty per target after the first.
highest Initiative among them. The only action they
Roll individually against each target.
can take is the grappling action.
• Restrain: Your opponent suffers the Immobilized Tilt (p. • Shooting from Concealment: Barely concealed: no
316). Requires Hold. If your character uses equipment to penalty; partially concealed: –1; substantially concealed:
restrain her opponent, she can leave the grapple. –2. You can ignore this penalty, but you lose your own
concealment until your next turn.
• Take Cover: Any ranged attacks against your character
automatically hit her opponent. Lasts until your next Cover
turn.
If a target is entirely hidden by something substantial, he’s
in cover.
Ranged Violence • Tough Cover: If the cover’s Durability (p. 207) is greater
These rules present special cases that come up when shoot- than the attacker’s weapon modifier, the attack can’t
ing at people. penetrate the cover.
Autofire • Less Tough Cover: Subtract the cover’s Durability from
Automatic weapons can fire a short, medium, or long burst the attacker’s damage. Both the object and the target
in place of a single shot. take any remaining damage.
Violence 199
Goon Combat
While not all cohorts have Variations and Skills that make them optimized for violence, for those
that are, a small group of Baseline goons is not a credible threat. A large group of Baseline private
military contractors can make things a little more challenging, but tracking the actions of 10 or 12
enemies in an action scene can quickly bog down play and turn what should be a moderately difficult
fight into a multi-chapter slog. Down and Dirty Combat can be a major timesaver when everyone in
the opposition is inferior to the cohort, but often these scenes also involve two or three key opponents.
Goon combat allows large groups of mechanically identical opponents to participate in combat
without slowing down play by treating them as one or more collective opponents. A group of goons
shares these qualities:
Shared Initiative: Every goon in a group has the same Initiative.
Cooperative Actions: Goons behave as a unit. If one makes an attack against a Renegade, all
of them attack that Renegade, for example, or if one takes cover as her action for the turn, they all
do. This doesn’t mean they stand together in a cluster. It is perfectly possible for a dozen goons in a
warehouse to take up firing positions behind boxes along two different walls and open fire on the
most dangerous-looking opponent.
Mechanically, resolve the entire group’s action with a single roll. Each goon after the first grants a
+2 bonus to this collective action, if they are doing something within the normal purview of their role
(orderlies forcibly administering a sedative, for example). This is instead +1 if doing something slightly
out of the ordinary for them, and may be as little as +1 per two additional goons (rounded up) for
actions that are well outside of their skillset.
This can make Baseline goons a serious threat in large groups, even against opponents with high
Defense or heavy armor. A hail of gunfire can bring down a Deviant who would laugh at a lone beat
cop with a pistol.
Collective Health: Goons are Baselines, and so are nearly always vulnerable to the Beaten Down
Condition. For that reason, any successful attack against a group of goons that deals bashing dam-
age greater than Stamina or any amount of lethal or aggravated damage takes one of the goons
out of the fight. If the goons are immune to the Beaten Down Tilt (i.e. a kill squad sent to put down a
Renegade with the Armed and Extremely Dangerous Merit), however, every two successful attacks
eliminates one goon, unless the attack dealt enough damage to take one of the goons out of the
fight. Area-affecting attacks may eliminate several goons at once, and attacks or powers that im-
pose Tilts or Conditions may take out a goon for every time (or every second time) they do so, at the
Storyteller’s discretion. Goons don’t suffer wound penalties or personal Tilts, but Environmental Tilts
work normally.
Using a group of goons with a typical Stamina of 2 as an example, any successful attack that deals
at least one point of lethal or aggravated damage (after applying armor) will take out a single goon,
as will any attack that deals at least three points of bashing damage (after armor). If an attack deals
only two points of bashing damage, no goon is eliminated until the goons suffer at least one ad-
ditional point of bashing damage (potentially on a later turn or from the attack of another assailant).
An attack that deals four points of lethal damage, however, would still take out only one goon (unless
the Storyteller rules that it is an area effect capable of taking out multiple goons at the same time). A
Gentle Lash (p. 122) that imposes the Arm Wrack Tilt might take out only one goon per two successful
attacks, while one that imposes the Immobilized Tilt should probably take out one goon per successful
attack.
Goon Subdivisions: The Storyteller may divide up a group of goons into multiple groups at the be-
ginning of their turn to allow them to take multiple kinds of actions. If two Renegades make themselves
a threat in a fight, a group of 12 goons could split into two groups of six (or a group of four and a
group of eight) to deal with both, for example. Similarly, the Storyteller can and should merge sub-
groups of goons whenever they take an identical action on their turn (i.e. attacking the same target,
although not attacking two different targets).
• Long-Term Care Limitations: Downgrades the leftmost • Acid Attacks: Hurling or spraying corrosive chemicals
injury first and can only downgrade one wound per at a target is usually a thrown attack. A successful at-
patient per day. tack splashes the victim (1 damage + intensity), while
an exceptional success sprays the victim (2 damage +
intensity). A dramatic failure instead exposes the at-
Sources of Harm tacker (1 damage + intensity).
Roll Results • Effects: Drugs can have a wide variety of effects, ranging
from dice penalties to imposing Conditions. Most drugs
Success: The character may continue to hold their breath last for a scene, but some burn through a character’s
for another 15 seconds/minute/turn. However, further rolls system more rapidly or linger for more time.
to resist the gasp reflex suffer a –1 penalty, which accumulates
until the character can catch a breath. • Resistance: A drugged character can shake off the ef-
Exceptional Success: As a success, but the penalty does fects for an hour or scene (one turn, in action scenes)
not worsen. by succeeding on a reflexive Stamina + Resolve roll,
Failure: The character takes a breath, if possible, sucking with a –1 to –3 penalty based the potency of the drug
in a lungful of smoke, poisonous gas, or water. If underwater, (use –2 as the default).
they start to drown. If there is no option to inhale, they start
to suffocate. Overdose
Dramatic Failure: As a failure, but panic seizes the charac- • Poison: Characters who overdose on drugs treat the
ter, hastening the coming loss of consciousness. drug like a poison, with a Toxicity somewhere between
• Drowning/Suffocating: A drowning or suffocating 3 and 7. The drug inflicts damage once per hour.
character suffers a point of bashing damage per turn
• Duration: The overdose typically runs its course after (8
(two points if the Resolve + Stamina roll resulted in
– Stamina) hours, though the Storyteller may adjust that.
a dramatic failure). The player must spend a point of
Willpower each time they want the character to take an
action in a turn, as drowning triggers an autonomic
response that precludes meaningful action (including
Electricity
Electric shocks inflict damage based on the strength of
swimming to safety).
the current.
Fire Basics
Radiation
Deviants can find themselves within proximity to a
• Combustion: Exposure to fire for longer than a turn ignites source of ionizing radiation or more otherworldly energies.
anything combustible on the character; he continues to take Some unfortunate Remade are radiation sources themselves.
full damage even after escaping the source of the flame. • Intensity: The Storyteller assigns an intensity value
of 1 (X-Rays) to 5 (Ground Zero).
• Firefighting: Fighting a fire typically requires an instant
action but no roll. At the Storyteller’s discretion, an action • Exposure: Each intensity notes an interval of time.
might immediately put out the fire (e.g. diving into water) After a number of intervals equal to Stamina, a char-
or reduce its size by one level (e.g. stop, drop, and roll). acter exposed to radiation suffers bashing damage
equal to intensity every interval.
• Armor: Most armor can block its general rating in fire
damage automatically for a number of turns equal to • Healing and Repeated Doses: Characters cannot heal
that rating. radiation damage while still exposed to the radiation.
Characters who leave and return within the same
• Uncontrolled Blaze: If an area containing flam-
story track intervals as though they had not left.
mable objects is set on fire, it may acquire the Inferno
Environmental Tilt (p. 316). • Protection: Equipment designed to effectively shield
human beings against radiation adds its dice bonus
Poison to the character’s Stamina for determining how long
its wearer can stay in a contaminated environment.
Whether from a venomous Manticore or Devoted’s
Variation or the drug-laced darts from a conspiracy agent’s
gun, poison can lay even the hardiest Remade low.
Durability Material • Effect: Any special rules that apply to using the
1 Wood, hard plastic, thick glass equipment.
2 Stone, aluminum See p. 212 for rules on how Deviant characters can build
their own equipment.
3 Steel, iron
+1 per reinforced layer
Social Maneuvering
• Size: How large the object is. Objects smaller than Size Most of the time, when a player’s character wants another
1 can fit entirely in a person’s palm. See p. 120 for more character to do something, it can be resolved in a single Social
examples of objects and creatures of various Sizes. action. The Remade intimidates the bouncer, spins a convinc-
ing lie, or gives a rousing speech. Sometimes, though, the
• Structure: An object’s Structure equals its Durability
character doing the persuading spends time getting on the
+ Size.
other character’s good side, gradually wearing them down until
Interval
Investigation Each roll to find a Clue is an instant action, but takes some
amount of time based on the kind of action the players take.
When you want an investigation to play a large role in the The Storyteller can add challenges and obstacles to these at-
tale, with entire scenes, chapters, or even stories dedicated to tempts to turn simple die rolls into interesting scenes of their
a single mystery, you can use this system rather than boiling it own. If they perform particularly well in these efforts, the
down to a single action. Characters uncover Clues they can use Storyteller can offer bonuses to the roll to uncover the Clue.
to benefit later actions the investigation enables — for instance,
learning the daily routine of a Progenitor.
Uncovering Clues
Investigation Basics Once the characters get where they need to be, they roll
• No Hard Answers: The Storyteller doesn’t need to to uncover the Clue.
come up with all the potential Clues and answers Action: Instant
ahead of time. Letting the players fill some of them in Dice Pool: Varies. Players can use any pool that matches
themselves as they succeed in finding Clues gets them the action they take to uncover the Clue. The Investigation
invested in the outcome and creates “a-ha!” moments. Skill is appropriate to case a scene or search through files and
If players put Clues together to reach conclusions that evidence, while other Mental Skills can be used to perform
don’t match the outcome the Storyteller had in mind, research, experiments, or autopsies. Social and Physical Skills
she can consider changing it to match. can also contribute, given an appropriate justification — such
as asking around for rumors of conspiracy activity or breaking
• No Binary Rolls: Failing to find information crucial into someone’s house to steal a keycard.
to the characters’ progress when players fail rolls only The pool suffers a cumulative one-die penalty each time
slows the game down to no satisfying end. Instead, the same Skill is used again in an investigation. However, if
the Storyteller should raise the stakes or introduce characters use teamwork to uncover Clues, only the primary
complications when a roll fails. Failure doesn’t mean actor suffers this penalty, and only his roll contributes to fur-
the players didn’t find a Clue — instead, it means they ther such penalties in the same investigation.
miss out on extra benefits success would have afforded
them and must adjust to new challenges. Roll Results
Success: Clue is uncovered, with one element plus one
• Frame the Action: The Storyteller can intersperse Clue-
more if the character has 4 or more dots or a Specialty in the
finding actions with other events in the story to keep
relevant Skill; each Specialty or Skill can only contribute to
the momentum going and give players opportunity to
extra elements once per character per investigation.
choose which set of heightening stakes to address first.
Exceptional Success: As success, and the Clue gains one
• Clues: Clues are a specialized type of equipment that bonus element; the investigating character gains a beneficial
represent objects, facts, and deductions. They have Condition.
elements that players can spend for benefits, either to Failure: Clue is uncovered but incomplete: Its elements
solve a particular mystery or to stockpile for other uses: may only be used to uncover other Clues.
leverage in Social Maneuvering, proof that someone is Dramatic Failure: Clue is uncovered but tainted. Each ac-
entangled in the Web of Pain, etc. cumulated tainted Clue forces the player to ignore one success
rolled on any future actions pertaining to the investigation;
these are cumulative, and all apply to each such roll. The
Storyteller may impose a negative Condition as well.
Players can spend Clue elements to add a one-die bonus per Your Size is lower than your –1
element to any roll pertaining to the investigation, including opponent’s
but not limited to rolls to uncover more Clues. A player can
Opponent is immune to fatigue +2
only spend elements from one Clue at a time, or Clues equal
to her character’s Investigation dots, whichever is higher. She Actively dangerous environment +1 to +3,
may spend any number of elements at a time from a single Clue. Storyteller’s
discretion
Elements from tainted Clues impose a two-die penalty
instead of a bonus when spent; however, this is the only way to Opponent starts with one turn lead +1
get rid of tainted Clues, since once all its elements are spent, Opponent starts with at least two +2
it sheds its tainted nature. turns’ lead
Uncovering the Truth • Determine the Edge: Whoever has better manipulated the
environment, terrain, and circumstances to his advantage
Players don’t need to roll to put their Clues together once based on the ever-changing situation gains the Edge, not
the investigation is over. Once they accumulate the requisite counting circumstances listed above to modify required
number of Clues specified by the investigation’s scope, the successes. If it isn’t obvious which character has the Edge,
characters learn the truth. make a contested roll for each involved character using a
Players may choose to uncover the truth before they’ve relevant pool determined by the player, with Storyteller
accumulated enough Clues, as long as they have at least one permission. Relevant Skills could include Athletics,
that isn’t tainted. If they do, they still learn the truth, but the Streetwise, Survival, etc. If the context of the scene changes
Storyteller introduces one major complication per Clue they significantly, re-determine who has the Edge.
fall short.
• Turns: Each turn represents roughly 30 seconds to a
Chases minute of chase time. The character with the Edge rolls
first. If she accumulates the requisite total successes be-
fore others have a chance to roll, she wins immediately.
A Renegade can often find herself fleeing from agents of
the conspiracy, or chasing down targets herself. In most action
scenes, a character’s Speed trait determines how far she can Pursuit and Evasion
move. This means that generally, you can figure out who is faster Both pursuit and evasion use the same chase action.
without dice. The following rules let you turn the chase into
Action: Instant
the focus of the scene instead, adding excitement and drama.
Dice Pool: Determined each turn by the side with the Edge,
Chase Basics based on the current situation. You can use a different pool,
• Repositories: collections of research materials and in- During an action scene, a Build Equipment action takes a
formation sources on a particular topic, like a library of number of turns equal to the built-in penalty; the Storyteller
books, a database, or an assortment of security footage. may rule that something can’t be built during an action scene.
This reflects gathering materials for repeated future use,
not benefiting from an existing source.
Deviant: The Renegades is a storytelling game of fury and revenge against the people
responsible for destroying the characters’ lives. All Remade are pursued by conspiracies, both
those responsible for their transformation and those that wish to use their new nature to further
their own agendas.
* For each additional member of the cohort beyond the first who is pursued by the same conspiracy,
increase the number of Attribute points by 2 and the number of Nodes by 1.
with whom they secretly have an ongoing, mutually beneficial phosphorous across the country — but a corporate conspiracy
relationship, redirecting the destructive energy of Renegades into has no problem doing that as a favor.
more constructive projects as Devoted, reinforcing the Web of Safety is not always a given in the shadows. Conspiracies
Pain. Others are obsessive collectors of inexplicable phenomena. hide themselves to avoid reprisal and judgment from the out-
side world for their actions, but this survival strategy makes
Dependencies them vulnerable to other things that lurk in dark places.
Beyond vengeful creations, many conspiracies have good reason
No conspiracy can truly stand entirely on its own.
to fear other members of the Web of Pain. What may seem
Organizations form dependencies on each other in the Web of
perfectly harmless to one organization, another might regard
Pain, dependent on others to assist them and feed desires the
as heresy. All it takes is a few of these crisis points to make one
nascent conspiracies can’t reliably fulfill on their own. Most
overzealous conspiracy take a swing at another. Similarly, more
conspiratorial alliances form over a simple need for resources.
successful organizations win the enmity of jealous rivals. Strong
A fresh supply of cadavers does not grow on trees, but a mafia-
alliances discourage outright war between rival conspiracies,
owned crematorium is more than willing to supply them. This
forcing them to engage in diplomacy or, at worst, espionage.
is especially true for conspiracies whose obsessions intersect in
More than anything, conspiracies look for kindred groups
novel ways, coming to agreements to aid each other through
that comprehend their drives and philosophies. Of course,
material exchanges. These ties allow groups that would nor-
the concepts over which kinship may form can be troubling,
mally risk their safety in order to gain materials to instead trade
ranging from fraudulent psychological disciplines to similarly
for them within the Web of Pain. A government conspiracy,
ghoulish political leanings. Conspiracies often tie themselves
while fully capable of gaining access to signals intelligence,
to ideologically aligned groups even when it’s not necessarily to
might find it difficult to justify their attempts to move a ton of
Projects Complexity
The pursuit and capture of Renegades is but one minor The Complexity of a Project indicates just how much Effort
function of the greater founding principles of a conspiracy. the conspiracy will need to put into the Project to bring it to
When not trying to claim their wayward creations, most con- fruition. Small Projects that barely affect the local population
spiracies have their own missions to accomplish, from acquiring or only in small, esoteric ways may only merit a single point
a rival corporation to digging up the remains of their founder of Effort, while Projects that bring entire populations around
sealed beneath the governor’s mansion. to a conspiracy’s way of thinking may require as many as 10.
Downtime actions further the long-term Projects the Once a conspiracy has spent enough Effort to complete the
conspiracy is carrying out. The core of downtime actions is Project, the results of the Project go into effect at the beginning
the generation of Effort, which is used to implement new of the next chapter.
influences and narrative effects for the conspiracy. Effort is
the difference between an organization growing smoothly, and Projects and Nodes
everything the conspiracy has worked for being pulled apart Each Project is connected to a Node that narratively rep-
by their own vengeful creations. resents the group within the conspiracy finishing, guarding,
or stewarding the Project until it comes to fruition. Once the
Effort conspiracy begins a Project, but before it comes into play, any-
A conspiracy generates Effort when it is not actively oppos- thing that destroys its connected Node disrupts the Project.
ing or pursuing Renegades. For each conspiracy Action unused This causes the loss of any Effort the conspiracy has already
by the conspiracy at the end of a chapter they generate 1 point invested in the Project.
of Effort. Effort can’t be stockpiled to be spent later. It’s either
used for an ongoing Project immediately, or the excess labor Resolving Crisis
is squandered by the conspiracy.
Once the conspiracy has put forth enough Effort, they may
Points
complete the Project. The Project takes effect at the end of the By nature, conspiracies are resistant to change, confident
chapter following the downtime during which the conspiracy in the elegance of their Principles. Some events, however, can
spends the Effort need to complete it, giving the cohort one inspire a collective crisis of faith known as a crisis point (p. 233).
more full chapter to disrupt it before it comes into play. Whenever a conspiracy faces a crisis point, in addition to
suffering lethal damage to its Association (p. 233), the con-
spiracy must respond in one of the following ways:
Quislings of This doesn’t mean all, or even most, of the conspiracy mem-
bers don’t know what’s going on. Janitors see things in quiet
the Flesh: hospital rooms that make them vomit in the bathroom later.
Accountants meet Remade at the office Christmas party and see
Human Conspirators them for what they are. The Chief Financial Officer signs off on
orders for endangered animal parts, ECT machines, restraints,
Conspiracies aren’t made up of monsters of scales and and vats of formaldehyde. A Progenitor requires a massive infra-
metal. Even if the person pulling the switch wasn’t themself structure to create a Deviant, and many of those people aren’t
bound to the conspiracy by anything other than their livelihood.
