Nahual RPG Playtest v02 Eng

NAHUAL
ROLE-PLAYING GAME

Beta v0.2

CLEMENT+ESPINOZA
PRESENTATION
I. Nahual: Angel Hunters

“When our Spanish ancestors first arrived in this continent they were not alone, with
them came their gods and their armies of angels. For our Indian ancestors, angels
were not the incense sellers of today. They were the harbingers of destruction. Between
the sword of Cortés and St. Michael the Archangel's 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

Nahual is a Mexican role-‐playing game set in the universe created by the comic book
artist Edgar Clément, started in the graphic novel Operación Bolivar.
Players are angel hunters, descendants from the powerful brujos nahuales. They
have the dormant gifts that enable them to touch the gods and their harbingers, but
their memory is lost, impoverishing the greatness of these wonders.
Sometimes they do not know such gifts exist, let alone the scale of these powers.
Many just struggle for survival, other look for answers, they all agree on one thing: a
nahual lives to hunt down angels.

Angelero
The angeleros are angel hunters and merchants. Their trade is to kill angels to sell
them in carnitas: buche, maciza, tripitas, pásele joven, what are you ordering! But not
only that, every part of the angel is profitable; like the blood for making the Chin-
gueré drink, or the bones for the prized Angel Dust. If the customer prefers, he can
also buy the whole angel in one piece or even alive! Customer asks, customer gets.
However, killing and butchering angels is not easy, to do so requires cold blood.
Many cannot stand the job and go crazy or commit suicide.
Killing angels may seem disgusting, and it is, but the angeleros were born to do this,
they are beings branded by fate.

Diablero
The diableros are dedicated to catching devils or demons, who are but fallen angels.
However, unlike angels, demon meat is no longer good for eating, it is in fact
poisonous! That’s why the diableros catch the demons alive and enslave them. While
the angeleros are hunters and merchants, the diableros are tamers and slaveholders.
Captured devils are trained as pit fighters in clandestine palenques, as hitmans or for
heavy duty.
Diableros have to be disciplined and good for labor, because demons are tamed with
discipline and hard work. The lazy mind is the devil’s workshop, my granny used to
say. So, there is no choice, hay que chingarle!
—2—

Shaman
The shamans are in a quest for power and knowledge. For what purpose? That
depends on each person. Their sole interest is to become great brujos nahual and
don’t give a shit about everything else. They don’t care about material possessions,
nor look for a place in society, because they know that all these are insignificant next
to infinite greatness of the Nahual.
They are owners of secrets and ancient traditions that allow them a fucking great
communion with their nahual. Untethered and freed of responsibilities, shamans
know themselves better than anyone. And because they have forgone the material
world, it’s easier for them to break its bindings. The shamans are above all ascetics
and spiritual beings.

The Nahual
We all have our nahual: is the innermost part of the unconscious, the wildest in each
of us. The nahual is infinite. Is the energy that permeates and connects the Cosmos.
Is everything that surpasses our comprehension.
When you awaken the nahual and recognize it, unimaginable powers are acquired.
The degree of awareness of the nahual is known as Nahuality. It is a state of the
conscious mind in which the shackles of matter are broken, to a greater or lesser
extent. To be able to shapeshift and access the various levels of Nahuality, you have
to commune with your nahual and let it open the doors of infinity, thus allowing you
to alter the laws of physics. However, being able to control the nahual is no easy
task. For many, it’s a lifetime journey.

The Archetypes

The Hard
Nobody messes with the Hard. He’s explosive and never fucks around. Always
strikes first and asks questions later. The Hard is a killing machine, and when things
get ugly, you better want him on your side. But you gotta be careful, because he’s a
stubborn bastard, tetchy and quick to violence.

The Shield
When you know that someone watches your back, life is easier. The Shield will
always be there to save your ass. He’s a defender who puts the safety of others
before his own, always looking after the weak. But hey, be careful about going bully
in his presence, because then you’ll know what it is to love God in the land of the
Indians.

The Opportunist
Watch out for the Opportunist! You better keep an eye on him, because he never lets
go the slightest change to take advantage, seeking only his self-‐interest. Sometimes
—3—
he’s a team player, but if something turns out against his convenience, he will flinch.
The Opportunist doesn’t like direct confrontation unless he’s got the upper hand.
Remember: el que agandalla no batalla!

The Seducer
There's something about the Seducer. Before you know it, you'll be doing anything
for him. He has quite a silver-‐tongue and his presence is pretty hard to ignore. The
Seducer hates to get his hands dirty and whenever possible he avoids direct
confrontation, making someone else do the job for him. His art is having other
people do what he wants, while they think is their idea.

The Nerd
If you got a question, ask the Nerd. That smart-‐ass is a walking library. Also, with all
those gadgets and techie stuff he can be useful. Hacking and manipulating
electronics are his specialty. But not only that; the Nerd also knows one or two
interesting things about angels, demons and nahuales. How does he know so much?
Hell if I know! Go and ask a Nerd.

The Leader
Being the Leader ain’t no easy job. Many believe that is just a matter of barking
orders and slacking around, your thumb up your ass. But no! A true Leader knows
how to organize and inspire people, comes up with strategies and carries over his
shoulders the responsibility of getting the job done. Maybe that’s why the Leader
also knows how to impose his will, so things are done the way he wants. Here nomás
sus chicharrones truenan!

The Sneaky
You can never know what the Sneaky is planning. He is a quiet fellow and doesn’t
like attention. Cold and calculating, he always waits for the right moment to act,
knowing that patience is his best weapon.
If the Sneaky wants to fuck you, it will be already too late when you find out. So
handle him with kid gloves. If you wrong him, you’ll never know when payback is
coming.

The Tumbler
Warning! Seeing the Tumbler in action can cause nausea and headaches. He is a
quick and pretty elusive acrobat. An authentic chapulín. His hand skills and excellent
coordination make him prefer finesse over brute force. However, as much as he’s
skillful he’s also a clown. The Tumbler loves to show off, and that often gets him in
trouble.
—4—
BOOK FIRST
The Game System
I. The Basics

Setting Up
Tabletop role-‐playing games are group activities, so in order to play you’re going to
need a group of friends, four or more preferably, including you. One of these players
will have the role of Marakame1, Master of Ceremonies. This book is addressed to
that player. And that’s you, you are the Master of Ceremonies. The other players will
create characters and you will tell their stories together.
Print a few character sheets, one for each player. If possible print a copy of each
character booklet too. Print also the Marakame help sheets. You can download all
these materials here: [url]
You are also going to need pencils, erasers, blank sheets or notebooks and some six-‐
sided dice, at least 5 or 6. Some snacks and drinks will be good too.

The Conversation
The essence of every role-‐playing game is the conversation. You and the other
players talk about these fictional characters and the situations they face, you
describe them and bring them to life by talking about them and like them. Maybe the
players talk about their characters in third person, like a storyteller seeing a
character from afar, or maybe they talk like them, in first person, getting completely
into the role of their characters. Both ways are fine. You as the Marakame will be in
charge of describing the scenarios and the actions of the rest of the cast. To play
Nahual is to create stories where the player characters are the protagonists and all
players take part as storytellers. This is the maxim of narrative role-‐playing: to
discover how the situations evolve, thanks to every player ideas and the help of the
rules, creating the story right there, at the moment.
As the master of the ceremony, you must let the conversation unfold naturally. Let
the players take their turn in the conversation, but not exactly taking turns one by
one. There are no turns, nor any particular talking order in Nahual. Sometimes they
will interrupt each other, talk all at once, or someone will monopolize the
conversation. All that is fine.
All these rules do is mediate that conversation. They kick in when someone says
particular things about the character and its actions, helping delimit the

1 The Marakame is the name of the Huichol shaman who presides over the peyote ceremony. Making a
comparison with that hallucinating journey, I've taken that name for the Master of this other ceremony,
the hallucinating journey that is an RPG session.
—5—
consequences of the conversation, and defining what the players can say next
according to those limits. Easy, right?

Moves and Dice
Those particular things that make the rules kick in are called moves.
The moves are the backbone of the game system. Everything works around them.
There are basic and secondary moves that every character can use. And there are
special moves for each type of character. You also have your Marakame moves that
help you interact with the characters and make their lives more interesting.
When a player describes the actions of the character and these match a move, then
and only then the dice are used.
The rule for moves is: to do it, do it. That is, for a move to count as such and for the
player to roll the dice, the actions of the character must match that move; and every
time the character does something that counts as a move, even if the player doesn’t
want to, the move is triggered and the dice are rolled.
Most of the times the move will seem vague, all you have to do is make it clear:
“…shit, I try to escape without been noticed, I’m acting under fire?” “Yep, you are.”
However, there are two ways in which the actions and the move don’t match
completely. It’s your job as Marakame to take care of these.
First is when the player says only that the character makes a move, without
describing the actions. For example: “I try to seduce him.” Your answer should be:
“Ok, what do you do?” Remember that the game is first and foremost a narration,
and for the characters to act the players have to describe their actions.
Second is when the player describes the actions of the character and they match a
move without the player realizing it or without intending for it to be a move. For
example: “I get close to her and whisper: —This is good for you, more than it is for
me, so… it’s your call.” Here your answer should be: “Ok, are you trying to
manipulate her?”
You should not ask these questions to let the player decline the roll, you ask so the
player can know that the actions of the character count as a move, and rectify if
that’s what the character will do or not. Another example: “I push him aside and
walk in.” “Ok, so you’re trying to intimidate him?” Legal action: “What! No, no, if he’s
not letting me thru, whatever, I’ll find another way in.” Illegal action: “No, I just push
him aside and walk in, I don’t want to roll for that.” Remember the rule for moves is
to do it, do it, so the dice must be used.
Perfect! But then, how are the dice used?

The Dice Pool
Each move designates an attribute whose numeric value defines de number of six
sided dice (d6) that a player must use. This amount of dice is known as the dice
pool. Every 4, 5 or 6 in a die is a hit, every 1 in a die removes a hit and generates 1
point of frustration (see p.XX). The amount of hits determines the effectiveness of
the move. If you get no hits its a fail. If you get 1 hit is a weak success, from 2 to 3
hits is a strong success and with 4+ hits is an epic success.
Every move lists what happens in a weak, strong or epic success. Some also indicate
—6—
what happens in a fail. For those that don’t, just say to the player: “…in a fail I’ll tell
you what happens, and I promise you’re not gonna like it.”

