THE ROLEPLAYING GAME

MIGUEL ÁNGEL ESPINOZA

NAHUAL
THE ROLEPLAYING GAME
CREDITS
Design, Development, and Writing by
Miguel Ángel Espinoza

Developmental Editing by
Mark Díaz Truman

Development Consulting by
Brendan Conway and Marissa Kelly

Copy Editing by
Monte Lin

Proofreading by
Katherine Fackrell

Spanish Language Proofing by

Claudia Sánchez Quiroz

Indexing by
J. Derrick Kapchinsky

Art by
Edgar Clément

Layout by
Miguel Ángel Espinoza

Project Support by
Ileana Pinal Mansilla

Nahual is based on the works of Edgar Clément,

and his universe created in Operación Bolívar.

Nahual makes use of the Apocalypse World engine

created by Vincent and Meguey Baker.

© 2021 by Miguel Ángel Espinoza.

All rights reserved.

www.nahualrpg.com
 Para Ileana
He aquí por fin el libro prometido
desde hace tantos años
CONTENTS
Preface.......................................................................9
What is Nahual?............................................................................9
Playing to Find Out.................................................................... 10
Where this Came From............................................................. 10
What You’ll Need....................................................................... 11

The Setting..............................................................15
Heaven’s Wrath.......................................................................... 15
Enter the Angeleros................................................................... 16
De Natura Angelorum............................................................... 17
The Angelero Trade................................................................... 19
Diableros..................................................................................... 21
The Power of the Nahual.......................................................... 22
Mexican Urban Fantasy............................................................. 24

The Basics................................................................27
The Conversation....................................................................... 27
Framing Scenes.......................................................................... 27
Moves and Dice.......................................................................... 32
Starting the Game...................................................................... 37
Why Play?................................................................................... 41

The Angeleros.........................................................43
Choosing a Playbook................................................................. 43
Name and Persona..................................................................... 46
Vices............................................................................................. 48
Stress, Conditions, and Harm.................................................. 49
The Stats...................................................................................... 50
Barrio Questions........................................................................ 51
Gear and Stuff............................................................................. 52
Character Moves........................................................................ 54
The Stages of Nahuality............................................................ 55
Introductions and Relaciones.................................................. 56
The Changarro.......................................................59
The Pillars of the Trade............................................................ 59
Running the Business................................................................ 63
Changarro Creation................................................................... 66
The List of Changarros.............................................................. 73
Taco Truck.................................................................................. 74
Carnicería.................................................................................... 78
Cantina........................................................................................ 82
Vecindad...................................................................................... 86

The Moves................................................................91
Using Moves in Play................................................................... 91
Basic Moves................................................................................. 92
Peripheral Moves..................................................................... 117
Angelero Moves........................................................................ 123

The Nahuales....................................................... 133

Águila......................................................................................... 134
Armadillo.................................................................................. 142
Jaguar......................................................................................... 150
Mono.......................................................................................... 156
Perro.......................................................................................... 164
Serpiente................................................................................... 172
Tlacuache.................................................................................. 180
Venado....................................................................................... 188

Life in the Barrio................................................ 197

Stress.......................................................................................... 197
Conditions................................................................................. 199
Vices........................................................................................... 202
Harm.......................................................................................... 204
Threat Levels............................................................................ 207
Fighting as a Pack..................................................................... 210
Gear n’ Chingaderas................................................................ 214
Advancement............................................................................ 220
The Power of the Stages.......................................................... 222
Channel Abilities...................................................................... 227
Multiple Totem Animals......................................................... 228
The Marakame..................................................... 231
The Master of Ceremonies..................................................... 231
Agendas..................................................................................... 232
Always Say................................................................................ 234
The Principles........................................................................... 235
Your Moves............................................................................... 242
Marakame Basic Moves........................................................... 244
Chain of Moves......................................................................... 249
Using NPCs............................................................................... 251
Under the Skin of the Nahuales............................................. 257
Behind the Changarros............................................................ 260
Hunting Turfs........................................................................... 262
Your First Session.................................................................... 264
After the First Session............................................................. 269

Appendix................................................................ 271
The Factions of Power............................................................. 271
Sample NPCs............................................................................ 276
Rules Reference........................................................................ 282

Index...................................................................... 286
“When our Spanish ancestors first arrived on this conti-
nent they were not alone, with them came their gods and
their armies of angels. For our indigenous ancestors, these
angels were not the incense vendors of the present day;
they were emissaries of destruction. Between the sword of
Cortés and the sword of St. Michael, the Archangel, there
was no difference, and neither made a clean cut to the
roots. The brujos resisted. Nahuales, the most powerful
shamans, took on the task of fighting the invading angels.”

—Edgar Clément. Operación Bolívar.

8 Nahual
PREFACE
What is Nahual?
Nahual is an urban fantasy roleplaying game set in Mexico,
based on the Operación Bolívar universe created by Mexican
comic book artist Edgar Clément.
In Nahual, you and your fellow players tell the stories of brujos
nahuales, humans of mestizo and indigenous ancestry that have
the power to shapeshift into an animal form. These nahuales
hunt angels to make a living, running a changarro—a business—
together to sell the products they make from the bodies of the
angels they have killed. These are stories about underdogs, strug-
gling to find their place in a Mexican world of fantastical and
overwhelming forces.
As you play the game, each of you takes the role of one of these
nahuales, choosing their actions, saying what they feel and say,
and sometimes even speaking like them. You’re the protagonists
of these stories, and you bring them to life with your conversa-
tion as you play, discovering where the story goes as the charac-
ters discover the consequences of their actions.
To create such stories, the rules of the game are intended to help
you push the narrative forward, taking the conversation to inter-
esting places when uncertainty arises. You are all co-authors of
these stories, but every story of the nahuales needs interesting
conflicts. You are not playing to win the game; you play to find
out what happens. There are no prescribed endings in store for
your characters.
So, let these rules guide you, and plunge yourself into the urban
folklore and fantasies of an imaginary Mexico full of incredible
creatures and dangerous forces. A darle que es mole de olla!

Preface 9
Playing to Find Out
You and your fellow players are the authors of these stories. But
in Nahual being the author of the story doesn’t mean you plot
out every scene and situation that will happen. It is tempting
to create a character and decide from the get-go their dramatic
arc—including their tragic or heroic ending. Don’t do it!
Playing Nahual means portraying characters that live day by
day, unsure about their destinies, and not even sure how their
powers work or where they come from. Their stories are about
the struggle and uncertainty of what happens tomorrow. Give
up the urge to craft a story plot, a railroad of events, and let the
game flow where the rules and the players’ decisions take the
story. Discovering what happens is part of the fun!
The mechanics of the game are made to take you to interesting
situations. Give yourself up to them. It takes discipline to follow
these rules and play them as intended, but the reward is worth
it. When you let go of the idea of controlling the narrative and
just play to find out what happens, the story flows and the
pieces fall into place by themselves, creating the most exciting
stories you could imagine.

Where this Came From

Nahual is an adaptation of the works of Mexican comic
book artist Edgar Clément, a universe founded in the graphic
novel Operación Bolívar and expanded by titles like Kerubim,
Los Perros Salvajes (I & II), and other short stories. Like any
other work of adaptation, Nahual takes the core concepts
and changes stuff when needed to make it work as a roleplay-
ing game, removing elements and adding new ones to create a
cohesive gaming experience.
The framework for Nahual’s rules and mechanics comes from
Apocalypse World by D. Vincent and Meguey Baker. Apocalypse
World is a game about a violent and harsh post-apocalyptic world,
and the characters that struggle to survive in it, day by day, much
like the characters in Nahual. The narrative focus of Apocalypse
World and the revolutionary way it frames the gameplay fit
perfectly with the type of stories Nahual wants you to tell.

10 Nahual
However, you don’t need Apocalypse World to play Nahual.
We provide everything you need to play in this book. But we
highly recommend you check it out. The groundbreaking
game spurred dozens of other games into existence, like
Monsterhearts, Dungeon World, Urban Shadows, Masks: A New
Generation, Epyllion, and of course Nahual.

What You’ll Need

To play Nahual you need a few friends willing to commit to
playing the game in sessions of two to four hours. You can
play the game for just one session—called a one-shot—but the
game’s true potential resides in playing multiple sessions: your
character advances and unlocks awesome powers while the
story grows more complex, featuring multiple factions clashing
as the power level of the characters and antagonists increases.
The game also needs one of the players to represent everyone
else besides the nahuales, a role called the Marakame in Nahual.

Preface 11
The Marakame is responsible for describing the world around
the players’ characters and making their lives complicated, inter-
esting, and difficult. The Marakame portrays all the non-player
characters (NPCs) and manages the spotlight on the player char-
acters, resolving conflicts in the rules if needed.
Nahual plays best with three to five nahuales players and one
Marakame. Including more than five players usually leads
to people waiting to participate in the conversation, and the
Marakame might have a rough time managing the spotlight.
With fewer than three players, the changarro dynamics and the
relationships between characters are too thin, and it is harder
to push the story to interesting places.
You also need some supplies to play the game. Usually, the
Marakame brings these materials, but other players are more
than welcome to contribute. And of course, having this book
available at the table during gameplay can be greatly helpful, in
case questions about how the game works pop up.

Dice
You need at least two six-sided dice, like those found in board
games like Risk or Monopoly. One pair is enough, but multiple pairs
are much better so all players have them available at all times.

Playbooks
You need to print a copy of each of the eight core playbooks—a
sort of character sheet and player’s guide that gives you the
tools you need to play your character. They can be printed,
landscape and double-sided, on regular letter size paper. There
are a few special supplementary playbooks you can add to the
mix, and you can also remove a few core playbooks to have a
combination that fits your style. Just make sure you have at
least one per player, for them to choose.

12 Nahual
Pencils and Paper
You also need plenty of pencils for players to fill in their play-
books, adjust and modify them as they play to advance their
characters, and write down notes about the story. For taking
such notes, you may also want scrap paper, post-its, index
cards, or notebooks.

Additional Materials
Some other materials you need are:

9 Printed copies of the changarro sheets.

9 Printed copies of the basic moves for all players.

9 A printed copy of the Marakame materials.

9 Optionally, you may want to have art or photos of Mexico

urban environments and people to help your players picture
the ambiance and generate ideas.
You can find all the play materials as downloadable PDFs at
www.nahualrpg.com

Preface 13
14 Nahual
THE SETTING
In Nahual, the main characters are angel hunters—angeleros—
descended from the powerful brujos nahuales of yore. In
pre-Columbian times, these brujos were the masters of the
Nahual, a cosmic power that permeates the universe. They
knew the rituals and the disciplines required to tap into these
wonders and use them to their full potential.
When the conquistadors arrived, bringing with them angels of
death and destruction, the brujos nahuales were the only ones
able to fight back the angelic beings—alas, it wasn’t enough. The
heavenly invaders cut deep and destroyed most of those cultures.
However, some of those shamanic traditions survived, and
the nahuales of today have inherited such gifts; but their
cultural memory has been taken away from them—they no
longer possess the knowledge and traditions to unleash these
wonders to their full potential. Many just struggle to survive,
others look for answers, but all agree on one thing: a nahual is
called to hunt down angels.

Heaven’s Wrath
Angels in the world of Nahual are not the kind and loving
saviors the Church pretends them to be. They are a brutal
conquering force. In the time of the Conquista, they massacred
the native shamans that presented any resistance to the Spanish
invasion. Angels were the point of the lance that brought havoc
to the New World, spreading fire and disease while destroying
entire cultures.
Today, those conquering angels sit at the top levels of power,
pulling the strings of people in charge of the Church and other
important organizations, and ever scheming to grow in power
and control. The most powerful—and most greedy of them all—
is the Archangel Michael, the General of the Armies of Heaven.

The Setting 15
However, there are ranks among the angels, a tight hierarchical
system established eons ago. And since disdain and discrimina-
tion is stronger among the angels than it is among humans, only
the highest ranks of angels partake in the circles of power. The
lowest ranks live in flocks in the cities, gathering around places
of faith to feed on hopes and prayers.

Enter the Angeleros

Low-ranking angels prowl the cities of modern Mexico, mind-
less creatures with little to no consciousness—human-like
in shape and form—that gather above cathedrals, looking for
souls to feed upon. And they find their best prey in the restless
humans that pray to God and His angels; where people hunger
for hope and faith, angels thrive.
Yet there are angeleros—angel hunters.
The angeleros have the power to fight back, to get rid of these
celestial parasites, to free the people. But these are not times
for idealism. What is to be gained by revolution? It is kill or be
killed out there in the concrete jungle. All you can do is look
out for yourself and your closest allies, to try to make a living in
the face of poverty, decay, and death.
And so the angeleros hunt.
Everyone wants a piece of heaven, a fragment of the magical
flesh of celestial beings. The cartels want the “angel dust” made
by grinding the bones of the angels into an addictive and potent
drug. The Church uses the angels as circus animals to beguile
the masses and lure in worshipers. The corporations are finally
realizing the business potential of these creatures, for experi-
mentation and synthetic replication. The politicians…well, they
like to get their dirty hands in everything, as long as there is a
profit to be made. Con dinero baila el perro.

16 Nahual
The nahuales are caught in the middle of these powerful
factions. They are the drivers of the angel trade. Doing the dirty
and dangerous work no one else can. So they’d better fill their
role, while they struggle to survive these shark-infested waters
in which everyone wants a bite.
Freedom? Revolution? There is no time for such nonsense, is there?

De Natura Angelorum
As mentioned before, low-ranking angels are like little birds:
human shaped but with little to no consciousness, moved by
the basic desire to feed from humans’ faith and prayers. It is
these forgotten angels that the angeleros mainly prey upon.
Archangels and other high-ranking angels care little about such
lowly kin, so the angels that haunt the city streets are fair game.
For the most part.
However, some of these lowly angels develop consciousness;
some scholars believe this is because they constantly watch
human behavior; others think it results from feeding too much
on human emotions. Whatever the case, sometimes these
rare awakened angels get lucky enough to climb the ladder of
Heaven’s hierarchy, while those who prefer to stay with their
flocks act as alphas, overseeing and organizing lower angels
around them, using them for their own benefit.
Unless they willingly reveal themselves, angels are invisible to
ordinary humans. Angeleros, on the other hand, can always see
these angelic creatures.
Sometimes elite angels hide their wings and dress up like humans
when conducting business with mortals on behalf of their heav-
enly masters. They do this because many mortals overreact to
their angelic presence, making their business meetings unpro-
ductive as their negotiating partners fall to the ground in awe and
terror. In those cases angeleros can sometimes recognize them
still, by opening their perception and letting the Nahual flow
through them and heighten their senses.

The Setting 17
Similarly,
angels can’t
be touched by
mortals unless they wish
to be touched. They are
not entirely ethereal, but
they exist in a different
state of being beyond human flesh.
However, angeleros can always see
and touch angels.
When touched by an angelero, angels
begin to be bound to the Earth, to be
affected by time and their surround-
ings. They start to acquire basic
animal instincts, slowly deteriorating
until they become a feral creature: a
demon or diablo. Thus, the touch of
an angel hunter is the only way to kill
an angel, to make them earthbound, so they
can be butchered and turned into commodities.
If an angel willingly touches a mortal, nothing happens to the
angel; they retain their otherworldly nature. However, they
very rarely do so, because of the risk of that mortal having the
latent power of an angelero.
Archangels are known to be immune to the deteriorating
touch of angeleros. Angeleros can still touch them, but they
won’t become earthbound or transform into diablos. There are
rumors of other high-ranking angels also immune to this effect,
and some nahuales whisper of ancient relics that can even
protect an ordinary angel.

18 Nahual
From time to time, angeleros cross paths with such high-ranking
angels, and if they are stupid enough, lucky enough, and strong
enough to kill them, they can make extremely good profits from
such rare specimens—assuming they can find the right buyer.

The Angelero Trade

In the present day, most people that inherited the gift to see
and touch the angels don’t know what to do with it. Some don’t
even have an awakened nahual. The shamanic traditions and
philosophies tied to this power were brutally snatched away
during the Conquista.
All these poor souls can think of is survival. And in this age of
capitalism, they see in angels a rare commodity. So they hunt
them, butcher them, and sell them however they can. Being an
angelero is a trade, an occupation—and maybe for a rare few, a
vocation. But for the most part, angeleros hunt angels because
they don’t know a better way to put food on the table. Like
many trades, it was passed down by their parents, who learned
it from their parents, and so on.
But why is hunting angels even a trade? Well, mainly because of
their otherworldly nature. The meat of angels has special heal-
ing and invigorating properties; after working twelve or four-
teen hours a day, eating some tacos that restore your energy to
keep going the next day is literally a blessing from Heaven. And
the same goes for illness! Mexican health care is so shitty, we
usually say that the best medicine a Mexican can get is never
getting sick. But when you fall ill, choosing between a service
that may take weeks to even give you an appointment and a
dish of tacos that will help you get better…it’s a no brainer.

Chínguere and Polvo de Ángel

Not all the products an angelero can make out of an angel’s
body are commodities for the sick and exhausted. Angeleros
have always looked for ways to make use of all the angel parts—
just like butchers handling regular livestock and game.
One such product is the chínguere, an alcoholic beverage
distilled from the blood of angels. At first the chínguere was

The Setting 19
made by fermenting the angel blood with corn, water, and
sometimes peyote. This raw beverage is called chínguere crudo,
a somehow viscous and foamy drink, disgusting in smell and
taste, but with powerful hallucinatory effects.
The taste of crudo is so disgusting that it is literally impossible to
drink. Still, to this day, some people who want the strong effect
take it via enema. Ay, cabrón! As soon as the angeleros learned
distilling techniques, they applied them to the chínguere crudo,
to create the distilled chínguere commonly sold today: a trans-
parent, tequila-like beverage, with an enjoyable taste that only
causes hallucinations if you overdo it. So, drink it con calma.
The other product commonly made from angels is the polvo de
ángel—angel dust. This powerful drug, made by crushing the
angel bones into a fine dust, can be either snorted, smoked, or
injected. The cartels are still trying to get the angeleros to work
for them and produce the wholesale quantities they are used to
moving across the border. But the angeleros are a stubborn lot,
and they don’t trust the cartels. Besides, if they start hunting at
that scale, soon there will be no angels left, and then what will
become of them and their trade? Mejor vámonos despacito.

El Changarro
Many angeleros work alone. They hunt, butcher, and sell their
products all by themselves. Others divide the work and special-
ize in just one thing, leaving the rest of the trade to others.
Thus, some angeleros are just hunters, others are just butchers,
and others only merchants; often the latter don’t even have
the gift to see and kill angels, but simply act as salespeople for
actual hunters.
However, on rare occasions, some angeleros prefer to share the
load and join forces with other fellow hunters to run a busi-
ness—a changarro—where they openly sell these supernatu-
ral commodities. The player characters in Nahual own such
a changarro, a simple and humble establishment. Most of the
clientele are ordinary people looking for food and drink with
invigorating properties. For those who live in the harsh condi-
tions of the barrios, eating angel meat and drinking angel blood

20 Nahual
is a blessing that keeps them afloat to fight another day, and
they don’t really care what the angeleros do to keep the chan-
garro running. Barriga llena, corazón contento.

The Police of Heaven

Of course, the angelero trade is supposed to be illegal. The hier-
archy of Heaven has a special group of elite angels, known as
dominions, la policía of Heaven, in charge of regulating angels’
obligations and protecting them from hunters and other predators.
But these angels are as corrupt as the mortal police in Mexico!
They care little for their low-ranking brethren, and can easily
be bought with mordidas—cash bribes. Since the Conquista
times, these and other high-ranking angels have shown a thirst
for gold and riches, symbols of power and a means of control
over the mortal realms.
That’s why dominions let angeleros hunt freely for the most
part. Who cares if a few low-ranking angels go missing? A bribe
is all it takes for dominions to turn a blind eye to the matter.
Wise angeleros know, however, not to step out of place. If they
go after high-ranking angels, or cause too much trouble, they
will awake the wrath of the dominions!

Diableros
Another kind of hunter, instead of killing the angel, touches
and captures the creature and cultivates it into a diablo. This
kind of hunter is known as a diablero.
The difference between an angelero and a diablero is similar
to the difference between a hunter and a rancher. The former
kills; the latter grows and cultivates. The angelero deals with
dead angels, the diablero with live ones—because even though
they have the shape of a demon, diablos are still angels, albeit
fallen and corrupted.
Due to their aggressive spirit, some diablos are used as war dogs,
guardian beasts, or hunting animals. However, most diablos are
used for clandestine pit fighting. For these chores, the diablero
cuts off the creature’s wings—not only so they don’t get hurt

The Setting 21
Playing as Diableros
If you like the idea of catching angels and turning them into
pit-fighting diablos, look for Dream Wars, a Nahual supplement
book with rules for playing diableros who train and trade danger-
ous diablos instead of owning a stupid taquería!

during a fight, but also for security reasons; a winged demon,

trained for combat, is far too dangerous to keep on a leash.
To tame a diablo, the diablero has to dedicate a lot of hours of
hard work grooming the beast, cleaning the cages, creating and
securing harnesses, and adding piercings and tattoos to the
creature. Through this discipline, the diablo is tamed; a lazy
diablero is doomed to be eaten by their own diablo.
This philosophy of discipline is why diableros think of angele-
ros as lazy, opportunistic, and freeloaders, hunting just when
they need to and only enough to get by another day. In return,
angeleros see diableros as petulant people, conceited and
self-righteous; some even think of diableros as slavers, profit-
ing from the pain and labor of the diablos. Nonetheless, both
factions coexist in a delicate balance that sometimes gets tilted
into short bursts of open conflict...which benefits no one.

The Power of the Nahual

Everyone has a nahual, even though not everyone has the gift to
connect with it and awaken it. This nahual is the innermost part
of the unconscious mind, the wildest part of each person. But
each individual nahual is also part of something bigger, some-
thing infinite. The Nahual as a whole permeates and connects
the cosmos, is the endless sea around the island of reality,
everything that surpasses our comprehension.
The shamans of the past tapped into this infinite power with
rituals and training. For them, the Nahual was a sacred gift not to
be taken lightly and never to be abused. Shamans had the honor
to access these wonders for the service of their people—to heal,
protect, and guide them—never for personal gain.

22 Nahual
Nowadays, however, those who have inherited this gift are not
sure how to use it. They need shortcuts or aids to access the
Nahual. This makes the connection impure, as if the channel of
communication between the person and the Nahual were full of
static or interference; that’s why the use of these powers causes
stress and emotional distress.

The Hearts of Heaven and Earth

A person seeking aid to access the Nahual may ingest what is
known as the heart of the heaven or the heart of the earth.
Referred to as enhancers, they help open the mind and sync it
to the cosmic energy of the Nahual. A heart of the heaven is the
heart of an angel. It can be eaten raw or cooked, the effects are
the same; however, eating it cooked is easier for the palate. A
heart of the earth is a sacred cactus plant very similar to peyote,
but with supernatural properties. Some shamans use it to
awaken someone’s latent nahual. If cultivated, it becomes regu-
lar peyote. Only the wild variety serves as an enhancer—which
makes it quite rare in big urban areas.

The Totem Animal

A mask that represents one’s totemic animal can also act as
an enhancer. Usually the animal relates to the person’s own
personality—if the person is violent, aggressive and confident,
their totem may be a jaguar; if they are sneaky, playful and care-
free, their totem may be an opossum.
This totem animal—aside from the mask itself—serves as an
anchor to channel and shape the energy of the Nahual, a learn-
ing tool that allows the person to condense and focus that
power which otherwise would consume them. Think of it as a
dam holding a torrent of energy that lets the person access it
little by little, depending on how much they can open its gates.

The Setting 23
The Transformation
To use the power of the Nahual, a person needs to transform
into their totemic animal. In the present day, the preserved
traditions recognize six different levels of transformation,
known as the Stages of Nahuality: Novato, Aprendiz, Brujo,
Nahual, Kibal, and Postome.
The stages represent the level of control and skill displayed
by the person summoning their nahual, from the Novato that
can only do small things—albeit incredible compared to what
a normal human can do—to the godlike power of the mythical
Postome, spoken of only in rumors and legend.
The physical change of the transformation is proportional to the
power being unleashed—at the Novato stage there is little to no
visible change; by the Brujo stage the nahual looks more like a
hybrid creature between beast and man; when transformed into
the Nahual stage, they look like a large version of their totem
animal. Then, by the time they master the Kibal stage, they can
start to change into different animals or mix them into a chimeric
form (for more on the stages of transformation, see page 222).

Mexican Urban Fantasy

Unlike many other urban fantasy settings, Nahual presents
a world in which angels, diablos, nahuales, and other super-
natural entities walk largely out in the open. People don’t just
believe in angels, they know angels exist; sometimes they can
see them, talk to them—and even eat them!
When somebody goes to your changarro asking for the special
menu, they know you sell angel meat. People go to the diablos
fighting pits, to bet on their favorite diablo, and get drunk on
chínguere made out of angel blood. In their mansions powerful
magnates have diablos as watchdogs or mercenary angels as
private security. All in the open: no masquerades, no veils, no
mist to keep you safe from monsters.

24 Nahual
Of course most common people stay away from such danger-
ous forces. Living in their bubbles, tucked safely away from
all these nightmares, working their little jobs, and enjoying
their daily routines. Some might even lie to themselves and say
these things don’t exist. But in the slums, in the barrios bravos,
you don’t have that luxury; you deal with demons and angels
alike—sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally—and if you
are wise enough, you learn to fear them both. Unless you have a
nahual…with a nahual la cosa cambia!
That’s life in the Mexico of Nahual. A constant struggle. A
maelstrom of violence, inequality, corruption, folklore, and
fiesta. “Mexico is the most surrealist country in the world,” said
André Breton—father of surrealism—when he visited Mexico.
And for a good reason; the juxtaposition of opposites creates
a vibrant effect hard to describe. We celebrate death with
mariachi and fiesta; we don’t trust the police, because most of
the time they are the criminals; we break our backs working for
ridiculous wages; we pray to la Virgencita and la Santa Muerte
on the same altars. Mexico is a country of contradictions.
When filmmaker Guillermo del Toro was asked how he finds
that balance between his understanding of the dark side of
fantasy and human nature, and his joyful and loving personal-
ity, his answer was simple: “I’m Mexican.”

The Setting 25
26 Nahual
THE BASICS
The Conversation
To play Nahual is to have a conversation. Fácil, no? You and
the other players sit at a table—with dice, pencils, and sheets of
paper—and you talk to each other. Mainly you talk about the cool
characters you have created, what they do, and how they react
to the world around them. And since the other players don’t live
in your head, you communicate your character’s feelings and
emotions to everyone at the table either through your character’s
dialogue or by simply telling the other players directly.
Sometimes during the conversation you slip directly into your
nahual’s skin, no longer narrating but actually taking on your
character’s persona. You make the gestures your character
makes; you say things your character says. Most people do this
without thinking much about it. It’s pretty natural to become
your character while you play, to want what they want, to fear
the outcome of the dice at crucial moments.
The conversation in a roleplaying game evolves naturally over
the course of a session. But your job as a group is to keep the
conversation interesting. The rules, the techniques, and every-
thing you bring to the table is about pushing that conversation
to interesting places. Harsh barrios. Dangerous hunts. Dark
schemes. Wherever the fiction takes you.

Framing Scenes
The way to keep the conversation moving toward interesting
places is to frame scenes. Instead of sitting around the table
talking about your cool nahuales, how they look, and what
animal they can transform into, put them in interesting situa-
tions. Have them running their changarro, trouble knocking at
their door, while they try to keep customers happy. Make them
hunt for angels when they run out of product to sell, or have
them argue about whose turn it is to clean the bathroom when a
customer barfs all over it.

The Basics 27
Think about your story like a movie or a TV series. Cut straight
to the action and the dramatic moments. Skip the boring stuff
and get right to the meat of what’s happening or what’s about
to happen. It may sound complicated, but it is no harder than
starting any conversation; once you get up and running the
rules of the game take you the rest of the way. The Marakame
has final call on what happens when, but everyone has the
responsibility to make sure every scene starts out interesting
and goes somewhere meaningful.

I’m running Nahual for Gloria, Juan, Curi, and Iván. They
all have their characters and changarro done and ready, so I
decide to start the session by framing a scene that shows their
changarro and all the PCs working on it.
“Let’s start with your characters working a regular shift at your
changarro, La Oficina,” I say. “What are the opening hours?”
“I think we open early, like midday,” says Iván, “so we can serve
botana, like a typical cantina. And we close around 10 pm?”
“That’s too early!” Juan replies. “How about we open in the
afternoon, and stay open way late, around 3 or 4 am?”
“Yeah,” Gloria weighs in, “I prefer that, like a nightclub.”
Iván and Curi are totally fine with that too.
“Great. It’s way past midnight on a weekend.” I continue.
“We see a wide shot of the barrio rooftops, lit by moonlight.
Between them, power cables crisscross from post to post, creat-
ing an intricate urban spiderweb. A street cat jumps from roof-
top to rooftop, and while we follow him, some music starts to
get louder as the cat approaches La Oficina. Now, tell me, what
does it look like from outside?”

And so on. There’s no need to show the characters getting

to the changarro, opening the doors, getting ready to receive
customers. The place is open already, packed with custom-
ers, probably most of them drunk, and the PCs are all there,
chambeando. Like in a movie, our first scene has everything

28 Nahual
set up for interesting things to happen. But like in any conver-
sation, everyone should contribute, agreeing or disagreeing
with the proposed ideas, pushing when necessary. If everyone
shares their vision and their point of view, the story grows and
becomes much more interesting than if a single person pulls all
the strings and monopolizes the discussion.
When a scene starts to drag and things stop being interesting,
end it. The Marakame usually calls for a scene to end, but if
players in the scene realize they have nothing more interesting
to say about the scene, they can suggest cutting and moving to
a new scene too. As with movie editing, cutting and changing
scenes at the right time makes the story thrive!

Hard Framing
Sometimes the Marakame might need to move things fast and
push the story to a harsh and difficult situation. Maybe the
consequences of an earlier decision come to bear, hard and fast,
or perhaps the story needs the fire cranked up, so characters
feel the struggle of the angelero life. This is called hard scene
framing because players have less room for negotiation; the
scene starts and PCs must react as best they can.

Curi is playing the Tlacuache, a nahual named Toño. He owns

a small house, near the junkyard, full of all kinds of stuff. In
a previous session, Toño stole an artifact from some black
market goons: an old engraved box, made of bronze. He hasn’t
figured a way to open it yet, but I think it’s time for his thievery
to catch up with him.
“Okay, Toño,” I say. “You are heading back to your place after a
normal day in the changarro. It’s dark and well past midnight,
and as you approach your home, you catch through one of
the windows lights flickering inside. Like multiple flashlights
moving around. Then, as you get closer, you identify the noise
of things being trashed. It appears someone has broken into
your place and they are looking for something.”
“Chíngale! They are looking for the box?”

The Basics 29
 “You can only guess...suddenly a beam of light flashes out
through the window and illuminates you directly in the face.
Then all the flashlights turn off, and the inside of your house
becomes pitch black. What do you do?”

“What Do You Do?”

The question “What do you do?” hits you over and over in
Nahual. Life in Mexico is a constant struggle. You don’t have
time for careful planning and preparations; you have to deal
with problems as they come up and quickly figure out what to
do when things go wrong! Mañana? Mañana será otro día.
Framing scenes is all about pushing the player characters to a
“What do you do?” moment as quickly as possible. Hard scene
framing is that question already in your face, so you need to
react en chinga, no time to hesitate or think.
You may find it appealing to have a conversation about your
taquería, and the shared moments with your quaint clientela,
the news about the barrio, and getting up to date with the latest
chismes. But Nahual isn’t really about that—you can have
those conversations, sure, picturesque vignettes about Mexican
cultura y fiesta—but those moments will be few and scarce. For
the most part, the conversation revolves around your charac-
ters being up against the ropes, taking punches and trying to
stay on their feet. The rules push you to the corner, and you
have to keep moving, hustling, or you will sink. Camarón que se
duerme se lo lleva la corriente.

Following the Fiction

When playing Nahual, the conversations you have about your
characters, the descriptions you make, the feelings you describe,
all weave together to create a story, a world. This is what we call
the fiction, the sum of everything happening in our story.
As the conversation advances, and scenes are framed, you
define your character’s fictional positioning—meaning the
things you’ve all agreed upon in the story already. Once
the position of your character inside the fiction and the

30 Nahual
circumstances around them are defined, you have to follow
through. We mentioned before that playing Nahual and
following its rules takes discipline. You have to stick to what has
been already added to the fiction, even if things turn bad for
your character. Ni modo, palo dado ni Dios lo quita.

“I’m pretty sure these are the pendejos I stole the box from,”
Curi says. “I’m gonna put on my mask, summon my nahual,
and jump through the window.”
“So you just jump through the glass into the dark?” I ask.
“Sí. I can see perfectly in the dark thanks to my nahual, and
I’m counting on the element of surprise—they sure won’t be
expecting me. I want to grab the box before they can react,”
Curi explains to me.
“Oh, I see…what does it look like when you see in the dark?”
“Black and white, like those night vision surveillance cameras.”
“Got it,” I reply. This is a golden opportunity, because Toño is
recklessly jumping in without caution or intel. “You summon
your nahual and jump through the window—glass flying every-
where. As you land, you can see the confused goons covering
their faces to protect themselves. Clearly, they can’t see a thing.
But as you look toward the place you’ve hidden the box, you see
an angel dressed in tactical clothing. He’s holding a handgun
in one hand and the box in the other. His eyes glow strangely in
your night vision, and a faint smile starts to form on his face as
he looks you directly in the eyes.”
“Madres! An angel, and he can see me! I guess I shouldn’t have
just jumped through the window...” Curi says.
“Too late. You are already in, glass already lying all over the
floor. And the angel is looking at you. What do you do?”

Part of playing to find out is committing to the things that have

been established as the conversation goes. If you keep changing
your mind, and adjust things to make them easier, then you are

The Basics 31
not willing to let yourself be surprised by the story—you are
not playing to find out. Hold each other to the truth of the story
you are constructing together! That’s your job as a group when
you play Nahual.
Sometimes players want to clarify an action before it’s set in
stone. When I asked Curi if he was just jumping in, he could
have said, “Well…wait. How many flashlights did you say were
inside?” I actually didn’t say how many! Maybe that detail
would have made Curi change his mind about jumping in;
maybe he would have even snuck around a bit and discovered
the angel. It could have gone differently! But if he asks before
jumping, he’s clarifying instead of rewriting. Once something
has been agreed upon, there’s no taking it back, even if you
don’t like what comes out of it.

Moves and Dice

Framing scenes start the conversation in interesting ways, but it’s
the moves that propel the fiction forward to exciting situations.
Each move is a small set of rules that helps resolve conflicts,
answer questions in the fiction, and push the story in direc-
tions you might not expect. Moves are the backbone of the game
system, the inner programming that connects your characters to
the fiction as they take actions—when you do x, then y happens.
The core of the game is the basic moves: every player character
can trigger them, and they cover situations that come up all the
time in Nahual. In addition to the basic moves, signature and
totem moves tie into your playbook’s totem animal, changarro
moves relate to the angelero trade, and peripheral moves cover
specific situations or parts of the story that don’t come up too
often.
Moves aren’t something you can just activate whenever you
want. Each move has a specific trigger, the “when you do x”
part of the mechanics. In order to use a move, you need to
first say something in the conversation that triggers it, usually
an action your character takes. Sometimes you might look at
your playbook or the move list and think: “I want to use this
cool power!” That’s fine! But then you need to first determine

32 Nahual
what triggers that move, what action your character needs to
do in order for the move to come into play. Moves are generally
governed by this idea: to do it, you have to do it. This means
that the fiction always comes first.

Iván is playing Chemo, the Águila. He’s looking for information

on who sabotaged their changarro’s freezer, making all their
angel meat go to waste. He already visited one of his conectes
and they told him that El Pelusa, a lowly crook that hangs out
in the cantina near the church, would know who did it. As he
arrives at the crowded cantina, he asks for El Pelusa, and some-
body points at a scrawny little guy with a loud attitude.
Iván looks at the basic moves, and then turns to me and says, “I
want to make a fuss to make him tell me who did the sabotage.”
“Alright,” I say. “But what do you do? To trigger the move you
need to act in the fiction first, remember?”
“I walk up to him, and ask him who sabotaged our freezer,”
Iván says.
“Okay, but you need to hit the trigger if you want to use the
move. You need to actually make a fuss: be loud about it, get in
his face, or somehow cause a scene in the crowded cantina. Just
asking him questions won’t trigger the move. Unless maybe you
want to just ask and see what he says?”
“Oh, I see.” Iván pauses and thinks about what Chemo can do
to make a fuss. “He’s smaller than me right?” I nod. “Cool!
Then I grab him by the shirt and slam him on the table,
toppling the bottles of beer, and the chair he was sitting in. I
then squeeze the shirt to make it tight around his neck and ask
him who sabotaged our changarro.”
“That sure sounds like making a fuss to me!” We then look at
the basic move—make a fuss—to see what comes next.

When you take the action that triggers a move, you often
end up rolling dice. You don’t roll dice whenever you want,
only when a move tells you to. Sometimes you may desire the

The Basics 33
specific results of a dice roll, but you can’t grab the dice, roll
them, and jump straight to the results without describing any
action. You must do something in the fiction that triggers a
move before you can roll. Fiction always comes first.
Some moves, however, don’t actually use dice. Like summon
your nahual, for example—you may just need to answer a pair of
questions, or perhaps pay a price. No random situation. No dice
roll needed.

Hits and Misses

When a move asks you to roll the dice, you use two six-sided
dice (2d6) and add the results. Usually the move tells you to roll
with a stat—roll with Garra or roll with Barrio—this means that
you should add (or subtract) your stat to the result on the dice.
There are ways to apply other modifiers to a roll, but you can
never roll with more than +4 or less than -3, no matter what
bonuses or penalties you may have.
The outcomes of dice rolls are:

9 10+: This is a full hit. Usually things go in your favor.

9 7-9: A partial hit. You probably have to pay some kind of cost
or consequence.

9 6 or less: This is a miss. ¡Chíngale!

Most moves tell you what happens in the fiction on a hit, either
a 7-9 or a 10+. Some also tell you what happens on a miss. Just
follow what the move says when you roll it.
In general, a hit means the fiction goes forward in your favor.
You can consider this a success most of the time, even though
it won’t always be flawless. A partial hit brings some cost or
consequence, but at least you get part of what you wanted.
A full hit usually means you get what you wanted, no strings
attached, but other times you may even get a better outcome.
So cross your fingers and hope for a 10+ every time you roll!
A miss on the other hand isn’t necessarily a failure; most of the
time it just means the Marakame gets control of the fiction and
says what happens next. Of course, you probably won’t like what

34 Nahual
the Marakame has to say—that’s why it’s a miss. But their job is to
move the fiction to interesting places, and maybe the most inter-
esting thing is to let you succeed in the action you attempted...and
then turn it against you in the worst possible way.

Gloria is playing Ramona, the Mono. She’s trying to sneak into

a vault underneath some secret passages in a local church. She
learned from a contact that the church has guards and tight
security, which means the vault has to hold something valuable.
As Ramona approaches the vault, she hears footsteps getting
closer. Someone is coming this way! In a rush, she uses one of her
special playbook moves, pluma mágica, which allows her to draw
a door on a surface and make it appear, fully operational. She rolls
the dice, adds her Maña, and gets a total of 4. That’s a miss!
“Oh, mierda!” Gloria says. “I’m gonna get caught.”
“Actually, no,” I say. “You quickly paint the door on the vault
with your pluma mágica and get inside just in time before the
guards turn the corner to find an empty hallway, and a closed
vault. You breathe a sigh of relief, just to hear a responding huff-
ing somewhere in the darkness of the pitch black vault; a big and
deep sound, like that made by a big beast. What do you do?”

The Marakame never rolls dice in Nahual. Instead, they have

a set of moves of their own that they get to make when a player
rolls a miss, or when the conversation gets stagnant. They also
get to say what happens when a player’s move tells them so.
This may appear limiting, but if you are taking the role of the
Marakame, you will find it actually liberating. It takes the load
off the Marakame’s shoulders, so they can focus on creating
interesting situations for the players to react, and therefore trig-
ger moves. For more on the Marakame moves, see page 244.

The Basics 35
Triggers and Uncertainty
But wait a minute—you may be thinking—why is there a limited
number of basic moves? Why do I only get a handful of moves
with my playbook? That means I have a limited number of
things to do in Nahual? Isn’t tabletop roleplaying supposed to
be a game of imagination? That I just say what my character
wants to do and do it?
Well, if your character wants to casually take the elevator on a
regular day, no rush or danger, it just happens. No rules needed,
no dice rolled. We just say it and it happens, there is no uncer-
tainty there. But what if your character is running away from
some angel mercenaries, and wants to get into the elevator and
close it before they catch them? Then it is uncertain if your
character can outrun the angels, and whenever there’s uncer-
tainty about what should happen next, that’s when the moves
kick in and trigger.
The amount of moves is limited because they are curated
to frame the conversation in a way that fits the stories that
Nahual wants you to tell. Each move exists to point the fiction
towards interesting places when uncertainty arises and no one
knows what happens next.
However, it is important to note that for a move to trigger, the
uncertainty needs to be bilateral, affecting the players as well
as the Marakame. Usually the players are the ones uncertain of
what comes next: they’ll look at the Marakame and wait for them
to say what happens. But a move only triggers when no one at the
table knows what should happen, not even the Marakame.
You as the player may just say, “I bounce the drunkard out
of the changarro, he’s bothering the clients.” But you are not
sure you will be able to, you can just guess. The Marakame
knows who this drunkard is; maybe he is just that, a drunkard.
And you are the Jaguar, an apex predator hecho y derecho. In
that case the Marakame just describes you bouncing the poor
cabrón out, or may even let you describe it. No uncertainty
there, no moves triggered. But what if the Marakame knows
this drunkard is actually el Huarache, another nahual, and that

36 Nahual
he can—even drunk—go toe to toe with a badass like you. Can
you kick his butt, or will he kick yours? The Marakame doesn’t
know that. Time for a move.
Remember, you are all playing to find out what happens. That’s
why it is important that moves point to what happens next,
when uncertainty arises. Follow them and discover together
what stories Nahual hides under the skin. For more on the
basic moves, peripheral moves, and changarro moves, see The
Moves on page 91.

Starting the Game

Before playing Nahual there are a few things you need to
consider and things you need to think about and prepare.

Preparing to Play
You need a space to play, preferably a quiet and private place
so you don’t get interrupted in the middle of an intense scene.
You also need a table to sit around, one big enough for everyone
to spread out a bit, put their character sheets on, and roll dice.
But you don’t want a table so big that you can’t hear each other
without shouting!
Make sure you have the play materials printed: the playbooks, a
basic moves sheet for each player, the changarro sheet, and the
Marakame sheets. Also gather a bunch of pencils, erasers, and
at least one pair of six-sided dice—although a pair per player
would be better. You also need some blank sheets or index
cards for notes.
Remember to take breaks as you play; give everyone a chance
to stretch their legs and go to the bathroom if needed. And,
of course, you can also bring some snacks, and something to
drink. It is important to stay hydrated! In general, take it easy
and make sure everyone is enjoying the experience.

The Basics 37
The World of Nahual
Unlike many Powered by the Apocalypse games, Nahual has
a specific setting, based on the stories of Edgar Clément. The
previous chapter describes the setting and gives you all the
basic information you need to play Nahual. And if you want
to take a deeper dive into the world and explore more of its
wonders, check out the Dream Wars supplement: it has new
playbooks, new ways to play the game, and new enemies.
Regardless of the setting, here is the bottom line: Nahual is
yours to play with, alter, adapt, and modify to tell the stories
you and your group are excited about. These few things though,
should be true for every Nahual story, so its system can better
carry you through:

9
The game is set in Mexico, and you are all playing Mexicans.
The game follows themes of anti-colonialism and the fallout
of the Conquista, even in the present day. You can see and
hunt angels because it’s part of your lost heritage, but you

38 Nahual
 can’t fully control this power because you were robbed of the
required traditions.

9
Your characters are underdogs, struggling to make a living.
You are not rich and powerful. In fact, elites are most likely
the antagonists of your stories.

9
You own a business together. You may not be friends—you
may even hate each other—but you all know each other and
have agreed to work the business together.

9
Powerful factions want to control the angelero trade, rapacious
capitalists who tempt the characters to work for them, and
make the nahuales’ lives a living hell if they refuse to fall in line.

9
The supernatural is out in the open. People know angels,
demons, and nahuales exist. Most ordinary people haven’t
seen an angel, but they know they are real. Just like in real
life most people haven’t seen a narco in person, but everyone
knows they are real...if you go to certain places it is likely you
will cross paths with one.
Other than that, change things to your liking and to better fit
your gaming group. Maybe instead of angels you hunt vampires
that came with the conquistadors, and you and your fellow hunt-
ers are caught in the schemes of these bloodsuckers that came
hundreds of years ago. Maybe Cortés himself is still around!

Setting Expectations
The stories of Nahual are violent, crude, and brutal. You’re
butchering human-like angels to make a living! They are invad-
ers and colonialists, but still…they look human. This is an
R-rated game, filled with content that can be uncomfortable
and disturbing. Please make sure you talk with your players
beforehand about the setting and themes of the game. Nahual
may not be a game for everyone, and that’s perfectly fine!