“I understand your concerns. Why don’t we step into my office “How are you feeling today? Any change in those nightmares?”
and discuss it further?” Nurse-practitioners are much cheaper to keep on staff than
The executive sits at the heart of the conspiracy. Whether doctors, and have a better bedside manner. Many conspiracies
in the know, or totally in the dark, the executive directs the employ them, hoping their Remade will stay Devoted due to
overall agenda and policy of the conspiracy. Some are mere their kindness, rather than turn Renegade. Sometimes, it
figureheads. Some really are the menacing corporate overlords even works.
they appear to be.
Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 4, Resolve 4;
Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 2, Resolve 4; Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3; Presence 2,
Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2; Presence 5, Manipulation 1, Composure 4
Manipulation 3, Composure 4 General Dice Pools: Diagnosis 9, Cut It Out 7,
General Dice Pools: Inspire Conspirators 9, Bedside Manner 5
Make Important Call 6, Money Laundering 5 Combat Dice Pools: Improvised Weaponry 5
Combat Dice Pools: Call for Backup 7, Small Initiative Modifier: 7
Pistols 4
Defense: 3
Initiative Modifier: +6
Health: 8
Defense: 2
Willpower: 8
Health: 7
Size: 5
Willpower: 8
Speed: 10
Size: 5
Doubles as: General practitioner, head nurse, ER
Speed: 9 technician, mad scientist
Doubles as: Financial adviser, mob boss, chief of
surgery, university president PRIVATE MILITARY CONTRACTOR
GRADUATE STUDENT “Code Delta Radio, I repeat, Code Delta Radio!”
Some conspiracies have the money and reach to hire groups
“Can’t talk. Need coffee.” of mercenaries to protect their most valuable assets. These
There is no single type of grad student in a conspiracy. Their men and women make sure that the Deviants don’t escape,
fields vary widely — from science and engineering to history and the Progenitors remain safe, and nosy reporters and moles are
religion. They are suckered in by the promise of a stipend, of cheap kept out of the organization.
housing, of credit, of free food. Most do their duty and leave; after
all, the abuse isn’t any worse than any other academic institution. Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 4;
Some, though, become whistleblowers, or even Remade. Strength 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3; Presence 1,
Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 2, Resolve 3; Manipulation 1, Composure 4
Strength 2, Dexterity 1, Stamina 4; Presence 2, General Dice Pools: Identify Problem 7, Small
Manipulation 4, Composure 3 Group Tactics 7
General Dice Pools: Find Cheap Food 5, Frantic Combat Dice Pools: Automatic Firearms 7,
Research 7, Strong Stomach 6 Knockout Punch 6, Subdue Busybody 7
Combat Dice Pools: Frenzied Punching 4 Initiative Modifier: +7
Initiative Modifier: +4 Defense: 3
Defense: 1 Health: 8
Health: 9 Willpower: 8
Willpower: 6
Manticores 245
time: a flock of birds whose migration path flew them through down, its sedative-laced saliva enters the target’s bloodstream and
a beam of interdimensional energy; a fox that caught and ate an renders her unconscious. The hound sits beside the target, guard-
escaped lab rabbit, its blood teeming with nanobots. ing her until its master arrives and bundles their quarry away.
Conspiracies have the best access to Manticores. They Storytelling Hints: The hound can hunt in a pack or alone,
possess the resources, the materials, and the facilities to make and responds quickly to its master’s commands. It doesn’t usu-
them, and can tailor a new breed to their exact specifications. ally display the viciousness or aggressiveness of other breeds,
These Remade animals have loyalty and obedience coded into but will certainly use its power to intimidate prey. Once the
their DNA. Every cell is a tracking device. If they require any dog has its target’s scent, it follows it almost single-mindedly.
sort of upkeep, their Progenitors can provide it or breed out Its Progenitor bred its need for sleep down to a minimum, and
the need in the next generation. stimulant packs implanted under its skin can give it several
People in a conspiracy’s upper echelons keep Manticores extra hours of useful, uninterrupted tracking time.
as both pets and protectors. More than one CEO has put in a
request for an ever-vigilant watchdog after a midnight visit from Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 3, Resolve 4;
a Renegade in the apartment she once thought impregnable. Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 5; Presence 2,
Devoted bring Manticores along to sniff out their targets. The Manipulation 0, Composure 1
Broken’s roommate might say he’s not home, but the crow on the General Dice Pools: Aggressive Growl 5, Chase
Devoted’s shoulder detects another heat signature inside the flat. 7, Tracking 8
Though conspiracies use Manticores in the pursuit, capture, Combat Dice Pools: Bite 7, Tackle 6
and subdual of Renegades, they aren’t the only ones with access
to the animals. Some Remade free lab-grown Manticores during Variations: Brachiation (Bounding) 1, Cutting
Brawl Lash (Deadly, Envenomed, Soporific) 2,
their escapes, and find one of the animals has followed them
Sensor Array 2
home. Others happen upon them out in the wild, expecting
to find another transformed human at the end of a strange Initiative: 5
trail, only to discover a Manticore instead. Some Renegades — Defense: 7
especially Autourgics — create Manticore companions of their Health: 7
own. A cohort with a Manticore in their midst often values
the animal just as strongly as their human members.
Willpower: 0
Size: 4
Enhanced Hunting Hound Speed: 12
Quote: [low growling, with an odd tinny buzz underlying it] Weapons/Attacks:
Background: Its predecessors were hunting dogs: retriev- Type Damage Dice Pool Special
ers and hounds, terriers and curs. Its keepers bred it for keen Bite 2L 7 Inflicts Drugged
senses, superior tracking ability, fearlessness around the roar and moderate
of a gun. It has as many ancestors who won Best in Show as it Poisoned Tilts
has plain old mutts who survived through sheer scrappiness.
They threw in a bit of wolf — of course they did. But then they
got creative. They spliced in bat-like sonar and added venom Ferals
sacs behind its teeth that mix a sedative into the dog’s saliva,
the better to knock out its victims. They implanted a playback Sometimes, the process of Divergence sunders a Remade’s
device in its ears, so it can recall its victims’ voices and listen soul too deeply for him to hold on to his humanity. Along
for their low, frightened murmurs wherever they might hide. with his sense of self, the drive to protect other humans or
They replaced its corneas with cameras, so the hound’s masters seek revenge on his Progenitor simply never takes root, making
can see what it sees and play it back to study later. him Feral. Often, this violent change is accompanied by powers
too great for the Remade to control, or mutations that reshape
Now the dog is trained to heed its Devoted master’s com-
his form into something far stranger than his mind can bear.
mands. They search the streets together, the hound with the
Renegade’s scent in its nose and her voice in its ears. If she’s Yet, some of these Deviants manage to wrest a modicum of
out there, it will find her. control over their fluctuating powers and deteriorating bodies.
They regain a measure of self-awareness, and succeed in mak-
Description: At first glance, the hunting dog resembles a
ing their Variations and Scars subside, for a time, though the
finely bred black Labrador retriever, but it’s too big for its breed,
threat of Instability is always lurking.
and sleeker than a lab ought to be. It occasionally emits a click-
ing noise rather than a bark, and cocks its head to listen for the Conspiracies seek Ferals out for several reasons. When they’re
results. It has two sets of snakelike fangs, longer and sharper than the result of an experiment gone horribly wrong, it behooves the
the other teeth in its maw. When it catches a victim and bites conspiracy to get rid of the evidence and protect the organization.
However, sometimes they want the Feral for her powers. A Feral on
Ferals 247
Now.
Under the red lights, Spider smeared the blood off his fists. His mind went back to the
prison, red blood on ruddy brass. Back to where it all started. Back to when WellBeing
International made him into a monster.
“We’ve gotta go,” he heard Dom saying from a million miles away. “There’s going to be
more of them.”
He shook his head. “Have to make sure those guards don’t follow us,” he said, starting
to turn back to his assailants.
Dom grabbed his shoulder. “No, man, you don’t...it’s fine. They aren’t...they aren’t going
to come after us, man.”
“Fine. Let’s go.”
“You okay? Just that Niamh is saying she’s having trouble getting into your head now.”
Spider stalked down the hallway. “I’m fine. We’re all fine. Let’s just do this and get
out, El Santo.”
“El...whatever, man.” Dom jogged to catch up to Spider’s long strides, as they made their
way down the hall. Even in the red light, Spider could see the thick purple line that
twisted around corners and took him further and further into the labyrinth of the build-
ing. Once in a while, more guards would arrive, but between Dom’s strength and Spider’s
rage, they weren’t problems for long. Eventually, they arrived at a heavy metal door with
a simple sign on the front: VIP Visitor’s Quarters. Select Personnel Only.
Dom ripped the door off and tossed it down the hallway. The bottom of his balaclava
was soaked in blood, but he didn’t bother to wipe it away. Behind the door was another
door — wooden, with a brass doorknob and a frosted window, like the front door of a house.
There was a simple metal frame next to the door, which held a card. On the card was a name
written in neat handwriting.
Perez, Anita
“Ding dong, bitch,” Dom muttered, as he kicked in the door. Wood splinters flew every-
where as the door crashed to the ground, ripped from its hinges.
The room looked utterly out of place. The rest of the complex was one part hospital
and one part laboratory — sterile concrete and lick-and-stick tile. But this room looked
like a lavish hotel suite. Tasteful Swedish furniture was artfully placed all around the
room. A couple of books sat on a coffee table, next to a mug. A flat screen TV hung on the
wall over a fake fireplace. Past the living room was a bar with stools, and behind that
was a tastefully-appointed kitchen of black and chrome. Standing at the bar was a woman
with dusky skin holding a knife. She looked like she had been chopping vegetables at the
counter, but now turned to her intruders.
Spider hazily recognized her. He knew she was important to him, but her face felt like
someone in a crowd that you see every day but don’t know by name.
“Is that her, Spider?” Dom asked next to him. He looked over his shoulder. “If so, grab
her and let’s get out of here.”
The woman kept a hold on the knife, but her face grew pale. “Spider? Ernesto? Is that
you?”
Memories started coming back, dripping into his mind like sap from a tree. Holding this
woman’s hand as the two of them walked on a beach. Looking at wedding catalogs. Passionate
nights in the bedroom. This was his wife. His wife.
Spider pulled the hood down, so she could see his face. The knife clattered to the floor.
“Dios mío,” she muttered, staring at him in horror. “What have they done to you, Ernesto?”
His memories came in a slow drip, but the rage was a roaring flood, wiping away all
other thoughts. “What did you do? Why did you sell me out to WBI?”
“I had no choice,” she said. “You were in prison, and I couldn’t be known as the wife of
a convict. But WellBeing International...they said they could get you out. Part of some
program. They said they needed the spouse’s consent. I...I only did it for you!”
She was lying. She had to be lying. Spider clenched his fists harder, the metal joints
popping and grinding.
“We don’t have time for this, man!” Dom screamed next to him. “I don’t know why Niamh
can’t get to you, but she’s freaking out. Let’s grab her and go already!”
“No.” Spider stepped forward. “She’s not leaving here. Not ever.”
“What are you…?” Dom spun around, and saw Spider stalking toward his wife. “Oh no. No no
no. This ain’t what we agreed to, man.”
The woman backed up, terrified, and Spider slowly walked toward her. “Don’t care,” he
said, raising his arms. “She betrayed me. She made me into this.”
She pleaded, babbling. “No please I’m so sorry I didn’t mean it I didn’t know I didn’t know.”
Dom grabbed Spider’s arm and held him fast. “This wasn’t the plan, Spider. We need her
to speak out, tell others about WBI. We can’t say shit, but she...she can go to the media,
to the world. She’s normal, man. They’ll listen to her.”
Spider tried to wrench his arm free, and found he couldn’t. Dom’s strength had kicked
in, holding him fast. He turned to look at Dom. “Fuck normal,” Spider snarled. “Normal is
about lying to yourself and others just to get a little bit ahead. Normal is fucking over
the other guy before he fucks you.” He looked back at his wife. “Yeah, she’s normal all
right. Normal all around.”
Dom didn’t expect the kick to his knee. His leg buckled, and collapsed, releasing Spider.
The woman tried to climb over the bar to escape, but Spider grabbed her leg, pulling her
back to the floor.
“Please,” she pleaded. “Don’t kill me. I’m your
wife.”
The anger washed away all other thoughts
as the guards swarmed into the room.
Situational forces can work to transform even some
of the best of us into Mr. Hyde monsters, without
the benefit of Dr. Jekyll’s chemical elixir.
— Philip Zimbardo,
lead researcher on the
Stanford Prison Experiment
The conspiracies writhing through society’s flesh dwell intertwined amidst different cultures and
occult biomes. From this medium springs forth Divergence, in all its manifold expressions and devia-
tions. The Remade scramble through the shadows of innumerable places and peoples, reflections of
their societies’ sins.
This chapter presents four sample locations around the world, featuring existing conspiracies and
situations that challenge the Broken who dwell there.
Anchored Realities
Ankara, Turkey
In Ankara, the Remade look around at the concrete and brick flesh of their city and see themselves
reflected through a dozen different metaphors. Ankara is an ancient settlement swept to prominence in
the aftermath of the First World War’s tumult and transformed into the capital of the Republic. Its masters
tried to clip its wings through careful urban planning, but the city slipped the leash and erupted into sprawl-
ing, riotous growth. The meat of the urban landscape overgrows itself like a wild cancer, as crumbling
gecekondu slums burst up only to be remade into gleaming manufactories and rigid complexes. It is a
battleground for conflicting politics and cultural flash-points and governmental paranoia; the streets
flood like capillaries with protests and riots when the pressure in the nation’s heart grows too great. It
is a great, groaning beast in conflict with itself, somehow held in a cycle of self-renewing constancy.
The conspiracies that covet Ankara prize the raw material of the city itself — a unique creature
of urban evolution, a well of strange energies that they will give anything to possess and pry into.
It sits as a nexus of the unexpected, a point of stable disruption in the fabric of reality. For four
millennia, and maybe even longer than that, it has been a place of pilgrimage for Progenitors
and a point of intrusion by alien forces into this world. Now, it is the battleground between two
powerful conspiracies: the terrifying and ancient Onachus, and the shadow-government of the
Uyanıklık Cemiyeti, the Vigilance Society.
Augmentec Gudamiya
Augmented development, national prosperity. Augmentec’s mis- Younger generations across the world feel isolated and
sion statement promises clients what they need to strengthen alienated from politics of destruction and greed that appear
their interests. Most of Augmentec’s customers are national to only serve to make the mega-wealthy even richer. These
Graduate Students
The Committee does not expect the guest lecturer to perform
all the tedious work that goes into producing one of the Remade.
An aging Progenitor, for example, cannot perform certain tests
herself, or wrestle a struggling subject onto a gurney. Some lec-
turers bring one or two assistants with them to the university,
typically Devoted or trusted colleagues, but they can hardly be
expected to do the work of an entire staff. In order to carry out
some of the more difficult parts of a Divergence, the Committee
enlists graduate students and assigns them to the program.
Many of the graduate students fit the typical mold. They live
in communal housing —usually with other students involved
in the program. They drink too much coffee, stay up too late,
and do unreasonable things for a small stipend and a shot at
changing the world one day.
They are all complicit.
They may not enjoy pulling the lever, or using the ECT ma-
chine. They almost definitely do not enjoy administering hours of
repetitive tests to subjects and recording brainwave activity. Many
Every guest lecturer has their own methodology for produc- of them are burgeoning alcoholics and hope to forget what they’ve
ing Remade. Some are quite cavalier with the lives of their seen. The Committee pays them with money, glowing recom-
test subjects, while others strive to avoid any fatalities. Many mendations, and introductions to members of other Progenitor
espouse controversial political positions, but many others are conspiracies. Many establish good working relationships with the
apolitical scholars of the occult for whom the Divergence is guest lecturer, which they parlay into tenure track positions at
merely an interesting phenomenon. One year’s guest lecturer other universities. At the very least, the experience makes them
might be a lone professor for whom her work is a labor of valuable recruits for many other conspiracies in the Web of Pain.
love, while the next is “on loan” from another conspiracy that Those who do not comply can expect to find themselves left
doesn’t mind sharing some of its secrets in hopes of attracting on the outside of everything. They cannot get funding or rec-
new blood from the University’s graduating students. ommendations. Departmental budget cuts mean that research
assistant and adjunct jobs are difficult to come by without the
mentions being an amateur parapsychologist and asks if the ability, and other distractions until there is evidence that the
individual would be interested in parapsychological tests. At individual is unlikely to transform. The ESC keeps any new
this point, the ESC refuses permission to anyone who would Deviants for study, allegedly for their own safety.
be missed, and gives others permission, assuming they are Researchers regularly keep these Broken for between two
willing to sign an NDA. and six months, during which time they explore the limits of
The ESC requests that visitors wear monitoring equipment the Deviant’s abilities and the details of their altered biology
while inside the cave. Even if someone refuses to wear these, and psychology. After this time, the ESC offers a few Remade
Ellicott Cave contains a wealth of surveillance equipment, as with particularly useful abilities employment at the facility. This
does the pool outside. In addition to being useful for observ- offer includes housing and medical assistance, but requires
ing the activities of anyone allowed into the cave, the cameras the Broken to agree to keep their condition and whereabouts
and other sensors in and around it also allow researchers to secret, and not to attempt to escape. However, once research-
swiftly detect anyone attempting to sneak into the pool or ers have completed their study of Deviants that they either do
cave. ESC employees monitor these trespassers, and then ESC not believe will be useful, or which they consider violent, likely
employees dressed as police apprehend the intruders when to attempt to escape, or otherwise problematic, they sell the
they emerge. The local authorities report anyone who dies or individual to another conspiracy.
transforms as having sneaked into an unsafe local cave and A few ESC employees who work with the transformed are
died. The ESC releases anyone who survives unchanged with unhappy with selling “surplus” Remade, and would prefer to
a fine and a warning. find a way to help them return to the way they were before, or
Individuals the ESC permits to visit the cave or pool can do at least better-adjust to their condition. However, the director
so several times, but guards always escort them to and from the of the ESC understands that while research into the caves and
site. These escorts make certain that no one else is around the the Broken it produces is fascinating, it hasn’t proven to be at
cave when anyone enters or leaves. Also, the ESC repeatedly all lucrative. Deviants with useful abilities sell for large sums of
reminds visitors that violating the NDA they signed will result money. Since the ESC began selling Remade almost 20 years ago,
in extreme financial penalties. this research facility has ceased being a revenue drain on Burges
Although Burgess Pharmaceuticals does not understand Pharmaceuticals, and for two years in the last decade it made a
the cause of the cave’s transformative powers or why some small profit. The director makes certain that all senior employees
people become ill from exposure, they have developed a variety understand that before the practice of selling Deviants began,
of supportive treatments for the illness caused by the cave’s Burgess Pharmaceuticals almost closed down the ESC several
radiation. These treatments greatly reduce the incidence of times, and that selling unneeded Remade prevents this from
fatality from exposure to the cave, and the ESC gives them to happening. The director also takes employee morale and the feel-
anyone suspected of exposure. ings of employees toward particular Deviants into account when
Visitors who transform into one of the Remade usually deciding which ones to keep at the facility and which ones to sell.
do so within the cave. However, transformations can occur as
much as two days afterward. As a result, researchers attempt Dissuasion and Erasure
to keep around everyone who visits the cave and has not Descriptions and discussions of Ellicott Cave occasionally
transformed, offering free medical checkups, tests of psychic appear on paranormal discussion boards, but the ESC does its
Conspiracy Personnel
The following individuals are important people at the ESC.