Modifiers
There are different modifiers to a move roll. These are mainly divided into two
types: dice and hits.

Dice: when a roll is modified by dice, they are accompanied by the word forward or
ongoing, this indicates how long the modifier is applied. Forward means the dice are
added or subtracted from the very next move made by that player, after that the
modifiers are gone. Ongoing means the modifier stays active for several rolls, in
general a condition to apply them is indicated, or a specific duration.
A negative dice modifier cannot reduce a dice pool below 1 die. That means no
matter how many negative dice a roll gets, a dice pool will always have at least 1d6.
Likewise, there’s a maximum of dice per dice pool. Sometimes, because of a modifier
or with a special attribute for example, your dice pool will exceed 10d6. In those
cases the exceeding dice are lost and you only use 10 dice.

Hits: this type of modifier is indicated by a number followed by the word hit (+1
hits, -‐2 hits). This modifier grants hits to a roll, this are extras, regardless of the dice
pool of the roll. E.g., if a player has a dice pool of 3d6, 3 dice are rolled and
afterwards the hits from the modifier are added or subtracted. The 1’s in a roll can
only remove hits from dice, not from modifiers.
Unless noted otherwise, a hit modifier is only applied once.

Inverted moves
Some moves are considered inverted, because it’s better for the player to fail the roll
or to get as least hits as possible. The rules for rolling and counting success are the
same, and each move will list the outcomes, considering a fail as the best result for
the player, and the epic success as the worst. The 1s on each die still eats hits away,
but in a inverted move no frustration is accumulated.

Attributes
Attributes define what the characters are made of. They are the qualities that the
characters use to make their moves.
Every attribute ranges from 2 to 6, representing the number of six-‐sided dice (d6)
added to the dice pool when using a move.
The basic attributes are 4 and are listed here:

Fury
Aggression, brute force, stamina, tetchiness, stubbornness. The capacity for violence
and physical potency.

—7—
Nerve
Patience, cold blood, resolve, mental toughness. Capacity to stay calm and manage
one’w own behavior.

Wit
Cleverness, mental agility, insight, expertise in something. Awareness of the
environment and attention to detail. Creative spark.

Passion
Fervor, self-‐esteem, sensitivity, empathy, intuition. Force of personality and
attraction. That special je ne sais quoi.

Special Attributes
There are two special attributes: Nahuality and Tonal. These attributes will be
constantly fluctuating depending on the character actions (See Behaviors below).

Nahuality
The Nahuality represents the degree of conscience of the nahual. As one becomes
aware of oneself the Nahuality increases. The bigger the Nahuality, the stronger the
connection with the Nahual, and bigger also the power unleashed.

Tonal
The Tonal represents the structure of the world, the conscious mind, the rational
thinking. Is what keeps the nahual on a leash, but also hinders its natural flow. Is
what the angelero looses when he slaughters an angel. The Tonal erodes every time
the nahual gets out of control.

Ethos
The Ethos of your character represents the traits and behaviors that define its
nature and personality. It has three components: Belief, Instincts and Vice.
The Belief, as the name implies, is that in which your character believes with
particular fervor. Maybe your character believes in many things, but this in
particular represents its strongest belief, on top of which its world is build upon.
The Instincts are behaviors and ways of conducting, involuntary or too strong. They
are automatic responses or impulses that trigger when your character reacts to
specific elements or circumstances.
The Vice of your character is embodied by one of the Seven Deadly Sins. This don’t
necessarily means your character is a religious man, or that he is more or less
susceptible to any other of the sins. It just means that this sin in particular affects
him more, like a soft spot, its Achilles’ heel.
In general, your character Ethos determines the flow or obstruction of your Nahual’s
power. When you repress it or ignore it, the Tonal is stimulated, and when you
embrace it or let it be, the Nahual is. For more details see the Secondary Moves and
Ethos chapters below.
—8—
The Frustration Pool
When a move is used, every 1 in any die increases the frustration pool by 1 (and
removes 1 hit, if any). This pool will be usable in different ways, explained
afterwards. The most common way is to buy a d6 for 1 point of frustration to be
added to certain moves.
At the end of the session, the accumulated frustration may burn the character,
eroding the Tonal.

Damage and Wounds
When a character is dealt damage, the player marks that damage in the wound scale
in the character sheet. The wound scale has 7 boxes. The first 3 boxes are normal
wounds. The next 3 are considered critical wounds. The last box is a mortal
wound. When this box is marked the character is incapacitated and on the edge of
death, if the wounds are not attended or more damage is inflicted, the character will
die.
Normal wounds heal very quickly. Critical wounds will take much longer, although
eating angel meat or some of the powers of the nahual can speed this process. A
mortal wound will leave a permanent mark on the character unless healed by
supernatural means. See chapter N for more details.

Bonds
Bonds represent relationships between the characters. It’s a value that determines
how much they know each other. It doesn’t say if they get along well, nor how long
they know each other or if they have a good or bad relationship. It simply represents
that you know that person, her reactions and manners. Your Bond with other
character, written in your character sheet, indicates how much you know her, the
one written on her sheet indicates how much she knows you. This relationship is
asymmetrical. You can have a Bond 4 towards that character, and she can have a
Bond 2 towards you. This means you know her better than she does you.

Character Progress
Throughout the game sessions, the players will obtain experience points (XP) useful
to make improvements to the character, by buying new moves or increasing
attributes.
The XP is gained in three ways: using a highlighted Attribute, when a Bond with a
character gets to 7 or 0, and when a move says so. (See p. XX for more details about
the progress of the characters).

The goal of the game
It is usually said that role-‐playing games have no goals in particular or victory
conditions. In most cases that is true, but not completely with Nahual.
Above all we can say that the main goal of the game is to tell stories, between all the
players. Remember that as Marakame you are only a enabler. Do not pre-‐write the
—9—
story, play to find out what happens. The story is written in real time, while you
play. The rules will help you with that.
Also every player will have as main goal trying to get the character knowledge of the
Nahual to the maximum. This goal is important because the system of behaviors is
aimed at putting the characters in situations that lead to interesting stories. Besides,
the more Nahuality a character has the cooler things the character can do.
Last but not least, you as Marakame have one single goal, to fulfill your Agenda,
which is: a) Make the world of Nahual seem real, b) make the players’ characters’
lives interesting, and c) play to find out what happens. Don’t worry. The complete
Book Three is dedicated to you and to help you fulfill your Agenda.
II. Basic Moves

Moves are especial actions that come into play when a player character does
something that matches that move.
To make a move you use the indicated d6 dice pool. Every 4, 5 and 6 in a die counts
as a hit, every 1 in a die removes a hit and generates 1 frustration point. If you get
no hits the move results in a fail. If you get 1 hit it counts as a weak success, 2 to 3
hits count as a strong success and with 4+ hits you get an epic success.

e.g., Pancho Tepec, a hard angelero, wants to drive his truck while some fuckers are
shooting at him from a rooftop. The Marakame says to Jose —Pancho’s player— he’s
doing it under fire, rolling Nerve to be able to drive thru. He has Nerve 4, so Jose rolls
4 dice, getting the following results: 3, 1, 6, 5. There is two hits (5 y 6), but the 1
eliminates one of them and generates 1 point of frustration. Jose gets a weak success (1
hit), the Marakame offers him a hard choice or alternative.

When the player gets no hits, usually —depending on the move— it means you get a
chance to make a move, as hard and strong as you wish. See the Marakame section
for more details on your moves.

All the characters get access to the following basic moves:

Act under fire
When you are in trouble and want to act under fire roll Nerve. If your success is epic (4+), you do what
you wanted to and get +1d6 forward. If it’s strong (2-3), you act without any trouble. If it’s weak (1),
you flinch, hesitate or stall. The Marakame offers you a worst outcome, a hard bargain, or an ugly
choice.

A la brava esé
When you act a la brava esé to overpower or hurt someone, not caring much for your own safety, roll
Fury. If your success is epic (4+) you apply all 4, plus 1 of them with double effect. If it’s strong (2-3),
—10—
choose 3. If it’s weak (1), choose 2 options:
• You dominate your enemy completely.
• You suffer little harm (-1 damage). Otherwise you suffer normal damage.
• You inflict terrible harm (+1 damage). Otherwise you inflict normal damage.
• You impress, dismay or frighten your enemy.
Harass
When you want to harass someone to make him do what you want, roll Fury. This involves imminent
violence and physical engagement with the person being intimidated. If your success is epic (4+),
they get no choice and do what you want. If it’s strong (2-3), they can choose between forcing your
hand and suck it up or yield and do what you want.. If it’s weak (1), they can choose 1:
• Get out of your way.
• Lock themselves up in a secure place.
• Give you something they think you want.
• Back off slowly, hands where you can see them.
• Tell you what you want to know (or what you want to hear).
Seduce/Manipulate
When you want to seduce or manipulate someone to get something from them, roll Passion.
For Non-Player Characters: If your success is epic (4+) the non-player character does what you want
without asking anything in return, and becomes obsessed with you. If it’s strong (2-3), they ask you to
promise something first, but later you choose if you keep your promise or not. If it’s weak (1), they ask
you to promise something first, if you do you must keep your promise. Also they need a concrete
assurance right now.
For Player Characters: If your success is epic (4+), choose both options, but if they do it they mark 3
points of experience instead of 1. If ir’s strong (2-3), choose both. If it’s weak (1), choose 1 option:
• If they do it, they mark experience.
• If they refuse is acting under fire.
• What they do after that is up to them.
Read a sitch
When you want to read a tense situation, roll Wit. If you get a success you can ask the Marakame
questions from the list below. Every time you act on the answers you get +1d6. If your success is epic
(4+), you can ask 3 questions, whatever you want, not limited to the list. If it’s strong (2-3), you can ask
3 questions from the list. If it’s weak (1), you can ask 1.
• Where is my best escape route / way in / way past?
• Which enemy is more vulnerable to me?
• Which enemy is the biggest threat?
—11—
• What should I be on the lookout for?
• What’s my enemies true position?
• Who’s in control here?
Read a person
When you want to read a person during a tense interaction to discern its intensions, roll Wit. If your
success is epic (4+), you get 3 holds, and you are not limited to the questions of the list. If it’s strong
(2-3), you get 2 holds. If it’s weak (1) you get 1 hold. While you interact with this person you may
expend your holds to ask its player one of this questions (1 question per 1 hold):
• Is your character telling the truth?
• What is your character really feeling?
• What does your character pretends to do?
• What does your character wishes me to do?
• How can I get your character to ______?
Help/Interfere
When you want to help or interfere with someone who is making a roll, roll Bond. If your success is
epic (4+), you apply +2 hits (help) or -3 hits (interfere). If it’s strong (2-3) or weak (1), you apply +1
hit (help) or -2 hits (interfere); but when it’s weak you expose yourself to fire, danger, retribution or
pay some price.
III. Secondary Moves

