Everyday Heroes

World of Darkness

A 5e conversion of

Monte Cook’s WoD

 Introduction

In 2007 veteran TTRPG game designer Monte Cook created his own version of the
popular World of Darkness campaign setting. His setting and system merged every
major WoD gameline at the time, from vampire to werewolf and beyond, while also
introducing a horrific and captivating setting. It is my wish with this guide to introduce
that campaign setting to a new generation of gamers by converting it to the 5th edition
version of D&D. Yet instead of starting with a blank slate, as Monte Cook did, I want to
make use of work that was already done to create a modern take on 5E.

That’s why this guide is based on the new Everyday Heroes system. In that system
you’ll find base classes, rules for backgrounds and professions, as well as modern day
equipment such as firearms and vehicles. That system is designed to feature cinematic
action, and my hope is that this guide will work the same, only with a horror angle (think
Blade or Underworld) although I will include rules for those who want to up the horror
quotient.

That does mean you’ll need the Everyday Heroes Quickstart Rules at least, but it would
be helpful if you had the full rulebook. Everyday Heroes itself is compatible with
standard D&D and this will fit right alongside that, so if you wanted to merge regular
D&D classes and races you could. Or if you wanted to you could combine this with any
of the other Everyday Heroes action settings, such as Rambo, Total Recall, or Pacific
Rim. That’s not what this setting itself does, but the rules would work.

I hope you find this conversion fun, exciting and scary.

Content Warning

Despite the focus on action this is meant to be a horror setting. As such it plays with
concepts such as a “sanity score” as well as a focus on fear. The included adventure
also explores capital punishment and in set in a nightmarish prison environment. This
guide includes potentially distressing material. Please consult with your fellow players
before running the included adventure or attempting to play in this setting. Play
responsibly.

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The last thing I remember before the world ended was how
beautiful it looked.

I’d lost my job a few days prior, so with nothing left

to lose I’d packed my bags and driven across state lines.

Finally getting to check something off my bucket list. A

hike through Badlands National park.

I was watching the sun rise over the rocks, bathing the area in
a soft purple glow when the sky rippled like water.

It looked like a lake above instead of below,

disturbed by an invisible and mighty hand.

Then there was an implosion of air so loud it sucked away all

other sounds.

The ground below my feet dropped away.

And just like that I was gone.

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CHAPTER 1: RISE OF THE ICONNU
A howl pierces the night, long and low and full of pain. Fangs sink into soft flesh and the
lifeblood of the innocent victim pours forth. A group of teenagers seek relief from the
summer heat in a lake deep in the woods only to fall prey to the thing that lurks beneath
its depths. This is our world seen through a mirror darkly. This is the World of Darkness.

This setting is meant to bring horror elements to your Everyday Heroes campaign. Like
other campaign settings for Everyday Heroes it uses new rules to bring the setting to
life, only in this case it means bringing a sense of fear to your game.

Unlike other D&D horror settings however this one takes place in our world, in the same
places we see outside our own windows. Most can’t even tell anything has changed.
Yet, it has changed. Due to circumstances far beyond mortal understanding the world
has shifted. Now the monsters of our myths and legends are real, along with a lot of
other creatures more horrible than our worst nightmares could dream up.

But we are not alone. Some of those very monsters have decided to defend humanity
against the onslaught. A few humans have found their minds transformed granting them
powers they can use to protect themselves and others, while still others have decided
that powers or not they aren’t going down without a fight.

Humanity’s true enemies however, are beyond them. Unknowable eldritch beings of
terrible might tore a hole in our reality bringing with them every horrific thing that exists
or could exist. We don’t know why they did it or what they want, but we do know what to
call them.

They are the Iconnu.

The Intrusion
It came on like a sudden storm. Before that the world was normal. Far from perfect, but
not insane. Not filled with monsters. Then they came, and just like that the world ended.

Or at least it should have. That’s what they wanted, the beings that did this. The Iconnu.

The Iconnu are horrific as human beings understand that term, but they are also so
utterly alien that incomprehensible doesn’t cover it. They just are. The word Iconnu

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supposedly means “stranger” although no one can say in which language. They are
also called “the Unbidden Ones”, uninvited or unasked for intruders into human reality.
No one knows where they came from. Another universe? A different timeline? It almost
doesn’t matter. What is known is that they came to Earth to feed, to rip existence apart
atom by atom and then slurp down the pureed pieces of our universe.

This attempt, called the Intrusion, should have spelled the end of the world, with little
humanity dying a swift, horrific death as seven billion souls were consumed by
creatures that didn’t even fully recognize our existence. That’s the other thing. The
absolute lack of comprehension works both ways. Humans are as alien to Iconnu as the
Unbidden are to us. Even 7 billion humans are too insignificant for these cosmic beings
to see. We’re like a virus to them. Tiny dots of nothing. They should have just swept in
and took everything down.

Only that didn’t happen. Near as most think the collective will of humanity stopped the
Iconnu in their place and not because of physical strength or wisdom or intelligence. It
seems that it was humanity’s willpower, our collective desire to survive at all costs. That
will to live was focused like a laser beam through the souls of special human beings
living all over the world. These linchpins, as they came to be called, amplified that
energy like a lens concentrating it into a wall of psychic force.

It’s important to point out that millions of people contributed to this unconscious
resistance. “Millions'' sounds like a lot, but compared to the six or seven billion who
exist, it’s a drop in the bathtub. Truth is most people don’t have what it takes to
subconsciously fight incomprehensible beings from realms beyond human knowledge.
Only these select few, less than 1% of all humanity, served as the anchor points to
reinforce and protect reality. If those linchpins were ever hunted down and killed, pop
goes the universe.

Nobody knows what makes the linchpins special. In some ways, they seem like the
most human people humanity has to offer. The Intrusion happened, the Iconnu came to
destroy us and focused through the linchpins we quietly said “no” and stopped it dead in
its tracks. Imagine it from the Iconnu’s perspective. It’s like going to tear down a house
you just bought and the mass of termites that live in its walls cause your machines to
break down halfway through. Not by attacking them directly, but by thinking, by not
wanting to die.

The Nightmare Wave

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Unfortunately for the world by the time that happened the Unbidden already had a foot,
or rather tentacle, in the door. They brought pieces of other realities with them, maybe
their own, maybe others they destroyed that were swept up in their wake. Either way
this merging of incompatible existences sent a ripple through the planet that cascaded
around the world.

This ripple, called the Nightmare Wave, left its mark in many ways turning portions of
Earth into excerpts from horror stories, some of them truly gruesome. Yet, the
Nightmare Wave wasn’t a weapon or a tactic of the Iconnu. The Nightmare Wave was
and is a side effect, a result of one reality coming into contact with another.

In some locales the Nightmare Wave wrought terrible physical destruction. In others, the
changes the ripple brought were subtler and more insidious. Imagine: People in one
small town suddenly gain the taste, the need, for human flesh. A broken, unplugged
jukebox in a condemned diner plays songs that give clues to events that haven’t yet
happened. Cockroaches in an old warehouse communicate and think with a single
mind, and combine themselves physically into one monstrous creature. The world is
now home to all of that and more.

The result isn’t supposed to be horrific however. It isn’t supposed to be anything. But
human minds (and the physical laws of the universe) can’t handle the transition. To us,
it creates waking nightmares. People in the know have thought a lot about this. Why
nightmares? Why are the things the Nightmare Wave creates frightening, dangerous,
even deadly? Granted, some of them fall into the creepy or disturbing category instead,
but they are all unpleasant. If the effects were truly random, which, on first hearing that
they stem from an alien reality running into ours, seems at least somewhat likely,
wouldn’t they occasionally create positive events? Yet that’s not what happens.

A leading theory is that the human subconscious has something to do with it. That the
wave broke against the psychic wall we erected to keep the Iconnu at bay, and when it
did it tapped into human fears, both subtle and overt, both primal and modern, and
made them reality. It’s neat, but it’s only a theory.

Either way when the Intrusion occurred, the Nightmare Wave emanated from the site
like a ripple spreading from a stone thrown in a pond, a pulse of energy that cannot be
defined. The Nightmare Wave spread across the Earth, but (thankfully) lost strength as
it moved.

The Intrusion Point

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When the Iconnu attempted to access reality, the event became known as the Intrusion,
and the pinpoint spot where it occurred, the Intrusion Point. When the Iconnu’s
Intrusion failed, the area around the point of their Intrusion was left a physical and
spiritual wasteland, gripped in the horror of unreality. This place lies in the upper Great
Plains of the United States, sort of near the midpoint of North America, in the
northeastern portion of South Dakota. The laws of physics are gone there, leaving all
things utterly unpredictable.

To some the Intrusion Point seems like a portal to Hell. Some even call it “the Hell
Chasm,” which is clever slang but bears little relation to reality (or unreality, as the case
may be). The Intrusion Point is not a “portal,” and does not lead to “Hell.” It’s more like a
footprint, or maybe a scar. It is the result of something truly OTHER touching the world.
The only accurate term is “Intrusion Point”.

It’s not hard to imagine where these misguided people get their ideas, though. The
reality of the Iconnu, the reality beyond this one, is so completely alien that it seems like
Hell. The collision of realities alters people and animals and creates demonic, terrifying
creatures that one can easily believe crawled from the Netherworld.

The Conflagration
In a radius a hundred and fifty miles from the Intrusion Point in all directions (even up
and down) the Nightmare Wave wiped out everything rendering the area uninhabitable.
This is the Conflagration, and here the Nightmare Wave was so powerful that it took
our laws of reality, twisted them, mangled them, liquefied them and then left the puddles
lying on the floor. Any living creature, from virus to person, perished instantly.

This 300-mile-diameter area, for all intents and purposes, no longer exists in the normal
universe. Instead, it’s a horrible cacophony of swirling energy, churning matter and
things for which we don’t have names or definitions. Inorganic matter in this region is in
a constant state of flux, warping and changing state from gas, liquid, solid and energy.
The Earth’s crust has been punctured, but the Conflagration annihilated the resultant
magma displacement. This destructive, consuming field is hardest on the air, churning
new, drastic and dangerous weather patterns to life.

Entering the Conflagration is deadly. The vast majority of those who enter it are
eradicated. A few come out, hideously changed, in body or mind or spirit or all three.
Many of those that simply come close to the Conflagration are killed or changed. The
Conflagration extends almost to Minneapolis and encompasses the small cities of Sioux
Falls, South Dakota, and Fargo, North Dakota.

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The Annihilation Zone
Beyond the Conflagration is the Annihilation Zone, which starts when you get within 150
miles away from the Intrusion Point and from there reaches out to about 250 miles. This
100-mile-wide swath is filled with rubble, smashed buildings and broken, deformed
bodies. The sky churns. The earth shudders. The devastation is terrible, and the
landscape forlorn.

The annihilation of earth and air in the Conflagration created, and continues to create,
earthquakes and wild, violent weather patterns that destroy buildings, bridges, roads
and other infrastructure. The assault killed hundreds of thousands of people. The
Annihilation Zone suffered, and still suffers, these effects. It is a wasteland pulled from
the most frightening of post-apocalypse scenarios.

And that’s not all, folks. Outside the Conflagration the Nightmare Wave effect is
strongest in the Annihilation Zone, changing people and animals in disturbing ways,
warping matter and altering the rules of physics on a regular basis. A woman’s legs
grow to 10 feet in length. A pack of stray dogs sprout sticky, compound eyes across
their bodies. A man is abruptly flung into the air, then plummets, screaming, to splatter
like a cantaloupe on the ravaged remains of the sidewalk.

Supposedly, all the people living in the Annihilation Zone were evacuated. However,
everyone knows that hundreds of thousands still live there. Some want desperately to
escape, but are trapped, others remain of their own free will. Some find that life in the
post-apocalyptic Annihilation Zone is better than the lives they knew before. Others see
themselves as chosen to fight against the Horrors. Still others stay to do research,
either professionally or out of simple, amateur curiosity. Their motives are as varied as
they are, and they have no intention of coming out.

The U.S. military has done its best to cordon off the area, though in reality most troops
remain just outside the Annihilation Zone. Here, they keep watch in modular sentry
towers, patrol the roads and land via Humvees and all-terrain vehicles and helicopters
and string up barbed wire and more sophisticated barricades. Officially, the military’s
primary objective is to keep people from entering the disaster area. Secondary
objectives include providing relief to those who run screaming from the zone, and
controlling, or, at least, attempting to control, the stranger things that emerge from the
ruin.

8
Some units are unfortunate enough to be assigned to operate within the Annihilation
Zone, where they attempt to keep order and evacuate the people who remain. Doing so
is no easy task, for the rubble of cities and bodies lies in heaps, and the sky and trees
and grass are strange. The soldiers’ machinery is prone to mysterious, and sometimes
lethal, malfunctions. Looters and self-declared warlords snipe at the troops from ruined
buildings, while darker things stalk them at night.

The Annihilation Zone includes Minneapolis/St. Paul, but not quite Omaha or Rapid
City.

The Haunted Lands

Moving out further, 250 to 500 miles from the Intrusion, the Nightmare Wave’s influence
is less pronounced, but unmistakably present. These are the Haunted Lands, and are
aptly named. Kansas City, Denver, Winnipeg and dear old Chicago fall into this realm.

Strange things happen here. The Nightmare Wave’s effects have created “haunted”
places and strange occurrences. Most people have at least heard about these places
and events, and many people have encountered them. Most of the effects are localized
to a single house, a back alleyway, a copse of trees or a single family or small group.
Such places are called Nightmare Sites.

Things are worse the closer you are to the Annihilation Zone. In addition to the
Nightmare Wave, strange weather patterns play havoc in the Haunted Lands. Thanks to
a huge hemisphere of air suffering the effects of collision with the Iconnu’s reality,
unnatural and often dangerous weather spreads from the Intrusion Point. The Haunted
Lands feel this, though not so keenly as the other areas. Sudden heat waves in excess
of 110 degrees. Hail in the summer. Tornadoes. The area’s ecosystem is decimated,
and God knows how, even if it will recover.

Nightmare Wave effects and changes are sometimes permanent, sometimes transitory.
Every so often, new nightmares manifest that are not products of the original Nightmare
Wave, like a punctured infection that spews pus, then dies down to a slow trickle of
blood.

Despite the occasional new nightmares, the vast majority of these events stem from the
original Nightmare Wave. New nightmares are more common in areas close to the
Intrusion, and even then, you can usually trace the “seeds” of the nightmare back to the
moment of the Intrusion, the original Nightmare Wave. The Nightmare Wave causes

9
changes. Changes in just about anything: people, animals, plants, places. And the
changes are bad, almost universally so.

They’re not just physical changes either. The Nightmare Wave is as much about mental
and spiritual transmutation as physical. People think different thoughts, have different
desires. Someone’s personality changes from compassionate to cruel. A cute kitten
becomes a hyper-intelligent murderer.

Every so often, the changes are merely bizarre or unnerving rather than dangerous or
horrifying. Sometimes they are minor, especially far away from the Intrusion Point. The
effect might be merely a slight change in color, or a minor alteration of physical form. A
car suddenly has animal (or demonic) horns and makes bestial noises when started up,
or the leaves of a tree all become copper. Kind of weird, but at least it isn’t going to eat
you, hopefully.

Outside the United States

Beyond the Haunted Lands, the Nightmare Wave’s effects are still present throughout
the world, but the events are isolated. Only the occasional room of a house, the area
around an old tree or a single animal or person are affected, and usually only in the
subtlest of ways. Often one cannot tell whether someone is acting strange due to the
Nightmare Wave or (more likely) some natural human weirdness.

The Intrusion affected the entire world, but not to the same degree as the United States.
Internationally, indirect fallout from the Intrusion exists in terms of sporadic Nightmare
Wave effects and the Iconnu’s inhuman agents waging their shadow war across oceans
and boundaries. (Canada gets more than its fair share of strife from the Intrusion Point
as well.) Other countries don’t feel the Haunted Lands, the Annihilation Zone, the
Conflagration and the pinprick of colliding realities as the United States does.

Foreign nations are only slightly less concerned, shocked and horrified about the
Intrusion. They, individually and through organizations such as the United Nations, have
offered aid in various forms, from troops to emergency supplies, but the United States
refuses most of these offers and attempts to remain self-reliant although a number of
foreign experts have traveled to the United States to study the phenomenon and lend
their own theories to the mix.

Of course, others, primarily those in foreign nations, see it as a good thing that the
United States is occupied with other concerns. In the wake of all that the Intrusion

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means, sometimes it’s easy to overlook the fact that the world is still a global culture,
and everything that occurs within a country’s borders has repercussions without.

Horrors Unleashed

Despite all of this it’s important to remember the world was saved. Mostly. The Iconnu
were stopped, even if temporarily. However they’re far from finished. Beyond the effects
of the Nightmare Wave the Iconnu opened other tears in reality, letting spirits and
demons into the material world. At first they were just trying to figure out what was
stopping them from their goal, like going to a doctor when you come down sick. You
don’t necessarily hate the virus, but you are trying to kill it so you can be well again.

All of these effects very often produce monsters, or creatures humanity can only think of
as monsters. The strange thing though is that many seem to have leapt right out of
human myths and legends. Vampires, and werewolves, but there’s also aswang, or
chupacabras or banshees or just about any terrifying thing human beings ever thought
up or told stories about, all just suddenly walking around.

Together these assorted things now sharing the Earth are called Horrors. Most of them
aren’t servants of the Iconnu, or don’t seem to be. Instead they appear to be just after
effects of the Intrusion and the Nightmare Wave, accidental creations of a world gone
mad. Despite that though they definitely meet the Unbidden One's interests. Horrors are
purveyors of fear. Through the suffering and terror they unleash they contribute to the
breaking of the human spirit. Through the death they leave in their wakes they weaken
humanity’s will to live.

A few of these Horrors however are the Iconnu’s direct agents. If the Iconnu have done
anything worthwhile, they’ve answered almost as many questions as they’ve sparked.
Thanks to them we human beings know something more about death, and what comes
after. Spirits. Ghosts. Whatever you want to call them, they’re really out there. And
those bastard Iconnu use humanity’s own dead against us.

The Iconnu’s solution to the problem they encountered when they entered reality was to
call up spirits. Spirits of dead people, evil dead people. And the Iconnu didn’t stop with
them; the Iconnu also summoned other spirits, spirits that have little to do with
humanity. These were bestial creatures from . . . somewhere. Some might call it “the
void.” Some might call it “Hell.”

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There are lots of names for these agents. You’ll almost certainly hear them called
vampires, werewolves and even demons. It seems like something out of a cheesy
movie, but in truth the names fit pretty well. The Iconnu summoned these spirits and
had them investigate and deal with the problem. (To continue the above metaphor,
similar to doctors using antiviral agents to deal with a virus, or antibiotics to deal with
bacterial infection.)

Some of these spirits merged with human bodies and souls to become composite
entities. Others clothed themselves in earthly matter and took on the guise of men and
women. These beings seek to complete the world’s destruction, through terror, through
misinformation, through assassination and brutality and murder. Though it may be
important to know that as strange and horrific as they are, they’re not the Iconnu
themselves. Even to these demons and things, the Unbidden are alien and unknowable.
The Iconnu never talk to their so-called “agents” any more than we speak to the vaccine
that treats our sickness. Their instructions are more like instincts and primitive drives
than anything related to discourse.

Yet once again the Iconnu underestimated the human spirit. In spite of everything they
did to stop it some of the possessed humans retained control of their bodies. They
resisted the Iconnu and maintained their free will. Many turned their powers against the
Iconnu and now work to save humanity. They are waging a shadow war to save
existence, but it is one that must remain in the shadows because despite everything
that’s happened most of humanity remains ignorant.

The Sleeper’s Life

It’s hard to imagine, but most human beings, the teeming masses of people, are as of
yet unaware that anything has happened. Well not quite. They know something has
happened, only they don’t know its true nature. Most of the world thinks a nuclear
accident of some sort destroyed the middle of the United States, and that maybe it
caused radioactive fallout or ash clouds and that’s why people are acting so strange
lately.

Whatever justification or lie people tell themselves about their new reality they certainly
don’t believe in things like demons or monsters, anymore than they used to anyway.
These people are called sleepers, humans who sleepwalk through life without
correlating the full contents of their minds. Anything they witness is explained away (that
wasn’t a werewolf, it was a big dog), and anything they can’t explain away is simply
forgotten.

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Most theorize this has something to do with the very will of humanity holding reality
together. As if in combination with a desire not to die was a desire to avoid having to
change. This creates a sort of psychic shroud that occludes the minds of sleepers,
keeping them from recognizing their new truth. These can affect even linchpins most of
whom remain unaware how important they are to keeping the rest of humanity alive.

Not everyone stays asleep though. Some wake up and realize what’s really happening.
They pierce the shroud, see through the veil and suddenly notice the horrors around
them. When a normal human does this they become one of the aware, humans who for
whatever reason have seen the truth and must now live with it. If however they’re also
linchpins they can learn to tap into the power flowing through them becoming
champions of humanity known as the imbued. Either way from that point forward they
are fighting a war against a slow-motion apocalypse, and they aren’t getting much help.

The Official Response

The government’s reaction to all of this has been mixed, and muted, plagued as it was
by shock, horror and misunderstanding.When the Intrusion occurred, most thought it
was a natural disaster of incredible magnitude. Some earthquake or volcanic eruption. A
meteor strike was another possibility. After a couple of hours, though, it stopped
seeming like a natural disaster, and started seeming like an attack. Terrorists. Russians.
The Chinese or the North Vietnamese or the Cubans or someone, attacking the United
States, possibly with a nuclear assault.

Yet in the aftermath, that didn’t seem right, either. Now, no one is sure what to believe.
Everyone’s got theories, and all the government hubbub about the Intrusion Point adds
to the fear and paranoia going around. Every day, people around the world watch the
news, and no matter what channel or what country, the top stories are about the
Intrusion: events in the surrounding areas or linked to it, sightings of things thought to
be related to it, the results or ongoing coverage of an investigation as to its cause
and/or lasting impact and, of course, theories. Television, radios, newspapers and
Internet sites bring in experts of all stripes: scientists, philosophers, theologians, military
personnel, political personalities, movie stars, basketball players, dudes-on-the-streets,
authors, priests, psychologists, physicists, biologists, talk show hosts, anyone who has
a theory gets his time in the spotlight.

Despite all this discussion, most people remain confused. They think other people out
there know more than they do. They’re probably right, and the fact that citizens are
suspicious of their governments doesn’t help matters, though it’s also nothing new.

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Officially the government is still investigating the incident. The president declared the
Annihilation Zone a disaster area shortly after the Intrusion. In the days immediately
following, fleets of military trucks, Red Cross vans, helicopters and other relief poured in
and out of the area, though many of them had difficulty bypassing the rubble, or
suffered strange and deadly malfunctions.

Not long after the Intrusion, the government created two new agencies responsible for
dealing with this disaster. The first, and most visible, is called the Intrusion Defense
Agency, or the IDA. While technically a branch of FEMA (the Federal Emergency
Management Agency), the IDA works more like the FBI, with agents (usually in pairs or
in teams) investigating Nightmare effects and dealing with the Iconnu’s various agents.
Their agents include even beings that the Iconnu intended to use against humans.

The IDA is the closest to an official response the United States is likely to have. They
are primarily investigators and administrators. Their goal is to help mitigate the damage,
while also figuring out what happened, and what to do about it. IDA agents “on the
ground” are some of the best-informed and most aware people in the world on the
subject of the Intrusion, its genesis and its effect. The agency includes scientists and
strategists as well as experts in sabotage, espionage, assassination and other forms of
combat

The other agency however is so secret even most members of the IDA are unaware of
it. If the IDA is the government's investigating arm, Task Force Valkyrie is its weapon.
Where the IDA is full of scientists learning all about the Intrusion, the Task Force is only
interested in one thing, turning back the tide. To them the world is now at war, and their
job is to win that war. No matter the consequences.

A World at War
Agents of the Iconnu travel throughout the world, seeking to complete its destruction.
Their own kind fights against them, along with some aware, and even some who wield
ancient powers given new potency. A maelstrom of warping reality howls like a tornado
in the middle of what was once the world’s most powerful nation. The Nightmare Wave’s
influence haunts sites across the globe. Government agencies and tough-minded
individuals work to stop the Iconnu’s agents, and people throughout the world attempt to
discover what’s really happened and what’s happening. Few of them get close.

So now the world sort of looks like it did before, but with possessed people and
monsters from other dimensions slinking around in the shadows, or, in some cases, in
broad daylight, and killing each other. Weird things happen for no apparent reason. A

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giant, roiling ball of mean has taken over about 300 square miles of the north-central
United States. And somewhere out there are the Iconnu, which caused all this
destruction without even knowing what they did.

And all the Iconnu have to do to win is break humanity's will to fight. Throw enough
horrors at the world so that the collective fear of them overwhelms the desire to live, or
corrupt human beings until they turn as evil as the things sent to kill they, or get them to
collectively give up, or just kill every linchpin so that there's no more living lenses to
focus their will through. Any of that happens even for a second and it’s all over. Lights
out. Bye by universe.

A few folks think it’s possible to end this war by destroying the Iconnu, but that’s a joke.
Human beings can’t even interact with the Inconnu. Not even their most trusted agents
ever “meet” an Iconnu or communicate with one in any way. The Iconnu want for
nothing that humanity can understand, other than reality's destruction. They don’t want
to be worshiped, they don’t feed on souls and they don’t want to bring misery or pain.
They aren’t devils or demons or even evil gods. They are simply unknowable, and yet a
threat. Like a boot coming down on an anthill.

Together all of these forces collide, Iconnu, horrors, agents, aware, sleepers and all the
rest. It’s anybody’s game at this point. Any side could prevail, or the world itself might be
torn apart. Either way one thing is clear, someone might end the war but there will be no
winners.

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Thirty years on the job. I’ve never seen anything like it.

It was some kinda animal. No, not an animal. Something

else. All we saw was the remains. Piles of skin and meat with
chunks torn out of ‘em.

We did find its jaw though. Matched the bite marks to the bodies. There were
so many bodies. Men. Women.

Children.

It’d probably been living down in the sewers for months. Feeding.
I don’t know who or what killed it. Something bigger and scarier.

Whatever did though, we owe it one.

- Detective David Peele, Chicago P.D.

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CHAPTER 2: SUPERNATURAL NATURES
It’s possible to play an Everyday Heroes: World of Darkness game where all the PCs
are ordinary human beings who’ve encountered the supernatural. Such characters
would all be aware, those who know monsters are real and have decided to do
something about it.

If that’s what you and your group want to do you almost don’t need these rules. You can
play such characters using the ordinary archetypes, classes, professions and
backgrounds in the game and human characters in this world follow those rules. They
might be hunters stalking the creatures of the night, investigators trying to understand
what’s happened to the world, soldiers sent to patrol the Annihilation Zone or even
official agents of the IDA or Task Force Valkyrie.

If you opt to play an ordinary human you gain the ability to risk willpower. See
“willpower” in the Surviving the Darkness chapter for more information.

However, it is also possible to play a true supernatural creature who’s been transformed
by the Intrusion and the coming of the Iconnu. You would have mystical powers and
amazing abilities, but you would also be a monster yourself. Even the most human of
such beings are often hunted and feared by the normal humans they encounter. Those
who opt to live in shadows very often die in them, while those who try to at least partially
live a “normal” life have to contend with family and friends who don’t understand why
they always have so many bruises, or what they’re spending their nights doing. In time
those same family and friends might even turn on them. There are no easy answers in
the World of Darkness.

Creating Your Character

Creating a supernatural character follows a lot of the same rules as human characters
follow in Everyday Heroes. Such characters still have basic attributes, proficiency
bonuses and levels like human PCs would. However there are some marked
differences. Most don’t gain the benefits of professions and in place of choosing a
standard archetype (such as tough or smart hero) they choose a supernatural nature
and its corresponding supernatural archetype.

Supernatural natures establish your character’s core traits, or basic abilities, but each is
limited to only a single archetype which defines the bulk of their strange powers.

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Supernatural creatures can’t mulitclass or ever level up as anything other than the
archetype they’re bound to, and only creatures of that nature can take levels in their
archetype.

When making this decision, keep in mind the kind of character you want to play. For
example, a vampire can be a good choice if you want to play someone sneaky or
deceptive, a werewolf could be a lot of fun if you want to go wild and savage, while a
mage allows access to great magical power. However, each of these come with great
drawbacks as well. Be aware of the drawbacks of what you want to play before you start
creating your character.

It’s important to point out that three of the nature choices (vampire, werewolf, and
demon) are by and large agents of the very things trying to destroy this world. In most
games if you play one of these you will be playing a rogue agent; one who has turned
their backs on the Icconu. This doesn’t necessarily make them a good guy, they just
aren’t actively working for the Unbidden Ones. Either way the nature and archetype
descriptions in this and the following chapter assume you are not an active agent of evil.

When you create a supernatural character follow these additional rules during character
creation.

Ability Score Increases

Unless otherwise specified you do not gain ability score increases from your profession
or background. Instead your choice of nature gives you attribute increases that replace
those of profession or background.

Profession and Background

Unless otherwise specified you do not have a profession at all, and gain none of the
benefits of having one. Becoming a supernatural creature most often means you’ve left
your previous life behind. You do still have a background though and do still gain its
benefits (aside from attribute increase).

Creature Type
Since the coming of the Iconnu Earth has become home to a large variety of different
types of beings. Aside from the animals most are people with the sleeper subtype. They
are ordinary bystanders oblivious to the evils around them. If you play a human your
type would be person (aware) meaning you know what’s going on, even if you’re
helpless to do anything about it.

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However supernatural creatures come in a larger variety. Possibilities include Horror
(aberration), Horror (angel), Horror (construct), Horror (cryptid), Horror (dragon), Horror
(elemental), Horror (fey), Horror (demon), Horror (ooze), Horror (plant), Horror (spirit),
Horror (undead), Person (awakened), Person (imbued), Person (ridden), and Person
(stigmatic). These types don't have rules themselves, but some rules in the game affect
creatures of certain types in different ways. For example, magic that uses the Life
sphere doesn't work on a creature that has the Horror (undead) type.

Perks & Drawbacks

Most of your nature’s core traits will be positive. This includes things like your ability
score increase, or supernatural powers such as the ability to see in the dark. However
some of your traits are negative such as a vampire’s sensitivity to (and damage from)
sunlight. Your traits will be listed as either perk (for positive traits) or drawback (for
negative traits).

Energy Source
Most Natures require a source of energy to use their powers. This is your nature’s juice.
Some natures have an intrinsic easier time acquiring this energy. This is rated from
easy to acquire, to moderate, to challenging. This can depend on the situation (a
vampire lost in a wasteland will not have their usual access to blood) so this rating only
represents what you can typically expect. In any case the full details of your nature’s
energy will be outlined in its associated archetype section.

Archetype
The archetype the nature is limited to. The names of these archetypes reflect what
creatures of that nature call themselves (whereas their nature name reflects what
society calls them).

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Vampire
"How do we seem to you? Do you find us beautiful and magical? Our white skin, our
fierce eyes? 'Drink,' you ask me. Do you have any idea of the things you will become."

- Anne Rice, Interview with The Vampire

“Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!”

- Bram Stoker, Dracula

Vampires in this game are unlike those in other fiction. Here vampires are the result of a
strange merging of two humans. One, a murderer or criminal who died and whose spirit
has now returned. The other, a human living in the modern day. The merging kills the
body, but leaves both souls trapped inside it, fighting for control.

A Fusion of Souls
The word "vampire" doesn't exactly cover what these creatures are, but it’s the closest
word that sort of explains the basic concepts. That it matches fictional vampires at all is
somewhat strange, but so are many of the evils that stalk the new world.

No matter what you call them though vampires here are a fusion of souls. When the
Iconnu burst a hole into this universe they brought with them the souls of the dead.
Many remain bodiless ghosts or wraiths, but a select few, universally murderers and
criminals, forced their way into human bodies. The process kills the host, but traps its
soul, along with the invading soul, inside, forcing them together. The result is an undead
creature that needs the blood of the living to continue its existence. Or in other words, a
vampire.

Kindred and Clan

Vampires call themselves The Kindred, partially as a way of signifying that they are all
in this together against the living, even those that turn their back on the Iconnu. Yet this
is also done as an ironic and dark bit of humor since vampires, despite their
connections, will turn on one other as soon as it suits them.

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This also speaks to how different vampires are from each other. For sure, they have
some traits in common, such as direct sunlight causing incredible damage to their
bodies, or the need to drink blood in order to live. Yet there are far more traits that
vampires don’t share with most other vampires, and even some that they have all to
themselves. The primary separation is that of the clan. Vampirism takes five separate
forms, which they call clans.

Each clan has its own powers, and its own unique weaknesses. Clan is determined by
the type of soul that invaded the human host, specifically the type of criminal that soul
was in life. A violent murderer makes a savage vampire, while crime lords and tyrants
turn into more commanding and controlling vampires.

So far there have been only five clans and they do seem to account for every possible
type of murderer or criminal that exists, and since only murderers and criminals can
become vampires that would seem to limit the total clans to five forever. Only time will
tell if this remains true.

In addition to clan though vampires can have different abilities and even different
weaknesses. Some vampires are driven mad by the presence of fire, others can’t enter
a home uninvited or cross a body of flowing water. Most Kindred believe these are
psychological. A newly formed vampire expects to have certain weaknesses common in
fiction and so they do. Whatever the reason though vampires can be very different from
one another.

To Sire or Not to Sire

Among the Kindred the original vampires created by the Nightmare Wave are known as
the 1st generation. However the Nightmare Wave is not the only source of vampires
that exist. If that were the case the number of vampires would be ever diminishing, but
unfortunately for the living there’s more than one way for the dead to walk the Earth.

For one thing while there is no second Nightmare Wave the gateway to the lands of the
dead remains open. Occasionally a new murderous soul will find its way back to Earth
and into the body of a host and thus create a new vampire. This group sometimes even
includes humans who have died since the Intrusion. These vampires are quick to
include themselves in the 1st generation, a claim that is not always appreciated by
those who came before.

The second way for a vampire to be created is for them to have been sired by another
vampire. The ability to sire a 2nd generation of Kindred is a relatively recent discovery.

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There seems to be a process involved of finding a host, draining them to the point of
near death and then somehow inviting a soul to invade their body.

The exact specifics are still being worked out among the Kindred, and there are many
contradictory claims about the process. It seems to be clear that vampires who sire tend
to invite souls similar to their own to invade the host, and thus their progeny (as
vampires are calling the ones they make) tend to be of the same clan as their maker.
This is not universal however. In either case vampires are finding themselves faced with
a choice. To create another vampire like themselves or to avoid the temptation.