Dr. Melinda Sanders: Dr. Sanders has been the director
of the ESC for the last 12 years. She cares deeply about her
work, because she has a secret that she has shared with no
one else. She has a limited ability to read minds and when
she concentrates, she can often sense the surface thoughts
of anyone she is talking to. Unfortunately, Dr. Sanders also
feels as strongly drawn to the caves as any of the people she
has watched transform. However, she understands that if she
were to transform, the result would be terrible, and the fate
that awaits her after her Divergence would be worse. Therefore,
Dr. Sanders restrains her desire to enter Ellicott Cave, which
she dreams about almost nightly.
She someday hopes to unlock the secret of Ellicott Cave
and permit people, with herself first in line, to undergo an
entirely beneficial transformation. Dr. Sanders regularly uses
The Remade have fallen down a rabbit hole that only goes deeper and deeper, the chaos of
their shattered lives a testament to the cruelty of the conspiracies that changed them. They can
succumb to their fate, or fight it and carve out a meaningful niche that, if not their old lives,
at least provides some semblance of comfort, even in a world changed nearly so radically as they
themselves were. And that world is the Storyteller’s responsibility — the work of the machinery
moving behind the scenes, the hidden engines of the world that take everything the Remade know
and twist it into hideous, terrible shapes. The conspiracies within the game are, after all, an extension
of the Storyteller — they, too, are only fronts, levers for the Storyteller to build a narrative around
the players’ characters.
This chapter provides the tools necessary to do the Storyteller’s job, from inspiration to design.
First, we’ll discuss themes, both how to articulate them within the game and how to draw upon works
of media that resonate with the story, using them as inspiration to fuel the world you and your players
have created. Next, we’ll take a look at horror in roleplaying, and how to play up the gruesome world
the Remade inhabit; how to make the characters, and not the players, miserable. An examination of life
in poverty — a life that virtually every Remade experiences — follows, with suggestions for playing up the
little things that wear away at those subjected to it. Finally, we’ll go in-depth with conspiracies, and how
to use the rules provided in Chapter Five to their maximum effect.
Theme: Isolation
At its core, Deviant is about the experience of isolation, both as a direct result of physical transforma-
tions and being outcast from society due to those changes. Ultimately, the Remade are the archetypal
Other — the being that it’s just easier to not empathize with, the person who is not normal and is
therefore lesser, the marked class to end all marked classes. It’s impossible to understand Deviant,
at its core, without understanding privilege, and what it means to have that privilege taken away.
Microaggressions
You’d get more interviews if you changed your name to something less ethnic. What’s your real gender?
You should go outside and exercise, it’s better for you than those medications. No, this establishment
doesn’t have a ramp at the entrance. You know it’s not healthy to be overweight, right? You should smile
more, it makes you prettier.
Some people are able to read statements or questions like these as innocuous, perfectly
reasonable advice or questions offered in the spirit of generosity. Others — the people they’re
directed at — feel them like a thousand little cuts. These are microaggressions, and they are a fact
Most Remade are on their own, and frequently so are the • Prey (2017): On a space station in lunar orbit, the
protagonists of the sort of fiction Deviant emulates. Being differ- TransStar Corporation has developed technology to
ent isolates you, after all, and stories that trend toward this end implant memories and skills into human minds — and
of the axis don’t pull punches about that. Grounded stories are to remove them as well, meaning no one can be sure
about being on the outside looking in, being one of the few aware that what they remember is the truth. When TransStar
of a dangerous secret, and frequently being the only one in a posi- turns to using this technology on an alien species,
tion to do something about it. Isolation, yes, but more than that, implanting alien memories to create psionic powers in
dehumanization. No one is coming to the protagonist’s rescue, humans, this love-letter to the classic System Shock turns
and if she reaches out, she’s likely to regret what comes next. dark in a hurry.
Examples in Media • Akira: The classic manga and anime adaptation both fit
this extreme of the spectrum. Tetsuo, a victim of military
• The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: A brilliant
experiments, develops terrifying psychic powers. At first
but weak scientist invents a potion to strengthen his
horrified at what he can do, he quickly develops a god
will and constitution, and ends up unleashing an inner
complex and destroys Neo-Tokyo in short order. In the
monster that slowly takes over his life. It’s the archetypal
anime, this takes place over a relatively short period of
gothic Deviant story. Jekyll is responsible for his own
time; the manga draws out his degeneration and ulti-
plight, and has absolutely no one he can depend upon
mate self-destruction. In either case, the consequences
to help him with his struggle — at least, not without
of the experiment redefine the world.
placing them in terrible danger from Hyde’s appetites.
moments. Storytellers should treat these moments with care, FNG Syndrome
and always be sure that the players are holding together. Don’t
be surprised if there’s a tear or two. Check in on players in A character died, everyone had lots of pathos, and maybe
the days following their character’s death, to make sure they’re a few people cried. All well and good. Now what? Integrating
coping. Grief can land extremely hard, and sometimes it takes new characters into established games has been a roleplaying
a day or two for it to really hit. conundrum since time immemorial, and Deviant is a game
that presumes a certain level of character mortality. Thankfully,
There are logistical considerations as well. Characters are a
in the case of character death, the player has been around for
player’s primary lever on the setting and the story, and without
the chronicle thus far, eliminating the need to play catch-up
their character present the rest of the chapter is going to be
with plot, Storyteller characters, and other concerns. It also
essentially an improv play put on for their benefit. The simplest
makes it easy for them to create a new character who will fit
solution is to try to arrange the death to come close to the end
in with the group — they’ll know the other Remade fairly well,
of the chapter, but that’s not always possible. Sometimes, play-
unless they died early on in the chronicle. They can do this at
ers rush through scenes you thought would take hours to play
the table with the other players, or they can do it in their own
out, and sometimes they’re just plain having too good a time
time before the next chapter.
to stop playing. The fallout of a character’s death is lucrative
role-playing currency for some players. If it’s going to be a while, Players will frequently use meta-knowledge to immediately rec-
one of the best ways to include the now-characterless player is ognize, approach, and adopt new characters, but this always feels
to give them a Storyteller character to portray, preferably one a little artificial, especially in a game about conspiracies trying to
they’re familiar with and can get into character for without too ruin the characters’ lives and enslave them. In real life, integrating
much difficulty. If they’re comfortable with it, bring them on newcomers into group chemistry can be daunting — hence the
as a temporary assistant Storyteller, giving them a rotating cast term FNG, or “Fucking New Guy,” referring to an individual who
of Storyteller characters to play, though make sure there are joins an established team and is mistreated or disdained because
notes for those characters ready to hand over, as it’s unlikely they haven’t shared hardships with the others. While perhaps
any of players are telepaths. more believable in the context of the story, pugnacious refusal to
accept the newcomer is a good way to derail a chronicle.
For the Storyteller, running an engaging, shocking, and all too easy to rend wide open again. Ultimately, violence isn’t
brutal combat involves careful stage-management and “camera as quick and clean a solution as people tend to think of it as.
work.” For the purposes of a tabletop game, this means guid- It’s merely trading convenience in the short term for lingering
ing where the attention of the group is at all times, carefully pain later — on both sides of the equation.
selecting images to convey — a cracking pillar, a fire hydrant Both surviving and inflicting violence is trauma, plain and
cleaved open and spraying water everywhere, a window shatter- simple, and humans don’t react well to it. Deviant is about
ing — to juxtapose them with violent actions, to pull away from the costs and consequences of violence, the scars layered over
the immediate and the intense to showcase the consequences scars that, at times, may feel like the only thing holding one
of those acts, to illustrate what’s happening in the context of together. The physical, temporal costs of the Remade life are
that violence. A gunfight in an empty warehouse is one thing. only one dimension of the pain they must live with. Their
A gunfight in a farmer’s market, with fruit, lead, and blood inner, emotional life is just as shattered. Even in their quiet
flying, is something entirely different. moments, even if they can pretend to themselves that the pain
Storytellers should provide lots of setting to work with wher- isn’t there, it’s only waiting for a chance to rear back up and
ever they set a fight, not just for the above reasons but because it ruin everything with a moment of unneeded terror, a feeling of
gives players something to play with that isn’t a Storyteller char- unprovoked anxiety, the fight-or-flight instinct short-circuited
acter’s innards (or their own, for that matter). The goal of the into a never-silent siren in the back of their head. It’s being
scene is violence, but it needs more ingredients if it’s not going unable to ever shut yourself off, because the minute you do,
to be a pure gore-fest. Try to avoid empty places for fights. Most it might happen all over again.
conspiracies aren’t that concerned with following the niceties
of a duelist’s code, and will strike wherever it gives them the
greatest advantage, which is usually a rather everyday location The Personal Side
from a Deviant’s perspective. Even an empty warehouse can
be interesting if your players are dead-set on throwing down The inherent horror of Deviant isn’t just the physical trans-
there. Rusting catwalks, rats, forgotten industrial waste, or a formation and the violence, of course. Every character dragged
warehouse that isn’t as abandoned as the players thought all into the Remade cycle of violence and vengeance will have
add depth to a location, and therefore to the violence taking personal reactions, personal trauma, and personal alienation
place in that location. Nowhere, not even the places we think from those around them. This horror is just as important as
of as empty, is truly bare of set dressing. the physical, violent dimension, and not just to the players of
those characters. The Storyteller’s job is to bring this horror
home to the players’ characters, and to drag that pain and suf-
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder fering out into the light where everyone can see it.
Every Remade struggles with the legacy of violence, spe-
cifically the violence done to them by the conspiracy that
transformed them. Every time they employ a Variation, every
Violence as a Mirror
time a Scar makes their life more difficult, every time their The Remade are the victims of violence, against their bod-
status separates them from the ordinary people around them, ies, minds, and even their souls. This supernatural trauma will
that remembered violence wells up from inside. Trauma leaves never really heal, and is what drives the Remade on their obses-
marks on people, ones that don’t easily heal, and which are sive quests for vengeance. To soothe the pain of the violence
done to them, they do violence to others. While that violence
Down and Out — Life the ghost and dies. A hurricane destroys literally everything
you own. Unforeseen problems become major crises when you
Without Privilege have no savings to fall back on. A serious illness or injury (or,
sometimes, a relatively insignificant one) can result in bank-
ruptcy and homelessness in surprisingly short order.
Regardless of what one believes the cause to be — whether
it’s capitalism itself, an uncaring culture, or a dire lack of moral Bankruptcy isn’t an end to debt, however, only a restructur-
fiber and charity — we cannot deny that we, collectively as a ing of it, with lenders being paid directly out of the debtor’s
species, are terribly and unjustifiably cruel to others whose only paycheck. Few are fortunate enough to own their home
idea. Even if individuals within the conspiracy have reserva- sense of being interconnected with the entire narrative, being
tions about certain aspects of the conspiracy’s aims, or at least so all-encompassing that it surrounds the characters at all times,
a different idea of how it’ll work out in the end, ultimately even when they aren’t in the thick of their enemies.
those individuals are doing the work of those at the peak of the
pyramid, those whose ideals are most closely in line with the The Web of Pain
collective drives of the conspiracy. That’s not a bad thing. It’s
For all that their condition isolates the Remade, Deviant
another source of tension and drama, centered on the possibil-
is a game of relationships, and relationships ultimately define
ity of getting insiders to “do the right thing,” or to otherwise aid
both Deviants and the world around them. Managing the lion’s
the cohort in their quest for revenge. Faceless and implacable
share of those relationships is the Storyteller’s responsibility,
conspiracies are no fun, but hand- and footholds of this kind
be it one between a Storyteller character or institution and a
give players a way to grasp the whole and offer the leverage for
player’s character, or between two Storyteller characters. Having
their characters to get what they want.
a solid understanding of how the world connects behind the
Memorable foes, Linchpins, and Progenitors are key to sig- scenes makes it much easier to adjust the setting to match player
naling these differences to players. It’s not a matter of naming expectations and actions, in addition to giving the Storyteller
every single Storyteller character the characters ever interact options when the players inevitably surprise her.
with (if only because that’s an untenable amount of work for
Maintaining a relationship diagram makes it much easier
the Storyteller), but making sure that when players do fixate
to manage this fictional social network. You can use pen and
on one or two (as they almost certainly will) those characters
paper, though that tends to get crowded in a hurry, or a digital
have depth and complexity beneath their surface appearance.
mind-mapping program, if you’re comfortable with it. If you’re
When you dangle a Storyteller character in front of players,
up for it, create an alternate version for your players, keeping
have a plan of action. Even incidental revelations can hook
the complete conspiracy diagram to yourself. This allows them
players’ interest, whether it’s a curious letter they find when
to fill in the blanks as they discover more and more of the con-
rifling through the target’s mail or a voicemail message on an
spiracy’s true nature, and makes for a fun element of mystery
unattended phone.
and puzzle solving. Don’t just represent relationships between
Another way to play up conspiracy-related themes in the people, either. Keep track of professional and institutional
chronicle is to seed them into everyday life for the characters. relationships. Knowing how the local FBI office feels about
A TV spot, an article in the newspaper (which you could write the local ATF office helps color the relationships of Storyteller
ahead of time and even print out, if your group is into physical characters associated with them. This extends to conspiracies
gameplay artifacts), or idle conversation with other Storyteller as well — each has institutional knowledge and culture, and a
characters can touch on issues similar to the conspiracy’s raison conspiracy’s connections often give the Storyteller unexpected
d’être. Apart from offering an opportunity to air different tools for interfering with or hunting down the cohort.
points of view on the subject, it also gives the conspiracy a
Type: A weapon’s type is a general classification that can apply to anything your character picks up. A tire iron might be any metal club, such as
an antique mace, a metal baseball bat, or a hammer, while a hatchet might be a meat cleaver or an antique hand axe.
Damage: Indicates the number of bonus successes added to a successful attack. Weapons always deal lethal damage against ordinary people.
The type of damage may vary against supernatural opponents.
Initiative: The penalty taken to Initiative when wielding the weapon. If using more than one weapon, take the higher penalty and increase by 1.
Strength: The minimum Strength needed to use a weapon effectively. A wielder with a lower Strength suffers a –1 penalty on attack rolls.
Size: Size 1 items can be hidden in a hand; two Size 2 items can be hidden in a coat; Size 3+ items cannot be hidden.
Availability: The cost in Resources dots or the level of Social Merit needed to acquire the weapon.
Concealed: A character who wields a shield but doesn’t use it to attack can add its Size to his Defense, and uses its Size as a concealment modifier
against ranged attacks.
Grapple: Add the chain’s weapon modifier to grappling dice pools.
Stun: Halve the victim’s Size (rounding up) when aiming for the head with intent to stun (p. 197).
Two-handed: This weapon requires two hands. It can be used one-handed, but doing so increases the Strength requirement by 1.
* The reach of a spear gives +1 to Defense against opponents who are unarmed or wield weapons of Size 1.
Damage: Indicates the number of bonus successes added to a successful attack. Weapons always deal lethal damage against
ordinary people. The type of damage may vary against supernatural opponents.
Ranges: The listed numbers are short/medium/long ranges in yards/meters. Attacks at medium range suffer a –1 penalty. Attacks at
long range suffer a –2 penalty.
Clip: The number of rounds a gun can hold. A +1 indicates that a bullet can be held in the chamber, ready to fire.
Initiative: The penalty taken to Initiative when wielding the weapon. If using more than one weapon, take the higher penalty and
increase it by 1.
Strength: The minimum Strength needed to use a weapon effectively. A wielder with a lower Strength suffers a –1 on attack rolls.
Size: Weapons of Size 1 can be fired one-handed; Size 2 weapons must be fired two-handed and can be hidden in a coat; Size 3
weapons must be fired two-handed and cannot be hidden on one’s person.
Availability: The cost in Resources dots or the level of Social Merit needed to acquire the weapon.
* The weapon is capable of autofire, including short bursts, medium bursts, and long bursts.
** Attack rolls gain the 9-again quality.
*** Crossbows take three turns to reload between shots.
Availability
Blast Area
Initiative
Strength
Damage
Range
Force
Type
Tags
Size
Frag, Standard 2 0 10 3 Thrown (A) 2 1 •••• Knockdown
Frag, Heavy 3 -1 5 4 Thrown (A) 2 1 •••• Knockdown
Molotov 1 -2 3 2 Thrown 2 2 • Incendiary,
Ignited,
Muffled
Pipe Bomb 1 -1 5 2 Thrown 2 1 • Ignited,
Knockdown
Smoke – 0 10 – Thrown (A) 2 1 •• Concealment,
Muffled
Stun 0 0 5 2 Thrown (A) 2 1 •• Knockdown
Thermite 3 0 5 4 Thrown (A) 2 1 •••• Armor-piercing
8, Incendiary
White 3 0 5 4 Thrown (A) 2 1 •••• Armor-
Phosphorous piercing 3,
Concealment,
Incendiary
Damage: Indicates the damage automatically dealt to those within the blast radius (p. 204).
Initiative: The initiative penalty wielding the weapon inflicts.
Blast Area: The diameter of the explosion, in meters or yards.
Force: The additional damage inflicted by the explosion (p. 204).
Range: Throwing a grenade is a Dexterity + Athletics roll. Success means the grenade lands within the blast area of its intended target.
An exceptional success places the grenade within ground zero of the target. Additional successes on the attack roll do not otherwise
increase the damage the explosive inflicts.
Strength: The minimum Strength needed to use a weapon effectively. A wielder with a lower Strength suffers a –1 on attack rolls.
Size: Size 1 items can be hidden in a hand; two Size 2 items can be hidden in a coat; Size 3+ items cannot be hidden.
Availability: The cost in Resources dots or the level of Social Merit needed to acquire the weapon.
Concealment: The grenade imposes the severe Poor Lighting Tilt within the blast area, and the moderate Poor Lighting Tilt within the second-
ary blast area. Those concealed by the smoke enjoy total concealment (p. 198) against attacks. The smoke dissipates after two minutes.
Ignited: The user must light a fuse or rag as an action before throwing it on the next turn.
Incendiary: Characters in the blast area catch fire automatically as though exposed to a torch with a heat bonus equal to the incendiary
grenade’s damage bonus. This is instead a bonfire at ground zero. Within the secondary blast area, the heat bonus is halved (rounded
up. see p.206). The affected area also gains the Inferno Tilt (p. 316).
Knockdown: Characters in the blast area who suffer more damage from the blast than half their Size (rounded up) suffer the Knocked Down
and Stunned Tilts. Those in the secondary blast area instead suffer the Knocked Down Tilt if they suffer more damage than half their Size.
Muffled: The device does not impose the Deafened Tilt as do other explosives.