Suck it up
When you receive harm and you want to suck it up roll Fury. If the success is epic (4+), choose 2, if it’s
strong (2-3), choose 1:
• You absorb –2 damage, the Marakame chooses 1 from the weak success list.
• You absorb –1 damage.
• You take the opportunity to inflict 1 damage to your attacker.
If the success is weak (1), you absorb –1 damage and the Marakame chooses 1 from the following list:
• You loose your footing.
• You lose your grip on whatever you’re holding.
• You lose track of someone or something you’re attending to.
• You miss noticing something important.
If you fail, they Marakame can choose 1 from the following options:
• You are out of action: unconscious, trapped, incapacitated or in shock.
• Is worst than it seems. You get +1 extra damage.
—12—
• Choose 2 from the weak success list.
Harm and Healing

When you inflict harm to a player character, that player marks +1 Bond towards your character (on her
character sheet) for each point of damage received. If this takes the Bond to 7 or more, she turns it back
to 2, and marks XP.
When you heal another player character, you mark +1 Bond with that character (on your sheet) for each
wound you healed. If this bring that Bond to 7 or more, you turn it back to 2 and mark XP.
When you hurt someone, they see you more clearly. When you heal someone, you see them more
clearly.
Follow your Ethos

When you act accordingly to your Ethos, and willingly follow your nature, you release 2 points of
frustration and gain 1 point of Nahuality.
Suppress your Ethos

When you suppress your Ethos to control your actions, going against your nature, you accumulate 2
frustration points and gain 1 point of Tonal.
Rage
When you unleash frustration and turn it into rage to act violently, you can spend 1 points of frustration
to add +1d6 forward to any move that uses the Fury attribute (maximum +3d6 per move).
End of session
At the end of every session:
• Choose a player character you think that knows you better than it used to, if you think there’s
more than one pick whichever you like. Tell that character’s player to add +1 to its Bond with
your character. If this takes it to 7, then it’s set back to 2 and that player character marks 1 point
of XP.
• For each point of accumulated frustration roll 1d6, if you get at least one hit, you loose 1 point
of Tonal. (Your frustration points stay as they are, so if you don’t release frustration in multiple
game sessions, each time the chances to loose Tonal will increase).
—13—
BOOK TWO
Dramatis Personae
I. Trades

The trades in Nahual RPG are like an extra skin to add to the characters, another
layer that gives them special characteristics and unique moves related to each trade.
The available trades are three: angelero, diablero and shaman. This trades
correspond to the main tasks relevant to the most representative elements in this
setting: the angels and the nahual. Each trade interacts in its own way with this
elements. The angelero hunts angels to commercialize them. The diablero catch
demons or devils (i.e., fallen angels), to tame them and enslave them. And the
shaman is obsessed with the control and understanding of the Nahual.
Unlike the character concepts, the same trade can be picked by more than one
player on the same group. This is, there can be a hard angelero, a sneaky angelero, a
leader diablero and an opportunist diablero, all in the same party. There can even be
a group of only angeleros or only diableros. That choice is up to the players
depending of what kind of story they want to tell. Remember that in Nahual RPG the
story is created by all the players, in real time, as you play to find out. Story Now!
Angelero

The angeleros are angel hunters and merchants. Their trade is to kill angels to sell
them in carnitas: buche, maciza, tripitas, pásele joven, what are you ordering! But not
only that, every part of the angel is profitable; like the blood for making the Chingueré
drink, or the bones for the prized Angel Dust. If the customer prefers, he can also buy
the whole angel in one piece or even alive! Customer asks, customer gets.
However, killing and butchering angels is not easy, to do so requires cold blood. Many
cannot stand the job and go crazy or commit suicide.
Killing angels may seem disgusting, and it is, but the angeleros were born to do this,
they are beings branded by fate.

An angelero must be very familiarized with his trade, knowing about the qualities
and properties of the angelic matter, as well as the different ranks and types of
angels. By default an angelero character knows his trade well enough, learned from
another angelero or on its own. If you wish to have an initiation story with rookie
characters, talk with your players about it, so you can create together the characters
history and decide how much they know about the trade.

—14—
The tough life of an angelero
The must difficult and significant part about the angelero trade is known as
tablajeria, which is the adequate killing and cutting of the angel, i.e., the butcher job.
Killing an angel can be traumatic, but cutting it into pieces can eat away your soul
and drive you into madness.

Tablajeria [inverted]
When you butcher an angel to profit from it’s parts, roll Tonal to try to bear the trauma of such an action,
and see how much product you were able to get (represented by barter points). If you fail, you
butcher the angel without any setback. You get 12 barter points. If your success is weak (1), the
experience has taken its toll on you. You have a +1d6 forward to your next angel butchering. You get 8
barter points. If its strong (2-3), you weren’t able to bear the trauma and you loose 1 points of Tonal.
You get 4 barter points. If your success is epic (4+), the trama has been so strong that you loose 2
points of Tonal, and the next time you interact with an angel you do so under fire. You get only 2 barter
points.

Angelic products
The main resource of an angelero, and its main income source, is the angelic
products.
The meat, the blood and the bones are the must profitable parts of the angel.
When creating a character, at the beginning of a game session or after an ellipsis in
the narrative, the angelero player can use the Tablajeria move to get barter points.
Those points can be used to buy angelic or mundane objects from the list of
equipment (see p.XX).
Diablero

The diableros are dedicated to catching devils or demons, who are but fallen angels.
However, unlike angels, demon meat is no longer good for eating, it is in fact
poisonous! That’s why the diableros catch the demons alive and enslave them. While
the angeleros are hunters and merchants, the diableros are tamers and slaveholders.
Captured devils are trained as pit fighters in clandestine palenques, as hitmans or for
heavy duty.
Diableros have to be disciplined and good for labor, because demons are tamed with
discipline and hard work. The lazy mind is the devil’s workshop, my granny used to say.
So, there is no choice, hay que chingarle!

When the diableros catch a demon to train it, they have to establish a special
connection first. It’s not necessary to make this connection to catch the demon, but
it’s a requirement for the training. There’s hundreds of ways to capture a diablo,
depending of the type and rank. However, every demon has one of the Seven Deadly
Sins thru which it exerts its influence. When the connection is made, the diablero
—15—
will be tempted by the demon’s sin. A virtue must be used to resist this temptation.
Thereafter, the taming of the demon is a struggle that requires all the diablero’s self-‐
discipline and asceticism, in order to subdue it.

Pact with the devil
When you want to make a pact with the devil to establish a connection and be able to train it, roll
Passion. With any success you get a new Bond that represents how strong is your connection with that
particular devil, letting you try to train it or control it. If the success is epic (4+), you get Bond 6. If its
strong (2-3), you get Bond 4. If its weak (1), you get bond 2. If you fail, the demon gets loose from
any bindings it had, and charges enraged against you.
Once the Bond is stablished, the Marakame will tell you which is the Deadly Sin of the demon you are
trying to tame. You must counter it with the corresponding Virtue (see below). Hereafter this virtue will
be part of your character Ethos.

The sin and the penance
A diablero training a demon is constantly tempted by it. Each demon has a Deadly
Sin to exert its influence. This sin can be the same the character has as Vice but not
necessarily. The following is a list of the Seven Deadly Sins and the actions that
represents them:

Lust: uncontrollable sexual desire (an object of the desire or a particular sexual
preference must be defined).
Sloth: always make the smallest possible effort, get what you want without moving
a finger.
Gluttony: irresistible addiction to something (food, drink, drugs, etc.)
Wrath: violent reaction to the slightest provocation, use of unnecessary violence.
Envy: not bearing that others have something you don’t, or that they are treated
better than you.
Greed: to acquire possessions no matter what, complete lack of charity.
Pride: not bearing any insult, being told what to do, or being under the supervision
of others.

To counteract the influent of the demon in training, the diablero must interpose a
proper Virtue. The following list shows the virtues with its corresponding deadly
sin:
Against Lust, Chastity.
Against Sloth, Diligence.
Against Gluttony, Temperance.
Against Wrath, Patience.
Against Envy, Kindness.
Against Greed, Charity.
Against Pride, Humility.

Since the corresponding virtue is now part of the character Ethos, you have to give
—16—
the same treatment. The only difference being that when the player chooses
between standing firm on its Virtue, or surrendering to temptation, one of these two
moves kicks in: Resist the temptation or Succumb to sin.

Resist the temptation
When you resist the temptation interposing your Virtue, you get 2 points of frustration and 1 point of
Tonal.
Succumb to sin
When you can’t stand the temptation and succumb to sin, you release 4 points of frustration and loose
1 point of Tonal. Also you get a –1 to your Bond with your devil and mark 2 points of experience.

The devil’s work
Al least once per day, while your character is off-screen, you should dedicate time to your demon,
working on its harnesses and bindings, cleaning its cage, training it, etc. After this devil’s work, roll
Bond. If your success is epic (4+), you can add +1 to your devil Bond or +1 to your Tonal, your choice.
If its strong (2-3), you get +1d6 forward in your next roll for this move. If its weak (1), your work was
ok, but barely enough, you must put more effort the next time. If you fail, your work was mediocre and
without real effort. Mark 1 fail, if this is the third fail you mark, you get -1 to your devil Bond and erase
al the marked fails.

As with the regular Bonds, if your devil Bond gets to 7, you mark 1 point of
experience and the Bond goes backs to 1. However, if the Bond gets to 0, it breaks
and you need to try to establish it again. If your demon was not somehow
restrained, it will attack you immediately.

Dancing with the devil
Diablero characters can benefits from their diablos, if they are willing to take the
risks. Using a devil is always playing with fire, no matter how well trained it is, the
devil is a wild beast whose only intentions are to satisfy its instincts and shred its
diablero apart, in that order. The must direct option for a diablero is to use the devil
to make aggressive moves, like Harass or A la brava esé. In those cases the player
will use the devil attributes, and the devil will be the one receiving and inflicting
harm. See page XX for more details on the different kinds of devils and its attributes.
As well as the rules to use them when making moves.
—17—
Shaman

The shamans are in a quest for power and knowledge. For what purposes? That
depends on each person. Their sole interest is to become great brujos nahual and don’t
give a shit about everything else. They don’t care about material possessions, nor look
for a place in society, because they know that all these are insignificant next to infinite
greatness of the Nahual.
They are owners of secrets and ancient traditions that allow them a fucking great
communion with their nahual. Untethered and freed of responsibilities, shamans know
themselves better than anyone. And because they have forgone the material world, it’s
easier for them to break its bindings. The shamans are above all ascetics and spiritual
beings.