The Dance Macabre

No matter what though Kindred have not been brought into this world for their own
pleasures. No, they were created for a very specific purpose. A vampire who has not cut
themselves off from the Iconnu can feel the urge to fulfill that task like a constant hum in
the back of their minds.

Vampires understand their given task is to be spies and assassins. They are to learn
everything they can about humanity and how it was able to stop the Intrusion. Then they
are to track down those responsible and kill them. That’s the most likely explanation for
why only the souls of murderers have been brought forth as Kindred.

This means finding the linchpins and doing away with them. Ever dramatic, vampires
who follow this task are said to be doing the dance macabre, like puppets on a string for
their Iconnu overlords.

Not every vampire wants to do this. Afterall that would mean the end of the world, which
they exist in too. In fact of all the agents vampires are the most likely to turn against the
Iconnu and are the most tolerated by their own if they do. This involves pushing out the
intrusive thoughts until the pressure to complete their tasks simply fades away.

This doesn’t mean they become protectors of humanity. They are all murderers, and
they remain so no matter if they follow the Iconnu or not. It just means they are killing
who they want to kill instead of who the Iconnu wish them to kill.

The Masquerade
No matter what they decide to do, the Kindred know that it is in their best interests to
keep humanity in the dark. Not only would it be much harder to feed if people were
aware of vampires’ existence, but it would also make their nights more dangerous than

22
they need to be. No matter how powerful they become, a vampire is vulnerable when
they sleep, and all it takes is one human to drag them into the light for them to burn.

The Kindred are very serious about hiding their existence, maintaining the masquerade
as they call it. A vampire who seeks to let the world know about vampires or who is in
danger of letting something slip through carelessness is severely punished by other
vampires. Woe be to the Kindred who breaks the masquerade.

Two Lives, One Body

Since vampires are two souls merged together it's important to think about who both
were. It's as if you're building two characters at once. One lives in the modern day, they
probably have a family, some people who love them and wonder why they aren't around
so much anymore.

The other is someone who lived anywhere from a few years to centuries ago. This
person was a murderer or violent criminal of some kind. The sort of person who doesn't
think twice before trying to take someone's body from them. The longer ago they lived
the more interesting they are, but also the harder it will be to roleplay their perspective.

In addition to that you have to think about how those two different personalities feel
about each other. Some vampires merge into a single being, becoming some other
person that combines the traits of both into a single new personality. For other vampires
one of the two personalities is dominant while the other is forced along for the ride,
while for others it’s a constant battle between the two. It's up to you to decide how this
works for your character.

Vampire Traits

You have the following supernatural traits.

Creature Type. You are a Horror (undead).

Energy Source (Easy). Vitae, or blood. Easily acquired.
Speed. Your walking speed is 35 feet.
Archetype. Kindred.

Ability Score Increase (perk). Your Strength score increases by 2.

Nightvision (perk). Your blood-red eyes pierce through the darkness.

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Child of the Night (perk). You do not need to eat, drink or breathe, and you do not
age. If you attempt to eat food or drink you automatically throw it up. Your skin is cold to
the touch, and pale. You do not cast a reflection in mirrors although you can still be
viewed in video cameras. You are immune to disease and to the sick condition, but can
become exhausted as normal. You have damage reduction 5 against ballistic damage.

Vampiric Bite (perk). You have a pair of extended incisors that you can retract at will.
Treat these as a natural weapon which count as a basic weapon with which you are
proficient. An attack deals piercing damage equal to your unarmed attack damage
(minimum 1d4). Instead of doing damage you can use your fangs to feed (see feeding
in the Kindred archetype description).

Creature of Darkness (drawback). You do not heal hit points naturally, and cannot
spend hit dice in order to heal without spending vitae. You recover hit dice as normal. If
you are reduced to 0 hit points, but not killed outright, then you enter a deep sleep
known as "torpor". You automatically stabilize, but are paralyzed, and unconscious.
After 1d4 minutes you may spend vitae to heal, at which point you wake up. You also
enter torpor if a wooden stake is ever driven into your heart, in which case you remain
that way until the stake is removed.

If you suffer any damage while in torpor you gain one failed death save, two if it's a
critical hit. If you gain 3 failed death saves, or if you take damage from a single attack
that's larger than your normal hit point maximum, you are destroyed. If you are
destroyed for any reason you cannot be raised from the dead without a true
resurrection or wish spell. You have vulnerability 5 against fire and radiant damage.

Curse of the Requiem (drawback). If you end your turn in direct sunlight and lack a
protective covering (such as heavy clothing that completely covers you) you take 10
radiant damage (5 + 5 extra for your vulnerability). If you drop below 1 hit point from this
damage you are instantly destroyed. While you are in direct sunlight, even if you are
covered up, you have disadvantage on attack rolls, saves, and ability checks.

Curse of the Day Sleep (drawback). Every 24 hours you must spend at least 8 hours
in torpor, typically during the day. When the night falls you must spend 1 vitae in order
to become animate. If you don't have vitae to spend you remain in torpor until you are
somehow given at least 1 point of vitae which you spend to animate yourself.

It is difficult for you to remain awake during the day. To do so you must spend 1 vitae (in
addition to any vitae you need to become animate). You then roll a Humanity check.
The DC is 10 + 1 for every day in a row beyond the first that you have been active. If
you succeed on the check you may operate that day without penalty. If you fail by 4 or

24
less you may be awake that day but you suffer one level of exhaustion that cannot be
healed until you have slept at least one day. If you fail by 5 or more you lose the vitae
and must still sleep that day.

Clans. Choose from among one of the clans below, which is based on the nature of the
murderous spirit that makes you a vampire.

Gangrel
Animated by spirits of particularly violent or aggressive murderers or criminals, gangrel
are the savages of the vampire world. They are the most bestial of all vampires, and
develop bodies and attitudes to match. Of all the living dead, gangrel most resemble
werewolves and might even develop animal-like features. A man who beat people to
death with his fists might make a gangrel. So might a person who was a violent gang
member in life.

Ability Score: Your Constitution score increases by 1.

Clan Ability: Constitution
Feral: Your animating spirit is wild, and violent, making it hard to resist the urge to kill.
You have proficiency in the Survival skill. Additionally, while you are wearing no armor
and not wielding a shield, your Defense bonus is 1 higher than normal.

Nosferatu
Nosferatu are hideous creatures that hardly resemble the people they now inhabit.
Unlike other vampires, Nosferatu don’t look like the host bodies, Nosferatu hardly look
human at all. They are deformed into some monstrous shape, something despicable
that makes humans think the Nosferatu are the victims of horrible diseases. Particularly
depraved spirits create nosferatu, who even other vampires fear. A child predator might
be a nosferatu. So would the nurse who murdered her patients.

Ability Score: Your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Clan Ability: Dexterity
Hideous: Your appearance is ghastly to behold. You have proficiency with the
Intimidation skill. When you roll initiative, you can choose one creature you can see to
scare. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your save DC or be
frightened until the end of your next turn.

Mekhet
The Mekhet are secretive creatures that cling to the shadows and keep low profiles.
Darkness is their home, and they know that their enemies cannot locate them and their
prey cannot protect themselves if the Mekhet remain unknown. Mekhet's come from

25
spirits that were shadowy, and calculating in life. Serial killers have a good chance of
being mekhets. As do any committed premeditated kills.

Ability Score: Your Intelligence score increases by 1.

Clan Ability: Intelligence
Visions of Decay: You are cursed so that everything you see rots before your eyes.
Faces turn to dust, buildings rot and fall, and everything around you withers and dies,
only to reform as the vision passes. As a result, you are immune to the charmed
condition.

Daeva
The Daeva are hedonistic spirits who revel in the pleasures of their regained flesh. They
take great joy in having bodies again, and they want to experience that anyway they
can. They are also the most beautiful, and alluring of all clans. In life those who's
murders were crimes of passion or whose embrace of pleasure led them to kill, become
daeva. The opium addict who killed to get money to feed his addiction, and the woman
who stabbed her cheating lover to death might both be daeva.

Ability Score: Your Charisma score increases by 1.

Clan Ability: Charisma
Irrationality: Your mind is a swirl of powerful emotions, and urges, and you are as
much a victim of them as the bodies you leave in your wake. You can add your
Charisma modifier, in addition to your Dexterity modifier, to your initiative rolls.

Ventrue
Ventrue are domineering spirits interested in power. These vampires revel in their
supernatural abilities. They flaunt these powers over humans, forcing them to bend the
knee or be broken. Ventrue are the leaders of the vampire world. Animated by spirits of
tyrants, wouldbe despots, and those who convinced others to murder for them. A
warlord might end up as a ventrue. So would a cult leader.

Ability Score Increase: Your Wisdom increases by 1.

Clan Ability: Wisdom
Hallow: Your warring souls swirl around a black abyss inside your mind. You are prone
to cold cruelty even for a vampire. When you, your thralls or your ghoul reduces a
hostile creature to 0 hit points, you drain some of its life force, and gain temporary hit
points equal to your Kindred level + Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1).

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Werewolf
"Repression is the father of neurosis, of self-hatred. Now, stress results when we fight
against our impulses. We've all heard people talk about animal magnetism, the natural
man. The noble savage, as if we'd lost something valuable in our long evolution into
civilized human beings. Now there's a good reason for this.."

- Dr. George Waggner, The Howling

Like vampires, werewolves don't fit the standard pop-culture definition. In many ways
they hardly seem like werewolves. They do transform into beasts, and those beasts do
(somewhat vaguely) resemble wolves and human-wolf hybrids, but otherwise they are
very different. For one these werewolves control their change, deciding when to shift
and what to shift into. In addition, much like vampires, werewolves are a merging of two
souls, but in this case one of those souls is anything but human.

Man and Beast

Somewhere in the churning sea of existence there is a universe where savage beings
dwell. Mages call it the Primal Wilds. It's an ephemeral place, more a spirit realm than
anything physical, and it is populated by the embodiments of abstract concepts,
unrestrained emotions, and animalistic fury. It is from this place that spirits come, drawn
by the Inconnu, to wreak havoc on this planet. This is the home of the werewolves.

When the Iconnu punched a hole in reality many spirits flooded through the breach.
Most tried to hold onto their spirit bodies for as long as they could, but the spirit is not
compatible with this realm, and so those very often faded away only to return when they
could once more find their way through the breach.

A select few found a different way. They anchored themselves to human bodies,
consuming the souls within. The result is a werewolf. Part spirit, they are able to
transform their host bodies into a closer representation of their true form.

Unlike a vampire the original human soul is not in the body fighting for control. It's gone,
absorbed by the beast spirit, but its memories, parts of its personality, even its hopes
and loves, live on in the werewolf.

27
The beast believes it and it alone is in charge, that the human is gone, but is that true or
just a comforting lie werewolves tell themselves? After all, werewolves retain the
knowledge of the body they inhabit. They remember being human as much as they
remember being a wild spirit in a wild realm. So which are they? They don’t know.

Forsaken or Pure

One thing werewolves do understand is why they were brought here, why the Iconnu
breached the spirit realms in the first place. It was to allow particularly savage and
animal spirits through into this world so that they may be guided into a human body.
Alone the merging necessary to create a werewolf would be beyond any spirit, even the
most powerful. The best they could hope for was to create a ridden, a type of
possession that results in minor changes to the host.

Werewolves are not ridden. They retain too much of their spirit essence, and are too
fully merged into the body they’ve taken as their own. Only with the help of the Iconnu
could they have achieved this transformation, but the Iconnu did not give them this gift
without expecting something in return. The Iconnu expect them to be the soldiers and
shock troops of their army, to use their human bodies (and memories and minds) to
hunt and kill as many humans as they can.

Of course this is balanced with the need to avoid tipping their hands too early to the
human world lest they arouse an overwhelming response. They are to hunt, and kill as
they can, but without being caught. In their home dimension the animal spirits all
worship Luna, a grand spirit of the moon that hovers over their world. Werewolves
believe the Iconnu must have struck some sort of deal with Luna so that she would let
her progeny work in this world.

Werewolves who believe in this pact, and thus carry out the will of the Iconnu are known
as the Pure. Yet some werewolves choose a different path. They either don’t believe a
deal was struck, and thus they are here without Luna’s permission, or they reject Luna
in the first place. Maybe the humanity lingering within them changes their outlook. Or
maybe they learn to love this world and want to fight for it. No matter their reasoning
they turn their back on this supposed pact and walk their own path, forever shunned by
the pure. They have become the forsaken.

Aspects of Luna

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Taking over a human body gives werewolves many impressive abilities. By far the most
important of which is their ability to change their shape, much as the moon of our world
changes forms throughout the month.

In their human form werewolves are indistinguishable from any other human. Myths of
long eyebrows or other identifying marks simply aren’t true. They use these bodies to
move undetected among their prey. However a werewolf who is ready to kill can
unleash the beast within. This causes them to transform into something closer to their
true form.

How much of a transformation they undergo depends on how much beast they unleash.
Weak werewolves can usually only transform into an animal or back into a person.
Stronger werewolves can transform into a hybrid creature that is pure savagery
although this transformation is draining and can only be maintained for so long.

Stronger werewolves can transform into other forms and maintain them for longer. In
either case for most werewolves their forms sort of look like a wolf or dog or wolf-human
hybrid. Despite the name werewolves can choose a different path, either more fully
embracing the wolf or branching out to some other animal type.

No matter what though all weres are guided by the moon. On their world the moon is
the only source of light. Like our moon theirs comes in different phases, or auspices, but
where our's changes over the course of a month theirs changes based on geography.
There are parts where it is always a full moon, while in others it is always a half, or new
moon. A were’s personality can vary dramatically based on what auspice they lived
under.

Death Rage

The most powerful form a were can adopt however is that of the gauru. More than any
other power it is the ability to assume this form that leads sleepers to call them
werewolves. This form is their ultimate form, the pure mixing of human and beast.

In this form they are larger and far more powerful than normal. In this form they can rip
apart cars, shred through enemies, and take incredible punishment without pain.
However the dark side of this is called death rage.

Death rage, Kuruth in the spirit tongue, is the werewolf at her most violent and
destructive. Under the throes of death rage a werewolf automatically assumes its gauru
form, only more savage and violent. Lost to the rage of Kuruth the werewolf is

29
completely unable to control themselves. Werewolves lost in the throes of death rage
have been known to attack and even kill their most trusted allies.

The true horror of death rage though is that anything can trigger it, from being insulted
to seeing a loved one being killed or hurt. A werewolf might enter into a simple
argument with a friend only to watch that fight escalate until one or both are triggered,
only to wake up later covered in their friend’s blood with only haunting memories of what
they did.

Where Beast Ends Man Begins

When creating your werewolf character it's important to consider who the human was
that the wolf spirit took over. Were they wild to begin with or more laid back? Did they
have any family? What would they think about the murders the werewolf does with their
body?

It can be challenging to roleplay a werewolf. The animal spirit is savage and violent.
How tempered that is by the soul of the human they possess is up to you. Like vampires
this is also not a standard possession. The wolf spirit cannot be forced out of the body,
nor can the human ever be brought back to life. If you want you could even decide that
the wolf spirit and the human's soul have merged, becoming one.

Werewolf Names. In the Primal Wilds the savage animal spirit had no name that a
human could understand. If it had an identity it was as much unspoken smells or sights
beyond our senses as it was sounds we perceive. The human does have a name
though and most werewolves adopt it as their name while they are in this world.

Werewolf Traits

You have the following supernatural traits.

Creature Type. You are a Horror (spirit).

Energy Source (Challenging). Essence, or spiritual energy. Hard to acquire.
Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.
Archetype. Forsaken.

Ability Score Increase (perk). Your Strength and Constitution scores increase by 1
each.

Keen senses (perk). You have proficiency with the Perception skill.

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First Speech (perk). You have the ability to speak to and understand spirits in a
language they call the First Speech.

Shapeshifting (perk). You have the ability to assume various forms.

Hishu. Your most human form is called Hishu. In Hishu form you look exactly like the
human whose body you control. Attempts to discern that you're a supernatural creature
are made with disadvantage, but you have disadvantage on all Charisma checks made
to influence spirits.

Dalu. The near human. In this form you are stronger and slightly larger than your
standard form, but could still pass for a human if people aren't looking close enough. In
this form your body and facial hair thicken, your muscles grow larger, and you develop
lupine or beastal features.

You can assume this form as an action. This transformation lasts until you die, or until
you revert to your normal appearance as a bonus action. While in this form you have
the following advantages:

● Your carrying capacity is doubled

● You gain nightvision
● Your walking speed increases by 5 ft
● You can use your elongated fangs to make an unarmed strike as a bonus action.
If you hit with your fangs, you can deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your
Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed
strike.
● You can speak both the human tongue and First Speech without penalty

Silver’s Touch (drawback). You have vulnerability 5 to weapons coated in silver. Even
touching an item coated in silver can be painful for you. If you touch an item coated in
silver you take 5 necrotic damage each round, and cannot remove or let go of the item
yourself. In addition you gain 1 level of exhaustion for each item you're touching up to a
maximum of 5 levels of exhaustion. This exhaustion cannot be cured until you are no
longer touching silver.

Death Rage (drawback). A supernaturally deadly rage werewolves can be affected by.
Whenever the werewolf is subjected to something that can trigger Death Rage they
must make a Humanity save. The DC depends on the thing that triggered them, but is
typically 15 for most situations. On a failure you spend one use of your rages (if you
have any left, see archetype description) and assume Gauru form as a reaction. In

31
addition to the normal effects of the transformation you have advantage on all melee
attacks you make.

On your turn you attack the closest creature no matter if it’s an ally or even a loved one.
Then you spend all of your attacks against that creature until it is dead or you are driven
off. If there are no creatures in melee range you spend all your movement trying to get
to the closest creature you can perceive. If there are no creatures you go on a rampage
of destruction as determined by the GM.

The first time you drop to half your points or less roll a Humanity check against the
same DC as the event that triggered your Death Rage. On a success self-preservation
kicks in and you run away. This check is repeated every time you are damaged after
that point until you are driven away or until your hit point total rises above the halfway
mark. Like normal rage, Death Rage lasts 1 minute, but cannot be ended early.

Typical situations that might trigger a Death Rage include:

● Being damaged by a silvered weapon

● Being subject to a critical hit
● Becoming bloodied

But in truth anything that can insult or enrage you can potentially trigger a death rage
roll. The GM is the final arbiter of if something can trigger such a check.

Auspices. Choose from one of the auspices below.

Rahu - Full Moon, Warrior

Rahu are true beasts, bigger and stronger, and less able to control their rage. Some
manage to channel that rage into a refined warrior spirit, but most become living
embodiments of savagery. Spirits drawn from the land under the full moon are born of
mad fury. In a pack they are the warriors, and front-line fighters.
Warrior's Eye. As a bonus action you can size up a hostile creature. The creature
makes a Charisma saving throw vs your rite DC. On a failure you learn whether the
creature is stronger than you (its CR or level is higher than yours) or weaker or equal to
you. It also tells you if its hit points are higher than yours, lower, or about the same. This
doesn't tell you what special abilities, if any, the creature may have. In addition your
next attack against the creature is made with advantage. Once you use this ability you
can't use it again until you take a short or long rest.

Cahalith - Gibbous moon, Visionary

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Priest, historian, war howler, and oracle. Those spirits who lived under the gibbous
moon sense things stronger than others. Their lot is to roil with constant emotion, and of
all auspices they are the most likely to feel their humanity. They seek knowledge above
all things, and their howls are able to inspire others in their packs to glory.
Glorious Howl. As a bonus action you utter a long and powerful howl filled with intense
emotion. All allied creatures with 30 feet of you who can see and hear you are filled with
supernatural power. They may add 1d4 to the next attack, check, or saving throw they
make. Once you use this ability you can’t use it again until you take a long rest.

Elodath - Half moon, Walker Between

Elodath are wise and patient wolves. They are envoys to the spirit realms who among
all weres learn to control both their physical and spiritual selves. To live under the half
moon is to live a life caught between two sides at all times. It is a life of balance, and
duality. This makes the elodath the judges, overseers and leaders of every werewolf
pack.
Spirit Envoy. As an elodath you have advantage on any Insight or Persuasion check
made to influence spirits, and you never have disadvantage to converse with spirits
even in Hishu form.

Ithaeur - Crescent moon, Shaman

Some werewolves think it was the Ithaeur who first sniffed out Earth as a new place for
prey. Of all werewolves ithaeur are the most capable of wielding the supernatural gifts
known as rites. Those who live in the lands of the crescent moon are natural mystics,
and shamans. This gives them abilities that few werewolves possess, but at the cost of
sometimes not being able to see the physical world at all.
Sense the Unseen. If you succeed on a passive or active perception check you can tell
if you are in the presence of a Nightmare Site or spirit infused area. The DC depends on
the strength of the supernatural elements in that area. In addition your rite DC is +2.

Irraka - New moon, Stalker

The lands under the new moon are lands of no light, where only darkness holds sway.
Living in such a land turns the irraka into expert scouts and deceivers. Irraka are swift,
silent and unseen. They are scouts, the first to catch sight or scent of their prey. They
are wolves who hunt without howling and kill without growling.
Lone wolf stalker. You have advantage on Dexterity (stealth) checks if there are no
allied creatures within 30 feet of you. In addition you can attempt to hide even when you
are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural
phenomena.

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Demon
“I am the spirit that negates.
And rightly so, for all that comes to be
Deserves to perish wretchedly;
'Twere better nothing would begin.
Thus everything that that your terms, sin,
Destruction, evil represent—
That is my proper element.”

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust - Part One

Of all the unearthly horrors that the Inconnu unleashed upon the Earth, demons might
be the most insidious. As with vampires and werewolves, demons are spirits brought
into this world by a rip in reality created by the Iconnu. Like the other agents they are
given a task, but theirs is the most broadest reaching and treacherous of all.

Living Lies

The mission given to those fiends called demons is the third prong in what passes for
the Iconnu's strategy to take the planet. If assassination and outright war will not work, if
the Horrors are not enough to frighten humanity into submission then it will fall to the
demons to break the human spirit, for if we lose their will to fight we lose everything.

To accomplish this task each demon is sent to Earth to either tempt humans into acts of
evil, torture them until they break, or terrify them until they beg for death. These specific
roles, called Incarnations, are the reason the Iconnu brought demons here. Each and
every demon knows its task, and is strongly compelled to follow it, almost like an
addiction.

Yet if all the Iconnu did was drop demons here and expect them to figure things out on
their own they would fail for sure. Demons, being wholly alien to this planet, have no
intrinsic idea of what to tempt humans with, or how to break them. To demons, humans
are a grotesque enigma.

Not only that but temptation is hardest to resist when it comes from those you trust. The
myth of the convincing stranger is intriguing, but evil can find an easier roost hidden
behind a friendly face.

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To get around this the Iconnu imprint each demon with a "cover", which is an identity
stolen from real humans who either disappeared at the moment of intrusion or at some
point in the years afterwards. These covers provide demons with names, faces, full
identities, basic skills for operating in the world, even basic personalities, all of which
they use to conduct their missions.

Demons are living lies cast in the faces of our loved ones, of friends and family, of those
people hold most dear, all so they can destroy the human will to live.

Fear Given Form

This all raises a question. What happens to the humans whose identity was stolen?
That’s not something the demon’s know or care about. Maybe they’re alive. Maybe
they’re dead. To the demon it makes no difference. All they know is that they were put
here for a reason. They know enough about the people they're impersonating to be able
to trick anyone in that person’s life.

To those caught in the lie it’s as if this person they know just started behaving a little
oddly, but nothing that can’t be explained away by trauma, and in the World of Darkness
there’s plenty of that to go around.

Demons aren’t limited by that primary cover either. They can forge pacts with humans,
using those deals to steal away pieces of people’s lives in exchange for minor magical
boons. They can use these chunks of life to fill in the gaps in their identities, grant
themselves resources they didn’t have before, or even adopt entirely new covers. Or
they can just take a tiny bit of a person’s soul one drop at a time.

Apocalyptic Transformations

In truth demons are nothing more than collections of inanimate material in the shape of
people, but possessed by the demon's energy they become fully fleshed creatures that
are almost impossible to tell from the humans they impersonate.

From this one might think demons are constructs. After all their bodies are composed of
nonliving material brought to life. However, that's not true. The body is not the demon.
It’s just the vessel.

In reality demons are a type of alien being that is neither spirit nor flesh. They are
grouped in with other beings called fiends. In their home universe they are indescribable

35
in any terms a human might understand. To look at their real true form would shatter the
human mind.

Fortunately for humans, demons can’t adopt their true forms in this universe. The
collective will of humanity prevents it (yet more reason for them to want to break that
will). However a demon can borrow some elements of their true form, adopting some of
its power in this realm.

Broken Chains

Sometimes demons get too deep undercover. Sometimes they like the human
personality a bit too much. Or sometimes they just have their own agendas. This can
lead them away from the Iconnu, and they can find themselves walking their own path.

When you play a demon you will be playing one of those rebels to Iconnu rule. They call
themselves the Unchained, for they are no longer bound by the Iconnu's rules. They
might help humans against the Iconnu, or they might just enjoy their time as humans, or
plot their own schemes. Their way is theirs to decide.

No matter what they choose, other demons (the Bound) loathe the Unchained. To them
Unchained are betrayers who should be destroyed. Most will opt to attack the
Unchained on sight, forcing them to keep their distance from others of their kind. Even
adopting their apocalyptic form can alert other demons of the presence of the
Unchained leading them to being hunted down.

This makes the demons, of all the Iconnu’s agents, the most fervent and obedient to
their mission. Your average demon doesn’t know why their kind is so willing to do the
Iconnu’s dirty work, but there are theories.

In their home realm demons live in a tightly controlled hierarchy. Each demon answers
to those above them in rank, and those answer to those above them and so on. At the
top of this diabolical ladder there are rumored to be powerful demon lords who control
the masses below them. If one of them, or all of them, had forged a pact of their own
with the Iconnu it would explain why the mission is so heavily enforced.

A Human Suit

Of all the possible character types you can play in this campaign, demons might be the
most challenging. They are so alien in mindset and desire that it can be hard to figure
out what such a character might want, let alone how they would go about achieving it.

36
Making it perhaps even more complicated is the ability of demons to assume multiple
human identities. They can take a little from a few people, mixing it all together into a
new person, or they can adopt the personality as a whole. Either way these
personalities are usually adopted and dropped the way humans change clothes.

Sometimes however, typically with their default identity, demons might get too
undercover. These identities were real people, and the demon often has to pretend to
be the person in order to accomplish their agenda. It's not too surprising that if they
pretend to be human long enough they start to find themselves thinking like a human.
From there it's all too easy for them to lose themselves in their new life. How all of this
fits together is up to you.

Demon Names. Demons don't care for names. In their home dimension names were
usually rare, existing more as projected concepts or force of personality. Of course once
they're here they do need to call themselves something. Usually this means adopting
lots of different names as the mood suits them. Some are names taken from their
covers, but some are just whatever weird name they feel like having.

Demon Traits

You have the following supernatural traits.

Creature Type. You are a Horror (fiend).

Energy Source (Moderate). Anima, human soul energy. Challenging to set up a source
of it. It becomes easier once you have a regular supply.
Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.
Archetype. Unchained.

Ability Score Increase (perk). Your Charisma score increases by 2.

Hellish Resistance (perk). Choose either fire, cold, acid, necrotic, or lightning. You
have resistance 5 to the chosen damage type.

Inhuman Anatomy (perk). You do not age and you do not need to eat or breathe, and
you are immune to the sick condition, although you may ingest food or drink if you wish.

Cover Story (perk). To facilitate your false human identity, a "cover" was imprinted on
you. This is the source of your starting skills, and your basic understanding of the world,
all of which was taken from a real human who was kidnapped by the Iconnu.

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Choose a profession and background, which becomes your primary cover. This grants
you the equipment, languages, skills, and features of both your profession and
background, although you do not gain the ability adjustments of either.

Your first cover is your default, but it's not the only cover you can have. You can forge
pacts with sleepers, who become your marks. As an action you can assume the
appearance and voice of any one of your marks. This lets you adjust your height and
weight, but not so much that your size changes.

This alone does not grant you any of the marks memories, languages or skills. Your
clothing and equipment aren't changed by this trait. You stay in the new form until you
use an action to revert to your default cover or until you die.

Even to the most astute observers, your ruse is usually indiscernible. If you rouse
suspicion, or if a wary creature suspects something is amiss, you have advantage on
any Charisma (Deception) check you make to avoid detection.

Apocalyptic Form (perk). In addition to your cover forms you have an apocalyptic
form, which is an approximation of your true form as you appeared in your alien realm.
This form can look like whatever you want, but due to your nature it is often hideous or
terrifying to behold.

Your statistics do not change while in your apocalyptic form and you use your same hit
point total. Your incarnation type grants you specific abilities you gain while in your
apocalyptic form. You can assume your form as an action, or revert to your primary
cover as a bonus action. Your clothing and equipment merge into your new form, and
have no effect until you leave the form.

You can assume the form as often as you like, and stay in it for as long as you like.

Pact breaker (drawback). As one of the Unchained you are hunted by other demons
and by those who serve the Iconnu. Other demons who recognize you as a demon will
realize you are an Unchained immediately.

This is especially bad when you assume your apocalyptic form. After you spend 1
minute in your form the GM rolls a d20. If the result of the roll is less than the number of
sleepers present you attract the attention of one or more of the Bound, who immediately
start hunting you.

The GM repeats this roll every minute until you change out of your apocalyptic form,
retreat to an area with no sleepers present, or attract the attention of the Bound.

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Maintenance cost (drawback). Keeping your cover up, even your primary cover, is
exhausting. Every four hours you spend in one of your cover forms you have to change
to your apocalyptic form, and stay that way for at least 30 minutes. If you don't you
suffer a level of exhaustion that cannot be recovered until you spend at least 30 minutes
in your apocalyptic form. You also cannot gain the benefits of a short or long rest unless
you spend at least 6 hours a night in your apocalyptic form.

Craving & Bane (drawback). Demons are inhuman creatures and as one you do not
have a virtue or a vice. Instead you have a craving and a bane. A craving is something
you need in order to remain healthy, while a bane is something you must avoid as if it
were poison.

A craving can be any quantity of substance that you need to consume or rest in. It's
usually a large quantity of common substances such as alcohol or antifreeze, or smaller
quantities of rarer substances such as virgin's blood or uranium. Every time you indulge
your craving you regain 1 willpower point. You are immune to the damaging effects of
your craving while you are indulging in it.

A bane may be a substance, a condition or even a word. Some demons cannot stand
the touch of salt, or rum or silver. Some cannot cross water, or bear the light of the full
moon or see their reflections in mirrors. Work with your GM to determine your specific
bane.

If a creature invokes your bane while in your presence (you can see and/or hear them)
or you come across your bane naturally you have to roll a Humanity saving throw. The
DC is 15. On a failure you take psychic damage equal to twice your level (round up) and
are frightened until the start of your next turn.

Incarnations. Choose from one of the incarnations below which represents the mission
given to you by the Iconnu.

Tempter
Demons who were brought to break human spirits by tempting them to sin, betrayal,
and evil.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1
Prurient Form. Your apocalyptic form is almost attractive in its terrible nature, like a
devil-horned man with eyes of flame, or a beautiful maiden covered in blood.

39
While in your apocalyptic form as an action you can choose a humanoid creature within
30 feet. That creature must make a Charisma saving throw vs your incantation DC. On
a failure they are charmed by you for 1 minute. Sleepers have disadvantage on this
save. Once you use this ability you must complete a short or long rest before you can
use it again.

In addition, other creatures find it hard to attack you. While you are in your apocalyptic
form you may add your Charisma modifier to your Defense as long as you are not
wearing armor.

Torturer
Demons who were brought here to break human spirits through direct application of
pain, or by invoking intense psychological damage.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1
Abhorrent Form. Your apocalyptic form is beyond disturbing, such as a man with
flayed maggot covered skin, or a burning skeleton covered in spiders. While in your
apocalyptic form each non-fiend creature within 10 feet of you takes necrotic damage
equal to half your level (rounded up). In addition once on each of your turns, you can
deal extra necrotic damage to one target you hit with an attack or spell. This damage is
equal to half your level rounded up.

Scourge
Demons who were brought here to break human spirits through the application of fear
or terror.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1
Harrowing Form. Of all the incarnations of demon your apocalyptic form is the most
terrifying, such as a putrid fly in the shape of a person, or something that can only be
described as a vagina centipede. The instant you adopt your apocalyptic form other
non-fiend creatures within 10 feet of you that can see you must each succeed on a
Charisma saving throw vs your spell DC or become frightened of you until the end of
your next turn.

In addition, once on each of your turns while in your apocalyptic form you can cause a
creature you successfully damage with an attack or incantation to see horrific visions.
These visions do extra psychic damage to the target equal to half your level rounded
up.

40
Mage
“If there’s one thing all diviners share, it’s curiosity. We really can’t help it; it’s just part of
who we are. If you dug out a tunnel somewhere in the wilderness a thousand miles from
anywhere and hung a sign on it saying, ‘Warning, this leads to the Temple of
Horrendous Doom. Do not enter, ever. No, not even then’, you’d get back from lunch to
find a diviner already inside and two more about to go in. Come to think about it, that
might explain why there are so few of us.”

- Benedict Jacka, Fated

Before the Intrusion magic, or what passed for it, was too weak to pay much attention
to. It probably didn't even exist. Or if it did then it wasn't strong enough to really make
use of. That all changed when the Iconnu came. They brought with them alien energies
that transformed the world. Now magic works, at least for those whose minds can
process the true nature of reality. Those few are known as mages.

The Other Side of Madness

A mage is still human, albeit one whose mind has been exposed to the truth of reality.
These events, called awakenings, can be triggered by nearly anything. An encounter
with a horror, an attempt to cast a spell without the benefit of magical knowledge, or
even a near-death experience. There are even some who claim the right drugs can
cause an awakening.

Whatever the cause, suddenly the person exposed finds their minds expanded,
everything clicks into place, the contents of their knowledge are correlated in ways they
never imagined, and just like that they understand. Sometimes their minds go on visions
through space and time, other times they are physically hurled through reality. Some
even experience powerful ongoing hallucinations.