The Basics 39
The X-Card
For the reasons described above, we encourage you to use
the X-Card in your table. Designed by John Stavropoulos, the
X-Card is a tool that helps groups handle difficult content
without setting artificial boundaries or flagging uncomfortable
content in advance.
To quote John:
The X-Card is an optional tool that allows anyone in your game
(including you) to edit out any content anyone is uncomfortable
with as you play. Since most RPGs are improvisational and we
won’t know what will happen till it happens, it’s possible the game
will go in a direction people don’t want. An X-Card is a simple tool
to fix problems as they arise.
To use, at the start of your game, simply say:
“I’d like your help. Your help to make this game fun for everyone.
If anything makes anyone uncomfortable in any way… [ draw X on
an index card ] …just lift this card up, or simply tap it [ place card
at the center of the table ]. You don’t have to explain why. It doesn’t
matter why. When we lift or tap this card, we simply edit out
anything X-Carded. And if there is ever an issue, anyone can call
for a break and we can talk privately. I know it sounds funny but it
will help us play amazing games together and usually I’m the one
who uses the X-Card to protect myself from all of you! Thank you!”
If ever used, you will find that it’s easy to replace the content
X-Carded with something equally brutal and dark that doesn’t
push any player to bad places. And even if you can’t find an equal
replacement, just cut to another scene, and move on. Yes, Nahual
is a game about the stressful and harsh life of angeleros as a meta-
phor of the harsh lives many live in Mexico. But it is just a game,
the well-being of every player always comes first. Always!
For more on the X-Card check this link:
http://tinyurl.com/x-card-rpg

40 Nahual
Why Play?
But why do all this? Why go through all this pain and trouble to
tell a story with tons of options out there—from movie theaters,
to TV shows, to streaming services—full of stories ready for
you to consume without having to do any work yourself?
Because nahuales are chingones de a madre!
Because as cool and as awesome as they are by themselves,
their interactions with each other make them even cooler!
Working together to run their changarro, hunting the angels
they need to keep it running, struggling to make their clients
happy...you won’t find these types of stories anywhere else.
And yes! Precisely because there isn’t enough latinx urban
fantasy out there. Not in movies and media, nor in games
either. So órale, go ahead and make your own, ese!

The Basics 41
42 Nahual
THE ANGELEROS
Choosing a Playbook
The angeleros you create when playing Nahual are the princi-
pal characters of the story, like the stars of a TV show or movie.
To ensure your story has awesome protagonists, Nahual uses
playbooks, a sort of character sheet that gives you the tools to
create and portray that particular character, a template that
captures the essence of the nahual you are playing.
The essence of each playbook is distilled from a totem, the
animal you transform into when you summon your nahual. Your
totem is more than just a form you take; it’s also an animal close
to your character’s own personality. This animal is your way to
grasp at the infinite power of the Nahual—imagine an endless
sea, you can’t grasp all that water, and even if you try you can get
only some with your hands. Your totem animal is a recipient that
lets you handle a part of that power, and since it is shaped like an
animal, the power you get takes the form of that animal.
Sometimes you know what your totem animal is from the
moment you discover your powers. Other times the Nahual
makes that choice for you, or the person training you directs
you toward a particular creature. Whatever the case, your
totem animal must be strongly connected to your personality,
otherwise you won’t be able to use the powers of the Nahual.
There are eight core playbooks in this book: the Águila (Eagle),
the Armadillo, the Jaguar, the Mono (Monkey), the Perro
(Dog), the Serpiente (Snake), the Tlacuache (Opossum), and
the Venado (Deer). The Dream Wars supplement includes
more playbooks, and also some guidelines on how to adjust the
existing playbooks to fit new animals as well.
Each player (except the Marakame) chooses a single playbook
at the start of play and uses it to create their character. No two
players can pick the same playbook; there may be plenty of
jaguar nahuales, but in the story you are telling there can only

The Angeleros 43
be one Jaguar protagonist. Totem animals—and the evolution
of each character’s control over their nahual—is an important
theme in Nahual, one of the main reasons to play. By restrict-
ing the playbook selection to one of each type, you get a motley
crew of flavorful characters, a small zoo of personalities that
will generate a plethora of different interactions, making each
story unique and special.
When picking a playbook, keep in mind that the personality of
the character mimics that of the totem animal. You can simply
choose the animal you like most, sure—but if you pick the
Jaguar, be assured your character will be a predator and killing
machine. However, the playbook you pick is not a straitjacket,
para nada. Each playbook is flexible enough for you to create a
character unique to your taste, with lots of blanks to be filled in
during character creation. For more on each playbook and their
particular personalities, see page 133.

Your Vida Loca

Each playbook gives you multiple options to choose from in
terms of your look, vices, special powers, and gear. But even
though these options are hardcoded into your playbook, you
still need to breathe life and flavor into your character when
you make them.
When making your nahual, you need to focus on their life and
their environment, their barrio history and their relaciones
with other player characters. But don’t panic, tú tranqui. All of
this is about human relationships, and—if you are reading this—
I’m pretty sure you are a human. You got this! It doesn’t matter
if you are not Mexican, poor, or an angel hunter. What matters
is that you contribute ideas about who your character is friends
with, in love with, in debt to, or simply hates.
Don’t be afraid that you might misappropriate or misrepresent
Mexicans and Mexican culture when you make your character.
There’s a lot of Mexican-themed media these days that can help
you come up with character ideas: Coco, Diablero, Narcos, Por la
Máscara, Pastorela, Belzebuth, Roma, Taco Chronicles. It doesn’t
matter if you use a stereotype, which in a way will be based

44 Nahual
on something real anyway. I’d rather have you play a “wrong”
Mexican character, than not play one at all. Echando a perder se
aprende. Go ahead, you have my permission. This is your game,
your character, your story. Have fun!

Life as an Angel Hunter

Characters in Nahual always feel the pressure of the angel
trade. At the start of the game, they are living one day at a time,
fighting to pay bills and stay afloat. Sure, they have their busi-
ness—and it may be even a popular one—but they are strug-
gling. Even the most popular changarro is small, and their
meager revenue is just enough to make a scarce living. If they
charged any more, no one could afford what they sell!
In addition, hunting angels is stressful and the use of the Nahual
also takes its toll; the nahuales must hunt, kill, and prepare what
they sell. On top of all that, powerful factions try to pull the
nahuales’ strings, pushing on them until they break or become
faithful puppets.
Life as an angelero is not an easy one; play into that strug-
gle when creating your character, don’t create a world where
they have it easy. They have to echarle ganas everyday, to
grind, that’s the fun of Nahual. You are not rich, influential,
or powerful. You have abilities, sure, but you don’t know yet
how to use them to their full potential. You are the others, the
underdogs, los de abajo.

I’m running Nahual for Claudia, Mario, Diego, and Balles.

Claudia is creating her character, so she first needs to pick a play-
book. As far as animals go, she likes the Jaguar the most. But she
is not looking to play a violent character! She likes tricky charac-
ters who get what they want through stealth or manipulation.
She mentions her interest in the Tlacuache and the Venado—
the Opossum and the Deer, respectively. Diego says that he is
also interested in the Venado, so I explain to Claudia that of the
two playbooks she called out, the Tlacuache is the least violent,
trickiest nahual—the Venado has a tendency to get into the
fray. If Claudia is looking for a character sneaky, tricky, and

The Angeleros 45
 likely to run away from problems rather than shooting them in
the face, the Tlacuache is a better choice. She agrees and picks
up that playbook.

Name and Persona

After you choose a playbook, it is time to create your character.
The first thing you choose is their name and persona.
Start by picking a name from the list provided on the play-
book—or come up with one yourself. That’s fine too. The list
gives you Mexican names: the first four are feminine names
and the last four are masculine. The names in quotes are short
versions—e.g., “Lupe” is short for Guadalupe, and “Toño” is
short for Antonio. Spanish language names are rarely neutral,
but there are cases when a man has a mixed male and female
name, like José Guadalupe, usually called just Lupe.
Feel free to mix the names up as you like; this is your charac-
ter and your game. And besides, this is a game about imagina-
tion. Let us use that power to break the old molds and push this
conservative society to better places. Bring diversity to your
game, so when we get used to it in our fictions, we start accept-
ing it in real life.
Once you have a name, continue to the persona section. As this
section states: you are Mexican, and you are poor. This is at
the core of all your characters. You are what we call in Mexico:
raza, prole. You grew up in humble neighborhoods, went to
public schools—if you went to school at all—probably working
since you were ten or twelve years old in some sort of family
business. Your life has been modest since you were born. Keep
that in mind as you complete the playbook.
Then choose one option from each of the lists; these options
determine how others perceive you when they encounter you
in the barrio. Do you have a conforming gender presentation
or is it nonconforming—crossing the boundaries of gender
norms? Do you present as androgynous or are you constantly
shifting the way you present yourself? How old is your charac-
ter? How old do they look? What’s the feeling your eyes convey

46 Nahual
when people first look at them? And what’s your style of dress
on a regular day? Use these options as starting points for your
character, and add details to fill the gaps.

Claudia looks at the list of names for the Tlacuache, but then
a funny idea pops in her mind. She decides to call her char-
acter Lucía Fernanda, but everyone calls her Lucifer—as in
Lucy, plus Fer. She then decides Lucifer is a woman with a
conforming gender presentation, of young age—barely out of
her teens. Her eyes have a spark that shows she’s always about
to do some mischief (naughty eyes), and she usually dresses in

The Angeleros 47
 a hip, casual style with a gothic touch—shredded jeans, black
shirts of her favorite bands, black hoodie or jacket—which
for someone her age is pretty inconspicuous (discreet look).
Claudia adds that she’s small, thin, and shorter than most girls
her age, so she looks younger than she actually is.

Vices
Hunting angels and messing around with the Nahual power is
ugly business; killing and butchering an angel can mess up your
mind big time, and tapping into the Nahual’s power without
fully understanding it is a strenuous endeavor. The toll this life-
style takes is represented in play as vices—flaws or compulsions
that capture your character’s emotional distress.
Choose two vices from the list. You should use them as guide-
lines to portray your character’s personality, so pick the ones
you think fit best with the character idea you are developing.
Mechanically, each vice has a specific trigger; if you roleplay your
character in a way that meets that requirement, your vice acti-
vates, allowing you to clear a condition, empty your stress track,
or mark an XP. For more on activating vices, see page 202.

For her Tlacuache, Claudia decides to pick Cowardice and

Sloth as her vices. She thinks Lucifer is still too young and
hates work and responsibilities. Since she’s small and not as
strong or violent as other characters, she’s always ready to run
away and live to tell the tale, no matter who she leaves behind—
another sign of her immaturity.

48 Nahual
Stress, Conditions, and Harm
No decisions to make here. Just know that stress and conditions
are linked together. When you fill your stress track, you empty
it and mark a condition. In Nahual, many things ask you to
mark stress, so you will be filling your stress track and marking
conditions pretty often.
Each playbook has a distinct set of three conditions to mark,
chosen from a list of seven conditions: Afraid, Anxious,
Frustrated, Haunted, Insecure, Restless, Shaken. Each set
assigned to a playbook was created with the animal personality in
mind—it makes more sense for the Tlacuache to be afraid than for
the Jaguar to be afraid.
When you mark a condition, you take a -2 ongoing to a specific
basic move, depending on what condition you marked. If you
have multiple conditions, all penalties apply. Finally, if all your
conditions are marked you can’t summon nor unleash your
nahual. For more on conditions see page 199.
Get familiar with your playbook’s conditions, which basic
moves they penalize, and keep them in mind when choosing
totem moves or thinking about your character’s personality and
demeanor during play.
Harm is a separate system from stress and conditions that
addresses physical injury to your character. If you suffer
emotional or mental strain, you mark stress; if you get shot or
clawed by a diablo, then you mark harm. You can read more
about harm and how it works on page 204.

Claudia checks the Tlacuache conditions: Afraid, Insecure, and

Shaken. Afraid gives a -2 to assail someone, but Claudia is okay
with that; she doesn’t see Lucifer as a violent character. Insecure,
on the other hand, gives -2 to make a fuss. Claudia is going to
pay attention to that condition because Lucifer will be talking
her way out of trouble most of the time, and this condition
affects her ability to do that. Same goes for Shaken, having -2 to
sneak around is not in Lucifer’s best interests, got to watch out
for that one too.

The Angeleros 49
The Stats
Characters in Nahual have four stats: Garra, Maña, Barrio,
and Instinto. When a move asks you to roll with a stat, you add
the stat to the total on the dice, so each of these stats deter-
mines how good you are at doing certain things.

9 Garra defines your capacity to face adversity, make a stand,

or to swim against the current. You act with Garra when you
face a situation head-on and without hesitation.

9 Maña is your ability to solve a problem with cleverness. It

also represents your talents and expertise. You act with Maña
when you try to manipulate the odds in your favor.

9 Barrio denotes how well you handle yourself on the streets,

how well connected you are to the community. It also estab-
lishes how you interact with other people in tense situations.

9 Instinto is a reflection of your animalistic side. It helps you

read situations and react instinctively, and it connects you to
the most wild and primal part of your nahual.
Next to each stat, a starting value is presented in grey. You can add
+1 to any one stat of your choice, modifying the starting value.
You may want to check your playbook to know what stats you will
roll with most often. But since all playbooks use the basic moves
(page 92), all the stats are useful in one way or another.
Once you have made your decision on which stat gets the +1,
write down the final numbers in their corresponding boxes.
Don’t worry too much about low stats; as the game progresses
you’ll be able to increase your stats through advancement.

The Tlacuache starts with Garra 0, Maña +1, Barrio +1, and
Instinto -1. Claudia is not sure in what stat to place her +1,
and asks me for guidance. I remind her that she can look at
the Tlacuache moves on the back of the playbook and see what
stats she might use the most. She sees that lots of Tlacuache
moves rely on Maña, so she decides to bump it up to a +2. She
also looks at the basic moves and likes that with a high Maña
she can make a fuss and sneak around to get away with all
sorts of mischief.

50 Nahual
Barrio Questions
After completing your stats, choose and answer only one of the
two barrio questions presented for your character. Each barrio
question asks you to define a character—sometimes more than
one—with whom you have a personal connection. Focus only
on NPCs; your fellow nahuales get a different, special relation-
ship with your character, a relación (page 56).
The question you pick helps define your connection to your
neighborhood positively or negatively, but everyone’s—all the
PCs’—answers to these questions give the Marakame a cast of
NPCs connected to the barrio, your amigos, enemigos, familia,
and vecinos. Choose the question that defines characters
appealing to you and highlight the type of stories you want for
your character.

Looking at the barrio questions, Claudia picks: “You grew up

all by yourself in the barrio and know it like the back of your
hand. Name two other persons that grew up with you on the
streets: one of them is your carnal and would die for you, the
other hates you and wants you dead, why is that?”
Claudia explains that her best friend is a boy named Peter, his
parents were undocumented immigrants that got deported
from El Norte last year. Peter was actually born in Mexico, but
his parents had already planned on crossing the border north
at that time, so they named him Peter instead of Pedro. Since
returning, Peter’s parents work all day in the mercado, leav-
ing Peter to spend his time with Lucifer on the streets. Claudia
notes that Lucifer ran away from home at 15 and has been
living by herself ever since.
Claudia decides that the other character, the one that hates her,
is Julio. Son of a crime boss, the boy always hung out with them
on the streets. Claudia used to play pranks on him, and now
that they are both older, Julio developed a twisted hate for her.
Now he has his own gang and the resources for payback, and
he plans on going con todo against her.

The Angeleros 51
Gear and Stuff
As I have said over and over, life as an angelero is not an easy
one. But even though you’re poor, you’ve managed to get some
assets—tools of your trade—that will help you survive. You
start the game with some stuff. Each playbook has different
things they start with, though; for some, it will be weapons, for
most, a place to crash, a way to move around the city, or a way
to stay in contact with their colegas. However, you all start with
some enhancers to summon your nahual, and of course, your
máscara de nahual!
Your nahual mask is important: the Marakame will ask you
what it looks like the first time you put it on, so think about the
mask now. What is it made of? How does it look? Where did
you get it? Did you make it? Use it as an extension of your char-
acter’s personality, because it is!
Some playbooks also present a list of choices to pick from or
instructions to define some special gear. Choosing from a list is
pretty straightforward, so go ahead and do that. When you need
to define stuff from scratch, you can work with the Marakame if
you feel the need—or if your playbook tells you to do so.
Finally, a few playbooks have a special move that gives you
access to more stuff. This may be listed with your gear, as a
reminder, but the details and rules of what you get are in the
moves section—usually in the signature move.

Lucifer, the Tlacuache, gets a mid-sized apartment full of

all sorts of stolen stuff, a vehicle in regular shape, her nahual
mask, and two hearts of the earth.
She then gets to mention three items she can easily carry with
her—with or without strings attached, my choice. Claudia says
that one is a Swiss Army knife, the other is an old Gameboy
she borrowed from Peter, and the third one is an old crossbow
that sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. I’m mostly fine
with those items, but the old crossbow is an odd choice—it’s
interesting that Claudia has already said that the crossbow
doesn’t always work, but still...I’m not sure an old crossbow is

52 Nahual
The Angeleros 53
 something you can easily get in Mexico. I ask her where Lucifer
got it. She says Lucifer stole it from a museum. Nice! I tell her
she can have it, but I’m attaching some strings to it: there are
people looking for the crossbow, and for her.

Character Moves
In Nahual, every character can trigger any of the basic moves—
avoid trouble, assail someone, make a fuss, sneak around, figure
someone out, hit up your conecte, open the doors of perception,
summon your nahual, and unleash your nahual. All these moves
trigger when a character takes actions in the fiction that matches
the move.
In addition to the basic moves, each playbook gets their own char-
acter moves—signature and totem moves. You can think of them
as skills or special abilities that trigger in specific situations. These
moves also help bring out the character’s flavor in relation to their
totem animal, contributing to the uniqueness of each character.

Signature Moves
Your signature move is mundane in nature and active all the
time, whether you are transformed or not. For some playbooks,
the signature move asks you to choose from different options or
features. Other playbooks are even more unique—the Venado
has two signature moves to choose from, and the Armadillo
gives you two signature moves at the start of play! Whatever the
case, your playbook has instructions for you when needed, just
follow them when creating your character. Pan comido.

Totem Moves
Totem moves are only available to you when you summon your
nahual to transform (see page 112). Totem moves are super-
natural in nature, calling upon your powers to accomplish great
things. Each playbook includes instructions on how many totem
moves you have access to at the start of the game—usually two.
If you are having a tough time deciding, don’t worry, you can add
more totem moves as your character advances.

54 Nahual
It’s a good idea to look at all these moves and see what stat
they rely upon. If you want to adjust your stats based on your
choices, go ahead and do it.

Claudia checks the Tlacuache’s signature move, called

tambache, a move that gives you some sort of bag or back-
pack you carry around and lets you pull things from it as you
need them. So cool! She then moves on to the totem moves,
and sees she needs to pick two. She chooses lucky, which lets
her roll with Maña instead of Instinto when avoiding trouble,
and guise, which allows her to disguise herself with an illusion.
Claudia likes both of those moves; she thinks they’ll let her do
pranks and mischief in a funny way.

The Stages of Nahuality

Your character’s advancement is tied to the six Stages of
Nahuality representing the level of control you have over the
power of the Nahual. Each stage has a name or title (in ascend-
ing order): Novato, Aprendiz, Brujo, Nahual, Kibal, and
Postome. The physical change of your transformation is also
tied to the level of power—from barely noticeable changes
at Novato stage, to full animal form at Nahual stage, to all out
god-like spirit animal at Postome stage. For more on the stages,
check page 222.
You start the game controlling the First Stage (Novato).
Each stage has its own XP track: each time the XP track fills,
you clear it and take an advance. When you’ve taken all the
advances of your current stage of control, you now control the
next stage—mark that new stage’s box. Felicidades!
Each stage also includes a few channel abilities, special tricks or
powers you can tap into by paying the stress cost. Some of these
abilities are specific to your playbook—like the Mono making
a tool appear out of thin air, or the Venado running over water
or vertical surfaces. Others are common to all playbooks—like
phasing through walls or jumping long distances. When you
transform, you get access to the channel abilities of the stage you
are currently transformed into, plus all those of lower stages.

The Angeleros 55
 Claudia looks at the Tlacuache’s channel abilities. For one
stress Lucifer can see perfectly in the dark, climb walls with
uncanny skill, or open or bypass a security lock. That will come
in handy when trying to do some travesuras! She also takes a
look at the Second Stage and the possibility of making Lucifer
invisible to normal eyes catches her attention. She can’t wait to
advance to the next stage and be able to cause all sorts of trou-
ble with that ability!

Introductions and Relaciones

Finally, once everyone has finished filling out their playbooks,
it is time to introduce the characters and work together to
define the relaciones—the personal relationships each of you
have with the other player characters.
One by one, each player takes a few minutes to share their
character’s name, their persona, vices, barrio answers, start-
ing gear, and moves. Players can add any other details they
think are important to know about their characters. As each
player describes their angelero, the other players, especially the
Marakame, might ask some questions about each character, to
help flesh it out better, and to have a clear sense of who these
characters are.
Once everyone has presented their character, it’s time to define
the relaciones. Starting with the person left to the Marakame,
and going clockwise around the table, each player chooses
one option at a time from the relaciones list, and assigns it to
another player character. Once everyone has done their first
relación, go again for a second round, and then a third, and so
forth, until each player has one with each other character.

56 Nahual
There are a total of six options on each playbook, so unless you
are playing with more than seven characters—which is far more
than what I recommend, please don’t do that!—there will be
left over questions, leave those blank. When assigning the rela-
ciones, talk with each player about the option you are choosing
for their character, so you can both agree and expand on it.

Claudia has only the third and last relación left to pick for
Lucifer, the one with Johnny, Diego’s character. Claudia picks
this one: “You care so much about gaining Johnny’s respect.
Why is that?”
Claudia explains this ties perfectly with the relación that
Diego just set for Johnny and Lucifer from the Venado play-
book—Lucifer can’t stand Johnny’s presence, and he thinks it
is because she is secretly in love with him, thus she gets very
uncomfortable around him.
“I think that Johnny is totally right, and Lucifer has a secret
crush on him,” Claudia says. “That is why Lucifer cares so
much about gaining his respect. She worries Johnny thinks
she’s just a little girl, so she hopes to impress him so he can see
her as a woman.”

And that’s it, your nahual is ready to hunt! Now you all have
to work together in defining your changarro. Go to the next
chapter, The Changarro, to learn about the different types of
businesses your angeleros might run and how to create your
changarro for your game.

The Angeleros 57
58 Nahual
THE CHANGARRO
I have said it before, again and again: life in Mexico is rough.
Wages are low, patrones exploit their workers, inequality is
through the roof, poverty is a constant threat, and—in general
—everyone is hustling and living paycheck to paycheck. No
wonder most of Mexico’s economy runs on small, informal
businesses known as changarros!
In fact, changarros are the backbone of the barrio’s economy.
Peddlers, flea markets, street food stalls: you name it, you can
find it. Many of these small businesses don’t even have an
established location, let alone pay taxes or provide healthcare
to their employees. Regardless, a big chunk of Mexico’s work-
force belongs to this informal economy, laboring for cash on a
day-to-day basis.
In this type of economy, the angelero trade has thrived. And even
though angeleros usually work alone, your characters have set
themselves apart by owning a changarro together, a place from
which you sell the angels you hunt. It is a small, humble business,
nothing too fancy, but it’s enough for you all to make a living.
The mechanics around the changarro abstract the daily grind of
running a business, cutting short the detailed bookkeeping and
inventory, and pushing the conversations to those moments
when things don’t go as expected. You all will need to figure out
how to make the best of it.

The Pillars of the Trade

The angelero trade is usually divided into three pillars. First
of all, you need to go hunt some angels—this is called cacería.
Then, you have to butcher those angels to make good use of
their parts, and create the products you need to sell—this
is known as tablajería. Finally you must sell your goods to
actual customers, an activity called expendio, varying heavily
depending on the type of changarro you run.

The Changarro 59
Mujeres Angeleras
Something that has been taken for granted (and often even defined
as a tradition) in the angelero trade is that only men can be angele-
ros. Women were not allowed to hunt angels; at most—and only out
of necessity—they could follow the men in a hunt, carry equipment,
and sometimes pick up and butcher the dead angels.
Nowadays the trade is no longer just a family business. Hunters
without blood ties join forces to be more productive. And the new
generations care less and less about the stupid “tradition” that
bars women from working as angeleros.
However, there is machismo still, among angeleros and in Mexico
in general. But a lot of strong female angeleras exist too, and many
show more discipline and talent than most of the stupid angele-
ros machistas. Like most minorities, having to work twice as hard
as those in a position of privilege, the angeleras have turned into
authentic chingonas!

Nobody knows when these divisions or pillars of the trade were

first established. Most of the oldest angeleros just remember
learning the trade from their fathers, as their fathers did before
them, and so on. As far as they are concerned, things have been
like this forever—which can’t be actually true, but those viejos
are tercos como mulas, so let’s leave it at that.
Part of the old traditions was the fact that angel hunters worked
alone, taking care of all three aspects of the job. Some specialized
in just one or two aspects—i.e. hunting and butchering the angels,
but leaving the expendio part to somebody else. Of course, when
learning the trade a son would accompany his father, but as soon
as he could hunt an angel all by himself, he had to go on his own.
The newest generation of angeleros has thrown off some of
these traditions; sometimes they find it more convenient to
join forces and run a changarro together. The player characters
in Nahual are such angeleros, working together to take care of
all three pillars in a team effort. Or at least they try to share the
load, verdad, Tlacuache?

60 Nahual
Cacería
Angeleros need to hunt angels to restock their changarro. One
angel turns into a lot of tacos, but eventually even the best
stocked taquería needs new meat.
When they go out hunting, the angeleros go to the spots where
angels gather. These are called hunting turfs. Your characters
have their own turf, a spot they know well that presents fewer
difficulties when hunting there. But if they hunt too much in
the same spot, angels learn it is a dangerous area and stop gath-
ering there. The angeleros have to go to other turfs, less known
to them, to keep their changarro stocked.
The move cacería handles the hunting activity, taking into
account whether your characters hunt in their turf or go to new
unknown places—see page 124 for more details.

Tablajería
After the hunt, the angeleros need to transform those dead
angels into products, as one or more of them take on the role
of a tablajero or butcher. Killing angels is one thing; skinning
and cutting them apart is quite another. A normal person
would go mad killing and butchering a single angel. Angeleros
are more used to the bloody work, but even for them the act
can be quite disturbing.
After their death, the divine nature of an angel lingers on.
Some people hear screams and cries in their minds, some see a

Hunting Turfs
Hunting turfs are zones where angels nest, usually places with
a high conglomeration of religious believers: churches, hospi-
tals, graveyards, even the slums. If there are people praying to a
higher power, angels thrive. Your group defines your characters’
turfs, either at the beginning of play or when more information
about the turf is needed. See page 262 for more on how to use
hunting turfs in play.

The Changarro 61
person they know in the dead angel’s face, others get drowned
in the lingering fear of death that flows off the angel’s body like
a stench. The effects vary and differ each time, and they can
manifest as a single effect or as a combination of them.
Besides all that, the angel still has a human-like body, making
the butchery strange and unsettling enough to affect anyone.
Only the most cold-blooded angeleros can do the tablajería
work without it haunting their dreams. That is why angeleros
are a deranged lot.
When taking care of such nasty business, your characters use
the tablajería move—check page 130 for more details.

Expendio
Once the angelic products are ready, it is time to sell the goods.
Most angeleros generally try to sell as much of the angel as
possible themselves, creating a wide variety of products—
meat for healing, chínguere for getting drunk, polvo de ángel for
getting high—and selling whatever other parts they can’t use
themselves. Working alone, these angeleros are like a lonely
hunter trying to make the best out of the game they hunt.
Your characters, however, work in a group in a changarro that
specializes in a specific type of product, dictating the routine of
your tablajería and expendio:

9
If you sell your angels as tacos on a food truck, you are
constantly moving around the city, bringing your tacos
directly to the customers.

9
If you sell the meat raw to special clients through a carnicería
(butcher shop) you make deliveries to such clients, trying to
keep them satisfied despite their weird demands.

9
If you serve chínguere in your cantina (traditional Mexican bar),
you deal with your regulars and worry about your popularity.

9
And if you work in a vecindad (low-income housing unit)
making polvo de ángel for a local dealer, you deal with all your
neighbors and the dangers of working with the cartels.

62 Nahual
These four types of changarros are presented in detail at
the end of this chapter. Each changarro includes their own
approach to represent your business performance in the form
of a move called expendio—for each specific move, see each
changarro below.

Running the Business

The three changarro moves (cacería, tablajería, and expendio)
serve to represent the grind of running the business. The other
parts of that engine are the restock track and the profit track.

Restock
Your changarro has a restock track that represents the product
you use up running the business. It is an abstract representation
rather than an accurate stock count, and it varies in size depend-
ing on the type of changarro you choose. Your type of changarro
also determines how and when you mark restock—using up your
supply of angel meat and parts—via the expendio move. For more
information on this, check each changarro below.
If you ever need to mark restock, and your restock track is
full, each player character marks stress instead. This doesn’t
mean you are completely out of product; marking stress
represents your PCs struggling to use whatever scraps they can
find to keep the business going. However, operating without
enough supply will keep hitting your stress tracks until you go
hunt some angels. For more on clearing your restock see the
tablajería move on page 130.
Players can also use their angel product stock for themselves.
As long as the track is not already full, a player can mark 1
restock to:

9
Heal one heavy harm on up to two characters by preparing
and serving them angel meat.

9
Reduce one deadly harm to heavy harm for one character,
provided that character eats the meat and rests for the day.

9
Obtain three hearts of the heaven, used to transform (see
page 23 for more deteails).

The Changarro 63
Whether everyone needs to agree or not when a player marks
stock this way is up to each group and the established fiction. If
they keep the stock of angel meat under lock and key, and only
the Jaguar has the key, it is up to that character who can mark
restock—unless the Tlacuache steals the key and gets into the
stock before anyone notices.

64 Nahual
Profit
The profit track represents a surplus you get when your busi-
ness performs well. Like restock, profit is an abstract concept,
representing your characters’ earnings and the business’s
improvement; profit can be money in a safe box or hidden
under someone’s mattress. There is no need to track the exact
amount of pesos characters have earned.
However, there’s a limit to the amount of profit you can hoard,
established by the amount of boxes in your profit track. This
represents not only your characters living off your changarro
earnings, but also that it is hard to keep a bunch of cash
hidden under the bed. Banks you say? You cannot trust those
white-collar ladrones!
Now, just because your profits are abstract doesn’t mean
they are untouchable. You can lose them depending on what
happens in the fiction: maybe someone comes and steals your
cash from the safe, or maybe you got involved in a scam, and
lose part of it, or all! Chíngale!
Therefore, don’t hesitate to use your profit. The main way for
you to put it to good use is having a pachanga—a party—to clear
stress and conditions. Just watch out for la pinche cruda! (see
the pachanga move on page 121).
You can also use your profit as an asset to bribe people or a way
to pay any debts due to your creditors. You might even want to
somehow improve your changarro with the extra cash you’ve
got. Although your changarro doesn’t mark XP or advance, you
can negotiate changes in the fiction with your Marakame (for
more on improving your changarro, see page 219).
Finally, you can also gain profit through events in the fiction—
making a deal with someone, completing a special job, or stum-
bling into a large amount of cash. The Marakame sets how many
boxes of profit a deal or a job is worth instead of trying to figure
out exact amounts; they can just say, “this deal they are offering
you is worth three profit,” and move on with the story.

The Changarro 65
Changarro Creation
Similar to the character playbooks, the changarro sheet is a sort
of template that helps you define the type of business you run
together. Each changarro defines the main product you sell, the
size of your restock track, the problemas that come with it, the
features related to your business activities, moves that help you
with your trade, and the mundane duties you all have to fulfill
running a changarro.

Choosing a Changarro
As a group, go through the changarro descriptions and rules,
and choose the one that speaks to the type of stories your group
wants to create. Below is a list of the changarros available, with
a distilled description about each one:

9
Taco Truck: you run a taco truck and move around the city
selling angel meat tacos. You are also hunted by elite angels
with a personal grudge against you all.

9
Carnicería: you own a butcher shop that sells raw meat to
special clients; you are not open to the general public. Other
angeleros try to steal your clients!

9
Cantina: you have a cantina where you mainly sell chínguere.
Clients gather there to conduct their shady business, bringing
their troubles to your establishment.

9
Vecindad: you provide polvo de ángel to a local dealer, work-
ing your trade from inside a vecindad—a low-income housing
unit—full of troublesome neighbors.

While looking at the different types of changarros, Claudia and

Balles jump right in and vote for the cantina, saying that sell-
ing drinks and tending to the clientele sounds like a lot of fun.
Mario was kind of interested in the carnicería, but seeing the
enthusiasm that Claudia and Balles have for the cantina means
he’s willing to go along with them. Diego doesn’t have a partic-
ular preference; he’s okay with the choice too.

66 Nahual
Restock
As mentioned before, the restock track tells you when you are
running out of angel product and need to go hunt some angels.
The size of your restock varies with the type of changarro.
Your changarro also tells you how often you mark restock, via
the expendio move (see below). Keep this information in mind
when choosing your changarro, since this dictates the rhythm
of your hunting cycle.

Looking at the changarro sheet, they see that the cantina has a
restock of four. Not bad! I quickly explain to them how restock
works, and they take note to keep an eye on it, so they better
go hunting before the track completely fills and starts causing
them stress.

Problemas
A problema is a tool for the Marakame to create interesting
situations for your changarro when things don’t go as well as
you’d expected. Each changarro comes with a specific pair of
problemas pertaining to the type of business you run. Even
though you don’t choose anything here, you all need to work
with the Marakame to add details to those problemas and make
them part of the fiction. Also, when choosing your changarro,
you can compare their problemas to help inform your choice
depending on which sounds more interesting to the group.

Players take a look at the problemas that come with a cantina:

investor and damn regulars. I ask them to tell me about their
investor, and Balles suggests that maybe the investor is Don
Leopoldo, the mob boss Chino—Mario’s character—used to
work for. Mario hesitates for a second, but then agrees; he likes
making Don Leopoldo the investor since it ties that character
back into the story.
Then, I explain that the damn regulars problema makes refer-
ence to the regular NPCs defined in the cantina’s special feature,
so we move on to that section to flesh out this problema.

The Changarro 67
Special Features
Each changarro includes a set of special features that makes it
unique. The taco truck has hotspots, the places you visit with
your truck to sell your tacos; the carnicería has special clients
you tend to with product deliveries and sometimes favors to
keep them happy; the cantina has regulars that come to your
changarro and sometimes cause you trouble, and a popularity
score you need to manage; and finally, the vecindad comes with
neighbors you inevitably interact with and a local dealer to
whom you sell your polvo de ángel.
Check each particular changarro, later in this chapter, for the
detailed instructions and choices you have to make on these
special features.

Now the players move into the special features of their chan-
garro. The cantina has two such features: regulars and popu-
larity. For regulars, the group needs to choose four options
from a list presented to them; the list includes six different
NPCs with names and a brief descriptive as a starting point
to define those characters. The players talk among themselves
and choose the four they like the most. We then talk briefly
about who these NPCs are and what we do know about them,
and what we don’t yet. We’ll have to play to find out!
After that, we move into the popularity track, which goes from
-2 to +3. The changarro indicates that at the start of the game
the popularity is at +1, so they mark that box on the track. I
explain to them this can shift as we play, representing how
popular their cantina gets.
“You’ll have to work hard to keep it from dropping to negative
numbers,” I say. “When you trigger the expendio move—which
comes next in the changarro—you’ll be rolling with popularity!”

68 Nahual
Expendio Move
The expendio move represents the grind and hustle of the angel-
ero lifestyle, as you sell or use up your product (marking restock)
and sometimes gain surplus (marking profit), in addition to
other things related to the type of changarro you run. However,
its true purpose is to be a tool for the Marakame, to create inter-
esting situations and to bring trouble to your doorstep.
You don’t choose anything in this section, but read it as a group
so you all know how your changarro works and what things you
need to pay attention to.

Players read the expendio move for their cantina, and confirm
that the move is rolled with popularity—like I said before.
So they all agree that the first thing they have to do is try to
increase that popularity!

Changarro Moves
Each changarro gives you a move by default, and then lets
you pick two more from a list of three optional moves. These
special benefits can help you with your trade, making your life
a bit easier. As a group, look over the options and discuss which
two everyone likes the most.

The Changarro 69
 The cantina gives the angeleros the move party time!, allowing
them to throw parties in the cantina to increase their popular-
ity, summon an NPC to the bar, or get some extra profit.
Then they look at the three optional moves: Don Vicente, an
NPC specialist in brewing chínguere, gives them +1 to the
party time! move; home advantage, which grants PCs a +1
ongoing to making a fuss and figuring someone out while they
are at the cantina; and more than a regular, which turns one of
their regulars into a friend and ally they can go to for help.
“I like Don Vicente!” Claudia says. Balles and Diego nod,
agreeing with Claudia. Mario is okay with that choice and
then suggests home advantage as the other pick. “I think the
+1 ongoing when we are at the cantina will come in handy
when dealing with clients there. Which it seems like we’ll be
doing a lot!” Mario says. Diego agrees with Mario and helps
him convince Claudia and Balles to choose that move as their
second option.

Duties
Each changarro—with the exception of the vecindad—has a
set of mundane duties that your characters must do to keep up
the daily routine of your business. Lazy angeleros that want
to avoid the stress and work required to run a business prefer
to install themselves in a vecindad, enjoying life and getting by
with minimum effort. Everyone else has to hustle!
As a group, you determine how your characters take care of
these duties however you like. More than a strict checklist you
need to fulfill, these are things you need to keep in mind when
framing scenes and creating the fiction.

Claudia reads the duties for the cantina aloud to the group
and says she imagines Lucifer working the bar, and handling
checks and payments. Balles says that his character Casimiro
probably takes care of cleaning the floors and bathrooms, and
that maybe he also takes care of dishwashing.

70 Nahual
 Diego says that Johnny probably waits the tables, and since he
is a charming Venado, maybe he is one of the reasons why the
place started to gain popularity. Mario mentions that his char-
acter Chino, the Jaguar, is definitely the bouncer, and since he
already takes out the douchebags, maybe he also takes out the
trash bags.
I ask who takes care of buying the supplies and doing the
paperwork and administrative duties. The players look at each
other, and Diego says that Johnny probably goes every morning
to the central de abastos to buy supplies. Mario adds that Chino
is a bit compulsive, so maybe he takes care of the administra-
tion, to make sure everything is in order.

Final Details
Once you have established the different elements of your chan-
garro, work together to flesh it out. Fill in the narrative gaps that
tie your changarro to each of your characters: how did you come
to own it? How long have you been working together in it? Is it a
brand new thing or is it a long tradition some of you inherited?
Finally, choose a name for it, and describe the place. A good
way to make sure all the players get involved in this step is to
use Jason Cordova’s technique called Paint the Scene: ask the
players what a newcomer can observe that suggests the chan-
garro is run by angeleros, or what here makes it stand out from
other mundane businesses.

Paint the Scene

Jason’s original technique goes deeper than mere visuals; it is
concerned with ideas, themes, and motifs. Nonetheless, it is
also useful for fleshing out the physical description of the chan-
garro. I recommend you check out the full technique to use in
other situations though. You can find more about it here:
www.gauntlet-rpg.com/blog/paint-the-scene

The Changarro 71
 Once everyone has agreed on the different choices of their
changarro, it is time to flesh it out. First we talk about how their
changarro came to be. We’ve already established that the investor
is Don Leopoldo—Chino’s former boss. So they decide that the
place is brand new, just opened thanks to the investor’s money.
Balles then adds that maybe Casimiro recently inherited a colo-
nial apartment in an old building in the centro histórico, and
that he talked to Chino about finally opening a cantina there
to sell chínguere—they had been dreaming about it for a while.
They then invited Lucifer and Johnny to help them with the
hunting and with running the changarro.
Next I ask what the name of the place will be. They discuss
different ideas among them, and finally come up with Cielito
Lindo! Awesome!
They describe the place inside an old colonial building with a
patio in the center, on the second floor. A brand new neon sign
reads Cielito Lindo, and the place can host around 30+ people.
I ask each player to add one detail to the changarro.
Claudia says that behind the bar where Lucifer works, the
shelves that hold the bottles are adorned with some angel
feathers and bones.
Diego mentions that the floor is wooden, and that Johnny’s boots
sound like deer hooves as he walks around delivering drinks.
Balles adds that the doors are actually antique, swinging
saloon doors, and that above the entrance—on the inside—
hangs a painting of three horses: Casimiro’s most precious
possession inside the cantina.
Finally, Mario says that in one corner there’s a trio playing old
classic Mexican songs. But that actually the cantina has theme
nights, with different types of music on different nights to
please a wider variety of clientele.
With all of those pieces in place, we’re ready to start! I decide to
begin with a scene inside the cantina and ask the players what
each of their characters is doing on a regular weekend night...

72 Nahual
The List of Changarros
There are four different types of changarro in the Nahual
corebook. Each one is unique in the kind of stories you will be
telling and in the mechanics that help you tell those stories.

Taco Truck
This changarro is all about moving around the city selling your
tacos. You have a small restock track and a heat track—which
represents how close your hunters are to finding you. The pace
at which you mark restock and heat is up to you; as long as you
are willing to deal with troubles in the spots you visit, you can
usually avoid filling those tracks.

Carnicería
In this changarro you make deliveries directly to special clients.
You don’t have to bother with selling to a general public, but you
need to keep your clients happy. The more clients you have, the
more profit you make...but more clients also means you burn
through your restock quickly, so expect to be hunting a lot.

Cantina
This changarro is about popularity and providing a good
service. You don’t go out to see clients, they come to your place
instead...and they usually bring their troubles with them. Your
restock and hunting rhythm is medium. While the taco truck
and the carnicería are opposite poles regarding how often you
hunt, the cantina is a middle ground.

Vecindad
You don’t really run a changarro in the strict sense. You hunt
whenever you want, and you bring product to a drug dealer
whenever you need profit. You are free spirits. However, your
changarro is inside a housing unit full of neighbors, and they
think you are there to help them deal with their problems.

The Changarro 73
TACO TRUCK
Your changarro is a taco truck, and you move around the city selling
the angels you hunt as tacos. You have regular clients in the spots
you visit, but you gotta keep moving because you are being hunted by
an elite group of angels that nurse a special grudge against you.

Restock 
Problemas
You get these problemas. You do everything you can to keep
them at bay, but you can’t run from them forever.

9 Old Truck: You wish you had a state-of-the-art truck to sell

your tacos, but the truth is this old cacharro is barely holding
together. Pray it won’t fail you at the worst possible time!

9 Hunted: A group of elite angels have a personal grudge against

you because of something that you did. They are hunting you
down on the pretext that you sell illegal angel tacos. Luckily,
you have wheels to run away when things get dire.

Hotspots
You constantly go to different hotspots in the city to sell your
tacos and avoid your hunters, places where people gather either
by choice or by necessity. You have a regular clientele as long as
you are more or less consistent with your visits. Here are some
sample hotspots, but you can also create your own:

9 a diablero’s fighting arena

run by a former friend 9 a tianguis—open-air
market—covering a whole

9 a bar owned by a drug lord

and frequented by supernat-
barrio with a black market
underneath

9
ural beings
a small barrio church where
the poor pray to lure angels
for the angeleros
9 a factory on the outskirts of the
city where workers process a
mysterious substance
9 a cheap amusement park
secretly owned by demons

74 Nahual
When you sell tacos in a hotspot you might mark the hotspot
on your list (see the expendio move below). Each hotspot can
only be marked once before it clears. When you mark your
fourth hotspot, clear them all and mark two profit. At the
beginning of the first session, mark one hotspot for free.
If a significant amount of time passes without you visiting
any hotspot, clear them all and start from scratch.

Heat
You have a heat track that represents how easy it is for your
enemies to pinpoint your location. As you visit hotspots, your
heat can increase (see expendio move below). When empty,
your track is frío (+1); when full, you are caliente! (-3). At the
beginning of the first session, mark two heat.

Frío  Caliente!

+1 0 0 -1 -2 -3

Duties
work the grill, take orders, buy supplies, drive, handle checks and
payments, clean working areas and tools, take out the trash, wash
the truck, maintain the truck

EXPENDIO MOVE
When you bring your taco truck to a hotspot to sell your tacos, roll
with heat. On a hit, mark this hotspot and choose one from the
list. On a 7-9, the Marakame chooses one more:
Š You get caught up in this hotspot’s local troubles.
Š You barely keep up with the local demand; mark restock.
Š You attract unwanted attention; mark heat.
On a miss, your hunters catch up with you; clear your heat track
and brace for the worst. Things are going to get ugly!

The Changarro 75
Changarro Moves
You get this move:

4 Fuga!
When you leave a hotspot in a hurry to avoid a confrontation,
clear this hotspot, then roll with stress wagered (max +3). On a
hit, you’re out of there; choose one from the list. On a 7-9, the
Marakame also chooses one:
Š You each mark the amount of stress you wagered.
Š You cause colateral damage during your escape.
Š You leave something or someone important behind.
On a miss, your old truck problema comes to bear, you’re all stuck
here! En la madre!

Then, choose two from the list below:

… Doña Chayo
You have an old woman who does all the cooking for you and
helps you with some duties. She’s got the best sazón, and the
biggest smile. Most clients come to your truck just because of her.
Whenever you mark your second hotspot, mark profit for free if
you have Doña Chayo in the truck with you.