There’s many types of shamans in the universe of Nahual RPG, greedy, corrupt,
mercenaries, mediocres and more. However, the shaman character is a particular
kind of shaman. His only ambition, if any, is power.
While a diablero is ascetic out of necessity, the shaman character is by its own
conviction. Matter and its bindings are of no interest to him, so they don’t want any
material goods or wealth. However, that doesn’t mean the shaman is a good soul.
Not necessarily. A shaman character wants to control the Nahual, to understand it
and to get his power. Be it for doing good, to help his family or an entire village, or
for subdue, control and impose his will.

Frecuent flyer
You are very used to the effects of the hearts of the heaven and the earth, so the result is more stable.
When you want to boost the nahual with one of these methods, you roll 2d6 instead of 1d6 and choose
the die that best suits your needs.
Echoes from the past

Once per session, after you roll for a Nahual move and you don’t like the result, you can summon the
help of your ancestors to re-roll the move, with a +1d6 forward. (No matter the result you have to keep
the second roll).
The heart of the earth

When creating a character, at the beginning of every session, or after an ellipsis in the narrative, roll
Nahuality, to determine how many hearts of the earth (see p.XX) you were able to harvest. If your
success is epic (4+), you get 5 hearts of the earth. If its strong (2-3), you get 3 hearts. If its weak (1),
you get 1 heart. If you fail, you don’t get heart.
—18—
II. Archetypes

Archetypes define the characters concepts. Their personality, obsessions, what they
are good for and what they aren’t. Each Archetype is unique and represents a
particular kind of character: the tough guy, the smarty, the one that always gets
away with it, etc. During the first session you must choose which Archetype you
want to play, talk with the other players and come to an agreement, because
duplicates are not allowed. Each Archetype indicates the attributes modifiers,
behaviors and unique moves.

Anatomy of the Archetypes

Attributes
During character creation, each Archetype lists four groups of different attributes
values. Pick those you like the must and write them down in your character sheet.

Trades
Unlike Archetypes, the Trades can be duplicated between player characters. Even an
entire party can share the same Trade. However each member will be unique
depending on its Archetype. A Hard Angelero is not the same as an Opportunist
Angelero, as well as a Shield Diablero is very different from a Sneaky Diablero, and
so on. So, depending on its Trade, your character will get a special move, unique to
its Archetype.

Moves
All characters have access to the basic and secondary moves, also they get Nahual
and Trade moves. However, the moves unique to your character are defined by its
Archetype. During character creation you would choose two moves, but you need to
pay attention because there are some that require a specific Behavior to choose
them. Also, you will be able to buy more moves with experience points, as the game
progresses, so don’t worry if you can’t make up your mind during character
creation.
—19—
The Hard

Nobody messes with the Hard. He’s explosive and never fucks around. Always strikes
first and asks questions later. The Hard is a killing machine, and when things get ugly,
you better want him on your side. But you gotta be careful, because he’s a stubborn
bastard, tetchy and quick to violence.

ATTRIBUTE

MODIFIERS

I. Fury 5, Nerve 3, Wit 2, Passion 4
II. Fury 5, Nerve 3, Wit 4, Passion 2
III. Fury 5, Nerve 2, Wit 4, Passion 3
IV. Fury 5, Nerve 2, Wit 3, Passion 4

TRADES

Angelero
Cold blooded
When you cut an angel into pieces you get -1 hits to your Tonal roll.

Diablero
Survival of the fittest
When you make a pact with the devil, you rely on your brute force rather than your empathy to impose
yourself. Roll Fury instead of Passion.

Shaman
Beast within
When you unleash your nahual, you get +1 Fury and harm+1, extra to the regular modifiers of the
level you reached.

MOVES

Battle-hardened
When in battle and acting under fire, roll Fury instead of Nerve.
—20—
Who’s the Boss
When in battle and focused on fighting the strongest enemy, you get +2d6 ongoing in your rolls
related to that foe.
Merciless
When acting a la brava esé or trying to harass someone, you get +1d6 ongoing.
Predatory Instinct
When you read a sitch, roll Nahuality instead of Wit.
Blood thirst
When you inflict harm, you inflict +1 harm.
Unleashed fury
You get +1 to Fury (meaning Fury 6).
—21—
The Shield

When you know that someone watches your back, life is easier. The Shield will always
be there to save your ass. He’s a defender who puts the safety of others before his own,
always looking after the weak. But hey, be careful about going bully in his presence,
because then you’ll know what it is to love God in the land of the Indians.

ATTRIBUTE

MODIFIERS

I. Fury 4, Nerve 3, Wit 2, Passion 5
II. Fury 4, Nerve 2, Wit 3, Passion 5
III. Fury 5, Nerve 3, Wit 2, Passion 4
IV. Fury 5, Nerve 2, Wit 3, Passion 4

TRADES

Angelero
Angel Hands
When using angelic products or a nahual power to heal others, add +1 to the amount of wounds you
can heal.

Diablero
Guardian Devil
You can use your devil to make a Martyr move. Even if you don’t have that move.

Shaman
Earth Skin
When you wear the skin of your nahual, you get resistance+1, extra to the regular modifiers of the level
you reached.

MOVES

Bodyguard
After the Bonds between characters are set, identify with whom do you have the biggest Bond.
Whenever you act to protect or aid that character you get +2d6 ongoing.
—22—
Martyr
When an ally is about to receive harm, you can interpose yourself to receive that harm instead, if you
do, you get resistance +2 and +1 hit for your roll if you decide to suck it up.
Protective Instinct
When you act under fire while protecting someone, roll Passion instead of Nerve.
Resilient
When you are protecting others you get resistance+1.
Take it easy!
When you want to harass someone to persuade them from their violent intentions, roll Passion instead
of Fury. If they force your hand, you do only 1 harm. If you get an epic success (4+) you unarm your
opponent (if armed) and destroy the weapon in an astonishing feat. If there are other hostile beings,
1d6 of them cease on their intensions, impressed by your feat.
Eye for an eye

When you inflict harm to a bully (you must know it’s a bully) you inflict harm+2.
—23—
The Opportunist

Watch out for the Opportunist! You better keep an eye on him, because he never lets go
the slightest change to take advantage, seeking only his self-interest. Sometimes he’s a
team player, but if something turns out against his convenience, he will flinch. The
Opportunist doesn’t like direct confrontation unless he’s got the upper hand.
Remember: el que agandalla no batalla!

ATTRIBUTE

MODIFIERS

• Fury 2, Nerve 3, Wit 5, Passion 4

TRADES

Angelero
Who are you working for?
When another player uses the move Tablajeria, you kindly offer your help. Make them roll for the
Finders keepers, losers weepers move (even if you don’t have it). If your victim fails, you can steal half
the Barter from Tablajeria.
If there are no other angelero players, you and the Marakame must create and NPC for your kind
endeavors. The Marakame will define the amount of Barter you get if you succeed.

Diablero
Wits over Will
When you make a pact with the devil, you rely on your wits and cunning rather than your willpower to
dominate your devil. Roll Wit instead of Passion when you use this move.

Shaman
Alebrije’s Luck
You have exceptional luck, some alebrije spirit must be watching over you. Once per game session, you
can re-roll a move if you don’t like the results. If the new roll is worst you can choose to keep the old
one.

—24—

MOVES

Fear doesn’t ride a donkey
When you are in danger and you want to live to tell the tale, name your escape route and roll Wit. If
your success is epic (4+) you escape and you can take with you something of your choice. If its strong
(2-3), you are gone with the wind. If its weak (1), you can go or stay, but if you go it costs you: leave
something behind, or take something with you, the Marakame will tell you what. If you fail, you’re
caught vulnerable, half in and half out.
Sharp
When you read a sitch and you act on the Marakame answers, you get +2d6 ongoing instead of +1d6.
Opportunistic
When you interfere with someone who’s rolling, roll Wit instead of Bond. Asshole!
Finders keepers, losers weepers

When you try to snatch something away, if your victim is an NPC, roll Wit. If your success is epic (4+),
you snatch what you wanted, but you also get an extra, the Marakame will tell you what. If its strong
(2-3), you get what you wanted without any trouble. If its weak (1), you can snatch it or not, but if you
do, they’ll notice you did. If you fail, you’re caught vulnerable.
If the victim is another PC, have them roll their Bond with you. In a fail, the victim is unaware, you
snatch what you wanted. If the success is weak (1), you can snatch it or not, but if you do, they’ll notice
you did. If it’s strong (2-3), you didn’t make it and you’re caught vulnerable. If it’s epic (4+) you are
caught and the victim is now fully aware of your true nature, getting Bond +1 towards you.
Pick on someone your own size!

When in battle and focused on fighting a weaker opponent, you get +1d6 ongoing to your rolls related
to your fight with that foe.
—25—
The Sneaky

You can never know what the Sneaky is planning. He is a quiet fellow and doesn’t like
attention. Cold and calculating, he always waits for the right moment to act, knowing
that patience is his best weapon.
If the Sneaky wants to fuck you, it will be already too late when you find out. So handle
him with kid gloves. If you wrong him, you’ll never know when payback is coming.

ATTRIBUTE

MODIFIERS


TRADES

Angelero
Frequent Client
When you use the moves Sneak Attack or Eyes of the Hunter against any angel, you get +1 hit (this
accumulates with the +1 from Sneak Attack, making it +2 hits against angels).

Diablero
Haste is of the Devil
When you make a pact with the devil or do your devil’s work, you rely on your patience and cool head
rather than your willpower to dominate your devil. Roll Wit instead of Passion when you use this move.

Shaman
Lord of the Night
When you wear the skin of your nahual, you can use the move Under the Night’s Veil, even if you don’t
have it. In case you do, you get +1 hit extra to the regular benefits of that move.