Rating: Armor provides protection against normal attacks and firearms attacks. The number before the slash is for general armor,
while the number after the slash is for ballistic armor.
Strength: If a character’s Strength is lower than that required for her armor, reduce her Brawl and Weaponry dice pools by one.
Defense: The penalty imposed on a character’s Defense when wearing the armor.
Speed: The penalty to a character’s Speed when wearing the armor.
Availability: The cost in Resources dots or the level of Social Merit needed to acquire the armor.
Coverage: The areas of a character protected by the armor. Unless an attacker targets a specific unarmored location (see “Specified
Targets,” p. 197), the armor’s protection applies. Wearing a helmet increases the armor’s coverage to include a character’s head.
* This armor is concealed, either as normal clothing (e.g. biker leathers) or from being worn under a jacket or baggy shirt. Attackers
have no idea the target is wearing armor until after they land a successful hit.
Services 313
Tilts come in two forms: Personal and Environmental. Causing the Tilt: Supernatural power or targeted blow to
Personal Tilts only apply to one character, and include ways the arm (–2) that deals damage in excess of Stamina, or to a
in which that character can overcome the effect. In many cases hand (–4) that deals any damage.
(Arm Wrack, Blinded, Deafened, and Leg Wrack), if a Personal Ending the Tilt: The relevant damage heals.
Tilt is caused by an attack to a specified target (p. 197), mark
an X under the leftmost Health box inflicted in that attack,
and the Tilt ends when the damage that caused it is healed.
Beaten Down
Environmental Tilts affect the whole scene, although they PERSONAL
can often be mitigated by special equipment (such as protec- Description: The character has had the fight knocked out
tive eyewear), actions (taking shelter against flying debris, for of him.
example), or supernatural powers. Any Equipment bonus
Effect (severe): The character cannot take active part in the
granted by such equipment cannot more than negate the
fight without extra effort. The player must spend a point of
penalties imposed by the Tilt.
Willpower each time he wants the character to take a violent
Tilts are either moderate or severe, depending on the dif- action in the fight. He can still run, Dodge, and apply Defense.
ficulty they pose to those affected by them, although many
Causing the Tilt: The Baseline character suffers bashing
have both moderate and severe versions. Personal Tilts that
damage in excess of his Stamina or any amount of lethal dam-
affect one arm, ear, eye, or leg at moderate can be upgraded
age; certain Merits and supernatural powers.
to severe by applying them a second time.
Ending the Tilt: The character surrenders and gives the
aggressor what he wants. At this point, the character regains a
Tilts point of Willpower and takes a Beat, but can take no further
action in the fight.
The list below gives some common Tilts that can be used to
model difficulties in combat or the effects of Scars, Variations,
or hostile supernatural powers.
Blazing Light
ENVIRONMENTAL
Arm Wrack Description: Bright light in the area hurts the eyes. This
might be sunlight reflecting off snow, sand, or water. If severe,
PERSONAL proximity to a powerful ambient light source.
Description: The character’s arm is painfully (and debili- Effect (moderate): Characters suffer a –3 penalty to any
tatingly) injured. rolls that rely on vision, and the pain and distraction causes a
Effect (moderate): The affected character drops whatever –1 penalty to any other rolls. Characters closing their eyes to
they’re holding in that arm and can’t use it to attack opponents. avoid the pain suffer the severe Blinded Tilt.
Severe: The Tilt impacts both limbs. Any rolls that require Severe: The bright light is truly blinding. Characters suffer
manual dexterity are a chance die, and other Physical actions the severe Blinded Tilt.
suffer a –3 penalty.
Tilts 315
exceptional success). Failure inflicts 4 points of bashing damage,
Downpour instead (8 points of bashing damage on a dramatic failure).
Countermeasures: Insulated suit (+3; Availability ••••)
ENVIRONMENTAL
Description: Falling water, blood, or stranger liquids loudly Flooded
lash those in the area, or thunder and lightning create a noisy,
flickering environment. ENVIRONMENTAL
Effect (moderate): Dice rolls involving vision or hearing Description: Water, mud, snow, or sand make walking a
suffer a –3 penalty. challenge.
Countermeasures: Umbrella (+2 to vision rolls; Availability •) Effect (moderate): The water is above the knees but below
the waist. Characters who must slog though it suffer a –2 die
Drugged penalty on Physical actions, and their Speed is halved (round
up). Prone characters pinned underwater and unable to breathe
PERSONAL risk drowning (p. 203).
Description: The character’s thinking is addled by mind- Severe: The water is over the heads of most people, forcing
altering substances. characters to swim. Physical actions suffer a –5 die penalty,
Effect (moderate): A generic narcotic can be represented Defense and Speed are halved, and staying afloat requires a
with one set of modifiers; the character suffers a –2 modifier successful Strength + Athletics roll each turn. Failure means
to Speed (and static Defense, if used) and a –3 penalty to all the character goes underwater without being able to take a
rolls in combat. The character ignores wound penalties. deep breath, potentially drowning (p. 203).
Causing the Tilt: Drugs are ingested by or injected into Countermeasures: Life vest (staying afloat is automatic;
the character, voluntarily or not. Injecting another character Availability ••)
with drugs is a Dexterity + Weaponry attack, suffering a –1
modifier for the improvised weapon. Immobilized
Ending the Tilt: A drugged character can shake off the ef-
fects for a turn by succeeding on a reflexive Stamina + Resolve PERSONAL
roll, with a –1 to –3 penalty based the potency of the drug (use Description: Something holds the character fast, prevent-
–2 as the default). ing him from moving.
Effect (severe): The character can’t do anything. He can’t
Earthquake apply Defense against incoming attacks, and can’t take combat-
related actions. If someone’s holding him down, he can spend
ENVIRONMENTAL a point of Willpower to deliver a head butt or similar attack.
Description: Whether due to tectonic forces, distant ex- Causing the Tilt: The usual way to inflict this Tilt is
plosions, or turbulent ocean waters, the area shakes violently. through the Restrain grappling move.
Effect (severe): All Dexterity-based dice pools and Defense Ending the Tilt: An Immobilized target can break free by
suffer a –1 cumulative penalty per turn of the earthquake, to escaping from a grapple or snapping whatever binds her. If
a maximum of –5. Characters at risk of being struck by falling held by an item, the character must make a Strength + Athletics
debris must make a reflexive Stamina + Athletics roll per turn. roll penalized by the item’s Durability. Take a –2 penalty for
Success means they take 2 points of bashing damage (or avoid restrained limbs; increase to –4 if hogtied. A success breaks free.
harm altogether on an exceptional success). Failure inflicts 2 Each roll, successful or not, deals a point of bashing damage.
points of lethal damage instead.
Countermeasures: General armor provides its protection Inferno
against falling debris.
ENVIRONMENTAL
Electrified Description: The area is on fire. Anything flammable is
either already burning or will be soon.
ENVIRONMENTAL Effect (severe): All characters suffer a –2 to all rolls due to
Description: Electricity crackles in the air or surges through smoke and heat. After two turns, any character that breathes
objects in the scene. also suffers 2 points of bashing damage per turn due to smoke
Effect (severe): Characters in the scene reflexively roll Wits inhalation. After three turns, the character also suffers 1 point
+ Dexterity each turn. Success means they take 2 points of bash- of lethal damage per turn from burns and must succeed on a
ing damage from electrocution (or avoid harm altogether on an Dexterity + Stamina roll each turn to avoid catching fire (see
p. 206).
Severe: The air is dangerously toxic, also inflicting 1 point Effect (moderate): Affected characters suffer a –2 penalty to
of lethal damage per turn on those who breathe it. visual-based Perception rolls, including ranged combat, rising
Countermeasures: Gas mask (prevents the damage and to –3 at medium range and –4 at long range.
reduces the penalty by 2; Availability ••) Severe: The area is plunged into darkness. Characters suffer
the severe Blinded Tilt within the area, although equipment
Poisoned can offset penalties.
Countermeasures: Flashlight (+2 or downgrade severe
PERSONAL version to moderate; Availability •)
Description: Poison is tearing the character apart from
the inside. Sick
Effect (moderate): The poison inflicts 1 point of bashing
damage per turn. PERSONAL
Severe: The damage is lethal, instead. Description: The character suffers from nausea, fever, or
Causing the Tilt: Ingesting or inhaling a poison inflicts this related symptoms.
Tilt. Injecting an opponent with a poison counts as a Dexterity Effect (moderate): The character suffers a –1 penalty to
+ Weaponry attack, and suffers a –1 modifier. all actions during combat. That penalty increases by 1 every
Ending the Tilt: Immediate medical attention. Roll two turns.
Stamina + Resolve as a reflexive action each turn. If the Severe: The character also suffers 1 point of bashing dam-
character intends to act, the roll suffers a –3 penalty. Success age per turn.
counteracts the damage for one turn. Causing the Tilt: Exposure to disease from living, clinical,
or supernatural sources.
Poor Lighting Ending the Tilt: Penalties fade at a rate of one point per
turn once the character has a chance to rest. Any damage
ENVIRONMENTAL remains until the character can heal.
Description: Dim or flickering light makes it difficult to
track movement or see clearly.
Slick Stunned
ENVIRONMENTAL PERSONAL
Description: Ice, oil, or other lubricants render surfaces slick. Description: The character is dazed and unable to think
Effect (moderate): Anyone trying to keep footing (or drive) straight.
to cross the affected area must move slowly. Halve the Speed Effect (severe): The character loses her next action, and
of any character on the ice. Physical actions such as combat halves her Defense until she can next act.
are also impeded by the Trait, with a –2 penalty to all rolls and Causing the Tilt: A character can be stunned by any attack
Defense. Attempting to move at full speed doubles the dice that does at least as much damage as their Size in a single hit (or 1
penalty to –4 dice. less than their Size if the attack targets their head). When aiming
Countermeasures: Cleats (+2; Availability •); tire chains for the head with the intent to stun, weapons with the “stun”
(+2; Availability •••) special ability halve the victim’s effective Size (rounded up).
Ending the Tilt: The effects of this Tilt last one turn. The
character can end the Tilt during their own action by reflexively
spending a point of Willpower, but a –3 modifier applies to
any actions they take that turn.
Services 319
Swarms Conditions
The list below provides some common Conditions that you
ENVIRONMENTAL can apply to characters throughout the chronicle.
Description: A clouds of insects, swarms of vermin, or
carpet of bugs clogs equipment and worms into orifices and
open wounds. Addicted
Effect (moderate): The swarm deals no damage by itself, (Persistent)
but it increases wound penalties by 1 (even if the character is Your character is addicted to something, whether it’s drugs,
not injured) and reduces the dice bonus from complex equip- gambling, or other destructive behaviors. She needs to indulge
ment by 2. her addiction regularly to keep its symptoms under control,
Severe: The bites or stings of the swarming creatures is mildly and it takes over her life. Choose a specific addiction upon
toxic, also inflicting 1 point of bashing damage per turn. taking this Condition; characters can take this Condition
Countermeasures: Beekeeping suit (protects from the Tilt; multiple times for different addictions. Being unable to feed
Availability •••) the addiction results in the Deprived Condition.
Possible Sources: Alcoholism; substance abuse; the
Thin Air Addictive Variation Scar.
Resolution: Gain or lose a dot of Integrity, or achieve
ENVIRONMENTAL exceptional success on a breaking point; for Remade, heal a
Description: The air in the affected area resembles that of medium or major Instability.
a mountaintop, making characters gasp for breath. Beat: Your character chooses to get a fix rather than fulfill
Effect (moderate): All Physical rolls made for breathing an obligation, or causes significant complications for her
characters are penalized by (Size – Stamina). cohort by indulging her addiction.
Severe: The area is entirely lacking in oxygen, or may even
be submerged. Vulnerable characters cannot take a deep breath Amnesia
and may drown or suffocate (p. 203).
Countermeasures: Oxygen tank (protects from the Tilt;
(Persistent)
Availability •••) Your character is missing a portion of her memory. An
entire period of her life is just gone. This causes massive dif-
Viscous ficulties with friends and loved ones.
Possible Sources: The Amnesia Scar.
ENVIRONMENTAL Resolution: You regain your memory and learn the truth.
Depending on the circumstances, this may constitute a break-
Description: Thick vegetation, spiderwebs, grasping skel-
ing point.
etal hands, or glue-like floors make passage through the area
difficult. Beat: Something problematic arises, such as a forgotten
arrest warrant or old enemy.
Effect (moderate): Characters attempting to move through
the area or perform a Physical task must succeed on a reflexive
Strength + Athletics roll each turn to make progress. Bestial
Severe: Failure on the roll causes the character to suffer the Your character acts on primal, physical impulses.
Immobilized Tilt (p. 316), using a Durability of 1. Additional Frightening things make him run. He meets aggressive threats
consecutive failures ensnare the victim further, first retraining with violence and anger. Take a –2 die penalty to all rolls to
both hands and then effectively hogtieing her. resist physical impulse. As well, take a –2 penalty to Defense
Countermeasures: A companion with a sawing or chopping due to impulsive action. Any rolls to compel your character
tool or weapon can free a trapped character with a successful to impulsive, aggressive action or escape achieve exceptional
Strength + Weaponry or Strength + Crafts roll. success on three successes instead of five.
Possible Sources: The Alternate Persona or Bestial Mind
Scar.
Resolution: Cause damage in someone’s last three Health
boxes.
Conditions 321
Fatigued Fugue
Your character has never been so tired in all her life. For
every six hours she goes without sleeping, take a cumulative
(Persistent)
Something terrible happened. Rather than deal with it or let
–1 die penalty to all actions. At every six-hour interval, make a
it break him, your character’s mind shuts it out. He is prone to
Stamina + Resolve roll (with the penalty) to resist falling asleep.
blackouts and lost time. Whenever circumstances become too
Possible Sources: Staying awake for 24 hours; being similar to the situation that led to his gaining this Condition, roll
dosed with a sedative or anesthetic; the Dependency, Genetic Resolve + Composure. If you fail the roll, the Storyteller controls
Disorder, or Hemophilia Scar. your character for the next scene; your character, left to his own
Resolution: Getting a full night’s sleep. devices, will seek to avoid the conflict and get away from the area.
Possible Sources: Dramatic failure on a breaking point
Fragile (for Baselines).
The equipment the character is using to aid his action Resolution: Regain a dot of Integrity, lose another dot of
won’t last long for some reason, whether because it’s an object Integrity; for Remade, heal a medium or major Instability.
put together with duct tape and bubble gum, or because his Beat: You enter a fugue state as described above.
relationship with the people involved sours, or because his
computer ends up suffering a blue screen of death and the
data is corrupted. A plan may be Fragile because of disrupted
Guilty
communication between the characters, or because of an unex- Your character is experiencing deep-seated feelings of guilt
pected hurdle, etc. The equipment ceases to exist in any usable and remorse. This Condition is commonly applied after a suc-
form after a number of uses equal to its creator’s dots in the cessful breaking point roll (p. 187). While the character is under
Skill used to build it. If the creator’s Skill rating is unknown, the effects of this Condition, he receives a –2 to any Resolve
the Storyteller may roll 1-3 dice each time the equipment sees or Composure rolls to defend against Subterfuge, Empathy,
use (after the first time), with a failure resulting in its breaking. or Intimidation rolls.
Possible Sources: Achieving a failure on a Build Equipment Possible Sources: Breaking point (for Baselines); the
roll. Telepathy Variation; the Amnesia Scar.
Resolution: The equipment falls apart one way or another. Resolution: The character confesses his crimes and makes
Plans grant one Beat to each player whose character is involved restitution for whatever he did.
when this Condition resolves.
Hunted
Frightened (Persistent)
Something’s scared your character to the point where Someone who poses a serious threat to the character’s safety
he loses rational thought. Maybe he’s just looked down at a and well-being, physically or emotionally (or both), is after her.
100-story drop, or seen a tarantula the size of his fist crawling For Remade, it’s usually a conspiracy agent. Whoever it is might
up his leg. Whatever the case, he needs to leave right now. be intent on direct violence, or simply wish to torment her.
His only priority is getting the fuck away from the thing that’s Possible Sources: Committing a high-profile violent crime
frightened him — to hell with his stuff, his friends, and his in a public place or against law enforcement personnel; the
allies. If someone tries to stop him from escaping, he fights Conspicuous Appearance Scar.
his way past them. He can’t approach the source of his fear Beat: The character’s persecutors find her.
or act against it — and if the only way out involves going near
Resolution: The character stops her persecutors, either
the source of his fear, he collapses on the ground in terror.
through direct means like violence, or indirect means like
Supernatural creatures prone to loss of control must make their
changes in lifestyle that deny them access to her or taking down
usual rolls to avoid doing so. Suppressing this Condition’s
part of the Web of Pain.
effects for a turn costs a point of Willpower.
Possible Sources: Coming face to face with a phobia; the
Phobia Scar. Informed
Resolution: The character escapes from the source of his Your character has a breadth of research information based
fear; the scene ends. on the topic she investigated. When you make a roll relating
to the topic, you may choose to resolve this Condition. If you
resolve it and the roll fails, consider it to have a single success
instead. If it succeeds, consider it an exceptional success.
Conditions 323
Possible Sources: Personal trauma; the Frozen Heart Scar.
Steadfast Resolution: Opt to fail a roll to resist Empathy or a su-
pernatural effect that would read your character’s emotions
Your character is confident and resolved. When you’ve
or mental state.
failed a roll, you may choose to resolve this Condition to in-
stead treat the action as if you’d rolled a single success. If the
roll is a chance die, you may choose to resolve this Condition Volatile
and roll a single regular die instead. The equipment the character is using to aid his action is
Possible Sources: An exceptional success on an action. ready to blow at any moment, figuratively or literally. One
Resolution: Your character’s confidence carries him wrong word, one badly placed rune, and it’s time to duck and
through and the worst is avoided; the Condition is resolved cover. A plan may be Volatile because it backfires terribly, or be-
as described above. cause a Storyteller character betrays the group, etc. Any failure
achieved while benefiting from the equipment is automatically
Stoic a dramatic failure. The equipment may continue to exist after
this Condition is resolved, but if so, reduce its equipment
Your character shuts down the parts of herself that care. She bonus by two dice. This can create equipment penalties if the
won’t open up to anyone and pretends she’s fine when she isn’t. original bonus was fewer than two dice.
Gain a two-die bonus to Subterfuge rolls to hide her emotions Possible Sources: Achieving a failure on a Build Equipment
or avoid talking about a traumatic experience. She doesn’t roll.
suffer the untrained penalty for any Subterfuge roll. Until she
Resolution: The character suffers a dramatic failure while
resolves this Condition, actions she takes that would normally
using the equipment. Plans grant one Beat to each player whose
heal a minor Instability or downgrade a moderate Instability to
character is involved when this Condition resolves.
minor do not do so, and she can’t spend Willpower on actions
that would reveal her true feelings.