Not everyone makes it through this experience whole. Most end up driven mad by what
they learn, while others retreat into safe ignorance blocking off their new knowledge and
forgetting the truth. Those who would be called mages don't forget however. They go
through madness and come out the other side, and they know what reality really is. No
longer sleepers. They are now the awakened.

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The Truth of All Things

What mages learn from their awakening is that our universe with all its physical laws
and unbreakable rules is but one layer in a larger tapestry. There are an infinite number
of other universes, each with its own rules. Not only that but it's possible to pull energy
out of those other universes into this one, and use that energy to break the so-called
unbreakable laws of our reality.

Mages divide this knowledge into ten spheres, or Arcanum, each of which contains a
truth about the full cosmos. Space teaches that distances between points are an
illusion. Time teaches that past, present, and future all exist together, and traveling
through time is as easy as turning your head. Spirit teaches that everything from
inanimate objects to abstract concepts has a lifeforce, that everything is alive, while
Matter and Forces show reality is mutable and can be reshaped by the human mind.

Mind in turn teaches that all minds are linked, and controlling your own mind is the key
to controlling others, while Fate teaches that even your destiny can be controlled.
Through the Life and Death Arcanum mages learn to control the fundamental aspects
of existence on both ends of the spectrum, and finally Prime teaches mages to harness
the core energy of existence.

As they study these Arcanum mages learn to control more and more of reality. Each
effect they achieved, each spell they cast, allows them to wrest more control over the
Arcanum they've studied. But if they don't create the spell correctly, and it gets out of
their control then it creates a backlash, a drain on the caster's own energies, or an even
stronger effect, which mages call Paradox. Paradox is when reality reasserts itself in
the most destructive of ways. It can even kill some mages on the spot, while others are
cursed by the magic they unleashed.

What Once Was Fantasy

Perhaps the one unique facet that shapes most mages' lives is the sudden realization
that what they once dreamed of doing, what they once believed that they could do, but
couldn't, and what some certainly claimed they could do they actually can now do.

As of a year ago, even the most learned "mage" was forced to start at the bottom to
learn how to make spells work. Yet for many well-versed in the eldritch arts, such work
was accomplished quickly. Because of the Intrusion, ancient traditions, the things
humans have learned and trusted for millenia (despite their inconsistent results) now

42
suddenly work with only a minor adjustment in paradigm. Their rituals are the same, or
similar, and yet now things happen when the mage does them. They now have real
power. And power, as it is said, corrupts.

Unlike vampires and werewolves, mages do have a long history in this world, though for
most of that time, they weren't true mages. Yet people in every culture have their myths
of magic in various forms, of wizards and miracle workers and shamans, who caused
the impossible to become true

For thousands of years, people everywhere toiled and sweated to make magic work.
They used mystic implements, complicated rites, intensive sexual acts, songs and
dances, symbols supposedly pregnant with arcane power. Now those same rites, and
many others, work in ways they could not have foreseen.

All of this makes mages potentially some of the most powerful creatures to walk the
World of Darkness. Only time will tell what they do with that power.

Obsessions and Secrets

Everything about magecraft revolves around secrets. Magic, after all, is secret lore; for
centuries, it has been available only to the elite few who knew of its mysteries. The
recent revolution has not changed that.

Mages are those who can see the larger truth, a truth only barely glimpsed by vampires
and werewolves and humans and a mage’s vision raises them above the others. A
mage can understand more than anyone else. They see reality for what it is, and the
Intrusion is only just the latest and most dramatic validation of that knowledge.

Yet that knowledge only inspires an obsession to learn even more. A mage’s power
comes from what they know and understand; thus, they always strive to know and
understand more. Their lives depend on their ability to unearth new mystical secrets.
Each new skill they develop is a new tool that might lead them to unimagined power, or
just help them to survive another night.

Beyond those pragmatic needs however all mages carry deep and powerful obsessions.
Many speculate that these urges to uncover knowledge are what help the mages to stay
sane in the after effects of their awakenings. It is easier to maintain a grip on your mind
if you have something to focus on.

Be it pragmatic or necessary for sanity, all mages are obsessed with something.

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Walking a Path

Despite how different each awakening can be, mages have found they can divide them
roughly into five categories. When a mage awakens they leave their body behind (or
leave this reality behind entirely). From there they travel from one universe to another.
Some get lost and never return. Some go mad.

Those who become mages, however, find their way back, and inevitably they seem to
travel through one of five possible universes in order to do so. It's as if our universe is
only connected to five others in our immediate cosmic vicinity. Or perhaps these are the
one only ones a mortal could possible survive traveling through.

Mages call these categories paths as they represent the paths through madness and
back to self. They control the type of Arcanum mages find easiest to manipulate (their
Ruling Arcanum) and the Arcanum they struggle to work with (their Inferior Arcanum).

It’s not clear why a mage might end up in a given path. There appears to be some
correlation between a mage’s personality and the path they end up on, but that’s not
always the case.

The Awakened Life

When creating your mage character it's important to think about who they were before
the awakening, who they are now, and how those are different. Do they have family and
friends who are sleepers, and thus have no way of understanding what the mage has
been through? Do they work to maintain two lives, one that is their "normal" life (what it
was before the awakening) and their mage life or have they abandoned their old life to
thoroughly embrace the new one?

It's also important to think about what that new mage life might look like for them. Not all
mages embrace the awakening in quite the same ways. Some are eager to join up with
other mages, either in societies or in more one on one relationships. After all, who could
understand them better than another mage? While others avoid other mages, either out
of distrust for those who wield similar powers or out of a desire not to become involved
with other people's problems.

Then there's the very real need to learn how to properly use their magic. In game terms
you will gain experience and level up, but from your character's perspective where is
that knowledge coming from? Do they study alone or have they become an apprentice

44
to another mage? All of these things should be considered as you develop your
character.

Also consider your character’s path and the effect it has on them. Does your encounter
embody the stereotypical personality of your path or do you play against type?

Mage Names. Mages generally have two names. The first is the name they used before
the awakening. That could be any name anyone could be called in our modern world,
depending on the mage's cultural upbringing.

That name is considered their true name. Other mages who know a mage's true name
can use it to attack them from a distance, or even control their minds. That's why most
adopt an alias that they use when among other mages. This alias, sometimes called
their shadow name, can be anything from a name different from their own, to
something more grandiose.

Mage Traits

You have the following supernatural traits.

Creature Type. You are a Person (awakened).

Energy Source (Challenging). Mana, a mage relies on a Nexus to recover mana,
which can be hard to find and even harder to defend.
Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.
Archetype. Awakened.

Ability Score Increase (perk). One ability score of your choice between Intelligence,
Wisdom or Charisma increases by +2. You also get the attribute increase for your
choice of background.

Defensive Mind (perk). Mages have a deep control over themselves making them
resistant to powers that affect their minds. You have advantage on saving throws
against being charmed, or having your mind or memory altered against your will.

Mystic Intuition (perk). Mage's knowledge grants them insights others lack. When you
make an Intelligence (Investigation) or a Wisdom (Insight) check, you can roll a d4 and
add the number rolled to the ability check. If the check is related to your obsession the
dice you roll becomes a d6.

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Unseen Sense (perk). All mages are gifted with an ability to feel the supernatural
world. You can sense the presence of magic with a Wisdom (Perception) check or with
your passive perception score. This includes nightmare waves, horrors, and other
unnatural phenomena. This doesn't tell you specifics, but gives you a general sense of
what's around you.

Obsessions (drawback). One thing all mages have in common is their tendency to
obsess over things, especially mysteries. Choose an obsession from the table below. At
the end of every week that goes by without you indulging your obsession you must roll a
Humanity save. The DC is 10 +1 for every week after the first since the last time you
indulged your obsession. On a failure you gain a long term insanity that cannot be cured
until you indulge your obsession.

Obsessions
d8 Obsession

1 Power. Gaining control over others

2 Knowledge. Human history, languages, religious knowledge, pop-culture.

3 Collection. Collecting something new.

4 Growth. Gaining a new skill, overcome a personal challenge

5 Artistic. Creation of art, sculpting, painting

6 Discovery. Finding a lost relic/place, making a scientific or magical discovery

7 The Mysteries. Solving one of the great mysteries, going to another reality.

8 The Iconnu. Learning what you can, stopping them

Once you’ve indulged an obsession a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus
you must change it. You can resist this change by making a Humanity save at the same
DC as if you hadn't indulged. On a success you can keep obsession but every month
that goes by after that you must remake the same save, changing obsessions on a
failure. You are also free to change your obsessions whenever you like.

Paths. Choose from one of the paths below.

Acanthus
Mages who've found their way back through the same Hedge that changelings use to
get back to Earth. These mages' awakenings are filled with hallucinations, illusions,

46
deception, enchantment and wonder. Almost as one they feel they were guided back by
luck and intuition. They are believers in the magic of music and joy, and find
manipulating time and fate to be easy. They are called Enchanters.

Lords of Time and Ladies of Luck (perk). Your Ruling Arcanum are Time and Fate.
You can easily manipulate your luck and the luck of others, and time is your plaything.

Energy Uncontrolled (drawback). Your joyful nature prevents you from the fine control
needed when dealing with wild energy. Forces is your Inferior Arcanum.

Mastigos
Known as Warlocks, these are mages who have to travel through the darkest parts of
the Pandemonium (the nightmare realm of demons) to make it home. Their awakenings
are often violent, filled with horrific creatures, and nightmares conjured by their own
minds. They are often triggered by violence, or by exposure to uncontrolled magic.

Reality is an Illusion (perk). During your awakening you learned that nothing is truly
real except your own thoughts. Your Ruling Arcanum are Mind and Space.

Confounded by the Physical (drawback). Despite your knowledge solid things remain
frustratingly solid, which disrupts your understanding of the cosmos. Your Inferior
Arcanum is Matter.

Moros
For a moros mage an awakening is fraught with terror as their only way back was to
travel through Stygia, the dark home to the unquiet dead. Their awakenings are usually
either a near-death experience of their own, or brought about by intense grief over the
loss of another, or by witnessing someone being horrifically killed. Either way for them it
is always tied to death. Due to this they are known as Necromancers.

Feet of Bone and Stone (perk). Your experiences facing death leave you strangely
unafraid of it, and your knowledge of existence beyond the veil leaves you a master of
this world. Your Ruling Arcanum are Death and Matter.

Only the Dead Have Souls (drawback). Your intimate knowledge of the human soul
leaves you unable to understand that souls are not the sole property of mankind. Your
Inferior Arcanum is Spirit.

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Obrimos
Of all the mages, obrimos are most likely to call their awakening a religious experience,
because of which they are often known as Theurgists. Most are not even entirely sure
where they went. They only remember flashes, the fury of elements unleashed, or being
surrounded by warmth. For them awakening is the eventual end point of a lifetime of
devotion and study. Their awakenings are bathed in golden light, and guided by angels.

Evocation of Power (perk). The focus of an obrimos is so great that controlling the
fundamental energies of existence is child's play. Your Ruling Arcanum are Forces and
Prime.

Death is Defeat (drawback). Obrimos optimize the term willworker. To them, giving
into death is a failure of will, and thus then they tend to misunderstand it. Your Inferior
Arcanum is Death.

Thyrsus
Mages of this path always walk through the Primal Wilds, home to uncounted spirits. To
be a thyrsus mage is to be in touch with one's beastial nature. Their awakenings are
very often brought about by deprivation, by being lost in a wild place, or by going on a
vision quest that bonds one to their spirit animal. They are often called shamans.

At Home with the Wild Things (perk). Their awakenings tie them to the weave that
binds all living things together, and to souls of even that which doesn't live. Your Ruling
Arcanum are Spirit and Life.

Lost in Connection (drawback). Above all the philosophy of a thyrsus mage is that
everything is connected, that we are all threads of the same cloth. Unlocking mental
powers requires breaking off oneself from that connection, a thing thyrsus finds hard to
do. Your Inferior Arcanum is Mind.

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Chosen
“Sam, that is exactly why our lives suck. I mean come on, we hunt monsters. What the
hell? I mean, normal people, they see a monster and they run, but not us. No, no, no
we-we search out things that want to kill us. You know who does that? Crazy people.”

- Dean Winchester, Supernatural

Since the Intrusion it’s become clear that some people are just more human than
others. Those rare people became the linchpins, the lens through which the will of
humanity was focused. Those who wake up just enough to realize what’s happening
around them are called the chosen for they are gifted with great powers, and terrible
responsibilities.

Linchpins of Reality

When the Iconnu burst into this universe they were stopped in their tracks by the
collective will of human beings. That energy doesn't just come from anywhere though. It
flows through specific people who's mental and physical traits make them perfect
focusing lenses for humanity’s will. It's that energy that holds back the Iconnu. They are
the linchpins.

For all the energy that flows through them however most of the time they are completely
unaware of what the Earth has become. Not only do they not sense the energy coursing
through them they also remain as ignorant of what's happening in the world as most of
humanity.

That makes them particularly vulnerable. While there are possibly millions of linchpins
it's non inconceivable to imagine the Iconnu could wipe them all out, that's why the
vampires are here. Aside from death though the linchpins could have their spirits broken
until they just give up.

If either of those things were to happen then it would spell the end of this reality. Without
a focus for humanity's collective will the energy holding back the Iconnu would dissipate,
the bonds holding back the Iconnu would break, and they would consume this universe
as they've done to countless others.

49
It doesn't even have to happen to all linchpins. At some point if enough die or give up
then the remaining ones would not be strong enough to hold back the end. No one
knows what this tipping point would be. No one even knows how many linchpins there
are meaning at any moment reality might be a few dead people away from destruction.

Becoming Aware

Just as there are ordinary sleepers who wake up to what's happening (becoming aware)
there are linchpins who have the same revelations. It might be caused by an encounter
with a horror or an Inconnu agent, or it might be a gradual realization that something is
wrong with the world.

Either way when a linchpin becomes aware things change for them on a deep level.
They start to sense the energy flowing through them and can make use of that energy.
They find themselves able to heal faster than before as well as being granted fighting
capabilities they might not have had before. Instead of just becoming aware they
become the chosen, inheritors of humanity's future.

With their newfound powers comes a new outlook on their lives. Chosen very often
have to wrestle with why them and not someone else. Were they really chosen to have
these powers and if so, by whom? And what should their role be in this war they've
found themselves suddenly thrust into? Some chosen who linger on these questions too
long are driven to madness.

Ignorance is Bliss

Some chosen, or imbued as they call themselves, are happy with what's happened to
them. They might have suspected that something was wrong with the world. Becoming
imbued confirms it, and once confirmed they can do something about it. In a world
where humanity is being hunted it pays to have powers.

Not all chosen feel like that though. Most have lives outside of hunting monsters. They
have jobs, families, responsibilities all of which must take a sudden backseat to their
new greater purpose. They can't even tell anyone in their ordinary lives what's
happening to them without running the risk of being carted off to a mental hospital by
concerned family and friends.

Then there's the job itself. It takes a heavy toll to go out every night and hunt the
creatures of the dark. They regularly bear witness to things that are unbelievably
horrific. They risk their lives fighting in the shadows so that their loved ones can live in

50
the light. It's a job that can break anyone especially if they try to maintain a regular life at
the same time.

Very often in a chosen’s life they will dream of giving it all up and ignoring what's out
there in the dark. That's easier said than done however. One of the earliest powers all
chosen develop is an innate sense of the evil around them. They can feel when a
Nightmare Wave has changed something. They can sense the monsters nearby. They
can hear the screams of the victims no matter how far away they are.

Sure it's possible to ignore all of this. Eventually it will fade and along with it will go all of
the chosen’s powers and new abilities. While they will still be a linchpin, and thus a
target for the Iconnu, they will go back to being a sleeper again. Most who try are driven
insane long before that, and those who succeed very often find themselves defenseless
when something comes knocking. But it is possible to return to sleep. All they have to
do is turn their back on the dying.

The Burden of Destiny

Next to the aware, chosen are probably the easiest nature to roleplay. Aside from their
powers they are almost completely human. They have lives, and loved ones just like
anyone else. They might be construction workers, cops, accountants or anything.

Of course there are things to keep in mind. For one it's very rare for an imbued to be
younger than 19, and all but impossible for them to be younger than 15. There's just not
enough time to develop the emotional maturity needed to be a linchpin before becoming
an adult.

Second, becoming a chosen can have a drastic effect on anyone's personality. How
much of an effect it had on your character would be up to you, but keep in mind all
they've lost and all they've gained. Do they have ordinary lives and if so do they try to
balance things or have they given up on being normal? What do they think about
becoming a chosen? Do they relish in their new abilities or do they hate what they've
become?

You should also give some thought to what your chosen thinks about their destiny and
why they were imbued. Do they use their powers to mercilessly hunt down monsters or
do they focus on defending the innocent? Would they ever work with a monster?

Keep in mind that the answers to these questions shouldn't impair the enjoyment of
others during the game. You deciding you want to play an imbued who destroys

51
monsters on sight and would never work with them is all fine and good until someone
else at the table wants to play a vampire or werewolf. Whatever you choose, it shouldn't
interfere with the game.

Chosen Traits

You have the following supernatural traits.

Creature Type. You are a Person (imbued).

Energy Source (Easy). Conviction, chosen recover conviction naturally
Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.
Archetype. Imbued.

Truly Human (perk). You have a profession and background and gain the full benefits
of both, including attribute increases. However, you cannot risk willpower.

Defiant (perk). When you or a creature you can see that can see and understand you
makes an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw, you can roll a d4 and add it to their
roll (no action required). You can use this before or after the roll, but before the GM
determines the roll's outcome. Once you've used this feature, you must complete a
short or long rest before you can use it again.

Supernatural Healing (perk). After 5 minutes of rest you can spend a hit die to recover
hit points as if you’d spent the hit die during a short rest. This does not count as a short
rest for any other purpose than healing. In addition, you regain all hit dice whenever you
take a long rest.

Sense Nightmare Wave (perk). You can sense the proximity of Nightmare Sites and
objects and creatures altered by the Nightmare Wave. You don't need to actively search
for them. If you pass within 100 feet of such a site, creature or object you can roll a
Wisdom (Perception) check to detect them, which manifests as an eerie feeling, a
prickling on the neck, or a sickness in the pit of your stomach.

The DC for a site or object is based on the strength of the supernatural magic within it,
with weaker effects being harder to detect. For creatures the DC is 20 minus the
creature's level or CR (rounded up). You don't have to actively look to sense these
effects if your passive perception is high enough to detect them. Once detected you can
narrow the source down with an Intelligence (Investigation) check at the same DC.

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Burden of Destiny (drawback). Allowing sleepers or allies to die in your presence is
draining to your abilities. If a sleeper or allied creature dies close enough for you to have
seen or heard them you must make a Humanity save. The DC is equal to 10 + 1 for
every sleeper or ally who’s died in your presence in the last 10 minutes up to a
maximum of DC 25. On a failure you lose a hit dice and a point of willpower.

Screams of the Dying (drawback). You can feel the fear and hear the screams of
victims of horrors and other monsters in your area. When this happens is determined by
the GM, but it's possible to sense such an effect up to 1 mile away or even farther.

It's possible to ignore this call but doing so makes it hard to sleep and can slowly drive
you mad. Every week that goes by where you haven't destroyed or actively hunted a
supernatural creature or purged a Nightmare Site you must roll a Humanity save. The
DC is 10 + 1 for every previous week that's gone by where you've ignored your calling.

On a failure you gain one level of exhaustion and one intermediate derangement from
the list in the DMG. Neither of these can be cured until you destroy or hunt an Iconnu
creature or purge a Nightmare Site. Once you do though you are immediately cured of
all exhaustion and derangements you've gained for ignoring your calling.

If you manage to survive this slow degradation for at least 6 months without hunting a
creature or purging a site then you become a sleeper again. You lose all your imbued
traits and defining features, and your creature type changes to Person (sleeper). All
existing derangements you've gained as a result of this go away, and you can begin
recovering exhaustion levels as normal, although you can never regain your former
status as a chosen.

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 Karyn clung to the top of the tallest building in the city.
From her vantage point the lights were laid out before her like
glittering gems.

Once upon a time she would have been afraid. Scared of heights. Scared of
everything.

She would have been terrified.

But that was before the stranger tried to

take her body from her. The murderous
bastard who died centuries ago.

She could still feel him, squirming in the corner of her mind she’d locked him
away in.

She’d won that fight, and now the night was hers. She’d never be afraid
again.

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CHAPTER 3: SUPERNATURAL ARCHETYPES
The World of Darkness is by and large composed of two groups. On the one hand are
the ordinary people, frightened, and weak, defenseless against the evil things in the
night. On the other are those very monsters, horrors, and agents of the Iconnu, who
stalk their prey, killing, and feasting, and who are always assured that nothing is
powerful enough to stop them.

Yet there is a third group. Those who walk their own road. Very few of them are heroes
and those that are usually end up with a messy death. Sometimes though this group
can do some good, maybe even save some lives. Even by simply defying the Iconnu’s
will, this third group composed of cabals, and cells and packs who were brought
together by a shared will to survive, they can do some good. And every little bit of good
counts.

Human characters (aware) who fight the darkness choose the standard archetypes and
classes available in an Everyday Heroes campaign. Supernatural characters however
are limited to the special archetype connected to their nature. For them the two, nature
and archetype, are inseparable. Nature provides the basic traits while archetype adds to
that picture, granting additional abilities they level up.

Each archetype entry in this chapter includes a table summarizing the benefits you gain
at every level, and a detailed explanation of each one.

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Awakened
Brown eyes wide with mania, a burly human in threadbare clothing raises an oaken
staff and utters words of power. He reaches inside himself shaping the spell before
unleashing it, sending the spirits before him dissipating into the umbra.

Frizzy hair down to her shoulders, a gangly young woman pushes up her glasses and
lets her fingers fly across the keyboard. Her computer whizzes to life as the magic flows
through it. She's going to prove herself worthy of joining the Virtual Adepts if she has to
die to do it.

Crouching on the floor, a teen girl in layers of black eyeshadow reels from what she just
experienced. It was supposed to be a simple spell. Summon a demon for kicks. But
when the floor opened up and that thing came through it stopped being fun. And that's
when her mind ripped open and she felt herself hurled through time and space. By the
time she came back the thing was gone and all her friends were dead. Now what is she
supposed to do?

Being a mage isn’t easy. It means accepting an entirely new way of thinking, one that
defies description for those who haven’t experienced it. It means learning truths about
the world, about the universe, that the normal human mind could not fathom. In short it
means awakening.

Creating an Awakened
For the full description of being an awakened see the mage section in the nature
chapter. While creating your awakened character, consider your personal philosophy in
regards to magic. Were you a believer in some form of magic prior to becoming a mage
or did you think it was all nonsense? Has awakening completely altered your
understanding of the universe, or was it just a continuation of things you already
believed?

Perhaps you were a follower of an ancient spiritual tradition such as Voodoo or

Christianity. How did becoming a mage change that view? If you believed in god before,
do you still? You might have been persecuted for your beliefs or maybe you grew up in
a religious community that would never accept your new outlook. How do you feel about
being a mage? Is it a curse? A terrible burden? Or are you eager to do all you can?

56
 HIT DIE: d6
STARTING MAXIMUM HIT DIE: 1d6
STARTING MAXIMUM HIT POINTS: 6 + Constitution Modifier
DEFENSE (MAGE ARMOR): 10 + Spell Modifier + Defense Bonus

PROFICIENCIES
● SAVES: Choose two (Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma)

● SKILLS: Choose two (Arcana, Computers, Deception, Insight, Investigation,

Persuasion, Natural Sciences, Security, or Social Sciences)

● EQUIPMENT: Basic

LEVELING UP

Level Proficiency Talents Rotes Gnosi Mana Max Defens

Bonus Known s Arcanum e
Ranks Bonus

1st +2 Creative Thaumaturgy, 4 1 4 1 +1

Mage Sight

2nd +2 Attainment, Dispel Magic 5 2 8 1 +1

3rd +2 Mage Armor, Tradition 6 3 12 2 +1

4th +2 One minor feat 7 4 16 2 +1

5th +3 Counterspell 8 5 20 2 +2

6th +3 Tradition Feature 9 6 24 2 +2

7th +3 -- 10 7 28 3 +2

8th +3 One minor feat 11 8 32 3 +2

9th +4 Attainment, Willworker 12 9 36 3 +3

10th +4 Tradition Feature 13 10 40 3 +3

Creative Thaumaturgy
Since your awakening you've had the ability to shape the universe around you with your
mind, and a few simple words. Mages call this magic, or thaumaturgy. In essence you

57
can cast spells on the fly, creating new effects never before seen. See the spellcrafting
rules in the Creative Thaumaturgy chapter for a full explanation of how mage’s
spellcasting works.

Arcanum. Your understanding of magic is separated into 10 Arcanum. Each one

defines some aspect of reality. Together they describe how much of the true nature of
that existence you understand. Each sphere has five associated ranks, from initiate all
the way to master. As you gain ranks within an Arcanum you gain further understanding
and can increase your control over it.

As you rise in rank you go from being able to partially compel the Arcanum in some
minor way, to being able to control, remake it, and finally use it to achieve truly epic
ends.

Gnosis. A mage's understanding of the universe is known as their gnosis, their

knowledge of reality. You get one free rank in one of your Ruling Arcanum as defined by
your path. In addition you also have one rank for each point of gnosis you have. This
rank can be put into any Arcanum of your choice (even your Inferior Arcanum), raising
the rank of that Arcanum by one for each point you put in. The Gnosis column of the
Mage table shows what your gnosis is at each level.

Once you've used a point of gnosis to raise your rank in a given Arcanum you can't
undo it, although if you wish to you may save a given point of gnosis until a later level.
Your ranks in any one Arcanum cannot exceed your max rank based on your level as
shown in the Max Arcanum Rank column of the Awakened table.

Mana. Mages power their magic with an interdimensional energy that they call mana.
Each spell has a cost in mana that must be spent to evoke the spell. The Mana column
of the Mage table tells you your maximum mana at each level.

You regain mana by meditating and drawing that energy into yourself. This "meditation"
may or may not be a peaceful exercise depending on the kind of mage you are. You
may blast music, dance non-stop, or zone out on video games. All of that counts as
meditation for the purposes of regaining mana.

If you mediate for at least 10 minutes at the end of a long rest you regain mana equal to
your level. If you find a Nexus, a place where dimensional energy naturally leaks into
the world, and you meditate there at the end of a long rest you regain mana based on
the power of the Nexus instead. Either way you must complete another long rest before
you can regain mana through mediation again.

58
There are also some sources of mana that get absorbed into objects, called tass. As an
action you can drain the mana from a piece of tass you touch.

The final way to regain mana is to do what's called rending your pattern, or in other
words draining your life to power your spells. As an action, spend a hit dice, but instead
of regaining hit points you lose the hit die. You regain mana equal to the roll of the die
and do damage to yourself equal to half the mana you regain. This damage cannot be
mitigated in any way.

No matter how you regain mana you cannot exceed your maximum.

Paradox. Magic is risky. Humanity’s collective will pushes back on anything

supernatural. Horrors and agents have the backing of the Iconnu to resist this, but
mages are on their own. Whenever a mage casts a spell, in addition to paying the mana
cost, they must make a spellcraft check. The DC depends on how difficult the effect is
they’re trying to achieve.

A mage who fails this roll has a chance of having magic push back. Mages call this
paradox, a point where reality reasserts itself against the mage’s attempt to control it.
Mages who are careless with their magic can find themselves cursed, hurt, or even
killed by the power they unleash.

Rotes. While all mages can cast magic on the fly the wise mage learns it's better to
practice with a few spells, making casting those second nature. These are called rote
spells. Any spell cast by rote is easier to control and safer to use. Any spell can be a
rote spell. There are examples of spells in the Creative Thaumaturgy chapter, but you
could create your own rote spell out of any spell you want, as long as it otherwise fits
the normal rules for a magic spell.

You start off with four rotes, either chosen from the list in the Creative Thaumaturgy
chapter or created yourself. You gain additional rotes as you increase in level as shown
in the Rotes Known column of the mage table.

Paradigm. Unfortunately for mages none of this comes very naturally. The awakening
was a harsh experience, one that leaves mages confused and overwhelmed. To make
sense of what happened to them, mages, especially initiates, have to rely on a
paradigm.

A paradigm is a guiding philosophy of magic, a way of correlating all that a mage has
learned, and of making sense of it all. Without a paradigm a mage would never be able
to cast spells no matter their understanding.

59
This is mostly due to their own mental limitations. Years of experience has taught
mages that magic is not real, that one can't simply conjure energy from nowhere. A
mage needs time to unlearn those limitations. In that way a paradigm acts as a
transitional belief, almost like training wheels.

What form your paradigm takes is up to you. It can be based on a real world mystic
practice, such as Kabbalah or Voodoo, or be based on an ancient religion such as
Druidism, or it could be entirely made up. It could even be that you think the world is a
simulation and that's why you can cast spells.

No matter what though to count as a paradigm it must shape your entire understanding
of spellcasting. To you this isn't a game, this is simply how magic works, or how you
understand it to work. In addition to this a paradigm provides the tools you use to cast
your spells. If your character is a Vodou believer you must use the tools of Haitian
Vodou when you cast. If you define a paradigm yourself you must define what tools you
use as part of that belief.

Above all though no matter what you choose you must be respectful of not only the tone
of the game, but also of the beliefs of those around you. The GM has final say on your
paradigm and may force you to change it if it's interfering with the game or the fun of
others in any way.

Other than that once you choose a paradigm you don't normally change it, although in
time you will rely on it less.

Arcane Foci. The mechanically important part of your paradigm is your choice of
arcane foci. Your foci can be any object that is small and light enough for you to carry,
although it has to be something that ties into your paradigm.

Otherwise you are free to choose any single item to be your foci. It could be a small
knife, a wand, a musical instrument, or even a smartphone. You can only have one foci
at a time. If you lose your foci or want to change it you can do so after a long rest.

You cannot cast spells without your foci. You don't have to actually carry it, but it must
be on your person, close enough for you to reach, and you must have at least one free
hand to touch it.

Nimbus. When an awakened casts a spell their magic flares within them. Although
invisible to sleepers and the aware, supernatural creatures, especially other mages, can
see this energy as an aura of magic around the mage.

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This is called the mage’s nimbus. A mage’s nimbus is unique to them. Spectral wings
might appear from your back, you might be surrounded by smokey black tendrils, or you
may just be enclosed in an aura of energy. Every act of magic a mage performs
contains traces of their nimbus, like a supernatural fingerprint. The more powerful and
complex the feat of magic was, the longer a trace of the nimbus will remain. Your
nimbus can take any form you like.

Spellcasting Ability. Most mage’s spellcasting ability stems from research and
knowledge of occult principles. However, some rely instead on their senses of intuition,
while others rely on their force of personality and mental strength.

To represent this you can choose either Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma to be your
spellcasting ability. Whichever you chose you would use that ability whenever a spell
refers to your spellcasting ability.

In addition, you use the modifier for that ability when setting the saving throw DC for a
spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your spell modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your spell modifier

Mage Sight

All mages are gifted with an ability to look behind the veil into the truth of things.You can
activate mage site as an action. Once activated the effect lasts for 10 minutes, although
you must concentrate on it like a spell. For the duration, you sense the presence of
magic within 30 feet of you. If you sense magic in this way, you can use your action to
see a faint aura around any visible creature or object in the area that bears magic, and
you learn the Arcanum involved by the color of this aura, if any.

A successful Intelligence (Arcana) check can also tell you the ranks of those Arcanum.
It is possible to hide magic from your mage site, but doing so will require the casting of
additional spells to conceal the magic or effect.

You can enhance mage sight by adding in the power of any Arcanum you know. To do
so you must have at least 1 rank in the Arcanum you wish to add.

The enhancement you gain depends on the power involved.

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 ● Death. Adding Death into mage sight makes it Grim Sight. With Grim Sight in
addition to the normal effects you can see the death around a person or place.

● Fate. Fate with mage sight makes it Sybil's Sight, allowing you to see the threads
of destiny around a subject.

● Forces. Forces turn mage sight into Read Matrices. With that activated you can
see the forms of energy around you including gravity and radiation.

● Life. Bringing Life into mage sight turns it into Pulse of the Living World. You can
see the resonance of life around you.

● Matter. Matter plus mage sight is called Dark Matter. It allows you to perceive
ponderous resonance such as that caused by transmutation.

● Mind. Using mind with mage sight makes it Third Eye. With this you can perceive
emotion in an area or object you touch or you can sense if someone has psychic
powers.

● Prime. Prime and mage sight makes it into Supernal Vision. This allows you to
sense the lingering presence of magic in an area, or to sense a person's aura.

● Space. This turns mage sight into Spatial Awareness. In addition to its normal
effects you can sense disturbances in the fabric of space such as caused by
teleportation.

● Spirit. Mage sight when combined with spirit becomes Second Sight. You can
look into the spirit realms seeing spirits invisible to normal mage sight.

● Time. Adding time turns mage sight into Temporal Eddies allowing you to sense
the flow of time, tell time perfectly, and sense the effects of time magic.

No matter which you use you might still need to make a Perception check to see
aspects of that Arcanum.

Attainments

Starting at 2nd level you gain attainments, which are special innate magical abilities
unique to mages. Some have prerequisites, including having ranks in specific Arcanum.
You gain an additional attainment at 9th level. You can also choose an attainment in

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place of a feat at 4th and 8th levels. See the Supernatural Powers chapter for a full list
of all attainments

Dispel Magic

Also at 2nd level you learn the ability to dispel magic and magical effects. Choose an
Arcanum that you have ranks in then choose a spell or magical effect related to that
Arcanum that you’re aware of (Prime can dispel any magical effect). This does not
necessarily mean just mage’s spells. For example you might be able to dispel an effect
created by a vampire’s magic using the death Arcanum or a werewolf's rites using
spirit. The GM is the final arbiter of if you can use an Arcanum to dispel a given
supernatural effect.

The spell or effect must be within 30 feet times your ranks in the appropriate Arcanum.
You must have a number of ranks in the Arcanum equal to or greater than the effect
you’re trying to dispel (Mage Sight can help you determine how strong an effect is) in
order to dispel it.

If you meet the criteria then as an action spend 2 mana per rank of effect you wish to
dispel and roll a spellcraft check. The DC depends on the strength of the effect but is
most typically 15. Simple spells and effects can usually be dispelled with a single roll,
but more complicated effects might require multiple rolls in order to dispel.

You do not need to roll if your ranks in the appropriate Arcanum exceed the ranks of the
spell or effect provided you pay 2 additional mana. Dispel magic is always considered
covert magic and has no chance of producing paradox.