MOVES

Sneak Attack
When you attack a la brava ese from a vantage point and unseen, you get +1 hit.
—26—
Calculating
When you read a sitch, you get +1d6 ongoing.
Perfect plan
When you read a sitch and act under the Marakame answers, you get +2d6 ongoing instead of +1d6.
Ice in the Veins

When you act a la brava esé, roll Nerve, instead of Fury.
Under the Night’s Veil

When you want to be unseen, or disregarded you get +2d6 ongoing. This bonus is lost once you have
been spotted.
Eyes of the Hunter

When you study an enemy for a few minutes, to find weak spots, roll Wit. If your success is epic (4+),
now know your target like the back of your hand, +2d6 ongoing for life against it. If is strong (2-3),
you get a clear and accurate idea of the target’s ways and tactics, +1d6 ongoing for the rest of the
encounter. If is weak (1), you get a vague and fleeting glimpse, +1d6 forward.
—27—
The Nerd

If you got a question, ask the Nerd. That smart-ass is a walking library. Also, with all
those gadgets and techie stuff he can be useful. Hacking and manipulating electronics
are his specialty. But not only that; the Nerd also knows one or two interesting things
about angels, demons and nahuales. How does he know so much? Hell if I know! Go and
ask a Nerd.

ATTRIBUTE

MODIFIERS


TRADES

Angelero
Gift of Tongues
You know so many languages that it seems you have the divine gift to speak in tongues. This includes
dead or extinct languages, as well as the angelic Enochian language.

Diablero
Observer v6.0
When you want to get detailed information about something or someone, call you Observer v6.0 and
roll Wit. If your success is epic (4+), the Observer arrives immediately and gives you details about it. If
it’s strong (2-3), choose 1. If it’s weak (1) choose both:
• The Observer needs considerable time to get the intel.
• The intel is not enough or it lacks details.
If you get a fail, the Observer is out getting drunk, partying or is repairing itself. You must wait until the
next day to call it again.

Observer v6.0
The Observer is a little cyborg devil that the Nerd diablero has hacked and gain
control for its personal use. They are designed as spies from hell, and work
excellent as an intel source.
Unfortunately, the Nerd usually profits from some bugs in some faulty models to be
able to hack them. This bugs make the Observer a little bit unpredictable and not
always efficient. And also they have a curious personality, difficult to handle.
—28—
Shaman
Meditation
When you spend at least one hour on meditation, roll Nerve. If your success is epic (4+), you gets 3
holds. If it’s strong (2-3) you get 2 holds. If it’s weak (1) you get 1 hold. When you unleash your
nahual, you can expend your holds to eliminate hits from your roll (1 hold for 1 hit).

MOVES

Your mouth full of reason
When a character comes to you for advice about something important, tell them what you honestly
think about it. If they use your advice they et +1d6 ongoing in their rolls to deal with that matter, and
you mark experience.
The right tool

When you need some gadget or specialized device, roll Wit. If your success is epic (4+), you have it
with you and it’s of excellent quality, you get +1d6 ongoing when you use it. If it’s strong (2-3), you
have it with you. If it is weak (1), you have it but not with you, it’ll take some time to go and get it. If
you fail, had it but it is broken or it’s been stolen from you.
Multitasking
You have the capacity and the knowledge to carry out 2 Trades, choose a second Trade and apply its
benefits.
Machine Language
You know the electronic systems and devices, that it seems you speak their language. When you want
to hack any electronic system, roll Wit. If your success is epic (4+), you get what you wanted plus an
extra, the Marakame will tell you what. If it’s strong (2-3), you get what you wanted. If it is weak (1),
choose 1:
• You get what you want, but they discover your intrusion.
• You don’t get what you want, but none notices your intrusion into the system.
Mind Palace
When you consult you accumulated knowledge to solve a problem or find an answer, roll Wit. If your
success is epic (4+) or strong (2-3), you immediately get concrete and accurate information about
the matter (also in an epic success you get +1d6 ongoing when you use such information). If it is weak
(1), choose 1:
—29—
• It takes you longer than you expected to search thru your mind palace, but you get what you
need.
• You get only partial or vague information.
• You don’t have the answer, but you know who does or where to find it.
“Believe me, I know about this”

When you want to manipulate someone, roll Wit instead of Passion.
—30—
III. The Nahual

We all have our nahual: is the innermost part of the unconscious mind, the wildest
in each of us. The nahual is infinite. Is the energy that permeates and connects the
Cosmos. Is everything that surpasses our comprehension.
When you awaken the nahual and recognize it, unimaginable powers are acquired.
The degree of awareness of the nahual is known as Nahuality. It is a state of the
conscious mind in which the shackles of matter are broken, to a greater or lesser
extent. To be able to shape shift and access the various levels of Nahuality, you have
to commune with your nahual and let it open the doors of infinity, thus allowing you
to alter the laws of physics. However, being able to control the nahual is no easy
task. For many, it’s a lifetime journey.
Hunter Nahual and Dreamer Nahual

There are two branches of the nahual that define people’s behavior. One is the
hunter nahual, and the other is the dreamer nahual. The hunter is a pro-‐active
person, impulsive, direct, in constant movement, acts before thinking and has a
short-‐term thinking, is highly sexual and voracious in all aspects. A dreamer is a
passive person, analytic, cool-‐headed, creative, and sensitive, prefers to act in a long-‐
term plan, knows how to build and organize.

Each Archetype is linked to one of these two behaviors. The Hard, the Shield and the
Oppotunist are hunters. The Sneaky, the Seducer and the Nerd are dreamers. And
lastly, the Leader and the Tumbler are the only two Archetypes that can be either
hunter or dreamer.

The transformation
There are various levels or stages of transformation; those are explained with more
detail below. To transform, a player uses the move Unleash the nahual (p.XX). Each
stage indicates the Nahuality score required to achieve it.
The mask and the hallucinogenic drugs (including the alebrije’s blood) can boost the
Nahuality temporary to access greater levels of transformation, although they are
not a necessity.
The more experienced nahuales begin to control the transformation at will; this
however requires equilibrium between the Nahuality and the Tonal. If they are both
the same, and the Nahuality is at least equal to or greater than the desired stage, the
transformation is automatic.
For the equilibrium, only the natural levels of Nahuality and Tonal are compared.
This means that the levels gained by artificial means (mask or drugs) are not
considered in the comparison.

Boost the nahual
—31—
The mask (see The visage of the Earth below) and the hallucinogenic drugs help to
boost the nahual, allowing access to grades above the natural level of Nahuality.

Item Boost
Mask +1 to Nahuality
Alebrije’s blood +2 to Nahuality
The Heart of the Earth (peyote) +1d6 to Nahuality
The Heart of the Heavens (angel’s +1d6 to
heart) Nahuality*

*The boost to Nahuality obtained by the Heart of the Heavens can vary depending on
the rank of the angel.
The visage of the Nahual

To be able to channel its infinite power, the Nahual is associated with a totemic
animal, one that has a strong significance to the apprentice of brujo nahual,
something close to him or his past. Once the animal is identified, the apprentice can
use it as focal point or anchor, it’s a learning tool for assimilating and
comprehending the Nahual.
Totemic Animals
The moment the nahual is awakened, each person chooses a form to use as focus
and connect with the infinite energy of the Nahual.
In general this form is a vertebrate animal, which has a strong significance to the
person that wants to unleash the nahual. This animal is the shape achieved with the
transformation. This resource is only needed while the apprentice is learning to
control the nahual, the more powerful brujos have gained a superior knowledge of
the Nahual, and so they no longer need a particular totemic animal. This brujos can
take various animal forms or even a mix of two or more animals.
Aspects of the nahual

Even though the totemic animal of a beginning nahual is fixed, its qualities and
abilities are somehow flexible. When the nahual is unleashed, the player can
summon a particular aspect of the totemic animal that corresponds to the current
situation the character is facing. The player narrates the character’s actions, saying
how the aspect helps in the situation. The Marakame then will give the player a +1
or +2 hits depending how well the actions and aspect match. Also the Marakame can
allow the action without any roll or move involved, if it’s easy enough.

e.g., Temo is an Angelero, and his nahual is an eagle. He’s watching from a high
building rooftop down into an alley, where some cherubim dealers are meeting. He’s
—32—
transformed to the Third Stage of his nahual. “Using his eagle vision”, says Temo’s
player, “Temo wants to know what are the dealers doing down there.” The Marakame
then asks: “Is he reading a sitch?” “No. I just want to know how many are they, and if
they are armed.” The Marakame considers the situation, and decides that the aspect
named by Temo’s player (eagle vision) is enough to give a description of the dealers,
as if Temo were down there. No roll needed. If the player wanted to read the sitch
instead, the Marakame may have granted a +1 hit bonus; or maybe not, considering
that being able to read a sitch from such a distance away was enough benefit from
that nahual aspect.
The Stages of Nahuality

First Stage
(Nahuality 3)
In this stage the sensation is similar to being drunk or high. Regarding anatomical
changes, the face starts to show animal features. The iris grows in diameter and the
pupil dilates almost to the edge of the iris. At first glance we see a common person,
with some weird features but nothing else. In this stage the nahual can use guns,
drive cars and make all kind of regular things, but awkwardly, as if being drunk.
When wearing a mask the changes are not visible.
The physical strength augments. Also the sensorial activity increases. In particular
the hearing and smell senses. The nahual can see at night and the light makes him
uncomfortable (in a bright light environment it will be acting under fire all the
time). The vocal chords suffer alterations and the voice becomes deep and
cavernous.
Out of control

The hunter nahuals gain a certain appetite for meet, fighting and predatory behavior
in general. The dreamer nahuals increase their sensorial tastes; they run, they sing,
they contemplate and pay attention to the body sensations. As an example: hunters
may become prone to fight and very sexually active. Dreamers can spend hours
feeling the air running thru their skin.
Modifiers
+1 Fury, +1 Wit.
Second Stage
(Nahuality 6)
In the second stage the drunken sensation increases. If out of control the experience
can feel like a bad drug trip.
—33—

If the nahual is wearing clothes when transformed, this start to merge with the skin,
through them the environment can de felt, and if hurt the clothes can “bleed”.
Regarding body changes, the back starts to curve. The eyes are now black spheres,
apt for seem in utter darkness. And even though words can still be articulated, this
are more grunts than anything.
The physical strength keeps increasing; the nahual can do considerable jumps and
the climbing skills improve. The skin acquires a hardness that makes it immune to
piercing and slashing weapons if they are not applied with enough strength.
Out of control

