SPARK-GRAFTED

Arcanepunk Human Augmentation for Blades in the Dark

This is an unofficial supplement for Blades in the Dark in its very early stages that
lets you augment your scoundrel like you would in cyberpunk games, but with arcane
clockworks instead of futuristic cybernetics.

Please leave feedback at mkudn.itch.io/spark-grafted.

Spark-Graft Summary

♦ Spark-grafts are arcane clockwork prostheses that augment the human body.
♦ These grant you access to new abilities including hull features and traits.
♦ You can invent and craft new spark-graft features and upgrade existing ones.

How Do You Become Spark-Grafted?

Take this special ability as a veteran advance:

SPARK-GRAFTED
You are a fusion of living flesh and arcane clockwork machinery. You start
with one spark-graft and can gain additional ones as veteran advances and by
other means.

What other means? If this first version of Spark-Grafted is fun and shows promise, then
the plan is to possibly expand it by having in-fiction methods for becoming spark-grafted
(similar to Advanced Abilities & Permissions, bitd page 234-235), modifying the crafting
rules so you can make your own spark-graft creations more easily, or formalizing how to
acquire expert cohorts to craft them for you.

Gaining Spark-Graft Features

When you become Spark-Grafted, some part of you is replaced with spark-craft
prostheses that grants you special features and abilities otherwise only available to hulls.
Gain one of the following:

♦ A spark-graft feature of your own invention

♦ A spark-graft feature listed in this supplement (see Sample Spark-Grafts)
♦ A trait or feature from the Hull playbook (with some restrictions listed below)
Gaining Hull Features and Traits

Spark-grafts technology parallels that of hulls, the mechanized spark-craft frames

operated by spirits. You may select from these hull features and traits as spark-grafts:

♦ Life-Like Appearance: Your prostheses are masterfully crafted to pass as living tissue
♦ Sensors: Sonar that penetrates walls and tracks heartbeats
♦ Smoke Projectors: Release chemicals that fill a room with dark, acrid smoke
♦ Spider Climb: Micro-barbs that allow you to walk and climb on any surface
♦ Spring-Leap Pistons: Jump to extreme heights and survive falls
♦ Compartments: +2 load for items contained within your spark-grafts
♦ Electroplasmic Projectors: Release plasmic energy as discharges, beams, or
lightning barriers for 1 drain per magnitude
♦ Interface: Attune to the electroplasmic field to control it and what’s connected to it
(such as hulls)
♦ Overcharge: Take 1 drain to perform a feat of extreme strength or speed

Human vs Hull

Your human body prevents you from gaining every hull trait and feature. This is not
without its blessings, as your humanity is also what allows you to retain your memories,
emotions, and agency, unlike a hull automaton. Learn more about hulls on bitd pages
216-217.

You can’t gain the Hull traits AUTOMATON and SECONDARY HULL or the Hull
features Interior Chamber and Levitation. (These traits require a spirit be placed within
a hull frame after body death, and the features are for large and small hull frames.)

Drain vs Stress

You can take stress instead of drain to power your spark-grafts hull-like abilities. You can
gain Capacitors to extend your ability to power your spark-grafts.

Life-Life Appearance

Your spark-grafts are apparent to others unless you have Life-Like Appearance. With
this, you may choose to conceal your spark-grafts when acquiring them. Some may be
too conspicuous to hide, such as a limb replaced with a large weapon.
Inventing, Crafting, and Installing

You may invent, craft, and modify spark-grafts by following the same processes for
gadgets (see bitd pages 224-228). Once created, spend a downtime action to install the
spark-graft in your body.

Repair and Maintenance

Harm to spark-grafts is fixed using the recovery action, just like any other harm. (This
may change, perhaps by requiring spark-craft specialists to repair damaged components.)

Sample Spark-Grafts

Capacitors (V ): An electroplasmic battery that can take up to 5 drain when activating

spark-graft abilities (instead of taking stress). Once your capacitors are drained, you can
still take stress. Taking this feature a second time doubles the capacity to 10 drain. You
may spend a downtime action recharging your capacitors by connecting to an industrial-
grade generator. When you do, clear 5 drain.