… El Mofles
You have a close friend—a.k.a. Mofles—that owns a small repair
shop. If your truck dies, you can call him to bring his tow truck and
pick you up—he’ll never let you down. If you ask Mofles to fix your
truck, he’s happy to help you out for free; he’ll get you back on the
road quick and keep things quiet. When he’s done with the work,
mark your debt track.
Debt  When your debt is full, Mofles asks you to help him
out with a serious problem. If you do it, clear your debt track; if you
don’t, Mofles will expect you to pay him for all the help he’s given
you—one profit per debt marked.

76 Nahual
No Mofles to help you?
El Mofles move is a reliable solution for when your truck breaks,
but what happens if you don’t have the move? How can you get
your truck fixed? Well, you have the other tools of the game at
your disposal. You can hit up your conecte and look for a mechanic,
or maybe you have a Mono in the party that can fix it in their work-
shop. Just follow the fiction the same way you’ll do when fixing any
other problem your characters have.

… Aliados
Your clients are more than just regulars; they are your allies. They
know your trade requires discretion, and they help you when
possible: warning you, helping you pack, or getting in the way of
your enemies. Take +1 ongoing to fuga!

Notes on the Moves

In the fuga! move, the option you each mark the amount of stress
you wagered means each PC present in the scene has to mark
the amount: if you wagered three stress, you each mark three
stress, instead of three of you marking one stress each.
For Doña Chayo, remember that she is an NPC, the Marakame
will treat her as one and you should too. She can get mad at you,
or get hurt in dangerous situations. She’s not just a mechanical
benefit, she is a person. Así que take care of her! Entendido?
In el Mofles, when your debt is full, Mofles will still pick your truck
up if you call him; he just won’t fix it until you clear your debt.

The Changarro 77
CARNICERÍA
Your changarro is a butcher shop, but you are not open for retail
business. You only sell raw angel meat to special clients, making
deliveries directly to them. Business is good but the competition is
harsh, as some jealous angeleros want to steal your clients at any cost.

Restock 
Problemas
You get these problemas. You do everything you can to keep
them at bay, but you can’t run from them forever.

9 Insecure: Your place is in a zone usually targeted by burglars.

No matter how much you try to keep it safe, sometimes they
manage to break in and steal stuff from you.

9 Dirty Competition: Another group of angeleros wants to

steal your clients. They’ll use all types of dirty tactics to take
you down.

Clients
Clients have a status that determines their attitude towards you:
trusting, skeptical, or non-client. At the beginning of the game
choose two clients from the list below—or define them your-
selves; one client is trusting and one is skeptical, your choice.
The others are not your clients, yet.

9 La Dama de Negro, a myste-

rious woman with a taste for 9 Mr. Smith, CEO of a cryptic
international company that
raw angel blood. needs freshly-killed angels.

9 Don Fidencio, an obscenely

wealthy man that feeds angel 9 Dr. Larrieta, owner of a
private clinic offering angel
meat to his diablo pets. meat treatment for the rich
elites.
9 Chef Francisco, chef of an
exclusive restaurant serving
gourmet angel meat dishes.

78 Nahual
If you have to reduce a client’s status, it goes from trusting
to skeptical, and from skeptical to non-client. Vice versa for
increasing status. The only way to increase status or gain a new
client is with the special delivery move (see below).

Duties
portion the meat, sharpen the tools, buy supplies, deal with paper-
work and administration, wash the equipment, take and schedule
orders, deliver orders, clean the working area, take out the trash

EXPENDIO MOVE
At the beginning of the first session, or when time passes, mark
restock for each client you have and roll with restock marked. On
a hit, mark profit for each client and the Marakame chooses one.
On a 10+, each PC also marks one stress for each client or the
Marakame chooses one more from the list, PCs’ choice.
Š One of your problemas comes to bear.
Š A trusting client has a serious problem they want you to handle.
Š A skeptical client has a complaint you need to address
immediately.
On a miss, you barely break even on your deliveries—no profit!—
but word of your hustle gets around: a new potential client comes
knocking with a shady but irresistible business opportunity.

The Changarro 79
Changarro Moves
You get this move:

4 Special Delivery
When you want to impress or compensate a skeptical client or a
non-client, go to them and offer your services. They will tell you
what task you need to complete for them—the Marakame chooses
up to three from the list:
Š The task is highly illegal and dangerous.
Š The task will piss off another client or a powerful faction.
Š The task requires access to a heavily guarded location.
Š The task requires the assistance of a third party.
If you complete the task, increase their status from non-client to
skeptical or skeptical to trusting.

Then, choose two from the list below:

… Quid Pro Quo

When you go to a trusting client to ask for a favor, roll with Barrio.
On a hit, they help you to the best of their capacity. On a 7-9, the
Marakame chooses one:
Š They also have a favor to ask of you.
Š They can only offer limited aid or assistance.
On a miss, a big problem of their own comes knocking right now,
and you are entangled by it.

… Walk-in Freezer 
You have a walk-in freezer to stock extra product: 2 boxes you can
mark whenever you need to mark the restock track.

… Well Equipped
Your changarro has first-grade equipment that makes the butcher-
ing job much easier. Take +1 ongoing to your tablajería roll.

80 Nahual
Notes on the Moves
For the expendio move, when time passes is entirely up to the
Marakame; it is important to know this means time in the
fiction. Marking restock for each client you have means each
client with the trusting or skeptical status marked. Rolling high
causes you more trouble, but rolling a miss doesn’t give you any
profit. That’s the price for trying so hard: more clients means
more profit, but also means más trabajo!
The special delivery is your tool for finding new clients! Keep in
mind that the move says you have to go and talk to them. This
type of deal and business requires a direct personal treatment,
and email or a phone call won’t cut it.
In quid pro quo, the PC doing the talking when asking the favor
is the one that has to roll; more than one PC can be present and
talking, but whoever leads the conversation is the one whose
social skills matter. As with special delivery above, you also need
to ask for the favor in person, doing it through text message or a
phone call is disrespectful and has repercussions.
When you mark restock for your walk-in-freezer is up to you as
a group. These extra boxes, for all intents and purposes, simply
extend your restock track.

The Changarro 81
CANTINA
Your changarro is a traditional Mexican bar. A social club where
all sorts of weird people come to conduct their shady business
and to enjoy your angelic tequila. Of course they also bring their
troubles to your establishment, so you gotta deal with that while
keeping all your regulars happy.

Restock 
Problemas
You get these problemas. You do everything you can to keep
them at bay, but you can’t run from them forever.

9 Investor: Someone invested a good amount of money in your

cantina. They show up, from time to time, asking for favors
and telling you what to do—like they own the place.

9 Damn Regulars: Some of your regulars just can’t stay out of

trouble. Even worse...they keep bringing those troubles to
your cantina. You love them and they love your bar, but they
are ticking time bombs waiting to explode!

Regulars
Among your regulars, a few stand out as strange or supernatural.
Choose four from the list below—or create your own.

9 Román, a crooked federal

agent with the gift to see
angels, whom he thinks are
aliens.
9
Huarache, an infamous
diablero with great skills and
a magnet for trouble.

9 Loba, a sicaria for hire, with 9

Zofiel, a double-agent angel,
working for both Heaven and
the gift to kill angels, diablos, Hell, who can always be in the
and people alike. right place at the right time.

9 Juan Grande, a retired ange-

lero with a taste for chínguere
and an empty pocket.
9
El Caído, a drunkard fallen
angel drowning their sorrows
in chínguere and on its way to
becoming a diablo.

82 Nahual
Popularity

-2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3

You care a lot about your popularity; your cantina lives and dies
by it. At the beginning of the game your popularity is at +1. The
expendio move can reduce or increase your popularity, but the
Marakame can also alter it as a result of events in the fiction.
If you want to boost it, you can throw a special event to make
some noise, and have people hear about your place (see the
party time! move below).

Duties
tend and clean the bar, wait tables, buy supplies, deal with paperwork
and administration, dishwashing, clean floors and bathroom, handle
checks and payments, bounce the drunkards, take out the trash

EXPENDIO MOVE
At the beginning of the first session, or when time passes, mark
restock and roll with popularity. On a hit, mark profit and choose
one. On a 7-9, the Marakame also chooses one.
Š Your service has been disorganized and sloppy;
reduce your popularity by one.
Š A PC’s barrio connection (Marakame’s choice)
comes looking for help.
Š Your investor demands a meeting to discuss some
changes you won’t like.
Š One of your regulars brings their troubles to your
cantina at the worst possible time.
On a miss, your investor has made a deal without consulting any of
you, and has brought bad consequences or trouble to the cantina;
the Marakame will tell you what.

The Changarro 83
Changarro Moves
You get this move:

4 Party Time!
When you throw a special party or event at the cantina, roll
with questions.
Š Is everyone working hard for it? (If yes, take +1 and
everyone marks stress)
Š Are you being generous with your service? (If yes, take +1
and mark restock)
Š Was there any trouble recently at the cantina? (If yes, take -1)
On a 10+, choose 3. On a 7-9, choose 2.
Š Name an NPC you invited, and they show up,
no strings attached.
Š The event gets you some extra earnings; mark 1 profit.
Š The event boosts your popularity; increase your changarro’s
popularity by one.
Š Your regulars behave and don’t cause any trouble.
On a miss, your event draws unwanted attention from your
enemies or someone looking to cause trouble for your patrons,
Marakame’s choice.

Then, choose two from the list below:

… Don Vicente
You have a master brewer that makes the best chínguere.
Sometimes he shows up drunk to work, but the chínguere he
makes is five star shit. Your clients love it. Take +1 ongoing to
party time!

… Home Advantage
At your cantina, you all take +1 ongoing to making a fuss and
figuring someone out when dealing with NPCs.

84 Nahual
… More Than a Regular
One of your regulars (your choice) is more than just a client. They
are a friend and an ally. When you ask them for a favor in person,
roll with Barrio. On a hit, they help you to the best of their capac-
ity. On a 7-9, the Marakame chooses one:
Š They also have a favor to ask of you.
Š They can only offer limited aid or assistance.
On a miss, your request prompts them to reveal a nasty secret you
won’t like. Chíngale!

Notes on the Moves

For the expendio move, when time passes is entirely up to
the Marakame; it is important to know this means time in the
fiction. On a 7-9, the Marakame chooses an option after you, and
they can’t pick the same option you picked. For your service has
been disorganized and sloppy; reduce your popularity by one, notice
this is in past tense. You can define and try to figure out what
happened, but the damage to your popularity is already done.
In party time!, throwing a special party or event means a big thing,
not just an improvised thing: a Super Bowl party, a big boxing
pay-per-view event, or a special live concert. You need time to
make noise and invite people. For the list of options, you can’t
take the same more than once, and when you pick the option
to increase your popularity, this is a permanent increase. If you
don’t choose your regulars behave and don’t cause any trouble, the
Marakame will make sure your guests create some chaos.
For Don Vicente, remember he is an NPC, the Marakame will
treat him as such and so should you. He can disagree with you,
or get hurt in dangerous situations. He’s not just a bonus to a
roll, he’s a person. So take care of him, cabrones!
For the more than a regular move, you need to talk to your friend
in person for the move to trigger, and although there can be
multiple PCs when you do it, the one doing most of the talking
is the one who adds their Barrio to the roll.

The Changarro 85
VECINDAD
You don’t really run a business, you hunt angels once in a while and
provide polvo de ángel to a local dealer. Your changarro is set inside
an old vecindad—a building in the slums with several housing
units—and your neighbors there don’t hesitate to share their
tribulations with you.

Restock 
Problemas
You get these problemas. You do everything you can to keep
them at bay, but you can’t run from them forever.

9 Good Samaritans: You have a reputation for helping those in

dire need. Whether the rep is true or not, people come to you
all the time asking for help, and sometimes they come at the
most awkward moment.

9 Slumlord Cacique: The owner of the vecindad, a mean hijo de

puta, runs all sorts of shady businesses and cares only about
money. You and your neighbors better keep up with rent or
he’ll use the smallest excuse to kick you out.

Neighbors
The vecindad is the heart of your barrio and is crowded with
neighbors. Define at least these five NPCs: Dolores, Don Lucho,
Beto, Roberta, Doña Chela.

9 Who is in deep shit with a powerful faction? _____________

9 Who thinks you are a danger to the vecindad? ____________

9 Who can you trust with your lives? ________________

Your neighbors know about your changarro, and your shady
polvo de ángel gig. Ironically enough, most of them like you
because they feel safe with so many badass nahuales hanging
around. Who is gonna mess with nahuales, right?

86 Nahual
Local Dealer
A local dealer buys your product. They control the territory
your vecindad is in, and you’ve been working together for a
while. Although you’re not friends, sometimes you scratch
each other’s backs. Choose two strengths for your dealer; the
Marakame picks two flaws.

Strengths

99
They hold a high rank in a cartel
They honor their word

99
Their thugs are disciplined
They trust you and your word

Flaws

99
They are extremely violent
They are a supernatural entity

99
They are addicted to your stuff
They are greedy and short-sighted

Duties
Since you are not a regular business, you have no duties to tend
to. You are free spirits, working only when you want to. Tell the
Marakame how you pass the time with your neighbors.

EXPENDIO MOVE
When you deliver product to your local dealer, roll the dice. On a
hit, mark one restock and one profit. On a 10+, choose two. On a
7-9, choose one.
Š Your dealer doesn’t drag you into their own troubles.
Š You stay off the authorities’ radar.
Š You get to mark one extra profit.
On a miss, your dealer’s problems come hard at them as you
deliver the product, and you get caught up in the middle of it.

The Changarro 87
Changarro Moves
You get this move:

4 Cost of Living
When time passes, pay 1 or 2 profit and roll with profit spent. If
you can’t pay, roll with -2 instead. On a 10+, all is good. You have
enough for yourselves and even share a bit with your neighbors;
one of them brings you a business opportunity or sweet intel—
your choice—as an expression of gratitude. On a 7-9, you come up
short; mark one stress each and two restock as you sell whatever
you had on hand to cover your expenses. On a miss, the only way
to stay afloat is doing some nasty work for your landlord; take the
job or mark all your conditions.

Then, choose two from the list below:

… Buenos Vecinos
When you help a neighbor in a dire situation—or share an intimate
moment with them—clear one condition or empty your stress
track, your choice.

… Lavanderas
The women who gather in the communal laundry area know all
the chismes of the barrio. When you go to them for intel, roll with
Barrio. On a 10+, choose 2. On a 7-9, choose one.
Š Where can I find __________?
Š Who’s ___________ involved with?
Š When did/will __________ happen?
Š What secret or oddity is everyone talking about?
On a miss, ask one, but chisme runs like wildfire. The wrong people
find out you are asking questions.

… Home Turf
At your vecindad, you all take +1 ongoing to sneaking around and
assailing someone when dealing with NPCs.

88 Nahual
Notes on the Moves
For the expendio move, when and how often you bring prod-
uct to your dealer is totally up to you as a group; just remem-
ber every time you do and get a hit, you mark restock. When
you roll, you roll the dice flat, no modifiers. This is a danger-
ous business; you take a gamble every time you come to your
dealer. When choosing from the list, if you don’t pick an
option, the opposite is true.
In cost of living, the profit you pay to roll represents you paying
your bills—food, utilities, rent, etc. Other changarros assume
that running a business gives you enough to put food on the
table and cover minimum expenses. Since you are not running
a business, you have to actually hustle to make your life less
miserable. On a 10+, you only choose whether you get a busi-
ness opportunity or sweet intel, the details of it are up to the
Marakame. On a 7-9, remember that if you can’t mark restock,
each PC marks stress instead. On a miss, each of you have to
mark all your conditions if you don’t accept the job.
With buenos vecinos, a dire situation means something big and
possibly dangerous, just helping them change a light bulb or a
flat tire won’t cut it. Sharing an intimate moment means being
exposed and vulnerable to each other; this can be a sexual
moment, but other moments of deep intimacy also count.
The lavanderas know all the chisme—or gossip—of the barrio.
So, the intel they can provide needs to be related to it. This
doesn’t mean they can’t know things about supernatural or
powerful factions; if someone meddles with the barrio, the
lavanderas know for sure.

The Changarro 89
90 Nahual
THE MOVES
Using Moves in Play
This is the most important thing you need to know about
moves: to do it, you do it.
Moves require something specific to happen in the fiction
before they trigger and kick in with mechanics. Want to assail
someone? You need to draw your machete and swing it at some
poor pendejo first with the intention to hurt them. Want to
make a fuss? You need to stand up, raise your voice, or some-
how get in someone’s face! Want to hit up your conecte? You
have to get out of the changarro and go find them so you can
ask for their help. Either way: to do it, you do it.
It is totally normal to look at the list of moves during a game
and think, “I want my character to do this move.” So you take
the dice and tell the Marakame you want to roll to sneak around,
because you’re looking to get the mechanical results of the
move. But moves don’t work that way; you don’t get to roll just
because you want to roll. You need to first take the action in the
fiction, describing how your character tries to sneak around in
order for the move to trigger. In Nahual, fiction always comes
first, the moves close behind.
Relax and follow the fiction! Describe your character’s
action, with or without the intention of triggering moves. The
Marakame is watching for those moments when your charac-
ter’s actions trigger a move, and the other players at the table
will notice too. You might even trigger a move without realizing
it! Just focus on the story—on the flow of the fiction—and let
the rules of the game kick in when they must.

Hold, Forward, and Ongoing

Certain moves say your character gets hold as part of the move’s
outcome, like “hold 1” or “hold 3.” This is a temporary currency
that you spend later as part of the move, like “spend your hold

The Moves 91
one-for-one”—which means you spend one of those temporary
points to choose one of the options listed in the move. Hold
is usually spent during a particular situation, conversation, or
scene. Most moves that use hold explain how long the hold lasts.
If there is any ambiguity, ask the Marakame for clarification.
Sometimes a rule tells you to “take +1 forward” or “take -2
ongoing.” Forward means that on your next roll you add or
subtract the modifier listed and that’s it; after one roll the
modifier is gone. Ongoing means the modifier stays active for
several rolls; the Marakame will tell you for how long the modi-
fier remains, based on the move and the fiction.

Basic Moves
All characters get to make use of the basic moves, the core
mechanics that structure the fiction and help keep the story
moving forward in moments of uncertainty. Playbooks have
other moves that might also come into play: signature moves,
totem moves, and channel abilities tied to each specific nahual
(we talk about those in the next chapter); but for the most part
characters trigger basic moves during a session.
Here is a list of the basic moves, along with a corresponding stat
for each, if applicable:

9
Avoid trouble (Instinto)

9
Assail someone (Garra)

9
Make a fuss (Maña)

9
Sneak around (Maña)

9
Figure someone out (Barrio)

9
Hit up your conecte (Barrio)

9
Open the doors of perception (Instinto)

9
Summon your nahual

9
Unleash your nahual
This section presents and explains each basic move, including a
few examples to help you better understand how the move works.

92 Nahual
AVOID TROUBLE
When you rely on instinct and quick thinking to avoid danger,
difficulty, or trouble, roll with Instinto. On a 10+, your reaction
gets you through without consequences. On a 7-9, things get
complicated; the Marakame reveals an unexpected hardship or
offers you a cost you have to pay to carry on.

Avoid trouble triggers when something bad is coming your way

and you react to avoid it. Sometimes your body just instinctively
reacts and moves on its own; other times your quick thinking
helps you react in time to avoid the incoming trouble.
Danger can be a direct physical threat, like you running through
an alley while someone shoots at you from a window, or getting
out of the way of a speeding truck coming at you. But it can also
be non-physical danger, like your mind getting zapped by the
many eyes of the archangel Michael’s wings or falling prey to
the enthralling temptation of a powerful diablo.
Difficulty can be a task that is hard to accomplish or some
obstacle you find challenging to overcome. More often than
not you want to get past or through difficult situations, so it
might feel like you aren’t avoiding something. The move still
applies because you want to get through it as quickly or as
unscathed as possible! You might be trying to fix a piece of
equipment in the changarro before it breaks down completely,
or looking for a special unique tome in a library while the
place is ablaze. In any case, pressure has to be on you for avoid
trouble to trigger; if you have all the time in the world to fix
the machine or look for the book, then there is no need for
this move. The difficulty has to be urgent!
Trouble is simple: you suddenly find yourself in a position
or situation you’d rather not be in, so you rely on your quick
reflexes to find a way out. Maybe you just got caught slacking
on your obligations at the changarro and you just want to avoid
the whole situation. Avoid trouble lets you come up with a very

The Moves 93
good excuse, change the topic, or just bail out of there before
they have time to scold you!
When you get a 10+ on your roll, you overcome the trouble,
dodging bullets, pushing through the fire, and generally getting
out of the woods, no strings attached. On a 7-9, things get
complicated, and the Marakame either reveals new unexpected
trouble or hardship—not only is the place you’re searching on
fire, but it’s also crawling with demons—or offers you a cost
you have to pay to get what you want—you can get through the
alley, but you catch a bullet in your shoulder.
If the Marakame chooses to reveal a new hardship, you still
avoid the trouble for the most part—the place is crawling with
demons, but you find the book you were searching for. You
have it in your hands now; a 7-9 is still a hit after all, even if it
comes with diablos!
However, if the Marakame chooses to offer you a cost you have
to pay—you can escape, but you catch a bullet—you can always
say no and accept the original trouble. You don’t always have to
pay the cost if you’re willing to concede.
Avoid trouble is kind of a catch-all move for when uncertainty
arises and no other move seems to apply, which means it may
come up pretty often. If you want to trigger a different move,
make your case to the Marakame and clarify your actions in
the fiction. But most of the time when no other move seems to
cover the situation, avoid trouble is a solid choice.

Chino the Jaguar, played by Mario, is driving a pickup at full

speed on a highway. Two cabrones just jumped into the truck
bed from another vehicle. They are trying to get to Chino, who
swerves the truck back and forth to keep them off balance and
unable to stand. Finally, one of them puts one knee down for
stability, and I say to Mario: “Chino, when you turn to check on
them, this guy is aiming a gun directly at your head, obviously
about to shoot. What do you do?”
“I lay on my side, so I can get cover from the back of my seat,”
says Mario.

94 Nahual
 “Perfect,” I say. “That sounds like you’re avoiding trouble. You
want to avoid getting shot in the head! Roll for it.”
Mario rolls and gets an 8; I offer him a cost to pay in order to
avoid the shot: they will crash, as Chino has to take his eyes off
the road if he lies down for cover.
“You can reject the cost and just get shot. It’s totally up to
you,” I add.
“Nah,” Mario says. “I’d rather have us crash and flip over than
get shot. I have my seatbelt on! They are gonna have a worse
time when we crash!”

ASSAIL SOMEONE
When you assail someone with violence, roll with Garra. On a hit,
trade harm as established. On a 10+, choose one as well:
Š You inflict terrible harm; upgrade your harm one level.
Š You stand your ground; take +1 forward to get hit hard.
Š You create an opportunity for yourself or your allies.

Assail someone is the move for straightforward violence; it

triggers when you try to kill or badly hurt an enemy or prey.
If you are just punching someone in the face to teach them a
lesson or shoving them aside to make way, you’re not really
assailing someone (but you might be making a fuss or avoiding
trouble). You’ve got to want to really hurt them for this move
to trigger!
Also, assail someone assumes you are attacking an enemy that
can fight back, block, or dodge your attacks. If you attack a
helpless or unaware enemy—and you are in a position where
you can’t miss—you don’t trigger the move. Just inflict your
harm, as established, even if it results in their death. In order
for the move to trigger there needs to be uncertainty about
what’s about to happen. If the outcome is clear then the

The Moves 95
Marakame just says what happens. But if you all don’t know
what can result from the violence, then assail someone triggers.
Harm as established means the harm determined by your threat
level and the threat level of your opposition. In a nutshell, there
are three types of harm: deadly, heavy, and light. The default
damage for enemies of equal power is heavy. If you are more
powerful than your target you bump it up to deadly. If you are
less powerful, you drop the harm to light. For more on estab-
lishing harm and threat levels, check page 209.
Trade harm means your opposition gets to deal harm to you, as
you trade blows. Most of the time, the enemy hitting back is the
one you are up against, but not necessarily. You may be facing
a group of soldiers; while you tear one to pieces, another may
shoot you as a result of both sides trading harm.

Options for Assail Someone

You inflict terrible harm; upgrade your harm one level means your
attack is somehow more effective. Maybe your sudden lash of
violence surprises them and you hit a vital spot, or you franti-
cally stab them over and over again, or you pull the trigger until
you empty your magazine. Either way, you increase the type
of harm you inflict by one level—from light to heavy, or from
heavy to deadly. If your established harm was already deadly,
and you pick this option, it means you inflict two deadly harm!
For more on harm types, see page 204.
You stand your ground; take +1 forward to get hit hard means
you get a better chance—a +1 bonus—at reducing the type
of harm you mark when you get hit hard with heavy or
deadly harm (for more information on getting hit hard, see
Peripheral Moves on page 117).
You create an opportunity for yourself or your allies means you
create an opening for another action or gain some kind of
advantage. Perhaps you distract your enemies so your allies
can sucker punch them, or maybe your enemy has you pinned
down and you create an opening to escape. Either way, this
option sets you or your allies up for a better fictional position.

96 Nahual
You can suggest what kind of opportunity you are looking for,
but depending on the fiction it may not be possible for you to
get exactly what you want. Whatever the case, the Marakame
tells you what opportunity you gain.

Lucifer the Tlacuache, played by Claudia, is looking for a fallen

angel hidden among a small crowd in the diablo fighting arena.
Johnny the Venado, played by Diego, is there with her, helping to
hunt her prey. Johnny’s the one who spots the angel hiding in the
mezzanine level, looking down on Lucifer from a vantage point.
“Johnny, you see the angel spread his wings—one is feathered,
the other demon-like, as he glides down toward Lucifer. He’s
behind her, so she can’t see him yet! What do you do?” I ask.
“Chin! Am I close enough to jump at the angel, intercepting
him midair?” Diego asks. “I have my nahual activated.”
“Oh! Sí,” I say. “When you are transformed you can jump
pretty good. So you just want to tackle the angel so he can’t
attack Lucifer? That sounds like avoid trouble to me.”
“Wait, no! I want to stab him with my antlers! I want
to hurt him bad.”

The Moves 97
 “Okay then, in that case you’re assailing someone,” I reply.
Diego rolls and gets an 11, that’s a full success! Johnny inflicts
heavy harm on the angel because they are both dangerous
threats (level 1), and Diego can choose two from the list. He
goes with you inflict terrible harm and you create an oppor-
tunity for you or your allies.
“Alright Johnny, you jump toward the angel with amazing skill,
bouncing off a column to gain altitude, and stab the angel
midair,” I say. “The two of you then fall together—the crowd
below scattering and screaming—and you both hit the ground
and roll. The angel pins you underneath him, and starts to bash
your head to the ground—mark heavy harm—but you can feel
the blood pouring down on you from the gash you made on his
chest—you inflicted deadly harm on him.”
Diego nods, and I continue: “Your head hurts like hell, and
your heart starts to pound heavily, with a mix of fear and rage,
but you are not making it easy for this culero. You wrap your
legs around his waist and grab him by the neck…”
“Can I instead grab and pull his wings open?” Diego suggests,
and I love it!
“Yes! I like that,” I reply. “You grab his wings with your hands
and pull them open. Lucy, as the crowd spreads you see that
opening, the white bare back of the angel towards you. What
do you do?”

98 Nahual
MAKE A FUSS
When you make a fuss to get someone to do what you want, roll
with Maña.
For NPCs: On a 10+, they take the bait and act accordingly. On a
7-9, they aren’t quite convinced; the Marakame will tell you what it
takes to make them give in.
For PCs: On a 10+, both. On a 7-9, choose one:
Š If they concede, they mark XP.
Š If they resist, they mark stress.

Make a fuss is the move you use to get others to do what you
want. But you can’t trigger it with quiet or smooth persuasion.
You have to actually make a fuss—raise your voice, display
excessive emotions, or get in someone’s face. And you need to
get loud and involved before rolling! Remember: to do it, you
have to do it. For the move to trigger, the fuss comes first.
Of course, what you ask for has to be within reason. If you ask a
cop to shoot himself in the head, they won’t heed your request
no matter how much fuss you make—and the move won’t trig-
ger. But if you get stopped for ignoring a red light and desper-
ately beg for the cop to let you go without a ticket because you
are in a hurry trying to get to the hospital to see a dying friend,
then the move triggers and you can roll—even if you’re lying.
Make a fuss assumes that when you get someone to do what you
want, they would rather let you get away with something or go
along with you than keep listening to you.

Options for Make a Fuss

Make a fuss works differently depending on who you target, an
NPC or a PC:
On a 10+ for NPCs act accordingly means they act on what you
wanted them to do, to the best of their ability. A guard that
doesn’t have an access key to the area you want to get through

The Moves 99
can’t open the door for you, but they may try to talk to someone
who has access, or tell you where you can find an access key.
A 7-9 for NPCs means they may do what you want, but for a
price. The Marakame tells you what the price is: the NPC might
directly tell you what they want, or your character might get
a glimpse of what buttons they need to push to make the NPC
dance to your tune.
If you’re using make a fuss on a PC, a 7-9 means you pick a
reward or a punishment for them, carrot-and-stick style. You can
offer them an XP if they do what you want or force them to mark
stress if they don’t. On a 10+, both options apply. This interac-
tion is out-of-character; you as a player are offering the prize or
punishment to the other character’s player. ¿Plata o plomo?

Chino is leading a hunting party—to go kill some angels and

clear restock—and he wants to leave Casimiro, the Perro,
behind. In the last encounter Casimiro was badly hurt, and he
is still recovering from his wounds.
“Nombre! I’m perfectly fine. I can hunt,” Balles, Casimiro’s
player, complains.
“Do you want to make a fuss to convince Chino to let you go?” I ask.
“Oh, yeah I think I do,” Balles says. “Casimiro insists how he’s
never missed a hunt, and that he hunted angels way before
Chino was even aware they existed. Casimiro even slams the
table with his open hand making a loud noise and shouting
something like: ‘are you saying I’m too old to hunt, cabrón?!’”
“Awesome, that sure looks like a fuss to me, roll the dice,” I say.
Balles rolls and gets a 9. “Alright, choose between making
him mark XP if he concedes, or marking stress if he still
refuses to take you with him,” I say to Balles. He chooses to
offer Mario the XP.
Mario immediately says, “Oh, I’m taking that XP of course.
You can come to the hunt if you want it so badly, old man...”
Mario smiles.

100 Nahual
SNEAK AROUND
When you sneak around an alert threat, roll with Maña. On a hit,
you move past or close to your opposition. On a 10+, choose 2. On
a 7-9, choose 1:
Š Seize an exposed asset or resource
Š Bring others along with you
Š Take a secure or strong position

When you want to avoid detection, then you need to sneak

around. Angeleros are hunters; this means you know how to
move swiftly and undetected to catch your prey. Of course you
can use these skills in other situations too; for that reason the
move’s options are broad in scope to fit most scenarios, and allow
you to quickly advance the fiction to an interesting situation.
When you get a hit, you move past or close to your opposition—
your choice of course, depending on what you need. This
means you can either move past a guard or other obstacle
undetected, or get extremely close to the threat itself—maybe
to kill them, or perhaps to pick their pockets, or to eavesdrop
on them. Keep in mind that the trigger asks for the threat to be
watchful: if they aren’t paying attention at all, then there’s no
need for this move. If someone isn’t attentive and alert, then
you don’t need to sneak around to get close to or past them!

Options for Sneak Around

Seize an exposed asset or resource lets you acquire something
useful to you, or something you need. It is important that the
thing you’re seizing needs to be exposed and within your reach.
Maybe you moved past the security cameras watching a strong-
box, but that doesn’t mean the assets inside are exposed, you
need to open it first! Check with the Marakame if the asset you’re
trying to seize is exposed or not before choosing this option.

The Moves 101

Bring others along with you allows you to bestow the benefits of
sneak around to other characters—PCs and NPCs alike. It is up
to you who gets to come without a roll; but this doesn’t mean
they are forced to follow you. However, if they accept, they do
so all the way through; they can’t break from you mid-move to
do something else—e.g., killing a guard you are sneaking past or
going to a different spot while you seize an exposed asset.
Take a secure or strong position can mean a lot of things, depend-
ing on the fiction. Perhaps you are sneaking from a group of
mercenary angels actively looking for you, you can take a secure
position to hide and stay put, making sure they won’t find you;
or maybe you are sneaking inside a warehouse full of enemies
and you want to be at a vantage point from which you can see
all of them. In general secure position means you are safe from
further detection or even attack, and strong position means you
have an advantage for further actions or are in a position that
lets you act in a way you otherwise couldn’t.

Teresa the Serpiente, played by Juan, is guiding the party to the

city’s cathedral. Someone gave them a tip about a possible heav-
enly artifact that just arrived and is being kept there for parishio-
ners to worship. The PCs figured that the thing could be worth a
lot of money, so they’ve decided to break in and steal the artifact.
“As you get close to the side entrance, you can clearly see a couple
of armed angels, flying around in circles. What do you do?” I ask.
“I want to look for the spots where the most shadows are, and
also maybe wait to see if the angels have any pattern to their
rounds—looking for a gap to sneak inside,” Juan says.
“Sounds good, roll to sneak around,” I say. Juan rolls and gets
an 8. That’s a hit! That means Teresa sneaks past the angels.
But on a 7-9, Juan can only choose one from the list. Everyone
wants to tag along, so Juan picks bring others along with you.
This means they won’t have a secure or strong position after
they move past the guards!
“Okay,” I say. “You look at the angels for a brief moment,
and you discover a blind spot in their rounds as one of the bell

102 Nahual
 towers blocks their view to the door for a few seconds. You run
for it, the rest of the pack close behind you; you’re in the church
before the angels see you. Inside, the big hall opens in front
of you, and on the far end you see a small golden chest on top
of the altar with a glass box covering it. A small baby cherub
lying next to it looks directly at you as he draws his tiny flaming
sword. What do you do?”

FIGURE SOMEONE OUT

When you figure someone out, roll with Barrio. On a 10+, ask 3.
On a 7-9, ask 1:
Š What are your true intentions?
Š What do you wish I’d do?
Š What are you really feeling?
Š What do you fear might happen?
Š How could I get you to ______?

Figure someone out is used to read another character’s moti-

vations and desires by paying close attention to their body
language, tone of voice, and other behaviors. To do this you
need to watch them closely, maybe during a conversation or by
spying on them. Whatever the case, you need to describe in the
fiction how you study them in order to trigger the move.
When you ask the questions, they usually happen outside the
immediate fiction. You ask the player controlling the charac-
ter you are figuring out—the Marakame for NPCs, and another
player for PCs—not asking these literal questions in the
dialogue of the scene. If it makes sense, you can ask the ques-
tions in fiction too, character to character, but it’s not required.
Either way, answers must always be truthful: you caught a
glimpse of information the character let slip or they openly
answer your question in a way that is clearly truthful.

The Moves 103

Since these questions happen out of character, it is totally
possible to find out something the other character isn’t even
aware of. When you ask a fellow nahual, “What are you really
feeling,” the other player might tell you: “Oh, for sure deep
down she’s totally afraid of you two falling for each other; she’s
been hurt before that’s why she is not willing to trust anyone…
but she doesn’t realize she’s starting to have feelings
for your character.”

Options for Figure Someone Out

What are your true intentions? is about figuring out
what is behind a character’s actions. It may be a
secret agenda or it may not. Whatever the case,
this question reveals what a character truly
wants in the scene.
What do you wish I’d do? focuses on what
the other character wants from you, how
they’d like you to act or be. This can be
an immediate action they want from you,
or a long-term attitude they wish to see
in you. Once you know this, you can of
course use it as leverage for getting some-
thing from them.
What are you really feeling? can be about
right-now feelings or long-term emotional
states, depending on the context. If the
person you’re asking is unclear about the
question, it’s okay to clarify what you’re
asking about, like: “what are you really feel-
ing about me” or “what are you really feeling
after ______ happened?”
What do you fear might happen? is a way for
you to find out what holds a character back,
why they refuse to act. In some cases though,
this can also unveil why a character acts in a
particular way, but what are your true intentions?
might be a better way to find that out.

104 Nahual
How could I get you to _______? is a way to get a character to do
something for you. By filling in the blank with the action you
want them to take, you get to know what buttons to push for
them to act. The answer has to be completely honest, so if the
condition is fulfilled, they are truly compelled to take the prom-
ised action. The answer can also be, “You can’t,” if the question
is so out of character for them; however, their player should
try and find what it would take for their character to do what
you’re asking if there’s even a remote possibility for it.

Lucifer is driving her car back to the changarro. Johnny rides

with her. They just had an encounter with a famous diablero—
known as the Huarache—and things didn’t go so well. Lucifer’s
dream is to become a diablera, and hoped she could learn from
Huarache, but they had some friction between them. On top of
that, Johnny caught all the attention from Huarache, stealing
her thunder. As she drives, Johnny notices something is wrong.
“What’s going on?” Diego asks, speaking as Johnny.
“Lucifer replies ‘Nothing,’ while letting slip a frown that Johnny
can clearly see,” Claudia says.
“I think Johnny will keep looking at her closely as she drives,
trying to guess what is bothering Lucy,” Diego says.
“Are you trying to figure her out?” I ask.
“Oh, totally!” Diego replies.
“Awesome, let’s roll the move,” I say. Diego rolls and gets a 12!
So Diego has 3 questions to ask. I remind Claudia that this is
information that Johnny gets from observation, deduction,
and maybe even years of knowing Lucifer—so whatever she
answers is gonna be true. She can’t lie. I also remind Diego he
doesn’t have to ask all three questions at once.
“Got it. First one is: what are you really feeling?” Diego asks.
“I think she feels terrible because all night she felt ignored,”
Claudia says. “And also she was in front of her hero, and
Johnny stole all the spotlight. She is jealous.”

The Moves 105

 “I see,” Diego says. “Okay, next question will be: what do you
wish I’d do?”
“Of course she wants Johnny to cheer her up, let her know she
matters too. That Johnny and the others don’t think she’s just a
silly girl,” Claudia answers.
“Alright, final question: what do you fear might happen?”
Diego asks.
“Hmm.” Claudia pauses to think. “I believe that she is afraid that
this is it, her career as a diablera is over before it even started.”
“Okay,” Diego says. “I think Johnny says something like—’don’t
worry Lucy, what about we go tomorrow to the diablero’s
arena, and we sneak into the pens to look for Huarache. You
can talk to him about diablos and all that stuff you are so good
at, and he’ll see you are a smart and capable person. Vas a ver,
he’s gonna be impressed.’”
“Yes!” Claudia replies. “I think Lucifer is so excited she can’t
control herself, and gives Johnny a kiss on the cheek.”

HIT UP YOUR CONECTE

When you hit up your conecte for info or resources, tell the
Marakame who you are going to and roll with Barrio. On a hit,
they’re available and can get what you need at a fair price. On a
10+, also choose one:
Š Your conecte has an intriguing or profitable opportunity for you.
Š Your conecte knows some sweet secret or dirty intel they are
willing to share.

Hit up your conecte lets you go out to some contact or connec-

tion you have in the barrio to help you get something you need,
be it information or things.

106 Nahual
Before you roll, you need to say who you go to. Of course, who
you go to greatly defines the scope of what they can get you, so
use a conecte who could reasonably have what you need. And
whenever possible, try to get to someone already established
in the fiction; reincorporating existing NPCs tightens the story
and leads to more interesting situations.
When the move says who you are going to, it literally means
that you are going out to find your conecte. Of course, in the
age of cellphones and texting, everyone is within reach of a
gadget. However, most of the time you’ll be trying to get stuff
far from the mundane, secrets and things related to the dark
world of angels, demons, and caciques. People can be paranoid
about these sensitive matters; some may not even have a mobile
phone, and others may feel disrespected by you just calling like
they were your personal secretary. There is nothing like an old
school face-to-face conversation, cabrón.
That said, you can always try to call your contact and hope for
them to give you the intel by phone. Expect the Marakame to
push back on this though: their job is to make your characters’
lives interesting, and solving all your problems with a phone
call is bien pinche boring.
When you roll a hit, they’re available and can get what you need at a
fair price can mean they have what you want, or they know where
you can find what you want. It entirely depends on what you’re
asking for and how fast you need it. The fair price also depends on
what you want: are you looking for Chema, the crooked cop that
works for the cartels? His whereabouts aren’t that big of a secret;
a small favor in return, or even the promise of a future favor may
do. However, you want to know the secret location of St. Michael’s
sword? Oh! That intel, mi amigo, carries a shitload of trouble with it.

Options for Hit Up Your Conecte

Your conecte has an opportunity for you means they know some-
thing that could be of interest to you—maybe a new client look-
ing for someone with your capabilities or a special asset ripe for
the taking. Whatever the case, this opportunity is completely
unrelated to why you originally came to them.

The Moves 107

Your conecte knows some sweet secret or dirty intel they are will-
ing to share can be related or not to the thing you’re looking for.
A sweet secret is something you’re happy to know, something
useful and good for you. Dirty intel is something you will not
like, but that is gonna be helpful or good to know. Whether they
give you a sweet secret or dirty intel is up to the Marakame.

A stranger dressed in an expensive black suit came to the chan-

garro with a weird offer to buy it and hire the characters for full
time services. The players said they’ll think about it, and the
stranger said he’ll come back. Teresa wants to figure out what
is going on with this guy.
“Can I go hit up my conecte about this guy?” Juan asks.
“Sure,” I say. “Who are you going to, and what are you looking
for? Remember, to trigger the move you have to actually go out
and do the thing.”
“I go looking for a fellow angelero,” Juan replies. “I want to
know if they are also being bought, or if he is just targeting us.
So I go to another part of town, where I know they have a small
changarro like ours.”
“Alright,” I say. “What is this small changarro, and who is this
angelero you are talking to?”
“Oh, she is an angelera,” Juan replies. “Her name is Gabriela,
and she has a small stall in a corner of a crowded market where
she sells tamales made with angel meat.”
“Chingón!” I say. We then roleplay the scene of Teresa meeting
with her old friend, catching up on things, and talking about
this creepy guy in black suit. I ask Juan to roll the dice when it’s
clear he’s hitting her up for help. He gets a 10!
I tell him that Gabriela confirms that yes, this weird dude is
buying out changarros all over the city and hiring angeleros full
time. She is actually working for him already! Then, I ask Juan
what he chooses from the 10+ options.
“I think I’ll pick a sweet secret or dirty intel,” Juan says.

108 Nahual
 “Perfect,” I reply. “She adds that they are asking for all sorts of
jobs, not just killing angels. They had to kill some angeleros that
refused to sell, for example. And the other day, they asked them
to capture some angels alive and bring them to a weird bodega—
they have a big lab there, to make experiments with the angels.”
“Chíngale! Things are fucking serious then,” Juan says.
I nod and ask, “What do you do about it?”

OPEN THE DOORS OF PERCEPTION

When you open the doors of perception, roll with Instinto. On a hit,
the Marakame will unveil something new or interesting about your
current situation. On a 10+, you get to ask a follow-up question.

Open the doors of perception taps into your supernatural connec-

tion to the Nahual. Even when not transformed, you can sense
things beyond the human scope. However, the degree of detail
or strength of what you get depends on whether you are trans-
formed or not, and to what stage. As a normal non-transformed
human, you get just hints and vague information. But the
higher your Stage of Nahuality, the wider you open the doors
of your perception, so the Marakame will share more details
considering you’re using supernatural powers to perceive your
surroundings. Keep this in mind when you use this move!
Something new or interesting doesn’t mean you will always like
what you find out. So be careful when you open the doors of
perception. Peeking beyond the supernatural curtain may reveal
nasty things more often than it hands you helpful, worry-free
info. However, better to know what’s hiding there, no crees?
Of course, the follow-up question you get on a 10+ has to be
related to what the Marakame revealed to you with the move.
The Marakame can’t lie, but they only have to give you a few
sentences of information.

The Moves 109

110 Nahual
The stranger is back, asking what the PCs think about the offer
to buy their changarro. Teresa asks him to wait while she goes
to tell everyone he’s here. The man agrees, and Teresa joins the
PCs discussing what to do in the storeroom.
Ramona the Mono and Teresa think they should just tell him to
fuck off. Toño the Tlacuache thinks they should just kill him!
Chemo the Águila, played by Iván, goes to peek at the stranger
through the small window in the storeroom’s door.
“I want to open the doors of perception,” Iván says.
“Alright,” I say. “Just checking, you’re not transformed into
your nahual, right?”
“No,” Iván answers. “Do I need to be transformed to do it?”
“Nah, you can totally do it in your human form,” I say. “I was
only checking to know the scope of information you can get and
what it will look like. Roll for it.” Iván rolls and gets a 13!
“Wow! Nice roll,” I say. “Okay, you look at the stranger, and
he’s all stoic—he almost looks like a statue. Then you concen-
trate, focusing your senses, you can almost hear your nahual
whispering in your ear. For a blink, your eyes change to those
of an eagle, and for that fraction of time you manage to see his
true nature. He’s an angel, all white and glowing with divine
bearing. You are sure he’s not just any angel—like those you
usually kill—he’s more than that.”
“Damn!” Iván says. “I have a follow up question, right?” I nod.
“I guess my question is, how powerful is he?”
“Okay,” I reply. “Suddenly, just before that blink ends, you see the
wings spreading—only you can see this, to all the other clients
he is just a fancy guy. And when they spread, you feel a wave of
power coming from him. It hits you in the gut, and you feel a bit
sick for a second. You can tell he’s a mythic threat—level 4.”
“What?” Iván exclaims. “Ya nos cargó el payaso!”