INDEX 325
B Invasion, 74, 224
Baseline, 12-14, 16, 23, 34-35, 40, 47, 49-50, 53, 59, 62, 73, Metamorphosis, 74, 224
90, 95, 97-98, 107, 110, 122, 129, 131-132, 136, 138-139, Metastasis, 74, 224
151, 162-163, 181, 187, 193, 196, 200-201, 222, 252-255, Mutation, 74, 224
261, 268, 275, 290, 300, 314, 321-323 CiviTech, 18
Baseline Anchors, 95, 187 CiviTech Detention Facility Two (CDF-2, Dose), 18, 179
Baseline Aspirations, 95 Clades, 12, 16-17, 21-43, 52-53, 76-77, 79, 89, 107-108,
Integrity, 181, 187 112-113, 139, 148, 151, 238, 253. See also Deviants and
Vice, 80, 95-96, 101, 136, 145, 165, 181, 187, 209 Origins.
Virtue, 80, 95-96, 136, 145, 181, 187, 208 Cephalists, 12, 16-17, 23, 27, 30, 33, 34-35, 37, 39,
Beat, 83-84, 89, 91, 94-95, 97-98, 104, 109-110, 142, 41, 43, 76, 79, 107-108, 112-119, 121, 124-125, 127-139,
152-158, 160-170, 187-188, 193-196, 203, 209, 238, 301, 141-147, 149, 152, 175, 253, 256-260, 266, 272, 274
314, 320--324 Chimerics, 12, 16-17, 23, 35, 36-37, 39, 41, 43, 76, 79,
Bektashi Materials Research, 258 90, 107-108, 112-115, 117, 119-120, 122, 124-125, 128-130,
132, 135, 138-141, 143-147, 149, 152, 175, 263, 313
Bell, Dominic (Dom, El Santo, The Saint), 8-9, 178-179, 214,
248-249, 282-283 Coactives, 12, 16-17, 23, 29-30, 32, 35, 37, 38-39, 41,
43, 76, 79, 107-108, 112-116, 118-122, 124-126, 129, 131,
Bell, John, 265 134-135, 138-139, 141-146, 148, 150-151, 175, 253, 263
Black Helicopters, 256, 259 Invasives, 12, 16-17, 23, 25, 28, 35, 37, 39, 40-41, 43,
Bond Rating, 222, 236 77, 79, 107-108, 113, 115-119, 121-122, 124-127, 134-137,
Acquainted, 222, 236 139, 142, 144-151, 175, 224, 263, 266
Obsessive, 222, 236-238 Mutants, 12, 16-17, 23, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42-43, 77, 79,
Personal, 222, 236-237 108, 113-115, 118-122, 124-132, 136-139, 141, 144, 147-152,
175, 272-274
Born. See Origins, Genotypal.
Clash of Wills, 94, 110, 112, 115, 117, 122, 130-131, 141-142,
Breach Response Unit, 258 144, 149, 151, 171
Breach Suppression Technologies, 258 Clues, 98, 131, 134, 210-211, 234
Breaking Point, 110, 135-136, 138, 140, 151, 187, 196, 208, Coactive Variations, 113, 141-144, 175. See also Variations.
320-323
Blessing (Subtle), 141, 175
Broken. See Deviants.
Fate’s Agent (Subtle), 142, 175
Burgess Pharmaceuticals, 275-281
Otherworldly Connection (Subtle), 143, 175, 258
Precognition (Subtle), 144, 175, 222, 258, 266
C Psycho-Onomastics (Subtle), 145, 175
Casino, 262, 265 Cohort, 16, 53, 56-60, 68-69, 73-74, 79-82, 85, 94-95,
Catharsis, 10, 81, 92-93, 237 97-98, 100-101, 110, 129, 156, 158, 161, 165-168, 170,
Cephalist Variations, 108, 113, 134-137, 175, 259. See also 172, 191, 200, 220-221, 223-236, 246-247, 264, 300-301,
Variations. 303, 306-307, 320
Astral Travel (Subtle), 134, 175, 323 Combat, 100, 104-105, 115, 123, 139, 141, 145-146, 161,
Body Snatcher (Subtle), 135, 175 196, 199-200, 203, 294-295, 314-319, 323. See also
Damage, Defense, and Initiative.
Creeping Dread (Subtle), 125, 136, 175, 323
Attack. See Attack Actions.
Memory Thief (Subtle), 125, 136, 280-281
Cover, 105, 109-110, 126, 133-134, 198-200
Telepathy (Subtle), 137, 172, 175, 322-323
Covering Fire, 105, 199
Ceylan, Beyza, 260
Declaring Intent, 195
Character Creation, 73-80
Dodge. See Dodge.
Concept, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 74, 173
Down and Dirty Combat, 196, 200
Quick Reference, 79
Goon Combat, 200
Character Death, 291
Ranged, 318-319
Chen, Elizabeth (Liz, LC), 280-281
Special Maneuvers, 197
Chimeric Variations, 113, 138-141, 175. See also Variations.
Specific Targets, 106
Animal Transformation (Overt), 138, 175
Surprise, 141, 195, 197
Mimicry (Subtle), 139, 172, 175
Common Actions, 182, 191-192. See also Actions.
Monstrous Transformation (Overt), 139, 175
Argument, 191
Pheromones (Subtle), 140, 175
Carousing, 186, 191
Predator’s Cunning (Subtle), 141, 175
Fast-Talk, 39, 43, 101, 186, 192, 222
Chronicle Threat Level, 73-74, 77, 79, 108, 111, 224, 238
Hacking, 183, 192
Dysplasia, 74, 224
Interrogation, 186, 192
Hyperplasia, 74, 224
326 INDEX
Intimidation, 97, 100, 104, 162, 186, 192, 313, 321-322 Hierarchical Pyramids, 227
Investigating a Scene, 192 High Society Conspiracy, 218
Jumping, 184, 192 Inheritor Conspiracy, 234, 255
Research, 117, 182-183, 193, 212-213, 323 Master Conspiracy, 232, 235
Shadowing a Mark, 193 Moderation Team, 217, 222
Sneaking, 193 Overseers, 227
Community Assistance Logistics, 264-265 Purge, 53, 223, 233-234
Conditions, 87-88, 94-97, 109, 121-122, 131, 135-138, 142, Rival Conspiracy, 220, 223, 232, 235
151-154, 156, 158-159, 161-164, 166-168, 187-189, 191, Sabotage, 232-233, 266, 312
193-195, 200, 203, 209-210, 212-213, 258, 266-267, 301- Subversion, 232-233
302, 317, 320-324
Threat Response, 223-224, 226, 228
Addicted (Persistent), 158, 320
Traits. See Conspiracy Traits.
Amnesia (Persistent), 115, 137, 143, 151, 159, 320
War, 232-233
Bestial, 159, 161, 320
Conspiracy Attributes, 223, 226, 233-234. See also
Blind (Persistent), 151, 153, 168, 195, 321 Conspiracies.
Broken (Persistent), 14-15, 162, 321 Finesse, 223, 226, 234
Crippled, 122, 151, 153 Resistance, 223, 226, 233-234
Deaf (Persistent), 153, 168, 321 Power, 223, 226, 234
Deprived, 152, 158, 301, 320-321 Conspiracy Traits, 221-223. See also Conspiracies.
Disabled (Persistent), 163, 166, 321 Action Limit, 227, 232-234
Distracted, 152, 164, 321 Anchors, 223-225
End Stage, 87, 321 Base Nodes, 220-221
Fatigued, 121, 162-164, 322 Conspiracy Actions, 100, 190, 220-223, 227-234, 258
Fragile, 213, 266, 322 Downtime Actions, 221, 223, 227, 230-232, 234
Frightened, 136, 152, 167, 322 Exploitative Nodes, 221, 223, 225-226, 231, 233-234,
Fugue (Persistent), 187, 322 258
Guilty, 138, 159 Hierarchical Nodes, 221, 225-227, 231-234, 259, 265
Hunted (Persistent), 162, 322 Icons, 220-222, 226, 230, 232-234, 264. See also Icon
Improvised Conditions, 194 Abilities.
Informed, 131, 135, 138, 188, 193, 258, 267, 322-323 Linchpins, 221, 223, 225-226, 228-234, 243, 273, 280-
Inspired, 188, 194, 323 281, 303
Intoxicated, 152, 158, 323 Nodes, 15, 220-235, 258-260, 264-265, 273-274,
Leveraged, 213, 301-302, 323 280-281
Lingering Conditions, 154, 158, 194 Principles, 221, 223-227, 230-232, 234, 302
Madness (Persistent), 187, 323 Projects, 221-222, 228, 230-234, 258-259, 265, 281
Notoriety, 162, 164, 323 Standing, 74, 79, 220-221, 223-227, 231-232, 234-235,
238, 264
Persistent Conditions, 121, 151, 153, 194, 203, 301,
320-323 Structural Nodes, 221, 223, 225-227, 231-233, 258-259
Shaken, 96, 136, 138, 159, 187, 323 Temporal Nodes, 221, 223, 225, 226, 231, 233
Spooked, 97, 138, 167, 187, 323 Controlled Scars, 35, 107, 111, 152-155, 171-173, 176. See
also Scars.
Steadfast, 188, 324
Concentration, 35, 115-116, 119, 149, 152, 176
Stoic, 163, 324
Cooldown, 41, 114, 121, 149, 153, 172, 176
Volatile, 213, 324
Depletion, 41, 113, 139, 150, 153, 176
Conspiracies, 11, 52-53, 57, 61, 80, 217-234, 251-281,
302-306 Deterioration, 117, 129, 135, 148, 153-154, 176, 321
Alliances, 69, 220, 224, 227 Fluctuating Variation, 114, 134, 136, 154, 172, 176
Association, 103, 222, 230-234, 259, 273 Perilous Variation, 35, 39, 121, 133, 139, 144, 148, 150,
152, 154, 176
Attributes. See Conspiracy Attributes.
Persistent Drawback, 114-115, 120, 129, 134-135, 147,
Corporate Conspiracy, 217-218, 220, 224 154, 176
Corporate Ladder, 227 Power Failure, 39, 41, 127, 130-131, 134-135, 137-139,
Criminal Conspiracy, 219 141, 145, 147, 154-155, 172, 176, 239
Crisis Point, 220, 223, 228, 230-232 Preparation, 119, 131, 146-147, 155, 176
Cult Conspiracy, 218 Tabula Rasa, 139, 147, 155-156, 176
Dependencies, 220-221 Tribulation, 35, 107, 135, 146, 152, 156, 172, 176
Government Conspiracy, 68, 217-218, 220-221 Unstable Variation, 39, 126, 143-144, 156, 176
INDEX 327
Conviction. See Touchstones, Conviction. Common, 155, 157, 161-163, 167, 170
Cultural Outreach Social Media, 264-265 Complex, 170
Cyborgs. See also Clades, Invasives. Conjuration, 134
Continual, 154, 171
D Control, 121
Da Costa, Carla, 265 Corrosive, 125
Damage, 79, 99, 103, 105-108, 112-117, 119, 121, 123-128, Cross-Purposes, 159
130-135, 138, 140, 142, 147-155, 160-166, 168-170, 176, Debilitating, 125
189, 196-207, 212-213, 222, 227, 230-234, 240, 246, 258- Defensive, 114, 126-127, 134
259, 266, 273, 308-310, 314-320 Devastating, 125
Aggravated, 103, 105, 112, 116, 119, 121, 126, 149-152, Disfiguring Scar (Standard), 113, 116, 137, 170, 173
154, 161, 164, 168-169, 200-202, 204, 207, 231, 233-234, Draining, 156, 161
259
Explosive, 124-126
Armor Piercing, 116, 123-125, 131, 133, 199, 240, 308,
310 Extra Capacity, 146
Bashing, 79, 103, 105-107, 112-113, 116, 119, 121, 123, Flexibility, 152
126, 131, 133, 138, 147-151, 154, 161-162, 164, 168, 196- Forgetful Persona, 159
197, 199-207, 212, 231-233, 259, 314-320 Full Auto, 124, 126
Coverage, 123, 202, 311 General, 118
Killing Blow, 197 Gunshot, 124, 126
Lethal, 79, 103, 105-106, 112-114, 116, 119, 121, 123, Hazardous Recharge, 153
126-128, 132-135, 138, 140, 147-155, 161, 163-165, 168- Horrendous, 124-126
169, 196, 199-202, 204-207, 212, 227, 230-234, 259, Identifier (Standard), 121, 131, 141, 147, 171, 173
308-309, 314-319
Immobilizing, 125-126
Rating, 105-106, 123-125, 149-150, 204
Incinerating, 125-126
Types. See Sources of Harm.
Indelible Mark (Standard), 115-116, 128, 158-159, 171, 173
Wound Penalties, 87, 107, 109, 121, 149, 163-164, 170,
200-201, 316, 318-320 Inferior Persona, 159
Dare, Virginia, 273 Invoked, 159
Darwin Airport, 265-266 Line-of-Sight, 126
Darwin University, 268 Multicompetence, 122
Dee, John, 269 Natural Talent, 122
Defense, 79-80, 99, 104-107, 109, 113, 117, 123, 126-128, Nightmares (Standard), 121, 150, 159, 171, 173
131-132, 141, 153, 155, 166, 189, 191, 195-200, 204, 308, Ongoing, 154
311, 314-320 Painful, 170
Deviants, 11-14, 16-17, 21-22, 47-53, 58-62, 69, 77, 82-86, Paralyzing, 161
93, 108, 219, 224. See also Clades and Origins. Partner, 159
Deviant Anchors. See Touchstones. Penetrating, 124-126
Deviations, 107-108, 110-111, 114, 118-119, 121-128, 130, Perfect Recall, 159
134, 136, 138, 140-143, 146-159, 161-163, 165, 167-168,
170-173, 239. See also Scars and Variations. Pressurized, 149
Acclimated, 167 Prism, 128-129
Adamant Jaws, 150 Proximal, 149
After-Effect, 152 Rapid, 148, 156
Agonizing, 170 Rare, 155, 157, 161, 163, 167, 170
Area, 122 Rebellious Variation (Standard), 171, 173
Association, 165 Recharge, 155
Aware Persona, 159 Recollection, 119
Aura, 110, 114, 121, 128, 133-134, 136, 140-142, 156, 171 Relentless Variation (Standard), 115, 120, 131, 171, 173
Battery, 147 Retaliatory, 149
Bestial, 159 Scrambling, 124-126
Blackouts, 159 Self-Cannibalism, 152
Blinding, 124-125 Self-Doubt, 152
Burst, 124 Shapeshifter, 138
Cannibalize, 150 Short Circuit (Standard), 134, 138-139, 158, 171, 173
Catalyst, 155 Single-Minded, 152
Circle Strike, 125 Stunning, 124-126
328 INDEX
Superior Persona, 159 Doors. See Social Maneuvering.
Superposition, 128-129 Dungalaba Youth Drop-In Center, 267
Suppressible Variation (Standard), 115, 172, 173 Durability. See Objects.
Target Restriction (Standard), 137, 172, 173 Dwyer, James, 273
Terminal, 124, 126 Dynamic Solutions, 217, 226, 239
Toxic, 124-126 Dynamic Problem-Solving Department, 222, 226
Uncontrollable, 152, 157 Talent Acquisition Team, 239
Universal, 130, 143, 170-171
Unpredictable, 157 E
Unruly Variation (Standard), 172-173 EEG Building, 266
Varied Inventory, 146 Eiraf, 256-257, 259-260
Versatile, 124-125, 148 Eiraf Archive, 259
Wild Variation (Standard), 114, 148, 173 Eiraf Research Program, 259
Devon Warehouses Ltd., 264-265 Eiraf Surveillance Network, 259
Devoted, 12-13, 16-17, 22, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33-35, 37, 43, Eiraf Devoted, 259
52-53, 60, 63-65, 77, 84-85, 87, 89, 92-93, 221-222,
228-230, 235-241, 246, 255-261, 266, 271, 273-274. See Elect. See Origins, Autourgics.
also Deviants. Elective. See Origins, Autourgics.
Assassin, 236, 239-240 Ellicott, Hiram, 260, 274
Rival, 236, 239 Ellicott Caves, 260, 274-281
Stalker, 236, 240-241 Ellicott Study Center (ESC, Esk), 274, 280
Warden, 236, 241 Containment Facilities, 280-281
Dice, 14, 83-84, 92, 94-97, 99-100, 103-111, 119, 123, 132, ESC Nerve Center, 280
141, 144, 165, 167, 182, 187-190, 193-198, 203-204, 206- Home Office, 264-265, 280-281
207, 209, 211-213, 228, 238, 240, 246, 266, 290, 302, 305, Information Office, 280
308, 311, 315-317, 319-324
New Market Sales, 280-281
8-Again, 97, 119, 146, 189, 222
Operations Center, 280-281
9-Again, 98, 188-189, 308-309
Emergency Operations Task Force, 259
10-Again, 144, 162, 170, 188, 212
Energy Exploration Group, 266
Bonus Dice, 84, 188, 197, 207, 213
Enhanced Soldier Program, 68
Chance Die, 115, 126, 144, 162, 167, 188-189, 197, 213,
314-315, 317-318, 321, 324 Weaponized Human Organism, 68
Dice Penalty, 87, 106-107, 182, 189, 191, 197-199, 204, Environmental Tilts, 114, 118-119, 130, 133, 166-167, 174, 195,
207, 209-212, 316-317, 319-323 200, 205-206, 314-319. See also Tilts.
Dramatic Failure, 87-89, 94-95, 134, 142, 153, 165, 167, Blazing Light, 114, 314, 319
187-189, 202-203, 207, 210, 213, 266, 315-316, 321-324 Blizzard, 130, 315, 319
Exceptional Success, 88-89, 95, 97-99, 106, 114, 122- Corrosive, 315, 319
123, 126, 132, 138, 140, 165, 171, 187-188, 191, 198, 202, Crosswinds, 315, 319
258-259, 310, 315-316, 320, 322-324 Currents, 315, 319
Extra Successes, 125, 189, 204 Downpour, 316, 319
Pool, 83, 92, 94, 96-97, 103, 105, 107-108, 123, 141, 167, Earthquake, 316, 319
182, 188-190, 193, 195-198, 204, 207, 209, 211, 213, 228, Electrified, 316, 319
238, 240, 246, 302, 305, 308, 311, 316-317, 321, 323.
Flooded, 316, 319
Successive Attempts, 189
Inferno, 128, 130, 204, 206, 310, 316, 319
Voluntary Dramatic Failure, 188
Jagged, 317, 319
Diehl, Pearl, 281
Noxious Fumes, 317, 319
Divergence, 10-17, 21-42, 47-54, 58, 60-61, 67-69, 73-
74, 76-77, 79-82, 85, 89-95, 97, 101, 107-108, 114, 121, Poor Lighting, 128, 205, 310, 318, 319
127, 129, 132, 137-139, 144, 146, 150, 159-160, 163, 167, Slick, 130-131, 167, 319
169, 183, 218-219, 224-225, 234, 245-247, 251, 253-260, Swarms, 138, 319, 320
263-264, 266, 268, 270-275, 281, 321. See also Clades Thin Air, 319, 320
and Origins. Viscous, 319, 320
Divinatrix, 263, 266 Equipment, 207, 212-213, 308-313. See also Objects.