The ego starts to banish, provoking fear and anguish. The nahual is always
dangerous, but in this stage is even more because it acts guided by feelings that can
be very confusing. At this point the nahual can make an attempt to its own life.
The nahual becomes very sexually active. The hunter will look for sex at all cost,
even raping if needed. The dreamer will look for sex too, but its tactics will be less
aggressive. At this stage the nahual exhumes a strong smell to hormones. The nahual
smells like sex.
Modifiers
+2 Fury, +1 Wit, Resistance +1 (against slashing and piercing weapons)
Third Stage
(Nahuality 9)
The nahual is very sensitive to the movement around him. In this stage the nahual
can inflict deadly wounds just with mere intention, as well as making its victims ill
with mere intention. If the nahual is controlled, it can also heal others.
When the nahual is wearing a mask, this blends with the skin, as does the clothing
too. Some nahuals feel uncomfortable with the sensation and tear their cloths off, or
prefer to get naked before unleashing the nahual.
The body is completely bent and walking is done like that of the great apes:
sometimes in two legs, sometimes in all four. This is because the legs are now
transformed into hind legs. This change gives the nahual higher speed and agility.
The jumps now have a great potency. The thumb has retracted enough to the point
of being almost useless, so is virtually impossible to manipulate tools anymore.
Out of control

Consciousness is almost gone. Perception is now completely animal, so are the
reactions and behaviors. Depending on the situation, the nahual will act following its
most basic instincts. The ability to communicate with humans has almost
disappeared, the nahual can understand intentions and voice tones, but it’s unable
—34—
to articulate words.
Modifiers
+3 Fury, +2 Wit, Resistance +2
Fourth Stage: The Nahual

(Nahuality 18)
The nahual shape is now completely animal. Although is far from beign mistaken
with a human, this animal form still shows some vague human features, like the
fingers and torso. The sensorial capacities are at its peak, and the strength is now
greatly enhanced: the nahual can tear down a car barehanded. The jumps now cover
great distances. It can heal or make ill with mere intention. Not just a single person
but small villages. It can intervene the dreams and modify some behaviors.
Someone who controls this stage can now become the leader of an important group
of people. During the Colony these were the most wanted brujos nahuales, because
their influence could start revolts of entire villages against the control of the
Criollos.
Out of control

At this level the nahual is no longer a confused animal. The amount of power allows
it to focus on some hidden or unconscious desire of the person who has changed.
This desire will be the force driving all its actions, and it can be almost anything.
This stage out of control is an open door to the suppressed fillings of the
unconscious mind.
Modifiers
+5 Fury, +3 Wit, Resistance +3

Fifth Stage: The Dragon
(Nahuality 24)
At this stage all the laws of nature can be broken.
Very often, the shape of the totemic animal is contaminated by features of another
animal (a jaguar with wings, a deer with the skin of a raccoon, a bear with antlers).
This kind of alterations are depicted by the Native American totems and they were
the ones giving birth in ancient times to myths and legends, like Quetzalcoatl, the
feathered serpent.
With the control of this stage, the brujo nahual can intervene the dreams of whole
communities, and guide the will of the people.
Without control of these high levels of power, the nahual is just a brutal entity,
destroying everything on its path.
—35—
Modifiers
This stage is beyond any attribute. The Marakame will tell you the extents of your
power.
Sixth Stage: The God

(Nahuality 36)
At this stage the power of a god is awakened. The nahual can now make dimensional
jumps, including in the fourth dimension. The nahual can travel trough time.
This is known according to what some of the most experienced brujos were able to
foresee, however there is no account of anyone being able to control this stage.
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 to become one with
the Cosmos.
Modifiers
This stage is beyond any attribute. The Marakame will tell you the extents of your
power.
Nahual Moves
BASIC MOVES
The visage of the Earth
When you want to carve the visage of your nahual to create a mask, roll Tonal. If your roll is
successful (1+ hits), you get +1 to Nahuality when using the mask. Plus, if your success is strong (2-
3) you apply a -1 hit to your roll to unleash the nahual. And if is epic (4+) you get the strong success
benefits, and you also you get +1d6 ongoing when you listen the whisper of the nahual while wearing
the mask.
You must have the required tools and enough materials to cover your face. A minimum of one hour of
work is required to make the roll. If you want to invest more time on it, add +1d6 to the roll per extra
hour; however, no matter how long you work, only a maximum of 4d6 can be added to the roll.
The whisper of the Nahual

When you want to listen to the whisper of the Nahual, roll Nahuality. If the roll is successful the
Marakame will tell you something new or interesting about the current situation, and then will ask you
—36—
one or two questions about your character. You must answer truthfully. If your success is epic (4+),
along with the detailed information from the Marakame, you also get a +1d6 ongoing as long as you
act on the information received. If its strong (2-3) the Marakame will give you details about it. If its
weak (1) the Marakame will give you only a general impression. If you already know everything there
is to know about that particular situation, the Marakame will tell you so.
Unleashing the nahual [inverted]

When you unleash your nahual to shapeshift, get the difference between Nahuality and Tonal, and
use that number as dice pool for the roll.
This is an inverted roll, so the less hits the better. If you get a fail, you achieve the transformation with
no problem. If your success is weak (1), the transformation gets you a little dizzy, you get –2d6
forward. If its strong (2-3), choose one of the following options:
• You manage to transform, but your nahual gets out of control. You loose 1 point of Tonal.
• You manage to transform, but one stage lower than you wanted to. You loose 1 point of
Nahuality.
If your success is epic (4+), your nahual is completely out of control, and you change to one stage
higher than you initially intended (or more than one depending on the number of hits). You gain 2
points of Nahuality and loose 3 points of Tonal.
The stage of transformation you can awake depends on your Nahuality score. You can power your
Nahuality temporary to reach higher stages. Also, while your natural Nahuality is less than 6 you cannot
use this move unless you are wearing the mask of your animal totem. No matter what the result is,
every time you unleash your nahual you heal yourself an amount of wounds equal to your Fury.
If the Nahuality and Tonal are exactly equal, you are in a state of absolute equilibrium. Meaning that
you have no dice in your dice pool for the roll2 and the move is considered an automatic fail, which
means you can transform without any dice roll. However, you can only transform automatically to a
particular stage only if you have the minimum Nahuality required.
ADVANCED MOVES
The advanced moves can only be played at the Third Stage or higher, and only if
your transformation is controlled.

Nahual strike
When you focus your power to throw a nahual strike, pay 3 points of frustration and roll Nahuality. If
your success is epic (4+), choose all 3. If its strong (2-3), choose 2. If its weak (1), choose 1:
• You throw your strike with perfect control, with no harm to you (otherwise you suffer 2 damage).
• You inflict terrible damage (+1 damage). Otherwise you inflict normal damage.

2 This particular move ignores the 1d6 minimum dice pool rule.
—37—
• You inflict a lethal disease upon your target.
The nahual strike looks like a small ball of fire a little less than a foot in diameter. Being made of pure
energy the strike ignores any point of resistance of the target. The nahual strike inflicts 4 points of
damage.
Power pass
When you and another nahual want to make power passes, to increase the power of a nahual strike,
roll Tonal. If your success is epic (4+), choose 3. If its strong (2-3), choose 2. If its weak (1), choose
1:
• You make your pass without hurting yourself (otherwise you suffer 2 harm).
• You throw your pass with perfect control (+1d6 ongoing for whoever receives your pass).
• Your pass is strong (+1 damage).
The power pass is a way of team work to make a more powerful nahual strike. The nahual who starts the
cooperation throws the strike towards the partner nahual, who in turn receives it and redirects it using
the side of the hip (like the pre-Hispanic ball game). Each pass increases the speed and power of the
strike. However this is a dangerous practice, because if there is any mistake when receiving the pass,
the strike can hit directly the person who made the mistake, suffering the accumulated points of
damage.
In the end, the person making the final blow uses the Nahual strike move instead, applying all the
corresponding modifiers.
Healing Hand
When you put your hand skin against skin on someone hurt, roll Tonal. If your success is epic (4+) you
heal 3 wounds or a mortal disease. With a strong (2-3) you heal 2 wounds. With a weak (1) you
choose 1:
• You heal 2 wounds, but you are affected, you suffer 1 wound.
• You heal 1 wound.
—38—
IV. Ethos

The Ethos of your character represents the traits and behaviors that define its
nature and personality. This nature is intimately related to the power of the Nahual,
and thru it you can tap its true potential. The way you play your character Ethos
allows the Nahual to flow or to be contained. When a situation in the story its
related to one of the elements of your Ethos your character has to react to them. If
you wish to increase your Tonal, you have to resist your Ethos, by ignoring that in
which you believe, ignoring your instincts or resisting the temptation of your vice.
On the contrary, if you want to strengthen the Nahual and increase your Nahuality,
you must give yourself to your Ethos, by standing up to your belief, by following
your instincts, or by succumbing to your vice temptation. Once you have made this
choice, you should apply the corresponding move (see Secondary Moves in the Book
First)

Belief
As the name implies, your Belief is that in which your character believes with
particular fervor. Maybe your character believes in many things, but this in
particular represents its strongest belief, on top of which its world is build upon.
During character creation, you should define your Belief, this is completely open and
can be virtually anything. However you must have in mind that your belief is
another vehicle for your character’s development. With it you are sending a hint to
the Marakame, telling him what kind of situations you want for making your
character’s life not boring. Think about this when you define your belief. If for
example you have Martha is the love of my life, the Marakame will try to find ways
to test that belief, maybe making you suspect that Martha is cheating on you, or gets
you into situations where you have to choose between Martha and an important
deal. Whatever it is your belief, you can rest assured the Marakame will find ways to
test it and make you reassert it.

Sample beliefs
If you don’t cheat, you won’t progress / No one is completely evil, nor completely good
/ Better ask for forgiveness than ask for permission / The world belongs to the brave /
Violence begets violence / A man with our word is worthless / Ain’t no problem a drink
can’t drown / Brain is better than brawn / Angels does not exist / Marcelo is my best
friend, I’ll do anything for him / Money can buy anything / You can’t trust women /
Men are all assholes

Instincts
The Instincts are behaviors and ways of conducting, involuntary or too strong. They
are automatic responses or impulses that trigger when your character reacts to
specific elements or circumstances. The instincts of your character are determined
by its Archetype, following is a list of the Archetypes with options for Instincts,
—39—
during character creation you should pick 2. If you think of an Instinct not listed, you
can talk about it with the Marakame, but you should have in mind that the Instinct
must not contradict the Archetype, the Hard is not known for thinking things before
acting, so the Instinct “I always think before acting” is not appropriate for that
Archetype.