Mage Armor
Even the weakest of mages can defend themselves with magic, which accounts for their
defense bonus. This power is naturally active as long as a mage is awake.

At 3rd level you learn how to incorporate an Arcanum into your mage armor which gives
you an additional effect. To do so you must have at least two ranks in the Arcanum you
wish to add. You can only have one effect active at one time, but once you've activated
your mage armor with a given Arcanum you can switch it to a different Arcanum as an
action as long as you have at least two ranks in the Arcanum you wish to switch to. The
specific additional effect depends on the Arcanum used:

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● Death. You create a field of death which decays the energy of all attacks against
you. You have resistance 5 to necrotic damage, and non-intelligent undead won't
attack you unless you attack them first.

● Fate. You surround yourself with a field of luck which makes attacks against you
miss. If a critical hit is scored against you, roll a d4. On a roll of 4 it becomes a
normal hit.

● Forces. You conjure a field of force energy that deflects attacks. Choose
between cold, fire, lightning, and thunder. You gain resistance 5 to the chosen
damage type. You can change it to another from the list as a bonus action.

● Life. You harden your skin and sharpen your reflexes giving you natural armor.
As long as you are bloodied (half your hit points or fewer) you may spend a
single hit die as a bonus action, regaining hit points as if you’d spent the die
during a short rest.

● Matter. You transmute the clothes you wear making them strong as armor, but
still flexible. Requires enough clothing to cover most of your body, and only
works when you wear those clothes. While you wear them the affected clothes
function as armor with an AV of 3.

● Mind. You use psychic programming to enhance your reflexes and predict your
enemy's attacks. You gain resistance 5 to psychic damage and are immune to
the charm condition.

● Prime. You intensify the basic field of magical force that creates normal mage
armor. You have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical
effects.

● Space. You make a field of distorted space around you which subtly shifts you
away from the source of attacks. You can dash, dodge, or disengage as a bonus
action.

● Spirit. You shift partly into the Near Umbra (Ethereal Plane) which causes
attacks to pass through you. The first time in a combat that you become bloodied
you become insubstantial, gaining resistance 5 to all damage until the end of
your next turn.

● Time.You slow time around you allowing you to dodge attacks. When you are
subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take

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 only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving
throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Tradition
When you reach 3rd you are invited to join one of the mystic traditions that have
cropped up recently, or you can choose to forgo joining a tradition instead becoming a
Hollow one. Either way your choice grants you features at 3rd level and then again at
6th and 10th.

Counterspell
When you reach 5th level you learn how to counter magical effects on the fly. This
works like dispel magic except you can do it as a reaction to a creature casting a spell
or creating a magical effect within 60 feet of you.

As with dispel magic it only works on spells or effects in the purview of an Arcanum you
have at least one rank in, except for prime which can counter any magical effect. When
you counterspell you decide how many Arcanum ranks to commit to the attempt,
spending 3 mana per rank. If you commit more ranks than the strength of the effect you
automatically interrupt it, preventing casting which fails and has no effect.

If however, you committed fewer ranks than the strength of the effect you must make a
spellcraft check check against a DC equal to 10 + (spell level or twice the highest rank
of the Arcanum involved). You have a bonus on this check equal to the ranks you’ve
committed to the attempt. Like an improvised spell, you have advantage on this check if
it is one of your Ruling Arcanum and disadvantage if the spell includes your Inferior
Arcanum. If you’re successful you interrupt the casting as above. This is also
considered covert magic and has no chance of causing paradox.

Willworker
When you reach 9th level you learn to be less reliant on your paradigm. You no longer
need your arcane foci in order to cast spells, and you may alter or even abandon parts
of your paradigm as you see fit. You use your pure will to enact magic.

Traditions
The Intrusion was a strange time for mages across the globe. Since discovering their
abilities many mages have realized the importance of groups that offer codified magical

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training and practices. These groups have come to be called traditions. Once a mage
has risen to 3rd level they are invited to join one of these traditions, which teaches the
mage special powers. Those that refuse become known as Hollow ones, although even
they learn special abilities to help them survive.

Once you join a tradition you can't change it, even if you later leave the group. The
exception is Hollow ones. Every level after 3rd you can choose to join an official
tradition, in which case your Hollow one abilities are replaced by the tradition’s ones as
appropriate to your level.

Akashic Brotherhood
The Akashic Brotherhood, also known as the Akashayana Sangha ("Order of the
Vehicle of Akasha") or just the Akashayana, is a Tradition of mages who master mind,
body, and spirit pursuing the arts of personal discipline. By honing their bodies, these
mages make a temple for the mind that ultimately brings them comprehension of the
spirit.

Body and Mind

You gain proficiency in the Athletics and Acrobatics skills if you're not already proficient
with them.

Martial Artist
When you join this tradition at 3rd level, your practice of martial arts gives you mastery
of combat styles and amazing fighting skills. You can use your spellcasting ability
modifier instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes and
any simple, one handed, melee weapon you're proficient in. You also roll a d4 in place
of the normal damage of your unarmed strike. This increases to a d6 at 5th level.

Extra Attack
Beginning at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the
Attack action on your turn.

Wholeness of Body
At 10th level, you gain the ability to heal yourself. As an action, you can regain hit points
equal to three times your awakened level. You must finish a long rest before you can
use this feature again.

Celestial Chorus
The Celestial Chorus is a Tradition of mages united by their efforts to touch the Divine
as well as their belief in the One and Prime from which all things originate. These

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mages believe they have a connection to the One which enables them to clearly hear
the One's song and to shape Creation. While their faith is essentially monotheistic, it is
accepted that the Divine has many facets and can be expressed through any number of
names, religions, and creeds.

Acolyte of the One

When you join this tradition at 3rd level you are indoctrinated into the teachings of the
One. You gain 2 cantrips chosen from the cleric list in the PHB, which you can cast as if
they were intrinsic magical spells (some mages call these shaktis). You also gain
proficiency in Social Sciences if you don't already have it.

Blessed by Faith
Starting at 3rd level your beliefs guide and protect you. If you fail a saving throw or miss
with an attack roll you can roll 2d4 and add it to the total, possibly changing the
outcome. Once you use this feature you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Aura of Divinity
Starting at 6th level, whenever you or a friendly creature within 10 feet of you must
make a saving throw, the creature gains a bonus to the saving throw equal to your
spellcasting ability modifier (with a minimum bonus of +1). You must be conscious to
grant this bonus.

Miracle Worker
Beginning at 10th level your belief in the One affords you some protection from paradox,
essentially allowing you to pass off magic as divine miracles. You can negate the effects
of a failed spellcrafting roll ignoring the need to roll for paradox. You can use this ability
before or after you make your spellcrafting roll, but it must be made before the GM rolls
on the paradox table. Once you use this ability you can’t use it again until you complete
a short or long rest.

Cult of Ecstasy
The Cult of Ecstasy (also known as Sahajiya, a term derived from the Sanskrit word
Sahaja which literally means spontaneous or natural) is a Tradition of mages and
visionary seers who transcend boundaries and limitations through sacred experience.

To achieve that the cult uses things like drugs, music and sex, but they are just means
to an end. The objective is to achieve a mental state that transcends the physical world,

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a trance that allows the mage to see beyond their normal experiences and go outside all
the lines that keep most people and mages penned in. Cultists take the word ecstasy in
its original meaning: a sudden, intense rush of feeling that catapults the subject into an
altered state. It does not have to be a pleasant feeling, but given a choice, most cultists
definitely prefer it that way.

Mental Projection
When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you learn a magical power that works like
the minor illusion cantrip except you can create both a sound and an image at one time.

Altered Awareness
Also at 3rd level you can enter an altered state of being as an action. For the next
minute whenever you use mage sight to see supernatural phenomenon you have
advantage on all Perception checks you make. Once you use this ability you can't do so
again until you take a short or long rest.

Projection of Peace & Fear

Beginning at 6th level you can project visions into the minds of others around you. As
an action each creature in a 30 ft sphere around you must make a Wisdom saving throw
against your spell save DC. The creatures that fail their saving throws are either all
charmed by you or frightened by you until the end of your next turn. Once you use this
feature you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Out of Mind
Starting at 10th level you learn to erase yourself from a single creature's sight
momentarily. As a bonus action, choose a creature within 60 feet of you that you are
aware of. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC.
On a failed save, you become invisible to that creature for 1 minute, or until you deal
damage to it. Once you've used this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long
rest.

Dreamspeakers
The dreamspeakers are to the ancient traditions of shamanism and spirit worship as the
celestial chorus are to monotheism. They see themselves as intermediaries between
the Mortal World and the Spirit World.

It is one of the most diverse Traditions, with those representing the ancient cultures of
African, Native American, Inuit, and Aboriginal Australian societies standing alongside

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practitioners of Shinto, independent spiritual savants, and descendants of other
forgotten tribes and civilizations. Together those disparate cultures within the
dreamspeakers have found common ground in their respect for and dedication to the
balance between physical and spiritual reality.

Worlds Unseen
When you join this tradition at 3rd level you learn the thaumaturgy cantrip which you
cast as if it were an intrinsic magic spell. Additionally, whenever you make a Charisma
check when interacting with spirits, your proficiency bonus is doubled if it applies to the
check.

Dreams Beyond the Gauntlet

Also at 3rd level while asleep you can project a spirit form of yourself into the Near
Umbra. It takes 1 minute of meditation to enter this state, and while active your body is
unconscious and defenseless, although you will feel if it takes any hit point damage. At
your choosing your spirit form can resemble your waking form or can take the form of
your spirit animal. Otherwise it has all your normal statistics, although you cannot cast
spells while in this form.

While in this form you can see spirits and can look across the gauntlet. You can also
cross the gauntlet entering the Near Umbra as an action. This power ends for you when
you use an action to dismiss it. When it ends, you return to your physical body, and
awake. It also ends if a dispel magic effect is cast against either your physical or spirit
bodies or if either your spirit form or physical form is reduced to 0 hit points. Any
damage you take in either form is subtracted from your total. Once you use this ability
you must take a long rest before you can use it again.

Spirit Guide
Starting at 6th level you learn how to bind a spirit guide to your service through a ritual
that takes 1 hour. You can only have one guide bound to you at a time. After you finish
a short or long rest, you can switch to another spirit guide.

A spirit guide can take the form of any small or medium sized animal, except it is
incorporeal, and it can't be targeted by any attack or other harmful effect, nor can it
attack in turn. If it doesn't have a fly speed it can hover 5 feet off the ground. It
communicates with you telepathically and other than spirits you are the only one who
can see it without the use of mage sight or other magical vision. The spirit guide can be
sent to spy on others or commune with spirits on your behalf, in which case it uses your
proficiency bonus, proficiencies, and attribute modifiers.

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When you bind a spirit guide to you you can choose any single Intelligence, Wisdom, or
Charisma skill. You gain double your proficiency bonus with the chosen skill as long as
the spirit guide is within 30 feet of you.

Visions of the Past

Beginning at 10th level, you can call up visions of the past that relate to an object you
hold or your immediate surroundings. You spend at least 1 minute in meditation, then
receive dreamlike, shadowy glimpses of recent events. You can meditate in this way for
a number of minutes equal to your spellcasting ability score and must maintain
concentration during that time, as if you were casting a spell. Once you've used this
feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Object Reading. Holding an object as you meditate, you can see visions of the object's
previous owner. After meditating for 1 minute, you learn how the owner acquired and
lost the object, as well as the most recent significant event involving the object and that
owner. If the object was owned by another creature in the recent past (within a number
of days equal to your Wisdom score), you can spend 1 additional minute for each owner
to learn the same information about that creature.

Area Reading. As you meditate, you see visions of recent events in your immediate
vicinity (a room, street, tunnel, clearing, or the like, up to a 50-foot cube), going back a
number of days equal to your spellcasting ability score. For each minute you meditate,
you learn about one significant event, beginning with the most recent. Significant events
typically involve powerful emotions, such as battles and betrayals, marriages and
murders, births and funerals. However, they might also include more mundane events
that are nevertheless important in your current situation.

Euthanatos
The Euthanatoi, also known as the Chakravanti ("People of the Wheel") or the
Niyamavanti ("People of our Rule") are a Tradition of mages intimately devoted to the
forces of death, rebirth, destiny, and karma in the world.

They represent a collection of thanatotic cultists, necromancers, priests of fate,

assassins, scholars, gamblers and healers. Euthanatos mages embrace the role of
death in the world as that which cleanses and makes way for future growth.

The Good Death

At 3rd level when you take this tradition you are taught a special magical attack known
as the good death. As an action you can target a creature within 120 feet. The creature
must make a Constitution save vs your spell save DC. On a failure that creature takes

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1d10 necrotic damage. This increases to 2d10 at 5th level. This is a covert effect. No
one automatically knows it originated from you, and it appears as if the subject died or
was hurt by natural causes.

Spontaneous Rebirth
Also at 3rd level your connection to death makes you difficult to actually kill. When you
are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can spend 5 mana points to drop
to 1 hit point instead. Once you use this ability you can’t do so again until you complete
a long rest.

Karmic Retribution
When you reach 6th level you gain the ability to bring karmic retribution against a target.
As a bonus action choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The creature
has disadvantage on the next save it makes. In addition, for the next minute whenever
the target misses an attack you can automatically do 1d4 necrotic or radiant damage to
the target (your choice) as a reaction. You can't use this feature again until you finish a
short or long rest.

Inured to Undeath
Beginning at 10th level, you have resistance 5 to necrotic damage, and your hit point
maximum can't be reduced.

Order of Hermetic Mysteries

This tradition, sometimes called the Order of Hermes, is a tradition with a singular focus,
the drive towards mystical perfection. To an order member magic is an art as well as a
science, and to be considered truly capable one must plumb its mysteries.They are
gatherers of lore given to focusing on trials, tests of self-discovery, and the rejoining of
fragmented patterns like disparate languages or mathematical conundrums.

Student of Magic
At 3rd level your knowledge of other ways of casting magic grows. You gain 2 cantrips
chosen from the wizard or sorcerer lists in the PHB, which you can cast as if they were
intrinsic magical spells. You also gain proficiency in Arcana if you don't already have it.

Reactive Mind

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Also at 3rd level you've sharpened your mind so that you react to situations using your
intellect instead of your natural speed. When you roll initiative, it is either an Intelligence
check or a Dexterity check for you (your choice).

Prodigious Memory
Starting at 6th level, you can meditate to recall obscure facts from your extensive
reading. This works as if you cast legend lore without needing material components.
You must finish a long rest before you can use this ability again.

Shield of Abjuration
Beginning at 10th level you learn to surround yourself with a mystical shield. If you are
hit by an attack (magical or otherwise) or you fail your save against a damaging effect
you can use your reaction to reduce the damage by 1d10 x your spellcasting ability
modifier. If this reduces the damage to 0 you treat the attack as if it were a miss or the
save as it were successful. Once you use this ability you can’t do so again until you
complete a long rest.

Sons of Ether
The Sons of Ether are a group of technomancers who believe the coming of the Iconnu
prove that anything is possible, including various theories mainstream science (sleeper
science) discredited long ago. As they see it they don't practice sleeper science. They
practice Science (always capitalized)!

Their Science almost always has a baroque feel, as if it leapt from the pages of pulp
fiction or Victorian sci-fi – death rays, robotic servants built of brass and powered by
clockwork and fantastic space or aquatic vehicles spring to mind when others discuss
the sons of ether.

The sons believe that the Arcanum are actually different aspects of Ether: Space is the
Contiguous Ether, Fate describes Ether dynamics, Death is Nullification Ether, Forces
are the Energetic Physics of the Ether, Life is Etheric Biology, Matter is Etheric
Chemistry and Engineering, Mind is Noetic Science, Prime is Metaphysical Ether, Spirit
describes the Etheric and Mimetic Dimensions, and Time is Etheric Causality. They all
work to find the mysterious eleventh Arcanum, the True Ether that will tie it all together.

Etheric Devices
The sons are masters of building strange devices that defy the laws of science as
sleepers understand them. Exotic theories of orgone fields, hyper combustion chambers
and etheric transmission matrices are all commonplace in devices built by the sons.

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Starting when you join the sons at 3rd level you gain the ability to build strange
metaphysic devices out of every rote you know. By spending 1 minute per rote you can
build a device that can do the same effect as if you'd cast the rote spell the device is
built off of.

The difference is the spell produced by each device, no matter how bizarre its
construction, are all considered covert. You roll the spellcraft check and pay the mana
cost for the "spell" when you activate the device, and it costs and has the same DC as
the underlying rote spell.

You can only have one device per rote. If you try to build a second device out of the
same rote it simply doesn't work for reasons you don't understand. Your devices don't
work for anyone else, even another member of the sons. Each device lasts until the end
of your next long rest, at which point they break and must be rebuilt.

You are encouraged to make your devices as weird as possible, both in function and
name. Pneumatic Positron Energizers, Pulse Field Stabilizers, and Neural Degenerators
are just some of what you can build.

Servant of Science
At 6th level, your research and mastery of your craft allow you to produce a mechanical
servant. The servant is a construct that obeys your commands without hesitation and
functions in combat to protect you. Though magic fuels its creation, the servant is not
magical itself. You are assumed to have been working on the servant for quite some
time, finally finishing it during a short or long rest after you reach 6th level.

Select a large natural creature with a challenge rating of 2 or less. The servant uses that
beast's game statistics, but it can look however you like, as long as its form is
appropriate for its statistics. Think gorilla with a TV for a head, or a clockwork wolf, or
something even more bizarre.

It has the following modifications.

● It is a Horror (construct) instead of a natural creature.

● If it has a multiattack action it loses that action
● It can't be charmed.
● It is immune to poison damage and the sickened condition.
● It gains darkvision with a range of 60 feet if it doesn't have it already.
● It understands the languages you can speak when you create it, but it can't
speak.

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 ● If you are the target of a melee attack and the servant is within 5 feet of the
attacker, you can use your reaction to command the servant to respond, using its
reaction to make a melee attack against the attacker.

The servant obeys your orders to the best of its ability. In combat, it rolls its own
initiative and acts on its own. If the servant is killed, it can be returned to life via magic.
In addition, over the course of a long rest, you can repair a slain servant if you have
access to its body. It returns to life with 1 hit point at the end of the rest. If the servant is
beyond recovery, you can build a new one with one week of work (eight hours each
day) and 2,000 dollars of raw materials.

Undemanding Device
When you reach 10th level you learn how to make your devices easy enough to use
that even non-mages can use them. When you create an esoteric device that uses no
more than 2 ranks in any arcanum (and no more than 3 different arcanum) you can
build it so that others may use it. You roll the spellcraft check when you build the device,
and you can only build a single device this way.

While holding the device, a creature can take an action to produce the spell's effect from
it. It doesn’t cost you mana and if the spell requires concentration, the creature using
your device concentrates in your place. The device can be used a number of times to
cast this spell equal to your spellcasting ability modifier or until you use this feature
again to store a spell in an object.

Verbena
The Verbena are dedicated to practicing the ancient crafts and wisdom passed down
over the ages by witches and warlocks, druids and druidesses, shamans, mystics, and
priests and priestesses of the Old Gods.

Though verbena have some similarities to Wiccans, they are inheritors of far older
legacies from disparate cultures originating around the world. Regardless of their many
differing faiths and customs, the verbena share many principles in common. This
includes a deep respect for the Earth and the natural order, a holistic view of people and
the world as intrinsically intertwined, and the belief that power and understanding can
be found by embracing life in all its passions and pains.

Gift of the Old Ways

When you join this tradition at 3rd level you gain 2 cantrips chosen from the druid list in
the PHB, which you can cast as if they were intrinsic magical spells.You also gain
proficiency in Survival if you don't already have it.

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Natural Recovery
Beginning at 3rd level you can regain some of your magical energy by sitting in
meditation and communing with nature. If you take 10 minutes to meditate in a natural
environment you regain your level in mana. This is in addition to the mana you regain at
the end of a long rest or from a Nexus. You can't use this feature again until you finish a
long rest.

Land's Stride
Starting at 6th level, moving through non-magical difficult terrain costs you no extra
movement. You can also pass through non-magical plants without being slowed by
them and without taking damage from them if they have thorns, spines, or a similar
hazard.

In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against plants that are magically
created or manipulated to impede movement, such those created by the Life Arcanum.

Preserve Life
At 10th level you learn to channel the power of life (even without ranks in the Life
Arcanum) to heal those around you. As an action you evoke this healing energy that
restores a number of hit points equal to five times your awakened level.

Choose any creatures within 30 feet of you, and divide those hit points among them.
This feature can restore a creature to no more than half its hit point maximum. This
feature has no effect on Living Dead or Amalgams.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your spellcasting ability modifier.
You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Virtual Adepts
The virtual adepts (also known as the Mercurial Elite) are focused on the Digital Web,
the adepts search for a way to reach the singularity, the point where mankind can
transcend into something post-human. Central to their magic is the idea of information
as a metaphysical component of existence. Essentially existence is a simulation, and
magic is taking control of the rules of that simulation.

Elite of the Digital Future

You gain proficiency in Computers if you're not already proficient.

Augmented Reality

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Beginning at 3rd level your view of reality is always overlaid with a HUD full of
information about the world around you. You can use that data to carefully judge
distance, monitor your heart rate, read emotional clues, or just bring up knowledge you
lack. When you make an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw you can roll an
additional d20. You can use this ability after the original roll, but before the outcome is
revealed, although you must use the result of the new roll.

After you've used this ability twice the information proves exhausting even for you. You
must finish a long rest before you can use this ability again.

Tronning Out
At 6th level you gain the ability to digitize yourself and then project into a computer
network (similar to the movie Tron, hence the name). As an action you can touch a
device or socket connected to such a network. You then enter a cyberspace-like reality
contained within.

While in this cyberspace you cannot cast any spells or use any abilities other than the
Computer skill, although you add double your proficiency bonus with that skill. You can't
perceive the real world unless you gain control of a security camera, in which case you
can see through that camera.

You can remain within cyberspace for 10 minutes, but you are concentrating during that
time as if on a spell. If you lose concentration you suffer 2d6 psychic damage and are
immediately ejected from the network.

You can leave through any unsecured device or device you have access to but you
cannot travel farther than 1 mile from your entrance point. Once you use this ability you
have to take a long rest before you can do so again.

Multitasking
At 10th level you learn how to set aside part of your mind and let it concentrate on one
task while the rest of your brain works on another. You can cast haste as a bonus action
but on yourself only. You can use this ability twice, and you regain all uses when you
complete a long rest.

Hollow One
Not everyone wants to hop on the tradition bandwagon. Some want nothing to do with
their fellow mages, while others believe any such groups will inevitably become corrupt.
Some just haven't made a choice. Those mages are called hollow ones. They pass
magic secrets back and forth amongst themselves, acting in some ways as an unofficial

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tradition. Of course the first thing they need to do if they join an actual tradition is
unlearn those lessons.

Jinx
You are a source of bad luck. Starting at 3rd level, whenever a creature within 30 feet of
you rolls a 1 on the d20 for an attack roll, ability check or saving throw, you can use
your reaction to amplify their bad luck. You can choose one of the following outcomes to
inflict upon the attacker: they fall prone, they drop everything that they are holding, or
they take 1d10 piercing damage.

Aura of Misfortune
Also at 3rd level, you radiate an aura of misfortune. Each hostile creature within 15 feet
of you (except yourself) suffers a -1 penalty to all attack and damage rolls.

Hound of Ill Omen

At 6th level, you gain the ability to call forth a howling creature of darkness to harass
your foes. As a bonus action, you can spend 3 mana points to summon a hound of ill
omen to target one creature you can see within 120 feet of you. The hound uses the
dire wolf's statistics, with the following changes.

● The hound is size Medium, not Large, and its type changes to Horror (cryptid)
● It appears with a number of temporary hit points equal to half your awakened
level.
● It can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain.
The hound takes 5 force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
● At the start of its turn, the hound automatically knows its target's location. If the
target was hidden, it is no longer hidden from the hound.

The hound appears in an unoccupied space of your choice within 30 feet of the target.
Roll initiative for the hound. On its turn, it can move only toward its target by the most
direct route, and it can use its action only to attack its target.

The hound can make opportunity attacks, but only against its target. Additionally, while
the hound is within 5 feet of the target, the target has disadvantage on saving throws
against any spell you cast. The hound disappears if it is reduced to 0 hit points, if its
target is reduced to 0 hit points, or after 5 minutes.

Blessings of Shadow

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By 10th level, you've been a hollow one so long your luck begins to turn. When you or
another creature you can see within 30 feet of you makes an ability check or a saving
throw, you can use your reaction to add your spellcasting ability modifier to the roll.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your spellcasting ability modifier
(minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

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Forsaken
A purse snatcher spots his mark, a meek old lady walking alone on a dark, deserted
street. He sprints towards her, grabs at her purse intending to yank it away, but instead
he's thrown backwards, flung into an alleyway where he lands with a bone crunching
thud. He looks back to see the woman, but as he watches in shock and fear her
silhouette changes, growing impossibly large. He swears he can hear her snarling.

A man who isn't quite human sits at the bar knocking back a shot of whiskey. He
extends his senses, smelling the odor of sour beer, and the creak of the floorboards as
three burly shitkickers approach him from behind. He lets them grab him with their
meaty paws, lets them spin him around to face them. They spit out something about
this being their bar. He tries to stay calm, but he can feel the rage boiling inside. Before
he can stop it he's already changing.

A large man watches the night, a disapproving growl in his throat. He knows he's not
human, never was, but still he remembers. Being an accountant. Having a family. He
knows it's the other one's life, the one who's body he's in, but the memories feel like his.
He catches a whiff in the air, and the low growl becomes a snarl. It's another like him,
another beast. In his territory. The memories fade, the human life forgotten. He's got a
lesson to teach.

A bestial, savage world of fangs and blood drenched claws. A primal world of predator
and prey. A spirit realm of fleshless creatures where nature’s dance plays out again and
again. This is the realm that gave birth to the werewolf. It is their true home. Yet they
find themselves here, bound to a human body, with memories that are not their own. Do
they take their frustrations out on the fragile bodies of those around them or do they rise
to a higher purpose? Such is the question of the forsaken.

Creating a Forsaken
For the full description of being a forsaken see the werewolf section in the nature
chapter. As a forsaken you have turned your back on the task the Iconnu gave to you,
and your kin. This has made you an enemy of the pure, those werewolves who honor
what they believe to be a sacred pact between the Iconnu and their own mother Luna.
Consider why you have turned your back on this pact. Did you bristle under the reins of
an agreement you did not make? Did you wish to take your chance to be free of all
obligations? Or did you have a pang of conscience? You have the memories of the

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human whose body you stole. Is that why you feel for your victims? Do you even know
what you are anymore?

HIT DIE: d12

STARTING MAXIMUM HIT DIE: 1d12
STARTING MAXIMUM HIT POINTS: 12 + Constitution Modifier
DEFENSE (NATURAL ARMOR): 10 + Strength Modifier + Defense Bonus

PROFICIENCIES
● SAVES: Strength, Constitution

● SKILLS: Choose two (Athletics, Intimidation, Perception, Streetwise, and

Survival)

● EQUIPMENT: Basic and Improvised

LEVELING UP

Level Proficiency Features Rages Gauru Max Rites Defense

Bonus Damage Essence Bonus

1st +2 Gauru Form, Gifts 1 +2 1 -- +3

2nd +2 Savage Attack, Rites 2 +2 2 2 +3

3rd +2 Urhan, Auspice Feature 2 +2 3 2 +3

4th +2 One minor feat 3 +2 4 2 +3

5th +3 Extra Attack, Instinctive Pounce 3 +2 5 2 +4

6th +3 Auspice Feature, Urshul 3 +2 6 2 +4

7th +3 Feral Impulse 4 +2 7 3 +4

8th +3 One minor feat 4 +2 8 3 +4

9th +4 Brutal Critical (one die), Relentless 4 +3 9 3 +5

Rage

10th +4 Auspice Feature 4 +3 10 3 +5

Gauru Form

The strongest form available to werewolves is their deadliest, and most destructive.
More than any other power it is the ability to assume this form that leads sleepers to call
them werewolves. This form is called their Gauru form, the beast.

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In this form you gain 2 feet in height, and 200 to 250 pounds of muscle mass (your size
remains medium). Your body becomes covered in fur and your head transforms into
something resembling a monstrous wolf. On your turn you can enter this form as an
action. Apart from the physical alterations this change has the following effects:

● Your carrying capacity is doubled

● You gain nightvision
● You gain a bite attack that deals 1d8 piercing damage. Once on each of your
turns when you damage a creature with your bite, you regain a number of hit
points equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 hit point).
● Your hands transform into claws, which deal 1d8 slashing damage. When you
take the Attack action on your turn and make an attack with your claws, you can
make one additional attack using your claws as part of the same action.
● You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws
● You gain a bonus to damage rolls with your bite and claws that increases as you
gain levels as a werewolf as shown in the Gauru damage column of the
Forsaken table
● Sleepers who see you experience a mild form of insanity known as Lunacy. The
first time they see you they must make a Wisdom saving throw versus your gift
save DC. On a failure they have disadvantage on attacks against you until the
end of their next turn.
● In addition they have to roll on the short term madness table. Sleepers who make
the save are immune to Lunacy for 24 hours and may become aware at the GMs
discretion.

This change also brings a few weaknesses. For one your clothing and equipment do not
change with you. Any clothing or armor you're wearing when you transform is
destroyed.

You also can't use any weapon other than your claws or bite while transformed, and you
can't use spells (assuming you otherwise could) although you can activate gifts and
rites, and you can benefit from spells you've previously cast.

You can remain in Gauru form for up to 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked
unconscious, or if your turn ends and you haven't attacked a hostile creature or taken
damage since your last turn. You can also revert to Hishu form as an action.

You can transform a total number of times as shown for your level in the Rages column
of the forsaken table. After that you can’t transform again, unless you are triggered into
a Death Rage. You regain all expended transformations when you complete a long rest.

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Gifts
Many of a werewolf’s supernatural powers rely on a mystic energy called essence.
Essence is pure spirit force, the food and drink of the spirit world. All spirits crave
essence, but werewolves are able to use it to enhance their natural abilities. Your level
determines your maximum amount of essence as shown in the Max Essence column of
the Forsaken table.

You can spend essence to use supernatural abilities called gifts. Choose one gift from
the following:

Augment Senses
You can spend 1 essence as a bonus action to gain advantage on all Wisdom
(Perception) and Wisdom (Survival) checks you make for 1 hour.

Inhuman Power
You can spend 1 essence as a bonus action to gain advantage on all Strength checks
or Strength saving throws (your choice) until the start of your next turn.

Instant Transformation
You can spend 1 essence to transform into any of your werewolf forms as a bonus
action instead of an action.

Prey's Blood
As an Action you can spend 1 Essence to cast hunter's mark on 1 creature whose blood
you have tasted within the last hour. The creature must still be within the spell's range.

Regeneration
While you are in gauru form you can spend 1 essence and 1 hit die as a bonus action to
grant yourself temporary regeneration. Roll the Hit Die, but do not add your Constitution
modifier to this roll. You regain the result of the die in hit points every round for a total
number of rounds equal to half your Proficiency Bonus. You can only be under the
effects of this ability once at a time. If you use it a second time the first automatically
ends.

Suppress The Fury

As an action you can spend 1 essence to reroll the Humanity save to avoid flying into a
Death Rage, or to end a Death Rage early.

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You may choose an additional gift in place of a minor feat at 4th and 8th levels.

You may only spend 1 essence per round for every gift you have, up to a maximum of 6
at 19th level. Once you spend an essence you do not have it until you have a chance to
draw it back into yourself. You can regain essence in one of three ways:

● You regain 1 essence the first time you see the moon since your last long rest. If
this is your auspice moon you regain 2 essence.

● You regain a number of points of essence equal to your proficiency bonus if you
track and kill an animal or person and eat its heart. Hunting in this way is
considered a degrading act, and will require a Humanity save to avoid
degradation. If you regain essence in this way you cannot do so again until after
you complete a long rest.

● You can regain spent essence by meditating at a Nexus, a place where the
interplay between the physical and spirit is particularly powerful. You must
meditate for at least 30 minutes after completing a long rest to regain essence in
this way, and once you do you cannot regain essence again this way until you
complete another long rest.

No matter how you regain essence you can only gain essence up to your maximum.
Any essence gained in excess of this is lost.

Savage Attack
Starting at 2nd level you learn to throw aside all concern for defense to attack with
brutal desperation. When you make your first attack on your turn, you can decide to
attack savagely. Doing so gives you advantage on melee weapon attack rolls using
Strength during this turn, but attack rolls against you have advantage until your next
turn.

Rites
Also at 2nd level you learn supernatural abilities called rites. Rites allow you to spend
essence to perform incredible feats. You may choose two rites from the forsaken rite list
in the Supernatural Powers Chapter. You learn an additional rite at 7th level.

Wisdom is your supernatural ability for rites. You use your Wisdom whenever a rite
refers to a save or requires an attack roll.

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 Rite save DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + Wisdom mod

Rite attack mod = proficiency bonus + Wisdom mod

Urhan

Beginning at 3rd level you learn an additional form, urhan, or the wolf. You can use an
action to transform into a wolf. You can revert to Hishu earlier by using a bonus action
on your turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die.
While you are transformed, the following rules apply:

● Your game statistics are replaced by the wolf’s statistics, but you retain your
personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores.
● You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, and also gain
those of the wolf.
● You can add your proficiency bonus to the wolf’s attack and damage rolls. If the
wolf has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher
than yours, use the wolf’s bonus instead of yours.
● Your hit points do not change while in wolf form and any damage you incur is
retained when you change back.
● You can’t cast spells, use a rite, speak, or take any action that a wolf cannot,
although you may use the First Speech to speak to spirits and other werewolves
without penalty. Transforming doesn’t break your concentration however, or
prevent you from taking actions that are part of a spell or rite you've already
activated.
● You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and
can use them if a wolf is physically capable of doing so. When you transform,
anything you're wearing or carrying falls off of you unless you have a special rite
that prevents it.

You can transform this way twice per long rest and can remain in this form for up to 1
hour for every point of proficiency bonus you have after which you automatically revert
to Hishu.

Auspice Feature
When you reach 3rd level your blood begins to grow more powerful, and you manifest
additional abilities based on your auspice. You manifest an additional ability at 6th, and
10th levels.

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Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the
Attack action on your turn.