The Moves 111

SUMMON YOUR NAHUAL
When you summon your nahual to transform into a stage you
control, answer the questions:
Š Do you have your mask on? If no, mark stress.
Š Did you consume an enhancer? If no, mark stress.
While transformed you have access to your totem moves, and to
all the channel abilities of the stage you activated and lower.

Summon your nahual is the move you use to transform into a

stage of your nahual that you control. Unless you have all your
conditions marked, you can always summon your nahual, no roll
required. The move serves only to establish how much stress
you pay, by answering the questions about your mask or the
enhancer. Later on in the game, when you advance your char-
acter, you’ll ignore these questions and transform at will. See
Advancement on page 220.
Transforming gives you access to your totem moves and also
to the channel abilities of the stage you’re transforming into
and lower—thus if you transform to the Third Stage, you have
access to the channel abilities of the Third, Second, and First
Stages. For more information see The Power of the Stages and
Channel Abilities on pages 222 and 227 respectively.

Switching Between Stages

Once you control more than one stage, you decide what stage
you want to activate when you summon your nahual. Once
transformed you can switch back and forth between any stage
you control at no cost.

112 Nahual
Paulino the Mono, played by Adriana, is hiding inside a van
he was investigating, full of lab equipment. These shady black
vans were patrolling the barrio, and Paulino’s curiosity got the
best of him—he followed the vans to an old warehouse, snuck
inside one to take a peek, and realized too late that someone
was opening the doors of the van while he was still inside!
“What do you do?” I ask.
“Okay, looks like it’s time for some chingazos!” Adriana
says. “I pull out my mask from my backpack and summon my
nahual.”
“Awesome! What does the mask look like?” I say.
“It’s of course a monkey face, round shaped, big ears. It’s made
out of wood, beautifully carved—like if you hold it and look
close you can see the hair carved with astonishing detail. But
then it is colored with spray paint, multiple colors; from afar it
looks like a rough graffiti,” Adriana replies.
“Nice! Are you also eating an enhancer?” I ask. She says no,
so I tell her to mark one stress. “Alright. Now tell me, how
Paulino’s perception of the world around him changes when he
summons his nahual?”
“I think for him, everything that is not people looks hand
painted with bright colors, like pop art,” Adriana says. “But
people look like very realistic paintings, like Renaissance or
Baroque art.”
“Wow, that’s so cool!” I say. “Okay, the door finally opens. Two
soldiers look at you, their faces like portraits by Rembrandt.
What do you do?”

The Moves 113

UNLEASH YOUR NAHUAL
When you unleash your nahual to push yourself over your high-
est stage of control, mark a condition and roll. Add +1 to your
roll for each enhancer you eat (max +4). On a hit, you do it. On
a 7-9, mark a condition. On a 12+, you briefly transform to an
even higher stage (5th stage max), and you cross off one of your
conditions permanently!

Unleash your nahual is a move for desperate times! When you

want to push beyond your own boundaries and unleash your
nahual to a stage higher than one you control, you let go of the
reins and hope for the best. This normally means one stage
above the one you control—Second Stage if you only control
the First one, Third if you control up to the Second, and so on.
But, if the fiction merits it, the Marakame can grant a bigger
bump. The Sixth Stage, however, is always beyond your reach
when you unleash your nahual; that level of power requires full
control and a lot of experience to achieve!
You don’t use a stat to roll; unleashing your nahual is about
letting go any sense of control and hoping for the best. You can
however try and give your nahual a boost, by eating a bunch of
enhancers, earning +1 to your roll for each you ate.
You should be careful how many enhancers you eat; if you
roll a 12+, you transform briefly to an even higher stage—how
high up and for how long is up to the Marakame—and you
must permanently cross off one of your conditions, as the raw
unchecked power of the Nahual erodes your very self.
If you cross off a condition as a result of this move, you get to
choose which condition you lose. You can even cross off one
already marked.
At first glance, crossing off a condition may seem like a good
thing; but remember that having all your conditions marked
means you can’t summon or unleash your nahual, and if you need

114 Nahual
to mark a condition, but can’t, your nahual gets out of control!
Having fewer conditions makes it easier for you to lose control.
Finally, marking off all your three conditions means your char-
acter has lost their humanity to the Nahual, and they are no
longer a playable character: you become an NPC. Chíngale! For
more on conditions see page 199.

Teresa y Chemo bit off more than they could chew while sneak-
ing into the city’s cathedral to steal a heavenly artifact. After
sneaking in, they stumbled into a karibu guardian disguised
as a cherub, and Chemo is now having a hard time fighting it.
Juan, Teresa’s player, knows they are not a challenge to that
beast—they are on the Second Stage of their nahual, so they
are lethal threats (level 2); and the pinche karibu is a celestial
threat (level 4)!
“I’m gonna unleash my nahual to even the odds,” Juan says.
“Okay, how many enhancers do you eat?” I ask.

The Moves 115

 “I have four hearts of the earth with me,” Juan says. “I’m gonna
eat them all!”
“Four?” Iván, Chemo’s player, says, eyes wide open.
“Wow! Okay, it’s totally your call,” I say. “What condition do
you mark?”
“I think Afraid,” Juan says. “I know it gives -2 to assail some-
one, but fuck it, that’s the one that makes most sense. Teresa
is super scared and thinks they are gonna die here. Also I’m
aiming for the 12+ so it really doesn’t matter.”
Juan rolls and gets a 13—tómala! The table explodes with
shouts and cheers.
“You totally unleash your nahual beyond your limits!” I say.
“First the bad news, what condition are you crossing off
permanently?”
“Can I cross off Afraid even though I have it marked? I want to
get rid of the penalty,” Juan asks.
“Totally! This doesn’t mean Teresa won’t be ever afraid
again, but rather that fear no longer holds her or her nahual
back,” I reply.
“Okay, I’m crossing off that one then,” Juan says.
“Cool then,” I continue. “You unleash your nahual, and your
eyes glow as your mask and clothes start to merge with you.
Scales start growing as your body elongates and swirls. You
grow and grow, changing into a giant coiled serpent...then,
some of the scales begin to transform into iridescent feathers
as your head rises and hisses at the karibu.”
“No mames!” Iván says. “Fucking Quetzalcoatl!”
“Is this a chimeric transformation?” Juan asks.
“Yep,” I reply. “You changed into the Kibal state, the Fifth
Stage of Nahuality. You can feel the overwhelming power
running through you, but also its instability...it won’t last long!
What do you do?”

116 Nahual
Peripheral Moves
These are special moves, also available to all characters.
However they happen in very specific situations or are more
mechanical in their scope, thus they are considered peripheral.

INTERVENE
When you intervene in another PC’s action, mark stress to give
them a -2 or +1 to their roll. Mark an additional stress to also:
Š Keep your meddling hidden from your target
Š Avoid exposing yourself to costs and complications
Š Set up another character with an opportunity

Intervene is the move you use to help or hinder another charac-

ter making a move that requires a roll. You can only intervene
after seeing their roll: if they got a 5 or less there is no point in
offering help since you can’t make their roll into a hit. Same
thing if they roll a 12 or more. Even if you interfere (-2 to their
roll) the result is still a full hit.
You also need to be in a position in the fiction that allows you
to intervene. You can’t help another character fight an angel if
you are just talking to them on the phone. Nor can you interfere
with a character sneaking past you if you are asleep.
If you mark an additional stress you can choose one from the
list. You cannot mark more than one stress to choose multiple
options. Just one and that’s it.

Options for Intervene

Keep your meddling hidden from your target means you help or
interfere in a way that the player character making the origi-
nal move doesn’t notice your meddling. Most likely you’ll be
choosing this option when you try to get in the way of another
PC’s action, so they don’t find out. But it is also possible to do

The Moves 117

it while helping—maybe you don’t want them to think you’re
trying to help them because it could embarrass them. Either
way, you need to describe how in the fiction you intervene
without them noticing. If there is no plausible way for you to do
that, this option is off the table.
Avoid exposing yourself to costs and complications means you do
your intervening from a safe position. Sometimes after modify-
ing the roll there are still some consequences to the move, and
most likely you’ll suffer part of those consequences—because
you are now participating in the action. By choosing this
option, you can’t be the target of any fallout from the move you
helped or interfered with.
Set up another character with an opportunity lets you serve a
third character something on a golden platter. Obviously that
character needs to be present and taking part in the current
fictional situation, and the opportunity must be related to what-
ever action you meddled with.

The party stumbled upon a cherub guarding a golden box in

the altar of a cathedral. Teresa has already been spotted by the
little angel, and is trying to talk her way out of the creature’s
wrath. Toño and Chemo are still in hiding.
“I want to sneak around to check the golden box, while Teresa
talks with the cherub,” Curi says—he is playing Toño.
“Alright,” I say, “roll the dice.” Curi rolls and gets a 6! I start to
describe what the miss looks like, but Iván—Chemo’s player—
interrupts me.
“Wait! Can I help?” Iván asks.
“Sure! How is Chemo intervening to help Toño?” I reply.
“I make some noise on the opposite side to where Toño is
sneaking,” Iván says, “to grab the cherub’s attention.”
“Okay. You want to also pay one extra stress to avoid exposing
yourself to costs and complications?” I ask.
“What happens if I don’t?” Iván asks in return.

118 Nahual
 “Oh, you’ll reveal your presence to the cherub, of course,” I reply.
“Well, I pay the extra stress then,” Iván says.
“Very well, mark your stress for Chemo. Curi, this means you
have 7 to sneak around instead. You sneak past the cherub,
and only choose one from the list.”

GET HIT HARD

When you get hit hard, roll and add your armor (if any). On a hit,
reduce the harm you mark by one level. On a 7-9, the Marakame
also chooses 1:
Š You lose control of your nahual momentarily.
Š You mark a condition of your choice.
Š You give your opposition an advantage or opportunity.
On a miss, you’re caught off-guard or flat-footed; you can still choose
to reduce the harm by one level, but you’ll be taken out of the scene.

Get hit hard is the move that helps you resist and survive
violence. You never actively trigger this move. Instead, when-
ever you mark heavy or deadly harm you are getting hit hard!
For more on harm, see page 204.
You normally roll flat dice to get hit hard, no stat added.
However, if you are wearing any type of armor you can add that
to the roll—usually +1 or +2 depending on the armor. Some
totem moves of certain playbooks may allow you to add a stat to
the roll as well, and you can get +1 on this move if you choose it
as an option when you assail someone.
Reducing the harm type means you push it down one level, from
deadly to heavy, or from heavy to light. Even on a miss you can
still choose to reduce the harm, but you’ll be taken out of the
scene somehow—maybe you’re knocked out, or you flee to
fight another day. This is usually a last resort option for when
your character would die if they get hit again with harm.

The Moves 119

Options for Get Hit Hard
These options are in the hands of the Marakame, so there’s not
much you can do about them. However, once they have chosen
an option, you can always suggest or contribute to the fiction of
what happens to your character—especially for you lose control
of your nahual momentarily. Just keep in mind that the options
are meant to be a cost or consequence, and the Marakame has
final say on what happens in the fiction for these options.

The party is fighting some diableros in a junkyard: they are

barricaded inside a small building and shooting at the PCs
from the windows with assault rifles. There’s a single door, and
bullets are flying all over—forcing the nahuales to take cover
among the junked cars.
Ramona, played by Gloria, sneaks all the way to the door and
crouches next to it.
“When you get next to the door, the loud gunfire gets inter-
rupted for a second, by the sound of a heavy metal plank falling
to the floor—you can feel the ground tremble by its weight,” I
say. “Then, heavy footsteps start moving towards the door as
the heavy fire from the windows starts over. What do you do?”
Gloria hesitates for a second, and then says, “Okay, change of
plans. I want to use pluma mágica to paint a deep hole in the
ground, right in front of the door, so that anything that comes
out falls into it.”
“Alright, roll for it,” I say to Gloria. She rolls and gets a 5! A
miss. Time for me to make a move.
“Ugh! First of all, mark XP for the miss,” I say. “Now, we
see Ramona quickly moving her brush, and the hole starts
to magically appear, but she gets interrupted as the door in
front of her gets blown away in a loud crack—a big diablo has
kicked the door open, sending Ramona flying away several
feet. She lands heavily on one of the old cars, bending the
rusty hood with the impact. You are marking deadly harm
so...roll for getting hit hard.”

120 Nahual
 Gloria rolls and this time she gets an 8, so I tell her to reduce the
harm to heavy—and to write broken ribs next to it. Then, I choose
from the list, and ask her to mark a condition of her choice.
“I’m marking Afraid,” Gloria says. “That fucking thing is sure
scary as hell!”

PACHANGA
When you go out together to party hard, roll with profit spent
(max +3) during la pachanga. On a hit, you all clear your condi-
tions and stress tracks. On a 10+, la peda estuvo cabrona! You all
get carried away and leave your problemas unattended; one of
them comes at you hard, Marakame’s choice.
On a miss, your recklessness gets the best of you, mal pedo! You
each still clear one condition, but—as a group—you must also
pick an option from the list or spend 2 more profit to compensate
people for the damages you caused:
Š Leave yourselves vulnerable to your enemies
Š Anger or offend a powerful group or individual
Š Wreck something or harm someone meaningful to you

Pachanga is one of the best options you have to clear

stress and conditions. After all, partying is one of the most
common ways to release some steam! Especially if tequila or
chínguere is involved.
To use the move you need to pay profit to add to your roll—
profit is a unit on the changarro sheet that represents in an
abstract way the fruits of your labor. For more on profit see
page 65. You need to spend at least one profit to be able to
trigger the move though—you gotta pay for some chelas and
tequilas if you want to have some fun!

The Moves 121

Pachanga requires at least two player characters. Although it
doesn’t require that all PCs participate, this is a group move,
so with one roll everyone involved gets the benefits and the
consequences of the move. Todos para uno y uno para todos!

Options for Pachanga

Once you pick together an option from the list, the details
about the situation are totally up to the Marakame. Who you
hurt or offend, or what enemies you end up vulnerable to is
entirely up to them.

122 Nahual
 The party’s stress and conditions are in pretty bad shape, and
the players decide to go in a pachanga to drink unas chelas and
blow off some steam. Short on profit, they can only pay one for
a +1. Omar takes the dice and rolls...snake eyes!
“No mames!” shouts the table in unison.
“Mala suerte,” I say. “Looks like you got into some trouble! You
need to pick one from the list or pay up some profit.”
They discuss the options: spending more profit isn’t possible.
That leaves them with the list. After some discussion, they
decide to go with wreck something or harm someone mean-
ingful to you.
“Alright,” I say, “you start your party at a local cantina, the
chelas and tequilas start to flow, and the music from the old
jukebox starts to build up the ambience…but this place closes
early. Time to go. Reluctantly, you leave; but not without first
buying some drinks for the road.
“You find another place—which unfortunately is about to close
too—but you manage to have some drinks in that place, dance
and sing a couple of songs. But then you need to leave and find
another spot. Rinse and repeat.
“You keep doing this a few more times, driving around on your
taco truck, driving, and drinking, and driving…when out of
nowhere appears this big telephone post right in front of you.”
I smile. “You crash hard against it, almost splitting the front of
the vehicle in half! Everything happens so fast! Everyone, mark
a deadly harm, and roll for getting hit hard by the crash.”

Angelero Moves
Angelero moves represent the trade of the angeleros. As
mentioned in The Changarro chapter, there are three pillars
of the angelero trade. And presented here are the moves corre-
sponding to two of those pillars: cacería and tablajería. The
expendio ties directly to your changarro activity, and its move
is therefore presented with each changarro in The Changarro
chapter (pages 75, 79, 83, and 87).

The Moves 123

CACERÍA
If you’re hunting in your turf:
When you lead a pack to hunt angels on your turf, roll with questions:
Š Do any of the hunters have a predator nahual? Take +1.
Š Does every angelero summon their nahual? Take +1.
Š Does anyone have the Afraid or Insecure conditions marked?
Take -1.
Š Does your turf have any Scarcity checked? Take -1 for each
box marked.
On a hit, the hunt is fruitful; you kill one angel for each member of
your pack who joined the hunt (mark Scarcity). On a 10+, pick one
from the list below. On 7-9, pick 3.
Š You get hurt during the hunt; mark five heavy wounds divided
among the pack.
Š You cause collateral damage; the Marakame will tell you the
consequences.
Š The hunt is hard; mark four conditions divided among the pack.
Š The hunt is scarce; you kill two fewer angels.
On a miss, your enemies take advantage of your absence to
meddle with your interests or to set a trap for when you return,
Marakame’s choice.

If you’re not hunting in your turf:

When you lead a pack to hunt angels in someone else’s turf, mark
stress and choose a strategy; roll with the appropriate stat. On a
hit, you find a flock of angels (roughly five) and enact your plan;
seize the benefit of your strategy. On a 7-9, the risk of your strategy
comes to bear as well. On a miss, things go south and you find your-
selves at the mercy of this turf’s faction. Prepare for the worst.

124 Nahual
Hunting Strategies
Š Prowling (Maña): you sneak ahead alone to ensure the first kill.
Benefit: you automatically kill one angel. Risk: you are sepa-
rated from the pack and surrounded by enemies.
Š Baiting (Barrio): you act as bait to lure the angels to feed on
your faith so the other hunters can ambush them. Benefit: the
angels are surrounded; they can’t escape without creating an
opportunity first. Risk: the angels get a shot at you before your
pack can react.
Š Flushing (Garra): you make a show of force to scare the angels
towards the other hunters. Benefit: the angels are disoriented;
you all get +1 ongoing for the rest of the hunt. Risk: all but
three of the angels escape.
Š Calling (Instinto): you use your nahual to attract the angels
with illusionary images and sounds. Benefit: the angels are
beguiled by the illusions; treat your threat level as one level
higher for the rest of the hunt. Risk: you also attract another
dangerous threat to the area.

Cacería is the move used for when PCs go hunting angels. The
move is split in two versions, depending on whether you hunt
on your turf or not. For more on hunting turfs, see page 262.

If You’re Hunting in Your Turf

When PCs hunt in their turf, they make the move and resolve
the outcome in one roll, paying the costs and moving on to roll
the tablajería move. Your characters know their turf so well that
hunting in it is just routine for them. You can all describe a quick
scene in general terms, befitting the options you choose, but
that’s entirely up to you. This version of the move lets players
focus on other—more interesting—conflicts, instead of turning
play into a grinding game of resource-farming angel meat.
Before triggering the move, someone needs to declare that
they are leading a pack to hunt angels—this means at least
three nahuales must go on the hunt (for more on PC packs

The Moves 125

see page 210). Then you define the modifier you roll with by
answering the questions.
Do any of the hunters have a predator nahual? refers to the totem
animal of the playbooks involved in the hunt: jaguar, eagle,
serpent, and even the dog can be considered a predator. If the
answer is yes, take +1 to the roll.
Does every angelero summon their nahual? Having a nahual is not
a requisite for hunting angels, but it does make the job easier.
Each player in the pack decides individually if they summon
their nahual or not. If they all are, take +1 to the roll.
Does anyone have the Afraid or Insecure conditions marked? Hunting
angels is a dangerous business, even for nahuales. Having the
Afraid and Insecure conditions marked put characters in a disad-
vantage during the hunt. If that’s the case, take -1 to the roll. This
-1 applies only once though, no matter if multiple characters have
one or both of the mentioned conditions marked.
Does your turf have any Scarcity checked? Scarcity represents how
aware angels are that your turf is a dangerous place to hang around
(check page 262 for more information on Scarcity and hunting
turfs). For each Scarcity box marked in your turf, take a -1.

Options for Hunting in Your Turf

You get hurt during the hunt; mark five heavy wounds divided
among the pack. This option represents the angeleros getting
hurt during the hunt. You decide as a group who gets to mark
the wounds, divided among the participants. Since this is a pay
and move-on situation, you don’t roll for get hit hard. However,
moves that help you reduce or ignore the harm apply here—like
the Jaguar’s guerrero jaguar move. Finally, if somehow there
aren’t enough unmarked harm boxes between all hunters to
mark five heavy wounds, you can’t pick this option.
You cause collateral damage; the Marakame will tell you the conse-
quences. This gives the Marakame the possibility to bring an
angry NPC into the story later. Maybe you touched and let escape
an angel that now wants revenge before they completely trans-
form into a diablo; maybe the high ranks of the Church had an

126 Nahual
interest in the angels gathering on the cathedral; or maybe you
made a mess while hunting the angels and ended up damaging
some narco property. Whatever the case, the Marakame has to
tell you what the collateral damage is; the consequence, however,
you won’t find out until it comes for payback.
The hunt is hard; mark four conditions divided among the pack.
With this option you must mark four conditions divided among
the participants to represent the stress of the hard hunt. Similar
to the get hurt option, you decide as a group who gets to mark
conditions, and each player decides what conditions they mark.
Also if the hunters don’t have enough unmarked conditions
among them to mark four, you can’t pick this option.
The hunt is scarce; you kill two fewer angels means you subtract
two from the initial number of angels killed as determined by
how many angeleros participated in the hunt. If you hunted as
a pack of only three angeleros, and you pick this option, that
means that in the end you only killed one angel.

The party is almost full on their restock track, so they want to

go hunting. But, to make it easy and quick they decide to hunt
on their turf—the small church next to the barrio’s plaza.
Bárbara the Venado, played by Pancho, leads the hunt.
There are predator nahuales in the party and everyone has
summoned their nahual, so that’s a +2; but the Scarcity is at
1 because they’ve hunted here before, so that’s -1. No one has
any conditions marked, so Pancho has a total of +1 for the roll.
Pancho rolls and gets a 9. The players have to choose three from
the list. They choose you get hurt during the hunt, the hunt is
hard, and the hunt is scarce. So they mark five heavy wounds
and four conditions divided among the party. And instead of
four they only get two angels, because the hunt was scarce.
Then I ask them to paint the scene—see page 71—so every-
one can contribute a detail as we describe a quick montage
of the party going to the church and hunting the angels. No
moves, no rolls. Just a quick montage of scenes.

The Moves 127

If You’re not Hunting in Your Turf
When PCs hunt in a turf they don’t know well, new and inter-
esting things happen. This move sets up the start of the hunt
instead of resolving it completely. The PCs then play out the
hunt in its entirety, like any other normal scene in the game.
This is new territory—even if this is your second or third time
hunting here—you fully play to find out what happens.
Similar to when you hunt on your turf, someone needs to take
the lead and a pack of at least three angeleros needs to go on
the hunt. If you are the pack leader, mark stress and choose a
strategy that dictates what stat you add to your roll, and what
benefit and risk can come to bear depending on the result.
When you roll a hit, you find a flock of angels, around five or
so—the Marakame decides the exact number based on the
turf you hunt in and the amount of players at your table. The
Marakame then uses the benefit and the risk of your strat-
egy—depending on your dice roll—and describes the scene to
you, and may ask you all to participate in setting it up. Then the
scene starts, with actions being described and moves snowball-
ing, like any other regular scene. Suerte con la caza!
If you roll a miss, you don’t find any angels to hunt. Instead, you
end up at the mercy of the faction related to this turf—each turf
has a faction related to it, assigned by the Marakame. For more
on this see page 263 in The Marakame chapter.
Once the hunt is over, you need to butcher your quarry, assum-
ing you got any. You use the tablajería move for this, as normal.

The changarro is in need of product, so the players decide to

go hunting. Their turf Scarcity is still full, so they choose to go
look for another spot to hunt. They’ve heard some rumors of
angels gathering at an old graveyard. So it seems like a good
spot to check.
Casimiro leads the hunt. Balles checks the strategies and
decides to go with baiting, rolling with Barrio. But before he
rolls, I ask Balles what Casimiro is doing to act as bait.

128 Nahual
“Casimiro acts like a borrachín—a drunkard,” Balles says, “and
totters between the graves, singing a sad song, like he’s mourn-
ing and drinking because of a loved one he lost.”
“Perfect! Roll with Barrio,” I say. Casimiro rolls and gets a 9.
That means both the benefit and the risk applies. Claudia asks if
she can intervene to make it a 10+, but in the fiction they are all
hiding waiting for the right moment; Casimiro is on his own.
“Okay,” I say. “You get to the dark and empty graveyard,
and you find a spot perfect for the ambush, a sort of clearing
surrounded by tall trees and a couple of big mausoleums where
your fellow hunters can climb and hide easily, getting to a high
vantage position, in case the angels want to fly away. Casimiro
lies on the floor next to a tombstone in the center of the clear-
ing and keeps singing, moaning, and drinking. Slowly and
silently the angels arrive, five of them. They circle Casimiro as
they descend, the full moonlight reflecting on their snow-white
wings. They land next to him, while Lucifer, Chino, and Johnny
move stealthy into position from their hiding places.
“Casimiro, as one of the angels starts to reach towards you
with his hand, you turn your head up and meet his eyes,
with a big smile in your face, as you draw your weapons. The
angel’s eyes grow wide as he realizes this is a trap, the other
angels turn up, looking for an opening to escape, but your
camaradas have revealed themselves, ready to intercept any
angel that tries to fly away.
“One angel though reacts like a cornered cat, and with light-
ning reflexes grabs a big rock and drops it on Casimiro’s head,
smashing hat and skull alike...you all can hear the crack!
Casimiro, you get hit hard by deadly harm, roll for the move to
see if you can reduce it.”
“Nooo! Mi sombrero!” Balles shouts.
Now the whole scene starts, with moves upon moves triggering,
everyone getting their moment in the spotlight. Órale!

The Moves 129

TABLAJERÍA
When you butcher ordinary angels at your changarro to profit
from their parts, roll with questions:
Š Is everyone helping with the butchery? Take +1.
Š Do all the butchers each have only one or fewer conditions
marked? Take +1.
Š Did your hunt yield fewer than three angels? Take -1.
Š Are you pressured to meet a deadline? Take -1.
On a hit, clear your restock track. On a 7-9, the work was unset-
tling. Tell the Marakame how it haunts you; everyone involved
marks stress.
On a miss, the work was especially disturbing; everyone marks two
stress—describe your characters’ reactions to the horrors they have
seen. You can still clear some restock, but someone must mark a
condition for each restock you want to clear, dividing this burden
however you want among the characters doing the butchering.

Tablajería is the move used to butcher the angels and restock

the changarro. This is not an easy task, a normal human would
be driven crazy by it; angeleros sometimes pay a toll for doing
it—this is a supernatural effect related to the nature of angels,
but also from the fact that they are human-shaped after all. For
all those reasons, it is better to share the load and work on it as
a group; but if many participants are troubled by conditions,
they’ll have a harder time doing the work.
When you clear your restock track on a hit, this is an abstract
representation of your changarro getting back on track. It also
includes the trading of byproduct with other parties—so you
can get other supplies or pay some bills. Remember that you are
not running a business simulator with inventories, bills, earn-
ings, and taxes, cabrón! For more on restock, see page 63.

130 Nahual
The party led by
Bárbara has returned
from the hunt with their
quarry, unfortunately it was
a scarce one. However, there is
still work to do. I ask the players
who is doing the butchering work,
and they say all of them. That
means they get the +1 from
the first question of the tabla-
jería move. However, Juanjo
the Tlacuache has a couple of
conditions marked; so no +1 for
the second question. They only killed
two angels, which means they take -1
to the roll from the third question. And
finally, they are not in a hurry to use this
product, which leaves the roll flat. Just
the dice this time.
Adriana, Paulino’s player, takes the dice
and rolls a 9! So close. They clear their
restock track, but the butchering of the
angels was unsettling. Everyone has
to mark stress, and then I ask them to
describe how the work was unsettling for
their angeleros. Adriana says that the angels
at times seemed to still be looking at them, their eyes blink-
ing and following them as they did the work. Everyone likes
Adriana’s description, and also gets a bit unsettled by it, so I call
for a break to stretch our legs and use the bathroom, but mostly
to give everyone a moment to decompress.

The Moves 131

132 Nahual
THE NAHUALES
Playbooks, as mentioned in The Angeleros, are character
templates based around the totem animals each nahual can
transform into to access their powers. These totem animals
define the general idea of what each playbook is, more than just
physically—the jaguar is an apex predator, the dog is a gregari-
ous leader, the possum is a sneaky and tricky thief, etc. While
your playbook provides structure for your character, each
playbook is also flexible enough for you to adapt it to your own
personal vision.
Here is a list of all the playbooks present in the corebook, with
a quick description so you can get a general idea of what each
playbook is about.

9
ÁGUILA: The Eagle is an arrogant tactician and a sharpshooter.
Always prepared with the appropriate equipment.

9
ARMADILLO: The Armadillo is a tough and resilient defender.
With a code of honor they try to uphold at all costs.

9
JAGUAR: The Jaguar is a powerful predator, top of the food
chain. A frightening and efficient killing machine.

9
MONO: The Monkey is a creative artist and an inventor. A
crafter of wonders whose curiosity is always causing trouble.

9
PERRO: The Dog is gregarious and protective. An excellent
companion that can also be savage when needed.

9
SERPIENTE: The Serpent is a sensual manipulator. Social and
charming, but selfish and without real attachments.

9
TLACUACHE: The Opossum is a joyful and sneaky trickster. A
carefree troublemaker, full of resources, resilient and lucky.

9
VENADO: The Deer is the embodiment of beauty and grace.
The center of attention, alluring and dangerous.

The Nahuales 133

 ÁGUILA
You are the Eagle. You project security and a
regal bearing. A natural tactician with a strong
personality, you can’t stand taking orders. You are arrogant...
because you soar far above everyone else. Your view from these
heights allows you to analyze things with great precision.

134 Nahual
Persona
You are Mexican, and you are poor. Choose one for each bullet:

99
androgynous, conforming, shifting, nonconforming
young, mature, senior, elder

99
piercing eyes, deep eyes, strong eyes, confident eyes
elegant look, tactical look, modern look, practical look

Starting Stats
Garra 0, Maña +1, Barrio -1, Instinto +1
Add +1 to starting stat of your choice.

Vices
9 Arrogance: When you put someone close to you in grave
danger with your exaggerated sense of competence, activate
this vice.

9 Tyranny: When you convince or cow a group to abandon a

plan or strategy in favor of your new idea, activate this vice.

9 Cruelty: When you insult or demean someone you care about

by pointing out their flaws or mistakes, activate this vice.

9 Defiance: When you purposefully challenge or taunt figures

of power, activate this vice.

Conditions
99
Haunted: -2 to open the doors of perception
Insecure: -2 to make a fuss

9
Restless: -2 to avoid trouble

Barrio Questions
Choose and answer only one of the following questions. Use
only NPCs for the answers.

9 You see yourself above everyone in the barrio. Who was the
only person in the barrio close to your level, and what did you
do to make them fall?

9 You once helped a dangerous enemy of the barrio. Who is this,

and why was this the best decision for your long-term plans?

The Nahuales 135

Relaciones
Once everyone has presented their character, go around again
establishing relaciones—pick only one for each other player
character:

9 You think ___________ is completely useless; why are you

okay with them hanging around?

9 ____________ once got themselves into some bad trouble

you saw coming from a mile away. Why didn’t you warn
them?

9 An error in your judgment resulted in the death of someone

important to ____________. Have they forgiven you for your
mistake?

9 ____________ is always trying to boss you around. Why are

you holding back from telling them to fuck off?

9 ____________ looks up to you and always follows your lead.

How do you take advantage of their admiration?

9 ____________ is the only person you truly take advice from.

Why do you trust them?

Gear and Stuff

You have a tough vehicle, your Eagle’s Nest (see Signature
Move), your nahual mask, and two hearts of the earth. Pick
your weapon of choice:

99
A pair of 9mms [close, loud]
An assault rifle [close/far, loud, auto-fire]

99
A sniper rifle [far, loud, reload]
A longbow [close/far, reload]

9
Throwing knives [hand/close, infinite]

136 Nahual
ÁGUILA SIGNATURE MOVE
You get this move—it is active all the time, when you are trans-
formed and when you are not.
4 Eagle’s Nest 
You have a hidden lair: safe, secret, and secure. It’s hard for every-
one but you to access; tell the group what makes reaching it a
challenge. In your nest, you have all sorts of prepared equipment.
Choose three categories from the list below:
„ Firepower (specialized weapons, small explosives, stun
grenades, special ammo, etc.)
„ Tactical and communication gear (flashlights, special vision
devices, motion detectors, tactical tools, high-tech comms, etc.)
„ Protective and survival gear (pads, vests, helmets, guards,
survival kit, first aid, etc.)
„ Security bypassing (hacking devices, fake IDs, decoders, bolt
cutters, battering ram, lockpicking tools, etc.)
„ Supernatural mojos (protective charms, hearts of the earth,
talismans, ritual components, ancient relics, etc.)
„ Occult knowledge (ancient tomes, a collection of scrolls, a
cryptic database, etc.)
Anytime you need something related to one of your chosen cate-
gories, mark your eagle’s nest track to already have it with you.
When you have a chance to go back and restock your supplies,
clear your eagle’s nest track.

ÁGUILA TOTEM MOVES

Choose two Totem Moves. You only have access to Totem
Moves while transformed.
… Sharpshooter
You can roll Instinto instead of Garra when you assail someone
with a ranged weapon.

The Nahuales 137

… Bird’s-Eye View
When you observe a charged situation from a distance, roll with
Instinto. On a 10+, hold 3. On a 7-9, hold 2. On a miss, hold 1 and
take -1 forward. During the charged situation, you can spend your
hold 1 for 1 to:
Š Kill, disable, or disarm (your choice) an NPC of a lower threat
level within reach.
Š Warn a PC of an impending harm; they suffer no harm if they
mark stress to heed your warning.
Š Give another PC a tactical order. If they comply, they get +1
ongoing when following your instructions.
Š Create an opening or opportunity for an ally or yourself to
escape or advance.
Š Ask the Marakame: “What’s my enemy’s true position?”
Š Cross the distance to any character outside of your reach
before anyone has time to adjust or react.

… Águila Real
When you impose your regal bearing upon a human NPC, give
them an order and roll with Instinto. On a hit, they comply with
your orders or suffer heavy harm, their choice. On a 7-9, they can
instead choose one of the following:
Š Pass you off to a higher power.
Š Stall, flee, or barricade themselves in.
Š Reveal a useful secret about their resources or superiors.
On a miss, they think you’re someone you’re not and treat you
accordingly.

… Eagle Wings
You can mark stress to instantly travel to a person—or place—you
know well, or to a place you can see. Mark an extra stress to bring
a few allies with you; each of them has to mark stress as well to
complete the trip. If your allies can’t mark stress, you can mark it
for them instead.

138 Nahual
ÁGUILA STAGES OF NAHUALITY
There are six known Stages of Nahuality. You start with control over the First Stage.
Each time your XP track fills, clear it and take an advancement. When you’ve taken
both advancements for your current stage of control, you now control the next stage.

4 1st Stage: Novato … 4th Stage: Nahual

XP  XP 
„Take a totem move „Take a second totem animal
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3) „No enhancer needed to transform

Channel Abilities Channel Abilities

Mark 1 stress to...
Š Zoom in your sight to uncanny levels
Š Make an impossible jump (10 m or so)
Š Identify a hidden weakness or flaw
… 2nd Stage: Aprendiz
XP 
„Take 2 more categories
from eagle’s nest
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3)
Mark 2 stress to...
Š Cover a few kilometers of
distance with a single jump
Š Kill all vulnerable threats in the
area with a rain of sharp feathers
Š Increase your established
harm by 1 step
Š Heal a wound by decreasing it one
step down (yours or someone else’s)
… 5th Stage: Kibal

Channel Abilities XP 

Mark 1 stress to...
Š Fly a short distance (100 m or so)
Š Make an impossible shot
with a gun or bow
Š Summon an impressive gust of wind
… 3rd Stage: Brujo
„Take a third totem animal
„Unlock the chimeric transformation
Channel Abilities
Mark 3 stress to...
Š Break the laws of physics
Š Temporarily become a living sun that
radiates immeasurable heat and light

XP  … 6th Stage: Postome

„No mask needed to transform
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3) Once you control this stage of
Nahuality, your character has
Channel Abilities surpassed all the limits of mortality.
Mark 1 stress to... Retire your character, and tell the
Marakame if you want your character
Š Fly for the rest of the scene to reappear as an NPC.
Š See through solid objects
Š Throw razor sharp feathers
to assail someone
Š Phase through a solid wall
Playing the Águila
Arrogant and stubborn, the Águila is a natural tactician with a
strong personality. They don’t like to be told what to do, espe-
cially because they often think they are above everyone else.
The Águila could probably be a great leader, if only they could
manage their lack of social skills.
The Águila shines when keeping their distance and waiting for
the right moment to act. Don’t rush into a conflict: keep your
cool and wait until you know what you’re up against. Let the
Jaguar and the Perro be the battering rams, and the rest of your
fellow hunters the cannon fodder. Everything and everyone are
pieces in this chess game called life. And you always need to look
at the whole board, so you can make the most productive moves.

Notes on Your Moves

Your eagle’s nest is the ace up your sleeve, the tool that ensures you
are always ready for every situation. When you mark your track
for eagle’s nest, you have enough equipment to solve the problem
you currently face. Unless the fictional circumstances prevent
it, you usually have enough equipment to make a real difference,
equipping all your allies if necessary. For example, even if you
are kidnapped, handcuffed, and stripped of all your things; you
can still mark your track to have a lockpicking tool hidden in
your mouth, assuming you chose the security bypassing category.
You can’t, however, say you have an assault rifle with you! They
stripped you of your things—they would notice a rifle.
In the case of occult knowledge, marking a box can mean you
have something with you, or that you just know because you’ve
read a relevant tome or seen a useful scroll.

140 Nahual
Bird’s-eye view requires the situation to already be charged in
order for it to trigger. When an option refers to within reach,
it means the reach of you or your weapon. If a target is out of
your reach, you can use the last option to cross that distance
and immediately choose another option, as long as you have
any hold left to do so. When you send warnings or tactical
orders to your allies, your nahual carries them for you; maybe
they hear your voice in their head, maybe they see it as images,
or maybe they feel a tingle in their spine and know exactly what
it means. This move is supernatural, so go wild when describing
how it works.
Águila real only works on human non-player characters. This
means you can’t use it on NPC nahuales, since they became more
than humans the moment they awoke their nahual. However,
remember that not all angeleros or diableros have an awakened
nahual—they may have the potential for it, but that’s all—so you
can try to sway them as you would any other human.
When using eagle wings to bring others with you, allies implies
that they are willing to come along. You can carry an uncon-
scious ally to safety, as long as you pay the stress for them. You
can’t carry an unwilling being with this move. Finally, NPC
allies can’t mark stress, so if you want to bring them with you,
you need to pay the stress for them.

The Nahuales 141

 ARMADILLO
You are the Armadillo. You have a tough nature
and a noble heart. Shielded by your own code of
honor, you have a soft spot for those in trouble and do everything
in your power to protect them. You are a stubborn defender, a
paragon of resistance and perseverance.

142 Nahual
Persona
You are Mexican, and you are poor. Choose one for each bullet:

99
androgynous, conforming, shifting, nonconforming
young, mature, senior, elder

99
placid eyes, tender eyes, guarding eyes, fervent eyes
professional look, traditional look, street look, messy look

Starting Stats
Garra +1, Maña -1, Barrio +1, Instinto 0
Add +1 to starting stat of your choice.

Vices
9 Distrust: When you pry into the affairs of a friend or loved
one to uncover a secret or truth, activate this vice.

9 Rigidity: When you reject a compromise in a complicated

situation to stay true to your worldview, activate this vice.

9 Obstinacy: When you refuse to retreat in the face of terrible

odds, activate this vice.

9 Danger: When you jump into danger without a plan or fore-

thought, activate this vice.

Conditions
99
Afraid: -2 to assail someone
Anxious: -2 to hit up your conecte

9
Frustrated: -2 to figure someone out

Barrio Questions
Choose and answer only one of the following questions. Use
only NPCs for the answers.

9 Someone has been snooping around the barrio, and you are
determined to find out why. Who are they, and why is it
dangerous to get involved with them?

9 You once helped someone in the barrio with a big problem.

Who did you help, and what happened recently that rekindled
the problem or brought dire consequences to you?

The Nahuales 143

Relaciones
Once everyone has presented their character, go around again
establishing relaciones—pick only one for each other player
character:

9
You once broke your code for ____________. Why did you
do it, and what happened that made you regret it?

9
You rescued ____________ from a certain death. What terri-
ble thing did you have to do to save them?

9
You feel ____________ is the only one you can trust to
protect the innocent almost as well as you can. Have you told
them this?

9
You think ____________ is a terrible influence on someone
in the barrio. What trick have you pulled to keep them apart?

9
You can’t trust ____________, even though they have done
nothing to merit your suspicion. What do you see in them
that makes you feel this way?

9
You once failed to protect someone important to
_____________. Have you forgiven yourself? Have they?

Gear and Stuff

You have a secure apartment, a sturdy vehicle, a simple mobile
phone, your nahual mask, and two hearts of the earth. Then
choose 1 from the list below:

99
9mm [close, loud]
Shotgun [close, messy]

9
Cleaver, machete, or hatchet [touch, messy]

144 Nahual
ARMADILLO SIGNATURE MOVES
You get these two moves—they are active all the time, whether
you are transformed or not.
4 Knight in Shining Armor
You have a noble and gentle heart, and a code of honor you try to
uphold. You always help those in need and protect others from danger.
Š When you stand by while an innocent or helpless person suffers
harm, mark a condition.
Š When someone comes through a dangerous situation safe and
sound thanks to your actions, clear a condition, empty your
stress track, or mark XP.
Código
You live by a code, and you try to uphold it the best you can. Pick
three from the list to define it. Whenever you break your code,
mark a condition.
„ Always speak the truth
„ Always show mercy to your foes
„ Always avoid collateral damage
„ Never break a promise
„ Never strike the first blow
„ Never deny your aid to a friend

4 Protector
When you protect someone from an impending threat, roll with
Garra. On a hit, you keep them safe. On a 7-9, it costs you: you
are exposed to serious danger or cause collateral damage keeping
them safe, your choice.

The Nahuales 145

ARMADILLO TOTEM MOVES
You only have access to Totem Moves while transformed.
You get this one:

4 Armadura
You’re tougher than most. You have two extra stress boxes (even
when not transformed, already included in your stress track), and
you have armor 2 when transformed. If you ever have to mark a
third deadly harm, you may mark a condition instead.

Then choose another one:

… Cannonball
When you smash your way through scenery to reach someone or
something, roll with Garra. On a hit, you reach your target. On a
10+, choose 1. On a 7–9, choose 2.
Š You hurt yourself; mark 1 heavy harm.
Š You lose your cool; mark 2 stress.
Š You cause serious collateral damage.
On a miss, you smash through, but you leave yourself totally
vulnerable on the other side.

… Warm Soul
When you approach a hostile NPC with heartfelt words of peace,
roll with Barrio. On a hit, your nahual touches their heart; they calm
down, at least for a moment. On a 7-9, choose 1. On a 10+, choose 2.
Š The effect lasts for some time; they forget why they were hostile.
Š The effect makes them let down their guard; you get an
opportunity.
Š The effect appeases your soul too; clear 2 stress.
On a miss, they take advantage of your opening and lash out; they
inflict harm on you as established and put you in a bad spot.

… Calmantes Montes
When you make a fuss to convince a PC to calm down, give up a
violent intention, or soothe their out-of-control nahual, roll with
Garra instead of Maña.

146 Nahual
ARMADILLO STAGES OF NAHUALITY
There are six known Stages of Nahuality. You start with control over the First Stage.
Each time your XP track fills, clear it and take an advancement. When you’ve taken
both advancements for your current stage of control, you now control the next stage.
4 1st Stage: Novato
XP 
„Take a totem move
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3)
Channel Abilities
Mark 1 stress to...
Š See perfectly in the dark by scent
Š Climb with uncanny skill
Š Smell someone to know if they are lying
… 2nd Stage: Aprendiz
XP 
„Take a totem move
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3)
Channel Abilities
Mark 1 stress to...
Š Make an impossible jump (10 m or so)
Š Hold a door shut, making it impassable
to any non-overwhelming threat
Š Burrow through solid ground
or concrete for a short
distance (5 m or so)
… 3rd Stage: Brujo
XP 
„No mask needed to transform
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3)
Channel Abilities
Mark 1 stress to...
Š Leap a tall building in a single bound
Š Heal one harm from a helpless person
by marking that harm yourself
Š Step in front of a car and
stop it dead in its tracks
Š Phase through a solid wall
… 4th Stage: Nahual
XP 
„Take a second totem animal
„No enhancer needed to transform
Channel Abilities
Mark 2 stress to...
Š Cover a few kilometers of
distance with a single jump
Š Burrow through reality to any
place you’ve been before
Š Reduce by one step the harm type of
an attack directed at someone helpless
Š Heal a wound by decreasing it one
step down (yours or someone else’s)
… 5th Stage: Kibal
XP 
„Take a third totem animal
„Unlock the chimeric transformation
Channel Abilities
Mark 3 stress to...
Š Break the laws of physics
Š Resurrect someone you failed
to protect by permanently
marking one condition. If all
are permanently marked, you
can give up your life instead
… 6th Stage: Postome
Once you control this stage of
Nahuality, your character has
surpassed all the limits of mortality.
Retire your character, and tell the
Marakame if you want your character
to reappear as an NPC.
Playing the Armadillo
Hard and resilient, the Armadillo is a real tank who can with-
stand a lot of punishment and stress. But they have a soft and
weak spot—they can’t stand watching people suffer—and
they’ll do everything in their power to keep them safe.
Of all the core playbooks, the Armadillo is the most peculiar
one. Not only because of the double signature moves and the
hardcoded totem move armadura, but also because you get a
bigger stress track. And you need it. Your code makes you care
about a bunch of stuff your fellow nahuales may not worry too
much about, turning you into their moral compass.
Remember that violence is always messy; more often than
not someone innocent gets hurt. That’s why you have tools to
extinguish the fires of violence—the warm soul and calmantes
montes moves. Use them wisely.