Dodge, 105, 117, 141, 196-197, 314. See also Combat. Bonus, 130, 146, 148, 163, 212-213, 314, 324
Drop Prone/Stand Up, 105, 132, 197-199 Services, 100, 102, 297, 300, 312
Take Cover, 105, 198-199 Experiences, 77, 88-89, 94-96, 109, 111, 150, 187, 238, 304
Donee. See Origins, Exomorphs. Explosives Response Team, 259
INDEX 329
Extended Actions, 98, 117, 144, 155, 182-186, 189-190, 213, 233-234
321. See also Actions. Healing Pools, 264-265
Multiple Rolls, 189-190, 208 Health, 79-80, 87, 118-120, 126, 138, 148-149, 164, 170,
Required Successes, 191, 211, 213 177, 201, 233, 314, 320. See also Damage.
Roll Limit, 190 Bleeding Out, 201-202
Time Interval, 190-191, 202 Dead, 201, 290-292
Health Box, 119-120, 126, 164, 170, 177, 201, 233, 314,
F 320
Unconscious, 104, 197, 201, 203, 246
Fafnir Collective, 260
Heist Planning, 302
Faltering, 17, 81-84, 88-89, 101, 159, 170. See also Deviants.
Howe, Tristan “Echo”, 239-240
Father Lance, 273
Human Conspirators, 242-245, 252. See also Conspiracies.
Ferals, 17, 60-63, 83, 90, 93, 221, 246-247, 261. See also
Deviants. Hybrids. See also Clades, Chimerics.
Fighting Merits, 104-106, 145. See also Merits.
Choke Hold, 104 I
Defensive Combat, 104 Icon Abilities, 222
Fighting Finesse, 104 Harmonious Community Interaction Algorithm, 222
Firefight, 104-105, 185 Mnemonic Therapy Chamber, 222
Grappling, 105, 198 Pillars of the Community, 222
Heavy Weapons, 105 Stone Guardians, 222
Improvised Weaponry, 105-106 Unquestioning Populace, 222
Iron Skin, 106 Identify Overt Variation or Scar, 238
Marksmanship, 106 Identify Subtle Variation or Scar, 238-239
Shiv, 106 IMINT/SIGINT Analysts, 258
Streetfighting, 106-107 Infused. See also Clades, Coactives.
Fink, Maxine, 280-281 Initiative, 79-80, 97, 99, 103, 105-106, 109, 117, 123, 162,
Forms, 77, 79, 89-91 194-195, 198-200, 211, 266, 308-310
Amalgam, 77, 89-90, 122, 137, 158 Surprise, 141, 195, 197
Devoted (Fifth Form), 92-93, 238 Instability, 13, 17, 33, 58-60, 62, 76, 79, 83-84, 86-90,
Self-Made, 77, 89-90, 93 92-94, 100-101, 108-111, 113-114, 121, 126-130, 134-135,
137-139, 144, 146-148, 150-152, 156, 158, 163-165, 176,
Symbiote, 77, 89-91, 134, 138, 145, 151 246, 254-257, 320-324. See also Deviants.
Transmissible, 77, 89, 91-92, 121 Major, 86-89, 94, 101, 111, 150, 158, 320-323
Fraternity of Saturn, 217, 226 Medium, 33, 76, 79, 83, 86-89, 101, 114, 121, 126-127,
Fury, 93, 237. See also Nemesis. 129-130, 134-135, 144, 146-147, 152
Minor, 79, 83, 86-89, 92, 109-110, 113, 127-128, 134-
G 135, 137-138, 151, 156, 163, 165, 324
Invasive Variations, 113, 145-147, 175, 266. See also
Gaia’s Boon, 267 Variations.
Galatia Transport International, 258 Computer-Aided Processing (Subtle), 145-146, 175
Gecekondu, 251-253 Hidden Compartments (Subtle), 146, 175
General Directorate of Security, 259 Integrate Technology (Overt), 146-147, 175
Germlines. See Origins, Genotypal. Omnicompetence (Subtle), 147, 175
GetWell™, 51. See also WellBeing International. Sensor Array (Subtle), 147-148, 175
Gottfred, Lisa, 268, 272-274 Involuntary Scars, 39, 111, 152, 156-157, 173, 176. See also Scars.
Gottfred Consulting, 274 Involuntary Stimulus, 39, 41, 115-116, 128, 134, 138-139,
Grotesques. See also Clades, Mutants. 149, 156-157, 159, 176, 238
Guardians, 16-17, 60, 92-93, 237. See also Renegade. Power Build-Up, 39, 41, 114-115, 117, 129, 134, 139, 147,
Gudamiya, 262-264, 266-268 149, 152, 157-158, 176
Communal Council, 267 Irvine, Sebastian, 265
H J
Hager, Madeline “The Wall”, 239 Jackson, Charlene, 279
Harlow and Rendell, 264-265 Jones, 18-19, 44-45, 214-215, 283
Healing, 86, 88, 93, 111, 121, 151, 201-202, 204, 206,
330 INDEX
K Lingering, 153
Kelebek, 252, 254, 256, 258 Monstrous, 162
Kincade, Chloe, 247 Multiple, 168
Painful, 154
Permanence, 156
L Phantasmagoria, 164
Legal Retainer Team, 258 Ponderous, 153
Lemure Study Group, 217, 222 Rapid, 156
Liberated Remade, 259-260 Reactive, 157
Location Isolator, 258 Severe, 154, 158
Locations, 251-269, 272-281 Slow-Charging, 153
Anatolia, 254, 256 Sluggish, 162
Ankara, Turkey, 251-260, 268, 281 Staged, 155
Connellsville, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., 260, 274-281 Stubborn, 164
Darwin, Australia, 260-268 Submissive, 162
Hamamönü, Ankara, 254, 256 Tenuous, 152
Levant, 254 Terrible, 162
Newark, Delaware, U.S.A., 268-269, 272-274 Time-Consuming, 165
Ulus District, Ankara, 254 Uncontrollable, 157
Loyalty. See Touchstones, Loyalty. Unfocused, 152
Volatile, 165
M Volcanic, 157
Magnitude, 17, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 73-74, 76-77, 79, 86-89, Magnitude Variation Effects, 113-117, 119, 123-124, 127-138,
96, 100, 102, 107-177, 222, 226, 235, 238-239, 258-259, 140-149. See also Magnitude and Variations.
265, 321. See also Scars and Variations. Ageless, 148
Magnitude Scar Effects, 152-159, 162-169. See also Alacrity, 117
Magnitude and Scars. Albatross, 142
Ageusia, 168 Alert, 141
Anosmia, 168 Animal, 130
Balanced, 155 Attune, 137
Blackout, 153, 159 Balance, 127, 137
Blind, 168 Balanced, 142, 147
Brief, 153 Bifurcation, 144
Combined, 168 Biokinesis, 145
Compound, 168 Biting Swarm, 138
Compounded, 157-158 Blasting, 123-124
Cursed, 165 Blind, 134
Deaf, 168 Bloodless, 148
Dependent, 165 Body, 127
Disorienting, 158 Body Swap, 135
Elaborate, 155 Bounding, 114
Eyesight, 168 Breathless, 148
Fatigued, 162 Bulletproof, 116
Feet, 166 Caustic, 123
Frequent, 165 Channel, 123
Glacial, 168 Charmed, 142
Grueling, 155 Combat Programming, 145
Hands, 166 Communication, 140
Hearing, 168 Composure, 132
Ill, 162 Conductivity, 117
Impaired, 168 Conjured, 123
Incurable, 169 Contact, 149
Insistent, 157 Counter, 142
Invalid, 169 Crush/Dismember, 133
Lengthy, 155
INDEX 331
Data Warehouse, 146 Mindless, 149
Deadly, 123 Mobile, 115
Deafening, 123 Multi-Sensory, 115
Deflect, 133 Near Miss, 142
Dense, 116 Network, 137
Destiny’s Chosen, 142 Obscuring, 123
Dexterity, 131 Output, 117
Disabling, 123 Painless, 149
Dispel, 142-143 Piercing, 123
Dream Gates, 135 Polymath, 147
Dream Walker, 135 Power, 117
Elusive, 141 Precision, 129
Envenomed, 123 Presence, 131-132
Extinguish, 128 Project, 137
Far-Reaching, 134 Prophecy, 144
Fickle Memory, 136 Puppet Possession, 135
Flak, 116 Pyrotechnics, 127
Fleetness, 117 Quick, 123
Force Field, 133 Reach, 123-124
Forceful, 123, 137 Recontact, 137
Forgotten Goal, 136 Research, 117
Forgotten Milestone, 136 Resolve, 131
Formative Memory, 137 Sickening, 123
Generalist, 115 Sixth Sense, 130
Grace, 119 Soporific, 123
Guerilla, 117 Speed, 113
Habitat, 113 Spider, 115
Heartless, 148 Stamina, 131
Hivemind, 137 Status, 140
Huge, 138 Steel, 116, 127
Human Clay, 146 Stolen Triumph, 136
Hungerless, 148 Stone, 127
Ignite, 128 Strength, 131
Immolating, 123 Supernatural Aid, 142
Influence, 127 Swarm, 138
Input, 117 Technology, 130
Insidious, 123 Throw, 132
Intelligence, 131 Tireless, 149
Invisible, 115 Torso, 127
Invoke Name, 145 Touch, 123
Jack of All, 147 True Name, 145
Journeyman, 147 Uncanny, 141
Kevlar, 116 Unlucky, 141-142
Large, 138 Velocity, 119
Leaper, 115 Versatile, 124
Leathery, 116 Versatility, 133
Lethal Swarm, 138 Vigilant, 141
Lifeless, 149 Wall Crawling, 115
Living History, 129 Wavelengths, 115
Lucky, 141 Wits, 131
Manipulation, 132 Manticores, 17, 60-61, 65-67, 101-102, 104, 140, 185, 231,
Mastery, 147 233, 245-247, 261, 275-277, 313
Medium, 138 Enhanced Hunting Hound, 246
Mind Hack, 146 Guards, 65
332 INDEX
Hunters, 65-66 Bleeding Heart (Mental), 35, 43, 96
Pets, 65-66 Blood on My Hands (Mental), 43, 96
Spies, 65-67 Choke Hold (Fighting), 104
Symbionts, 65, 67 Contacts (Social), 39, 41, 43, 98, 100-101, 132, 167, 212
Wild Things, 65, 67, 276 Crack Driver (Physical), 41, 99
Mark. See Origins, Epimorphs. Defensive Combat (Fighting), 104
Mental Attributes, 37, 111, 135, 146, 181-182. See also Demolisher (Physical), 39, 41, 99
Attributes. Direction Sense (Mental), 37, 39, 96
Intelligence, 74, 96, 98-99, 108, 128, 131, 147-148, 169, Eidetic Memory (Mental), 96
181, 182-183, 186, 191-193, 202, 209, 213 Fast-Talking (Social), 39, 43, 101, 186, 222
Resolve, 74, 79-80, 96-99, 101, 106-108, 115-116, 124- Fighting Finesse (Fighting), 104
125, 128, 131, 134, 136, 138-139, 157, 162, 182, 187, 189,
191-192, 202-203, 206, 208-209, 315-318, 321-323 Firefight (Fighting), 104-105, 185
Wits, 74, 79-80, 97-99, 105-108, 115-116, 119, 126, Flashback (Mental), 96, 323
128-131, 134-136, 138-139, 141, 143, 146-147, 149, 152, Fleet of Foot (Physical), 37, 39, 43, 99
157, 162, 165, 182, 183, 185-186, 193, 195, 209, 213, 238, Freediving (Physical), 99
316, 319, 323 Good Samaritan (Mental), 35, 97
Mental Merits, 35, 37, 41, 43, 96-99, 146. See also Merits. Grappling (Fighting), 105, 198
Area of Expertise, 39, 96, 121 Hardy (Physical), 37, 41, 99
Bleeding Heart, 35, 43, 96 Heavy Weapons (Fighting), 105
Blood on My Hands, 43, 96 Human Prey (Mental), 37, 97
Direction Sense, 37, 39, 96 Hypervigilance (Mental), 35, 37, 43, 97, 323
Eidetic Memory, 96 Improvised Weaponry (Fighting), 105-106
Flashback, 96, 323 Indomitable (Mental), 35, 97
Good Samaritan, 35, 97 Interdisciplinary Specialty (Mental), 98
Human Prey, 37, 97 Investigative Aide (Mental), 41, 98
Hypervigilance, 35, 37, 43, 97, 323 Investigative Prodigy (Mental), 35, 98
Indomitable, 35, 97 Iron Skin (Fighting), 106
Interdisciplinary Specialty, 98 Iron Stamina (Physical), 37, 41, 43, 99
Investigative Aide, 41, 98 Language (Mental), 41, 98
Investigative Prodigy, 35, 98 Lifeline (Social), 41, 101
Language, 41, 98 Living Progenitor (Social), 84, 90, 101
Multilingual, 35, 98 Manticore Companion (Social, Overt), 67, 101-102
Patient, 35, 41, 98 Marksmanship (Fighting), 106
Professional Training, 41, 98, 146 Mental. See Mental Merits.
Shared Suffering, 35, 98 Mentor (Social), 102-103
Tolerance for Biology, 37, 98 Multilingual (Mental), 35, 98
Mental Skills, 75, 161, 182-183, 207, 210. See also Skills. Mystery Cult Initiation (Social), 103
Academics, 98, 182, 193, 213, 258, 312 Parkour (Physical), 99
Computer, 183, 192, 209, 312 Patient (Mental), 35, 41, 98
Crafts, 104, 162, 165, 169, 183, 213, 312, 320, 323 Physical. See Physical Merits.
Investigation, 98, 106, 183, 192, 210-211, 259, 312 Prized Experiment (Social, Overt), 103
Medicine, 98, 165, 169, 183, 201-202, 238, 312 Professional Training (Mental), 41, 98, 146
Occult, 132, 147-148, 183, 193, 213, 238, 258, 312 Quick Draw (Physical), 41, 99, 105
Politics, 183, 222, 281, 312 Resources (Social, Overt), 102-103, 132, 145, 199, 207,
Science, 76, 147-148, 183-184, 258, 312 212, 265, 308-311
Mentorship, 58 Retainer (Social, Overt), 41, 103, 121, 128, 132
Merits, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 78-80, 84, 88, 90, 95-106, 108, Safe Place (Social), 35, 37, 103-104
119, 131-132, 138, 140, 145-147, 150, 167, 175, 188-189, 199- Seizing the Edge (Physical), 37, 99, 211
200, 207, 212, 222, 227-228, 231, 305, 308-311, 314, 323
Shared Suffering (Mental), 35, 98
Air of Menace (Social), 39, 100
Shiv (Fighting), 106
Allies (Social, Overt), 39, 41, 96, 100, 102, 132, 167
Sleight of Hand (Physical), 99-100, 185
Anonymity (Social), 35, 100
Social. See Social Merits.
Area of Expertise (Mental), 39, 96, 121
Stabilizer (Physical), 39, 100
Armed and Extremely Dangerous (Social, Overt), 39, 100,
200 Status (Social, Overt), 39, 103, 104, 140, 143, 145, 183,
222, 274
INDEX 333
Streetfighting (Fighting), 106-107 P
Striking Looks (Social, Overt), 37, 104 Pantheon of Gaia, 262-264, 267-268
Tolerance for Biology (Mental), 37, 98 Mother Temple, 264, 267
Voice of the Wild (Social), 37, 104 Perez, Anita, 248-249
Midas Club, 253-254, 259-260 Perez, Ernesto. See Spider.
Ministry of Finance, 259 Perez, Jose, 280-281
MIT Surveillance Operations, 259 Perry, William, 265
Modifier, 101, 106, 128, 138, 168, 182, 187-188, 190, Persistent Scars, 35, 37, 39, 111, 152, 154, 158-169, 171, 173,
194-199, 202, 206, 211-212, 228, 233, 238, 308, 316-319, 176-177. See also Scars.
323. See also Dice.
Addictive Variation, 35, 135, 138, 158, 177, 320, 323
Armor Modifier, 138
Alternate Persona, 37, 39, 90, 115, 120, 122, 129, 138,
Damage Modifier, 128, 199, 202, 206, 317 147, 154, 158-159, 177, 320
Environmental Modifier, 182 Amnesia, 35, 115, 129, 137, 143, 151, 159, 177, 320,
Equipment Modifier, 182 322-323
Initiative Modifier, 195, 211 Bane, 43, 82, 108, 114, 139, 143, 145, 149, 160-161,
Situational Modifier, 168, 187 177, 238, 245
Weapon Modifier, 106, 196, 198-199, 212, 308, 317 Bestial Mind, 37, 161, 177, 320
Movement, 51, 105, 115, 119, 128, 166, 174, 315, 317-319. Conspicuous Appearance, 37, 43, 78, 108, 118, 122,
See also Speed. 130, 136, 141, 147, 154, 161-162, 177, 322-323
Mutant Variations, 113, 148-151, 175. See also Variations. Dependency, 118, 122, 135, 145, 149, 154, 162, 177,
Anomalous Biology (Subtle), 148-149, 151, 175 321-322
Deadly Ichor (Overt), 149, 175 Fragility, 43, 126-127, 144, 151, 163, 177, 321
Inhuman Digestion (Overt), 125, 149-150, 175 Frozen Heart, 118, 122, 132, 142, 163, 177, 324
Rapid Healing (Subtle), 112-113, 150-151, 175 Genetic Disorder, 118, 127, 129, 150, 163, 177, 322
Sacred Flesh (Subtle), 139, 151-152, 175 Glitch, 43, 119, 134, 144, 163-164, 177
Hallucinations, 122, 129, 138, 148, 164, 321
N Hemophilia, 35, 43, 122, 135, 146, 150, 164, 177, 322
Lying Eyes, 136, 139, 141-142, 164-165, 177, 323
Nar Alhaqiqa, 255, 258
Maintenance, 41, 115, 119, 126, 165, 177
Nemesis, 17, 93, 237. See also Devoted.
Misfortune, 39, 119, 122, 142, 144, 154, 165, 177
New Future Vanguard, 260
Missing Limb, 114-115, 119, 166, 177, 321
NewYou™, 51. See also WellBeing International.
Murderous Urge, 35, 37, 43, 128, 134, 151, 166, 177
Niamh, 9, 178-179, 214-215, 248-249, 282-283
Native Environment, 37, 113, 117, 128, 166-167, 177, 238
Noah Reactor, 259
Paranoia, 141, 146, 167, 177, 323
Phobia, 37, 108, 120-121, 132, 141, 167, 177, 238, 322
O Sensory Deprivation, 115, 130, 144, 168, 177, 321
Objects, 99, 105, 117, 120-121, 126-129, 131, 133-134, 146- Silence, 113, 122, 137, 168, 177
147, 149-150, 155, 174-175, 182, 198, 202, 204, 206-207, Sluggish Metabolism, 114, 118, 154, 168-169, 177
210, 212-213, 221, 254-255, 316
Subliminal Conditioning, 41, 128, 131, 146, 169-170, 177
Destruction, 207
Suppression, 116, 121, 132, 170, 177
Durability Rating, 99, 106, 121, 126-127, 131, 133, 149-
150, 198-199, 202, 204, 207, 316, 320 Thin Skin, 35, 37, 43, 118, 146, 170, 177
Repair, 119, 122, 165, 169, 183, 207, 213, 312 Personal Tilts, 113, 122, 195, 200, 314, 318. See also Tilts.