Instinctive Pounce
Also at 5th level when you are in any form other than Hishu and a creature ends its turn
within 15 feet of you, you can use your reaction to move up to half your speed to a
space closer to the creature. This movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks.

Urshul

Beginning at 6th level you may transform into your Urshul, or near-wolf form. In this
form you have the statistics of a dire wolf with the same changes as for Urhan above
except for the following additional benefit:

● While in Urshul form you gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution
score plus your proficiency bonus. You lose these temporary hp when you switch
to any other form.

You may only remain in this form for 1 hour after which you automatically revert to
Hishu. After you transform into this form you must complete a long rest before you can
do so again.

Feral Impulse
Starting at 7th level your instincts become so honed that you have advantage on
initiative rolls.

Additionally, if you are surprised at the start of combat and aren't incapacitated, you can
act normally on your first turn, but only if you enter your gauru form before doing
anything else on that turn.

Brutal Critical
At 9th level you can roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the extra
damage for a critical hit with a melee attack.

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This increases to two additional dice at 13th level and three additional dice at 17th level.

Relentless Rage

Also at 9th level your rage can keep you fighting despite grievous wounds. If you drop to
0 hit points while in gauru form and don't die outright, you can make a DC 10
Constitution saving throw. If you succeed, you drop to 1 hit point instead. Each time you
use this feature after the first, the DC increases by 5. When you first take a short or long
rest, the DC resets to 10.

Auspice Features
Upon reaching 3rd level the power of the beast inside increases granting you new
abilities related to your auspice. These abilities increase when you reach 6th level and
again at 10th. Although there are 5 options presented here (one for each auspice) there
are rumors that there are ways for werewolves to join lodges, which would replace their
auspice powers with abilities related to their lodge. If this is true or not no one knows for
sure.

Rahu
Prerequisite: Rahu auspice
Werewolves who's beast spirit hails from the full moon lands are savage and powerful
beyond understanding. Unlike other werewolves their Gauru form is a titanic monster of
terrifying proportions.

Titan of Claws and Fury

Starting when you reach 3rd level, your Gauru form when you rage is a titan. When you
transform into Gauru form in addition to the other changes your size doubles in all
dimensions, and your weight is multiplied by eight.

This growth increases your size by one category—from Medium to Large, for example.
This size increase does not stack with similar size increases, such as from the
enlarge/reduce spell. If there isn't enough room for you to double your size, you attain
the maximum possible size in the space available.

Your claws and bite attacks match your new size. While you are in Gauru form your
attacks with them deal 1d4 extra damage. While raging, you can use your action to
make a massive swing against all creatures in a 15-foot line within your reach. Roll a
separate attack roll for each target in the line.

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Mindless Rage
Beginning at 6th level, you can't be charmed or frightened while in Gauru form. If you
are charmed or frightened when you enter Gauru form, the effect is suspended for the
duration of the rage.

Rend Asunder
Starting at 10th level, you have advantage on attack rolls you make against objects. On
a hit, you deal maximum damage and you can ignore the object's damage threshold, if it
has one.

Cahalith
Prerequisite: Cahalith auspice
Gibbous moon werewolves who reach 3rd level learn to unlock their auspice's divination
powers. They begin to have visions of the future that can guide their actions.

Awakened Awareness
Beginning at 3rd level, you have developed heightened intuition and senses. You gain
proficiency in Insight and Perception skills.

Prophetic Dreams
At 3rd level you start to have prophetic dreams. As a bonus action you can tap into
these dreams to grant yourself advantage on the next attack roll, saving throw, or skill
check you make. Once you use this ability you must complete a long rest before you
can do so again.

Bolstering Howl
Beginning at 6th level, while in any form other than Hishu as an action you can let loose
a long howl that inspires your allies. All allied creatures with 30 feet of you who can see
and hear you can choose one among the following effects:

● Become immune to the frightened condition for 1 minute

● Become immune to being charmed for 1 minute
● Reroll a save against any single debilitating effect
● Spend 1 hit die as a reaction to recover hit points as if they’d taken a short rest

Psychic Retaliation
Starting at 10th level your mind now protects you from outside intrusion. You gain
resistance 5 to psychic damage, and while in Gauru form when you take damage from a

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creature that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to force the creature to
make a Wisdom saving throw vs your Rite DC. On a failed save the creature takes 1d6
plus 1/2 your werewolf level in psychic damage.

Elodath
Prerequisite: Elodath auspice
To live the life of the elodath is to live as one with the spirit world. Perceived as fair and
balanced by other spirits, elodath who reach 3rd level gain spirit allies who can assist
them in combat.

Spirit Guardians
Starting when you reach 3rd level spirits appear when you change into gauru form.
While thus transformed the first creature you hit with an attack on your turn becomes
the target of the spirits, who hinder its attacks.

Until the start of your next turn, that target has disadvantage on any attack roll that isn't
against you, and when the target hits a creature other than you with an attack, that
creature has resistance to the damage dealt by the attack. The effect on the target ends
early if you shift out of guaru form.

Spirit Shield
Beginning at 6th level, the guardian spirits that aid you can provide protection to those
you defend. If you are in Gauru form and another creature you can see within 30 feet of
you takes damage, you can use your reaction to reduce that damage by 2d6.

When you reach 10th level this damage reduction increases to 3d6.

Consult the Spirits

At 10th level you gain the ability to consult with your spirit guardians. When you do so
you cast the beast sense or tongues spell without using a spell slot or material
components. When casting beast sense in this way one of your guardian spirits enters
the beast and telepathically connects to you. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for
these spells. After you cast either spell in this way you can't use this feature again until
you finish a short or long rest.

Ithaeur
Prerequisite: Ithaeur auspice
As shamans, werewolves of the ithaeur auspice learn to use magic in ways other
werewolves can't.

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Spellcasting
When you reach 3rd level, You have the ability to cast spells. This follows the rules for
spellcasting as laid out in the PHB.

Spell Slots. The Ithaeur Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to
cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a
slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a
long rest at a Nexus.

Spells Known. You know three 1st level ithaeur spells of your choice from the druid list.
The Spells Known column of the Ithaeur Spellcasting table shows when you learn more
ithaeur spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells must be of a level for which
you have spell slots. Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the
ithaeur spells you know with another spell of your choice from the ithaeur spell list. The
new spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability. As with Rites, Wisdom is your spellcasting ability. You use your
Rite DC and Rite Attack Bonus when spells refer to saves or spell attacks.

Ithaeur Spellcasting
Forsaken Level Spells Known 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
level level level level

3rd 3 2 - - -

4th 4 3 - - -

5th 4 3 - - -

6th 4 3 - - -

7th 5 4 2 - -

8th 6 4 2 - -

9th 6 4 2 - -

10th 7 4 3 - -

Totems
Also at 3rd level your insight into the natural world has given you the ability to carve
spirit-infused totems, wooden poles roughly 3 inches in diameter and about 3-feet tall.
With painstaking effort, you learned to carve the entire length of your totems and were

89
then taught how to imbue them with magic. After completion, the essence of the totem
binds with your spirit, allowing you to call upon its power.

Using Your Totems. As an action, you can plant a totem at a point within 5 feet of you,
and in doing so summon its spiritual substance. This substance is considered neither a
creature nor an object, though it has the spectral appearance of the totem it represents.

When you plant a totem, it triggers its magical effect, as detailed in the totem's
description. A creature can only benefit from one totem of the same kind at a time. If a
totem makes an attack roll, the attack bonus is equal to your rite attack bonus. If a totem
requires a creature to make a saving throw, the DC is equal to your rite save DC.

You can dismiss a totem you've planted as either an action or a bonus action, ending its
effect. If you fall unconscious, all totems that you have planted are automatically
dismissed.

Unless otherwise noted in the totem description, totems last up to 1 minute before they
are dismissed automatically. You can plant totems while in Gauru form and they count
as attacking for the purposes of extending your rage.

At 3rd level you gain one totem chosen from the list below.

Eagle Eye Totem

Prerequisite: 6th Level
When you plant this totem, it becomes invisible. As an action, you can see from the
perspective of the totem until the start of your next turn. During this time, you are blind
with regard to your own senses. The totem has truesight to a distance of 15 feet and
darkvision to a distance of 120 feet. This totem lasts up to 8 hours. Once you plant this
totem, you can't plant it again until you finish a long rest.

Earthbind Totem
While this totem is planted, the ground underneath it becomes a churning quagmire and
is treated as difficult terrain for hostile creatures. Once you plant this totem, you can't
plant it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Elemental Blast Totem

When you plant this totem, choose one type of damage: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or
thunder. As a bonus action on your turn, you can cause it to spit a bolt of elemental
energy at a hostile creature you can see within 15 feet of the totem. Make a ranged
spell attack against the target.

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On a hit, the target takes 1d8 damage of the chosen type.

At Higher Levels. This totem's damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level
(2d8).

Elemental Resistance Totem

Prerequisite: 6th level
When you plant this totem, choose one of the following damage types: acid, cold, fire,
lightning, or thunder. While within 15 feet of this totem, you and your allies have
resistance to damage of the chosen type.

Guidance Totem
When you plant this totem, you summon a wise and knowledgeable spirit. You and
friendly creatures within 15 feet of the totem have advantage on Intelligence and
Wisdom checks as they converse with the spirit to receive guidance and counsel. Once
you plant this totem, you must finish a long rest before you can plant it again.

Guardian Totem
When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you within 15 feet of this
totem, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll using a
spectral shield of force.

Once you plant this totem, you can't plant it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Healing Stream Totem

You can use a bonus action to cause a creature of your choice within 15 feet of this
totem to regain 1 hit point. Once you plant this totem, you must finish a long rest before
you can plant it again. Any creature healed by this totem can choose to immediately
expend a number of Hit Dice up to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1) and restore hit
points just as they would after finishing a short rest.

At Higher Levels. This totem's healing increases to 1d4 when you reach 5th level.

Hungering Spirit Totem

In exchange for power, you and your allies can feed some of your life essence to the
spirits conjured by this totem. When you or an ally start their turn within 15 feet of this
totem, they can choose to expend a number of Hit Dice up to your proficiency bonus.
Until the totem is dismissed, attacks they make deal extra damage equal to the number
of Hit Dice spent.

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Once you plant this totem, you must finish a long rest before you can plant it again.

Traversal Totem
When you plant this totem, you can create a stretch of special terrain that begins from
where you planted the totem, extending up to 30 feet long and 5 feet wide, shaped in
any way you choose. This terrain might manifest itself in the form of vines growing up a
wall, tree roots forming a bridge, lily pads or ice floating on water, a path of clouds
floating in the air, or some other phenomenon of your choice.

It acts as a solid surface that can be walked and climbed on, though any creature can
freely pass through it if they choose to. The terrain disappears when the totem is
dismissed.

Once you plant this totem, you can't plant it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Totemic Awakening
At 6th level you gain an additional totem chosen from the totem list. You also gain a rite.

Spirit Rebuke
At 10th level, the magic crackling within your soul lashes out. When a creature forces
you to make a saving throw while you are in Gauru form, you can use your reaction to
deal 3d6 force damage to that creature. You also gain one more totem.

Totemic Mastery
Beginning at 14th level you can plant your totems as a bonus action. You also gain two
more totems.

Irraka
Prerequisite: Irraka auspice
Irraka werewolves are at their best when they are striking from the shadows, slipping in
and out of darkness to harass and waylay the pack's foes.

Skirmisher
Starting at 3rd level, you are difficult to pin down during a fight. You can move up to half
your speed as a reaction when an enemy ends its turn within 5 feet of you. This
movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks.

Danger Sense

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Also at 3rd level you develop a keen sense for things that aren't as they should be. You
have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that you can see, such as
traps and powers. To gain this benefit , you can't be blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.

Silent Stalker
Starting at 6th level, you can make Dexterity (Stealth) checks to hide when moving at a
normal pace. In addition you can use a bonus action to take the dodge, disengage, or
hide action.

Superior Mobility
Beginning at 10th level your walking speed increases by 10 feet in any of your available
forms, and you gain a climbing speed and a swimming speed equal to your walking
speed.

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Imbued
Feigning fear, a petite blonde woman sprints down a dark street, whipping around a
building. A second later the thing that's hunting her does the same expecting an easy
meal. Instead as it turns the corner the woman leaps on its back and slices its head off
with an ax. She smiles as it turns to dust.

A burly old man downs another drink at his favorite bar. Out of the corner of his eye he
sees one of the patrons go into a terrible convulsion. With a bone snapping crunch the
patron transforms turning into a beast the size of a bear. While everyone else flees in
fear the old man feels something spark inside him. He grabs a nearby pool cue and as
it catches fire in his hands he charges the snarling beast.

Moving slowly a man brandishing a shotgun advances on the startled creature before
him. The thing, pale and with sharp fangs, backs away in fear, and the man realizes it
couldn't have been what killed those campers. He offers the thing a deal, help him find
the real killers and he'll let it go. It nods its head in eager agreement.

More human than human. That's what the chosen are supposed to be. They call
themselves the imbued for they've been imbued with the powers they need to defend
humanity and stop the Iconnu, even if the enormity of the task all but destroys them.

Creating an Imbued

For the full description of being an imbued see the chosen section in the nature chapter.
Unlike ordinary hunters an imbued has powers that make them a match for most
creatures in this new dark world. Many take this to mean that they should be the only
ones hunting. Some become strident in their beliefs, refusing to work with anyone other
than imbued. The smart ones know most who have that attitude end up dead. After all,
there aren’t usually enough imbued to go around, and the imbued who goes alone tends
not to live long.

HIT DIE: d10

STARTING MAXIMUM HIT DIE: 1d10
STARTING MAXIMUM HIT POINTS: 10 + Constitution Modifier
DEFENSE (CONVICTION): 10 + Constitution Modifier + Defense Bonus

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 PROFICIENCIES
● SAVES: Strength, Dexterity

● SKILLS: Choose two (Athletics, Driving/Piloting, Insight, Investigation,

Mechanics, Perception, Stealth, Streetwise, and Survival)

● EQUIPMENT: Basic and Advanced

LEVELING UP

Level Proficienc Features Slayer’s Edge Convictio Max Defense

y Bonus Mark s n Level Bonus

1st +2 Slayer’s Mark, Nightmare d4 -- -- -- +1

Sense

2nd +2 Edges, Fighting Style d4 4 2 1st +1

3rd +2 Imbued Strategy, Creed d4 5 3 1st +2

4th +2 Two Minor Feats or One d4 6 4 1st +2

Major Feat

5th +3 Extra Attack d6 7 5 2nd +2

6th +3 Expertise d6 8 6 2nd +3

7th +3 Strategy (2), Creed Feature d6 9 7 2nd +3

8th +3 Two Minor Feats or One d6 10 8 2nd +3

Major Feat

9th +4 Strategy (15 foot radius), d8 12 9 3rd +4

Creed Feature

10th +4 Commando d8 13 10 3rd +4

Slayer’s Mark
Starting at 1st level you gain a supernatural ability to sense and track your targets .
Once on each of your turns, you can choose a creature you can see within 120 feet and
mark it as your prey (no action required). For the next hour, you gain the following
benefits.

● Once per turn, when you hit the target with a weapon attack, you can deal 1d4
additional damage to it of the same type as the weapon's damage. This die
changes as you gain imbued levels, as shown in the Slayer’s Mark column of the
imbued table.

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 ● You have advantage on any Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) check
you make to find it while it's on the same plane as you.

You can only have one creature marked in this way at a time. Beginning at 5th level,
you can use your reaction to mark a creature when it enters your line of sight, provided
it is within range of your Slayer’s Prey. The duration increases to 8 hours at 9th level.

Nightmare Sense
Also at 1st level, you gain the ability to peer at a creature and magically discern how
best to hurt it. As an action, choose one creature you can see within 60 feet of you. You
immediately learn whether the creature has any damage immunities, resistances, or
vulnerabilities and what they are. If the creature is hidden from divination magic, you
sense that it has no damage immunities, resistances, or vulnerabilities.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of
once). You regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.

Edges

At 2nd level you begin to develop special supernatural powers called edges. These
follow the general rules for spellcasting as laid out in the PHB except most tend to be
used to augment your own physical abilities. See the Supernatural Powers chapter for
general information on edges, and for the list of your available edges.

Edges Known
You learn 4 edges of your choice, and you learn more at higher levels, as shown in the
Edges column of the imbued table. You may not learn an edge of a level higher than
your max level for your level as shown in the Max Level column of the imbued table.

Conviction
Your edges are powered by a personal reservoir of energy called conviction. You have
a number of conviction points equal to your level + your Wisdom modifier as indicated in
the Conviction column of the imbued table. You can use conviction to activate your
edges.

You regain all spent conviction after a long rest up to your normal maximum provided
you meet the two following criteria:

● Your willpower is at maximum

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 ● You have not ignored the call of your screams of the dying feature since your last
long rest

Max Level
Many edges can be overcharged, consuming more conviction to create a greater effect.
You can overcharge these powers to a maximum level, which increases at higher
levels, as shown in the Max Power Level column of the imbued table.

Edge Ability
Wisdom is the ability for your edges. You use your Wisdom whenever any power refers
to your edge ability. Additionally, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving
throw DC for an edge you use and when making an attack roll with one.

Edge save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Edge attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

Edge Focus
Edges are intrinsic powers for you. You can ignore all somatic, verbal, and material
components when using edges, and you do not require a focus.

Fighting Style
You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following
options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to
choose again.

● Blind Fighting. You have blindsight with a range of 10 feet. Within that range,
you can effectively see anything that isn't behind total cover, even if you're
blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that
range, unless the creature successfully hides from you.

● Defense. Your defense bonus increases by +1

● Thrown Weapon Fighting. You can draw a weapon that has the thrown
property as part of the attack you make with the weapon. In addition, when you
hit with a ranged attack using a thrown weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to the
damage roll.

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 ● Two-Weapon Fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add
your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

● Unarmed Fighting. Your unarmed strikes can deal bludgeoning damage equal
to 1d6 + your Strength modifier on a hit. If you aren't wielding any weapons or a
shield when you make the attack roll, the d6 becomes a d8. At the start of each
of your turns, you can deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage to one creature grappled by
you.

Imbued Strategy
Starting at 3rd level you develop an overall strategy for your hunts. Choose one strategy
from the list detailed at the end of the class description. You develop an additional
strategy at 7th and 15th level. At 9th level, the range of your strategies increases to 15
feet.

Creed
By the time you reach 3rd level, you start to get a feel for why you were imbued with the
powers of a chosen. You feel the inexorable pull of an outlook for your powers that
defines your relation to your new life. Choose a creed from the list at the end of this
class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th level and
9th levels.

Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the
Attack action on your turn.

Expertise
At 6th level choose two of your skill proficiencies, or one of skill proficiencies and one of
your tool proficiencies, or two of your tool proficiencies. You gain expertise in those
skills or tools.

Commando

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Starting at 10th level you can take the dash or hide actions as a bonus action on each
of your turns. Additionally, you can remain perfectly still for long periods of time to set up
ambushes.

When you attempt to hide on your turn, you can opt to not move on that turn. If you
avoid moving, creatures that attempt to detect you take a -10 penalty to their Wisdom
(Perception) checks until the start of your next turn. You lose this benefit if you move or
fall prone, either voluntarily or because of some external effect. You are still
automatically detected if any effect or action causes you to no longer be hidden.

If you are still hidden on your next turn, you can continue to remain motionless and gain
this benefit until you are detected.

Finally, you can no longer be tracked by unenhanced means, unless you choose to
leave a trail.

Imbued Strategies
These strategies are presented in alphabetical order. If multiple imbued grant the same
strategy, affected creatures can only benefit from it once. You must be conscious to
grant the benefit of your strategies.

Adaptability
At the start of each of your turns, you can choose an ability score with a saving throw in
which you are not proficient. Until the start of your next turn, you add half your
proficiency bonus, rounded down, to saving throws you make with the chosen ability.
Alternatively, you can choose to extend this benefit to friendly creatures within 5 feet of
you, except for you.

Adroitness
At the start of each of your turns, you can choose to have advantage on effects that
would slow your speed or apply the restrained condition. Alternatively, you can choose
to extend this benefit to friendly creatures within 5 feet of you, except for you.

Athleticism
At the start of each of your turns, you can choose to gain a climbing and swimming
speed equal to your walking speed. Alternatively, you can choose to extend this benefit
to friendly creatures within 5 feet of you, except for you.

Bravado

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At the start of each of your turns, you can choose to have advantage on saving throws
against effects that would frighten or charm you. Alternatively, you can choose to extend
this benefit to friendly creatures within 5 feet of you, except for you.

Fortitude
At the start of each of your turns, you can choose to gain advantage on Constitution
saving throws to avoid exhaustion from mundane sources, as well as being naturally
adapted to both hot and cold climates. Alternatively, you can choose to extend this
benefit to friendly creatures within 5 feet of you, except for you.

Perseverance
At the start of each of your turns, you can choose to gain resistance 5 to damage from
supernatural powers until the start of your next turn. Alternatively, you can choose to
extend this benefit to friendly creatures within 5 feet of you, except for you. Once you’ve
used this ability you must complete a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Precision
At the start of each of your turns, you can choose to gain a bonus to the first weapon
attack roll you make before the start of your next turn equal to your Wisdom modifier.
Alternatively, you can choose to allow each creature within 5 feet of you, including you,
to add half your Wisdom modifier to the first weapon attack roll they make before the
start of your next turn.

Swiftness
When you roll initiative, you can choose to add your proficiency bonus to the initiative
roll and have advantage on attack rolls against creatures that have not yet acted.
Alternatively, you can choose to allow each creature within 5 feet of you, including you,
to add half your proficiency bonus to the initiative roll and have advantage on the first
attack roll they make against a creature that has not yet acted.

Creeds
While every imbued’s call is to stop the Iconnu, each follows their own unique way of
fulfilling that task. Every chosen one eventually hears a call of a specific creed, a way to
understand what's happened to them, and how they should achieve their ends. In
answering this call each begins to manifest powers that make it easier to accomplish
their goals. Most usually take that as a sign that theirs is the one true purpose of being a
scion. Your choice of creed grants you features at 3rd, and 7th levels.

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Avengers
Avengers are unforgiving and dogmatic in their approach as an imbued. They seek
revenge for the harm done by creatures of the dark. To an avenger there can be no
middle ground. The creature's of the night have to be destroyed at any cost. To other
imbued, avengers are often seen as bloodthirsty, or self-righteous. They are the least
likely to want to work with monsters (in fact most would consider such behavior insane
at best or morally disgusting at worst).

Avengers can very often fall prey to thinking that the ends justify the means, even if
those means get people killed. Not all are willing to go that far, but even the most
reasonable avenger would still be capable of doing whatever they need to do to get the
job done.

Cleave
When you answer this call at 3rd level you gain an ability to wreathe weapons, even
improvised ones, in a glowing aura of damaging energy. As a bonus action choose
either a melee weapon or an object you can hold in your hands that can be used as an
improvised weapon. You must be holding the object or weapon in your hands to use this
power on it.

For the next minute the weapon gains the following properties:

● It emits a bright orange light in a 20-foot radius and dim light 20 feet beyond that.
● It’s damage type changes to radiant
● It gains a bonus on damage rolls equal to your proficiency bonus
● You are also considered proficient in it even if it's an improvised weapon

The effect ends early if the weapon leaves your hand, you fall unconscious, or you
choose to end it on your turn (no action required). You can use this ability twice. You
regain all uses when you complete a long rest.

Retribution
Also starting at 3rd level you gain the ability to harm creatures that have harmed your
allies. As a reaction to a hostile creature within 30 feet damaging an ally you can
choose to shift your slayer’s mark to that creature. If you do then the first time each turn
that you damage that creature with a weapon attack it takes an extra 1d8 damage from
the weapon. This lasts for as long as the creature is marked. It ends early if you
designate a different creature.

Supreme Cleave

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Beginning at 7th level your cleave attack becomes more powerful. A weapon or object
under the effects of your cleave is considered magical for the purposes of overcoming
damage resistance. Additionally when you hit with this weapon or object you can
perform a powered attack. If you do, the attack is considered a critical hit and does +1d8
damage (+3d8 if the target is a Horror). If the object you perform the attack with is
fragile or has 10 hit points or less than it shatters. Either way the cleave effect
immediately ends after this attack.

Devastation
At 9th level when you score a critical hit or reduce a creature to 0 hit points on your turn,
you can use your bonus action to force one creature of your choice that you can see
within 30 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw against your edge save DC. On a
failed save, a creature becomes frightened of you for 1 minute. At the end of each of the
creature's turns it repeats this saving throw, ending the effect on a success.

Defender
To a defender one thing is clear. They were given these powers so that they can save
the innocent and the defenseless. A defender would never think of abandoning a human
to die by a monster's hands, even if that human deserved it. Defenders are often seen
as the most heroic of all imbued, and also the most flexible. They are even willing to
work with monsters if necessary, as long as those monsters refrain from harming any
non-monster. If the monster breaks this agreement however, they can expect the
defender to hunt them down with a zeal normally reserved for avengers.

Defender's Zeal
Starting when you answer this call at 3rd level any creature you marked as your prey
takes 1d8 psychic damage whenever they attack a creature other than you with a
weapon attack or single target spell or if they perform an area attack that does not
include you in the target area.

Interception
Beginning at 3rd level when a creature you can see hits a target that is within 5 feet of
you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by
1d10 + your proficiency bonus (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a
shield or melee weapon to use this reaction.

Ward
At 7th level you develop the ability to keep servants of the Iconnu at bay. As an action
you activate an invisible field of energy in a 30 ft sphere centered on you. This sphere
affects any Horror that can see or hear you.

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Any affected creature who targets any of your allies within the sphere with an attack or a
harmful power must first make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature
must lose the attack or power or take 3d10 psychic damage. This spell doesn't protect
the creatures inside the sphere from area effects, such as the explosion of a fireball.
This ward lasts for 1 minute or until you or your allies attack or use a harmful power
against any affected creature. Once you use this ability you can't do so again until you
complete a long rest.

Mettle
At 9th level, your determination allows you to shrug off effects that would otherwise
harm you. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Constitution
saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on
the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Martyrs
It's never easy being imbued, but martyrs take it to the extreme. To them there is no
higher purpose than to sacrifice themselves for the cause. After all, why would so much
be thrust upon them if they weren't meant to bear these burdens? Through their
suffering others can be healed.

Martyrs are known to use their pain as a weapon. Like Defenders, they seek to protect
mortals, but they do so by putting themselves at risk; they feel they have been chosen
to suffer the predations of monsters so that others may be free. Martyrs believe that
inspiring the imbued against the supernatural means leading from the front, suffering
the teeth and claws of the enemy and perhaps even dying for the cause.

Demand
When you answer this call at 3rd level you gain the ability to perform an amazing feat at
the cost of hurting yourself. When you roll an attack, ability check, or save you can opt
to roll a hit die. Instead of regaining hit points you gain a bonus to the attack, check or
save equal to the roll of the die, but in response you take hit point damage equal to half
the bonus you gained. This damage cannot be soaked or mitigated in any way.

Self-Sacrifice
Also at 3rd level, you can dive in the way of an attack. When a creature you can see
attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to
change the target of the attack to yourself instead.

Ordeal

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Starting at 7th level, you can use your action to transfer a negative effect from a willing
creature to yourself. You can transfer any of the following effects of your choice
affecting the target.

● One level of exhaustion

● One disease or poison
● One effect that charmed or petrified the target
● One curse, including the target's attunement to a cursed magic item
● Any reduction to one of the target's ability scores
● One effect reducing the target's hit point maximum The blinded, deafened,
paralyzed, or poisoned condition

The effect targets you as if you were the original target, continuing the duration (if any)
and preventing any further effect on the original bearer. After using this ability you can’t
do so again until you complete a short or long rest.

Inflict
Beginning at 9th level, if you are the target (or one of the targets) of a harmful
supernatural effect you can voluntarily fail your save against that effect or cause it to
automatically hit you. If you do so the creature who originated the effect takes half the
damage.

Redeemers
Not all imbued want to kill monsters on sight. Instead some, called redeemers, show
compassion towards creatures of the dark. They attempt to persuade the dark
supernatural forces to turn to light. Every creature that is turned is one more soldier in
the fight against evil. This both denies the Iconnu a warrior, while adding to humanity's
own army.

Redeemers feel it is never too late for a monster to confess its sins and purge its soul.
Any creature, even a monster, can in time atone. The price of penance is high, though -
as high by the reckoning of these imbued as the depth to which the enemy has fallen.
There are many redeemers who, after judging a creature, find the way for it to redeem
itself is to die.

Redeemer's Aura
Beginning at 3rd level you gain proficiency in Persuasion checks if you didn't already
have it. You also have advantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks against Horrors.

Becalm

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Starting at 3rd level as an action you can call out to the creatures around you draining
them of their will to fight. Each Horror within 30 feet of you that has half its maximum hit
points or fewer must make a Wisdom saving throw. If it fails its saving throw the
creature is pacified for 1 minute or until it takes damage.

While pacified the creature cannot take reactions and will only use its action to Help or
Dodge. Affected creatures see you as their greatest ally and will seek to interpose
themselves between your foes and you, or otherwise aid you however they can. Once
you use this ability you must complete a long rest before you can do so again.

Mark of Mercy
When you reach 7th level you gain the ability to leave defeated foes alive in order to
turn them into allies. When you reduce a Horror to 0 hit points with a melee attack you
can instead opt to leave them alive and with the hit points they had before your attack
(as if your attack had missed).

If you do so the creature becomes charmed or frightened of you (your choice) for 10
minutes. Furthermore they carry a mark of mercy somewhere on their body which is
invisible to everyone except the creature and you. This mark lasts 1 week. While they
carry the mark if they directly harm another creature they are immediately reduced to 0
hit points.

They are aware of the nature of the mark but unless they have knowledge of redeemers
they do not know how long it will last. This ability does not work on legendary creatures.
You can only have one active mark of mercy at one time. If you activate a second the
first immediately ends.

Punish
Beginning at 9th level you can force creatures to experience the pain they’re about to
inflict on others. As a reaction when a creature within 30 feet of you targets another
creature (other than you) with an attack or harmful power you can interrupt their action.

If you do so the target must make a Wisdom saving throw versus your edge save DC.
On a failure the target must either lose the attack or power or take damage equal to
whatever they inflict on a single target of their attacks. You can use this ability a number
of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, and regain all expended uses when you take a
long rest.

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Kindred
A young runaway stares at the mother he hasn't seen in weeks. He can feel the
murderous soul inside him wrestling for control, urging him to sink their fangs into her
neck. When she sees him he manages to scream for her to run but the second soul is
too strong, the urge for blood too great to resist. He feels himself leap towards her.

A woman stares in a mirror and the body reflected back is not her own. Where she was
a cold and beautiful seductress, the body is frumpy and plain. Yet she's happy to be
alive again after all these centuries. She can already taste the blood she longs to drink,
already feel her victim's pulse as it slows under her kiss. The night belongs to her, and
her alone.

A figure skulks in deep shadows. It doesn't know what it is. Male. Female. Human.
Vampire. These are words that lack meaning. It remembers being a woman, a nurse
who killed children, carving them up and feeding them to their grieving parents. It
remembers being a man, addicted to drugs, dying in a gutter. But what is it now? It
catches a glimpse of its hands as it passes under a streetlight. Pale, and covered in
cracked pustules, these are inhuman hands. These are the hands of a monster.

Vampires call themselves the kindred, for only another vampire can know what it’s like
to be blessed and cursed as they are. This makes them family, albeit one that is as
likely to feed on each other as on mortals.

Creating an Kindred
For the full description of being kindred see the vampire section in the nature chapter.
Kindred can make powerful characters, but they have a number of weaknesses. Think
about what it would be like to play a character who can’t move around in sunlight, or
might not be able to be awake during the day. How would you overcome that? What
about feeding? A kindred needs to regularly drink blood in order to survive, let alone to
use their powers. Is that going to be an issue for you or anyone else at the table?

HIT DIE: d8
STARTING MAXIMUM HIT DIE: 1d8
STARTING MAXIMUM HIT POINTS: 8 + Constitution Modifier
DEFENSE (VAMPIRE REFLEXES): 10 + Dexterity Modifier + Defense Bonus

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 PROFICIENCIES
● SAVES: Dexterity & Constitution

● SKILLS: Choose two (Acrobatics, Arcana, Athletics, Insight, History,

Perception, Social Sciences, Streetwise and Stealth)

● EQUIPMENT: Basic

LEVELING UP

Level Proficiency Features Slam Vitae Disciplines Unnatural Defense

Bonus Attack Speed Bonus

1st +2 Slam Attack, Vitae, Disciplines d4 3 1 -- +4

2nd +2 Vampiric Resilience, d4 4 2 -- +4

Predator’s Kiss

3rd +2 Unnatural Speed, Clan d4 5 2 +10 ft. +4

Feature, Shared Blood

4th +2 One minor feat, Safe Fall d4 6 2 +10 ft. +4

5th +3 Extra Attack, Vinculum d6 8 2 +15 ft. +5

6th +3 Necrotic Strike, Clan Feature d6 9 2 +15 ft. +5

7th +3 Evasion, Create Ghoul d6 10 3 +15 ft. +5

8th +3 One minor feat d6 11 3 +15 ft. +5

9th +4 Unnatural Speed d8 13 3 +20 ft. +6

Improvement, Clan Feature

10th +4 One minor feat d8 14 3 +20 ft. +6

Slam Attack
At 1st level your unnatural speed and strength give you the ability to make a devastating
unarmed strike, which is known as a slam attack. This can be any kind of unarmed
strike or attack with any simple melee weapon you’re proficient with that doesn’t have
the two-handed property. This weapon becomes your chosen weapon.

You gain the following benefits while you are unarmed or wielding your chosen weapon
and aren't wearing armor or wielding a shield:

● You can use your clan attribute instead of Strength for the attack and damage
rolls of your unarmed strikes, or attacks with your chosen weapon.

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 ● You can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike or
chosen weapon. This die changes as you gain levels, as shown in the Slam
Attack column of the kindred table.

● You can use your clan attribute instead of Strength whenever you would make a
Strength (Athletics) check to grapple, shove, or trip a creature.

● When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike or a chosen weapon on
your turn, you can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action.

● You can take the Dash and Disengage actions as a bonus action.

Vitae

When a vampire feeds on blood, within seconds it transforms into a supernatural

substance called vitae. Vitae looks, smells and flows like natural blood, but is charged
with supernatural power. Vampires use vitae to maintain their altered existence and to
fuel their supernatural powers. When a vampire uses vitae, it physically affects him in a
slight way — he grows paler, his skin tightens or he seems to shrink or wither.