Notes on Your Moves

At first glance, knight in shining armor seems like a punishing
move. While everyone else gets cool moves that give them
benefits, you are stuck with a restrictive move that hurts you
if you fail to uphold your code of honor. Well, being the nosy
do-gooder is not an easy job, but doing the right thing can bring
you greater rewards—you can empty your stress, clear a condi-
tion, or get an XP for saving others! You are a pinche superhéroe!
That’s why you also get the protector move, to keep everyone
safe, including your fellow nahuales.

148 Nahual
For armadura, remember the armor 2 is not cumulative with
other armor you may be wearing, you just use the highest armor
as your bonus to get hit hard. Marking your third deadly harm
means you are about to get killed, but you are a tough cabrón; if
you can mark a condition instead you shrug off the harm!
With cannonball the scenery you smash through can be furni-
ture, windows, doors, but maybe also walls, or other harder
barriers, depending on the level of Nahuality you are trans-
formed into. If you choose you hurt yourself, you are actually
paying a cost for smashing through scenery; you can’t roll for
get hit hard to reduce it.
When using warm soul, you need to approach the NPC you are
trying to calm down, meaning you need to get close to them,
and basically let your guard down. If you choose to make them
let down their guard, what you do with the opportunity depends
on the situation. Of course, if you choose to attack them, they
become hostile again.

The Nahuales 149

 JAGUAR
You are the Jaguar, a perfect predator and
creature of the night. Lethal in combat and
stealth. Strong, fearless, proud, solitary and ever stern. Your
majestic and imposing bearing inspires fear and respect. You are
at the top of the food chain.

150 Nahual
Persona
You are Mexican, and you are poor. Choose one for each bullet:

99
androgynous, conforming, shifting, nonconforming
young, mature, senior, elder

99
scary eyes, sharp eyes, wild eyes, cold eyes
tidy look, messy look, discreet look, native look

Stats
Garra +1, Maña +1, Barrio -1, Instinto 0
Add +1 to starting stat of your choice.

Vices
9 Bloodlust: When you ruthlessly kill a helpless target, acti-
vate this vice.

9 Hubris: When you enter a dangerous situation without

backup or assistance, activate this vice.

9 Cruelty: When you insult or demean someone you care about

by pointing out their flaws or mistakes, activate this vice.

9 Indifference: When you deny your help or spare resources to

someone in dire need, activate this vice.

Conditions
99
Frustrated: -2 to figure someone out
Haunted: -2 to open the doors of perception

9 Restless: -2 to avoid trouble

Barrio Questions
Choose and answer only one of the following questions. Use
only NPCs for the answers.

9 You grew up in the barrio, but you’ve always been isolated

from everyone. Who’s the only person here you consider
yourself close to?

9 You killed a dangerous threat to the barrio. Someone is happy

you took care of the problem, but someone else is not. Who
are they? Why do they feel as they feel?

The Nahuales 151

Relaciones
Once everyone has presented their character, go around again
establishing relaciones—pick only one for each other player
character:

99
You see __________ almost as an equal. Have you told them so?
__________ is the only person that can keep your violence in
check. Why is that?

99
__________ knows your darkest secret. What is it?
__________ thinks you’re the coolest badass and follows you
around. How do you feel about it?

9
__________ once saved you from certain death. Do you feel
thankful or ashamed about it?

9
You killed someone important to __________. Do they know
you’re responsible for the death?

Gear and Stuff

You have an old apartment, a third- or fourth-hand car, a cheap
cell phone, your nahual mask, and two hearts of the earth.
Choose 3 from this list:

99
9mm with suppressor [close]
Shotgun [close, messy]
99
Tactical knife [touch]
Cleaver, machete, or hatchet

9
SMG with suppressor [close,
auto-fire]
[touch, messy]

9
Light armor [+1] and folding

9
Assault rifle [close/far, loud,
auto-fire]
knife [touch]

JAGUAR SIGNATURE MOVE

You get this move—it is active all the time, when you are trans-
formed and when you are not.

4 Apex Predator
You are at the top of the food chain. You always count as one
threat level higher than you normally would be. Choose what type
of predator you are:
„ Savage and messy „ Artful and impressive
„ Precise and skillful „ Powerful and frightening

152 Nahual
JAGUAR TOTEM MOVES
Choose two Totem Moves. You only have access to Totem
Moves while transformed.

… Killing Pounce
When you pounce on your prey from the shadows, roll with Garra.
On a hit, mark stress and inflict your harm as established. On a
10+, choose 2. On a 7-9 choose 1.
Š You inflict terrible harm; increase your harm type.
Š You return to the shadows; no one knows where you are.
Š You keep your cool; forgo marking the stress.
On a miss, you inflict your harm as established, but you’re vulnera-
ble to retaliation and notice.

… Night Stalker
When you figure someone out by watching them from a hidden
position, roll with Garra instead of Barrio.

… Hear Me Roar
When you let out a mighty roar to impress your prey, roll with
Garra. On a hit, they either fight or flee, their choice. Those who
fight go all against you in a frenzied panic or mindless rage; take +1
ongoing against them. On a 7-9, your roar attracts the unwanted
attention of a new threat.

… Terrifying
Take +1 to Garra (max +3).

… Guerrero Jaguar
When you would suffer harm, you can mark stress to reduce the
harm type by one level. Also, whenever you mark deadly harm,
take +1 forward.

The Nahuales 153

Playing the Jaguar
Violent and powerful, the Jaguar is the apex predator, always
above their fellow nahuales. This sometimes makes them lonely
and conceited creatures, and not very good team players. The
only language they understand is violence, and they can speak
it loudly and clearly.
You picked this playbook because you want to kill things and be
the biggest badass. Don’t restrain yourself: you are the char-
acter best equipped for violence! Sure, sometimes you will
encounter threats bigger than you, but even then you have ways
to push yourself and even the scales—always counting as one
threat level higher is a great advantage.
However, be smart about how you attack your prey. Like the
jaguars in the jungle, you are at your best when you hit your
target by surprise, especially if you have the killing pounce
move. They cannot fight what they cannot see coming, Jaguar.

Notes on Your Moves

Remember that apex predator is a signature move. It is always
active, whether you have summoned your nahual or not. This
means that when you are not transformed you count as at least
a dangerous threat (level 1), even barehanded!
For killing pounce, the move can’t trigger unless you pounce on
your prey from the shadows. The word shadows here means
basically any hidden position. Therefore, always try to set it up
before jumping against an enemy, otherwise the Marakame will
ask you to roll to assail someone instead.
For guerrero jaguar, you can always try first to reduce the harm
with the get hit hard move. And even after reducing the harm with
that move, you can still mark the stress to reduce it even further—
e.g., you were about to suffer deadly harm, but with get hit hard
you manage to reduce it to heavy harm, with guerrero jaguar you
can then pay stress to reduce further, making it light harm.

154 Nahual
JAGUAR STAGES OF NAHUALITY
There are six known Stages of Nahuality. You start with control over the First Stage.
Each time your XP track fills, clear it and take an advancement. When you’ve taken
both advancements for your current stage of control, you now control the next stage.
4 1st Stage: Novato
XP 
„Take a totem move
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3)
Channel Abilities
Mark 1 stress to...
Š See perfectly in the dark
Š Climb with uncanny skill
Š Detect the true position of an enemy
… 2nd Stage: Aprendiz
XP 
„Take a totem move
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3)
Channel Abilities
Mark 1 stress to...
Š Make an impossible jump (10 m or so)
Š Make yourself invisible
to mundane eyes
Š Break through a heavy wooden door
… 3rd Stage: Brujo
XP 
„No mask needed to transform
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3)
Channel Abilities
Mark 1 stress to...
Š Leap a tall building in a single bound
Š Shoot a golpe de nahual to destroy
a barrier or assail someone
Š Topple a car barehanded
Š Phase through a solid wall
… 4th Stage: Nahual
XP 
„Take a second totem animal
„No enhancer needed to transform
Channel Abilities
Mark 2 stress to...
Š Cover a few kilometers of
distance with a single jump
Š Kill all vulnerable threats in the
area in a flurry of claws and teeth
Š Increase the established harm
you inflict by one step
Š Heal a wound by decreasing it one
step down (yours or someone else’s)
… 5th Stage: Kibal
XP 
„Take a third totem animal
„Unlock the chimeric transformation
Channel Abilities
Mark 3 stress to...
Š Break the laws of physics
Š Release a mighty roar that
creates a localized earthquake
… 6th Stage: Postome
Once you control this stage of Nahuality,
your character has surpassed all the
limits of mortality. Retire your character,
and tell the Marakame if you want your
character to reappear as an NPC.
 MONO
You are the Monkey: smart, inquisitive, and
creative. A true artist and an inventor with
extraordinary crafting talents. Your curiosity is always getting you
in trouble, but you cannot help yourself. Your need to know what
makes things tick is your passion...and your obsession.

156 Nahual
Persona
You are Mexican, and you are poor. Choose one for each bullet:

99
androgynous, conforming, shifting, nonconforming
young, mature, senior, elder

99
sharp eyes, inquisitive eyes, bright eyes, innocent eyes
colorful look, striking look, messy look, practical look

Starting Stats
Garra -1, Maña +1, Barrio +0, Instinto +1
Add +1 to starting stat of your choice.

Vices
9 Obsession: When you refuse to meet your obligations or
commitments in order to work on a project or research, acti-
vate this vice.

9 Curiosity: When you put yourself in danger to investigate a

secret or mystery, activate this vice.

9 Greed: When you endanger yourself or someone close to you

to acquire something you covet, activate this vice.

9 Indiscretion: When you cause someone close to you pain or

trouble by revealing their secrets, activate this vice.

Conditions
99
Insecure: -2 to make a fuss
Restless: -2 to avoid trouble

9
Shaken: -2 to sneak around

Barrio Questions
Choose and answer only one of the following questions. Use
only NPCs for the answers.

9 You are the artist of the barrio. Most people like you, but one
person is your craziest fan. Why do you find this person so
annoying?

9 You recently poked your nose into something you shouldn’t

have investigated. What dangerous secret did you unveil?

The Nahuales 157

Relaciones
Once everyone has presented their character, go around again
establishing relaciones—and pick only one for each other
player character:

9
You crafted an object for ____________. What is it? Is it
beautiful, resilient, or lethal?

9
You feel something special for ____________. What is it
about them that excites your curiosity?

9
You think ____________ is the most brutish and insensitive
person you know. Yet you care deeply about them! Why?

9
____________ thinks all your “artsy stuff” is a waste of time.
What have they said or done to you that struck a sensible chord?

9
You got ____________ in serious trouble because of your curi-
osity. What happened and why do you feel so bad about it?

9
____________ helped you with something you were working
on, and you owe them. Why are you dragging your feet on
paying back the favor?

Gear and Stuff

In addition to your workshop, you have a smartphone, your
nahual mask, and two hearts of the earth. You also have three
items you crafted at your workshop: one has supernatural prop-
erties, one is astonishingly beautiful, and one is cursed. Work
out with the Marakame what the items are and how they work.

158 Nahual
MONO SIGNATURE MOVE
You get this move—it is active all the time, when you are trans-
formed and when you are not.
4 Artesano
You have a workshop where you do crafting and research, mixing
angel parts with mundane materials. You have all the usual stuff
a regular craft-shop has: tools, materials, and space. Choose and
underline three special features of your workshop:
a forge heated with hellish fires; a set of tools stolen from heaven; a
supernaturally resistant testing room; a library of cryptic tomes; a
room full of otherworldly junk; wards against angels; wards against
demons; a high tech lab; an ancient alchemy set; a walk-in-fridge
full of weird ingredients; a well equipped medical kit; a mysterious
ancient relic you don’t understand
When you go to your workshop to craft an object or study a problem,
say what it is you’re trying to accomplish. The Marakame will tell you
1 to 4 requirements you need to meet to complete your task:
Š First, you must _________
Š It will take you hours/days/weeks/months to complete
Š You’ll need help from _________
Š The best you’ll get is a lesser result, unreliable and limited
Š You and your fellow angeleros will risk danger from ________
Š The process will be terribly disturbing; you’ll have to
mark a condition

MONO TOTEM MOVES

Choose two Totem Moves. You only have access to Totem
Moves while transformed.
… Alebrije
You have an alebrije figurine you crafted, no bigger than a cat. When
you transform, it comes to life and appears next to you. Each time it
comes to life, choose two basic moves and tell the Marakame how
your alebrije can help you with those moves to get +1 to the roll.

The Nahuales 159

… Pluma Mágica
When you draw a door, window, or hatch on a wall or barrier, roll
with Maña. On a hit, the thing comes into existence for a while,
and opens to the other side. On a 7-9, it won’t last long or has
unwanted side effects, your choice. On a miss, the passage opens
to a dangerous place, and something comes out or gets sucked in,
Marakame’s choice.

… Tinker
When you use improvised materials to quickly create a temporary
machine or device, roll with Maña. On a 10+, choose 1. On a 7-9,
choose 2.
Š The thing is noisy as hell; it immediately attracts attention.
Š The thing is fragile; it will break after a few uses.
Š The thing is hard to handle; you must mark stress to use it.
On a miss, all three. ¡Buena suerte!

… Psychometry
When you closely examine something interesting, roll with
Instinto. On a hit, you can ask the Marakame questions. On a 10+,
ask 3. On a 7–9, ask 1:
Š What makes this tick?
Š What can I do to improve it or fix it?
Š What supernatural forces have been near this recently?
Š What has this object witnessed most recently?
Š How can I make this thing ________?
On a miss, a supernatural dissonance hits you as you examine the
object; ask 1, but take -1 ongoing for the rest of the scene as you
sort out your thoughts.

160 Nahual
MONO STAGES OF NAHUALITY
There are six known Stages of Nahuality. You start with control over the First Stage.
Each time your XP track fills, clear it and take an advancement. When you’ve taken
both advancements for your current stage of control, you now control the next stage.
4 1st Stage: Novato
XP 
„Take a totem move
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3)
Channel Abilities
Mark 1 stress to...
Š See an aura around supernatural objects
Š Climb with uncanny skill
Š Open or bypass a security lock
… 2nd Stage: Aprendiz
XP 
„Take 3 more special features
from your workshop
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3)
Channel Abilities
Mark 1 stress to...
Š Make an impossible jump (10 m or so)
Š Make a tool appear in your hand
Š Safely parkour yourself across
a dangerous battlefield
… 3rd Stage: Brujo
XP 
„No mask needed to transform
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3)
Channel Abilities
Mark 1 stress to...
Š Leap a tall building in a single bound
Š Make a device function or
malfunction at your will
Š Hack into a secure network
in a matter of seconds
Š Phase through a solid wall
… 4th Stage: Nahual
XP 
„Take a second totem animal
„No enhancer needed to transform
Channel Abilities
Mark 2 stress to...
Š Cover a few kilometers of
distance with a single jump
Š Ignore 1 requirement from
a task in your workshop
Š Temporarily create an object
or device by sheer will
Š Heal a wound by decreasing it one
step down (yours or someone else’s)
… 5th Stage: Kibal
XP 
„Take a third totem animal
„Unlock the chimeric transformation
Channel Abilities
Mark 3 stress to...
Š Break the laws of physics
Š Create a temporary clone of yourself
with angel parts, and give it life.
The clone is an exact copy of you
with moves and everything
… 6th Stage: Postome
Once you control this stage of Nahuality,
your character has surpassed all the
limits of mortality. Retire your character,
and tell the Marakame if you want your
character to reappear as an NPC.
Playing the Mono
Creative and curious, the Mono has the soul of an artist. The
Mono is always peeking around and trying to unveil things they
don’t yet know or understand. In a sense they are also like a
scientist, never satisfied with things the way they are, always
trying to shape and understand the world around them.
The main advantage of the Mono is their artesano workshop.
As a resource, it is endless and flexible like no other playbook’s
feature. Always keep your workshop active, even working on
multiple projects if possible, because projects can take a long
time to complete. This also means that the Mono playbook
shines best in campaigns with multiple sessions. You can still
enjoy the Mono in a one-shot—especially if you give in to the
fullest on their curious nature and peek and poke at every-
thing—just be aware that the workshop may not be as useful as
it is in a multi-session game.

Notes on Your Moves

For artesano, keep in mind that you use angel parts in your
workshop, mixed with other materials. The Mono benefits
from all those parts deemed useless for sale at the changarro.
Be creative with how your Mono uses them. Also remember
that you can craft and research in your workshop; don’t forget
to take advantage of this when you and your fellow nahuales hit
a dead end.
An alebrije is a creature from Mexican folklore, a sort of colorful
chimera made of different animals. Be aware that the alebrije
appears where you are when it comes to life; you don’t need
to carry the figurine around. Don’t forget you can change the
basic moves you choose every time you summon your nahual,
letting you adjust your alebrije’s abilities to your current situa-
tion. When you turn off your nahual, your alebrije reverts back
to a lifeless figurine. If it ever gets destroyed, you can always
make another using your workshop.

162 Nahual
With pluma mágica you are supernaturally drawing the thing
you want to come into existence; it only takes you a few
seconds to do it. The nature and circumstances of the surface
you draw on limit the functionality of the thing you create:
if you draw a door on a wall, you can open it and cross to the
other side, but if you draw it on the ground with nothing but
dirt under it, there is nowhere you can go. However, if you
are on a second floor of a building and you draw the door on
the floor, it now functions as a trap door. The complexity of
the thing you draw is up to you, the door can have a knob, a
lock with a key you can remove, or a biometric lock! You can
dismiss the thing you’ve created at will.
The things you create with tinker have to be a machine or
device with some sort of mechanism or functionality. It can
be a vehicle, a phone, a net throwing gun, or just a gun. If you
want to create a sword, a spear, or a ladder, this move won’t do,
as these things don’t have mechanical moving parts. Temporary
means it won’t last long, usually the whole scene. Obviously
if you pick the thing is fragile, the thing lasts only a few uses as
stated. The Marakame has final say on how long the thing lasts.
Psychometry only works on inanimate objects. A corpse
however is an inanimate thing, so… ask your questions! Closely
examine doesn’t necessarily mean you have to touch the thing
you are examining, but it requires you to be really close to it. It
also implies you are taking the needed time to closely examine,
with detail. Just a quick glance doesn’t work.

The Nahuales 163

 PERRO
You are the Dog. You have a gregarious
personality and a loyal nature. But you can be
pretty violent when provoked. And even though you possess a
strong sense of duty, you have an inner wild side that can get out of
control. You are the ultimate tracker and the perfect companion.

164 Nahual
Persona
You are Mexican, and you are poor. Choose one for each bullet:

99
androgynous, conforming, shifting, nonconforming
young, mature, senior, elder

99
tender eyes, fierce eyes, watchful eyes, calm eyes
professional look, street look, aggressive look, destitute look

Starting Stats
Garra +1, Maña -1, Barrio 0, Instinto +1
Add +1 to starting stat of your choice.

Vices
9 Wrath: When you lash out against a pack member for an
innocent mistake or clumsy error, activate this vice.

9 Violence: When you resort to violence as your first solution

to a problem, activate this vice.

9 Obstinacy: When you refuse to retreat in the face of terrible

odds, activate this vice.

9 Vengeance: When you sacrifice a resource or relationship to

get payback against someone who previously wronged you,
activate this vice.

Conditions
99
Afraid: -2 to assail someone
Frustrated: -2 to figure someone out

9
Haunted: -2 to open the doors of perception

Barrio Questions
Choose and answer only one of the following questions. Use
only NPCs for the answers.

9 You’re utmostly loyal and friendly to your pack, but people in

the barrio are pretty much terrified of you. Why?

9 You consider the whole barrio an extension of your pack. You’ll

do anything for them, and everyone likes you. Everyone but
one person. Why do they hold a grudge against you?

The Nahuales 165

Relaciones
Once everyone has presented their character, go around again
establishing relaciones—and pick only one for each other
player character:

9 ____________ has let you down more than once, but you are
still fond of them. Why?

9 ____________ is your oldest friend. What’s the toughest

moment you have had together?

9 ____________ is like a sibling to you, but you inadvertently

hurt them badly recently. How do they feel about it?

9 You always keep an eye on ____________ because you care for

them. What did you see them do recently that you didn’t like?

9 ____________ always asks your help when things get violent!

Why can’t you refuse them?

9 You’re secretly in love with ___________! Why can’t you tell

them how you feel?

Gear and Stuff

You have an old apartment, a third- or fourth-hand vehicle,
a cheap cell phone, your nahual mask, and two hearts of the
earth. Then, pick 2 from the list:

99
9mm with suppressor [close]
Tactical knife [touch]

99
Cleaver, machete, or hatchet [touch, messy]
Light armor [+1]

166 Nahual
PERRO SIGNATURE MOVE
You get this move—it is active all the time, when you are trans-
formed and when you are not.

4 Manada
You consider the other PCs as your manada. Choose two options
from the following list. When with your manada, you gain these
benefits.
„ Jauría. When a member of your manada inflicts harm, mark
stress to assist them; they inflict terrible harm.
„ Charolastras. When a member of your manada is about to take
harm, any other member can choose to mark stress to get in
the way and suffer the harm instead.
„ Territorio. The barrio respects your manada. When a manada
member hits up their conecte in the barrio, mark stress to give
them a 12+ without rolling.
„ Alfa. When you order an unwilling member of your manada to
do something important for you, mark stress to offer them 1 XP
if they comply.

The Nahuales 167

PERRO TOTEM MOVES
Choose two Totem Moves. You only have access to Totem
Moves while transformed (with the exception of watchdog, see
below for more info).

… Bloodhound
When you track your prey, roll with Instinto. On a hit, you know
exactly where to find them and can follow their trail until you
do. On a 7-9, mark stress. On a miss, you still know where to find
them, but the Marakame picks one:
Š Your prey knows you are tracking them.
Š When you finally get to them, the situation
is complicated for you.
Š While you follow your prey, someone
else follows you.

… Pack Mate
When you are with a member of your manada and they need to
mark stress, you can take the burden upon yourself and mark
stress for them.

… Watchdog
You can sense when a member of your manada is in trouble, even if
you are not transformed. When they are, mark stress to transform
(if you were not already) and appear in their scene. Mark another
stress to arrive with a useful resource in hand or in an advanta-
geous position, your choice.

… Wild Dog
When you unleash your inner wild side upon your enemies, mark
stress and roll with Garra. On a hit, you inflict terrible harm upon
them and escalate the situation. On a 7-9 choose one:
Š Your reckless assault leaves you vulnerable;
they inflict harm on you as well.
Š Your frenzied outburst leaves you troubled; mark a condition.
On a miss, you still inflict terrible harm, but your savage attack
leads to collateral damage you didn’t expect.

168 Nahual
PERRO STAGES OF NAHUALITY
There are six known Stages of Nahuality. You start with control over the First Stage.
Each time your XP track fills, clear it and take an advancement. When you’ve taken
both advancements for your current stage of control, you now control the next stage.
4 1st Stage: Novato
XP 
„Take a totem move
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3)
Channel Abilities
Mark 1 stress to...
Š See perfectly in the dark by scent
Š Expand your hearing and
scent to uncanny levels
Š Smell someone to know if they are lying
… 2nd Stage: Aprendiz
XP 
„Take another manada option
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3)
Channel Abilities
Mark 1 stress to...
Š Make an impossible jump (10 m or so)
Š See by scent what happened
here recently
Š Break through a heavy wooden door
… 3rd Stage: Brujo
XP 
„No mask needed to transform
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3)
Channel Abilities
Mark 1 stress to...
Š Leap a tall building in a single bound
Š Shoot a golpe de nahual to destroy
a barrier or to assail someone
Š Detect the exact location of
all your manada members
Š Phase through a solid wall
… 4th Stage: Nahual
XP 
„Take a second totem animal
„No enhancer needed to transform
Channel Abilities
Mark 2 stress to...
Š Cover a few kilometers of
distance with a single jump
Š Do a howl that clears a stress for
every manada member that hears it
Š Increase your established
harm by one step
Š Heal a wound by decreasing it one
step down (yours or someone else’s)
… 5th Stage: Kibal
XP 
„Take a third totem animal
„Unlock the chimeric transformation
Channel Abilities
Mark 3 stress to...
Š Break the laws of physics
Š Go to the Underworld to bring
back the soul of someone recently
deceased (with or without a cost)
… 6th Stage: Postome
Once you control this stage of Nahuality,
your character has surpassed all the
limits of mortality. Retire your character
and tell the Marakame if you want your
character to reappear as an NPC.
Playing the Perro
Loyal and fierce, the Perro cares about their pack above all
else. They bring the group together and make it stronger.
But even though they are mostly supportive of their pack
members, they have a violent side they can unleash on their
enemies to great effect.
As the Perro you will be watching over your fellow nahuales,
whom you consider your manada, even if they don’t share the
feeling. Your function is to be the binder that holds the party
together, as your features help you shine when interacting with
other player characters. Don’t forget you are utmost loyal to
your pack, and as the Perro you’re the best friend of your fellow
nahuales, even if they don’t deserve it!

Notes on Your Moves

The features you choose for manada are active as long as you
are with at least one other player character in a scene. For
jauría, you need to be assisting somehow in the fiction in order
to activate the benefit. For charolastras, keep in mind that any
member of the manada can activate it, as long as their position
in the fiction allows them to get in the way to receive the harm
themselves. Alfa applies for party members unwilling to follow
your lead, someone that needs convincing; also, something
important means just that, asking them to shine your shoes or
wash the dishes won’t cut it.

170 Nahual
For bloodhound, tracking your prey means you have some-
thing to start with: a place they have been, a thing that belongs
to them, or even a photo. As you track them, you have the
trail locked and know where to find them, even if the target is
moving, or gets moved after you used the move. Notice that you
always know where to find your prey when using this move,
regardless of the dice roll; a miss just means things get compli-
cated for you.
Watchdog is a special totem move, because it is active all the
time, even when you are not transformed. The stress cost is for
appearing where the member of your manada is. If you were
not transformed, the move basically lets you transform for free;
because as a supernatural ability, you need to be transformed to
teleport to your ally’s location.
With wild dog you unleash violence in a messy way. This is not
a careful, accurate strike; this is you letting loose, making noise,
breaking things…remember this when describing the fiction
as you resolve the move. At first glance this looks like a very
costly move, but it is actually a powerful one; no matter what
you roll you always inflict terrible harm! The result on the dice
only dictates what price you pay for it.

The Nahuales 171

 SERPIENTE
You are the Snake, a sensual manipulator. Social
and charming, but without any real relationship
or attachment. Merciless. You have the power to heal, but also the
power to kill with your venom. You are patient and cold-blooded,
always waiting for the right moment to strike.

172 Nahual
Persona
You are Mexican, and you are poor. Choose one for each bullet:

99
androgynous, conforming, shifting, nonconforming
young, mature, senior, elder

99
cold eyes, charming eyes, friendly eyes, arresting eyes
elegant look, sensual look, extravagant look, misleading look

Starting Stats
Garra +1, Maña 0, Barrio +1, Instinto -1
Add +1 to starting stat of your choice.

Vices
9 Egoism: When you manipulate someone for your personal
gain without regard to their feelings, activate this vice.

9 Deceit: When you mislead someone close to you into enter-

ing a dangerous situation or joining you in a malicious
scheme, activate this vice.

9 Indifference: When you deny your help or spare resources to

someone in dire need, activate this vice.

9 Indiscretion: When you cause someone close to you pain or

trouble by revealing their secrets, activate this vice.

Conditions
99
Afraid: -2 to assail someone
Frustrated: -2 to figure someone out

9
Shaken: -2 to sneak around

Barrio Questions
Choose and answer only one of the following questions. Use
only NPCs for the answers.

9 You have a dangerous and powerful enemy of the barrio in

your pocket. Why are you seducing them?

9 You are charming and friendly to the barrio and everyone

loves you. Who is the one person that knows you are only
playing with them? And why do they still keep it a secret?

The Nahuales 173

Relaciones
Once everyone has presented their character, go around again
establishing relaciones—and pick only one for each other
player character:

9 ___________ is the only person you truly care about. What

did they do to gain your genuine affection?

9 You enjoy sharing fun and pleasure with ____________. Ask

them if they are just in for the fun too, or do they feel some-
thing serious?

9 ____________ thinks you’re the most beautiful creature

they’ve ever met. Do you like exploiting their feelings, or is it
too easy and boring?

9 You saved someone important to ____________ in the past.

What was the price you asked for this favor?

9 You lured ____________ into doing something awful for you.

What was it, and how did they find out you were just using
them?

9 You killed someone for ____________. Who? Why did you

enjoy it so much you didn’t even ask for anything in return?

Gear and Stuff

You have a fancy ride, a simple mobile phone, a small blade or
two (e.g., switchblade, folding knife, butterfly knife, barber
knife, etc.), your nahual mask, and two hearts of the earth. You
also have a place to crash that’s underground, and known only
to those you trust. Pick what type of hideout it is:

99
The basement of an old building
A deserted sewer section

99
An abandoned subway section
An undiscovered archeological site

174 Nahual
SERPIENTE SIGNATURE MOVE
You get this move—it is active all the time, whether you are
transformed or not.

4 Encanto
When you have time and intimacy with someone to work your
charms, roll with Barrio. On a 10+, hold 3. On a 7-9, hold 2. For
both PCs and NPCs, you can spend your hold to ask them to do
something for you, and...
For NPCs: ...while you have hold on them, they can’t act against
you. If you spend hold, they can’t resist, and must do as you want.
If you cause them harm, or somehow push them away, you lose all
your hold on them. On a miss, they overreact and do something
crazy or extreme for you, something they think you want.
For PCs: ...when you spend hold on them, they mark XP if they
comply; if they refuse, they mark a condition. On a miss, they see
your true face; take -1 ongoing against them until you do some-
thing to gain their trust again.

SERPIENTE TOTEM MOVES

Choose two Totem Moves. You only have access to Totem
Moves while transformed.

… Veneno
When you sink your fangs into someone’s skin and inject your venom,
roll with stress paid (max+3). On a 10+, hold 2. On a 7-9, hold 1.
Spend your hold at any time —regardless of distance—to cause any of
the following effects while the venom courses through their veins:
Š Inflict one deadly harm without regard to their threat level
Š Temporarily stiffen their muscles, so they have trouble moving
Š Temporarily boost their physical prowess,
but inflict light harm on them
Š Heal a wound by decreasing it two steps down
On a miss, your venom has unexpected effects you can’t control;
the Marakame will tell you how your poison affects them.

The Nahuales 175

… Viper
When you assail someone with a small blade, you can mark stress
to increase your established harm by one level.

… Hypnotic Eyes
When you lock eyes with a human NPC at close distance, roll with
Barrio. On a hit, they get momentarily lost in your gaze. Choose
one from the list. On a 10+, you can hold their complete attention
as long as you maintain eye contact.
Š They can’t resist answering your questions to
the best of their ability.
Š They recall, out loud, uncanny details of a past event
of your choice.
Š You can give them a one-word command; if they refuse,
they mark heavy harm.
Š You can plant or erase a simple memory in their mind.
On a miss, choose one, but they develop a psychic connection to
you; they become obsessed with you and get random flashes of
your activities without your knowledge until the connection fades.

… Snake Familiar
When you summon a snake familiar out of your body, mark one
stress. You can summon up to a max number of snakes equal
to your Barrio. You can sense through your snakes’ senses and
communicate with them telepathically. At any time, you may mark
a condition to switch places with one of your familiars.

… Cascabel
When you make noise with your rattle in a turf full of threats, roll
with Barrio. On a hit, choose which NPC is the only one that hears
it; you can make them either walk towards the sound in a trance,
or cower away from it cautiously. If the NPC is hurt the effect ends.
On a 7-9, only NPCs of equal or lower threat level than you can be
affected. On a 10+, you can affect NPCs of up to 2 threat levels
above you. On a miss, every threat in the vicinity hears the sound
and considers it hostile; you must mark stress to keep your loca-
tion unknown to them.

176 Nahual
SERPIENTE STAGES OF NAHUALITY
There are six known Stages of Nahuality. You start with control over the First Stage.
Each time your XP track fills, clear it and take an advancement. When you’ve taken
both advancements for your current stage of control, you now control the next stage.
4 1st Stage: Novato
XP 
„Take a totem move
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3)
Channel Abilities
Mark 1 stress to...
Š See perfectly in the dark by
sensing the infrared spectrum
Š Expand your sense of smell
to uncanny levels
Š Touch someone to know
their true emotions
… 2nd Stage: Aprendiz
XP 
„Take a totem move
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3)
Channel Abilities
Mark 1 stress to...
Š Slither through narrow spaces
Š Make an impossible jump (10 m or so)
Š Make yourself invisible to normal eyes
… 3rd Stage: Brujo
XP 
„No mask needed to transform
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3)
Channel Abilities
Mark 1 stress to...
Š Leap a tall building in a single bound
Š Temporarily turn into a snake
Š Use the senses of someone you
have hold on from encanto
Š Phase through a solid wall
… 4th Stage: Nahual
XP 
„Take a second totem animal
„No enhancer needed to transform
Channel Abilities
Mark 2 stress to...
Š Cover a few kilometers of
distance with a single jump
Š Shed your skin to completely
heal any harm
Š Increase your established
harm by one step
Š Heal all wounds from an ally
… 5th Stage: Kibal
XP 
„Take a third totem animal
„Unlock the chimeric transformation
Channel Abilities
Mark 3 stress to...
Š Break the laws of physics
Š Summon forth the snake goddess
Coatlicue, Mother of the Gods,
to grant you a boon or a favor
… 6th Stage: Postome
Once you control this stage of Nahuality,
your character has surpassed all the
limits of mortality. Retire your character,
and tell the Marakame if you want your
character to reappear as an NPC.
Playing the Serpiente
Seductive and cold, the Serpiente is a master manipulator who
sees everyone else as puppets they can make dance. Their
charming and friendly attitude is but a facade used to lure in
their helpless prey. Underneath, the Serpiente is a cold-blooded
creature, cruel and ruthless.
When playing the Serpiente, give yourself fully to their manip-
ulative and devious nature. Your character shines when you
play up their schemes and duplicity. Now, in doing so, you may
end up misleading and deceiving your fellow nahuales—that’s
fine! You aren’t trying to hurt them; you just manipulate them
to get what your character wants.
Just remember you are not lying to the players, you are lying
to their characters. Keep all your schemes open for all at
the table—no secret plots or messages between you and the
Marakame—and trust the other players to embrace them and
have fun too.

Notes on Your Moves

For encanto, keep in mind that the move has different conditions
depending if you use it on a PC or NPC. Spending hold is you
employing charm and seduction, not mind control; requesting
something extreme like “kill your friends” or “injure yourself” is
a good way to push an NPC away and lose the hold you had.
In veneno, sinking your fangs into someone’s skin requires that
you be in a fictional position that allows you to do that for the
move to trigger. You can’t just use this move in combat as a
substitute to assail someone; you need to work your way to a
position where your enemy’s skin is exposed and you are close
enough to sink your fangs.

178 Nahual
With viper, the trigger means you are using assail someone while
attacking with a small blade. Also, you can’t spend more than one
stress to boost your established harm more than one level.
Hypnotic eyes only works on human non-player characters. This
means you can’t use it on NPC nahuales, since they became
more than humans the moment they awoke their nahual. For the
one-word command option, it has to be an action they can take.
Telling them “die” for example won’t work; that isn’t an action
someone can do. On a miss, when they see the flashes and how
long it takes for the connection to fade is up to the Marakame.
For snake familiar, you have to pay one stress for each snake
you summon. These snakes last until you dismiss them, or they
are killed. Sensing through their senses means you see and feel
the world as a snake does (including the infrared spectrum).
You define what your rattle is for cascabel. It can be a literal rattle
you shake or just a sound you produce—remember, this is a super-
natural move, so anything goes. As long as you keep the noise up,
the effect continues, unless the NPC is harmed of course.

The Nahuales 179

 TLACUACHE
You are the Opossum, a scoundrel and party
animal. A talented thief and skillful deceiver. You
love drinking and the good life. You hate duty and commitments.
And although you are not very brave, you are cunning and pretty
resilient. When you play dead, you can withstand literally anything.

180 Nahual
Persona
You are Mexican, and you are poor. Choose one for each bullet:

99
androgynous, conforming, shifting, nonconforming
young, mature, senior, elder

99
sharp eyes, naughty eyes, sassy eyes, lazy eyes
messy look, destitute look, discreet look, luxurious look

Starting Stats
Garra 0, Maña +1, Barrio +1, Instinto -1
Add +1 to starting stat of your choice.

Vices
9 Cowardice: When you run from danger instead of standing
with your friends or allies, activate this vice.

9 Sloth: When you trick someone into doing your work for
you, activate this vice.

9 Greed: When you endanger yourself or someone close to you

to acquire something you covet, activate this vice.

9 Addiction: When you violate an obligation or responsibility

to get your fix, activate this vice.

Conditions
99
Afraid: -2 to assail someone
Insecure: -2 to make a fuss

9
Shaken: -2 to sneak around

Barrio Questions
Choose and answer one of the following questions. Use only
NPCs for the answers.

9 Your scams are infamous all over the barrio, and you’re
the usual suspect for any trouble. Who always gives you a
heads-up when someone is looking for you?

9 You grew up all by yourself in the barrio and know it like the
back of your hand. Name two other people who grew up with
you on the streets, one of them is your camarada and would die
for you, the other hates you and wants you dead. Why?

The Nahuales 181

Relaciones
Once everyone has presented their character, go around again
establishing relaciones—and pick only one for each other
player character:

9
You care so much about gaining ____________ ‘s respect.
Why is that?

9
____________ is the only person you wouldn’t dare to trick
or cheat. Why? Do they know it?

9
____________ knows about a scam you’re currently working.
Ask them why they haven’t told anyone.

9
____________ looks down on you and thinks you’re a hope-
less cause. Are they right or do you want to prove them
wrong?

9
____________ used to hang around with you, thinking you
were cool. What did you do to disappoint them?

9
____________ believes in you and always has your back
when you get in trouble. What is it that they see in you?

Gear and Stuff

You have a middle-sized apartment full of all sorts of stolen
stuff, a vehicle in regular shape, your nahual mask, and two
hearts of the earth. Decide on three things you carry with you,
whatever you want. The Marakame will give them to you, with
or without strings attached, their choice.

182 Nahual
TLACUACHE SIGNATURE MOVE
You get this move—it is active all the time, whether you are
transformed or not.

4 Tambache 
You carry with you some sort of bag or backpack full of stuff you
stole. It has an exhaustion track with 4 boxes; when the track is full
you cannot use this move any more. The track empties when time
passes or when you have a chance to go to your place and refill
your tambache.
When you need something small enough to fit in your tambache,
no matter how otherwise expensive or specialized, mark one box
and roll with Maña. On a hit, you have it; say where and how you
got it. On a 7-9, choose one:
Š It is malfunctioning or unstable.
Š You have to mark another exhaustion box.
On a miss, the Marakame chooses one:
Š You have it, but the people you stole it from are coming for you
very soon.
Š You empty your tambache and still you can’t find it, mark
another box on your track.

TLACUACHE TOTEM MOVES

Choose two Totem Moves. You only have access to Totem
Moves while transformed.
… Snatch
When you try to sneakily snatch something, roll with Maña. On a
10+, you grab it. On a 7-9, you can get your hands on it, but mark
stress if you do...and whoever you stole it from finds out it was you.
On a miss, you’re caught and exposed before you can snatch it up.

The Nahuales 183

… Lucky
Your nahual warps reality to favor you. When you avoid trouble
while transformed, roll with Maña instead of Instinto. On a 9 or
less, you can mark stress to redirect any difficulty, cost, or conse-
quence towards another allied character in the vicinity; if the char-
acter is a PC, they also mark XP.

… Play Possum
When you play dead to avoid a conflict, mark stress. Your body
looks dead—you don’t even have a pulse. They can do any harm to
your body, tear it apart, burn it, etc. It doesn’t matter, whenever
you choose to end the effect, you wake up completely unharmed.

… Correoso
You are a tough nut to crack. When you get hit hard while trans-
formed, you get armor equal to your Maña.

… Guise
When you disguise yourself with a mirage, mark 2 stress to look
like someone specific or 1 stress to look like any person in general:
an old man, a young lady, etc. Then roll with Maña. On a 10+,
choose 3. On a 7-9, choose 2:
Š The mirage stays in the memories of those affected by it.
Š The mirage can fool a physical examination.
Š The mirage extends to electronic devices: video, photos, etc.
Š The mirage affects supernatural eyes as well as those of mortals.
On a miss, the mirage works...but it has a serious flaw or deficiency
that can reveal your true identity to those watching closely.

184 Nahual
TLACUACHE STAGES OF NAHUALITY
There are six known Stages of Nahuality. You start with control over the First Stage.
Each time your XP track fills, clear it and take an advancement. When you’ve taken
both advancements for your current stage of control, you now control the next stage.

4 1st Stage: Novato … 4th Stage: Nahual

XP  XP 
„Take a totem move „Take a second totem animal
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3) „No enhancer needed to transform

Channel Abilities Channel Abilities

Mark 1 stress to...
Š See perfectly in the dark
Š Climb with uncanny skill
Š Open or bypass a security lock
… 2nd Stage: Aprendiz
XP 
„Take a totem move
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3)
Channel Abilities
Mark 1 stress to...
Š Make an impossible jump
(10 meters or so)
Š Make yourself invisible to normal eyes
Š Make your tambache appear
next to you
… 3rd Stage: Brujo
XP 
„No mask needed to transform
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3)
Channel Abilities
Mark 1 stress to...
Š Leap a tall building in a single bound
Š Manipulate the short-term
memories of a person
Š Pull from your tambache an object
too big to fit in (move still applies)
Š Phase through a solid wall
Mark 2 stress to...
Š Cover a few kilometers of
distance with a single jump
Š Make something disappear, to make it
reappear later at any time in any place
Š Reduce by one step the harm type
of an attack directed at you
Š Heal a wound by decreasing it one
step down (yours or someone else’s)
… 5th Stage: Kibal
XP 
„Take a third totem animal
„Unlock the chimeric transformation
Channel Abilities
Mark 3 stress to...
Š Break the laws of physics
Š Resurrect yourself, even if you
were torn to pieces, melted
in acid, or disintegrated
… 6th Stage: Postome
Once you control this stage of Nahuality,
your character has surpassed all the
limits of mortality. Retire your character,
and tell the Marakame if you want your
character to reappear as an NPC.
Playing the Tlacuache
Sneaky and rash, the Tlacuache is a playful trickster and a trou-
blemaker. Their love for earthly pleasures is only rivaled by
their revulsion to duty and responsibilities. It’s not that they
are good for nothing, you can count on them...sometimes, if
they feel like it.
As a Tlacuache your job is to have fun...work, duties, orders? A
la chingada! You are not here to be useful or responsible; you
are here to party, to trick, and to cause trouble. All characters
are encouraged to play on their vices, but the Tlacuache should
do so religiously. As a well-greased troublemaking engine,
you are the chaotic force that keeps pushing the story to unex-
pected and fun places. When the other players get crazy about
your last exploit, look at them trying to fix all your messes and
with a smile say to yourself: misión cumplida!

Notes on Your Moves

Your tambache is your Swiss Army knife, don’t lose it! It’s the
thing that gives you an edge when getting yourself in all sorts
of trouble. Needless to say, the sky’s the limit when it comes to
what you can pull out of it—as long as it fits inside. Maybe a car
doesn’t fit inside, but a car’s keys do, or a device to hijack cars.
Keep in mind that tambache is a signature move, which means
it’s mundane in nature, things don’t magically appear in your
bag, you just usually have it full of stol...borrowed stuff, and
when you need something and you roll a hit, it so happens to be
right there in your bag already. If something is malfunctioning
or unstable, it means you can maybe only use it once or using it
may have a cost—marking stress, attracting attention, etc.
On a hit you have to say how this thing ended up in your
possession, you can’t say “someone gave it to me” because
the move specifically says the things are stolen. That means
even on a 10+, you are giving the Marakame food for the story:
someone is probably pissed at you. Be sure the Marakame will
use that against you in the right moment. But hey, no hay pedo,
that’s part of the fun of being a Tlacuache!