The Hard
-‐I never let anyone insult me.
-‐If it doesn’t open, doesn’t react or doesn’t work: I break it.
-‐I always draw my gun at the first sign of trouble.
-‐I always strike first and ask questions later.
-‐I never let someone else fight my battles.
The Shield
-‐I always watch for the weaker.
-‐I never trust wealthy people.
-‐The safety of my buddies is above my own.
-‐I never let anyone being abused in my presence.
-‐I always lend my hand to those who need it.

The Opportunist
-‐If no one is watching me, I take advantage of it!
-‐When in trouble, I ask for help to the one who won’t deny it.
-‐Better to run away and live to fight another day.
-‐Whenever there’s a chance I say a lie.
-‐I always hide at the first sign of trouble.

The Sneaky
-‐If anyone do me wrong, they pay.
-‐I never do a frontal attack and without a plan.
-‐I never let emotions cloud my judgment.
-‐I trust no one but myself.
-‐I never reveal everything I know.

The Nerd
-‐Technology is the solution to all my problems.
-‐Nothing is more precious than knowledge.
-‐I never mess with Samson.
-‐I always prefer to deal with machines instead of people.
-‐I love to brag about my superior intelligence.

Vice
The Vice of your character is embodied by one of the Seven Deadly Sins. This don’t
necessarily means your character is a religious man, or that he is more or less
susceptible to any other of the sins. It just means that this sin in particular affects
—40—
him more, like a soft spot, its Achilles’ heel.
During character creation you should choose one of these sins as your Vice:

Lust: uncontrollable sexual desire (an object of the desire or a particular sexual
preference must be defined).
Sloth: always make the smallest possible effort, get what you want without moving
a finger.
Gluttony: irresistible addiction to something (food, drink, drugs, etc.)
Wrath: violent reaction to the slightest provocation, use of unnecessary violence.
Envy: not bearing that others have something you don’t, or that they are treated
better than you.
Greed: to acquire possessions no matter what, complete lack of charity.
Pride: not bearing any insult, being told what to do, or being under the supervision
of others.

—41—
V. Bonds

Bonds represent relationships between the characters. It’s a value that determines
how much they know each other. It doesn’t say if they get along well, nor how long
they know each other or if they have a good or bad relationship. It simply represents
that you know that person, her reactions and manners. Your Bond with other
character, written in your character sheet, indicates how much you know her, the
one written on her sheet indicates how much she knows you. This relationship is
asymmetrical. You can have a Bond +2 towards that character, and she can have a
Bond 0 towards you. This means you know her better than she does you.
In general Bonds will be added to other attributes to create dice pools. Sometimes
the Bond will be negative, meaning that dice are subtracted from the dice pool.

During character creation, players will take turns to indicate the others the value of
the Bond towards their characters. Also, on the other’s turns, players will apply
modifiers to the Bonds according to their Archetypes.
This can seem a little confusing at first, but later we’ll review this thoroughly during
character creation.

The Hard
On your turn, choose 1 or both:
• One of the characters has seen what are you capable of. Tell that player: Bond +2.
• One of the characters once left you bleeding and did nothing for you. Tell that
player: Bond -‐2.
Tell everyone else: Bond +1. You’re not that complicated.

On the other’s turn:
• Choose which character you think is the smartest. Whatever number that player
tells you, add +1 and write it next to the character’s name.
For the rest, whatever number they tell you, give it -‐1 and write it next to their
character’s name. In general, you don’t care to much about other people.

The Shield
On your turn, choose 1 or both:
• One of the character once fought with you, shoulder to shoulder. Tell that player:
Bond +2.
• You once saved the life of one of the characters. Tell that player: Bond +3.
Tell everyone else: Bond +1. You’re an open book.

• Choose which character you think is the weakest. Ignore the number that player
tells you and write +3 next to that character’s name.
For the rest, whatever number they tell you, add +1 to it and write it next to their
—42—
character’s name. You’re always willing to watch over others.

The Opportunist
On your turn:
• One of the characters has been a victim to one of your scams. Tell that player: Bond
+3.
• One of the characters saved your ass from a big trouble using violence. Tell that
player: Bond +2.
Tell everyone else: Bond +1. Everyone knows you’re not to be trusted.

• Choose which character you think will never let you down. Whatever number that
player tells you, ignore it. Write +3 next to that character’s name instead.
character’s name. You always look for yourself first, not caring too much for the
others.

The Sneaky
On your turn:
Tell everyone: Bond -‐1. You keep yourself secret.

On the other’s turn, choose 1 or both:
• You’ve been watching one of the characters carefully for a while, in secret.
Whatever number that player tells you, ignore it. Write +3 next to that character’s
name instead.
• One of the characters quite evidently dislikes and distrusts you. Whatever number
that player tells you, ignore it. Write +3 next to that character’s name instead.
For the rest, write down the number they tell you next to their character name.

The Nerd
On your turn:
• Choose the character you think is the weirdest. Tell that player: Bond +1.
Tell everyone else: Bond -‐1. You’re kind of weird too.

• One of the characters has bullied you. Whatever number that player tells you,
ignore it. Write +3 next to that character’s name instead.
character’s name. You have more important things to learn and understand.
—43—
VI. Character creation

This section will guide you step by step through the process to create a character for
Nahual RPG. During the first session, all the players shall create characters together,
because this process is just another piece of the game and part of the conversation.
The characters in Nahual RPG are linked together and have common history defined
by the Bonds. This is why everyone’s participation is required, under the
coordination of the Marakame.
Before start every player should have one copy of the character sheet, as well as the
obvious pencil and eraser.

1. Choose your Trade
As mentioned on the chapter I of this Second Book, the trades in Nahual are three:
angelero, diablero and shaman. The angelero hunts and trades angels, the diablero
catches and enslaves devils and the shaman is specialized in the Nahual. Choose the
one that you like the must, it doesn’t matter if more than one player chooses the
same trade.

2. Choose your Archetype
Unlike Trades, there can’t be repeated Archetypes between characters. In a Nahual
story there aren’t two Hard characters, or two Opportunists. So you players should
come to an accord, and if two or more players want to play the same Archetype, they
should talk about it and come to a civilized solution, or if they are childish or
stubborn they’ll have to use the dice and let luck decide.
Following is a list of the Archetypes, with a brief and straightforward description to
help you pick up one.

The Hard
You are good in a fight, tough and stubborn, also tetchy and quick to violence. You’ll
strike first, ask questions later.

The Shield
You take care of the weak, putting their safety before your own. You have the means
and strengths to achieve this goal.

The Opportunist
You take advantage of any opportunity, looking for your interests first. Always avoid
confrontation unless you’ve got the upper hand

The Seducer
You care about your look. You get what you want by manipulating others with your
looks or charm. You don’t like direct confrontations.

—44—
The Nerd
You’re pretty smart, and have great interest and mastery in technology. You’re quite
a bookworm. No social or physical aptitude.

The Leader
Natural born leader. You know how to organice people and inspire them. You know
how to impose your will. Good strategist.

The Sneaky
You keep to yourself, wanting to be unnoticed. Cold and calculating. You don’t want
to attract to much attention, and have patience to strike when unexpected.

The Tumbler
You’re an acrobat, swift and agile. Quiet elusive. You’re quick with your hands and
well coordinated. Preferring subtlety over brute force.

3. Choose your group of Attributes
Each Archetype enlist four groups of Attributes, choose one and write its values on
your character sheet.

4. Choose your moves
First of all choose the special Trade move granted by your Archetype. Next you’ll
choose 2 from your Archetype moves. Remember that some have a Behavior
requirement. This 3 moves are unique to your character. Don’t forget, however, that
all characters have access to the basic, secondary and Trade moves.

5. Define your nahual
Each Archetype defines the kind of nahual your character has. The Hard, the Shield
and the Opportunist are hunter nahuals. The Sneaky, the Seducer and the Nerd are
dreamer nahual. The Leader and the Tumbler can be one or the other, choose the
one you like.
Next define your totemic animal. Remember that this animal is the representation of
your nahual and have a special significance. Think about the reasons your character
is connected to that animal, because it’s an essential part of your character
background.

6. Determine Nahuality and Tonal
Now is time to determine your character’s Nahuality and Tonal. Choose is your
character is inclined toward the Nahual, the Tonal or Balance.
If you are inclined towards the Nahual roll 2d6, take the highest dice roll and add +3
to that number, this is your initial Nahuality. Your initial Tonal is 4.
If you are inclined towards the Tonal roll 2d6, take the highest dice roll and add +3
to that number, this is your initial Tonal. Your initial Nahuality is 4.
—45—
If you’re inclined towards Balance, both attributes (Nahuality and Tonal) will have
a base value of 4. Roll 2d6 and take the lowest dice roll and add it to either the
Nahuality or the Tonal.

7. Define your Ethos
Define the Belief of your character, then pick 2 Instincts from the options presented
for your Archetype, or if you prefer to define them by yourself, you can talk about it
with the Marakame. Next you pick a Deadly Sin as your character’s Vice. Remember
that the Ethos defines the personality of your character, and with it the Nahuality
and the Tonal will be developed.

8. Name your character
Choose a name for your character, or nickname, or both. From now on the other
players and the Marakame will address you using this name.

9. Describe your character
Describe your character, both its looks and its personality. Also define how it is its
physical transformation. If your character is a diablero, also describe its devil.

10. Define your Bonds
Everyone presents its character by saying its name, trade, description, personality
and nahual. Do the same. Write down the name of every other character and go
through the table again, one by one, to define the Bonds as indicated in the chapter
IV of the Second Book.

11. Highlight Attributes
Check the Bonds of your character to see with who you have te highest value (is
there’s any ties, choose the one you prefer among the ties), ask that character’s
player to pick one of your attributes and highlight it. The Marakame will highlight
another one. Whenever you roll using that Attribute, you mark experience.