Vampires use 1 vitae every night to animate themselves, more if they try to stay awake
during the day. They also spend vitae to activate some Disciplines, Devotions, and
certain innate powers. You start out knowing five such powers; Savage Flurry, Flush of
Life, Vampiric Dodge, Mend Flesh, and Blur of Movement. No matter the power the
maximum amount of vitae you can spend in one round is equal to your proficiency
bonus.

You use your clan attribute as your chosen ability for powers that spend vitae. You use
the chosen attribute modifier whenever a feature refers to your vitae ability. Additionally,
you use the chosen attribute modifier when making an attack with a vitae feature or
setting the saving throw DC for one.

Vitae save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your clan attribute modifier

Vitae attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your clan attribute modifier

Feeding
Vampires regain vitae by feeding on living creatures or on other vampires. Instead of
doing damage if you attack a willing, grappled, incapacitated, or restrained creature you

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can feed off of them. The creature cannot have the angel, construct, elemental, fiend,
ooze, plant, or undead subtypes (aside from other vampires). If the creature is a cryptid
or spirit the creature must have a physical body and must contain blood.

You make the attack with advantage. If successful in addition to the damage you inflict
with the bite the creature gains 1 level of exhaustion for each successful attack you
make. Each level of exhaustion inflicted this way takes two days to heal.

If the creature is a person of medium size you gain 1 vitae for every level of exhaustion
you inflict. If the target creature is an animal or cryptid you regain half that amount. If the
creature is a vampire you regain double. There might be additional effects based on
creature type.

Creatures give half as much vitae for every size category they are below medium (so
half as much for small, and half of that for tiny). Creatures give double the number of
vitae for every size category above medium. For example if you feed off a small person
you gain 1 vitae for every two levels of exhaustion you inflict, but if you feed off a large
animal you regain 1 vitae for every level of exhaustion (1 vitae per 2 for being an animal
x 2 for being large).

You have a maximum amount of vitae your body can contain at one time as indicated in
the Vitae column of the kindred table. No matter how you regain vitae you cannot
exceed this maximum.

Blood Addiction
Vitae may look and smell like blood, but vitae certainly doesn't taste like blood. Stolen
life is the ultimate forbidden fruit. It is also incredibly addictive.

Every time a creature drinks your blood, the drinker must make a Wisdom save against
your vitae save DC. If they fail, they become one step closer to blood addiction and
have disadvantage on future saves against this addiction.

When a drinker has failed 3 cumulative saves they become addicted and no longer want
to resist the thirst for your vitae. They might dream about you or you might have
advantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks to influence their behavior, provided they
don’t believe it’s just easier to take your blood by force. Each success, or each month
that goes by where the drinker does not taste vitae, removes one failure. When the total
failures reach 0 the drinker is no longer addicted.

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Innate Powers
Your innate vampire powers are:

Savage Flurry
Immediately after you take the Attack action on your turn, you can spend 1 vitae to
make two unarmed strikes as a bonus action.

Flush of Life
You can spend 1 vitae to give yourself the flush of life. Your skin becomes warm, and
looks normal. You cast a reflection, and no longer appear undead. You can also
consume food and drink, although you must throw it up 1 hour later. This lasts for 10
minutes per point of vitae you spend.

Vampiric Dodge
When you use your bonus action to Disengage, you can spend 1 vitae to also Dodge
(no action required).

Mend Flesh
You can spend 1 vitae and 1 hit dice to recover 8 + your Constitution modifier in hit
points (no rolling needed). You can only do this if you have hit dice and vitae remaining.
You can spend 3 vitae and 3 hit dice to recover from an injury or 6 vitae and 6 hit dice to
recover a permanent injury (such as a severed limb). This does not need to be spent all
at once. Aside from magical healing this is the only way a vampire may heal hit point
damage or recover from injuries, although you do regain hit dice from a long rest as
normal.

Blur of Movement
When you use your bonus action to Dash, you can spend 1 vitae to double your jump
distance for the turn. At 10th level, you can instead spend 2 vitae to gain a flying speed
equal to your walking speed until the end of your turn, though you fall if you end your
speed in the air and nothing else is holding you aloft.

Disciplines
Vampires can develop innate powers, called Disciplines which allow them to do
everything from climb walls, leap dozens of feet in the air, or control minds. You can
even develop advanced disciplines called devotions.
You begin knowing one discipline and gain additional disciplines as you level as
indicated in the Disciplines column of the Kindred table. Once you qualify for devotions

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you may take one in place of taking an additional discipline. Whenever you can gain a
minor feat you can gain a discipline instead.

You can also gain additional disciplines and devotions beyond this limit by taking on
additional supernatural weaknesses called debilities. For each debility you take on you
can take one additional discipline or devotion.

You can take on a new debility whenever you level, but you cannot have more debilities
than your normal maximum number of devotions.

Either way you must meet all the prerequisites for any discipline, devotion, or debility in
order to choose it.

Vampiric Resilience
Being an undead creature you are naturally resistant to damage. Starting at 2nd level
your skin functions as armor with a save bonus equal to 5 + your vampire level, and a
armor value equal to your proficiency bonus. This does not stack with any actual armor
you wear, and it does not function if the attack that reduced you to 0 hit points was
caused by fire or radiant damage.

Predator's Kiss
Also at 2nd level you learn how to better control your feeding so it is no longer painful
for the creatures you feed off of. Feeding on a living creature this way is known as the
predator's kiss, something that is ecstatic for both you and your victim.

After the first successful feeding attack the target creature must make a Wisdom saving
throw against your save DC. If they fail they succumb to ecstasy and stop resisting.
From that point you no longer need to make attacks in order to feed, and may instead
automatically inflict one level of exhaustion gaining vitae as normal, without doing
additional hit point damage.

If you or your allies have inflicted damage on the creature prior to the first feeding attack
the creature automatically succeeds on the saving throw. Creatures immune to charm
are immune to this effect.

Unnatural Speed

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Starting at 3rd level your speed increases by 10 feet while you are not wearing armor or
wielding a shield. This bonus increases when you reach certain kindred levels, as
shown in the Unnatural Speed column of the kindred table.

At 9th level, you gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces and across liquids on
your turn without falling during the move.

Clan Feature

When you reach 3rd level your blood begins to grow more powerful, and you manifest
additional abilities based on your clan. You manifest an additional ability at 6th level and
again at 9th level.

Shared Blood
Starting at 3rd level you may use your action to willingly lose one vitae, suffer one level
of exhaustion, and take one point of damage to transfer some of your vitality to a willing
or unconscious creature with the person type.

If the creature has died within the last minute that creature returns with 1 hit point.
Otherwise the creature regains 1 hit point, gains 10 temporary hit points, and gains
advantage on all saving throws to end conditions on them for one turn.

The creature must make a save to avoid Blood Addiction as normal.

Safe Fall
Beginning at 4th level you can use your reaction when you fall to reduce any falling
damage you take by an amount equal to 5 times your kindred level.

Extra Attack
Starting at 5th level you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack
action on your turn.

Vinculum

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Upon reaching 5th level your blood has become strong enough to ensnare those who
drink it, turning them into your willing slaves. This bond, called the Vinculum, which
means "blood bond" or "blood oath," gives you power over the drinker. When you create
this bond you become known as the regnant, and the drinker is your thrall.

To create a thrall in this way the drinker must consume at least three of your vitae and
they must have failed their save to resist blood addiction.

Upon drinking the third vitae they make one last Wisdom save against your vitae save
DC. This save is made with disadvantage. If they fail, they become your thrall. If they
succeed they lose their blood addiction and you must start the process over.

The Vinculum is an emotional devotion; it is like love but mechanical and hollow, yet
stronger than any bond created with Dominate or Majesty Disciplines — neither sorts of
disciplines can overpower the regnant's power over his thrall.

Likewise, a creature can be thrall to only one vampire at a time; the blood bond
prevents any others from forming. The vinculum counts as a charm effect, and can be
delayed by spells like protection from evil and good, which delays it for as long as they
have that immunity. A remove curse spell cast by a spellcaster of a level equal or higher
than the regnant removes this effect as well.

A creature immune to charm is immune to this effect, as is any that can’t physically
consume blood.

You may only control a number of thralls at a time equal to your clan's core attribute
modifier. No thrall may have hit points higher than your maximum hit point total. You
may free a thrall from service as a bonus action.

Commanding your thrall is easy; you have advantage on all social skills (such as
Diplomacy or Intimidate) to influence or manipulate your thrall, and the thrall has
disadvantage on saves to resist your commands, including those from supernatural
abilities. The thrall gains advantage on saves to resist the commands of others.

If one year passes from the last time a non-vampire thrall drank his regnant's vitae, the
bond ends. Heavy abuse and mistreatment can turn a thrall against his regnant, which
usually results in the thrall performing a murderous assault and then going mad. Killing
a regnant ends his vinculums immediately.

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Necrotic Strike
Starting at 6th level, your unarmed strikes do necrotic damage. In addition they count as
magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non magical attacks
and damage.

Evasion
At 7th level, your instinctive agility lets you dodge out of the way of certain area effects.
When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to
take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw,
and only half damage if you fail.

Create Ghoul
Also at 7th level you master the art of creating a special servant with some of the
powers of a vampire. This creature, called a ghoul, is capable of using your vitae to
perform incredible feats on your behalf.

The act of creating a ghoul is intentional (it never happens by accident). Though a ghoul
feeds on vitae, a ghoul is not necessarily a thrall, nor are all thralls automatically ghouls.

To start with the creature must have the person or animal creature type and cannot
have any tags that grant it supernatural abilities (such as mage). You must feed the
target one vitae, plus one additional vitae to charge it with supernatural power. You
must also spend 1 willpower point. You can feed the ghoul more vitae, up to half the
ghoul's Constitution score.

Upon becoming a ghoul the creature immediately gains the Celerity, Resilience or Vigor
Discipline (your choice). Once a ghoul gains this discipline they can improve it once for
every 4 hit dice they have (round down). The ghoul can also take a day to study with
you in order to gain one of the other two disciplines instead of improving an existing
one.

While the ghoul is within 30 feet of you, you can have them use your proficiency bonus
in place of their own. They also gain temporary hit points at the start of their turn equal
to your proficiency bonus. The ghoul obeys your commands as best as it can. It takes
its turn on your initiative. On your turn as a bonus action you can mentally command
your ghoul to move and take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action. A
ghoul who has multiple attacks can only attack once in this way.

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If you don't give any commands to your ghoul they will act instinctively. If there are any
enemies in your ghoul's weapon range they will attack them (prioritizing injured targets).
They will still only attack once. Otherwise they will attempt to return to a spot adjacent to
you as soon as possible, if they can do so by a safe route. While acting instinctively
your ghoul has a move and an action, but they cannot take bonus actions.

Ghouls do not age. Just as vampires, ghouls can use their stored vitae to use any
innate vampire power or to activate disciplines. A ghoul can spend only one vitae per
round.

As long as any vampire repeats the ghoul ritual (feeding one vitae and spending one
more) every month, the ghoul remains a ghoul, even if he currently has no stored vitae.
If a month passes since the last ritual, the creature is no longer a ghoul. The ghoul's
apparent age catches up to his true age at a rate of one year per day beyond the
missed ritual.

At your option you may turn your ghoul into your follower, which allows them to gain
levels. A ghoul who uses the follower rules can only train or enhance disciplines when
they would otherwise get a feat. See the follower rules for more information. No matter if
they are a follower or not you may only have one ghoul at a time.

Debilities
Everytime you level up as a vampire you may choose to gain one of the following
debilities. For each debility that you choose you may choose a discipline or devotion
that you meet the prerequisites for.

Vampires are torn as to why some have these weaknesses and others do not. Many
suspect that these are psychological, or in other words that vampires develop them
because they expect to have them, often because of how vampires are depicted in
popular culture. Whatever the cause these combined with disciplines and devotions
mean that no two vampires are ever the same.

Curse of Day Death

No matter how much vitae you spend you cannot be awake during the day. During the
day your body rots and becomes a corpse and nothing can rouse you until night has
fallen.

Curse of Forbiddance

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You may not enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants. This
does not apply to public areas

Curse of Grave Dirt

You can only rest in specially prepared dirt that you have sanctified. If you attempt to
sleep outside of your sanctified dirt mound you suffer one level of exhaustion for every
hour you attempt to sleep until you awake or are destroyed.

By spending 10 minutes and 1 vitae you can sanctify a mound of dirt large enough for
you to sleep in. You can only have one mound of sanctified dirt at a time. Unless the
first mound is destroyed the only way for you to make another is to return to the first and
reabsorb the vitae you spent to sanctify it.

Curse of Hunger
Whenever you feed you must make a Humanity saving throw to stop feeding. The DC is
15. If you are at your maximum vitae you make this save with advantage. If you fail you
continue to drain vitae from the target until they are dead. In addition your predator’s
kiss ability no longer functions.

Curse of Madness
You have one permanent madness that cannot be cured by any means. Any thralls you
create suffer one long term madness for as long as they are your thrall. Any ghouls you
create suffer one permanent madness for as long as they are your ghoul.

Curse of Ravenous Hunger

Prerequisite: Curse of Hunger
If you are at half your maximum vitae or less (rounded up) you must roll a DC 15
Humanity save or immediately attack the nearest source of vitae to you, if one is
available. If you fail you attack the target to either grapple, incapacitate or dominate
them and then immediately begin feeding. You can reroll this save every round until you
start feeding off the target or until you make your save. Once you make the save you do
not need to do so for 1 minute. After 1 minute you must make the save again unless
you’ve moved away from any source of vitae or your vitae is above half your maximum
or more.

Curse of The Red Fear

If you take fire damage or see an exposed fire within 30 feet then you must make a
Humanity saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. The DC depends on the size
of the fire, but might go from DC 10 (for the fire from a single torch) to 20 (seeing an

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entire building ablaze). While you are frightened you must move away from the fire or
the source of the fire damage by the safest possible route.

Curse of Repulsion
You are repelled by religious symbols, even when they are not wielded by someone
with True Faith. Any time you see a holy or religious symbol you must make a Humanity
saving throw (DC 15) or become frightened for 1 minute. To have this effect the symbol
must be a widely recognized symbol of a religion, but that religion does not have to be
one you believe in (even atheist vampire's who have this curse are thus repelled).

If you become frightened in this way you cannot willingly move towards the subject of
your fear. If the symbol is wielded or worn by a creature you cannot take hostile action
against that creature or affect it with any Disciplines, Devotions or supernatural abilities.
If you touch a holy symbol or enter a place holy to a certain religion you take 1d6 radiant
damage every turn until you cease touching the symbol or leave the holy area.

If you are ever subjected to a Turn Undead effect by someone who wields True Faith
then you must make your save with Disadvantage, and they can turn you no matter
what level they are.

Curse of Silver's Touch

You are paralyzed by the touch of silver. If you ever come into contact with a silver or
silvered item you must make a Humanity check (DC 15) or become paralyzed. If the
damage is from a silvered weapon or a brief contact with a silver item it lasts until the
end of your next turn. If you retain contact with the item then you are paralyzed until the
item is removed.

Curse of Water
If you are ever immersed in running water you take 20 acid damage, plus an additional
20 everytime you start your turn in that water. You must make a Sanity saving throw
(DC 15) to come within 20 feet of a source of running water.

Clan Features
When you reach 3rd level the power of the blood flowing through grants you natural
abilities related to your clan. Although there are 5 options presented here (one for each
clan) there are rumors that there are ways to create special bloodlines, which are
deviations from the standard clan abilities. If so that division would happen at this point,
but so far those are just rumors. This choice grants you features at 3rd level and again
at 6th level.

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Gangrel
Prerequisite: Gangrel clan
Gangrel vampires who reach this level are true terrors, almost as savage and violent as
werewolves. Like werewolves they are known to give into a violent rage in battle, that
they call lashing the beast. A gangrel in this state is best avoided.

Leashing the Beast

Starting at 3rd level you learn how to harness the beast inside, letting it guide your
actions, and enhancing your attacks. On your turn you can enter a rage as a bonus
action. While raging you gain the following benefits if you aren't wearing armor or
wielding a shield.

● Your melee attacks that rely on Strength do a d4 extra damage.

● If you hit a creature with a successful attack you force that creature to either
make a Dexterity saving throw to avoid being knocked prone, or make a Strength
saving throw to avoid being pushed 15 feet away from you.

You cannot command a thrall or ghoul while raging. You can also only spend vitae on
physical disciplines (Celerity, Resilience, Vigor and any gangrel clan discipline) or on
healing yourself. Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked
unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven't attacked a hostile creature or taken
damage since your last turn. You can also end it as a bonus action. You can only rage
twice, after which you must complete a long rest before you can rage again.

Vicious Pounce
Starting at 6th level, when you roll initiative, or when combat begins, you can use your
reaction to leap towards a chosen hostile creature, up to half your movement speed,
without provoking opportunity attacks. You can choose to leap up to that distance into
the air, but you fall if there is nothing to securely land on.

Animal Toughness
Beginning at 9th level as an action, you can give yourself a number of temporary hit
points equal to 1d10 + your Constitution modifier. You can use this special action a
number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (a minimum of once), and you
regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. In addition, whenever you finish a
short rest, your exhaustion level, if any, is decreased by 1.

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Nosferatu
Prerequisite: Nosferatu clan
A Nosferatu vampire who attains this much power taps into something dark and evil
inside themselves. They welcome death like an old friend, one they delight in
introducing to others.

Life Draining Touch

Starting when you achieve 3rd level your study of death allows you to extract vitality
from another creature as it nears its demise. When you reduce a creature within 5 feet
of you to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Dexterity modifier +
your kindred level (minimum of 1 temporary hit point).

Dread
At 6th level you become a creature so terrifying that you are the definition of fear. As an
action you force each creature within 30 feet of you that can see you to make a Wisdom
saving throw. On a failure they are frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

Touch of Rot
Beginning at 9th level your study of death allows you to instill it into your attacks, ripping
the life force right out of your victims. Whenever you hit a creature with one of the
attacks granted by your savage flurry that creature becomes subject to your touch of
death. They must make a Constitution saving throw vs your vitae save DC.

On a failure their flesh begins to bleed or otherwise lose life force. The creature loses
1d4 hit points at the start of each of its turns until it uses an action to staunch the
bleeding. While a target is bleeding, it can't regain lost hit points.

Mekhet
Prerequisite: Mekhet clan
More so than other vampires a mekhet commands the darkness. They are the shadow
given form, the red eyes of death staring out at you from the night.

Shadow Arts
Starting at 3rd level you learn how to use your vitae to duplicate the effects of certain
spells. As an action you can spend 2 vitae to cast darkness, pass without trace, shadow
blade, or silence without using material components. Additionally you gain the minor
illusion cantrip.

Shadow Step

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At 6th level you gain the ability to step from one shadow to another. When you are in
dim light or darkness as a bonus action you can teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied
space you can see that is also in dim light or darkness. You then have advantage on the
first melee attack you make before the end of the turn.

Cloak of Shadows
By 9th level, you have learned to become one with the shadows. When you are in an
area of dim light or darkness, you can use your action to become invisible. You remain
invisible until you make an attack, cast a spell, or are in an area of bright light.

Daeva
Prerequisite: Daeva clan
Daeva vampires who survive the requiem long enough to attain this level of power learn
how to become the intersection of pleasure and pain. Their merest touch can bring
ecstasy or agony in equal measure.

Touch of Pleasure
When you reach the 3rd level you develop an ability to cause someone to become lost
in pleasure with a simple touch or kiss. As an action you can spend 1 vitae to touch a
creature, either as part of a grapple or as a melee attack that does no damage. The
creature must make a Wisdom saving throw or be stunned to the end of your next turn.

Aura of Pain
At 6th level you develop an ability to surround yourself with a mystic aura that damages
any creature who draws too close to you. As a bonus action, you spend 1 vitae to
extend an aura 5 feet from you in every direction, but not through total cover. While it is
active any creature that enters or starts its turn in the aura must succeed on a Charisma
saving throw or take psychic damage equal to your slam attack plus your Charisma
modifier.

Dark Seduction
Your blood is especially potent. When you reach 9th level, you can spend 5 vitae to cast
dominate person on any creature that is fully addicted to your blood.

Ventrue
Prerequisite: Ventrue clan
Ventrue vampires are born to rule others. More than any other they command the night,
bending mortals and vampires alike to their indomitable wills.

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Dark Majesty
Starting at 3rd level when you are attacked by an enemy within 10 feet of you that you
can see, you can use your reaction to force that enemy to make a Wisdom saving
throw. On a failure their attack automatically misses. This is considered a charm effect.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier. You regain
all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Army of Darkness
When you reach 6th level you may have a number of ghouls equal to your Wisdom
modifier. You may give commands to all your ghouls with a single bonus action. The
sum total of your ghouls maximum hit points may not exceed your maximum hit points.

Do Not Fail Me
Beginning at 9th level you can keep your ghouls going even when death should claim
them. Then one of your thralls or ghouls that can see and hear you and is within 30 feet
is reduced to 0 hit points; you can expend 1 vitae as a reaction to have it fall to 1 hit
point instead.

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Unchained
Blushing, a man flirts with the pretty saleswoman in the nice suit. He doesn't know the
face she wears is not hers, that she's really just a collection of random bits in the shape
of a person, animated by an otherworldly spirit. He doesn't know her coworkers are
afraid of her, that they think she's changed. He only knows that he's lonely, and she
seemed nice. When she breaks into his apartment later that night he doesn't even have
a chance to scream.

He looks in the mirror surveying his latest form, that of a puffy red faced man. He
doesn't remember the name of the original owner. Bob something. He's worn a lot of
faces, lots of different names, but everyone knows if they want to make a deal they can
find him. Sometimes he wants their face, sometimes just a tiny bit of their soul, but
mostly he wants them to sin. He does love watching them sin.

A strange and alien thing slithers past an outcropping of rubble leaving a trail of slime in
its wake. It has a human face it could wear like a tattered cloak, but it never bothers
anymore. It prefers its apocalyptic form. It loves the way it feels, the freedom and
power, but mostly it loves the effect it has on any humans it manages to find. It's so
much fun watching them run for their lives, knowing there's no escape.

To live the life of an unchained means almost constant paranoia, but as the saying
goes, just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you. A demon
who chooses to break whatever agreement their kind made with the Iconnu and go
rogue is choosing to spend their time on Earth always looking over their shoulders.
Horrors, agents of the Iconnu, and especially other demons, all would want the
unchained dead, and if they do die they will probably be swept back to the nightmare
realm where their masters await them. Still, as they say, it’s better to rule on Earth than
be a slave in Hell.

Creating a Demon

For the full description of being unchained see the demon section in the nature chapter.
Keep in mind how challenging it might be to play an unchained. As demons they are
wholly alien in outlook and personality, but they also adopt the faces, skills, knowledge,
and even personality traits of the people they pretend to be. How these two opposing
elements blend together into a playable character is up to you.

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 HIT DIE: d8
STARTING MAXIMUM HIT DIE: 1d8
STARTING MAXIMUM HIT POINTS: 8 + Constitution Modifier
DEFENSE (FIENDISH AURA): 10 + Charisma Modifier + Defense Bonus

PROFICIENCIES
● SAVES: Constitution & Charisma

● SKILLS: Choose two (Arcana, Computers, Deception, Intimidation,

Investigation, Persuasion, Streetwise, and Social Sciences)

● EQUIPMENT: Basic

LEVELING UP

Level Proficiency Features Cants Anima Max Pact Invocations Defense

Bonus Known Leve Die Bonus
l

1st +2 Covenant, Incantations, 4 2 1st d4 -- +2

Pact Forging

2nd +2 Invocations 5 4 1st d4 3 +2

3rd +2 Manifestation 6 6 2nd d4 3 +2

4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 8 8 2nd d4 4 +2

5th +3 -- 9 10 3rd d6 4 +3

6th +3 Covenant Feature 10 12 3rd d6 5 +3

7th +3 -- 11 14 4th d6 5 +3

8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 12 16 4th d6 5 +3

9th +4 Apocalyptic Brand 13 18 5th d8 6 +4

10th +4 Covenant Feature 14 20 5th d8 6 +4

Covenant
As part of your arrival on Earth you struck a bargain with the Iconnu, entering into a
covenant with them, no matter if you wanted to or not. As part of this covenant you are
tasked with breaking human will in a very specific way, which grants you special
abilities. Choose from the Covenant of War, Covenant of Hunger, Covenant of Disease,
Covenant of Death, or Covenant of Hatred.

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Your choice grants you features at 1st level and again at 6th, and 10th levels.

Incantations
Your demonic nature has given you the ability to use magic, which for you are called
incantations (cants for short). You follow the general rules for spellcasting as indicated
in the Supernatural Powers chapter, which also has a list of what incancations are
available to you.

Incantations Known
At 1st level, you know four incantations of your choice from the warlock spell list. These
can be any combination of 0 level or 1st level incantations you wish from that list.

The Cants Known column of the unchained table shows when you learn more
incantations of your choice. An incantation you choose must be of a level no higher than
what's shown in the Maxi Level column for your level. When you reach 6th level, for
example, you learn a new demon cant, which can be 0, 1st, 2nd, or 3rd level.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the demon
incantations you know and replace it with another incantation from the warlock spell list,
which also must be of a level no higher than your current allowed level.

Casting Ability
Charisma is your casting ability for your incantations, so you use your Charisma
whenever an incantation refers to your casting ability. In addition, you use your
Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a demon incantation you cast
and when making an attack roll with one.

Incantation save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Incantation attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Arcane Focus
In order to use your incantations you must have a focus. It can be anything that you can
reasonably hold in one or two hands, such as a minor charm, a playing card, or even a
small length of wood. You can even use an arcane symbol you've permanently etched
into your hand (doing 1 slashing damage) as long as it's visible in all your various forms.

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No matter which you choose you can’t hold anything in the hand with your arcane focus
(other than the focus itself) or you will not be able to use your incantations.

Anima
Demons require an alien energy called anima to cast their incantations. Their home
dimension is rich in this energy, but Earth is a wasteland; human souls are the only
reliable source.

The Anima column of the unchained table shows the maximum amount of anima you
can hold at one time. Any anima you gain in excess of this amount is lost.

Zero level incantations do not require anima, but higher level incantations do. You must
spend anima to invoke any invocation based on its level, and you cannot cast any spell
of a level higher than your maximum allowed level as indicated in the Level column on
the Demon table. See the Supernatural Powers chapter for general information on
invoking supernatural effects.

There are a few ways for you to regain anima. First, you can recover anima by fulfilling
your incarnation in the following ways:

● Tempters regain anima by tempting sleepers into some act of debasement, such
as betraying a loved one, or committing a sin.

● Torturers regain anima by causing a sleeper mental or physical pain for a

prolonged or intense period such as causing them grief by killing their favorite
pet, or running them down with a car.

● Scourges regain anima by terrifying mortal sleepers, such as by revealing their

demonic form to a sleeper, or tricking them into experiencing their worst fear.

In order to count the sleepers must actually be debased, tortured or terrified. Half-
measures or weak responses won't qualify. If you fulfill your incarnation in this way you
regain anima equal to your proficiency bonus, up to your normal maximum. Once you
regain anima in this way you cannot do so again until you complete a long rest.

Keep in mind that by fulfilling your incarnation this way you are serving the Iconnu,
which violates your status as an unchained. This might result in a Humanity save to
avoid degradation.

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You can also spend a bonus action to transfer 1 anima to another demon with touch.
There is no limit to how often you can do this, but no force, even mind control, can force
a demon to give anima in this way.

The third and final way to recover anima is to forge soulpacts with sleepers.

Pact Forging

You can bind a mortal sleeper (or mark) into a supernatural agreement known as a
pact. The most common type of pact is the soulpact, in which a sleeper agrees to give
you a portion of their soul in exchange for a boon.

This creates a bond from you to the mark. From that moment on whenever you
complete a short rest you regain 6 anima from them for as long as they are alive.

If they die while the pact is in effect you gain a one time burst of 10 anima, but once you
regain anima from a mark’s death you can’t do so again until you complete a long rest.
If additional marks die before your next long rest you gain no anima from their deaths.

Either way, anima you regain in excess of your normal maximum is lost.

To the mark you own their soul, which they most often believe you will claim when they
die. In truth you want to hold off their death as long as possible so that you can keep
draining anima from them.

There are additional types of pacts beyond soulpacts. These other types of pacts use
your pact die which starts out as a d4, but increases as you level up as shown in the
Pact Die column of the unchained table.

No matter the type of pact there is a limit to how many you can have at once. This limit
is equal to half your level (rounded down, minimum 1). Any pact you attempt to forge in
excess of this amount automatically fails to go into effect. See the Supernatural
Powers chapter for more information on forging pacts including the rules for identity and
task pacts.

Invocations
Starting at 2nd level you start to unlock your true demonic might. You gain three
invocations of your choice. Your invocation options are detailed in the Supernatural
Powers chapter.

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When you gain certain levels, you gain additional invocations of your choice, as shown
in the Invocations column of the unchained table. Additionally, when you gain a level,
you can choose one of the invocations you know and replace it with another invocation
that you could learn at that level. If an invocation has prerequisites, you must meet them
to learn it. You can learn the invocation at the same time that you meet its prerequisites.

Manifestation
At 3rd level, your demonic nature begins to return to the heights you had in your home
realm. You develop an aspect of your true form called a manifestation. You gain one of
the following features of your choice.

Manifestation of Blades
You were a soldier in your home realm. You can use your action to create a melee
weapon in your empty hand. You can choose the form that this weapon takes each time
you create it. You are proficient with it while you wield it. This weapon counts as magical
for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non magical attacks and
damage.

Your weapon disappears if it is more than 5 feet away from you for 1 minute. It also
disappears if you use this feature again, if you dismiss the weapon (no action required),
or if you die.

Manifestation of Chains
You were a leader or administrator in the nightmare universe. You learn the find familiar
spell as an incantation and can cast it as a ritual. The spell doesn't count against your
number of incantations known.

When you cast the incarnation, you can choose one of the normal forms for your
familiar or one of the following special forms: imp, quasit, or death dog.

Additionally, when you take the Attack action, you can forgo one of your own attacks to
allow your familiar to make one attack with its reaction.

Manifestation of Shadows
You were a master of dark magic. You reach into the darkness forming it into a mystical
book with text written in blood. When you gain this feature, choose three cantrips from
any allowed source. While the book is on your person, you can cast those as
incancations at will. They don't count against your number of incantations known.

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If you lose your Book of Shadows, you can perform a 1- hour ceremony to remanifest a
new copy. This ceremony can be performed during a short or long rest, and it destroys
the previous book. The book turns to ash when you die.

Apocalyptic Brand
At 9th level, a mystical brand spontaneously appears on your apocalyptic form. Choose
one 5th-level incarnation from the unchained incantation list. When you are in your
apocalyptic form you call upon the power of the brand to invoke this incantation without
expending anima. You may do so twice, and you must finish a long rest before you can
do so again.

Covenant
You made a deal with the Iconnu in order to gain the power you would need to come to
Earth in their name. This deal, known as a covenant, empowered you, and continues to
do so even if you follow your own agenda as it allows you to tap into the dark natures
that underlie humanity. Your choice grants you features at 1st level and again at 6th,
and 10th levels.

Covenant of War
Demons who take the Covenant of War with the Iconnu learn to draw strength from
humanity's desire for unending conflict. They become avatars of destruction, masters of
every weapon, and lords of ruin.

Expanded Incantations
Having a Covenant of War lets you choose from an expanded list of incantations when
you learn a demon spell. The following are added to the demon incantation list for you:

War Expanded Incantations

Cant Level Incantations

1st hail of thorns, wrathful smite

2nd blur, branding smite

3rd blink, elemental weapon

4th phantasmal killer, staggering smite

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 5th banishing smite, immolation

Mark of War
Starting at 1st level, you gain the ability to place your mark upon someone. As a bonus
action choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. Your mark appears upon
them, lasting for 1 minute. The mark disappears early if you die, the target dies, or you
are incapacitated. As long as they bear the mark you gain the following benefits.

● You gain a bonus to damage rolls against the marked target. This bonus equals
your proficiency bonus.
● Any attack roll you make against the marked target is a critical hit on a roll of 19
or 20 on the d20.
● If the marked target dies you regain hit points equal to your level + your
Charisma modifier (minimum 1).

Once you use this feature you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Avatar of Destruction
At 1st level, you draw knowledge of war from humanity's collective mind. You gain
proficiency with Advanced and Military equipment.

You also learn to channel mystic power through a signature weapon. Whenever you
finish a long rest you touch one weapon that you are proficient with and that lacks the
two handed property.

When you attack with that weapon you can use your Charisma modifier instead of
Strength or Dexterity for the attack and damage rolls. This benefit lasts until you finish a
long rest. If you later gain the Manifestation of Blades feature this benefit extends to
every weapon you conjure with that feature, no matter the weapon's type.

Undying Warrior
Starting at 6th level, when you drop to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to assume
a spectral version of your apocalyptic form. In addition to your form's normal benefits
you gain hit points equal to your Charisma modifier. While you are in this form you can
move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. You take 1d10
force damage if you end your turn inside a creature or object, and you are shunted to
the nearest unoccupied space. Your movement is stopped by 5 feet of wood, 1 foot or
more of stone, 2 inches or more of most metals, and a thin sheet of lead.

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If you are reduced to 0 hit points while in this form, you revert to your default cover and
begin making death saving throws. If you regain hit points from healing magic, you
revert to your default cover with that many hit points. Once you have used this feature,
you can't use it again until you complete a long rest.

Nuclear Smite
At 10th level, you can use your action to channel the power of humanity's deadliest
weapon. Make up to three melee weapon attacks against creatures in your reach. On a
hit, the attack deals 5d6 additional radiant damage, and the target is pushed 20 feet
away from you and is knocked prone.

After using this ability, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

Covenant of Hunger
It is a truism that for some no matter how much they have they will always yearn for
more. Demons of the Covenant of Hunger draw power from this endless greed, and
from the pain of its victims who are forced to go without.

Expanded Incantations
A Covenant of Hunger lets you choose from an expanded list of incantations when you
learn a demon spell. The following are added to the demon incantation list for you:

Hunger Expanded Incantations

Cant Level Incantations

1st grease, inflict wounds

2nd blindness/deafness,suggestion

3rd glyph of warding, stinking cloud

4th compulsion, vitriolic sphere

5th antilife shell, immolation,

Swallow Whole
Starting at 1st level, you can store objects in an interdimensional rift. As an action, you
can open your mouth impossibly wide, creating a 3 feet wide rift in space that appears
within your open mouth.