186 Nahual
As a supernatural totem move, snatch allows you to grab and
steal things even in the craziest of situations. But, pay attention
to the trigger: sneakily means you can’t just stand in front of
a mercenary angel and steal their firearm; you need to be in a
fictional position that lets you be sneaky about the theft.
When using lucky to avoid trouble, be aware that 9 or less
means you can pay the stress even on a miss! So whatever
consequence, cost, or horrible thing the Marakame throws at
you from that miss, you can redirect it completely to those poor
allies of yours. And don’t forget this is a supernatural effect—
your nahual literally warps reality to carry you through any
trouble. There’s no limit to what can happen with it.
You can play possum even as a reactive action, as long as you are
transformed. It’s fine to activate it just before something terri-
ble slams you into the ground and bites off your head! But you
need to announce your intention to do so before any harm is
dealt to your character. If the Marakame asks you to mark harm
as a consequence—before you have a chance to react— it is too
late to play possum.
Correoso gives you armor equal to your Maña. If you are already
wearing armor, they don’t add up. You use either one of them,
but not both.
For your guise move’s list, any option you don’t pick, the oppo-
site is true: if you don’t pick the mirage stays in the memories
of those affected, after some time passes their memory of the
events will include you and not your false persona; if you don’t
pick the mirage can fool a physical examination and your guise
persona wears a hat but you don’t and someone touches your
head, they’ll realize the hat is an illusion; and so on. This is also
true on a miss; apart from the flaw, the opposite of all the list’s
options apply.

The Nahuales 187

 VENADO
You are the Deer, the embodiment of beauty
and grace. Nimble and evasive, your movements
enthrall the eyes that set upon you. You are a force to be reckoned
with, a beautiful swirling storm that runs like brother wind, and
electrifies the air around you.

188 Nahual
Persona
You are Mexican, and you are poor. Choose one for each bullet:

99
androgynous, conforming, shifting, nonconforming
young, mature, senior, elder

99
bright eyes, sweet eyes, arresting eyes, playful eyes
colorful look, elegant look, flashy look, arousing look

Starting Stats
Garra -1, Maña 0, Barrio +1, Instinto +1
Add +1 to starting stat of your choice.

Vices
9 Vanity: When you push someone you care about to sacrifice
something important to accommodate your vanity, activate
this vice.

9 Narcissism: When you escalate a conflict or endanger inno-

cents to demand the spotlight, activate this vice.

9 Danger: When you jump into danger without a plan or fore-

thought, activate this vice.

9 Defiance: When you purposefully challenge or taunt figures

of power, activate this vice.

Conditions
99
Anxious: -2 to hit up your conecte
Frustrated: -2 to figure someone out

9
Restless: -2 to avoid trouble

Barrio Questions
Choose and answer one of the following questions. Use only
NPCs for the answers.

9 Everyone in the barrio is either jealous or has the hots for

you. Or both! But someone treats you like a normal person.
Who are they, and why do you care?

9 A powerful and dangerous person is crazy about you, and keeps

sending you gifts. Who is it and how do you feel about them?

The Nahuales 189

Relaciones
Once everyone has presented their character, go around again
establishing relaciones—and pick only one for each other
player character:

9 You neglected ____________ in a time of need. What trivial

thing were you caught up with?

9 ____________ and you have a thing together. Are you toying

with their feelings or are you also serious about it?

9 You feel ____________ can’t stand your presence. Do you

think they are jealous of you or secretly in love with you?

9 ____________ is always so serious and boring. Why are you

so set on making them loosen up a bit and enjoy the pleasures
of life?

9 ____________ is the only one that makes you feel safe. You
are able to let your guard down with them. Have you told
them?

9 ____________ rejected your affections before. Why is this

still gnawing at you?

Gear and Stuff

You have a smartphone, your nahual mask, and two hearts of the
earth. Pick 2 from the list; they are either gifts from admirers,
loot from former lovers, or otherwise trophies from the past:

99
An apartment in a fancy neighborhood
A hot ride (nice bike, classic car, fancy truck, etc.)

99
An outstanding wardrobe (with all sorts of exotic outfits)
A pair of luxury handguns (ivory, ebony, gold,
diamonds, you name it)

9
A top-notch stylish blade (katana, kukri, jian, etc.)

190 Nahual
SIGNATURE MOVES
These are your signature moves; choose one. You can use the
move you choose whether you are transformed or not.

… Hunter Prey
When you make a show of your presence to a group of NPCs, roll
with Instinto. On a hit, everyone locks their full attention on you
for the rest of the scene; you can exempt individual people by
name if you want. On a 10+, take +1 ongoing against everyone
affected as well. On a miss, everyone looks toward you, but some-
one is completely overwhelmed by your irresistible panache; ask
the Marakame who it is and how they overreact.

… Kiss of the Hikuri

When you give yourself in flesh or soul to someone, roll with
Instinto. On a hit, you both choose one benefit from the list below.
On a 10+, they are beguiled by the experience; they cannot act to
harm you until you do something to push them away.
Š Heal 1 harm, clear a condition, or empty your stress track
Š Take +1 ongoing to avoiding trouble for the rest of the session
Š Take +1 ongoing to figure them out for the rest of the session
On a miss, you give yourself too fully; in your intimacy you let slip a
secret you wish you hadn’t told them.

The Nahuales 191

VENADO TOTEM MOVES
Choose two Totem Moves. You only have access to Totem Moves
while transformed.

… Nimble
You move with uncanny reflexes in dangerous situations. When
you get hit hard while transformed, you get armor equal to your
Instinto.

… Sixth Sense
When you open the doors of perception, you get to ask a follow up
question even on a 7-9. On a 10+, you can also name a place or an
NPC related to the current situation; the Nahual will show you a
vision about either their past or future, Marakame’s choice.

… Visions of Mictlan
When you jump into battle without forethought or planning, roll
with Instinto. On a hit, your nahual bestows upon you a vision the
Marakame will make come true, if it’s even remotely possible. On a
7-9, choose one. On a 10+, you get both.
Š An NPC will die. Name them.
Š An NPC will live. Name them.
On a miss, you foresee your own death; take -1 ongoing through-
out the battle.

… Lightning Antlers
Mark stress to make your antlers transmute into pure lightning
energy. If you use them as a weapon [touch, supernatural, bright],
roll with Instinto instead of Garra when you assail someone.

192 Nahual
VENADO STAGES OF NAHUALITY
There are six known Stages of Nahuality. You start with control over the First Stage.
Each time your XP track fills, clear it and take an advancement. When you’ve taken
both advancements for your current stage of control, you now control the next stage.

4 1st Stage: Novato … 4th Stage: Nahual

XP  XP 
„Take a totem move „Take a second totem animal
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3) „No enhancer needed to transform

Channel Abilities Channel Abilities

Mark 1 stress to... Mark 2 stress to...
Š Heighten your hearing Š Cover a few kilometers of
to uncanny levels distance with a single jump
Š Jump with uncanny skill Š Kill an equal or lesser threat
Š Run as fast as a car for a short burst with a fiery dash
Š Put anyone that can see you
into a psychedelic trip (good
… 2nd Stage: Aprendiz or bad, your choice)
Š Heal a wound by decreasing it one
XP  step down (yours or someone else’s)
„Take a totem or signature move
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3) … 5th Stage: Kibal
Channel Abilities
XP 
Mark 1 stress to...
„Take a third totem animal
Š Make an impossible jump
(10 meters or so) „Unlock the chimeric transformation
Š Run over water or vertical surfaces Channel Abilities
Š Change your attire to whatever
you want Mark 3 stress to...
Š Break the laws of physics
Š Create a monster hurricane
… 3rd Stage: Brujo by running fast in circles

XP  … 6th Stage: Postome

„No mask needed to transform
„Take +1 to any stat (max +3) Once you control this stage of Nahuality,
your character has surpassed all the
Channel Abilities limits of mortality. Retire your character,
Mark 1 stress to... and tell the Marakame if you want your
character to reappear as an NPC.
Š Leap a tall building in a single bound
Š Move with supernatural
speed for a short burst
Š Visit the dreams of someone
who has met you before
Š Phase through a solid wall
Playing the Venado
Enthralling and graceful, the Venado loves to be the center of
attention. The world is their stage and they are going to steal all the
spotlights. They make a triumphant entrance through the front
door, even when their life is in danger. Antes muerta que sencilla!
As the Venado your best weapons are your grace and beauty,
but you are not a subtle seducer like the Serpiente. You are
open, loud, and vibrant. When you enter a room you want all
eyes set upon you—especially if you have the hunter prey move.
So don’t restrain yourself, be hot and sexy as fuck, be colorful
and unique. Let your character’s actions shout, “Here I am!”
This will probably cause a lot of trouble, but also a lot of inter-
esting situations. And that’s the beauty and fun of the Venado.

Notes on Your Moves

Don’t forget that hunter prey requires you to make a show of
presence for the move to trigger; just walking into a room and
waving your hand won’t be enough. You gotta go that extra
mile to get people’s attention. On a hit, when everyone locks
their full attention on you, it doesn’t mean they become mind-
less zombies; if someone comes and tries to hurt them, maybe
they’ll be caught by surprise, but they won’t just stand there
while someone comes and cuts their head off. They deal with
whatever “distraction” is bothering them, so they can go back
to their main thing of interest: you.
The fictional situation also determines what locking their full
attention on you means, if you present yourself in front of a
neutral crowd in a mall, people pay attention to you and what-
ever show of presence you are doing; but if you present your-
self to a hostile room of armed individuals with orders to shoot
any intruder, locking their attention on you means they try to
kill you first, ignoring other intruders. This move is not a charm
crowd move; it’s more like putting a big bull’s-eye on your fore-
head...what others do depends on the circumstances.

194 Nahual
Giving yourself in flesh or soul on kiss of the
Hikuri means sharing a significant moment
of intimacy: sexual, emotional, or spiri-
tual. Sex is the most obvious moment of
intimacy, but you can also give yourself to a
friend in soul by sharing your deepest feel-
ings, or confessing your darkest sin. Whatever
the case, it needs to be a strong and unique
moment; a casual kiss or sharing drinks is not
enough. Finally, when you give yourself, you
do so fully; you can’t go around giving your-
self over and over in the same scene or day;
you need time to emotionally recover and
restore your energy. No eres una máquina!
Nimble gives you armor equal to your
Instinto. If you are already wearing
armor, they don’t add up. You use either
one of them, but not both.
When you get a 10+ on sixth sense, the
vision you see is an extra benefit, you still
get the regular outcome of a 10+ for opening
the doors of perception—the follow up ques-
tion—but also the new thing the Marakame
unveils.
For visions of Mictlan, the Marakame will
try to the best of their ability to make your
vision come true. However they will still be
true to the fiction and to the dice rolls. This
move lets you get a glimpse of the future,
but you are all still playing to find out, and
the future is always blurry and shifting. Don’t
worry though—the Marakame is a fan of your
character and is as excited as you are to make
your vision come to be.

The Nahuales 195

196 Nahual
LIFE IN THE BARRIO
Your angeleros in Nahual live in a constant state of struggle;
their día a día is filled with stress, violence, and threats, many
of them supernatural. The powers above you—the Church, the
cartels, the corporations, the government—are tearing each
other apart, often dragging you into their own schemes and
agendas. It’s not an easy life! On top of all that drama, you also
have to keep your clients and customers happy, otherwise all
the efforts you make, all the dangers you face, are for nothing,
tanto pedo para…nada. Like I said, it’s a struggle.
This chapter is dedicated to all the ins and outs of that struggle:
stress, conditions, vices, and violence. In addition, it covers
information on harm, threat levels, packs, equipment, and the
character advancement through the Stages of Nahuality, the
growing power of the Nahual.

Stress
Stress represents the burden of using a power that you don’t fully
understand—the Nahual— but also the modern-day challenge of
owning a business that puts food on your table. Your character is
taxed on both fronts, the supernatural and the mundane. Stress
can also represent your character making a special effort—going
that extra mile—to help or hinder another character’s action or
using an ability or power that is especially draining.
For most playbooks the stress track consists of four boxes—
although sometimes a playbook may break this rule, like the
Armadillo who has two more boxes. Whenever you are asked to
“mark stress,” you check one of the track boxes. When you fill
your stress track by marking the fourth box, you empty the track,
and mark one of your playbook’s three conditions, your choice.
It’s important to note that you empty your track when you
mark your last box. This means your stress track can never be
full. As soon as you mark that last box, you are back at zero
stress—but with one or more conditions marked.

Life in the Barrio 197

 Paulino the Mono is outnumbered and running away from some
mercenaries. They have forced him towards the rooftop of a five
story building, and now he’s cornered and with no place to run.
“You can hear their footsteps on the stairs now,” I say, “they’ll
be at the rooftop any second. What do you do, Paulino?”
“Is there another tall building nearby?” Adriana—Paulino’s
player—asks.
“The nearest one is about 20 feet away, but it’s a six-story
building.” I reply.
“If I summon my nahual, can I cover that distance with a
jump?” Adriana asks.
“Oh sure,” I reply, “even on the First Stage, you have formidable
physical capabilities, especially as the monkey.”
“Cool, I put on my mask to summon my nahual,” Adriana says,
“I don’t have any enhancers to eat, so I’m marking stress.”
That puts Paulino at three stress total.
“Alright. As you summon your nahual and prepare to jump, you
hear the soldiers coming out of the stairs and onto the rooftop,”
I explain to Adriana. “They start shooting at you right before
you bounce. You’re gonna have to avoid trouble to get away
without catching a bullet.”
Adriana rolls and gets a 9! So close. Since there’s no one close to
help and boost that roll to a 10+, I get to reveal an unexpected
hardship or offer Paulino a cost he has to pay to carry on.
“As you take a short run to jump to the far building, you have to
give yourself an extra boost or you aren’t gonna make it with-
out getting shot. You have to pay stress to do it!”
“Yeah, I pay the stress...” Adriana says.
“Alright. You let the Nahual energy flow through you and make
the jump to the other building. Mark the stress.”

198 Nahual
Conditions
Conditions also represent the emotional drain caused by
stress, but at a deeper level. Conditions are negative emotional
states that trouble your character. When you mark a condi-
tion, it means your character feels that particular way—Angry,
Haunted, Restless, etc. Normal people feel those emotions for
a moment, and then it passes. But your character is far from
normal; their connection to their nahual, and their untrained
use of it, intensifies these negative emotions. For nahules, these
feelings linger for extended periods of time.
Whatever conditions you have marked, you can still choose
to play your character however you want. You might role-
play them as calm and cool, for example, even if you have the
Restless condition marked. However, playing against a condi-
tion in the fiction means your character is holding that emotion
inside or pretending they don’t really feel it. Their emotions
still have an impact on the actions they take in the fiction.

The Effects of Conditions

There are a total of seven different conditions in Nahual,
but each character has only a specific set of three condi-
tions depending on their totem animal—i.e., their personal-
ity. Conditions hinder your character’s ability to take certain
actions: each condition gives you an ongoing -2 to a specific
basic move. Remember though, that the lowest modifier you
can roll dice with is -3. If a condition pushes your roll to a -4 or
-5, you still only roll with a -3.
The seven conditions and their respective penalties are:

9 When you are Afraid, take -2 to assail someone.

9 When you are Anxious, take -2 to hit up your conecte.

9 When you are Frustrated, take -2 to figure someone out.

9 When you are Haunted, take -2 to open the doors of perception.

9 When you are Insecure, take -2 to make a fuss.

9 When you are Restless, take -2 to avoid trouble.

9 When you are Shaken, take -2 to sneak around.

Life in the Barrio 199

Marking Conditions
When you need to mark a condition, unless otherwise spec-
ified, you pick which one to mark. However, sometimes the
Marakame can tell you to mark a specific condition from your
playbook when the fiction demands it. For example, they may
tell you to mark Angry in response to a diablero embarrassing
you in the middle of a meeting.
As mentioned before, all nahuales have a set of three differ-
ent conditions for you to mark, and when all your conditions
are marked, you cannot summon or unleash your nahual
anymore. An extremely altered emotional state interferes with
the flow of the Nahual power through you, keeping you from
accessing its gifts until you clear at least one condition.

To make it to the other building, Adriana marked a fourth

stress, enough to fill Paulino’s stress track. Paulino escaped the
mercenaries shooting at him, but the stress is costly!
“Chíngale, that was my last stress!” Adriana says.
“Oh! Clear your stress track then,” I say. “And mark one of
your conditions. What are you picking?”
“I think I’ll go with Afraid,” Adriana replies. “It was pretty
scary jumping from building to building while those mercenar-
ies were shooting at me!”

Getting Out of Control

If you ever need to mark a condition but can’t, your nahual gets
out of control in a terrible way. This can mean many things,
depending on your nahual, as your totem animal drives you
toward specific behavior when your nahual gets out of control.
A predatory animal like the jaguar will most likely go into a
violent rampage, while a non-predator like the deer would just
run away, and the monkey may turn to playing pranks instead
of focusing on the conflict at hand.
The stage you are in when you lose control also impacts the
scope of what gets out of control in a terrible way means—even

200 Nahual
if you are not transformed, since your nahual personality can
still get the best of you—a Jaguar character already in the Kibal
stage can grow into a giant winged jaguar, wrecking havoc and
destruction over the city like King Kong. The same character,
not yet transformed, might instead dish out a terrible beatdown
to a bystander just because they looked at them in a weird way.
Usually the Marakame says what terrible thing you do while
your nahual goes out of control, but you can also weigh in—just
remember that losing control of your nahual isn’t a good thing
for your character, and your goal as a player is to push the story
to interesting places.
The only good thing about losing control is that all the pressure
you’ve been holding gets released. This means you get a clean
slate, clearing all your stress and all your conditions.

The nahuales were selling their tacos at the diablero’s fighting

arena when a group of armed thugs came looking for payback
on a diablero who had robbed them last week. All hell broke
loose, and the PCs are caught in the thick of it.

Life in the Barrio 201

 Paulino got hit hard in the crossfire as one of the thugs sprayed
the arena with bullets, resulting in him having to mark a condi-
tion after rolling a 7-9.
“But I can’t,” Adriana says, “I already have all my
conditions marked!”
“Oh! Mala suerte. Your nahual is getting out of control then,” I
reply. “Paulino crawls and takes cover behind one of the metal
boxes the diableros use to hold their diablos. And for a brief
moment, the Mono in him gets so curious about what type of
diablo is locked inside this box...and thinks it will be so much
fun to let the diablo out to join the party.”
“Ha! Of course Paulino wants to set it free!” Adriana adds.
“Can I open the box?”
“You are in human form,” I say, “but you put your ear close to the
lock and the Mono helps you hear the clicks of the right combi-
nation as you spin its wheel. In a matter of seconds you open the
lock, and let loose a fierce-looking diablo. The diablo jumps out
of the cage and unleashes a mighty roar…at that moment, you
gain back control and realize what you just did. Clear all your
conditions and your stress track...and look out for that diablo!”

Vices
Vices are flaws and compulsions your character has developed
to deal with their emotional distress, the result of constantly
using a power they don’t understand to survive the harsh life of
an angelero. When you roleplay your character indulging one
of your vices, you activate it and choose one: clear a condition,
empty your stress track, or mark XP.
Vices are your main way to clear conditions or empty your
stress track. Giving free rein to your flaws, instead of trying to
keep them in check, helps you blow-off steam. You can either
recover from some of the emotions you’re carrying—clearing a
condition—or ease your mind and clear your stress track.
Alternatively, vices can also help your character advance in
their understanding of your nahual by letting the power within

202 Nahual
you get in tune with your true self. When you activate a vice
through roleplay, everyone at the table learns more about your
character and your character accepts who they are, letting their
nahual sync with them and marking XP.
There’s no specific hierarchy to these options. It is entirely up
to you whether you clear a condition, empty your stress, or
mark XP. You may have an almost full stress track, and two out
of the three conditions marked...but if you are really looking
forward to that next advancement and all you need is to mark
one more XP, it is totally fine to choose this option when acti-
vating a vice. After all, you’re just risking losing control…¿qué
tan malo puede ser?

The party followed some mercenaries threatening them to stop

hunting angels. They sneaked into a big mansion where the
mercenaries seem to work. As the party watches the armed
mercenaries unload some mysterious boxes from a big truck,
Bárbara the Venado—played by Pancho—decides to make a
bold move without consulting her fellow nahuales.
“I jump out of hiding, in front of the mercenaries and yell: drop
your weapons and surrender!” Pancho says.
“Wait! What are you doing?” Neto asks.
“I want to use hunter prey, to grab their attention,” Pancho
says. That’s a Venado signature move. “But I also want to acti-
vate my Danger vice, I need to clear my Afraid condition. Will
that do it?” Pancho asks me.
“Can you please read Danger for us?” I ask.
“Sure. When you jump into danger without a plan or assis-
tance, activate this vice.”
“Sí. That totally counts,” I say. “Go ahead and clear your
condition.”

Life in the Barrio 203

Harm
When things get violent, your character may suffer harm. Your
playbook has a harm track—heridas in Spanish—consisting of
six boxes separated on three different tiers or categories: light,
heavy, and deadly. These different tiers represent the sever-
ity of the injury, from minor wounds to critical damage that
requires medical attention:

9
Light Harm: These injuries recover quickly. Bruises and
superficial cuts that leave you sore for a day or two, but noth-
ing life-threatening. When some time passes, you can clear
this harm without needing to do anything special.

9
Heavy Harm: These deep wounds and cuts didn’t hit vital
organs. Yet, they take time to recover by normal means—
usually more than a week. If not taken care of, they may
develop into deadly wounds.

9
Deadly Harm: Deadly wounds that put you at death’s door.
These wounds can be incapacitating and end in death if not
treated quickly. Deadly wounds take a really long time to
recover—multiple weeks or even months—by normal means.
In Nahual, violence usually inflicts a single harm; the important
thing is the type of harm inflicted, and that entirely depends on
who is inflicting harm on whom. This is called established harm
or harm as established. Many factors determine how to establish
harm, including the threat levels described on page 207, but for
now, the important thing is to know the difference between the
three tiers of harm, and how to mark that harm.

Marking Harm
When you get hurt, you mark one harm of the type established
by the threat level (see Threat Levels). Player characters can
withstand two wounds of each type, and underneath each harm
level track there’s a line for you to write down what type of
wound made you mark harm—e.g., shot to the shoulder, knife
in the stomach.
If you need to mark harm, and you can’t because both boxes on
that level are already marked, you mark a box in the next higher

204 Nahual
Inflicting terrible harm
When a move tells you to inflict terrible harm, this means you
increase your established harm by one level: from light to heavy,
and from heavy to deadly. If some effect allows you to inflict terrible
harm again, it doesn’t add this bonus a second time. No te avoraces!
But what if your established harm was already deadly? Inflicting
terrible harm allows you to inflict two deadly harm instead of just
one. This is the only instance in Nahual when an attack inflicts
two harm at one time!

available level—i.e., light harm becomes heavy, and heavy

becomes deadly. However if you ever need to mark deadly
harm, and both deadly boxes are filled, your character dies.
Remember, player characters who get hit hard—which triggers
when marking heavy or deadly harm—have a chance to reduce
the damage they are marking. See page 119 in The Moves
chapter for more on getting hit hard.

Casimiro the Perro, Lucifer the Tlacuache, and Peter—a

non-player character friend of Lucy—are pinned down by a
group of narcos shooting at them. Lucifer tries to sneak around
to get everyone past the thugs unnoticed, but gets a miss.
“You all try to sneakily get from cover to cover, but Peter stum-
bles and falls to the ground,” I say to Claudia, Lucifer’s player.
“You see one of the narcos taking a clear shot at Peter, and it is
going to hit for sure. You have a split second to react. What do
you do?”
“I get in the way, I take the bullet of course,” Claudia says.
“Wait! What are you doing?” Balles, Casimiro’s player, inter-
rupts. “You’re already hurt. I’m not gonna let you do that. Lucy
is like my hermanita, I’m not gonna let her get shot, not on my
pinche watch! I jump in the way instead!”

Life in the Barrio 205

 Temporary Art

I look at Lucy; she shrugs and smiles. “Okay, Casimiro sees

what Lucifer plans to do...and gets in the way before her—fast
as a greyhound—and takes the bullet,” I say. “You mark deadly
harm, Casimiro. Roll to get hit hard to see if you can reduce it.”
Balles rolls flat, because Casimiro has no armor, and gets an 8!
That’s a hit; the harm is reduced from deadly to heavy, but I get
to pick one from the list; I go with you give your opposition an
advantage or opportunity.
“Alright, as you all help each other to get back on your feet,” I
explain, “you look down the alleyway you were trying to escape
and noticed that two of the narcos had managed to get ahead
of you, blocking your way. What do you do?”

Healing Harm
When your character gets hurt, the type of harm determines
how long it takes to recover. Light harm is the easiest; it usually
goes away in a day or two by itself. Heavy and deadly are a
different story. These types of harm require medical attention
for a normal person, and it takes much more time to heal (a
week or so for heavy and several weeks or months for deadly).
Luckily for the angeleros, there are supernatural ways to accel-
erate the healing process—mainly by ingesting angel meat or
through the power of their nahual.

206 Nahual
Nonetheless, such means rarely work instantaneously; all they
do is boost your body’s natural capacity for regeneration. The
cells still need some time to do their thing. That’s why most
of the time this type of supernatural healing tells you to heal a
wound by decreasing it one or two steps down—i.e., a deadly
harm healed by one step becomes heavy harm, and by two steps
becomes light harm.
However, there need to be empty boxes in the corresponding
tier for you to be able to heal a wound. If you want to heal a
deadly harm by decreasing it one step, but both heavy boxes
are marked, you can’t heal the deadly harm just yet. You need to
make room in the heavy harm tier first, by healing at least one
heavy harm. If instead you are healing that same wound two
steps down, even if you have both of your heavy harm boxes
marked, it doesn’t matter; you can push that deadly wound to
light, as long as there is at least one empty light harm box.

Threat Levels
The world of Nahual is filled with dangerous and supernatural
threats. Some of them are so powerful that ordinary humans
could never stand against them. However, an angelero’s nahual
gives them an edge when facing these threats—a simple mortal
can be obliterated by the Archangel Michael with a flap of
their wings, but a trained Brujo nahual may still have a chance
against such a formidable opponent. Threat levels represent
these greatly different levels of power, ranging from mundane
humans to the most powerful angels and nahuales.
A threat level determines how dangerous and powerful a force
is: meaning a strength in numbers, special training or equip-
ment, or the raw power of a supernatural being. Threat levels
go from 0 to 6, but they are mainly referred to by their corre-
sponding adjective, with their level number between brackets
for easy reference: a dangerous threat [1], a legendary threat
[3], a celestial threat [5]. When two forces clash, the stakes are
defined by comparing threat levels.

Life in the Barrio 207

THREAT LEVELS

Mundane Threat (Level 0)

9Dangerous

A normal human

Threat (Level 1)

99
The Novato stage of transformation
A common angel

99
A cherub in baby form
An armed and trained human

9
A small group of unarmed humans

Lethal Threat (Level 2)

99
The Aprendiz stage of transformation
A common diablo

99
A group of ordinary soldiers
An angry mob

Legendary Threat (Level 3)

99
The Brujo stage of transformation
A powerful diablo

99
A warrior angel
A unit of special forces soldiers

Mythic Threat (Level 4)

99
The Nahual stage of transformation
A karibu in full form

99
An elite angel
An ancient diablo

Celestial Threat (Level 5)

99
The Kibal stage of transformation
An archangel

9
A demon prince

Godlike Threat (Level 6)

99
The Postome stage of transformation
The Archangel Michael

9
The fallen Archangel Lucifer

208 Nahual
Establishing Harm
When two forces confront each other, establish harm by
comparing their threat levels. Enemies on equal footing—
equal threat level—inflict heavy harm on each other. This
harm can be modified by moves or equipment.

Casimiro is up against an angel. He and the angel are both

dangerous threats [1], so their established harm is heavy. But
Balles, Casimiro’s player, wants to finish this quickly: he uses
wild dog, one of the Perro totem moves that allows him to
unleash violence in a messy way to do more damage. He rolls
and gets a 10+: he inflicts terrible harm, boosting his estab-
lished harm from heavy to deadly. He describes how Casimiro
lashes out with unexpected violence, tearing at the angel. In the
distance someone hears echoes of wild dogs barking.

Mismatched Threat Levels

If the forces in a conflict have different threat levels, use heavy
harm as a starting point and increase or reduce the type of
harm each side inflicts by each level of difference between the
two forces—e.g., a legendary threat [3] inflicts deadly harm on
a lethal threat [2], but a lethal threat [2] inflicts light harm on a
legendary threat [3].
A threat whose level exceeds their opponent’s level by two
steps is considered an overwhelming threat; attacks from this
type of threat exceed deadly harm—because it shifts two or
more steps up—instantly killing an enemy. Like I said, an ordi-
nary human can’t stand against the Archangel Michael!
Correspondingly, a threat whose level is two steps below some-
one fighting them is considered a vulnerable threat; attacks
from this type of threat are too weak—as they shift below light
harm—and never inflict harm. Not only will ordinary humans be
swept aside by Michael’s blade…they won’t even scratch them!

Ramona the Mono is poking around the cathedral, looking

into some rumors she heard about demons being kept there.

Life in the Barrio 209

 Unfortunately for her, the rumors were true. She is cornered by
a hulking diablo—a legendary threat [3]!
Ramona is in human form, so right now she’s a mundane
threat [0]. But even if she summons her nahual, she only
controls the First Stage (a dangerous threat [1]). That won’t
cut it. The diablo is two steps above, meaning it’s still an over-
whelming threat that could kill her with one blow.
Ramona decides to unleash her nahual, trying to reach the
Second Stage (lethal threat [2]) which means the diablo would
no longer be an overwhelming threat that can kill her in a
single strike!
Gloria, Ramona’s player, rolls and successfully jumps to the
Second Stage. However, the battle will be rough for her; the
diablo can still inflict deadly harm on Ramona. And since the
diablo is still one threat level above her, Ramona only inflicts
light harm on the diablo. But that’s better than dying instantly.
Peor es nada!

Fighting as a Pack
Multiple individuals coordinating to fight together are called a
pack. Working as a pack increases your threat level. However,
packs are considered single units. When a pack inflicts harm,
they inflict only one harm as established, regardless of the
number of individuals in the pack.
In Nahual, the two types of packs are handled a bit differ-
ently: packs of PCs—explained in this section—and packs of
NPCs—which you can find out more about on page 254 in The
Marakame chapter.

PC Packs
To form a pack, at least three PCs must join together in a fight
on the same side, with no more than one threat level of differ-
ence between the members of the pack. If there are two levels
of difference or more, the smallest member of the pack holds
the rest of you back too much!

210 Nahual
When forming your pack, one PC is declared the alpha—
usually the one with the highest threat level. The effective
threat level of the pack then becomes the alpha’s threat level +1.

Chino the Jaguar, Johnny the Venado, Lucifer, and Casimiro

are investigating a secret lab when things take a turn for the
worst—they accidentally unleash a nasty diablo, a legendary
threat [3]. They have to fight their way out of this! The players
decide to work as a pack to up their chances against this threat.
Chino, Lucifer, and Johnny are already in the First Stage of
their nahual (dangerous threats [1]), but Chino, as the Jaguar,
always counts as one threat level higher, so he is really a lethal
threat [2]. Players decide that Chino is the alpha. Lucifer and
Johnny can already join the pack because they are just one level
below Chino’s. However, if Casimiro wants to join the pack, he
needs to summon his nahual; otherwise, right now he counts as
a mundane threat [0], two steps below Chino’s level, and has to
act on his own.
Casimiro puts on his dog mask and summons forth his nahual,
turning into a dangerous threat [1] and completing the pack.
Working together, they take Chino’s lethal threat [2] level as
base and boost it up one level, becoming a legendary threat [3]
pack. They are now even with the diablo. Ora sí, éntrele!

Life in the Barrio 211

Soltando las Riendas
Sometimes an NPC can help you complete the pack—as long as
they meet the requirements: they must be within one threat level
of the other pack members and willing to join up to fight alongside
at least two other characters!
But what if you want that badass NPC friend of yours to be the
alpha? Well, you can totally have an NPC as the alpha of your pack,
but it means you no longer roll dice. The Marakame will be the one
saying what happens.
If you want to have agency over your characters’ destinies, then
hold the reins yourselves and take control of your characters’
actions. Don’t put some non-player character in charge pues!

When you act as a pack and make a move, the alpha rolls; each
other member of the pack marks one stress. Members of the
pack can’t intervene to boost the roll; they are already part of
the action that triggered the move. However, other PCs not
participating in the pack can help or interfere—someone might
opt to stay in a human form, for example, and help the nahuales
fighting via other means.
When the pack suffers harm, you all decide who suffers that
harm. You can share the burden by having a different charac-
ter in the pack mark harm each time! If you can’t come to an
agreement on this matter, the alpha has the final word. Same
thing when choosing from multiple choices in a move list. You
all trusted that nahual to be the leader for a reason, right?!
Fighting as a pack also means you act as a unit, forgoing any
individual active moves from your playbook—unless you are
the alpha. Moves like the Armadillo’s cannonball, the Jaguar’s
killing pounce, the Perro’s wild dog, the Serpiente’s hypnotic
eyes, and basically any move whose fiction makes you act on
your own means that you will break the pack when you do
things your way instead of working as a team.

212 Nahual
Passive moves like the Armadillo’s armadura, the Jaguar’s
guerrero jaguar, the Perro’s pack mate, and other moves that
help you resist harm are available to you individually, as these
are more a reaction and not an action you take on your own.
This doesn’t mean however, that any member of a Jaguar’s
pack can use guerrero jaguar; the moves still affect only the
nahual that has them. Of course, the exceptions are the jauría
and charolastras on the Perro’s manada options, as they are
basically about fighting as a pack.
Finally, as an alpha, you can use your moves that let you swap
a stat or have a special weapon, since you are the one leading
the offensive and rolling the move—i.e., the Águila’s sharp-
shooter, the Serpiente’s viper, or the Venado’s lightning antlers.
However, moves like bird’s-eye view (Águila), killing pounce
(Jaguar), and wild dog (Perro) mean you are doing things your
way instead of leading everyone to act as a unit, which results in
the pack splitting up.

The pack of PCs charges at the diablo, directly assailing him.

Mario, Chino’s player, rolls because he’s the alpha; the rest of
the PCs each mark one stress. In the fiction, the players describe
Chino and Casimiro forming the main offensive while Johnny
and Lucifer try to distract the diablo and knock it off balance.
Mario gets a 9 on his roll. Since all the players are participating
in the pack, no one can intervene to make the roll a 10. That
means they just trade harm as established.
“Since you are on equal threat levels, you exchange heavy
harm,” I say.
“Wait!” Balles interrupts. “I have jauría, from my manada
signature move, I can boost the harm we do to deadly by
marking stress.”
“Oh! That’s cool. Can we do that?” Mario says turning back at me.
“You sure can,” I say. “That’s literally a pack thing. You inflict
deadly harm then, and the diablo inflicts heavy harm on you.
Who is taking the hit from the counter attack?” I ask, before
narrating the outcome of the move.

Life in the Barrio 213

 “I think I could,” Claudia says, “I’m fresh with no harm marked.”
“No,” Mario says, “I take it. Chino has guerrero jaguar, and
that lets me reduce the harm he suffers.”
And that settles it. I describe the scene: Lucy and Johnny tease
the diablo, luring it to where they want, as the beast swings at
them with its sharp claws. Then Casimiro jumps at it, grabbing
it by the head and bending it back, exposing the neck for Chino
to get in and slice it—I mark a deadly wound on the diablo. Blood
starts to pour out of the wound and the beast lashes back in pain
sending Chino flying and crashing into the wall—Chino was
going to mark heavy harm, but reduces it to light with his move.
Then, the diablo starts to buck wildly trying to get rid of Casimiro,
who in turn grabs a horn with one hand and swings his hat with
the other, as he rides the diablo like he used to do broncos back in
Sonora, a long time ago. This rodeo has just started!

If enough members of the pack are taken out, to the point

where you have fewer than three members, the pack is disman-
tled and you cannot work as a unit anymore. Your threat levels
return to normal, and you can no longer mark harm as a group.
Así que ¡a jalar parejo!

Gear n’ Chingaderas
Your characters in Nahual start play with all sorts of gear and
stuff. Some of those are just for flavor or for practical use—a
phone is a phone, and a car is a car...new, expensive, or old and
battered, it just adds to the fiction. No need for mechanics and
numbers, just follow the narrative and anything an item can do
in the fiction, it can do. ¡Así de simple!
However, sometimes uncertainty in the conversation requires
some mechanical tidbits, to make the fictional positioning of
your characters clear. How much can armor protect you from
harm? What differences are there between using a sniper rifle
and a shotgun? How far can you shoot someone with a hand-
gun? All these questions require special rules to answer them,
which are presented here.

214 Nahual
Armor
Characters wearing armor have a better chance at reducing
harm when they get hit hard. When making the move, you
can add your armor rating to the roll, likely reducing the harm
you take. The types of armor and their ratings are light [+1],
medium [+2], and heavy [+3].
Light armor is usually less conspicuous and easier to hide.
Examples of light armor include thick leather jackets, biker equip-
ment, bulletproof vests or a traditional tlacololero vest (a thick sack
of ixtle fiber over layers of huastle grass). Light armor is easy to
find; even a thick butcher apron can count as light armor.
Medium armor includes military grade armor, riot gear, medieval
chain mail (good luck finding that in Mexico), or any other protec-
tive equipment heavy and serious enough to stop bullets or the
edge of a knife. This stuff obviously draws a lot of attention, and
someone wearing this type of armor stands out on the street.
Heavy armor is very rare, and usually involves supernatural
or hyper-high-tech equipment: techno-armor, a cybernetic
battlesuit, or the armor of an elite angel, all extremely rare and
extremely expensive. In general, you don’t have access to this
type of armor at the beginning of the game. Getting this kind of
protection requires luck, skill, and a lot of hard work!
Armor ratings are only for PCs. Of course, NPCs can wear armor
too—a squad of mercenaries in military gear or an elite angel in
heavenly armor—but that armor is already included as part of
their threat level. An enemy as powerful as an archangel not only
requires you to be a high enough threat level to hurt them, they
also have five boxes of each harm type. So...good luck with that.

Items and Tags

Tags are descriptive words that tell you something about the
item in question. Some are mechanical, meaning they have to
do with how the item works or how its functionality can be
altered. Others are constraints, which limit how or when the
item can be used; or cues, which are guidelines about how the
item should be treated in the fiction.

Life in the Barrio 215

Even though weapons don’t have a specific damage rating—
since damage is established by the threat level of the wielder—
they make use of tags to help you better understand what the
thing can and can’t do. Here is a sample list of tags—it is not an
exhaustive one, so feel free to create your own:
[alive] cue: the thing is a living creature.
[ap] mechanical: armor piercing, ignores the target’s armor.
Your armor bonus is not applied when you get hit hard by an
item with this tag. In some cases, using a weapon with this tag
might allow you to inflict terrible harm against armored foes.
[area] mechanical, cue: the item affects everything and every-
one within an area.
[autofire] mechanical, cue, constraint: at player’s choice, this
can be used as an [area] weapon, but doing so requires the
weapon to be reloaded before using it again.
[bright] cue: it sheds light on its own, usually supernatural. When
you wield this, it is almost impossible to conceal your presence.
[close] constraint: range of the weapon; if two persons can have
a conversation by yelling, they are at close range. Beyond that
targets are too far away for this weapon to be effective.
[close/far] constraint: range of the weapon; this can be used
against targets at either [close] or [far] range.
[expensive] constraint, cue: this item is worth a lot of money,
more than what a regular person in the barrio earns in a life-
time. Hard to come by, if someone gives it to you, you owe
them big time.
[far] constraint: range of the weapon; can be used only if the
target is at long range. If you can see the white of their eyes,
then the target is too close, and the weapon gets too unwieldy
to be effective.
[hi-tech] constraint, cue: cutting edge technology, out of a
sci-fi movie. It requires specialized knowledge to repair, and
it is probably [expensive] too.

216 Nahual
[infinite] cue: an unlimited amount at your disposal. Sometimes
this is a supernatural property—a magical bow that shoots
infinite arrows. But other times it refers to multiple, mundane
instances of the same thing—infinite knives; if you throw a
knife, you always have another. However, the thing as a whole
can be thrown away, lost, or stolen. If someone takes away your
supernatural bow or all your knives, they are gone.
[loud] cue: everyone nearby hears it, and can potentially iden-
tify what made the noise. It wakes up sleeping people, startles
people who aren’t expecting it, etc.
[messy] cue: this weapon inflicts damage that is bloody, gory, and
leaves a mess, destroying the surrounding area of the target. It’s
most likely [loud] too. Not suited for precision work.
[reload] constraint, cue: this weapon has limited ammunition,
and must be reloaded often when used.
[sentient] cue: the thing has a mind of its own, most likely is also
[alive]. Usually the Marakame portrays it as any other NPC.
[supernatural] cue: magical, not of mundane origin. Usually
includes some property that defies the laws of nature, the
specifics vary from item to item.
[threat level tag] mechanical: this tag can be any of the
non-mundane names of threats—from [dangerous] to
[godlike]. You use your threat level or this weapon’s threat
level when establishing harm, whichever is higher.
[touch] constraint: range of the weapon; can be used only if the
target is within hand’s reach with the arm extended (plus the
weapon length).
[touch/close] constraint: range of the weapon; this can be used
against targets at either [touch] or [close] range.
These tags are far from definitive. You can come up with more
tags as needed, especially with characters like the Mono that
can craft things out of angel parts. So, get creative and expand
this list if you feel like it; the powers and wonders of the Nahual
universe are too many to wrap around a finite list of tags.

Life in the Barrio 217

Sample weapons
As with the tags, this is not a fully comprehensive list. Use them
as guidelines when applying tags to new weapons.

99
9mm [close, loud]
Shotgun [close, loud, messy]

99
SMG [close, loud, autofire]
Assault rifle [close/far, loud, autofire]

99
Sniper rifle [far, loud, reload]
Tactical knife [touch]

99
Machete [touch, messy]
Grenades [lethal, touch/close, area, reload, messy]

99
Longbow [close/far, reload]
Demonic revolver [legendary, supernatural, loud, close,
reload, expensive]

9
Angelic sword [mythic, sentient, supernatural,
touch, messy, expensive]

Getting More Stuff

There’s no mechanical currency for buying and selling items
in Nahual. The profit and restock tracks on the changarro
sheet abstract the comings and goings of your business.
There’s no specific price for items you may want to acquire,
and you don’t track the exact amount of money your charac-
ters have in their wallets.
On top of that, if weapons are what you want, buying them
legally in Mexico is not as easy as in some countries, like the
United States. The common citizen has to go through long and
tedious paperwork that could take months, and there is only
one shop in the whole country—that’s right, just one shop—
managed by the Mexican army.
However, your characters are unique individuals who move
in circles unknown to regular citizens, which allows them to
acquire all sorts of stuff—yes, buying illegal weapons in Mexico
is sadly not that hard.

218 Nahual
Improving the Changarro
Changarros don’t have a mechanical way to advance. It’s hard to
improve a changarro in Mexico; for the most part, you’re merely
staying afloat. But just like getting more gear, your characters may
make improvements to the changarro, so long as you negotiate
the costs and outcomes with the Marakame. Maybe you hire an
NPC to help you run the business, or you get your hands on some
sweet equipment to help with the angelero work. This improve-
ment can have a one-time profit cost (like buying equipment) or
a recurring cost (the salary of an NPC) that becomes part of the
normal, untracked changarro expenses.

When you want to get new stuff (like weapons), you can hit up
your conecte! The nature of the stuff you want, and the contact
you go to determines the availability, but if you roll a hit, you
get the stuff...for a fair price, and as long as the fiction is coher-
ent; if you want to get a nuclear bomb by going to your local
weapons dealer, that’s just silly. But if you want to get an angel
dagger, and you go to a pawnbroker that specializes in super-
natural stuff, that’s another thing. The pawnbroker may have
it, or they may know where to find it. And maybe the fair price
they ask for is not money but a favor. Whatever the case, the
important thing is this situation can be used to develop the
story, and push the fiction forward.
Some playbooks may have special moves that let you get more
stuff too. The Mono can craft stuff in their workshop, the
Tlacuache can pull things out of their bag, and the Águila can
mark their eagle’s nest track to already have a thing they need.
Finally, you can just follow the fiction. Maybe you make a deal
with the local narco, to get weapons and pay with profit. Or
maybe you are all crazy and just steal the weapons from their
safehouse! Need a car? Send the Tlacuache to steal one from the
nearby parking lot! Whatever the case, if the item is important
enough and hard enough to acquire, make acquiring it part of
the story, and play to find out what happens.

Life in the Barrio 219

Advancement
The advancement of your character in Nahual focuses on your
nahual powers and how well you can control them. As the game
progresses, your character gets better at wielding the supernat-
ural gift they inherited from the brujos and shamans of the past.
Your progress is represented by the Stages of Nahuality: as a
Novato you can channel small tricks and powers, but as you
get better, you can do more amazing things like jumping to the
rooftop of a two story building as an Aprendiz or leaping a tall
building in a single bound as a Brujo or even covering a few miles
of distance with a single jump at the Nahual stage. And those are
just a few examples of the type of power you can unlock as you
advance—see page 222 for more on the Stages of Nahuality.

Marking XP
Your character gets better at using their nahual by knowing
themselves and accepting who they are—acting on their vices—
and learning from their mistakes—missing a dice roll. When
either of these two instances tells you to mark XP, mark a box
in the XP track of the highest stage that you control.
Each stage has its own track, and the amount of XP you need
to mark increases as your power grows. The First and Second
Stages have three boxes, the Third has four boxes, the Fourth
has five boxes, and the Fifth Stage has seven boxes. The higher
the stage, the more difficult it is to master its power.
Regardless of the stage, once you fill your XP track, you clear it
and mark one of the two advances from that stage. There is no
specific order in which you need to mark them, but as soon as
you mark both, you immediately mark the next stage. You now
control that new stage.
When you get access to a new stage there are two main things
to consider: as we said already, you now mark XP on the track
of that stage; and when you transform to that stage you have
access to the channel abilities of it and all stages below it.