Size, 106, 117, 120-121, 123, 125, 127-129, 131-132, Arm Wrack, 153, 166, 197, 200, 314, 318
134, 138, 146-147, 198-199, 206-207, 308-310 Beaten Down, 97, 100, 136, 161-162, 196, 200, 314-
Structure, 106, 121, 133, 147, 202, 207 315, 318
Old Frontiers, 264-265 Blinded, 113-114, 123-124, 128, 130, 153, 168, 195, 197,
314-315, 318-319, 321
Onachus, 251-258, 260, 268
Deafened, 123, 128, 148, 153, 168, 197, 204, 310, 314-
Onachus Devoted, 255-256, 258 315, 318, 321
Origins, 17, 21-23, 60, 76-77, 79, 218. See also Clades and Drugged, 123-124, 158, 203, 246, 316-318
Deviants.
Immobilized, 126, 163, 168, 197-198, 200, 316, 318-320
Autourgics, 12, 16, 22, 24-25, 64, 76-77, 79, 84, 246
Insane, 97, 137, 152, 161, 164, 317-318
Epimorphs, 12, 17, 22, 26-27, 76-77, 79
Insensate, 97, 126, 136, 152, 161, 167, 317-318
Exomorphs, 12, 17, 22, 28-29, 76-77, 79
Knocked Down, 107, 115, 123, 204, 240, 310, 315,
Genotypal, 12, 16-17, 22, 30-31, 76, 79 317-319
Pathological, 12, 16-17, 22, 32-33, 76-77, 79 Leg Wrack, 113, 121-122, 153, 166, 197, 314, 317-318
334 INDEX
Poisoned, 121, 123, 126, 206, 246, 318 R
Sick, 121, 123-124, 126, 163, 202, 318 Range, 109-110, 114, 117, 120-121, 123-137, 140-142, 149,
Stunned, 97, 126, 152, 161, 163, 197, 204, 310, 318-319 151, 154, 172-177, 196-199, 266, 193, 308-310, 318-319
Phoenix Investments and Returns, 266 Concealment, 106, 109-110, 115, 127, 130, 134, 141,
Phoenix Power Explorations, 263, 266 145-146, 162, 185, 198, 233, 308, 310-311
Physical Attributes, 37, 41, 111, 135, 138, 146, 182. See also Penalties, 114
Attributes. Rassiter Foundation, 255, 258, 260
Dexterity, 74, 79-80, 99, 104, 106-108, 113-115, 117, Rassiter Analysis Protocols, 258
119-121, 123, 129, 131-135, 139, 144, 146, 148-150, 152, Rassiter Holdings, 258
165-166, 182, 184-185, 187, 193, 195-196, 198-199, 202,
205, 310, 314-319, 323 Remade. See Deviants.
Stamina, 41, 74, 79-80, 98-99, 104-108, 116-117, 119- Remote Treatment Center, 259
120, 126-129, 131, 134, 139, 147, 149, 152, 162-163, 168, Renegades. See also Deviants.
182, 184, 188-189, 196-197, 200-204, 206, 314-322 Rescue Squads, 259-260
Strength, 74, 79-80, 97, 99, 104-105, 108, 119-120, Righteous Resilience Propaganda, 259
123, 131-132, 163, 182, 184, 187-188, 192, 196, 198-199,
204, 209, 308-311, 315-316, 319-321
Physical Merits, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 99-100, 145. See also S
Merits. Safe Haven, 57
Crack Driver, 41, 99 Safe Houses, 58, 259-260
Demolisher, 39, 41, 99 Safety Tools, 291
Fleet of Foot, 37, 39, 43, 99 Lines and Veils, 291
Freediving, 99 Script Change, 291
Hardy, 37, 41, 99 X-Card System, 291
Iron Stamina, 37, 41, 43, 99 Sample Character Templates, 243-245. See also Conspiracies.
Parkour, 99 Administrative Assistant, 243-244
Quick Draw, 41, 99, 105 Executive, 244
Seizing the Edge, 37, 99, 211 Graduate Student, 244
Sleight of Hand, 99-100, 185 Nurse Practitioner, 244
Stabilizer, 39, 100 Private Military Contractor, 244-245
Physical Skills, 184-185, 210. See also Skills. Professor of Biology, 245
Athletics, 76, 79-80, 99, 104-105, 114-115, 120, 123, Slavetaker, 245
131, 184, 192, 196, 198, 205, 211, 310, 312, 315-317, 319-320 Whistleblower, 245
Brawl, 104-106, 123, 131-132, 149, 184, 187, 196, 198, Sanctity of Merits Rule, 96, 100, 150. See also Merits.
308, 311-312 Sanders, Melissa, 277, 279-280
Drive, 99, 184-185, 193, 312, 319 Scars, 12-13, 16-17, 21-23, 31, 35-37, 39-41, 43, 49-52,
Firearms, 96, 99, 104-106, 123, 185, 187, 196, 199, 58-60, 62-65, 67, 73-74, 77, 79, 82, 84-89, 91-95, 97,
204, 304, 312 102, 107-113, 121, 123, 135, 139, 150, 152-173, 175-177,
Larceny, 99-100, 104, 185, 207, 312 227-228, 235-238, 246, 254-255, 286, 293, 296, 299, 301,
Stealth, 115, 141, 148, 185, 193, 195, 267, 312 307, 314. See also Magnitude and Variations.
Survival, 118, 157, 185, 211, 267, 312 Addictive Variation (Persistent), 35, 135, 138, 158, 177,
Weaponry, 98-99, 104-106, 123, 131, 149, 185, 196, 320, 323
311-312, 316-318, 320 Alternate Persona (Persistent), 37, 39, 90, 115, 120, 122,
Pond, Allen, 226 129, 138, 147, 154, 158-159, 177, 320
Prasanna, Dinithi, 266 Amnesia (Persistent), 35, 115, 129, 137, 143, 151, 159,
177, 320, 322-323
Precision Robotics Australia, 265-266
Bane (Persistent), 43, 82, 108, 114, 139, 143, 145, 149,
Progenitors, 11-12, 14-15, 17, 22-24, 28-29, 31-32, 34, 36, 160-161, 177, 238, 245
42, 47-53, 55, 58, 60-63, 65-66, 68-69, 76-77, 80-82,
84-85, 90, 101, 103, 120, 135, 146, 160, 162, 210, 219, Bestial Mind (Persistent), 37, 161, 177, 320
221, 233, 242-246, 251, 253-255, 257, 270-274, 302-303 Concentration (Controlled), 35, 115-116, 119, 149, 152,
Psychics. See also Clades, Cephalists. 176
Conspicuous Appearance (Persistent), 37, 43, 78, 108,
118, 122, 130, 136, 141, 147, 154, 161-162, 177, 322-323
Q Controlled. See Controlled Scars.
Quantum Mathematics Department, 267-268 Cooldown (Controlled), 41, 114, 121, 149, 153, 172, 176
Quartermasters, 259 Dependency (Persistent), 118, 122, 135, 145, 149, 154,
162, 177, 321-322
INDEX 335
Depletion (Controlled), 41, 113, 139, 150, 153, 176 Sluggish Metabolism (Persistent), 114, 118, 154, 168-169,
Deterioration (Controlled), 117, 129, 135, 148, 153-154, 177
176, 321 Subliminal Conditioning (Persistent), 41, 128, 131, 146,
Deviations. See Deviations. 169-170, 177
Entanglement, 107, 111, 239 Suppression (Persistent), 116, 121, 132, 170, 177
Fluctuating Variation (Controlled), 114, 134, 136, 154, Tabula Rasa (Controlled), 139, 147, 155-156, 176
172, 176 Thin Skin (Persistent), 35, 37, 43, 118, 146, 170, 177
Fragility (Persistent), 43, 126-127, 144, 151, 163, 177, 321 Tribulation (Controlled), 35, 107, 135, 146, 152, 156,
Frozen Heart (Persistent), 118, 122, 132, 142, 163, 177, 172, 176
324 Unentangled, 87, 111
Fused, 111 Unstable Variation (Controlled), 39, 126, 143-144, 156,
Genetic Disorder (Persistent), 118, 127, 129, 150, 163, 176
177, 322 Seeker. See Origins, Autourgics.
Glitch (Persistent), 43, 119, 134, 144, 163-164, 177 Sensory Augmentation Tank, 259
Hallucinations (Persistent), 122, 129, 138, 148, 164, 321 Sentinel Society, 256
Hemophilia (Persistent), 35, 43, 122, 135, 146, 150, 164, Sixth Number, 263-264, 267-268
177, 322 The Five, 267
Involuntary. See Involuntary Scars. Size (Character), 79-80, 118-120, 126, 128, 138, 174, 187,
Involuntary Stimulus (Involuntary), 39, 41, 115-116, 128, 197, 211, 308, 310, 319-321
134, 138-139, 149, 156-157, 159, 176, 238 Skills, 73, 75-77, 79, 90, 98, 100, 102-104, 117, 122, 128,
Lying Eyes (Persistent), 136, 139, 141-142, 164-165, 177, 130, 135, 147-148, 158, 161, 163, 168, 175, 181-188, 191,
323 200, 207, 210-211, 222-223, 236-237, 305, 323
Maintenance (Persistent), 41, 115, 119, 126, 165, 177 Asset. See Asset Skills.
Misfortune (Persistent), 39, 119, 122, 142, 144, 154, 165, Mental. See Mental Skills.
177 Physical. See Physical Skills.
Missing Limb (Persistent), 114-115, 119, 166, 177, 321 Social. See Social Skills.
Murderous Urge (Persistent), 35, 37, 43, 128, 134, 151, Specialties. See Skill Specialties.
166, 177 Skill Specialties, 76, 79, 96, 103, 181, 187. See also Skills.
Native Environment (Persistent), 37, 113, 117, 128, 166- Access Tunnels (Streetwise), 186
167, 177, 238
Accounting (Mental), 183
Nesting, 111
Acrobatics (Athletics), 184
Paranoia (Persistent), 141, 146, 167, 177, 323
Alchemy (Science), 184
Perilous Variation (Controlled), 35, 39, 121, 133, 139,
144, 148, 150, 152, 154, 176 Ambulances (Drive), 185
Persistent. See Persistent Scars. Anatomy (Medicine), 98
Persistent Drawback (Controlled), 114-115, 120, 129, 134- Anesthesiology (Medicine), 183
135, 147, 154, 176 Angels (Occult), 183
Phobia (Persistent), 37, 108, 120-121, 132, 141, 167, 177, Anthropology (Mental), 183
238, 322 Archery (Athletics), 184
Power Build-Up (Involuntary), 39, 41, 114-115, 117, 129, Art History (Mental), 183
134, 139, 147, 149, 152, 157-158, 176 Automotive (Crafts), 183
Power Failure (Controlled), 39, 41, 127, 130-131, 134-135, Autopsy (Investigation), 183
137-139, 141, 145, 147, 154-155, 172, 176, 239
Biology (Science), 76
Preparation (Controlled), 119, 131, 146-147, 155, 176
Black Market (Streetwise), 186
Quick Reference, 173-177
Body Language (Investigation), 183
Scar Finesse, 87-90, 94, 108-110, 114, 117, 119, 121, 123,
127, 132-135, 137-138, 141-142, 144, 151, 153, 155-156, Boxing (Brawl), 184
170-172, 259 Breaking and Entering (Larceny), 185
Scar Power, 108-110, 113-115, 117, 119, 121-123, 125- Bureaucracy (Politics), 183
134, 136-138, 140-141, 143-148, 150-152, 259 Calming (Animal Ken), 185
Scar Resistance, 87-90, 94, 100, 108-110, 141, 152-159, Calming (Empathy), 186
161-170, 172-173, 259, 321 Camouflage (Stealth), 185
Secondary, 111, 123, 149, 154, 159, 171-172 Canines (Animal Ken), 185
Sensory Deprivation (Persistent), 115, 130, 144, 168, 177, Chains (Weaponry), 185
321 Church (Politics), 183
Shifting, 111 Climbing (Athletics), 76, 184
Short Circuit (Standard), 134, 138-139, 158, 171, 173 Clubbing (Socialize), 186
Silence (Persistent), 113, 122, 137, 168, 177 Clubs (Weaponry), 185
336 INDEX
Conceal Deformity (Subterfuge), 186 Local Legends (Occult), 183
Concealment (Larceny), 185 Lockpicking (Larceny), 185
Confidence Scam (Persuasion), 186 Making Deals (Persuasion), 76
Corporate (Politics), 183 Manticores (Animal Ken), 185
Cosmetics (Crafts), 183 Martial Arts (Brawl), 184
Country Clubs (Socialize), 186 Metalworking (Crafts), 183
Crime Scenes (Investigation), 183 Misdirection (Subterfuge), 76, 186
Crowds (Stealth), 185 Motives (Empathy), 186
Cryptids (Occult), 183 Motorcycles (Drive), 185
Cryptography (Investigation), 183 Musical Instrument (Expression), 186
Cybernetics (Crafts), 183 Nanotechnology (Science), 184
Dance (Expression), 186 Navigation (Streetwise), 186
Data Retrieval (Computers), 183 Navigation (Survival), 185
Detecting Lies (Subterfuge), 186 Neuroscience (Science), 184
Dirty Fighting (Brawl), 184 Off-Road Driving (Drive), 185
Divergence (Occult), 183 Organized Crime (Politics), 183
Divination (Occult), 183 Parkour (Athletics), 184
Doublespeak (Subterfuge), 186 Painting (Crafts), 183
Drama (Expression), 186 Pathology (Medicine), 183
Electrokinesis (Expression), 186 Personalities (Empathy), 186
Emotion (Empathy), 186 Pharmaceuticals (Medicine), 183
Evasion (Drive), 185 Physical Therapy (Medicine), 183
Fashion (Crafts), 183 Physics (Science), 184
Fast-Talking (Persuasion), 186 Pickpocketing (Larceny), 185
Firearms Lashes (Firearms), 185 Programming (Computers), 183
First Aid (Medicine), 183 Pursuit (Athletics), 184
Foraging (Survival), 185 Pursuit (Drive), 185
Frat Parties (Socialize), 186 Religion (Mental), 183
Fundraisers (Socialize), 186 Repair (Crafts), 183
Gangs (Streetwise), 186 Reptiles (Animal Ken), 185
Genetics (Science), 184 Research (Mental), 183
Ghosts (Occult), 183 Riddles (Investigation), 183
Graffiti (Crafts), 183 Rifles (Firearms), 185
Graphics (Computers), 183 Rumors (Streetwise), 186
Grappling (Brawl), 184 Safecracking (Larceny), 185
Hacking (Computers), 183 Scandals (Politics), 183
Handguns (Firearms), 185 Sculpting (Crafts), 183
Hiding Emotion (Subterfuge), 186 Security (Computers), 183
History (Mental), 183 Security Systems (Larceny), 185
Hunting (Survival), 185 Seduction (Persuasion), 186
Improvised Weapons (Weaponry), 185 Seedy Gatherings (Socialize), 186
In Plain Sight (Stealth), 185 Sermon (Persuasion), 186
Inspiring (Persuasion), 186 Shadowing (Stealth), 185
Intelligence Analysis (Investigation), 183 Shelter (Survival), 185
Internet (Computers), 183 Shotguns (Firearms), 185
Interrogation (Intimidation), 186 Singing (Expression), 186
Journalism (Expression), 186 Sleight of Hand (Larceny), 185
Jumping (Athletics), 184 Sob Story (Persuasion), 186
Jury Rigging (Crafts), 183 Social Media (Computers), 183
Lab Work (Investigation), 183 Speeches (Expression), 186
Law (Mental), 183 Stakeout (Stealth), 185
Lies (Empathy), 186 Stare Down (Intimidation), 186
Literature (Mental), 183 Staying Motionless (Stealth), 185
Local (Politics), 183 Stunts (Drive), 185
INDEX 337
Supernatural Displays (Intimidation), 186 Empathy, 98, 101, 113, 149, 163, 185, 192, 238, 313,
Surgery (Medicine), 183 322, 324
Swimming (Athletics), 184 Expression, 104, 163, 168, 186, 191, 213, 222, 313
Swords (Weaponry), 185 Intimidation, 97, 100, 104, 162, 186, 192, 313, 321-322
Tent Cities (Socialize), 186 Persuasion, 97, 100-101, 104, 163, 168, 186, 222, 281,
Throwing (Athletics), 184 304, 313
Throws (Brawl), 184 Socialize, 168, 186, 188, 191, 209, 213, 313
Torture (Intimidation), 186 Streetwise, 106, 186, 191, 211, 213, 259, 313
Tracking (Survival), 185 Subterfuge, 101, 104, 118, 162, 168, 186, 188, 192, 195,
304, 313, 322, 324
Training (Animal Ken), 185
Society for Cultural Preservation, 262-264, 274
Translation (Mental), 183
Home Office, 264-265
Trauma (Empathy), 186
Regional Corporate Headquarters, 264-265
Trick Shots (Firearms), 185
The Society Club, 264-265
Undercover (Streetwise), 186
Sources of Harm, 122, 128, 202-206
Urban Shadows (Stealth), 76
Acid, 122-124, 130, 149-151, 202, 293, 315, 319
Veiled Threats (Intimidation), 186
Cold, 113, 118, 122, 128, 130-131, 149, 157, 204
Virology (Science), 184
Disease, 54, 91-92, 99, 122, 148, 151, 163, 168, 202-
Weaponry Lashes (Weaponry), 185 203, 318
Weather (Survival), 185 Drowning/Suffocation, 99, 203, 316, 319
Witchcraft (Occult), 183 Drugs, 122, 168, 203, 316-317
Social Attributes, 35, 37, 39, 111, 135, 182. See also Attributes. Electricity, 114, 117, 122, 130, 203-204, 316
Composure, 74, 79-80, 96-99, 101, 104, 106, 108, 115, Explosions, 122, 128, 133-134, 138, 204, 310, 316
124, 128, 131-132, 136, 138, 141, 157, 162, 165, 181-182,
187, 189, 191-193, 195, 208-209, 213, 317, 319, 321-322 Extreme Environments, 118, 130, 149, 166-167, 174,
204-205
Manipulation, 74, 100-101, 108, 114, 120, 129, 132, 137,
139, 145, 147, 182-183, 185-186, 188, 192, 195, 213 Falling, 99, 114, 119, 122, 128, 205, 316-317, 319
Presence, 74, 108, 131, 182, 185-186, 191, 209, 213 Fire, 114, 120, 122-123, 125-128, 138, 160, 166, 168,
170, 174, 204, 206, 254-256, 310, 316, 319
Social Maneuvering, 84, 95, 100, 140, 162, 191-192, 207-
210, 212-213, 323 Poison, 99, 121-122, 148-151, 153, 168, 203, 206, 255,
318
Doors, 84, 100-101, 208-210, 323
Radiation, 114, 122, 161, 206, 254-256, 275-276,
Goals, 208-209 280-281
Impression, 101, 140, 208-210 Special Assignments Recruitment Program, 259
Social Merits, 35, 37, 39, 41, 100-104, 119, 132, 167, 199, Special Security Response Council, 259
207, 231, 308-311. See also Merits.