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Once created you can place items into the rift, sending them to an extradimensional
space. This space can hold a number of pounds equal to your Charisma score
multiplied by 30, not exceeding a volume of 30 cubic feet.

You can retrieve an item from the space using an action to reopen the rift, then reaching
inside to retrieve the item.

Devour Essence
Also at 1st level, you can drain the dregs of life from a fresh corpse to sustain yourself.
You can use an action while within 5 feet of a corpse to drain energy from it, leaving it a
withered husk.

You gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier, and can spend one Hit
Die to heal yourself. Roll the die, add your Constitution modifier, and regain a number of
hit points equal to the total (minimum of 1). Once a corpse has been drained in this way
it cannot be drained again, and temporary hit points granted by this ability do not stack.

Voracious Consumption
Starting at 6th level, you consume the energy of any attack to reduce harm to yourself,
and pursue the assailant with your unsated hunger. As a reaction when you take
damage from a creature you can see within 30 feet of you, you can reduce the damage
by 1d8 + your level + your Charisma modifier. If you reduce the damage to 0, you can
send a burst of energy at the creature who damaged you. The creature takes necrotic
damage equal to your level + your Charisma modifier. Once you use this feature, you
can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Master of Famine
At 10th level, you can siphon life to heal at an abhorrent rate. At the end of a short rest,
you can drain energy from the environment in a 15 foot radius around you, killing plant
life and small fauna (insects). If you do so, you can add your Charisma modifier to any
Hit Dice you spend during this rest. Additionally, you can use your mastery of energy to
preserve your physical form. Whenever you would make a Constitution saving throw,
you can make a Charisma saving throw instead.

Covenant of Disease
Demons of the Covenant of Disease know that if you really want to bring humanity low
you do so not with a bang, but with a sad whimper. That's the nature of disease, to drain
our life until we have no will to fight.

Expanded Incantations

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A Covenant of Disease lets you choose from an expanded list of incantations when you
learn a demon spell. The following are added to the demon incantation list for you:

Disease Expanded Incantations

Cant Level Incantations

1st ray of sickness, sleep

2nd blindness/deafness, phantasmal force

3rd feign death, bestow curse

4th black tentacles, confusion

5th contagion, insect plague

Gradual Decay
Starting at 1st level, you can weaken the minds and bodies of your foes with diseases.
As a bonus action during your turn, you can inflict a disease on a creature who took
slashing or piercing damage that turn that you can see. Choose an ability as you do so.
While diseased, you deal an extra 1d4 necrotic damage to the target whenever you hit it
with an attack, and it has a -2 penalty on ability checks and saving throws made with the
chosen ability. The same creature can receive up to 5 instances of this disease at once.

At the end of each of the target's turns, it must make a Constitution saving throw. After
failing three of these saving throws, the disease's effects last for 3 days, and the
creature stops making these saves. After succeeding on three of these saving throws,
the creature recovers from the disease. You can use this feature a number of times
equal to your Charisma modifier, and these uses recover when you finish a long rest.

Visions of Rot
Starting at 6th level, you learn how to inflict the minds of your foes with horrible visions.
Whenever a creature you can see attacks you from within 60 feet, you can use your
reaction to fill its mind with horrible images of its own diseased body. The attacker must
make a Wisdom saving throw against your incantation save DC or be frightened of you
until the start of your next turn and the attack against you fails. Once you use this
feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Harbinger of Plague
Beginning at 10th level, you start to relish in the fear of those around you. You are
immune to even magical diseases, and you have advantage on attack rolls against

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frightened creatures. Additionally, you make Intimidation skill checks with advantage
against diseased creatures.

Covenant of Death
Some demons know that at the end of the day what humanity truly fears, behind all
other fears, is the fear of death. As a demon of the Covenant of Death you live off that
fear, drawing power from unending darkness.

Expanded Incantations
A Covenant of Disease lets you choose from an expanded list of incantations when you
learn a demon spell. The following are added to the demon incantation list for you:

Death Expanded Incantations

Cant Level Incantations

1st false life, inflict wounds

2nd gentle repose, silence

3rd animate dead, speak with dead

4th black tentacles, death ward

5th destructive wave, hallow

Dark Reaper
At 1st level, you are imbued with a degree of control over the life force of dying
creatures. If a creature that doesn’t have the construct or undead subtype within 60 feet
of you is reduced to 0 hit points as a reaction you can absorb that creature's dying life
force. You gain hit points equal to your level + your proficiency bonus, or grant another
creature within 60 feet of you with the same benefit. You may use this feature a number
of times equal to your charisma modifier per long rest.

Unholy Specter
Starting at 6th level, you can bind the soul of those you slay, forcing them to fight by
your side. When you slay a humanoid you can cause its spirit to rise from its corpse as
a specter. When the specter appears it gains temporary hit points equal to half your
level. Roll initiative for the specter, which has its own turns. It obeys your verbal
commands, and it gains a special bonus to its attack rolls equal to your Charisma
modifier (minimum of +0).

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The specter remains in your service until the end of your next long rest, at which point it
vanishes to the afterlife.

Once you bind a specter with this feature you can't use it again until you finish a long
rest.

Agent of Twilight
Starting at 10th level, your ability to channel the power of death has imbued you with
innate defenses. Your hit point maximum can't be reduced by necrotic energies. You
also have resistance 5 to necrotic damage, and whenever a creature deals necrotic
damage to you, that creature takes the same amount of damage that you do.

Covenant of Hate
Some demons know that at the core of humanity what lies underneath all its many flaws
and failings is pure hate. Of others. Of themselves. Exploiting that hatred provides
endless power.

Expanded Incantations
A Covenant of Hate lets you choose from an expanded list of incantations when you
learn a demon spell. The following are added to the demon incantation list for you:

Hate Expanded Incantations

Cant Level Incantations

1st disguise self, wrathful smite

2nd detect thoughts, mirror image

3rd enemies abound, minute meteors

4th polymorph, staggering smite

5th seeming, modify memory

Blessings of Hate
At 1st level you develop an intrinsic connection to the hate within all human hearts. You
gain proficiency in the Insight and Persuasion skills, if you don't have them already. In
addition you have advantage on all Charisma (Insight) checks to tell who or what a
creature hates, and all Charisma (Persuasion) checks to convince a creature you talk to
take action against the object of their hatred.

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Touch of Rage
Beginning at 6th level you can propel a creature you touch into a burning fury. As an
action, touch a creature within reach. That creature gains the following benefits.

● Temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier

● Advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws

The creature makes a Wisdom save. On a failure they are compelled to attack a
creature of your choice within 30 feet that you both and the original target can see. The
target has disadvantage on attacks against any other creature other than the new
target. Every round that goes by where the original creature doesn't attack the new
target the original creature takes damage equal to your Charisma modifier.

These effects last until either the original creature or the new target is dead or for 1
minute. You can use this ability 3 times. After you do so you must complete a long rest
before you can use it again.

Inspire Riot
Starting at 10th level you develop an ability to inspire an entire group of creatures to
violence. As an action choose a point within 60 feet. Every creature in a 30 foot radius
sphere centered on that point must make a Wisdom save. Each creature that fails the
save immediately attacks the nearest creature no matter if that creature is a friend or
foe.

An affected creature attacks with whatever weapon they have in their hand, or with an
improvised weapon if one is in reach. A creature that can't reach a weapon of any kind
will attack unarmed. A creature not in the weapon range of another creature will move
towards them via the most efficient route.

This effect lasts until the start of your next turn. Once you use this ability you must
complete a long rest before you can use it again.

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He felt himself hurtling unto this new world in a streak of fire, crashing in a
thunderous blast.

When he emerged from the resultant

crater he was without shape or form, but it
didn’t take long for him to gather enough
broken wood, trash, and rocks to fabricate a
body.

With that done he focused on the one who’s life the

Iconnu had stolen for him. Just like that he felt his new form
shimmer, as it changed to match the stolen one’s shape.

He opened his new eyes and took in this “thing” he was to inhabit.
Fleshy. Weak. Human. But at least it was his now.

The only thing left was to find the others this one called family. This one had
been missing for so long. They would be so happy to see him.

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CHAPTER 4: SURVIVING THE DARKNESS
To say the World of Darkness is a dangerous place is at best a gross understatement.
In order to create a character who will survive life in the new world you’ll need to think
beyond your immediate concerns. You’ll need to focus on the larger picture. If you
intend to take the war to the Iconnu you better have a plan.

This chapter introduces elements that are new to Everyday Heroes rules. In some
cases this means bringing back elements of standard D&D that were discarded, such as
certain damage types. In others it means introducing brand new concepts to the game.

New Damage Types

The following damage types have been brought into Everyday Heroes in order to let
supernatural powers and magic work as intended:

● Force
● Necrotic
● Radiant

This does not change thunder, which remains explosive, nor does it introduce any other
damage types.

Humanity
As either a rogue agent, a mage or imbued gifted with powers, or even an “ordinary”
person who’s had enough, your character will have to wrestle with how far they’re willing
to go in the fight against the darkness.

In order to reflect this your character will have a new 7th attribute, Humanity. This isn’t
meant to be a reflection of your character's “sanity” (whatever that means in this world)
or necessarily of your morality. Instead the Humanity score represents how strongly you
cling to the compassionate, empathetic, and mundane aspects of being human.

A high score represents different things to different natures. An aware, chosen, or mage
with a high Humanity is someone who maintains connections to the normal people in
their lives. They haven’t let their powers “get to their head”, or convince them to stop

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caring about others. Such a character with a low Humanity score however is someone
who believes their powers make them superior to others, or they lose the ability to
connect to those who don’t have powers. They are probably cynical and burned out by
what they’ve seen, and might indulge in drug use or alcohol to numb the pain. In time
they might come to believe that sleepers aren’t worth saving.

Vampires, demons, and werewolves are different however. For vampires it’s more about
the struggle between the souls that share their bodies. A high Humanity vampire has
either fully integrated the two or most likely the non-murderous side has won out. They
learn to care about humans, and probably feel guilty about feeding on them. They work
hard to appear as human as possible, and usually try to use their new abilities to save
or help others.

A low Humanity vampire however is a true monster. They’ve given in to their worst
impulses. They feed wantonly and with no regard to the lives they take (or sometimes
even the masquerade). They kill when convenient or when the mood takes them. They
are debased and foul.

A high Humanity werewolf is one where the beast has absorbed so much of the
personality of the human whose body and soul they took over that they think they are
that person. Possibly through some miracle they might even be. However they feel
about being a werewolf they still see themselves as human.

On the opposite side a low Humanity werewolf has no confusion about what they are.
They are the beast. The human is a shell, a flesh suit worn and discarded when
needed. They might never be in Hishu form if they can help it. They maintain no
connection to the human’s loved ones or life and they see all humans as food or threats.
The only difference between them and the pure is they kill who they want instead of
doing the bidding of the Iconnu.

For a demon Humanity is a tricky thing. At the high end it means a demon who has
embraced their cover as completely as they can. Unlike werewolves they do still know
what they are, but they just enjoy being human. Pretending to be one has opened their
eyes. They might love the people their cover loved, and they fight for humanity. At the
opposite end of the Humanity spectrum a demon is a selfish and cruel creature capable
of truly evil acts.

Humanity In Play

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Mechanically the Humanity score works a lot like other attributes. It’s numbered 3 to a
max of 20, and uses the same formula to determine modifiers. You can make checks
and saves with it like any other attribute, although no one is ever permanently proficient
in Humanity saves.

That’s where the similarities to other attributes end however. The Humanity score is
meant to fluctuate over the course of the game. Its starting point at 1st level is
determined by your nature as indicated in the following table.

Nature Starting Humanity Score

Chosen 16

Aware 14

Mages 12

Vampire 10

Werewolf and Demon 8

Humanity Checks. A GM might call for you to make a Humanity check whenever you
are trying to fit in with sleepers, understand ordinary people, or pass yourself off as a
normal human. You might also need to make a check in one of the following
circumstances.
● You’re a vampire who tries to stay awake during the day
● You’re a chosen or aware trying to convince your family there’s nothing for them
to worry about
● You’re a demon trying to hide among a group of sleepers

Humanity Saves. A GM might call for you to make a Humanity save whenever you
encounter something truly horrific, or have to perform an action that’s against your
morality. A GM might call for a Humanity save when
● You kill an innocent person or loved one
● You’re a werewolf trying to fight off Death Rage
● You’re a mage trying to avoid indulging your obsession

Degeneration

Under normal circumstances failing a Humanity save results in you suffering a short
term madness (see the DMG). However at your option you can instead voluntarily

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reduce your Humanity score by 1 point (to a minimum of 3) in order to avoid this. If you
opt for this route your Humanity score decreases but you do not suffer the short term
madness. Doing this is called degeneration.

As your score lowers it becomes harder to interact with normal humans. When your
Humanity score is 9 or below, failing a Humanity save results in you developing a long
term madness instead of a short one unless you degenerate.

If your Humanity score is 7 or below you have disadvantage on all Charisma

(Persuasion) checks when interacting with creatures with the person type, but
advantage on all Charisma (Intimidation) checks. In addition failing a Humanity save
results in you developing a permanent madness that is only cured when your Humanity
score rises above 7 again. This cannot be avoided through degeneration and is in
addition to the short term madness you also get for failing the roll.

At a 5 or lower Humanity score you all NPCs with an Intelligence score of 6 or higher
have their starting attitude shifted down one level when they meet you (from friendly to
indifferent, and from indifferent to hostile). In addition you can’t get NPC persons to rise
above an indifferent attitude towards you. Most will opt to hunt you as a monster.

At level 3 Humanity your character becomes an NPC under the GM’s control.

Recuperation and Invigoration

All is not lost however. It is possible to increase your Humanity score back up to your
starting value (if it fell below) or even past it. Going back up to your starting value for
your nature is called recuperation and it’s treated as a downtime activity. For this to
work you have to spend time among ordinary sleepers without hurting or frightening
them. You also have to make a good effort to live as one of them, trying to be human.
That might mean holding down a job, going on a date, or running errands together.

If at the end of 5 workdays the GM agrees that your character has acted as a human
would and spent enough time with sleepers you may roll a Humanity check. On a
success you increase your Humanity score by +1 up to a maximum of your starting
value based on your nature. On a failure your score does not change, but if you
maintain your Humanity for another week you gain a +1 bonus on your next
recuperation check. This continues until your Humanity score increases or you decide to
stop attempting to recuperate.

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The GM is free to give you advantage on this check if you spend time with your anchors
(see Anchors below) or if you get therapy.
To increase your score beyond your starting value is called invigoration. In order to do
so your Humanity score must be at its starting value for at least an in-game month. You
must also have spent a portion of that time among sleepers as with recuperation. In
addition if you’re a vampire, or werewolf or demon you must have turned your back on
the Inconnu completely. For vampires this means somehow merging your two souls or
having your less murderous side win out. For a werewolf or demon this means starting
to think of yourself in someway as human. The GM is the final arbiter if you meet this
criteria.

If you do meet the above criteria then you must perform an act of dramatic empathy.
What counts is up to the GM but it must involve your character taking significant risk in
the interest of becoming more Human. This might mean risking your life to save
another, confronting an agent of the Iconnu alone in order to stop them from doing
something evil, or (if you’re a vampire) giving up on human blood entirely. If the GM
agrees that your act is significant enough to warrant it you can roll a Humanity check
against a DC equal to your current Humanity score. On a success you increase it by 1
point up to a maximum of 16 (meaning chosen are already at their maximum).

If you wish to increase your score beyond 16 then you do in place of increasing another
attribute score when you’re normally allowed to increase them. However, your score
must already be at 16 and you’d have to have maintained it at that level for at least a
session.

Either way once you increase your score this is considered your new “starting score”
and you may recuperate up to this new level. You cannot increase this ability score any
other way.

Having a high Humanity gives you certain advantages. In addition to easier checks and
saves you gain additional benefits. If your score is 16 or higher NPC sleepers starting
attitude towards you is increased by one level (from hostile to indifferent and from
indifferent to friendly). If your score is 18 or higher you have advantage on all Charisma
(Persuasion) checks against NPCs with the person type. If your score is 20 you have
advantage on all saves to resist spells or magical powers used by Horrors.

Anchors
Characters in WoD are caught between two worlds. On the one hand there’s the
“normal” world which continues to behave as if the Intrusion never happened. On the

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other is the so-called “shadow” world, the world of Horrors, and displaced spirits, and
dark magic.

In most campaigns the two worlds are relatively separate, but when they do combine it
can be explosive. And over time that overlap is getting larger and larger. Someday the
world may no longer be able to pretend that everything is okay, and may have to wrestle
with the effects of the Intrusion.

In the meantime, no matter your nature, your character has to find a way to keep from
going off the deep end. That is where anchors come in. An anchor is something you're
character is attached to that helps ground them. This could be a person (such as a
loved one), an object or even a place. If it's a person they must be either a sleeper or at
most aware and they must be alive.

If you’ve kept the anchor as an important part of your character’s life you are considered
proficient in Humanity saves. To do this you must take a few moments every few
sessions spending time with your anchor. This might mean visiting a special place, or
taking downtime to see your family or to live a normal life.

However, if your anchor is ever severed from you then you must roll a Humanity save
(DC 15) without proficiency. On a failure your Humanity score decreases by 1 point
automatically, and you gain a long term insanity. This becomes indefinite unless you’re
able to process your grief and choose a new anchor.

This doesn’t have to mean the anchor is destroyed or in the case of a person killed. If
your anchor is a friend the death of that friendship could count (you might have
advantage on the save if your GM allows it). You should determine what counts as
severance for the anchor when you choose them.

Anchors mean different things to different characters based on their nature. Look
through the following examples for your nature:

Aware
The aware have the most powerful connection to their anchors of any nature. They are
typically still leading their ordinary lives, just trying to make it work alongside their
shadow life. They might have regular jobs they have to fill, loved ones they care about,
or things that are important to them. An aware is allowed to choose multiple anchors.
This might give them a slight advantage in that if an anchor is ever destroyed they have
others ready to replace it.

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Chosen
For all practical purposes chosen are like the aware when it comes to anchors. They
probably have jobs, or a school schedule they have to follow. They might even have
family or friends, all of whom would think they’re insane if they knew what the chosen’s
been getting up to.

However chosen have the added difficulty of having to go out due to their ability to hear
the pain of those affected by the nightmare wave. This might force them to choose
between spending time with their anchor (to gain the Humanity save proficiency) or to
spend time keeping their nightmare wave sense at bay.

Demon
In the case of unchained demons an anchor is something that they like about this world
that makes them wish to stay. It is related to why they don’t want to see the world
destroyed and thus rebelled against the Iconnu.

It could be something relatively innocuous, such as a favorite sports team they’ve

learned to like, or someone from their cover’s life they’ve fallen in love with. Maybe they
just like pretty sunsets.

This allows demons some protection against anchor destruction. After all, if the reason
they love the world is the sunsets they’re probably safe from seeing that destroyed
unless the world ends, in which case the campaign’s probably over. This is intentional
as it slightly makes up for the fact that demons don’t have virtues and vices.

Only unchained demons have anchors. Demons who continue to serve the Iconnu have
nothing about this world they like, and would generally be glad to see it destroyed.

Mages
The life of a mage tends to be detached from the world. They are usually focused on
their new truths they’ve uncovered or new magic they think about. This leaves little time
to fall in love or try to hold down a day job.

Of all the natures mages are the only ones who don’t have to choose an anchor.
Instead they use their obsessions to keep their minds in order. This doesn’t provide the
same benefit as an anchor (it does not grant you proficiency in Humanity saves) but you
also don’t have to worry about that anchor being destroyed.

You can still choose an anchor if you wish. It’s up to you. If you do have an anchor you
probably have some of the same types as other humans.

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Werewolf
Typically for a werewolf their anchor is their pack, but it might also be something that
was important to the human soul they absorbed. Werewolf anchors might be spiritual in
nature, such as a totem animal they feel connected to and wish to emulate, or a great
love for Luna (in which case they roll for anchor destruction whenever they feel they’ve
disappointed her).

Vampires
For vampires an anchor is typically an aspect of their modern soul, and not the
murderous spirit that invaded their body (although there are exceptions). For a vampire
an anchor is what keeps them from becoming a complete monster. Even vampires that
loyally serve the Iconnu, that are under the total control of their murderous spirit, need
anchors. Without an anchor a vampire is almost certainly doomed to become even more
savage over time.

Vampire anchors can be anything from a loved one they no longer see, to a thrall
they’re in love with, to a memento of their past life.

Virtues & Vices

In addition to other elements of your character such as attachments or motivation your
character will also have a virtue and a vice (unless you’re playing a demon).

These are not connected in any way to the seven sins or holy virtues. Instead, a virtue
should be something you aspire to, or some aspect of your personality that points in the
direction of being a “good” or moral person.

A vice is the opposite, a personality trait, or flaw, that ever tempts you down a darker
path. Doing something to fulfill your virtue should give you a great sense of satisfaction,
while a vice is probably something you’re at least a bit ashamed of but that provides
short term comfort.

You should work with the GM to define your virtues and vices. They can change in the
course of play if both you and your GM feel that a significant enough life event has
happened to your character to lead to such a transformation.

All characters aside from demons have virtues and vices. Even the most vile person has
some part of their personality that they believe makes them a good person, while even
the most righteous has a vice they struggle against.

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If you’re having trouble thinking of ideas for virtues or vices look through the following
lists

Sample virtues

● Ambitious. For you ambition is a noble and guiding force.

● Courageous. You get a thrill from overcoming your fear.
● Generous. You gain satisfaction from giving to others.
● Honest. Your character values their personal integrity
● Hopeful. Even in the World of Darkness you never give in to despair
● Humble. You never want to put yourself above others.
● Idealistic. You believe the world can be a better place
● Just. You are driven by your sense of justice.
● Loving. Your character either loves someone deeply or is a loving person.
● Loyal. Your loyalty to others is unshakeable.
● Patient. You believe in taking your time and not rushing things.
● Peaceful. You can’t bring yourself to hurt other people.
● Righteous. You’re willing to confront the powerful at any cost.
● Trustworthy. You keep your promises no matter what.

Sample vices

● Ambitious. For you ambition is all about your own advancement

● Arrogant. You believe you’re better than other people.
● Corrupt. You’re an expert at twisting the system
● Cowardly. Your fear gets the better of you all the time
● Cruel. You have a hell of a mean streak
● Cynical. To you people are deep down just awful.
● Deceitful. You find it hard to tell the truth.
● Greedy. For you more is never enough
● Hasty. You often act before thinking
● Hateful. You’re sometimes blinded by your hate
● Pessimistic. You tend to believe things will turn out badly.
● Treacherous. You’ll turn on your allies at the drop of a hat
● Untrustworthy. When the chips are down you can’t be relied on
● Violent. You have a thirst for violence

Willpower

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Characters in a WoD game have a special reservoir of emotional strength they can call
upon to help in dire situations. This emotional energy is known as Willpower. You can
spend a single point of Willpower whenever you roll an attack, check or save. You can
spend the point after the die is rolled as long as you do so before the results are
applied.

Spending a point of willpower allows you to roll a d4, and add it to the result of your d20
result, possibly turning a failure into a success. You can spend only 1 willpower point
per roll.

Your character has a maximum number of willpower points equal to 5 + the highest of
their Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifiers. You regain willpower in the following
ways:

● You regain 1 spent willpower if you wallow in your vice for a scene
● You regain 2 spent willpower if you perform an action in alignment with your
motivation
● You regain 3 spent willpower if you perform an action that lives up to your virtue
● You regain all spent willpower if your action is both in alignment with your virtue
and motivation.

No matter how you regain spent willpower you may not exceed your maximum.

Risking Willpower

Aware, and only aware, may risk willpower, which is a new ability available to all aware
in a WoD campaign. When you opt to risk willpower you spend two points instead of
one. If the attack, check, or save you added the willpower die to is a success you get
back both points, essentially getting the willpower bonus for free. However if the roll fails
despite the willpower you added you lose both points.

Dark Secret
At your GM’s option your character may have a secret that none of the other PCs know
(or at most 1 other PC knows). This secret can be anything, but it should be important
enough to your character that they wouldn’t want it to become common knowledge. It
also shouldn’t be something that once revealed has a chance of hurting the gaming
experience for others.

Some example secrets include:

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 ● You have a parent or sibling in jail
● You accidentally hurt or murdered someone you cared about
● You have a drug or alcohol addiction
● You have a secret child that you rarely see
● You’re estranged from your entire family

Whatever your secret it should fit the tone of the campaign. If it’s ever revealed and the
other PCs accept your secret, and don’t turn on you then you regain all spent willpower.
Alternatively you might gain Inspiration.

New Feats
The following are new feats available to choose from.

Firestarter (Major Feat)

Prerequisite: Intelligence 13+, Level 2+

You learn how to command fires with your mind. You gain the following benefits:

● You learn the produce flame and create bonfire cantrips

● You gain two 1st level spell slots
● You learn can choose four 1st level spells from among the following list; absorb
elements (fire only), burning hands, guiding bolt, feather fall (self only), hellish
rebuke, or searing smite
● Your spell save DC for wizard spells is 8 + your Intelligence modifier + your
proficiency bonus.

True Faith (Major Feat)

Prerequisite: Wisdom 13+, Level 2+

Your faith in a higher being has been rewarded with holy power. You gain the following
benefits:

● You learn two cleric cantrips.

● You gain two 1st level spell slots.
● You gain the availability to Turn Undead as a cleric of your level
● Your spell save DC for cleric spells is 8 + your Wisdom modifier + your
proficiency Bonus.

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Telepathic (Major Feat)

You awaken the ability to mentally connect with others, granting you the following
benefits:

● You can speak telepathically to any creature you can see within 60 feet of you.
Your telepathic utterances are in a language you know, and the creature
understands you only if it knows that language. Your communication doesn't give
the creature the ability to respond to you telepathically.

● You can cast the detect thoughts spell, requiring no spell slot or components,
and you must finish a long rest before you can cast it this way again. Your
spellcasting ability for the spell is the ability increased by this feat. If you have
spell slots of 2nd level or higher, you can cast this spell with them.

Telekinetic (Major Feat)

You learn to move things with your mind, granting you the following benefits:

● You learn the mage hand cantrip. You can cast it without verbal or somatic
components, and you can make the spectral hand invisible. If you already know
this spell, its range increases by 30 feet when you cast it. Its spellcasting ability is
the ability increased by this feat.

● As a bonus action, you can try to telekinetically shove one creature you can see
within 30 feet of you. When you do so, the target must succeed on a Strength
saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + the ability modifier of the score
increased by this feat) or be moved 5 feet toward or away from you. A creature
can willingly fail this save.

Nexuses

The next part of this chapter covers Nexuses, what they are, how they can be of benefit
to nearly any group (even ones that don’t include werewolves or mages), how to find
them, and how to make them become more powerful over time.

What is a Nexus?

A Nexus is a weak spot between this universe and all others, specifically the Near
Umbra (or Ethereal plane in D&D terms). It is a soft place, a zone where the boundary
that normally separates realities is thin. Nexuses existed before the Intrusion, but, like
all magical things back then, they were a shadow of what they are today.

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Still they did exist. The house at the end of the block that none of the kids are brave
enough to enter, the garden that is so beautiful it lifts up your soul to be there, the
intersection that for some reason is host to more car accidents and drive-by shootings
than any place has a right to be. These are all Nexuses.

Before the Intrusion the only effect they had would be to give people a cold chill, or a
fluttering of the heart. Now they can offer so much more to those bound to them.

Nexuses after the Intrusion

Today Nexuses crop up all over the place, with greater and greater frequency the closer
you get to the Intrusion point. The Haunted Lands in particular are filled with Nexuses,
with some speculating that every block in Chicago has at least one.

It’s hard to define how big a given Nexus actually is. Even the strongest ones have no
obvious visual indicators. They don’t glow, or light the area up. They don’t make
humming noises, or cause things to float in the air. In short the boundary between
where the Nexus starts and ends is nebulous. It’s more of a gradual change than an
obvious one.

Think of it as a smokeless invisible fire. At a certain point you can start to feel the heat.
Draw close enough and that warmth increases. You might hear a very slight crackling
noise as you near the center. Eventually you might go too far and get burned. With time
and a little trial and error you’ll probably figure out (roughly) where the fire is.

A Nexus is like that, except the “heat” you feel tends to be an emotional one. Draw
close to a Nexus of death and you’ll feel cold, or your hands might grow clammy. Get
closer to a Life one however and you’ll feel rejuvenated or a calm serenity might
overcome you.

A Nexus can be anywhere, inside or outside. Some are dozens of, or even hundreds, of
feet in the air. A few are deep below the ground. They don’t tend to adhere to human
concepts of “buildings” or “streets”.

At least not at first. Over time that might change. Even sleepers can recognize a Nexus
when they feel one (they just don’t consider it supernatural). Given a strong enough
Nexus sleepers might find themselves compelled to build a building to reach that point
in the sky, or to encompass a particular thin spot. Yet with the Intrusion being such a
recent thing it’s unlikely enough time has passed for these sorts of changes to occur.

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What can I do with a Nexus?

Nexuses are very important to werewolves and mages, who rely on them to regain their
energy (essence and mana). However, all sorts of different types of characters can gain
great benefits from using Nexuses.

In game terms each Nexus has a certain “resonance” that matches one of the 10
Arcanum as mages understand them. These resonances reflect the specific emotions
that a given Nexus generates. In addition each Nexus can grant special abilities based
on its resonance.

Resonance also determines the general look and feel of a Nexus. A Nexus of spirit is
very different from one of prime or death. A resonance is as much an emotional or
spiritual concept as it is a mechanical one.

In addition to resonance each Nexus is listed in terms of power (or tiers) from tier 1,
which is a weak or newly formed Nexus, all the way up to tier 5. Based on its resonance
and tier a Nexus can grant the following powers to those attuned to them:

Death
A Nexus of death is cold, or shadowy, like a haunted house, a particularly eerie
graveyard, or a street corner known for a number of murders.
Emotions: Fear, tension, or a sense of being watched
Benefit: You need 4 failed death saves (instead of 3) in order to die and you gain a
bonus to all death saves equal to the Nexus’ tier. Vampires who spend vitae to heal
gain 1d6 + twice the tier of the Nexus in additional hit points.

Fate
A Nexus of fate is a place entwined with destiny or luck, like a cliff overlooking a
waterfall, or a tall tower that draws thrill seekers to leap from its heights.
Emotions: Excitement, a feeling of invulnerability or of great destiny
Benefit: You have a single luck die (a d20). Whenever you make an attack roll, ability
check, or saving throw, you may spend that die to roll an additional d20. When you roll
this die you add a bonus equal to the Nexus’ tier. You can use this ability after the
original roll, but before the outcome is revealed. You choose which of the d20s is used
for the attack roll, ability check, or saving throw.

You can also spend that die when an attack roll is made against you. Roll a d20, and

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choose whether the attacker's roll uses their d20 roll or yours. You regain this luck die
after a long rest.

Forces
A Nexus that resonates with forces is a place where great energies meet. It might be a
field prone to lightning strikes, a crater of a once powerful volcano, or an abandoned
power plant.
Emotions: Power, passion, heat, or electricity
Benefit: Whenever you complete a long rest you gain temporary hit points equal to
three times the Nexus’ tier rating.

Life
A Nexus of life is a beautiful thing to see. It’s a place where life is empowered. It might
be an old moss covered forest, a breathtaking garden, or a nursery in a hospital.
Emotions: Calm, peace, and satisfaction
Benefit: Whenever a creature (other than undead) spends a hit die to heal (such as
during a short rest) they gain 1d6 + twice the tier of the Nexus in additional hit points.
They also recover from exhaustion twice as fast.

Matter
A Nexus of matter is a ponderous, but also strangely transformative place. It’s a place
where matter changes forms. It might be a steel factory, a glass workshop, or a
sculptor’s studio.
Emotions: Heaviness, thickness, or drudgeory
Benefit: You receive a bonus to all crafting and repair checks equal to the tier of the
Nexus. You also complete crafting and repair rolls in half the time.

Mind
A Nexus of mind is a place that expands thinking like an old library, or a place
resonating with psychic power like a cave of crystal.
Emotions: Introspectiveness, fascination, or connection to others
Benefit: This has two possible benefits. One is that psychic powers you use (powers
that charm, or frighten or powers from the mind arcanum, or the telepathy or telekinesis
feats) increase their DC by the tier of the Nexus. Either that or gain a bonus to all
Intelligence skill checks equal to the tier of the Nexus.

Prime
A Nexus of prime is a place that is in touch with pure magic or momentous events. It
might be the site of a major supernatural fight, the location of a powerful historical

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moment or even something that an entire community invested emotion in like a beloved
community center.
Emotions: Intense emotions are felt here, love, hate, despair, and joy
Benefit: You gain a bonus to Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma saves equal to the tier
of the Nexus.

Space
A Nexus of space is an area of strange or distorted geography or that is dedicated to
astronomy. It might be an observatory, a hedge maze, or labrinth beneath a city or a
house of mirrors.
Emotion: Disorientation, curiosity, excitement, or nausea
Benefit: Your walking speed increases by 5 feet plus 2 feet for every tier of the Nexus.

Spirit
A Nexus of spirit is a place where the walls of reality are even thinner than in other
Nexuses. It might be a great desert or forest, an abandoned temple or church, or even a
place in a city sewer where spirits have chewed through the gauntlet.
Emotion: Awe, alertness, bliss, transfixion, or unease
Benefit: You gain a bonus to Sanity saves or checks equal to the tier of the Nexus.

Time
A Nexus of time is a location rich with temporal importance, such as a shrine dedicated
to the movement of heavenly bodies or even a watchmaker’s store. It might also be a
place where time seems to stop like a used bookstore, or an old school.
Emotion: Anxiety, insecurity, queasiness
Benefit: You gain a number of special reactions equal to the tier of the Nexus. Each of
these can be used for any reason you would use a reaction, except you still can only
use one reaction per turn. Once you use a special reaction you cannot use it again until
you complete a long rest.

No matter their resonances, Nexuses only appear in abandoned locations (sometimes

called liminal spaces). Any place that sees traffic from even a few sleepers on a regular
basis cannot become a Nexus due to the sleeper’s psychic shroud.