220 Nahual
Advances
For the most part, advances are pretty straightforward:
„ Take a totem move  Take +1 to any stat (max +3)
Some of them are specific to each playbook—like this one from
the Águila playbook:
„ Take 2 more categories from your eagle’s nest
Those are also pretty straightforward, no clarification needed.
Some advances, however, are general to all playbooks,
discussed in this section.
No mask needed to transform. Once you get this advance, it
means you can ignore the question about having your mask
when you summon your nahual. You don’t have to mark stress
when you transform without using your mask.
No enhancer needed to transform. Likewise, this advance lets
you ignore the second question when you summon your nahual.
You can now transform without any cost. However, if you want
to unleash your nahual, you still need to eat enhancers to gain a
bonus to your roll.
Take a second (or third) totem animal. These are big
advances! Your connection to the Nahual has grown to such a
level that you can now transform into other animals. Having
multiple totem animals is explained in detail in the Multiple
Totem Animals section on page 228.
Unlock the chimeric transformation. The chimeric trans-
formation allows you to mix your totem animals into a hybrid
form. In ancient times this type of transformation gave birth
to the legend of mythical creatures and gods, like Quetzalcoatl,
the Feathered Serpent—a powerful nahual, mixing the quetzal
and the serpent totems. The chimeric transformation is also
detailed in the Multiple Totem Animals section on page 228.

Life in the Barrio 221

The Power of the Stages
The progressive increment in power of the Stages of Nahuality
is also present in the physical transformation. At first the
change is minimal, barely visible; but as power increases so
does the animalistic features of your transformation.
Next you can find an example of the physical changes expe-
rienced during the different Stages of Nahuality, as well as a
general idea of the type of power your character can wield. As
with everything, the focus is the fiction, the following descrip-
tions of the transformation have the fiction as the main drive.
The mechanical bits of each stage’s power level are handled by
the channel abilities—which you can find afterwards—special
tricks of your nahual that you unlock and improve as you
advance through the stages.
The Jaguar is used to explain the stages, but every nahual has
similar powers. Use this section as a guideline when defining
and describing the fictional details of the transformation for
other totem animals.

First Stage: Novato

In this stage your face starts to show animal features.
Your irises grow in diameter and the pupils dilate
almost to the edge of the irises. At first glance,
you look like a normal person, with some weird
features but nothing else. Your fingernails start
to slightly morph into claws, but you can still
use guns, drive cars, and make all kinds of
regular things. When wearing your mask the
changes are not noticeable.
Your physical strength augments, as well as
your reflexes. Your senses are focused and
heightened, in particular hearing and smell.
You can see at night better than a regular
human—and with some effort, you can see
perfectly in pitch-black darkness. Your vocal
cords suffer small alterations and your voice
starts to become deep and thick.

222 Nahual
Second Stage: Aprendiz
Now your body starts to show some
changes. Your back gets hunched over
and you move more like an animal.
Your eyes are now black spheres
and your hair starts to retract
while a very fine fur starts to cover
your body. Your mouth begins to
change into a snout, and your teeth
become more carnivore-like—long
canines, pointy incisors, and jagged
molars; words can still be articu-
lated, but these are more grunts
than anything.
If you are wearing clothes when
transformed, they start to partially merge with your skin—
through them you can feel the environment, and if wounded
your clothes can “bleed.”
Your physical strength keeps increasing; you can now make
considerable jumps and your climbing skills improve.

Third Stage: Brujo

Your body is now completely
bent and you walk like the
great apes: sometimes on two
legs, sometimes on all four. This
is because your legs have now
transformed into digitigrade
hind-legs—giving you higher
speed and agility. Your jumps
now have a great potency. Your
thumb has retracted enough
to the point of being almost useless, so it
is virtually impossible to manipulate tools
anymore. Your claws, however, are now big
and strong—enough to be used to kill.

Life in the Barrio 223

When you are wearing a mask, this blends
with your skin, as does your clothing. Some
nahuales feel uncomfortable with this
sensation and tear their clothes off, or
prefer to disrobe before summoning
their nahual.
You can no longer articulate words,
but you can still communicate your intentions and feelings by
projecting them into the minds of those around you.

Fourth Stage: Nahual

Your shape is now completely
animal-like. Although far from
being mistaken for a human, this
animal form still shows some
vague human features, like the
fingers and torso. Your senso-
rial capacities are at their peak,
and your strength is now greatly
enhanced: you can tear apart a car
barehanded. You can now cover a few
miles of distance with a single jump.
This was the level of power a properly
trained shaman of yore could wield: the
legendary Nahual. With the control of
this stage, those nahuales were lead-
ers of important groups of people.
That’s why during the Colonial
period these were the most
wanted shamans, because their
influence could start revolts of
entire villages against the control
of the Criollos.

224 Nahual
Fifth Stage:
Kibal
Your power level
is now the stuff of
legends. You can now
transform into multiple
animals or even mix them
into a chimeric form. The
legendary Quetzalcoatl was
a nahual in control of this stage; he
ruled over nations as a human-god, his
hybrid form combined the serpent and the
quetzal totem animals.
At this stage you can face powerful archangels and break the
laws of physics. A nahual with this kind of power who loses
control or unleashes their nahual is a brutal entity, destroying
everything in their path.

Sixth Stage: Postome

At this stage the power of a god is awakened. The wonders and
limits of this stage are entirely beyond human comprehension.
Rumors say that you could make dimensional jumps, including
in the fourth dimension. This is according to what some of the
most experienced brujos foresaw; there is no account of anyone
being able to control this stage.

Life in the Barrio 225

It is unknown if the power granted by this level allows the
creation of a cosmos or if this is just a limited divine power. A
failed attempt to reach this transformation results in the nahual
becoming pure energy that merges with the universe, losing all
individuality and becoming one with the Cosmos.

226 Nahual
Channel Abilities
Each stage comes with a set of channel abilities, some of them
generic, common to all nahuales—like making an impossible
jump or phasing through a solid wall—others specific to the
playbook they belong to—like seeing by scent what happened
recently or slithering through narrow spaces. All of them are
only examples, ready-made powers for you to use on the fly.
However, we encourage you to come up with other channel
abilities during the game. The power of the Nahual, as a whole,
is like a skeleton key to reality, the source code for you to hack
and bend to your will. It takes practice and effort to alter real-
ity though—hence the different stages. Use the existing list
on each playbook as a guide—not a limit—on what you can do
within that stage.
So come up with new powers on the spot—alter someone’s
dreams, make someone see things that are not there, turn your-
self into a ball of fire. You must still pay the stress to activate
any channel ability, including one you create, but you can work
with the Marakame to do cool stuff that’s not on your playbook.
But consider these two points when proposing a new chan-
nel ability: you must focus on powers in line with your totem
animal—especially at the initial stages—and you need the
Marakame’s approval—they can suggest adjustments, bump the
stress cost, or tell you to wait until you control a higher stage.
Trust the Marakame’s judgement, their job is to keep the story
fun, and an overpowered character who solves every problem is
not fun for anyone.

Notes on the Channel Abilities

Of the channel abilities listed in the playbooks, some are
resolved in a single action, and some have an extended dura-
tion. Usually they are self explanatory, when you make an
impossible jump you pay the stress cost, do the jump and that’s
it—if you want to make another jump you need to pay the stress
cost again. Then, there are things like see perfectly in the dark or
expand your scent to uncanny levels: these usually last for the rest
of the scene once you pay the stress cost.

Life in the Barrio 227

Finally one channel ability that repeats in some of the play-
books and may require a bit of extra explanation is the golpe de
nahual. A golpe de nahual is basically a small ball of pure energy
channeled by the nahual. The ball is about the size of a tennis
ball and the nahual can shoot it—as the channel ability states—
to destroy a barrier in a small but loud explosion, or to assail
someone with it, inflicting harm as established.

Chemo the Águila—played by Iván—is in a tough situation. He

got caught and stripped of all his equipment by some mafiosos
looking to intimidate him and his friends; he escaped from his
cell thanks to his nahual, and now he is trying to fight his way
to freedom, armed only with his nahual abilities.
“Can I use a channel ability to throw razor-like feathers to fight
these fuckers?” Iván asks.
“Oh! That sounds cool,” I reply. “You unleashed your nahual
to escape your cell, right?” Ivan nods. “So, you are now stage
two...I think that’s okay, you can totally do that. Go ahead and
mark stress for the channel ability.”
“Will I have to mark stress every time I attack?” Iván asks.
“I’ll tell you what,” I reply, “pay two stress, instead of one, and
you can keep throwing feathers for the scene. If you want it for
the next scene, you can pay one stress again to reactivate the
channel ability for another scene.”
“That’s fair!” Iván says, as he picks up the dice
to assail these culeros.

Multiple Totem Animals

Here is a little secret: the Nahual doesn’t really need a totem
animal to function. However, for you to start controlling its
power you need to focus it into a totem animal, something close
to your personality, an anchor that helps you keep the power
grounded and avoid getting sucked in by its overwhelming force.
As you start to get better at understanding the Nahual, you can
connect to a second animal form, and then to a third. After that,

228 Nahual
the animals are no longer a necessity; they are but a vestige, a
footprint of how you came to control and got used to feeling the
Nahual. You can even merge the animals into a chimera, and take
advantage of what you have learned from all three animals.

Second Totem Animal

When you unlock the second totem animal advance, you pick
another playbook and choose one totem move from it. You can
now transform into that animal; when you do, you have access
to the totem move you picked, and all the channel abilities of
that playbook—the stage you transform to still determines what
channel abilities you can activate. However, you cannot use
any totem moves or channel abilities from your original totem
at the same time. You need to switch between animals (as with
the stages you can switch between animal totems at no cost).
The Armadillo playbook is an exception to these rules. If you
choose the Armadillo as your second totem animal, you don’t
get to choose a totem move, you automatically get the armadura
move—but without the extra stress boxes.

Third Totem Animal

When you unlock your third totem animal, you pick yet another
totem move from another playbook. Same rules apply: you can
now transform into that animal, you get the chosen totem move
and channel abilities and you can’t use other animals’ powers
unless you switch. Also if you choose the Armadillo as your
third animal, the same restrictions apply (see above).

Chimeric Transformation
By unlocking the chimeric transformation advance, you can now
merge your totem animals into a hybrid form—you can choose
to merge only two of them or all three. This grants you access
to all the abilities of the animals you are merging at once—all
the unlocked totem moves of your original playbook, the totem
moves you picked for your second and third animals, and the
channel abilities of all animals you have combined! You are now
a powerhouse, so bring it on, cabrones!

Life in the Barrio 229

230 Nahual
THE MARAKAME
The Master of Ceremonies
If you are reading this, it means you’re taking on the respon-
sibility of running Nahual for the group. You are taking the
mantle of the Marakame, Nahual’s Master of Ceremonies.
With the Wixáritari indigenous people of Mexico—more
commonly known as the Huichol people—a mara’akame is a
shaman and a healer, and the person in charge of the holy cere-
mony of the peyote. Honoring that name, you as the Marakame
in Nahual are in charge of the ceremony—the gaming
session—you and your players embark on together.
But what does it mean to be in charge of the ceremony? Well,
while your players are in charge of their characters—saying
what they do, what they think, how they look and feel—you
are in charge of pretty much everything else. You describe the
world around them, frame the scenes of the story, and portray
the rest of the characters they meet...but your real job is to
make the characters’ lives interesting, to pit them against over-
whelming and supernatural forces, to press their buttons and
be surprised by their reactions, to help them realize who their
characters are by putting them in tough spots and making them
face hard decisions.
You are not in charge of prewriting a plot, forcing the story into a
specific outcome, or protecting NPCs with plot armor that keeps
them safe from whatever happens in the story. As I’ve said so
many times before—you are all playing to find out what happens.
But you may be thinking: how can I be in charge of the cere-
mony if I don’t know what’s going to happen? That’s what this
chapter is all about, giving you the necessary tools to guide your
players through the story that you all build together.

The Marakame 231

Using this Chapter
Before you read on, read the previous chapters of this book.
While those chapters are directed to the players, they also
cover all the main parts of the game—how playbooks and chan-
garros work, what moves are and how they work, how harm
and threat levels interact, as well as information on the setting
of Nahual. Check out the Appendix on page 271 for even
more information on the setting! You don’t need to memorize
all the mechanics before you run a game, but you should be
familiar with the various systems.
The material presented in this chapter pertains to you and your
side of the conversation. The Agendas are your general goals
and point you to the style of play best suited for Nahual. Your
Principles give you best practices for running the game, help-
ing you understand the guidelines for how to achieve those
goals. And Moves are your tools to keep the conversation
going, things for you to say in response to the player charac-
ters’ actions and choices...or when the action starts to slow.
Together, these elements form a framework that makes your
job as Marakame a solid and fun experience; follow them and
they’ll help you and your players create the kind of stories
Nahual is meant to create.
Besides these core Marakame elements of the game, this chap-
ter also includes information on how to create and use NPCs,
some advice on each playbook and each changarro, what hunt-
ing turfs are and how they work, and what to do on your first
session! Again, you don’t need to memorize all of these for your
first session. You will probably come back to this chapter over
and over as you get used to the mantle of the Marakame. Be
patient, and don’t worry...you got this. Buena suerte!

Agendas
Your overarching goal while playing Nahual is balancing your
focus on these agendas:

99
Make the world feel oppressive and supernatural.
Subject the characters’ lives to the whims of greater forces.

9
Play to find out what happens.

232 Nahual
Make the World Feel
Oppressive and Supernatural
The world of Nahual is a dark and dangerous place. Mexico
itself is a wonderful place to live, filled with incredible scen-
ery, rich cultures, amazing food, and marvelous people. But it’s
also a place riddled with corruption and inequality. The gap
between rich and poor is abysmal, and the daily struggles of the
common people can be overwhelming. Add to all that a layer
of supernatural entities pushing all aspects of Mexican society
to the brink in their pursuit of power. Your job is to bring that
feeling to the characters, reminding them not only are they
underdogs struggling to make a living, but also that the world
around them is filled with supernatural threats.

Subject the Characters’ Lives

to the Whims of Greater Forces
Players like to feel in control of their characters’ lives. It is your
job to make sure their lives always spin out of control and to
remind them—even though they can grow in power—there is
always someone above them, pulling the strings and pushing
them towards hard places. Nahual is not a game about powerful
heroes who always save the day; it’s about characters doing what
they can to stay afloat while bigger sharks try to get a piece of
them. Always keep their lives interesting and full of danger!

Play to Find Out What Happens

I’ve said it before: in Nahual you are playing to find out what
happens. And you as the Marakame manage the uncertainty
so everyone at the table can discover the story as you play. For
that, you need to let go, like the Huichol people on their hunt of
the holy deer, patiently pursuing without worrying about when
they “catch” it; the story is your holy deer—the prey you hope
to run down across the desert—trust it and follow it intensely.
Don’t force a path the story must take, don’t plan a plot, don’t
set your NPCs’ actions in stone. React to the player charac-
ters’ decisions and actions, to the results of the moves, to the
surprises awaiting for you each session. That’s what you are all
playing for after all, for the excitement of finding out what is
going to happen together. Relájate y déjate llevar!

The Marakame 233

Always Say
As you’re running Nahual, sometimes things
get complicated and you end up caught between
conflicting paths, not sure which is the best one to
follow. When you find yourself in such a moment,
always say:

99
What the rules demand.
What honesty demands.

9
What your prep demands.
The rules of the game serve as a strong backbone
around which you build the story. Follow them
religiously, and never bend them to your whims.
If a move results in a character taking terrible
harm, inflict it. If a player’s failed roll means their
changarro problemas blow up in their face, let it
happen; it doesn’t matter how hard they’ve worked
on the changarro. Don’t fudge the dice, don’t fix the
story. Be religious about it, including following the
agendas, principles, and moves found in this chapter.
Being strict with the rules also means being completely
honest. The rules put everyone on the same page, by
being clear and open. Everyone knows what a miss
is, what marking stress means, what filling restock
represents. Your job is to make everything else you say
as clear as possible, by being utterly honest and impartial.
Do not hide information from the players; if their characters
should know something about the world around them, say
it. You are their eyes and ears; they depend entirely on what
you tell them to make their choices. Remember, you are not play-
ing against the players, do not set them up. Players are not being
tested; you all create the story together.
However, honesty and impartiality also mean you owe it to your-
self to be truthful to your prep. If you decided during your prep
that a particular NPC is a legendary threat or a particular faction
is involved in a scheme the players stumble upon...don’t pull back!
Staying truthful to your prep helps you keep the world around the
players honest, dangerous, and real.

234 Nahual
The Principles
The principles form a map for you with different paths you can
follow to reach your final goal, your agendas, a guide to running
the game successfully. But don’t take these principles as mere
suggestions; they are rules too. Follow them religiously! If you
stick to these paths, your story will flow effortlessly. Stray away
from them, and you can get lost and stagnate the story.

99
Fill everything with corruption and intrigue.
Address yourself to the characters, not the players.

99
Put their changarro at the center of a big storm.
Make your move, but never speak its name.

99
Give everyone a name, drives, and a price.
Ask provocative questions and build on the answers.

99
Be a fan of the player characters.
Remind them they are the underdogs.

99
Escalate threats accordingly.
Think offscreen too.

9
Sometimes, disclaim decision making.

Fill Everything with

Corruption and Intrigue
The world of Nahual isn’t an exact representation of Mexico.
It’s an allegory. An exaggeration, especially when it comes
to its rougher edges. Corruption is at its core, the animating
force which makes the engines of society move. Everything is
possible and negotiable. The laws and the institutions are just a
facade behind which everyone makes deals for their own bene-
fit—from the lowest citizen bribing a cop to sell their goods in
a prohibited area to the highest politician making agreements
with the narcos for millions of dollars.
Keep this in mind when portraying the world around the player
characters; ask yourself, how can I introduce some intrigue?
What angelic faction is secretly interested in this corporation?
What deals did this narco make with the forces of Hell? What’s
the true nature of this politician—is she a diablo in disguise,
an angel, or something else? Bring supernatural secrets to the
fiction to keep it vibrant and dangerous, otherworldly and gritty.

The Marakame 235

Address Yourself to the
Characters, Not the Players
The nahuales are the ones hunting angels and running the chan-
garro, right? They are the ones struggling to live in this world you
all created together. Then talk to them; don’t talk to your players
comfortably sitting at your table eating botanas. It’s their char-
acters facing the dangers and wonders of the story. Say, “Chino,
what do you do when the angel jumps at you?”, instead of “Mario,
what do you think Chino would do when the angel jumps at
him?” By talking directly to the characters, you keep everyone
engaged in the story and help your players dive into the fiction,
so they can more easily think, act, and talk like their characters.
When talking to your players, remember you are their window
to this world. They depend on you to see, hear, smell, and feel
the scenes you describe. Give them enough details and infor-
mation for their characters to react. It is hard to portray an
angelero and immerse yourself in the fiction when you know so
little about it, when the room around you is a white canvas with
only a couple of details. The diablo is in the details!

Put Their Changarro at

the Center of a Big Storm
Player characters are the protagonists of the story, but their
changarro is the glue that binds them together, the thing they
have in common and the one thing they are invested in as a
group. The rules of the changarro help you set scenes around
it, and the players feel the grind of running the business as they
engage those mechanics. But don’t stop there, use the chan-
garro as a springboard to take your fiction to bigger heights, and
into the crosshairs of more dangerous and powerful factions.
Is their changarro crucial for a scheme plotted by a crooked
senator? Is it in the way of a corporation engulfing all the angel
trade into a single monopoly? Is it the cornerstone for a super-
natural drug lord’s empire in the making? Always build a storm
around it, bigger than the day-to-day minutia of the business.
Then make the characters juggle the big and the small troubles
of their beloved changarro.

236 Nahual
Make Your Move, but Never Speak Its Name
When making a move—we talk about your moves more on
page 242—never speak its name. Always misdirect by using
the fiction! Maybe your move is to separate them, but don’t say:
“Lucy you failed your roll, so now you and Casimiro get sepa-
rated.” Instead say: “Lucy, you try to snatch Tuerto’s gun, but
while you struggle, the car door opens and Tuerto throws you
out with a kick. While you fall and roll onto the street, you see
the car getting away with Casimiro still unconscious on the rear
seat.” You see? The effect is the same—the characters end up
separated—but you made it look like your move came from the
fiction, a fictional outcome arising from a fictional cause.
When making your move, choose one that flows logically with
the game’s existing fiction. Don’t separate them when the char-
acters are already apart from each other, and don’t inflict harm
when the characters are just talking and negotiating with some-
one. Follow the fiction’s logic, and always make it seem like the
fiction chose your move for you.

Give Everyone a Name, Drives, and a Price

When creating your NPCs, always start with a name—you can
find a list of Mexican first and last names in the Marakame’s
sheet in the play materials. Many NPCs are like extras in a
movie and may not appear again in the story; even then players
want to know who their characters are talking to. Besides, you
never know when an extra will turn into an important NPC—
remember, you’re playing to find out.
Then think about what drives that character has: something
they crave, a goal or responsibility they have, or an impulse
they may unconsciously follow. That way you have a rough
guideline of the character’s demeanor and how they respond
when interacting with the players. There are four types of
drives: craves, duties, goals, and obsessions; these are later
explained with detail on page 251.
Finally, give the NPC a price. This ties directly to the first prin-
ciple: fill everything with corruption and mythology. By giving
them a price, you make sure there’s a way to make a deal with

The Marakame 237

them—e.g., to make them look the other way, or betray their
superiors or friends. Even the most loyal NPC should have a
minimum price where they’ll give up their convictions, albeit at
a high price the PCs may be unwilling to pay. For more on price,
check page 251.

Ask Provocative Questions

and Build on the Answers
As soon as the players start to present their characters, ask
questions that give you ideas and material to build the world
around the PCs. However, don’t ask simple questions that
can be answered with a yes or no. Ask provocative questions,
loaded and pointed to specifics. Don’t ask, “Have you ever lost
control of your nahual?” Instead ask, “What’s the worst thing
you’ve done when your nahual went out of control?”
Playbooks already include a good deal of provocative questions
for players to answer during character creation in the barrio
questions and relaciones sections. Look at those as examples
of the type of loaded questions you should ask. Also use the
answers from those sections to ask follow-up questions.
Always keep in mind the answers the players give you; these
are things they care about and are already invested in within
the setting. Don’t let these hooks sit in a drawer—build on them
and keep asking questions as the game progresses. Every time
you are curious about something and one of the PCs should
know the answer, ask!

Be a Fan of the Player Characters

The player characters are the protagonists of the story. They
should have the spotlight. Be their fan, get excited when the
Águila blows the brains out of the karibu that was kicking their
asses, or when the Mono’s curiosity leads them to that artifact
that totally makes the story shift in unexpected and exciting
ways. Imagine the PCs as the main characters in your favorite
TV series. Cheer for them and worry about them.
Yes, their changarro is at the center of a big storm, and the
nahuales’ lives are a constant struggle, but these challenges

238 Nahual
are precisely the things that make their lives—and the story—
not boring. Struggling means they have to work hard for their
rewards. Nothing is given. But that doesn’t mean everything
sucks! The clash of forces in a story must always be a tug-of-
war. Having only good stuff happening is boring, but so is
having only bad stuff happen.
Being a fan of the characters means letting them shine. Players
choose their playbook because they want to do cool stuff
with their characters. The Jaguar is supposed to kick ass, the
Tlacuache is supposed to be a sneaky scoundrel, and the Perro
is supposed to be strong with their pack. Let them shine. Don’t
try to embarrass them. There’s nothing more frustrating for
a player than having their character suck at what they were
supposed to be good at. Don’t undermine the thing that makes
them cool; that’s the opposite of being a fan, chingao!

The Marakame 239

Remind Them They Are the Underdogs
Part of being a fan of the PCs is loving them for what they are—
the underdogs. Understanding this will help you create the
stories Nahual tells. Remind the players, through the fiction,
that they are not superheroes or the invincible protagonists of
an action flick. They have power in their nahual, but they don’t
fully understand it. They are not perfect and infallible; they are
flawed, broken and messed up. And those flaws and limits make
them interesting.
So every time the PCs start to feel too comfortable or in control,
throw a curveball at them—reveal a new enemy or show them
they don’t fully understand the world. Keep them with their
backs to the wall. Don’t let them forget about the forces and
factions way above them. Even as the PCs grow in power, there
are always more powerful threats out there.

Escalate Threats Accordingly

As dangerous as the unfair and unequal world of Nahual can
be, you need to present threats that escalate with the PCs’
power accordingly. The characters’ advancement in Nahual
pushes their power level in significant ways; put threats in front
of them that correspond to their current capabilities. If you
only pit them against overwhelming threats, they have to run or
die all the time, and that’s boring. Same thing with vulnerable
threats—they’ll just trample through them without effort, and
that’s boring too. Be a fan of the player characters, challenge
them by picking the level of the threats in accordance with the
PCs’ power level.
You don’t have to limit the fiction to only showcase one kind
of enemy; the PCs can meet the Archangel Michael during
the first or second session, just don’t expect them to fight the
god-like villain. When setting up such a scene, make it clear
this threat is way beyond their league. Give the PCs plenty
of direct warnings as they approach. If a player wants to do a
stupid thing after your warnings...well you got to honor your
prep, follow the rules, and say what honesty demands. Ni modo.

240 Nahual
Think Offscreen Too
To make the world of Nahual feel real and alive, it is import-
ant you also think about the things happening offscreen. Think
about what your NPCs do behind the curtains as the PCs try to
get stuff done. Is a scheme of the Church coming to fruition?
Has the injured angel the characters let escape finally turned
into a diablo? Things should happen in the world regardless of
what you all narrate in the forefront, especially if the charac-
ters’ changarro is at the center of a big storm. That storm needs
to keep brewing and growing off-screen, while the PCs are busy
hunting angels and selling tacos.
Don’t forget to keep the urges of your NPCs present when
thinking offscreen. What do they pursue based on those
impulses? How do they affect other characters’ lives? What
happens if the PCs don’t intervene with their intentions? As
you see, lots of things should be happening behind the back-
drop while the story moves forward. No lo olvides!

Sometimes, Disclaim Decision Making

There will be times when you need to make a decision, but you
are not sure of the right choice, or you just don’t want to make
the decision yourself. That’s totally fine, you can disclaim that
decision and leave it to:

9
The Players: by asking them about the issue and building
on their answers and actions. The priest seems hesitant about
the issue. What do you think, Chino, are you so scary the priest
would just go along with you?

9
Your NPCs: by looking at their drives and price and following
them accordingly. Would Carmela help Lucy fight the police
officers? She has a craving for violence, so she’d use any pretext
to get into a fight. So, yes—she would help Lucy.

9
The Moves: either your moves or the basic moves; if the
action in question fits any of the moves, go for it and follow
through to its conclusion. Curi failed his roll and it’s time for
you to say what happens, this looks like a good moment to turn
their move back on them.

The Marakame 241

Your Moves
Let’s say that the story you tell together is like constructing a
building. Then, your agendas are the style of building—a gothic
cathedral, a colonial palace, or a postmodern skyscraper—and
your principles are the blueprints that help you achieve that
style. Your moves, then, are the bricks and mortar you use to
build your story, putting them together, one after the other.
Moves are the things you say to keep the conversation going.
Most of the time you just let the PCs’ actions push the fiction by
triggering their moves. When they roll a hit, the move just tells
you what happens next; but if they roll a miss, you get to make a
move. You also get to make a move when there is a pause and the
players look at you, waiting for you to say something. And other
times something happens in the fiction, and you just feel the
moment is ripe and right for you to make a move, so you do it.

Softer Moves vs. Harder Moves

Your Marakame moves can be either harder or softer, depending
on how strong an impact they have in the fiction. Softer moves
set the stage for things to come, usually harder, more intense
moves. Softer moves can be dealt with, deflected, or stopped
before the full consequences come to bear on the PCs. Harder
moves are more severe changes to the fiction, a punch in the
nose that lands before you get your hands up to defend yourself.
As the Marakame you choose how hard or soft you make your
move. Just keep in mind your agendas and principles when
doing so. If you just make harder moves and hit them with all
you’ve got, you are not being a fan of the characters. Likewise,
if you only make softer moves that set up future action without
ever dropping the hammer, you are not reminding them they
are the underdogs. Only good things—or only bad things—
happening is boring; the same applies to softer and harder
moves. I wish there was a formula you could follow, but there
is not! Being a Marakame is like dancing, just let yourself be
carried by the rhythm of the fiction, and make your moves
harder or softer based on that rhythm. ¡Siente el ritmo!

242 Nahual
Sample Softer Move
You jump through the skylight into the warehouse, landing in
the middle of dusty boxes and crates. Suddenly you hear foot-
steps approaching, you take cover behind a crate, and you see
an angel walking in your direction. It is clear the angel hasn’t
seen you...yet. What do you do?

Sample Harder Move

You jump through the skylight into the warehouse, and as you
fall you hear a flap of wings behind you. You turn just in time
to see the bright arch of a blade slashing you on the chest…
an angel attacked you mid-air! You are getting hit hard with
heavy harm, roll for it.

Making Your Move

You make your move—as hard or as soft as you want—when…
...there is a lull in the fiction.
...a player misses a roll.
...a player hands you a golden opportunity.

Lulls in the Fiction

Your job as Marakame is to keep the fiction flowing. Every time
the conversation stalls, the players look around or at you not
knowing what comes next, or the story becomes boring, it is
up to you to step in and pump the volume up. Usually you can
do that with a softer move, but sometimes a harder move is
required to wake everyone up.

Acting on Misses
When a player rolls a miss, it’s time for you to make a move and
say what happens next. This move needs to be rooted in the
fiction, a logical consequence to what is going on in the story,
and to the move the character just missed (just remember
that a miss doesn’t necessarily mean a failure). If the move the
character was doing says what happens on a miss, follow those
guidelines; otherwise you have full authority to make whatever
move you want, as hard or soft as you like.

The Marakame 243

Golden Opportunities
If a player hands you a golden opportunity—acting recklessly
against a dangerous foe, reacting poorly to an obvious cue, or
ignoring a softer move—is time to make your move. It’s your
job to be vigilant for those moments. When these golden
opportunities appear, they usually require you to make a harder
move to honor the fiction.

Marakame Basic Moves

Here is a list of your basic moves, followed by some details,
advice, and examples of how to use them in play:

99
Reveal a supernatural threat.
Inflict harm as established.

99
Inflict stress or a condition.
Separate them.

99
Put someone in a spot.
Activate their stuff’s downside.

99
Present an opportunity to activate a vice.
Tell them the possible consequences and ask.

99
Make an irresistible but wicked offer.
Turn their move back on them.

9
After every move, “what do you do?”

Reveal a Supernatural Threat

Characters in Nahual constantly deal with the supernatural.
But when the supernatural comes as a threat from unexpected
places, the story takes an exciting turn. Sometimes you can
plan to include supernatural creatures and problems as part of
your prep, but don’t close yourself to the possibility that some-
thing you thought mundane and ordinary might turn out to be a
supernatural threat too. Play to find out what happens!

As you sneak close to the mercenaries guarding the kidnapped

victims, you notice a bright little feather falling slowly as one of
them stands up to stretch their legs and arms. Suddenly, for a
fraction of a second, you also see them stretching their wings!
These are angels! What do you do?

244 Nahual
Remind Players of Healing Options
Harm in Nahual can be harsh. Regular healing is supposed to be
slow—like in real life—but the PCs are far from ordinary; they can
use angel meat to heal faster, and as they gain power they can heal
with their nahual.
At the beginning of the campaign, however, it may seem that
options for healing are scarce. Using angel meat to heal requires
them to hunt for more meat, which is dangerous if they are already
badly hurt.
Remind players of other options. Hitting up their conecte is a good
way to acquire healing: they can get meat from fellow angeleros
or find a powerful nahual that could heal them. Maybe the Mono
player can use their workshop to concoct something as well.

Inflict Harm as Established

The life of a nahual is a dangerous one! Inflict harm on the
PCs—or on their allies and loved ones—to show them that the
violence is real. The type of harm is established by the threat
they face (see page 209); always be aware of this, if the threat
is overwhelming, one harm is all it takes for them to die. Be
careful with that.

The karibu lashes out with a speed impossible for its massive size,
you’re caught up completely off guard and feel its hoof crushing
your chest as it kicks you! The creature is one threat level above
you so this is deadly harm! Roll for getting hit hard.

Inflict Stress or a Condition

You can make players mark stress or a condition as a conse-
quence of mundane, stressful situations, but also as a result
of supernatural phenomena—like the character’s own nahual
powers. Inflicting stress is usually a softer move. You can inflict
one, two, or three stress depending on the situation. If you ever

The Marakame 245

feel like the situation calls for more stress, consider instead
inflicting a condition. You can leave the choice of condition to
the player, but often you specifically call for one of their condi-
tions, depending on the fiction.

When you get to your sister’s house, you find the door slightly
open...you enter carefully and find a mess in the living room: a
lamp broken, the center table knocked over, signs of a struggle.
Then, behind the sofa...blood! Mark Afraid; you fear the worst.
What do you do?

Separate them
Nahuales are stronger as a pack; players often try to stick
together. Break their formation and pull them apart so things
aren’t so easy. You can pull the PCs apart directly, but you can
also use the NPCs they care about as bait—maybe you capture
them, or maybe they just unwittingly walk into danger by
themselves and call for help.

The thug finally takes the upper hand of your struggle and
kicks you out of the running car. You roll for a few meters, and
when you finally stand up, the car is long gone...your fellow
nahual unconscious inside the trunk. What do you do?

Put Someone in a Spot

Of all your moves, this is often your best option for raising the
tension in a scene. You can directly put a player character in a
tough spot—enemies hunting them, their powers failing, etc.—
but you can also pressure their allies and loved ones, onscreen
or offscreen. When powerful factions scheme and plot, sooner
or later the PCs and their allies will end up in the crosshairs of
these dangerous enemies.

You answer your phone, and your mom just manages to

mumble and cry desperately! It takes you a minute to calm her
down and ask her what’s going on. “They took him. They took
your brother,” she sobs sadly, “they came with guns and took
mi’jo away!” What do you do?

246 Nahual
Activate Their Stuff’s Downside
All of the PCs’ stuff and resources have downsides. The chan-
garro comes with problemas, the nahual can get out of control,
their barrio connections can get in trouble or betray them, their
equipment can break, a resource—like restock—can be wasted.
Be ready for that golden opportunity to turn a thing they
regarded as a boon into a trouble, thus reminding them they are
not in control, not even of their own world.

You came early to the changarro to start the prep, and you
notice the old freezer is not working. You open the lid and a
foul smell comes out of it, some of the angel meat is starting
to spoil! Mark one restock. The rest seems to still be good...but
not for long. What do you do?

Present an Opportunity
to Activate a Vice
Vices aren’t good things for the player characters, they are
meant to get the PCs in trouble, to complicate their lives.
However, they can be helpful to clear stress or conditions, or to
advance their characters. Sometimes players may forget about
this, or may have trouble finding opportunities to activate their
vices. Create these opportunities for them in the fiction, and
be clear about it. Let the player know when the opportunity is
there in front of them.

The corrupt senator laughs at you with contempt, his body-

guards piercing you with chilly eyes. This looks like a perfect
opportunity to activate your Disdain vice by challenging or
taunting this asshole. Do you want to do that?

Tell Them the Possible

Consequences and Ask
When player characters take a particular course of action, you
can always tell them what the cost is. It can be a direct cost, like
taking harm from an enemy or exposing themselves to a threat;

The Marakame 247

other times the cost is uncertainty and escalation as their actions
trigger a move. Whatever the cost you state, don’t double back
from it. You warned the player and they made their choice.

So far your abuelita has never seen you transform into your
nahual. Knowing how religious she is you are sure she will see this
as a diabolic evil thing; she will never look at you again the same
way. You still want to unleash your nahual in front of her?

Make an Irresistible but Wicked Offer

You are already giving every NPC a price at which they break;
tempt player characters to find out if they have one too. Will
they betray a friend for profit? Will they submit to the threat of
death against a loved one? Make an offer when they are in full
control of a situation—a beaten diablo makes a sweet offer so
the PCs spare their life. But also when they are up against the
wall, giving the players the choice of an easy out in exchange of
an ugly choice—the archangel Michael offers a truce if the PCs
kill an innocent NPC. Keep pushing player characters’ boundar-
ies with wicked offers.

“Mira, I can take care of your little brother’s treatment,” says

the narco, “the best private hospital in the city. All you have to
do is tell me where your friend is hiding—easy choice, cabrón!”
The narco looks at you with devil eyes waiting for an answer.
What do you do?

Turn Their Move Back on Them

Sometimes all you have to do is use their own move against
them. There are two ways to do this: you can just flip it around
against them—they tried to figure someone out? Cool, figure
them out instead and have the NPC ask them the questions
as a 10+—or you can give them what they wanted and more!
Remember, a miss isn’t a failure, it just means you get to say
what happens. Give them an unexpected consequence as a
result of their choices; this reminds them that even on a miss,
their actions drive the fiction.

248 Nahual
You unleash your wild dog upon the cabrón
beating up Doña Meche, and with a flurry
of teeth and claws you tear him down, his
chest open, blood all over. When you finally
calm down, you realize Doña Meche is
down too, her throat slashed and bleeding!
What do you do?

After Every Move,

“What do you do?”
Every time you make a move, put the
focus back on a player by asking, “what
do you do?” Be clear who is in the spot-
light and what circumstances they face.
By passing the ball back to them clearly,
you can keep your players ready and
attentive. With time they will look for
your cue to take the narrative in their
hands and get on with it.

Chain of Moves
Moves in Nahual are designed to link
up with each other, their outcomes
cascading into more moves and more
interesting situations. Partial hits (7-9
results) play a key role in this cycle;
the consequences of the move often
give the opposition a chance to act or
push the character into a more compli-
cated situation requiring them to pay a
significant price, make a harsh choice,
or somehow react to what is happening
in the fiction…thereby triggering more
moves or even moving the spotlight
onto another player character as they
make moves too.

The Marakame 249

Your job as the Marakame is to modulate this chain, modulating
how big the links are and how often they cascade—the things
you add with your moves have a large impact on the flow of the
chain. At the beginning of scenes, make softer moves to create
tension: put characters into situations that encourage them to
take action or answer questions in a way that prompts more
questions. As the scenes reach their climax, let the hammer
fall: make harder moves that require players to react and make
tough choices.

9
Expendio Moves: The expendio move of the players’ chan-
garro can help you start the chain reaction. The purpose of
that move is to get things rolling by creating interesting situa-
tions and bringing trouble to the player characters’ doorstep.
Some of them even trigger automatically at the beginning of
the first session. For more on each changarro expendio move
see pages 75, 79, 83, and 87.

9
Cacería Move: Another good chain reaction starter is the
cacería move, especially when the PCs are not hunting in their
turf. The move serves as a trampoline for the story, setting up
the fictional positioning of the hunting PCs and their prey.
Rolling a 7-9—the most common result—brings the risk of
the hunting strategy to bear, complicating things for the play-
ers, thus triggering more moves as the fiction unfolds.

9
Pachanga Move: The pachanga move is a double-edged
sword for the players. As a tool, it is one of the best they have
for clearing their stress and conditions, but getting a 10+ or
a miss in the roll brings trouble and complicates the fiction,
setting up chain reactions for more moves.
As the game progresses and players start to make moves, try to
think of how the expendio, cacería, and pachanga moves push
the fiction forward—introducing new characters or situations,
and complicating the PC’s life—and use them as guidelines to
make your own moves. When the time comes for you to make
harder moves, you already have a bunch of elements to bring
into play.

250 Nahual
Player vs Player
Most of the time the stories in Nahual revolve around the nahuales
working together to keep the changarro going and surviving the
harsh world in which they live. ¡La unión hace la fuerza! But some-
times a player character wants to punch another player character
in the face. That’s ok! The game plays just the same if the interac-
tions are PC vs NPC or PC vs PC. Just follow the rules and flow of the
fiction, and take special care on managing the spotlight, giving all
PCs involved in the conflict the same chances to act and take control
of the fiction. Remember, be a fan of the player characters, all of
them! Don’t let one PC stomp over another with impunity.

Using NPCs
The stories in Nahual focus on the players’ nahuales. But they
don’t live in a vacuum; the world around them is full of enemies
and allies—some of them mundane and some supernatural—all
yours to portray and use as tools to fulfill your agendas.
Don’t worry about creating NPCs at first; after players have
created their characters and changarro, the set up provides you
with enough NPCs, both friends and foes, for you to start inter-
acting with the player characters.
If at any point you need to introduce an entirely new NPC to
the fiction, all you have to do is give them a name—remember
there’s a list of names in the play materials—and describe to the
players how they look. That’s it! Afterwards you can start to
give everyone a name, drives, and a price to further flesh out
the character.

NPC Drives and Price

Every non-player character in Nahual should have one to
three drives that represent goals, duties, compulsions, and
cravings they consciously or unconsciously have, and one price
at which they break or comply.

The Marakame 251

Drives help you know how to roleplay a character—an NPC
who craves dirty secrets is probably the gossip of their vecin-
dad. There are four types of drives in Nahual:

9 Cravings: desires, lusts, or addictions, generally short term,

and usually presented as things the character wants to get. Of
course, once they get it, they always crave more! Examples:
dirty secrets, people’s attention, polvo de ángel.

9 Duties: obligations or responsibilities, self-imposed or

imposed by someone else. Sometimes they can be involun-
tary—a character may have a duty to “help the barrio neigh-
bors” not because they decided so, but because they just care
for the people. Examples: keep the boss safe, kill any intruder,
feed my family.

9 Goals: ambitions and dreams characters consciously pursue.

Goals are either difficult to achieve or require the investment
of months or years. Examples: to overthrow the barrio’s caci-
que, to become a priest, to steal St. Michael’s sword.

9 Obsessions: impulses or compulsive behaviors, something

the character is fascinated with to the point they can’t really
control themselves. Examples: climbing the company ladder,
betting on the diablo’s pit fights, finding my lost sister.
When defining an NPC drive, think of something to help you
create interesting interactions with the PCs—a craving like
“chocolate cake” is just silly, and a goal of “getting rich” is
boring. Give NPCs exciting and interesting drives that tie into
the broader fiction, like craving: secrets of the angeleros and goal:
kill a rival lawyer.
Finally, the number of drives a particular NPC has doesn’t
correlate with their importance in the story! Instead, it just
determines the character’s complexity—a primary NPC might
have just one drive, meaning that character has a simple
personality or a clear motivation, while a character you feature
less often might have two or three drives to represent compet-
ing loyalties and motivations.
Price represents the minimum point at which a character
breaks and does whatever they are asked when pressured by

252 Nahual
another. If a character has a price of $10,000 pesos, and some-
one threatens to kill them—i.e., a price of “my own life”—that
for sure is higher than $10k, so the character immediately
breaks. An opportunity for $10,000 pesos would suffice, but
the threat of violence is way past the minimum!
A price can obviously be a tangible material thing—a new car,
$10,000 pesos, a kilo of angel meat—or it can be something
intangible like a membership to a private club, a promise to kill
someone, or a mystic secret. A price can even be one of coer-
cion or threat! One NPC may have a price of “my own life,”
and only the threat of death breaks them, but other NPCs may
have a price of “my family’s life,” and in that case they may
not comply even in the face of their own death, but they break
when their families are in danger.
When using drives and price to roleplay a character, keep in
mind the following difference between them: a drive can make
a character comply with reasonable requests; price is much
stronger—it makes the character do whatever they are asked,
even something they hate.

The player characters are looking for someone that trades on

supernatural mojos. After hitting up their conecte, they learn
a woman in the town tianguis sells the stuff...if you know how
to ask. I decide this woman, Carmen, is a middle-aged bruja, a
strong and chubby-looking lady with a joyful smile and a thun-
derous voice. I give her two drives: an obsession with “learning
powerful magic” and a goal of “getting revenge on her former
partner.” Then I think of a price appropriate for a dealer of
supernatural mojos: “a heavenly artifact.” And that’s it. I’m
ready for the players to meet Carmen!

Threat Level and Heridas for NPCs

When things get violent between PCs and NPCs—and trust
me, they will—you need to know how much harm NPCs can
take. It’s quite simple, your NPCs have a heridas track—much
like PCs—consisting of three different tiers or categories: light,
heavy, and deadly. These tiers represent the severity of the

The Marakame 253

injury. However, unlike PCs that have two boxes per tier, NPCs
have a number of boxes of each category of harm equal to their
threat level. A dangerous threat [1] has one light, one heavy,
and one deadly harm box. So their heridas track looks like this:
 Light Harm
 Heavy Harm
 Deadly Harm
A lethal threat [2] has two boxes of each category:
 Light Harm
 Heavy Harm
 Deadly Harm
A powerful threat [3] has three of each, and so on. Many higher
level threats are actually groups of humans or supernatural
creatures, but their harm boxes are spread among the entire
group as a single unit (see NPC Packs Suffering Harm below).
Remember that when a character gets hurt, they mark one
harm of the type established by the threat level (see page 209).
PCs die when they need to mark a deadly harm but can’t. But
when an NPC marks all their deadly harm, they are taken out—
this can be either dead or incapacitated, depending if the threat
is a pack or not (see below).