Integrated Weaponry (III): A weapon contained within a spark-graft limb. Choose any
0-1 load weapon (blade, gun, etc.) in the playbooks or Standard Items (bitd page 88).

Integrated Tools (IV ): Choose a toolset to integrate into a spark-graft appendage:

♦ Fine tinkering tools

♦ Fine wrecking tools
♦ Fine lockpicks
♦ Fine lightning hook

Integrated Gadget (V ): Incorporate a gadget into your clockwork body parts. You may
choose from the sample gadgets (bitd page 277) or your own inventions.

Sample Gadgets:

♦ Dark-Sight Goggles
♦ Ghost Scourge
♦ Line Thrower
♦ Spirit Lamp

Integrated weapons, tools, and gadgets count as 0 load and can be more easily concealed.
CUTTER INSPIRED

Weaponized Limb (IV ): An entire limb transformed into a brutal weapon. You may
choose any scary weapon or tool or fine heavy weapon for this purpose (see Cutter Items
on bitd page 63). Conspicuous.

Reinforced Armor (III): Bulky plating that can withstand some melee attacks and small
arms fire. A Tier V version uses experimental materials that streamline the design and
allow for concealment. Conspicuous (unless Tier V ).

HOUND INSPIRED

Ocular Telescope (IV ): Telescopic eye replacement with optic lens. Grants potency when
tracking or shooting targets at extreme range (given a high enough caliber rifle). Rare.

Four-Arms (VI): Multi-barreled firearm system capable of aiming at up to four targets

simultaneously. Requires custom-machined bifurcating arm mechanisms. Complex.

LEECH INSPIRED

Spray Nozzles (IV ): Nozzles for dispersing alchemical fluids or powders from pressurized
tanks. You may treat this as a leech’s bandolier (see Leech Items on bitd page 71). Other
alchemicals need to be acquired or crafted as usual. Note that many alchemicals have
drawbacks like Volatile (see bitd pages 226-227).

Omni-Tool (IV ): A versatile, multi-purpose tool that can swap between functions:

♦ Hydraulic shears capable of cutting through metal and bone

♦ Spark cutter that can melt or arc weld metals
♦ Electro-pneumatic hammer or spike
Take 1 drain to power it for about 5 minutes.

LURK INSPIRED

Contortionist (VI): Flexible joint mechanisms that articulate in any direction, allowing
you to contort your body in bizarre ways that make your movements and attacks highly
unpredictable. When you take this feature a second time, much of your body is replaced
with many-jointed components, allowing you to move through any space your head can
fit through. Complex. Rare.

Retractable Claws (III): Your digits can transform into long, slender blades, perfect for
precision strikes and deadly slashes. A Tier IV version can inject poisons and drugs.
SLIDE INSPIRED

Death Mask (V ): An arcane porcelain mask that can assume the likeness of a person
whose ghost was rendered into spirit essence and consumed for this purpose. Rare.

(Send me your ideas for a sly Slide spark-graft!)

SPIDER INSPIRED

Dischargers (III): Discrete electrodes that can release electroshock pulses. Take 1 drain
to briefly stun a target on contact or 2 drain to render them unconscious. You may prime
the discharge to trigger when you’re touched or assaulted. Unreliable.

Hidden Camera (V ): An ocular camera that captures images on silver-coated photoelectric

paper. Takes up to twelve pictures. If shot in rapid succession, can capture about one
second of motion. Spend a downtime action to develop the photo paper and enlarge its
high contrast grayscale images for further study. Rare.

WHISPER INSPIRED

Spirit Coiler (VII) - A device of arcane design that can drain the plasmic energies of
ghosts to boost the magnitude of your arcane and spark-craft abilities. The ghosts being
drained are likely to lash out, flee, or—if taken to extremes—go feral or even be destroyed.
Conspicuous. Volatile.

(Send me your ideas for a weird second Whisper spark-graft!)

Credits & License

Created as an unofficial supplement for Blades in the Dark by Aesopian.

This work is based on Blades in the Dark, product of One Seven Design, developed
and authored by John Harper, and licensed for our use under the Creative Commons
Attribution 3.0 Unported license.