Speed, 35, 67, 78-80, 99, 113-115, 117-119, 126-127, 132,
Air of Menace, 39, 100 138, 162, 166, 169-170, 182, 187, 190, 195, 197, 199, 211,
Allies (Overt), 39, 41, 96, 100, 102, 132, 167 311, 315-319, 321. See also Movement.
Anonymity, 35, 100 Spider, 8-9, 18-19, 44-45, 70-71, 178-179, 214-215, 248-
Armed and Extremely Dangerous (Overt), 39, 100, 200 249, 282-283
Contacts, 39, 41, 43, 98, 100-101, 132, 167, 212 Stability, 17, 79-80, 83-89, 92, 94, 257, 321. See also
Fast-Talking, 39, 43, 101, 186, 222 Deviants.
Lifeline, 41, 101 Standard Deviations. See Deviations.
Living Progenitor, 84, 90, 101 Stone, Anna “Awarrpan”, 264, 267
Manticore Companion (Overt), 67, 101-102 Story Types, 288-290. See also Themes.
Mentor, 102-103 Bleeding, 288, 290
Mystery Cult Initiation, 103 Catastrophic, 288, 290
Prized Experiment (Overt), 103 Melancholic, 288, 290
Resources (Overt), 102-103, 132, 145, 199, 207, 212, Posthuman, 260, 288, 290
265, 308-311 Strang, Eve “Hellbender”, 241-242
Retainer (Overt), 41, 103, 121, 128, 132 Structure. See Objects.
Safe Place, 35, 37, 103-104 Suborned Judges, 258
Status (Overt), 39, 103, 104, 140, 143, 145, 183, 222, Supernatural Tolerance, 94, 108-110, 123, 127, 134, 140
274 Supernatural Traits, 111, 181
Striking Looks (Overt), 37, 104 Blood Potency, 111-112
Voice of the Wild, 37, 104 Gnosis, 111
Social Skills, 100, 163, 182, 185-186, 210. See also Skills. Primal Urge, 111
Animal Ken, 104, 185, 267, 313
338 INDEX
Surprise. See Initiative, Surprise. Slick (Environmental), 130-131, 167, 319
Suzanne, 9 Stunned (Personal), 97, 126, 152, 161, 163, 197, 204,
310, 318-319
T Swarms (Environmental), 138, 319, 320
Thin Air (Environmental), 319, 320
Temple, Ian “Cipher”, 240-241
Viscous (Environmental), 319, 320
Territory Times, 266
Time, 190, 201
The 1488 Club, 272, 274
Chapter, 13, 83, 89, 92-96, 101, 110, 118-119, 135, 137,
The 1488 Times, 269 145, 150-151, 153, 155, 163, 171, 190, 227-228, 231-234,
The Manifest Destiny Foundation, 272-274 258, 273, 281, 291
Themes, 14, 285-290. See also Story Types. Chronicle, 33, 73-74, 76-79, 95-97, 101, 103, 190, 210,
Body, 288, 290 224-227, 230, 235-236, 238, 264, 290-291, 302-307, 320
Flying, 289-290 Scene, 14, 79, 83-84, 88-90, 94-97, 99-101, 109-114,
Grounded, 289-290 118, 121, 123, 127-128, 130-132, 134-139, 141-149, 151-173,
182, 187-190, 193-196, 200, 202--203, 205-206, 210-213,
Mind, 288-290 228, 230, 238, 258, 266, 286, 290-291, 294-295, 297,
Tilkici, Orhan, 254 302-303, 305-307, 314, 316-317, 321-322
Tilts, 97, 100, 107, 109, 113-115, 118-119, 121-126, 128, 130- Story, 14, 73, 84, 89, 94-97, 104, 159, 172, 187, 190,
131, 133, 136-137, 148, 152-154, 158, 161-164, 166-168, 193-194, 196, 210, 212, 285, 288, 291-292, 296-297, 301-
174, 177, 195-198, 200, 202-206, 212, 310, 314-321 302, 304-305, 307
Arm Wrack (Personal), 153, 166, 197, 200, 314, 318 Turn, 117, 121, 128, 134, 152-153, 155, 157-159, 163,
Beaten Down (Personal), 97, 100, 136, 161-162, 196, 166-167, 169-170, 172-173, 189-190, 194-195, 202-204,
200, 314-315, 318 206, 211-212, 309, 315-316, 318-319
Blazing Light (Environmental), 114, 314, 319 Tobin, Paul, 281
Blinded (Personal), 113-114, 123-124, 128, 130, 153, 168, Touchstone, 16-17, 59-62, 77-79, 81-84, 86-90, 92-95, 97,
195, 197, 314-315, 318-319, 321 101, 112, 155, 159, 163-167, 172, 195, 208-209, 228, 230,
Blizzard (Environmental), 130, 315, 319 237-238, 247, 287, 300-301, 305-306, 321
Corrosive (Environmental), 315, 319 Conviction, 16-17, 29, 31, 33, 59-60, 76-84, 88-90,
Crosswinds (Environmental), 315, 319 92-95, 97, 101, 112, 163, 167, 181, 187, 195, 208, 230, 237-
238, 287-288, 290, 296, 301, 307, 321
Currents (Environmental), 315, 319
Loyalty, 16-17, 25, 27, 33, 59-62, 64, 76-84, 88-90,
Deafened (Personal), 123, 128, 148, 153, 168, 197, 204, 92-93, 95, 97, 101, 112, 155, 163-167, 172, 181, 187, 195,
310, 314-315, 318, 321 208, 228, 237-238, 247, 287, 290, 300-301, 306-307
Downpour (Environmental), 316, 319 Wavering, 17, 83-84, 89-90, 101, 167
Drugged (Personal), 123-124, 158, 203, 246, 316-318 Traits, 80, 84, 94-96, 103, 112, 119-120, 151, 158, 170, 181,
Earthquake (Environmental), 316, 319 187-188, 199, 204, 207, 212-213, 221, 245, 305, 321
Electrified (Environmental), 316, 319 Conspiracy Traits. See Conspiracy Traits.
Environmental. See Environmental Tilts. Derived Traits, 80, 119-120, 158, 170, 321
Flooded (Environmental), 316, 319 Equipment Traits, 207
Immobilized (Personal), 126, 163, 168, 197-198, 200, Object Traits, 207
316, 318-320 Supernatural Traits. See Supernatural Traits.
Inferno (Environmental), 128, 130, 204, 206, 310, 316, Weapon Traits, 199, 308
319
Transformed. See Deviants.
Insane (Personal), 97, 137, 152, 161, 164, 317-318
Insensate (Personal), 97, 126, 136, 152, 161, 167, 317-318
Jagged (Environmental), 317, 319 U
Knocked Down (Personal), 107, 115, 123, 204, 240, 310, Ulus Information & Insight, 258
315, 317-319 Unfortunates. See Origins, Pathological.
Leg Wrack (Personal), 113, 121-122, 153, 166, 197, 314, Universal Variations, 79, 113, 113-134, 139, 151, 174. See
317-318 also Variations.
Moderate, 114, 118, 123-125, 128, 130, 153, 163, 166, Aquatic (Subtle), 113, 117, 174
195, 197, 205, 310, 314-320 Bioluminescence (Overt), 113-114, 156, 171, 174
Noxious Fumes (Environmental), 317, 319 Boneless (Overt), 114, 174
Personal. See Personal Tilts. Brachiation (Overt), 114-115, 174
Poisoned (Personal), 121, 123, 126, 206, 246, 318 Camouflage (Subtle), 115, 152, 171, 174
Poor Lighting (Environmental), 128, 205, 310, 318, 319 Carapace (Subtle), 116, 174
Severe, 114, 118, 123-124, 126, 128, 130, 154, 163, 166, Electrokinesis (Overt), 117, 125, 171, 174
168, 195, 204-205, 310, 314-316, 321 Enhanced Speed (Overt), 108, 117-118, 128, 139, 174
Sick (Personal), 121, 123-124, 126, 163, 202, 318
INDEX 339
Environmental Adaptation (Subtle), 118, 174 Carapace (Subtle, Universal), 116, 174
Face Thief (Overt), 118-119, 174, 247 Cephalist. See Cephalist Variations.
Flight (Overt), 107, 117, 119, 128, 139, 173-174 Chimeric. See Chimeric Variations.
Gigantic (Overt), 119-120, 156, 171, 174, 321 Coactive. See Coactive Variations.
Healer (Overt), 112-113, 121, 172, 174, 265 Computer-Aided Processing (Invasive, Subtle), 145-146,
Holographic Projection (Overt), 121-122, 174 175
Hyper-Competence (Subtle), 122, 174, 258 Controlled, 35, 107, 111, 152-155, 171-173, 176
Immunity (Subtle), 122, 174 Creeping Dread (Cephalist, Subtle), 125, 136, 175, 323
Lash (Overt), 78, 91, 122-127, 133-134, 139, 141, 149- Deadly Ichor (Mutant, Overt), 149, 175
150, 152, 172, 174, 200, 247 Electrokinesis (Overt, Universal), 117, 125, 171, 174
Miniaturization (Overt), 126, 171, 174 Enhanced Speed (Overt, Universal), 108, 117-118, 128,
Out of Phase (Overt), 127, 171, 174 139, 174
Pyrokinesis (Overt), 125, 127-128, 174 Environmental Adaptation (Subtle, Universal), 118, 174
Shadows of the Past (Subtle), 129, 174 Face Thief (Overt, Universal), 118-119, 174, 247
Shadow Selves (Overt), 128-129, 174 Fate’s Agent (Coactive, Subtle), 142, 175
Specialized Sense (Subtle), 129-130, 174, 239 Flight (Overt, Universal), 107, 117, 119, 128, 139, 173-174
Storm-Caller (Overt), 130, 174 Gigantic (Overt, Universal), 119-120, 156, 171, 174, 321
Superhuman (Subtle), 131-132, 174, 323 Healer (Overt, Universal), 112-113, 121, 172, 174, 265
Telekinesis (Overt), 124, 132-134, 154, 172, 174 Hidden Compartments (Invasive, Subtle), 146, 175
Translocation (Overt), 134, 174 Holographic Projection (Overt, Universal), 121-122, 174
University of Delaware, 268-274, 281 Hyper-Competence (Subtle, Universal), 122, 174, 258
Allison Hall (East and West), 269, 272 Immunity (Subtle, Universal), 122, 174
Colburn Laboratory, 269 Inhuman Digestion (Mutant, Overt), 125, 149-150, 175
College of Engineering, 269 Integrate Technology (Invasive, Overt), 146-147, 175
Department of Medical Biology, 281 Invasive. See Invasive Variations.
DuPont Guest Lecturer Committee, 271, 273 Involuntary, 39, 111, 152, 156-157, 173, 176
DuPont Guest Lecturer Series, 270, 272-274 Lash (Overt, Universal), 78, 91, 122-127, 133-134, 139,
DuPont Hall, 269 141, 149-150, 152, 172, 174, 200, 247
DuPont Tunnels, 269 Memory Thief (Cephalist, Subtle), 125, 136, 280-281
Green, 269 Mimicry (Chimeric, Subtle), 139, 172, 175
Morris Library, 269 Miniaturization (Overt, Universal), 126, 171, 174
Wolf Hall, 269 Monstrous Transformation (Chimeric, Overt), 139, 175
University of Minnesota, 272 Mutant. See Mutant Variations.
St. Cloud Campus, 272 Omnicompetence (Invasive, Subtle), 147, 175
Unwilling. See Origins, Exomorphs. Otherworldly Connection (Coactive, Subtle), 143, 175,
258
Uranus, 267
Out of Phase (Overt, Universal), 127, 171, 174
U.S. Marine Training, Testing, and Development Regiment, 265
Persistent, 35, 37, 39, 111, 152, 154, 158-169, 171, 173,
Uyanıklık Cemiyeti. See Vigilance Society. 176-177
Pheromones (Chimeric, Subtle), 140, 175
V Precognition (Coactive, Subtle), 144, 175, 222, 258, 266
Variations, 12, 16-17, 79, 107-151, 174-175, 238, 259, 266. Predator’s Cunning (Chimeric, Subtle), 141, 175
See also Magnitude and Scars. Psycho-Onomastics (Coactive, Subtle), 145, 175
Addictive, 35, 135, 138, 158, 177, 320, 323 Pyrokinesis (Overt, Universal), 125, 127-128, 174
Animal Transformation (Chimeric, Overt), 138, 175 Quick Reference, 173-175
Anomalous Biology (Mutant, Subtle), 148-149, 151, 175 Rapid Healing (Mutant, Subtle), 112-113, 150-151, 175
Aquatic (Subtle, Universal), 113, 117, 174 Reflexive, 171
Astral Travel (Cephalist, Subtle), 134, 175, 323 Sacred Flesh (Mutant, Subtle), 139, 151-152, 175
Bioluminescence (Overt, Universal), 113-114, 156, 171, Sensor Array (Invasive, Subtle), 147-148, 175
174 Shadows of the Past (Subtle, Universal), 129, 174
Blessing (Coactive, Subtle), 141, 175 Shadow Selves (Overt, Universal), 128-129, 174
Body Snatcher (Cephalist, Subtle), 135, 175 Specialized Sense (Subtle, Universal), 129-130, 174, 239
Boneless (Overt, Universal), 114, 174 Storm-Caller (Overt, Universal), 130, 174
Brachiation (Overt, Universal), 114-115, 174 Superhuman (Subtle, Universal), 131-132, 174, 323
Camouflage (Subtle, Universal), 115, 152, 171, 174 Telekinesis (Overt, Universal), 124, 132-134, 154, 172, 174
340 INDEX
Telepathy (Cephalist, Subtle), 137, 172, 175, 322-323 Throwing, 119, 132, 184, 198, 310
Translocation (Overt, Universal), 134, 174 Web of Pain, 13, 15, 17, 56-57, 67-69, 97, 162, 210, 218-
Universal. See Universal Variations. 221, 223-227, 232, 234, 262, 264, 268, 271-272, 274, 281,
Vigilance Society, 251, 256, 260 302-303, 322
Vigilance Threat Analysis, 259 Weist, Fiona, 266
Vigilance Threat Analysis Security Corps, 259 WellBeing International, 18, 45, 51, 71, 178-179, 248-249
Volunteers. See Origins, Epimorphs. Wilder, Jeremy, 278-279, 281
Wilder, Melinda, 278-279, 281
Willpower, 79-80, 83-84, 88-89, 92, 95-101, 105-107, 112,
W 118-119, 131-132, 135, 137-138, 142, 144-145, 153, 156,
Walk, Marvin, 268, 273 163-165, 167, 170-172, 176, 181, 187, 193, 195-196, 203,
Washington, Jon, 281 238, 314, 316-319, 322-324
Watcher Protocol, 259 Losing, 138, 144, 165, 195
Wavering. See Touchstone, Wavering. Recovering, 83-84, 88-89, 92, 95-97, 101, 132, 137-
138, 163, 171, 181, 187, 193, 196, 238, 314, 323
Weapons, 105-106, 133, 184-185, 198-200, 212, 266,
308-309, 319
Grenades, 310 Y
Improvised, 105-106, 185, 199, 316 Yelbeghen, 260
Long Burst, 125-126, 198, 309 Yıldırım Security, 258
Medium Burst, 124, 198, 309
Melee, 148, 199, 308, 317 Z
Ranged, 123-126, 149-150, 172, 197-199, 309
Zamora, Jason, 279-280
Reloading, 153, 197, 309
Zero Solution, 267-268
Short Burst, 123, 198, 309
INDEX 341
Name: Concept: Origin:
Player: Conviction: Clade:
Chronicle: Loyalty: Forms:
Mental Health
(-3 UNSKILLED)
Academics
Computer
Crafts
Investigation Willpower
Medicine
Occult
Politics
Science Acclimation
Physical
(-1 UNSKILLED)
Stability
Athletics
Brawl
Drive
Firearms
Larceny Conditions
Stealth
Survival
Weaponry
Social
(-1 UNSKILLED)
Animal Ken
Empathy Size:
Expression Defense:
Intimidation Initiative Mod:
Persuasion Aspirations Speed:
Socialize Armor:
Streetwise Beats:
Subterfuge Experience:
Attributes 5/4/3 • Skills 11/7/4 (+3 Specialties) • Merits 10 • Health = Stamina + Size • Willpower = Resolve + Composure • Size = 5
for adult humans • Defense = Lower of Dexterity or Wits + Athletics•Initiative Mod = Dexterity + Composure • Speed = Strength + Dexterity +5
Name: Name:
Magnitude: Magnitude:
Activation Method: Activation Method:
Overt: Type (M/P/S): Pool: Overt: Type (M/P/S): Pool:
Keywords/Deviations: Keywords/Deviations:
Entangled Variations: Entangled Variations:
Notes: Notes:
Name: Name:
Magnitude: Magnitude:
Activation Method: Activation Method:
Overt: Type (M/P/S): Pool: Overt: Type (M/P/S): Pool:
Keywords/Deviations: Keywords/Deviations:
Entangled Variations: Entangled Variations:
Notes: Notes:
Name: Name:
Magnitude: Magnitude:
Scar: Scar:
Overt: Scar Power: Pool: Overt: Scar Power: Pool:
Keywords/Deviations: Keywords/Deviations:
Notes: Notes:
Name: Name:
Magnitude: Magnitude:
Scar: Scar:
Overt: Scar Power: Pool: Overt: Scar Power: Pool:
Keywords/Deviations: Keywords/Deviations:
Notes: Notes:
Name: Name:
Magnitude: Magnitude:
Activation Method: Activation Method:
Overt: Type (M/P/S): Pool: Overt: Type (M/P/S): Pool:
Keywords/Deviations: Keywords/Deviations:
Entangled Variations: Entangled Variations:
Notes: Notes:
Name: Name:
Magnitude: Magnitude:
Scar: Scar:
Overt: Scar Power: Pool: Overt: Scar Power: Pool:
Keywords/Deviations: Keywords/Deviations:
Notes: Notes:
Name: Name:
Magnitude: Magnitude:
Scar: Scar:
Overt: Scar Power: Pool: Overt: Scar Power: Pool:
Keywords/Deviations: Keywords/Deviations:
Notes: Notes:
REMADE
You woke up…different. Someone changed you;
on a slab, an operating table, an altar. By luck
or by fate, you escaped. Now you’re hunted by
the ones who made you, and they hold all the
cards but one: they don’t know that a fire burns
within you because of what they did. They don’t
know that you’re hunting them.
BROKEN
The Divergence stripped you of your humanity,
cracked open your soul. Its wounds will never
heal. You are Broken — not like a toy lying in
a limp pile on the floor but like a glass bot-
tle, all sharp edges and jagged, cutting shards.
Anyone who comes close to you bleeds — your en-
emies, but also your few friends.
RENEGADES
Though alienated from humanity, you are not
alone. Other Deviants have suffered as you have
suffered. They hate the conspiracies that made
you as much as you do. Together, you will stand
against them. Together, you will make them pay!
DTR001