NPC Packs
Groups of NPCs can also act as a pack, but work a bit differently
than PC packs. NPC packs are either small or big packs; the size
determines the increase in threat level:

9
Small Pack: A small pack is four to eight individuals of the
same threat level. Acting as a small pack increases the threat
level of the members by one (i.e., a small pack of six danger-
ous threats [1] becomes a lethal threat [2]).

9
Big Pack: A big pack is 9 to 16 individuals of the same threat
level. Acting as a big pack increases the threat level of the
members by two (i.e., a big pack of 14 dangerous threats [1]
becomes a powerful threat [3]).

254 Nahual
PCs’ Heridas and Threat Level
Why do PCs only have two of each harm type, even if they advance
and become celestial [4] or mythic [5] threats? PCs have many
tools at their disposal to mitigate harm—the get hit hard move, for
instance. And since they die when they can’t mark a third deadly
harm, they effectively have three deadly harm boxes.

It’s hard for more than 16 individuals to act as a unit. Instead,

divide them into multiple packs, making the groups as even as
possible—if you have 21 mercenaries, you make two big packs
of 10 and 11 members.
When creating NPC packs, always group them by their threat
level. If you have six mercenaries led by a warrior angel, group
the six mercenaries into a single pack, and the warrior angel
counts as a separate threat. Each mercenary is usually a danger-
ous threat [1], so six of them counts as one step higher, making
them a lethal threat [2], and the warrior angel is a powerful
threat [3] all by itself.
Remember also that threat level determines how much damage
NPCs suffer and inflict. If one PC in their Second Stage of
Nahuality (counting as a lethal threat [2]) fights against this
particular group, the mercenaries inflict heavy harm on the
PC—because they are on equal footing as level 2 threats, but the
angel does deadly harm—because it is one level higher than the
PC. The six mercenaries only count as one unit, though. When
they attack the PC, the six of them inflict just one heavy harm,
not one harm each.

NPC Packs Suffering Harm

When NPC packs suffer harm, follow the normal rules for the
heridas track of NPCs. The aforementioned group of mercenar-
ies (lethal threat [2]) can withstand two harm of each category.
So if they suffer two deadly harm, the pack is out for good. It
doesn’t matter if there are six of them. When narrating what is
happening in the fiction, dramatize the group breaking instead

The Marakame 255

of them all dying: suffering two deadly harm may mean that
three of them are dead, one is incapacitated, and the other two
have run away or surrendered.

Paulino the Mono, a Second Stage nahual, is ambushed by

12 soldiers! I divide them in two lethal threat [2] groups of
six soldiers. He’s a lethal threat [2] as well, so he charges
and assails the first group, rolling an 11! Adriana—Paulino’s
player—chooses to inflict terrible harm, bumping the harm from
heavy to deadly. She would mark heavy harm in return, but rolls
an 8 on get hit hard, reducing it to light harm. Adriana picks:
“You give your opposition an advantage or opportunity.”
I describe how Paulino dodges most of the fire and manages to
kill two soldiers. I mark the deadly harm on this group’s harm
track. Another hit like that and this group will be done!
But Paulino can’t rush everyone at once! I decide the opportu-
nity the opposition gets is a clear shot at the Mono: the other
group—which Paulino totally ignored—showers him with
bullets, inflicting heavy harm. I want to remind him he’s an
underdog here!

256 Nahual
Under the Skin of the Nahuales
The playbooks players pick tell you a lot about the type of fiction
they want for their nahuales. Use their choices to inform your
decisions as the fiction unfolds, especially when you are required
to set up new situations. Also keep in mind each character’s vices
as much as possible, and present an opportunity to activate their
vice as often as you can. Same goes for the moves they pick. That’s
the cool stuff they want their characters to do! Try to remember
them and give them plenty of opportunities to shine through their
moves. Remember: be a fan of the player characters!

Águila
As an arrogant tactician that looks down on
their fellow nahuales, the Águila may try to
work alone or stay far from the action, moving
their “pawns” while staying safe. That’s okay,
just make sure to put them in scenes with other characters or in
the middle of the action from time to time.
Don’t mess with their eagle’s nest lair, that’s what makes them
cool! It’s supposed to be safe, secret, and secure. As for the
type of equipment, be flexible about it, the lists are obviously
an example. If the thing they want fits with the categories they
picked, let them have it, as long as it is logical they can have
it with them—carrying a RPG launcher in their backpack is
awkward, but maybe they have it in their truck instead.

Armadillo
Hard on the outside, the Armadillo is a tough
playbook, their longer stress track and their
armadura make them pretty resilient. However
their soft spot is their code of honor from
knight in shining armor. Challenge that code and put them
between a rock and a hard place with moral dilemmas. NPCs
are especially helpful for this: make the Armadillo choose
between someone they care about and their code. And don’t
hold back! Leaning heavily on the code may seem unfair, but
the Armadillo always gets rewarded when protecting and help-
ing someone get through a dangerous situation.

The Marakame 257

 Jaguar
The Jaguar is a killing machine. Players who
pick it want to be violent and badass—give
them a fight right away. As the apex predator,
they will come up on top most of the time.
Later on, change the script and give them challenges not about
fighting or where violence comes at a great cost. These require
the player to stop and think, to rely on other PCs, or to ask for
help, all of which creates interesting situations for the Jaguar.

Mono
The workshop is the core of the Mono playbook.
Make sure to give them plenty of situations for
them to either craft or research something.
Never say “you can’t” when the Mono uses
their artesano move, even when they ask for crazy stuff. Use the
requirements to compensate; maybe it takes months to complete
the thing, or it may require the help of a mortal enemy! Be
creative about it and use this opportunity to push the fiction into
new and interesting situations.
A final note for the Mono, their workshop shines best in
multisession games. For this reason, it is not recommended
for one-shots. If a player really wants to use it in such a situa-
tion, make it clear to them that their workshop may not be of
much use.

Perro
The Perro is a playbook that feels more confident
in a group, thanks to their manada move. Use
that in your favor at the beginning of your game
and have the Perro player be your ally in bringing
the nahuales together, so you can get them to interact with each
other, and set up situations where everyone is involved.
Later on, you need to be a fan of the player characters; that
means pushing the Perro out of their comfort zone by isolating
them. Separating them is a perfect tool for that.

258 Nahual
 Serpiente
The Serpiente requires social interactions to
shine. If you have one at your table, consider
leaning towards intrigue and social manipula-
tion as themes for the story and create NPCs
for the Serpiente to seduce and manipulate. But also remem-
ber that to use encanto they need time and intimacy, so frame
scenes with that in mind. When they try to seduce a PC, remind
that player they can intervene with the Serpiente’s move to give
them a -2, in case they want to resist the Serpiente’s charms.

Tlacuache
A scoundrel and a troublemaker, the Tlacuache
is your best ally at the table when it comes
to complicating the story. Chances are your
Tlacuache player is already on board with putting
their character in a lot of trouble, which means a lot of fun for the
table. But if they seem hesitant, keep throwing opportunities for
them to wreak havoc, while including great rewards as bait.
Their tambache may seem an overpowered move at first glance,
but keep in mind that the items they pull always come with strings
attached. Strings that will help you complicate the story and, most
of the time, introduce new NPCs.

Venado
The Venado is all about looking cool while
doing dangerous things. Make sure to give them
a stage for that! Frame scenes with lots of eyes
to stare at the Venado. Like the Tlacuache, the
Venado can be your ally in complicating the story. Their vanity
and thrill for danger usually pushes them to act first and ask
questions later. Use this to your advantage and give them a
nudge to act when they need it.
If they have hunter prey, don’t forget that the move doesn’t
charm the crowd into complacency. If the room is full of violent
thugs, gaining their full attention means they all go with every-
thing against the Venado.

The Marakame 259

Behind the Changarros
Each changarro dictates and structures the style of play and the
rhythm of the story. Go with it! Don’t try to steer away or force
another style. The changarro is in part your primary tool to
help you all play to find out what happens. Ignore it and you are
in for a desmadre!

Taco Truck
This changarro is all about mobility: player characters will
move around the city, selling their tacos in all sorts of interest-
ing places. When framing scenes, go straight to each place they
visit and cut like a movie director cuts. Skip the scenes where
the players move from spot A to spot B, unless something inter-
esting is happening on the road—which may be the case if the
players are running away from a hot spot.
Keep in mind that the characters are being hunted, and make
them feel that, to the point of paranoia. Foreshadow the presence
of the angelic police and their agents, describing suspicious NPCs
that may or may not be a real threat. Keep them guessing!

Carnicería
Clients are the big stars of this changarro. Make them a
constant presence in your game, and have them constantly pull
the player characters in opposite directions. Overwhelm them
also with new potential clients; the worst thing players can do
is say yes to all the business proposals. Having too many clients
makes for good profit, but this can also spread them too thin, as
multiple problems come their way and restock burns out quick.
Always make clients weird and mysterious. Have scenes in their
places, and think about wicked things they do or have, and see if
players turn a blind eye to it or if they intervene. Do this little by
little, revealing just enough to tease the players’ curiosity.

260 Nahual
Cantina
For this changarro, gameplay must be centered around the
cantina’s location. Frame scenes there as much as you can, and
when players want to diverge, bring them back as soon as possi-
ble by activating their stuff’s downside. They can’t just close the
place and go deal with other problems; PCs need to have regular
open hours in their cantina if they don’t want their popularity
affected.
Be aggressive with their popularity—running a hospitality
business is hard as hell! Let them feel the heat. Bring all sorts
of clients, supernatural and regular. Have them conduct their
business there, make the cantina a joint for social reunions as
well as neutral ground for parties to negotiate. Force the players
to juggle multiple picky clients at the same time.

Vecindad
The vecindad isn’t really a business the player characters have
to worry about. They can hunt and sell their product whenever
they want...for the most part. What really takes the main stage
in the vecindad are the neighbors. Set up all sorts of compli-
cated relationships between them and the player characters.
Make the neighbors get in trouble a lot, and have them come to
the PCs for help.
The local dealer and the landlord are also good sources for
fiction. Set them on a collision course with the neighbors and
see what players do about it. In general, make the PCs do bad
things for the cartel and the landlord to keep the peace, and
challenge them with good things they can do for their neigh-
bors if they are willing to deal with the mess.

The Marakame 261

Hunting Turfs
As the Marakame, you are in charge of keeping track of the
hunting turfs, the zones where angels nest and nahuales hunt.
The turf rules work in tandem with the cacería move—espe-
cially when player characters hunt in a turf other than their
own—creating uncertainty and interesting situations. For more
on how a hunt develops see the move cacería on page 124.

Creating Hunting Turfs

Most likely, the first hunting turf to be defined is the one
belonging to the player characters. Work with the players to
come up with the general details; just make it clear to them that
their turf needs to be close to their barrio. For the rest of the
turfs, it’s your job to flesh them out. But don’t worry, you don’t
have to come up with all the details beforehand! As with creat-
ing NPCs, you just define a few elements: pick a location, define
a couple of landmarks, and assign a faction to it and listo, you
are done! You can develop the rest as the game progresses.

Location
First think of what type of location defines this turf.
Remember, angels usually nest in places with a high conglom-
eration of religious believers. Places like churches, hospitals,
graveyards, even the slums. Since they feed on faith and belief,
they thrive in these kinds of places.

262 Nahual
Landmarks
Define from one to three landmarks around your chosen loca-
tion. This will help you get an idea of what could happen if the
hunt goes south, or how PCs set up their hunting strategy. Also,
just because the location is the cathedral, that doesn’t mean
angels nest exactly there, maybe they nest in the abandoned
theater next to it.

Faction
Finally, the hunting turfs not controlled by the PCs have a
specific faction related to them, either by preying on it ()
or protecting it (). Assign one of the following factions: the
Demons of the State, the Angels of the Church, the Jackals of
the Narco, or the Parasites of Capitalism. Alternatively, you can
assign two factions to a turf, one preying on it and one protecting
it. This creates more complex situations and conflicts. For more
on the factions see The Factions of Power on page 271.

Scarcity
Scarcity is a special track that only the player characters’ turf
has. As they successfully hunt on their turf, their scarcity
track gets filled, which in turn affects their cacería move. This
represents the characters pushing too much on their turf,
making clear to angels that it may be too dangerous to nest
there. Players have to manage how often they hunt on their
turf, sometimes having to go to unknown territories to hunt.
Rules for filling and clearing the scarcity track are fairly simple:

9 When PCs successfully hunt angels on their turf, mark one

scarcity.

9 When time passes, clear one scarcity box if the PCs haven’t
hunted there recently.

The Marakame 263

Your First Session
Things are simple for the players in Nahual. They only have to
create their nahuales following the instructions on their play-
books, and that’s it. They don’t have to learn the rules or even
worry about the preparation of the game session. You, on the
other hand, have to make the world feel oppressive and super-
natural to subject characters’ lives to the whims of greater
forces while playing to find out what happens. ¡Tómala, cabrón!
To tilt the balance, use the first session to create the foundation for
the story, while you get to know the player characters.

Before the First Session

Before you meet with everyone to play, print all the play mate-
rials. Review each playbook and their moves so you have them
fresh in your head when players start to ask questions. Do the
same for the changarros. Make sure you have enough copies
of the basic moves sheets for all players—yourself included—
and remember to print your reference sheets as well. You can
download the play materials at www.nahualrpg.com
Of course, read this whole book before you play. Maybe you can
just take a quick look at The Nahuales chapter, but the rest are
really necessary, specially The Setting for you to know what
the world of Nahual is about, and Life in the Barrio, to learn
about the mechanics of the game. As the Marakame you are
going to be piloting this plane as you all build it midair, so you
better have a good grasp of how things work!

Starting the First Session

Once everyone is ready at the table, explain the setting and
introduce the playbooks, and the changarros. With players new
to Nahual, this is what I usually do:
I start by presenting the setting, explaining how the angels came
with the conquistadors long ago, and how that impacts the pres-
ent, robbing the nahuales of their heritage and their knowledge
of the Nahual. I also make sure the players understand angels in
this world are not do-gooders, but predators and parasites.

264 Nahual
Asking Probing Questions
As players present their characters, ask pointed questions about
them and the world around them. You are building everything from
scratch, so use the players’ answers to fill in as much as possible.
It is okay to leave some things unanswered and find out the
answers later. But if you feel you need more information about
something the player said, go deeper. If a player says, “My brother
was killed by an angel,” ask, “How did that happen? Was he an
angelero too? What happened to that angel?” Probe that vein,
see how deep it can go, but also leave things to wonder about and
discover as you all play.

Next, I introduce the playbooks, giving a brief idea of what each

playbook is about. I let the players skim over them and discuss
who is playing what. Once they decide, I ask them to leave the
relaciones section empty for now, and then I step back and give
them space to read and fill up their character, answering ques-
tions as needed.
Once everyone is done, I ask them to introduce their charac-
ters. After that we are ready for the relaciones questions, so we
can build the connections between all the characters. I usually
have players do one relación at a time, as we go around the table
until everyone has them all filled out.
Finally, I introduce the changarros, emphasizing the different
styles of play each one determines. As with the playbooks, I
give players space to check out the changarros and discuss as a
group what option they want to pick. I answer questions as well
and help them fill the changarro sheet up. Once that’s done we
are ready to play. A darle!

The Marakame 265

During the First Session
Most of your first session will be eaten up by character and
changarro creation, especially since you are asking probing
questions. Once you are done with all that, call for a break so
you can review your notes and think about how you can use all
the information the players gave you, while keeping your agen-
das and principles in mind. What old enemy or friend can come
knocking at the characters’ door? Is there an ugly secret or past
grudge you can lean on? What powerful faction can be inter-
ested in the nahuales or their changarro?
When the game starts, keep handy your Marakame Sheet, so
you can look at your principles and moves at all times. As the
Marakame, your job revolves mainly on following your princi-
ples and making your moves, with your agendas as your focus.
Other than that, here are few things you can try to achieve
during your first session:

99
Jump-start things with the changarro.
Build on character creation.

99
Ask questions all the time.
Bring up their barrio connections.

99
Call out moves when they trigger.
Offer moves when players hesitate.

99
Foreshadow a powerful faction.
Bring up a fight.

Jump-Start Things with the Changarro

At the center of each Nahual story is the changarro. Start there
when kicking-off your first session. The carnicería and the
cantina expendio moves already trigger “at the beginning of the
first session,” so just follow that move and the fiction will start
rolling. For the taco truck the expendio move triggers every time
they go to a hotspot, do that! Have players pick a spot and have a
scene there and find out what happens. For the vecindad, focus
instead on the neighbors, have scenes with them and start devel-
oping their relationship with the players from the get go.

266 Nahual
Build on Character Creation
The players already gave you a bunch of prompts for their char-
acters’ story during character creation, lean on them. Your job
as Marakame heavily relies on you knowing the player charac-
ters. Use this first session to dig into their past lives and their
present relationships as much as you can by bringing those
characters to the foreground and seeing how the players react.

Ask Questions All the Time

When you start your game, you have a blank slate and it is your
job to fill it! But you don’t have to do it all by yourself. Ask the
players questions, all the time. Every time you are wondering
about something in the story, ask them. Invite players into the
creative process. Nahual’s setting has specific things already
established, but there are still a lot of things to discover.

Bring up Their Barrio Connections

Introduce the NPCs from their barrio questions as soon as
you can. Most of them are regular people with mundane prob-
lems; interacting with the PCs grounds your story in the barrio.
When possible turn that relationship into a tense triangle with
another PC, that breathes life into your NPC and gives you
opportunities for interesting situations.

Call Out Moves When They Trigger

One of your many jobs as Marakame is to call out when moves
are triggered. Familiarize yourself well with the basic moves
and be on the lookout for when players do trigger them. New
players may need a bit of help to know when a move is triggered
or what move they are triggering. When this happens without
them noticing, let them know: “It sounds like you are trying to
figure her out, is that right?” And if they are trying to make a
specific move, help them too: “Okay, what does making a fuss
look like in the fiction?”

The Marakame 267

Opening the Doors of the Fiction
Open the doors of perception is a great tool for you to take the
story in new and exciting directions. It offers an opportunity
for you to explore new veins of the fiction, even something you
haven’t thought about yet. After all, you don’t have a plot written
or a series of events that must happen!

Offer Moves When the Players Hesitate

In the first session players are starting to know their charac-
ters, and getting used to Nahual’s mechanics. Sometimes they
may forget what they can do. At these moments offer them
suggestions, always in the form of a question: “Maybe you want
to open the doors of perception to try to get a read on the myste-
rious van?” “Do you want to hit up your conecte and see if they
know where to find a diablo’s heart?”

Foreshadow a Powerful Faction

One of your agendas requires you to subject characters’ lives
to the whims of greater forces. But don’t just dump that
greater force out of the blue, foreshadow their involvement
and shady intentions as soon as you can, and keep building up
the tension little by little. That way when they finally meet that
threat, the climax will be strong and memorable.

Bring Up a Fight
Nahuales are badasses, that’s one of the reasons to play
Nahual! So let them have a fight and use their cool powers.
Even though not all playbooks are strongly oriented to combat,
all of them can stand their ground against a bunch of armed
humans and can do cool stuff during a fight. Just remember
to escalate threats accordingly and to be a fan of the player
characters!

268 Nahual
After the First Session
Now that you are done with the first session,
you have lots of material to work with.
You now know the player characters,
their interests, and who they are
connected with. You also know their
changarro and what sorts of trouble it
can bring to the player characters, and
you have a bunch of NPCs too, with
their own interests and agendas.
Reflect on all this information
before your next session, and
wonder about where things can
move from here. Where can you
push things off balance? What
drives can your characters have that directly
conflict with the PCs’? Who can you put in
danger that moves the PCs to action?
Just remember: you are playing to find
out what happens. Don’t pre-write a
plot, don’t create a railroad of events for
the story, don’t set up traps to later force
players to fall in them. Think instead of
scenes that spur conflict between charac-
ters and let it play out. Players don’t know
how their characters will react until things
happen; you should play your NPCs the
same way. That’s part of the fun of being
the Marakame, chingao!

The Marakame 269

270 Nahual
APPENDIX
The Factions of Power
One of your main goals as the Marakame is to subject charac-
ters’ lives to the whims of greater forces. It’s important then
to use powerful factions to pull the strings of the nahuales. This
section presents the four main factions of Nahual for you to
use in your game:

99
The Angels of the Church
The Demons of the State

99
The Jackals of the Narco
The Parasites of Capitalism
You don’t have to use them all, and if you want, you can create
your own factions too.
One important thing to note is that, even though they are
mostly awful and ruthless, the factions are not unidimensional
evil antagonists. They are complex entities, that sometimes
include multiple organizations within themselves, and can have
a wide variety of schemes and motivations—the cartels is a
good example of this, they all fall under the Jackals of the Narco
faction but are—in most cases—enemies to each other.
This complexity means player characters can find both enemies
and allies among the factions, sometimes even within the same
one. The thing to keep in mind is that, in the end, PCs are just
pawns on the chessboard of the powers that be.
Included with each faction is a list of transas—sample hooks
for you to use in your game, or draw inspiration from to create
your own.
Finally, the factions are also important for defining the hunter
turfs where players can go hunt angels. As mentioned in The
Marakame chapter, one to two factions can be tied to a turf,
either preying on it or protecting it. For more on hunting turfs
see page 262.

Appendix 271
The Angels of the Church
Since the days of the Conquista, the angels have helped the
Church in their evangelistic efforts. Of course most of the time
that meant spreading the gospel by fire and blood. The warrior
angels played an important role in breaking any resistance,
especially from the nahuales of yore.
At the top of the angelic troops is the archangel Michael, who
in present days has changed blades for bullets and, unbe-
knownst to many, privatized the heavenly army. Now working
as mercenaries for the best buyer, the Church is still one of
their top—and oldest—clients.
However, the archangel is older than the Church itself, and he’s
apt at playing multiple agendas at the same time. For Michael,
the Church is useful as a mortal institution, to make business
and deals and to own properties and assets. He uses his heav-
enly status to manipulate the Church to fulfill his own ends,
which are, for the most part, aligned to the modern capitalist
model. For the archangel is as ruthless an entrepeneur as he’s a
mighty warrior and tactician.
This makes for a dangerous and uneasy combination, as the
oldest and most archaic faction has its strings pulled by the
most neoliberal and powerful of the angels.

Transas

9
The Archangel Michael is looking to monopolize the angelero
trade through multiple shell companies; an agent of the arch-
angel comes to the PCs’ changarro with an offer.

9
A zealot archbishop, a collector of holy relics, is about to get his
hand on one of the true Holy Nails. He wants to hire the PCs to
collect the item from the shifty broker that got him the deal.

9
A secret surviving cell of the Inquisition wants to hire the
PCs to capture angels for them; they plan to mate them with
humans and add their offspring—the mythic Nephilim—to
their ranks.

272 Nahual
The Demons of the State
The political class in Mexico is plagued by demons in disguise.
Some of them are literal demons from Hell, while some are
mere humans that sold their soul in exchange for power.
Whatever the case, they pretend to rule the country only to fill
their pockets, while the people starve and suffer, and the few
good things that were built by their predecessors are disman-
tled and sold to the highest bidder.
Normally, the faction is filled with enmity and the political
parties are constantly at each other’s throats with rancor, fight-
ing for positions and votes. But when their privileges are threat-
ened as a whole, they close ranks and forget their differences to
destroy their common enemies and protect their interests.
Is not rare for this faction to be involved in some sort of way
with the affairs of other factions. Being the ones in control of
the institutions and the public funds, they are sought out by the
other factions to procure legal protection, close major deals,
and in general give them their mordida, to get their blessing and
avoid future sanctions or problems.

Transas

9
A demon politician running a major human trafficking and
prostitution network has kidnapped one of the PC’s friends
or family memebers.

9
A senator wants to enlist the PCs to do his dirty work, ridding
him of his political enemies using their supernatural powers.

9
A reporter, an old friend of one of the PCs, is investigating
cartel connections to a high-ranking politician but has been
discovered; they come to their friend PC in desperate need
of help.

Appendix 273
The Jackals of the Narco
The Narco in Mexico isn’t just a bunch of gangs and drug lords,
its grip and influence is so big that it is as if it was yet another
institution, like the State or the Church. It feeds its ranks from
the dispossesed left in the wake of the inequality avalanche
that the Demons of the State have been escalating in past years.
Many of the poorest communities found themselves without
hope or future, leaving them vulnerable to the allure of the
Jackals’ call: better to live like a king for a couple of years and
die young, than suffer in misery for many, many years! To
many, the narcos are like heroes!
For these reasons, the barrios are fertile ground for the Jackals,
for recruitment of troops and for moving product. The cartels
within the faction constatly fight for control of barrios and plazas.
And in recent years they also managed to convince some angel
hunters to provide them polvo de ángel, to move it north and sell
it as a high-end exclusive product. For decades, the angeleros had
refused to work for the cartels, but the recent economic upheaval
has cornered many of the new generations of hunters to finally
give in. Qué se le va a hacer. A low tide sinks all ships!
Like the Parasites of Capitalism, this faction has significant
overlap with the Demons of the State. At first they just paid the
local governments to work freely, but little by little they started
to buy entire institutions—local police, federales, judges, prose-
cutors—and kept climbing the ladder to the point where many
entities have become literally narco states!

Transas

9 A naive friend or family of one of the PCs has joined the local
cartel; his most recent assignment is to kill a rival drug lord
who is actually a demon.

9 A new drug is being distributed in the PCs’ barrio—it’s power-

ful and unstable. Rumors say the narcotic is made out of the
poisonous blood of a diablo.

9 A rising drug lord has started a turf war in the PCs’ barrio. To
seize control of the plaza, she is using angel mercenaries to
get an edge in the war.

274 Nahual
The Parasites of Capitalism
This faction is comprised of neoliberal capitalists and their
corporations. Although not all companies and capitalists
belong to this faction—a few actually produce something, and
provide jobs—the rest just feed and prey like parasites. They
unscrupulously take everything without giving anything in
return—paying ridiculous wages, evading taxes, exploiting
resources voraciously, and getting rescued by their friends at
the government when they colapse.
Some Demons of the State also belong to this faction, taking
advantage of their positions in the government to secure deals
for their private companies. But they are little sharks compared
to the megalodons known as megacorps. These beasts swim at
levels unimaginable for the common people, swallowing whole
resources—and sometimes whole small contries—to make
disgusting amounts of profit.
In recent years, these megacorps have started to turn their
attention to the angelero trade and the potential in it. Cutting-
edge science has allowed them to discover the supernatural
potential of the angels as raw materials for high tech produc-
tion at innumerable industries—robotics, military, pharmaceu-
tical, etc. Of course, given their parasitic nature, they want to
massively harvest the angels, even if that means causing their
extinction. With the power and influence they have, it may be
just a matter of time before this happens.

Transas

9
A mining corporation has unearthed a pre-Columbian
monster in slumber, they are looking for a way to control the
creature and want to hire the PCs to see if they can assist.

9
Some scientists working for a megacorp have managed to
replicate the first synthetic angel, which escaped and is now
hiding in the PCs’ hunting turf.

9
A top weapon contractor is experimenting with nahuales, to
weaponize them and sell them as mercenaries. The PCs are
next on their list of test subjects.

Appendix 275
Sample NPCs
The following section includes some sample NPCs for you to
introduce to your Nahual game, or to use as inspiration to
create your own characters. Each is presented in a broad way—
you can fill in the gaps and fit them into story you and your
players are creating. Feel free to change the characters and
expand them as much as you need to make them compelling.
For more information about NPCs and the rules around them,
see page 251; for details about the threat levels, see page 207.

Iván “El Gallo” Flores Legendary Threat [3]

Faction: None
Iván is a young man of humble
Price: My mother’s life origins who grew up helping his
Drives: Provide for my sick grandfather with the breeding of
mom (duty). Finding my father the gallos for the palenques cock-
who abandoned us when I was
fights, listening to the old man’s
a kid (obsession). The thrill of a
fight (craving). stories about the spirits and the
energies of the Nahual.
Later Iván became a boxer, joining a small gym to learn the
ropes of a sport that most resembled cockfighting. But as his
star started to rise, an incident twisted his fate forever. The
night his abuelo passed away, Iván was forced to fight a very
difficult opponent. As he struggled against the stronger boxer,
all his grandfather’s stories and teachings of the Nahual came to
him, and he inadvertedly awakened his nahual—a gamecock—
killing his opponent. This explosion of lethal violence cost him
his boxing career; he was banned from the professional leagues.
A diablero that witnessed the fateful fight saw Iván’s potential
and contacted him, offering him a way to make money fight-
ing diablos in the fighting pits. Iván loved the weird similarities
between cock breeding and the diablero trade, and felt right at
home among those circles. He has become a diligent diablero,
and a popular fighter in the pits, where the crowd cheers Gallo’s
nickname everytime he risks his life facing the terrible beasts.

276 Nahual
Don Amador Mythic Threat [4]
Don Amador is an old man with
Faction: None
Price: A human soul sharp fox-like features and coal
black eyes behind thick glasses. A
Drives: Corrupting good souls
with my deals (obsession). humble but properly dressed man,
always polite and calm. He can be
found around the city streets—always in a different spot—selling
candies, cigars, and snacks.
According to urban legend, he’s way older than he appears
to be, and the craziest rumors say he was around when the
Conquistadores first arrived, selling his goods in the big market
of Tenochtitlan as Cortés strolled through the city.
The truth is, Don Amador is a powerful demon in disguise. His
true trade is secrets and favors. He can get you almost anything
you need for the right price! That said, he hates violence, and
always disappears at the first sign of trouble.

Hortiel Lethal Threat [2]

Faction: None
A couple of years ago, the angel
Hortiel was captured by a group of
Price: Fresh angel entrails for
my ritual diableros. They cut off his wings,
Drives: Finding a definitive cure
planning on turning Hortiel into
to the fermantation (goal). a diablo, but a stroke of luck—a
Making diableros suffer for what
they did to me (obsession). sudden attack on the diableros’
hideout by an unknown force—
allowed the angel to escape before the fermentation process
was completed.
Confused and scared, Hortiel roamed the streets looking for a
way to stop his transformation, learning a great deal about the
underworld of the city in the process. When he was about to
lose all hope, he found an old bruja that taught him a special
ritual which could stall (for a bit) his fermentation. The catch:
the ritual required him to eat fresh angel entrails.
Since that day, Hortiel has been working with angeleros around
the city, trading secrets and information for fresh angel entrails
to keep himself from further changing into a diablo.

Appendix 277
Obsidiana Legendary Threat [3]
Obsidiana, usually called just
Faction: Parasites of Capitalism
Price: My life Diana, is the right hand of a
Drives: Advance my “boss’” powerful and corrupt polititian. A
political career (duty). demon in disguise, she appears as
Kill anyone who’s seen my face
(obsession).
a striking woman, always dressed
in a charcoal grey suit, wearing a
fedora to hide her horns and keep her face in shadow. It is said
that none who have seen her face have lived to tell the tale.
While many think Diana is just an assistant or a secretary at
the service of her politician boss, in truth she’s the real power
behind him. As a patient creature, she prefers to stick to the
shadows and avoid notice, rather than openly facing a problem.
However, when she needs to take a matter into her own hands
to eliminate a threat, she is fond of using her wiles to get close
to foes and eliminate them with her poisonous tail.

Leticia Velázquez Legendary Threat [3]

Leticia Velázquez has been
Faction: None
running her cantina, La Red de
Price: A genuine threat to the
life of an innocent Seda, for many years—some even
Drives: Protect the people say for generations—though only
of the barrio (duty). Makingdrunkards believe that a single
the best chínguere in town
(obsession) person would live that long. Her
cantina is known for serving angel
products, including a top notch chínguere she makes, as Leticia
is actually a prominent angelera.
Lety presents herself as a friendly, middle-aged woman with
many stories to share. The one story that she will not tell is how
she came to her nahual, the spider. All she says is that it is the
reason she wants to protect those around her.
Regardless of whether that is the true reason or not, she does
have a powerful motherly instinct and does genuinely care
for those under her watch. Her secret shame is her failure to
protect a boy in the barrio, which she considers her web, due to
her being focused on brewing chínguere for her cantina.

278 Nahual
Juan de Arriaga Mundane Threat [0]
Faction: None Juan is a tall man, with wavy
Price: My family’s lives mid-length black hair and glasses.
Drives: Provide for my wife and He works as an in-house techni-
children (duty). Keep my iden- cian for the Sky Dreams megacorp
tity secret (obsession).
in the networking division.
Some time ago, Juan was approached by a prominent capo who
wanted information about Sky Dreams. Juan refused at first,
but struggling with his household bills—he gets paid ridicu-
lously low wages by the company—he decided to sell the infor-
mation to the capo. But to do so, he approached the capo again
under an alias, Keiko.
That was the start of Juan’s career as a hacker and informa-
tion broker. As Keiko, Juan has build an empire that includes a
network of people working for him, gathering information in
all sorts of ways.
Many have tried to buy Juan’s allegiance, but he believes that
the best way to keep his identity a secret is staying neutral,
working for all factions—angeleros and diableros included.

Matías Acosta Mundane Threat [0]

Faction: None
Matías Acosta is a middle-aged
Price: Anyone’s safety and man of intense faith who owns a
well-being barbershop in the barrio. His shop
Drives: Help those less fortu-has become a haven from the prob-
nate than me (duty).
lems of the streets. Matías is a pillar
of the community and always knows more about the goings-on
around the barrio and its surroundings than he lets on.
A few years ago, Matías witnessed an angel feed and kill a
famished street kid. Matías’ eyes were opened: he’s now able to
see angels and realized the angels roaming this world are not
dogooders. However, that didn’t break his faith. To Matías, these
angels are parasites that fell from Heaven, just like Lucifer.
Ever since, Matías has sought out angeleros and diableros to
learn more about the supernatural world...

Appendix 279
Cuervo Mythic Threat [4]
Cuervo is a mysterious and power-
Faction: Unknown
Price: Unknown ful nahual with a raven totem. The
boogeyman among angeleros and
Drives: Kill nahuales (obssesion)
diableros, Cuervo appears from
time to time to hunt and kill nahuales for no apparent reason,
only to disappear afterwards for months at a time.
No one knows the real name or identity of Cuervo—a nick-
name given to them because of their nahual—some speculate
that Cuervo is already dead, a revenant enacting revenge for a
terrible injustice. Others say Cuervo is a mutated nahual under
the control of some powerful faction. The crazier gossips say
Cuervo is an android created by the Americans to eradicate the
nahuales! However, the fact that Cuervo has a nahual contra-
dicts this theory. Whatever the case, Cuervo haunts the dreams
of those who harness the Nahual.

Reina Salgado Lethal Threat [2]

Faction: Demons of the State
Reina comes from a privileged
Price: Liberation from my family with political influence.
father’s clutches Her father has been obsessed
Drives: Control the power of with the nahuales and their power
my nahual (duty). Don’t kill
since he saw one in action. Unable
anyone ever again (obssesion)
to awaken the nahual himself, he
sought a brujo to teach Reina how to awaken hers.
Reina has shown great talent to channel the power of the
Nahual, but she is having trouble controlling it. One day, she
unleashed too much power and went on a rampage, killing
multiple innocents. Reina wanted to make things right for what
she did, but her family covered things up instead.
The incident made Reina lose confidence in her abilities, but
her father keeps pushing her to develop her power, and uses
her for his own interests. Reina is desperate and is afraid of
losing her own soul, yet she sees no way to escape her father’s
control and influence.

280 Nahual
Cácaro Dangerous Threat [1]
Faction: None When the diablo known as Cácaro
Price: My film library escaped Hell almost a century ago,
Drives: Rare and cult movies he immediately fell in love with
(craving). To share with cinema. Disguised as a young man
humans the greatness of cinema
(obsession).
with a pockmarked face, he got
a job as a projectionist in a small
movie theater. Ever since, his life has been surrounded by audi-
ences and the joy of cinema.
Nowadays, Cácaro owns a small workshop where he repairs all
sorts of film-related equipment and runs a cineclub where he
projects all sorts of movies for free.
Nahuales regularly go to Cácaro, for information regarding hell-
ish matters, which they often buy with a good dvd.

Gabriel Reis Legendary Threat [3]

Faction: None Growing up around animals,
Price: The life of any creature Gabriel formed a close bond with
Drives: Preserve the knowledge a childhood fox that his father
of the past (goal). To teach brought home from his travels, a
others about the Nahual (duty).
black fox he called Pez.
Going on trips with his father, Gabriel developed a love of hiking
and the outdoors, sometimes discovering old ruins and always
wanting to know more. As an adult, Gabriel began to study his
local area’s history, his studies blossoming into the love of nature
and animals—as well as a desire to preserve and pass on the
knowledge and ancient traditions to others—he has today.
Through his research, Gabriel made contact with shamans
who taught him how to harness his nahual. The fox became his
totem because of his bond with his childhood friend Pez.
Nowadays Gabriel is an explorer who travels to various remote
locations throughout Central and South America to photograph
nature and ancient ruins. He hopes to learn as much as he can
about the Nahual and its power to pass down to future nahuales.

Appendix 281
Rules Reference
The Marakame
Agenda

99
Make the world feel oppressive and supernatural.
Subject the characters’ lives to the whims of greater forces.

9 Play to find out what happens.

Principles

99
Fill everything with corruption and intrigue.
Address yourself to the characters, not the players.

99
Put their changarro at the center of a big storm.
Make your move, but never speak its name.

99
Give everyone a name, drives, and a price.
Ask provocative questions and build on the answers.

99
Be a fan of the player characters.
Remind them they are the underdogs.

99
Escalate threats accordingly.
Think offscreen too.

9
Sometimes, disclaim decision making.

Marakame Moves

99
Reveal a supernatural threat.
Inflict harm as established.

99
Inflict stress or a condition.
Separate them.

99
Put someone in a spot.
Activate their stuff’s downside.

99
Present an opportunity to activate a vice.
Tell them the possible consequences and ask.

99
Make an irresistible but wicked offer.
Turn their move back on them.

9
After every move, “what do you do?”

282 Nahual
Threat Levels
Mundane Threat (Level 0)

9
A normal human

Dangerous Threat (Level 1)

99
The Novato stage of transformation
A common angel

99
A cherub in baby form
An armed and trained human

9
A small group of unarmed humans

Lethal Threat (Level 2)

99
The Aprendiz stage of transformation
A common diablo

99
A group of ordinary soldiers
An angry mob

Legendary Threat (Level 3)

99
The Brujo stage of transformation
A powerful diablo

99
A warrior angel
A unit of special forces soldiers

Mythic Threat (Level 4)

99
The Nahual stage of transformation
A karibu in full form

99
An elite angel
An ancient diablo

Celestial Threat (Level 5)

99
The Kibal stage of transformation
An archangel

9
A demon prince

Godlike Threat (Level 6)

99
The Postome stage of transformation
The Archangel Michael

9
The fallen Archangel Lucifer

Appendix 283
Sample Item Tags
[alive] cue: the thing is a living creature.
[ap] mechanical: armor piercing, ignores the target’s armor.
Your armor bonus is not applied when you get hit hard by an
item with this tag. In some cases, using a weapon with this tag
might allow you to inflict terrible harm against armored foes.
[area] mechanical, cue: the item affects everything and every-
one within an area.
[autofire] mechanical, cue, constraint: at player’s choice, this
can be used as an [area] weapon, but doing so requires the
weapon to be reloaded before using it again.
[bright] cue: it sheds light on its own, usually supernatural. When
you wield this, it is almost impossible to conceal your presence.
[close] constraint: range of the weapon; if two persons can have
a conversation by yelling, they are at close range. Beyond that
targets are too far away for this weapon to be effective.
[close/far] constraint: range of the weapon; this can be used
against targets at either [close] or [far] range.
[expensive] constraint, cue: this item is worth a lot of money,
more than what a regular person in the barrio earns in a life-
time. Hard to come by, if someone gives it to you, you owe
them big time.
[far] constraint: range of the weapon; can be used only if the
target is at long range. If you can see the white of their eyes,
then the target is too close, and the weapon gets too unwieldy
to be effective.
[hi-tech] constraint, cue: cutting edge technology, out of a
sci-fi movie. It requires specialized knowledge to repair, and
it is probably [expensive] too.

284 Nahual
[infinite] cue: an unlimited amount at your disposal. Sometimes
this is a supernatural property—a magical bow that shoots
infinite arrows. But other times it refers to multiple, mundane
instances of the same thing—infinite knives; if you throw a
knife, you always have another. However, the thing as a whole
can be thrown away, lost, or stolen. If someone takes away your
supernatural bow or all your knives, they are gone.
[loud] cue: everyone nearby hears it, and can potentially iden-
tify what made the noise. It wakes up sleeping people, startles
people who aren’t expecting it, etc.
[messy] cue: this weapon inflicts damage that is bloody, gory, and
leaves a mess, destroying the surrounding area of the target. It’s
most likely [loud] too. Not suited for precision work.
[reload] constraint, cue: this weapon has limited ammunition,
and must be reloaded often when used.
[sentient] cue: the thing has a mind of its own, most likely is also
[alive]. Usually the Marakame portrays it as any other NPC.
[supernatural] cue: magical, not of mundane origin. Usually
includes some property that defies the laws of nature, the
specifics vary from item to item.
[threat level tag] mechanical: this tag can be any of the
non-mundane names of threats—from [dangerous] to
[godlike]. You use your threat level or this weapon’s threat
level when establishing harm, whichever is higher.
[touch] constraint: range of the weapon; can be used only if the
target is within hand’s reach with the arm extended (plus the
weapon length).
[touch/close] constraint: range of the weapon; this can be used
against targets at either [touch] or [close] range.

Appendix 285
INDEX
Advancement 11, 50, 54, 55, 65, 112, 197, 203, 219, 220, 221
Angels 9, 15—19, 24, 39, 45, 48, 59, 60, 61
Angeleros 15—22, 43, 45, 48, 59, 60, 61
Brujos nahuales 9, 12, 15, 17, 18, 39, 43, 44, 133—195, 222—229,
257—259
Águila 43, 133—141
Armadillo 43, 133, 142—149
Jaguar 43, 133, 150—155
Mono 43, 133, 156—163
Perro 43, 133, 164—171
Serpiente 43, 133, 172—179
Tlacuache 43, 133, 180—187
Venado 43, 133, 188—195
Changarro 9, 20, 24, 57, 59—89, 219, 260—263, 266
Conditions 48, 49, 65, 88, 89, 105, 112, 114—116, 119, 121, 124,
126, 127, 130, 135, 143, 145—149, 151, 157, 159, 165, 168, 173,
175, 176, 178, 181, 189, 191, 197, 199—202, 245, 246
Conquista 15, 21, 38
Diableros 21, 22
Diablos 18, 21, 22, 24, 39
Enhancers 23, 24, 221
Fictional positioning 30, 31, 32, 36
Harm 49, 63, 95, 96, 98, 119—121, 123, 126, 129, 138, 139,
145—147, 149, 153—155, 167—171, 175—177, 179, 184, 185,
187, 191, 204, 205—207, 209, 210, 212, 215, 245, 254—256
Marakame 11, 12, 28, 29, 34—37, 43, 51, 52, 67, 201, 231—269
Mask 23, 52, 221
Moves 32—36, 54, 61—63, 75—77, 79—81, 83—85, 87—89,
91—131, 137, 138, 140, 141, 148, 149, 152—154, 159, 160, 162,
163, 167, 168, 170, 171, 175, 176, 178, 179, 183, 184, 186, 187,
191, 192, 194, 195, 199, 244—249, 257—259
Angelero moves 61, 62, 63, 75, 79, 83, 87, 123—131
Basic moves 32, 36, 54, 92—116, 199
 Changarro moves 63, 69, 76, 77, 80, 81, 84, 85, 88, 89
Marakame moves 244—249
Peripheral moves 117—123
Signature moves 54, 137, 140, 145, 148, 152, 154, 159, 162, 167,
170, 175, 178, 183, 186, 191, 194, 257—259
Totem moves 54, 137, 138, 146, 148, 149, 153, 154, 160, 162,
163, 168, 171, 175, 176, 178, 179, 183, 184, 186, 187, 192, 195
Nahual 15, 17, 19, 22—24, 45, 48, 55, 112—116, 139, 147, 155, 161,
169, 177, 185, 193, 220, 222—229
Stress 23, 49, 55, 56, 63, 65, 67, 70, 76, 77, 79, 84, 88, 89, 99, 100,
112, 113, 117—119, 121, 124, 127, 128, 130, 131, 138, 139, 141,
145—148, 153—155, 160, 161, 167—169, 171, 175—177, 179,
183—187, 191—193, 197—199, 245, 246
Vices 48, 135, 143, 151, 157, 165, 173, 181, 186, 189, 202, 203, 247
X-Card 40

Move List
Assail someone 49, 92, 95—98, 154, 176, 178, 179, 192, 199
Avoid trouble 55, 92—95, 184, 191, 198, 199
Cacería 61, 124—129, 250
Expendio 62, 68, 69, 75, 79, 81, 83, 87, 250, 266
Figuring someone out 70, 92, 103—106, 153, 191, 199
Get hit hard 119—121, 149, 154, 184, 192, 202, 205, 215
Hit up your conecte 92, 106—109, 199, 219
Intervene 117—119, 212
Make a fuss 33, 49, 70, 92, 99, 100, 146, 199
Open the doors of perception 92, 109, 111, 192, 195, 199
Pachanga 65, 121—123, 250
Sneak around 49, 92, 101—103, 199, 205
Summon your nahual 34, 54, 92, 112, 113, 162, 198, 199, 210, 211
Tablajería 61, 62, 130—131
Unleash your nahual 92, 114—116, 199, 210