12. Ready to start
Once every character is defined, take a little break. Bring some drinks and snacks,
some may want to go to the restroom, or maybe just stretch the legs. The Marakame
will use this pause to recap a what she has learned about your characters. Once the
pause is over and everyone is back on their seats with dice, pencils, and character
sheets at hand, the Marakame will start the game following the instructions in the
chapter The first session.
—46—
BOOK THIRD
The Marakame: Master of
Ceremonies
I. The Marakame: Master of
Ceremonies
This section is dedicated to you, the Marakame, Master of Ceremonies, the game
master in Nahual. Here you will find the rules you need to respond to the characters
actions, and will help you to create the frame within which the story of the player
characters will be told. Such rules are the agenda, the principles and the moves.
The agenda is the goal you and your friends are aiming for when you sit around the
table to play Nahual. The principles are guidelines to achieve your agenda. And your
moves are the actual actions that will help you succeed in your agenda and make the
story walk.
As mentioned before, the agenda, the principles and the Marakame moves are also
rules, like the attributes, the dice pool, the frustration pool, etc. The players use this
rules to give life to their characters, you will use your rules to give life to the world
of Nahual and manage the game, always with your agenda in mind.
Agenda
• Make the World of Nahual seem real.
• Make the players’ characters’ lives not boring.
• Play to find out what happens.
Everything you say, you should do it to accomplish these three goals and nothing
more. It’s not your goal to beat the players, nor it’s to cheat on their characters, or
deny them what they want, or kill them. It’s not your goal to have everything under
your thumb. And it’s certainly not to tell a pre-‐planned story.
Nahual is a game without losers or winners. You are not playing against the players,
you’re playing with them to tell a story together. Play to find out what happens. Your
job is to be a counterpart to the player characters, to answer the player questions,
and describe the environment with great detail to make the world of Nahual seem
real. To give life to the non-‐player characters, be it allies or foes. Every story is
powered by one or more conflicts. Create those conflicts so the characters can
—47—
respond to them, making their lives not boring. After all, hunting angels, catching
devils, and trying to control your nahual are not precisely days in the park.
However, when you present the conflicts, you should do it with utter honesty and
impartiality. Remember, do not play against the players. Be strict with the truth, be
scrupulous about it, even generous. The players depend on you on that to make
their choices. Do not set them up. Do not act like a mean teacher trying to fuck their
students. Players are not being tested, they are narrating and living a story together.
Always say
Remember what I said in previous chapters about role-‐playing games being a
conversation? So what you say as Marakame is important. The job of the players is
to say what their characters are doing, saying and feeling, also is answering to your
questions. Your job is to say the rest, to fill the gaps and talk for the rest of the
characters in the story, your are playing all the extras, creating the scenery,
managing the scenes. It’s not your job to write the story, remember you are playing
to find out. So during the conversation always say:

• What the principles demand.
• What the rules demand.
• What your prep demands.
• What honesty demands.
The principles
• Taint all with corruption and insecurity, but spice it with humor!
• Address yourself to the characters, not the players.
• Make your move, but misdirect.
• Everyone has a price.
• Name everyone, make everyone human.
• Ask provocative questions and build on the answers.
• Put them behind the eight ball, but give intermittent rewards.
• Be a fan of the player characters.
• Think offscreen too.
Taint all with corruption and insecurity, but spice it

with humor!
Life in the world of Nahual is not easy. It’s like swimming with sharks, with a
bleeding arm. Everyone wants a piece from you! The good thing is that everyone has
—48—
a price, if you can pay it. Corruption lies deep in all social layers. Think about this
when you build and describe the world around the player characters. But don’t
forget to spice it with a bit of humor, irony and Mexican picardía from time to time.
Laughter is a blowoff valve in this corrupt and oppressive society.

Address yourself to the characters, not the players.
“Toluco, what do you do when the diablo jumps on you?” Instead of “Juan, what is
the Toluco doing when the diablo jumps on him?” Involve the players by talking to
their characters. This will help them dive into the fiction and achieve the suspension
of disbelieve.

Make your move, but misdirect.
Everytime you use a move you do it for real world reasons: someone failed a roll, a
player is using a move that ask you to respond, everyone is staring at you waiting
for you to say something; so you pick a move and do it. However, misdirect by using
the game fiction. Maybe your move is separate them, but don’t say: “Lucy you failed
your roll, so now you and the Tlacuache got separate.” Instead, maybe say: “ok, Lucy,
you try to snatch Tuerto’s gun —this was Lucy’s move— but while you struggle, th
car door opens and the Tuerto throws you out with a kick, while you fall and roll on
the street, you see the car getting away with the Tlacuache still in the rear seat”. You
see? The effect is the same, the characters got separate, but you ingeniously
disguised the reason. Misdirect by making seem is the fiction that choose your move
for you. And correspondingly always choose a move that flows logically with the
game’s fiction.

Everyone has a price.
Corruption, taint everything with corruption. Always make the non-‐player
characters go for their own interests. If the players present them a good offer, a
bribe, a good deal for them. Take it. Likewise, always tempt the player characters,
put them one against the other. This will allow interest twist in the plot. Conflict.
There’s this saying in Spanish: “el que no transa no avanza”, if you don’t cheat, you
won’t progress.

Name everyone, make everyone human.
When you creat your characters, start always with a name. Many will be extras and
they may not appear again in the story, even so the players will want to know who
are their characters talking to. Besides yo never know when an extra will turn into a
main character. Remember, you’re playing to find out.
Once this happens, go further. Who’s this character? What does she likes? What is
she afraid of? What’s her favorite song? Do not feel overwhelmed and don’t worry to
get every single detail at once. Start with a fw details. A personality. A must of all
motivations and goals related to the story and the player characters, not as a group
but individually, to feed the conflicts.

—49—
Ask provocative questions and build on the
answers.
One of the mechanisms that will help you play to find out is asking questions to the
players, build on their answers. You can start with simple stuff. How is the barrio
you live in? Who of you know each other since long ago? However, as the game
advances, ask more direct and intimate questions about the player characters
experiences. What does the angel heart tastes like? What does it feel kissing that
angel? How do you feel when you unleash your nahual? What does the cage of your
demon smells like? Why do you hate so much the priest of your home town?
Once you have the answers, start building the world with them. Add details, put in
your touch to share your vision of the world. But never forget your agenda, and
always pay attention to your principles.
Two thing particularly interesting to ask is when the player characters either listen
to the whisper of the nahual or unsleash it for the first time. Make the players know
that each experience is unique, and encourage them to add their personal touch, to
let their imagination run wild. After that first time, always, always add details of
your own.

Put them behind the eight ball, but give intermittent
rewards.
Taint everything with corruption, but also with insecurity. Put the player characters
behind the eight ball. Take their answers and twist them against them. But don’t
forget you are not trying to beat them or fuck them, but to make their lives
interesting. And don’t limit yourself to the player characters; everyone is fair game.
Even the must important of your non-‐player characters, specially the must
important one! Don’t grow attached to them. If this happens, think immediately how
to eliminate it, in an interesting way to the story.
However, from time to time, give the players what they want or need, even go a little
beyond. But do it when they aren’t expecting it. That way they’ll be hoping maybe,
just maybe, this time everyone will march on wheels.

Be a fan of the player characters.
The player characters are the protagonists of the story. It’s them the ones that
should save the day or doom it. Be their fan, get excited when the Hard blows the
brains out of the karibu that was kicking their asses, or when the Sneaky puts down
the four guards without being noticed. Imagine the player characters are the main
characters of your favorite TV series. Cheer them up and worry about them.
Yes, put them behind the eight ball, but also make their lives not boring. The worst
you can do is being constant with the adversities. Remember to give intermittent
rewards. The clash of forces in a story must be always a give and take. Having only
good stuff happening is boring, but also is having only bad stuff.
And don’t forget to let the player characters shine. The players choose their
archetype and trade because they wanted to do cool stuff with them. The Hard is
—50—
supposed to kick ass, the Leader is supposed to manage the situation, the Nerd is
supposed to be a smartass, the Seducer is supposed to be irresistible. Let them
shine, do not embarrass them. There’s nothing more frustrating to the players than
having their character suck at what it was supposed to be good at. And if the players
work hard to get something, give it to them.

Think offscreen too.
To make the world of Nahual seem real, think also about the things happening
offscreen. When you have to make a move, think also what are your NPCs doing
behind the curtains. Is there anything important that will have future
repercussions? Give them live by making them take the initiative. If the player
characters are making a mayhem at the entrance of the main antagonist hideout;
she’s not going to seat there in her office waiting for them.
Marakame Moves
• Separate them.
• Capture someone.
• Put someone in a spot.
• Trade harm for harm (as established).
• Announce off-screen badness.
• Announce future badness.
• Inflict harm (as established).
• Take away their stuff.
• Invoke a character Ethos.
• Activate their stuff’s downside.
• Tell them the possible consequences and ask.
• Offer an opportunity, with or without a cost.
• Turn their move back on them.
• Make a move from one of your fronts.
• After every move, always ask: “what do you do?”
Whenever there is a pause and the players are looking at you waiting for you to say
something, pick a move and do it. The moves are self-‐explanatory and direct on their
meaning. “Separate them” means just that, separate one or more player characters
from the rest. Do not forget though your agenda and your principles whenever you
make your moves. Misdirect when you do it, obviously don’t say it’s name and
choose a move that follows logically from the game fiction. And always, always, after
every move ask: “what do you do?”
—51—
Which move to choose?
Choose always a move that is a logical consequence to what’s happening in the game
fiction. It doesn’t have to be necessarily the one that fits exactly but at least it has to
make some sense.
In general limit yourself to a move that a) sets you up for a future harder move and
b) give the player characters some opportunity to act and react. A start to the action,
not its conclusion.
However, when a player gives you an opportunity on a gold plate, take it and make a
move as hard and direct as you like. What is an opportunity in a gold plate? When a
player fails a roll for example, or when you’ve beign building up to a hard move and
the players do nothing. But unless the players give you a chance in a gold plate, limit
yourself to moves that set up other moves, your own or the player’s.

Nahualli RPG by Miguel Angel Espinoza is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-‐NonCommercial-‐ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Based on works at http://angelero.deviantart.com/ and http://www.apocalypse-‐
world.com/.

ESTAMOS EN:

¡APÓYANOS!

—52—

Nahual RPG Playtest v02 Eng

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II. Basic Moves

III. Secondary Moves

Harm and Healing

Follow your Ethos

Suppress your Ethos

Echoes from the past

The heart of the earth

Eye for an eye

Finders keepers, losers weepers

Pick on someone your own size!

Ice in the Veins

Under the Night’s Veil

Eyes of the Hunter

The right tool

“Believe me, I know about this”

Hunter Nahual and Dreamer Nahual

The visage of the Nahual

Aspects of the nahual

The Stages of Nahuality

Out of control

Out of control

Out of control

Fourth Stage: The Nahual

Out of control

Sixth Stage: The God

The whisper of the Nahual

Unleashing the nahual [inverted]

Taint all with corruption and insecurity, but spice it

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