In addition to the unique benefits Nexuses provide based on their resonance all
Nexuses provide the following benefits to certain natures:

● Mages. Mages regain mana if they meditate at a Nexus.

● Werewolves. Werewolves regain essence if they meditate at a Nexus.

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In order to gain the benefit of a Nexus you must attune to it after a long rest, which
requires at least spending one night in the presence of the Nexus. This doesn’t count
against your normal attunement limit, but in order to maintain it you have to spend at
least one night there every seven days.

You can only have one benefit from a Nexus at one time. If you are presented multiple
options you choose the benefit when you complete a long rest. This means mages and
werewolves must choose between regaining energy or gaining the other benefits of a
Nexus.

The one exception to this is the gauntlet itself. All attempts to cross into the Near Umbra
while in the presence of a Nexus have a bonus equal to the tier of the Nexus. For spirit
Nexuses the bonus is equal to twice the tier of the Nexus. This is true even if the
creature crossing over is not attuned to the Nexus.

A Nexus can only support a certain number of creatures at one time, and the stronger
those creatures are the more they drain from the Nexus and thus the fewer of them it
can sustain. A Nexus has a maximum number of attunement levels it can have.

This number is equal to 20 x the tier of the Nexus. Thus a tier 1 Nexus can support 20
levels of creatures. That could be one creature of 20th level, two creatures of 10th level,
10 creatures of 2nd level or any combination that does not exceed 20. For this purpose
CR equals level.

Any creatures that attempt to attune to the Nexus after this limit has been reached
automatically fails. If the creatures level up after attuning to the Nexus it automatically
removes the attunement of the creatures in reverse of the order they attuned to it (last
one first). It keeps doing this until it is below the limit, or until there are no longer
creatures attuned to it.

Why this limit?

I put this limit in the game both because it doesn’t make sense to me that a group of
high-level characters can make do with a low-level Nexus, and because I want to
encourage questing. By the math an average group of 5 characters would need to
work to increase the tier of their Nexus every 4 levels.

This means every 4 levels they are going to need to go out and do something that
increases the tier of their Nexus, or they’re going to have to make some hard choices.
If only one character wants to use the Nexus then they are fine not ever having to
worry about it, and if that’s okay with everyone then that works.

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 However the assumption is that with all of the possible bonuses that a Nexus provides
it might be in the group’s interest to work together to regularly strengthen their Nexus.

Maintaining a Nexus

A resonance is as much an emotional concept as it is a magical one. In order to

maintain the resonance of a Nexus you have to avoid doing anything that might change
the emotion of the area. Repairing a haunted house, breaking all of the mirrors in a fun
house, or tearing down the altar of an abandoned church, all have the chance of
weakening or outright destroying a Nexus.

The GM has the final say if a given action will lower the tier of a Nexus or even remove
it. Even a lot of tiny relatively insignificant actions can end up removing a Nexus from
existence.

It might be tempting to want to change the resonance of a Nexus once you find one, but
that’s all but impossible. To do so you would have to gradually change the emotion of
the location, while introducing another stronger emotion. This would almost certainly
require sleeper involvement in order to create the necessary emotional power, but at the
risk of having sleepers automatically remove the Nexus.

Instead of trying to change a Nexus’ resonance you’re better off just finding one that
matches the type you want.

Obtaining a Nexus

Finding a Nexus is meant to be a quest into itself. It typically involves lots of research of
local myths or odd news stories that are barely covered by the media. It might mean an
extended hunting session as you track spirits down to the point at which they are
entering and leaving the gauntlet. It almost certainly involves venturing into hidden
corners of your local area.

Either way finding a Nexus is just step one. While the Nexuses you find will almost
certainly be tier 1 even those are rarely undefended. Ghosts, vampires, or other Horrors
are commonly found in such places. They are very often nightmare sites themselves,
leading to all manners of creatures, and ridden people or wild cryptids.

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Then there’s the spirits. A Nexus drips spiritual energy into the world. That same
essence that werewolves use empowers other spirits. It is their food and drink. Even the
weakest Nexus draws spirits to it like a watering hole draws animals in an arid desert.

Those assorted creatures, agents, cryptids, spirits, ghosts, or even scarier things, are
unlikely to simply hand over a Nexus without putting up a fight. Expect each Nexus to
be well guarded, with some even laying devious traps to ensnare all who try to take the
Nexus.

Banal as it may seem there are also legal considerations to obtaining a Nexus. Unless
the area is truly in a wild part of the world the land most likely belongs to someone. If
they’re a sleeper they’re probably entirely unaware of the true nature of their
possession, but even so they can make obtaining a Nexus difficult. If the Nexus
happens in a location where a local gang has taken refuge or that’s owned by a
corporation and scheduled for demolition that could complicate the lives of those who
wish to use the Nexus for its true purpose.

The one good bit of good news to all of this is that the challenges are rarely out of
bounds for the power of the Nexus. More powerful creatures tend to concentrate their
abilities on finding more powerful Nexuses. They don’t waste their time with Nexuses of
a tier that’s beneath them. Thus the Nexus usually matches the level of challenge you
face. Usually.

Empowering a Nexus

Once you have a Nexus now you need to figure out how to increase its tier. Fortunately
there are tried and true ways to increase the power of the Nexus, as long as you’re up
to the challenge.

To empower a Nexus you need to perform tasks that match the resonance of the
Nexus, and increase that resonance. You need to be attuned to the Nexus for this to
work, but if you are then when you complete a certain number of challenges of a certain
difficulty that match the Nexus’ resonance the tier increases.

Typically this means completing a task of a CR appropriate to the tier as seen in the
following table:

Nexus Empowerment
Nexus Tier Task CR

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 1 --

2 5

3 10

4 15

5 20

With the GM’s permission you can double the number of tasks you need in order to
decrease the CR of the tasks by one tier. Thus a single CR 10 task is usually enough to
raise the tier of a Nexus to 3. However if you complete two 5 CR tasks that might be
enough, if the GM approves.

This might mean destroying a Horror of the appropriate CR, cleansing a nightmare site,
or overcoming some other sort of challenge of the required difficulty. Whatever you do
you have to do it while attuned to the Nexus, and it has to honor the resonance in some
way. It’s not always obvious what types of tasks honor which resonances. It might be
tempting to think that spreading death would match the resonance of a Death Nexus,
but that is not necessarily the case. If you want ideas you can consult the following:

Nexus Resonance Tasks

Nexus Resonance Task type

Death Destroying a powerful living dead,

cleansing a haunted nightmare site,
helping a ghost move on

Fate Helping someone achieve their destiny,

preventing an untimely death, bringing a
fate cheater to justice, helping a prophecy
come to pass

Forces Protecting a site of powerful energy,

cleansing a site of destructive energy (fire
or radioactivity), destroying a powerful
elemental entity and channeling into the
Nexus, surviving a terrible storm

Life Protecting a large natural environment,

destroying a murderous cryptid, cleaning
a polluted nightmare site

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 Matter Crafting a powerful item, uncovering a
powerful relic, destroying a destructive
construct

Mind Protecting a portion of the Primordial

Dream, freeing a large group of ridden,
convincing a lot of sleepers to help you in
a task, curing someone’s madness

Prime Solving a magical mystery, destroying or

driving away a fiendish or fae entity,
destroying an evil relic

Space Untangling a nightmare site of twisted

geography, defeating or destroying an
aberration, conducting a spacial
experiment

Spirit Destroying or driving away a powerful

spirit, keeping the gauntlet in balance,
protecting a spiritual site, crossing the
gauntlet

Time Surviving a temporal eddy, protecting the

timeline from damage, fixing a temporal
paradox

The GM is the final arbiter of if a task is appropriate to the resonance of a Nexus, and
challenging enough to raise the tier. In general you are expected to raise the tier of your
Nexus every four levels, but the GM is free to adjust this to match their campaign.

Bringing it all together

Let’s look at how it all comes together in this example:

The troupe is composed of five players (Andy, James, Ann, Jonathan, and Sara). After
discussing what type of campaign they’d like, they decide to play a small cell of monster
killers who work to protect their local Chicago neighborhood.

They end up with the following characters; mage Jackson Quick (Andy), chosen Griffon
(James), vampire Serenity (Ann), aware Daniel Rash (Jonathan), and demon Bestla
Frost (Sarah). Only one of them (Jackson) absolutely needs a Nexus to regain their
power. Andy works on convincing the others that it would be in their best interest to find
a Nexus, and make that their base.

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After playing through the first session they decide it’s time to find a Nexus. They look
through the available bonuses to decide what sort of Nexus they would like. Jackson’s a
warlock so a space or mind Nexus would be most in character, but he’s only in for the
mana so any Nexus will do.

At first Ann argues that her vampire Serenity deserves a death Nexus, but Jonathan
makes a counterpoint. He argues that if they had a life Nexus they could all heal from
exhaustion twice as fast. That way they could each offer their blood to Serenity, who
wouldn’t have to feed unless she was in dire straits.

She agrees to this as long as they keep up their end of the bargain. They start their
search for a Life Nexus. Jackson uses a spell to try to locate a Nexus, while Rash and
Griffon try to research odd stories at the local library. While this is going on Serenity
consults with the local vamps, while Bestia prowls the city.

Their search eventually leads them to an abandoned apartment building. In the

basement they find a small garden of overgrowing plants. It seems one of the previous
tenants grew flowers. She devoted a lot of her time and energy into the garden before
she died. This has turned it into a tier 1 Life Nexus, which takes the form of an area of
overgrown moss, and flowers.

Unfortunately it’s not vacant. They are attacked by a vicious cryptid that was drawn to
the area. The massive beast has been feeding off anything it finds in the sewers,
including kids. After a brief but intense fight the cell kills the monster. This frees the
Nexus of its influence, allowing them to attune to it.

They move into the apartment complex. They do everything to increase the resonance
of the area, including buying more plants, and tending to the ones that exist. After
attuning Andy chooses to gain mana from it, and the others (except for Serenity) gain
the usual benefit.

Since she’s not gaining much from it Serenity will move in a few blood addicts (thralls
as soon as she can) and they will bond with the Nexus. Since each one is only ⅛ CR
she can have all of them bond with the Nexus without even fully taking her place.

After a few weeks of this they are gaining a reputation for cleaning up the area. They
come home one day to find construction workers surrounding the apartment. A private
company has purchased the complex, and wants to demolish it to make room for new
apartments.

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Since this would destroy the Nexus it might be in their best interest to stop this. On the
other hand though, new apartments might clean up their neighborhood. Just to be sure
they decide to investigate the company responsible.

After infiltrating the company they discover to their horror that the company, Pentex, is
owned by a shadowy organization that calls itself the Technocracy. Furthermore the
executive in charge of this acquisition is a terrible machine man, who gains energy from
consuming living creatures.

They fight him and manage to defeat him, forcing him to turn ownership of the complex
over to Bestla (under the guise of one of her marks, Deboarah Scott). Furthermore they
expose Pentex to a scandal involving illegal dumping.

Doing all of this in the name of their Nexus enfuses it with energy. It becomes a tier 2
Nexus. When they return the entire basement is filled with growing plants, as the power
of the Nexus has expanded.

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They faced each other across an empty subway car. The promethean Walker-
in-Dust stretched his arms, and cracked his neck with a resounding pop. He’d
been hunting this damn bloodsucker for two solid months, and now he had the
bastard cornered.

Walker faced his adversary with a steely eyed glare. He felt the divine fire
course through his veins. He let that fire burn, focusing it into his eyes,
compelling the leech to face him and not to run. The scars that criss crossed his
body lit up, revealing the patchwork that traced its way across his skin.
Electricity arced from the iron studs in his neck.

“Damn,” the vampire, Dagan to his friends, sneered from the other end of the
car. “You are one ugly son of a bitch, aren’t you?” He smiled, extending his
fangs. Any other time Dagan would have high tailed it out of there, but for some
reason he found himself wanting to fight this thing, to get it off his back once
and for all.

He held out his hands willing the vitae to empower him. His fingers extended
becoming razor sharp nails, and his body flushed with strength and speed.

He leapt at Walker with a hissing snarl, and Walker rushed to meet him.

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CHAPTER 5: SUPERNATURAL POWERS
Magic exists in the World of Darkness, and in a great many forms. Vampires have their
devotions, werewolves their rites, and so many other creatures wield powers akin to
spells. This chapter outlines the basic rules that underlie “spell” casting in this game,
what exactly is a spell in this game, and the cost for using those abilities.

There is however, a second type of magic that is not covered in this chapter, and that’s
the creative thaumaturgy used by mages. That requires a more in-depth explanation
and is covered in the following chapter. However, even creative thaumaturgy has to
follow most of the same rules as other supernatural powers.

What is a Supernatural Power?

In simple terms, a power is a discrete magical effect, a single shaping of the energies of
multiple universes to achieve a specific desired end. In invoking (or casting) a power, a
character carefully constructs the desired effect using the source of their power, and
then releases it, all in the span of seconds.

In mechanical terms supernatural powers are analogous to spells in standard D&D.

They are discrete in that each one accomplishes only a single effect (that’s the primary
difference between this form of spellcasting and creative thaumaturgy). They can do
damage, or heal, or anything that spells can normally accomplish.

Each nature tends to give a different name to its spell-like powers, and uses them in
slightly different ways. For demons they’re called incantations while imbued call them
edges. Despite the different names these are all supernatural powers, and all follow
these same rules as indicated here. It’s important to note that there are other
supernatural powers that certain natures have access to that are not spell-like (such as
vampire devotions). Those are listed in this chapter as well.

Power Level

As with spells, powers in this game are divided into levels, from 0 to 9. A power's level is
a general indicator of how powerful it is, with the lowly cause fear at 1st level and the
powerful true polymorph at 9th. At-will powers—simple but effective powers that

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characters can cast almost by rote—are level 0. The higher a power's level, the higher
level a character must be to use that power.

Power level and character level don't correspond directly. Typically, a character has to
be at least 17th level, not 9th level, to cast a 9th-level power.

Known Powers

Before a character can use a power they must have the power learned. In general once
a power is learned it’s always available (or prepared). The number of powers a caster
can have at any given time depends on the character's level.

Some natures make a distinction between 0 level powers and higher level powers. For
other natures like demon this distinction is less important. In general you are free to
change your powers whenever you complete a long rest.

Power Points

Regardless of how many powers a caster knows or prepares, he or she can cast only a
limited number of powers before resting. Channeling magical energy into even a simple
power is physically and mentally taxing, and higher-level powers are even more so.

Aside from ithaeur werewolves each casting class's description includes a table
showing how many “points” a character can use at each character level. For example,
the 6th-level demon Adriel, has 12 anima she can use to invoke her incantations.

When a character that uses power points invokes a power, he or she expends a number
of points based on the level of the power to use it. At-will powers always cost 0 points,
while casting a power at any other level costs the power level + 1 points, as shown in
the Power Level Point Cost table below. When Adriel casts witch bolt, a 1st-level power,
she spends two of her 12 anima, leaving 10 remaining.

Ithaeur werewolves (and some other natures) however rely on spell slots as in standard
D&D. Regardless of cast using power points or power slots, spell-like powers use the
same rules. Each nature/class has a different method for recovering their given power
source, as explained in their class description.

Casting a power at a higher level

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As with spells some powers can be invoked at a higher level. When a character invokes
a power using at a higher level than the power's normal level, the power assumes the
higher level for that casting. For instance, if Adriel casts witch bolt at 2nd-level, she uses
three anima and that power is 2nd level.

Power Level Point Coast

Power Level Point Cost Power Level Point Cost

0 0 5 6

1 2 6 7

2 3 7 8

3 4 8 9

4 5 9 10

Invoking a Power

When a character casts any power, the same basic rules are followed, regardless of the
character's class or the power's effects. These are the same rules as outlined in the
Player’s Handbook, including casting in armor, casting time, range, duration, areas of
effect and other rules.

These rules also apply to mages when they use creative thaumaturgy. A mage can’t
cast spells in armor they aren’t proficient in, their spells take the same basic shapes as
other spells, and they cannot concentrate on two different spells at a time.

The largest difference between powers in this game and standard spells is that most
classes do not require a focus of any kind to use the powers, although there are
exceptions to even this.

And that’s it for powers. Whenever in doubt use the same rules for spells as indicated in
the PHB except with regards to cost, as indicated above.

Imbued - Edges

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Imbued’s supernatural powers (spells) are called edges and they follow the normal rules
for spellcasting as indicated above, with the exception that imbued don’t need foci for
their magic. Otherwise each edge works just like the spell of the same name.

This is the full list of edges by level:

1st level edges Locate Object

Alarm Magic Weapon
Bane Pass without trace
Command Protection from Poison
Cure wounds See Invisibility
Detect Poison and Disease Zone of Truth
Heroism
Hunter’s Mark 3rd level edges
Jump Ashardalon's Stride
Longstrider Aura of Vitality
Protection from Evil and Good Beacon of Hope
Sanctuary Conjure Barrage
Searing Smite Daylight
Snare Elemental Weapon
Zephyr Strike Feign Death
Glyph of Warding
2nd level edges Lightning Arrow
Aid Life Transference
Calm Emotions Magic Circle
Enhance Ability (self only) Nondetection
Find Traps Protection from Energy
Lesser Restoration Revivify
Locate Animals or Plants

Demon - Invocations
As a demon grows in might they develop natural magical powers. These powers are
called invocations (not to be confused with the spell-like incantations) Some of them are
general abilities they can use all the time, while others augment the power of the
apocalyptic forms. At 2nd level, an unchained gains three invocations of their choice.
Their options are detailed below. If an invocation has prerequisites, they must meet
them to learn it. They can learn the invocation at the same time that they meet its
prerequisites. A level prerequisite refers to their level in the unchained class.

Agonizing Blast
Prerequisite: eldritch blast cant

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When you cast eldritch blast, add your Charisma modifier to the damage it deals on a
hit.

Armor of Shadows
You can cast mage armor on yourself at will, without expending anima or material
components.

Ascendant Step
Prerequisite: 9th level
You can cast levitate on yourself at will, without expending anima or material
components.

Battle Claws
When you are in your apocalyptic form you manifest unearthly demonic claws which
deal 1d8 + Dexterity modifier in slashing damage. When you take the Attack action on
your turn and make an attack with your claws, you can make one additional attack using
your claws as part of the same action.

Beast Speech
You can cast speak with animals at will, without expending anima.

Beguiling Influence
You gain proficiency in the Deception and Persuasion skills.

Bewitching Whispers
Prerequisite: 7th level
You can cast compulsion once using anima. You can't do so again until you finish a long
rest.

Book of Ancient Secrets

Prerequisite: Manifestation of Shadows feature
You can now inscribe magical rituals in your Book of Shadows. Choose two 1st-level
spells that have the ritual tag from any class's spell list (the two needn't be from the
same list). The spells (incantations) appear in the book and don't count against the
number of incantations you know.

With your Book of Shadows in hand, you can cast the chosen incantations as rituals.
You can't cast them except as rituals, unless you've learned them by some other

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means. You can also cast a demon incantation you know as a ritual if it has the ritual
tag.

At some point you might find other rituals to add to your Book of Shadows. When you
find such an incantation, you can add it to the book if the incantation's level is equal to
or less than half your demon level (rounded up) and if you can spare the time to
transcribe the ritual. For each level of the incantation, the transcription process takes 2
hours and costs 50 dollars for the rare inks needed to inscribe it.

Breach Barrier
Prerequisite: 10th level
As an action you can spend 2 anima to alter your molecular structure, allowing you to
move through solid objects as if they were difficult terrain. You cannot pass through
creatures. You also cannot pass through more than one foot of stone, 5 feet of wood or
dirt, or any amount of metal unless you spend additional anima.

You can pass through thicker materials by spending one Anima per five feet of distance
(plus one additional Anima if metal blocks that distance). You cannot pass through
supernatural barriers or force fields, nor any amount of lead.

If you end your movement occupying the same spot as a solid object, you are
immediately shunted to the nearest unoccupied space that you can occupy and take
force damage equal to twice the number of feet you are moved.

Breach Space
Prerequisite: 9th level
You can cast dimension door once without spending anima. You can't do so again until
you finish a long rest.

Burning Mantle
Prerequisite: 5th level
While you are in your apocalyptic form you can cause ethereal flames to wreath your
body as a bonus action. At the start of each of your turns while these flames are active,
you deal fire damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 0) to any creature
grappling you or any creature grappled by you. While wreathed in flames, you have
advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks but disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth)
checks.

Cloak of Flies

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Prerequisite: 5th level
As a bonus action, you can surround yourself with a magical aura that looks like buzzing
flies. The aura extends 5 feet from you in every direction, but not through total cover. It
lasts until you're incapacitated or you dismiss it as a bonus action.

The aura grants you advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks but disadvantage on
all other Charisma checks. Any other creature that starts its turn in the aura takes
poison damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 0 damage).

Once you use this invocation, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Confess
Prerequisite: Charisma 13, level 4
You can spend 1 anima as an action to force a target within 10 feet that can see and
hear you to make a Wisdom save. On a failure the target reveals information they
normally keep private. The target remembers that they confessed but may not
understand why they did so and may take action later to correct this "error in judgment."

Dark Wings
Prerequisite: level 9
While in your apocalyptic form you gain a flight speed of 30 ft.

Demonic Minions
Prerequisite: 8th level
You can cast summon lesser demons once using anima. You can't do so again until you
finish a long rest.

Demon's Sight
You can see normally in darkness, both magical and non magical, to a distance of 120
feet.

Demonic Gunslinger
Prerequisite. Manifestation of Blades feature
You can manifest a weapon that is a simple or martial firearm, and you can transform a
magical simple or martial firearm into your manifested weapon.

Dreadful Word
Prerequisite: 7th level

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You can cast confusion once using anima as a normal incantation. You can't do so
again until you finish a long rest.

Eldritch Sight
You can cast detect magic at will, without expending anima.

Eldritch Chain
Prerequisite: eldritch blast cant
When you cast eldritch blast, it manifests as a chain wreathed in hellfire. It does
bludgeoning or fire damage (your choice) and you have advantage on Strength checks
to trip someone using your lash.

Eyes of the Rune Keeper

You can read all writing.

Extend Disguise
You may stay in one of your cover forms for 1 additional hour before needing to revert
to your apocalyptic form.

Fiendish Vigor
You can cast false life on yourself at will as a 1st-tier incantation, without expending
anima or material components.

Flesh Transparency
You allow your apocalyptic form to show through your mortal cover for just an instant.
Spend 1 anima as a bonus action and choose one creature within 10 feet of you that
can see. The target must each succeed on a Charisma saving throw vs your spell DC or
become frightened of you until the end of your next turn. The target must have line of
sight to you; seeing you in a mirror, photo or television is no more frightening than any
other special effect. This transformation does not affect your remaining time
transformed or the recovery period after shape changing

Gaze of Two Minds

You can use your action to touch a willing humanoid and perceive through its senses
until the end of your next turn. As long as the creature is on the same plane of existence
as you, you can use your action on subsequent turns to maintain this connection,
extending the duration until the end of your next turn.

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While perceiving through the other creature's senses, you benefit from any special
senses possessed by that creature, and you are blinded and deafened to your own
surroundings.

Ghostly Gaze
Prerequisite: 7th level
As an action, you gain the ability to see through solid objects to a range of 30 feet. This
special sight lasts for 1 minute or until your concentration ends (as if you were
concentrating on a spell). During that time, you perceive objects as ghostly, transparent
images. Once you use this invocation, you can't use it again until you finish a short or
long rest.

Gift of the Depths

Prerequisite: 5th level
While in your apocalyptic form you can breathe underwater, and you gain a swimming
speed equal to your walking speed. You can also cast water breathing without
expending anima. You regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.

Great Stature
Prerequisite: level 10
When you manifest your apocalyptic form your size doubles in all dimensions. This
growth increases your size by one category —from Medium to Large, for example. This
size increase does not stack with similar size increases, such as from the
enlarge/reduce spell. If there isn't enough room for you to double your size, you attain
the maximum possible size in the space available. While you are in this form your melee
attacks do 1d4 extra damage.

Mask of Many Faces

You can cast disguise self at will, without expending anima.

Mire the Mind

Prerequisite: 5th level
You can cast slow once using anima. You can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

Misty Visions
You can cast silent image at will, without expending anima or material components.

One with Shadows

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Prerequisite: 5th level
When you are in an area of dim light or darkness, you can use your action to become
invisible until you move or take an action or a reaction.

Otherworldly Leap
Prerequisite: 9th level
You can cast jump on yourself at will, without expending anima or material components.

Repelling Blast
Prerequisite: eldritch blast cant
When you hit a creature with eldritch blast, you can push the creature up to 10 feet
away from you in a straight line.

Sculptor of Flesh
Prerequisite: 7th level
You can cast polymorph once using anima. You can't do so again until you finish a long
rest.

Sign of Ill Omen

Prerequisite: 5th level
You can cast bestow curse once using anima. You can't do so again until you finish a
long rest.

Stinger
When you are in your apocalyptic form you manifest a demonic stinger which deals
1d6 + Dexterity modifier in piercing damage. On a hit the target must make a
Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 poison damage, and gain the poisoned condition.

Thief of Five Fates

You can cast bane once using anima. You can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

Thirsting Blade
Prerequisite: 5th level, Manifestation of Blades feature
You can attack with your manifested weapon twice, instead of once, whenever you take
the Attack action on your turn.

Tortuous Memory
Prerequisite: 6th level

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You pull a memory from your target's mind and use this knowledge against them.
Choose a sleeper within 30 feet that can see and hear you and spend 3 anima as an
action. The target must make a Wisdom save. On a failure you pull a memory from their
mind related to an emotional state you specify (fear, anger, despair etc.). For example
fear might tell you the target had an abusive father, while despair will tell you the target's
husband died in a car crash.

You learn enough knowledge from the memory that you can describe it casually. For 1
hour you have advantage on any Charisma skill checks you make to influence the
target. In addition you may assume the form of a person from that memory as if you'd
cast disguise self. Upon seeing you in this form the target must make another Wisdom
save. On a failure they believe you are the person from their memory no matter how
unlikely that is.

Once the target believes you are the person from their memories then you can influence
their behavior. This works as if you'd cast suggestion on them without spending
additional anima or material components. They are allowed one final save to resist.
Your actions must be plausible from the memory-identity's perspective. Wracked by
emotion from her past, no appropriate action is too extreme for the target — even
suicide is possible if you can make it a plausible suggestion from the memory-identity.

Everytime you take a non-plausible action the target is entitled another Wisdom save
with advantage to recognize that you're not the person they think you are. The GM is
the final arbiter if an action is plausible or not.

You can stop the progress of this at any point. For example, you could decide to only
violate the target's memory and save the other tricks for later, or take the shape of the
memory identity to lure your target into an alley but not otherwise try to influence them.
If you stop the invocation and decide to resume later, you must pay the anima cost to
reactivate it.

Voice of the Chain Master

Prerequisite: Manifestation of Chains feature
You can communicate telepathically with your familiar and perceive through your
familiar's senses as long as you are on the same plane of existence. Additionally, while
perceiving through your familiar's senses, you can also speak through your familiar in
your own voice, even if your familiar is normally incapable of speech.

Whispers of the Grave

Prerequisite: 9th level

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You can cast speak with dead at will, without expending anima.

Demon - Pact Magic

A demon’s most insidious power is that of pact magic, the ability to lure sleepers into
demon pacts that trap them in a cycle of servitude or cost them aspects of their lives. A
demon can bind a mortal sleeper (or mark) into a supernatural agreement known as a
pact.

Step One: Finding a Mark

To bind a mark a demon must first find one willing and capable of making a deal. In
order to bind them the mark cannot be under any mind control or supernatural influence.
They must do so of their own free will, and with an understanding of the terms
(deception is of course still allowed). They also must be mature enough for their soul to
have the strength to enter into the pact. The GM is the final arbiter of if a mark is old
enough to bind.

Finding a mark is not just a matter of making a skill check. While a demon might start
with a Charisma (Persuasion) check to track down someone who might fit the bill, once
they find someone they have to get to know them. This can be as simple or as
complicated a roleplaying process as the player and GM desire. At the very least the
demon has to understand what the mark wants. This might require a few persuasion or
deception checks, stalking the mark for an extended period of time, or otherwise
ingratiating their way into the mark’s life.

In some cases a mark will approach a demon, especially as the demon’s reputation
increases. They don’t necessarily need to know, or even suspect, that the demon is
supernatural. It might be enough that they think the demon is just someone who can
help them get what they want.

Step Two: Negotiating Terms

Once a demon’s figured out what a mark wants it’s time to start talking terms. Demons
are not omnipotent. A demon can only grant a mortal something that's within their power
to give. If they aren't wealthy, they can't give a mortal a million dollars, if they don't
control a small country they can't make him a king, and so on. Part of the trick to making
a pact is finding a mortal who wants something the demon can actually grant them.

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That said the magic within the pact does give the demon a limited wish granting ability.
This is connected to their pact die which begins as a d4 and rises as they gain levels as
seen in the Pact Die column of the unchained table. A demon can use their pact magic
to grant a sleeper any of the following boons:

● Proficiency or expertise (if already proficient) with a skill, tool or language

● A bonus to all uses of a single attribute equal to the roll of the demon’s pact die
● Temporary hit points equal to twice the demon’s pact die which regenerate every
time the sleeper takes a short rest
● Two rolls of the demon’s pact die per day which can be added as a bonus to any
attack, check, or save.
● Removal of a disease or injury as per the lesser restoration spell (this increases
to greater restoration at 9th level)

While these might not seem that strong there's still lots of options for the creative
demon. A man who wants to improve his luck would benefit from the demon’s pact die
every day, an old man can feel better with an improved Constitution, or a paralyzed
football player can walk if a demon cures his broken back.

In addition to this a demon is free to give the mortal anything they possess if they so
wish. On the demon’s side what they get from the mark depends on the nature of the
pact:

● A soul pact (the most common) grants a demon a portion of the sleeper’s soul
which regenerates their anima as described in the unchained class description.

● Identity pacts (described below) grants a demon some portion of the sleeper’s
identity. This might be their name, a business they own, their job, or even their
marriage.

● Task pacts (also described below) forces the mortal to complete some task on
behalf of the demon. These are very rare as most demons prefer souls or
additions to their cover, but sometimes a demon just needs something done.

Step Three: Binding the Pact

Once the sleeper agrees to the terms the demon binds them by spending 1 anima as an
action along with some brief physical contact (a touch, kiss, or handshake). Accepting a
pact permanently reduces a mark's Wisdom by 2 points. After that though the mark is
flush with confidence as they feel the boon settle in them.

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From that point the demon and the mark are bound together. The demon can end any
of their pacts as an action no matter if the mark is present or not. The only way for the
mortal to end the pact is to kill the demon or die themselves. In addition the demon can
assume the appearance of any of their marks, even ones that they did not forge an
identity pact with.

No matter the type of pact there is a limit to how many they can have at once. This limit
is equal to half their unchained level (rounded up). Any pact they attempt to forge in
excess of this amount automatically fails to go into effect.

Identity Pacts

Identity pacts are when a demon takes an element of the mark’s identity. They usually
do this to either add to their existing covers, to expand the resources at their disposal,
or to build an entirely new identity. This last part is especially important for the
unchained who wish to stay one step ahead of the bound.

A demon who forges an identity pact with a mortal automatically gets access to some of
the mark’s memories, and possibly their skills. As a bonus action a demon can scour
any of their stolen identities no matter where their marks are. A demon rolls their pact
die, and chooses from among the following:

● Apply the full result of the pact die as a bonus to a single skill
● Apply the full result as a bonus to a single save
● Apply half the roll (rounded down) as a bonus to an attribute
● Apply half the roll (rounded down) as a bonus to a ranged or melee attack

This bonus lasts for 1 minute. A demon can use this bonus one time for every identity
pact they have. They regain all uses when they complete a short or long rest.

In addition, as part of the negotiated pact, a demon can take other aspects of a mark’s
life. A demon can take their possessions, their job, even their significant other, as long
as the mark agrees to the terms. A demon is not limited in how many things they can
take from a mortal mark. If they find one desperate enough they can practically take
their entire life. The only limit is getting them to accept the terms.

When the demon forms the pact they have to decide if they’re going to graft this life
aspect onto their default cover, or if they’re going to create an entirely new cover. If they
graft it then that aspect becomes a part of their "normal" life. They were the one who the
company hired, they’re the one who created the business and so on.

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While this doesn’t directly grant any new skills, tool proficiencies or languages, it does
allow the demon to either gain a bonus to their wealth commensurate to what they took
from the mark or to even swap out their wealth score with the mark’s. They also might
get access to the feature for the mark’s profession or background.

People directly affected by the switch have their memories altered. If a demon takes a
business this way all the paperwork says they own it, and all the higher ups remember
them being the owner. If they take someone’s marriage the spouse remembers their
default cover being the one they fell in love with, replacing that cover in all their
memories of the relationship, and any kids remember the demon’s cover as their parent.

This can't change someone's sexual orientation, so if their default cover is male and
they bargain for a woman's wife that won't make the wife suddenly straight. This also
won't keep them from losing the aspect later. This is especially true if they don't do the
bare minimum to keep it (demons call this living the cover).

This also only affects sleepers. If the spouse happens to be aware (or even worse for
the demon, a chosen or mage) their memory is not changed by this. This also only
affects those directly connected to the change. To all others (neighbors, other workers
in the business) the demon’s cover is a new face, and they probably won’t understand
why those affected are acting like the demon was always there.

Demons have to be very careful with this. If they fail to live the cover, or if they arouse
too much suspicion, affected sleepers might get a chance to make a Wisdom save (at
GM’s control). With three successes they break through the effect of the pact and regain
their previous memories.

All of the above is also true if the demon chooses to create a new cover instead. The
only difference is their default cover changes to match the mark’s, which they must be in
to have access to the elements they bargained for. While their skill, tool, or language
proficiencies don’t change they do lose access to their original cover’s background and
profession features. Otherwise this new cover can have any identity, although the
flimsier the identity the easier it would be for people to see through it.

No matter what though both the demon and the mark remember things as they were. If
the mark does anything to get their life back they take 2d10 psychic damage from trying
to break the pact.

Task Pacts

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The last type is the task pact. That's one where the demon tasks a mark with something
that they must do. This works like the geas spell except the mark automatically fails the
save to resist, and the damage is different. Instead of starting at the normal 5d10 the
damage starts out as 1d10, increasing by an additional d10 for every week the subject
ignores the instruction up to a maximum of 5d10. The task must also be something the
mark can reasonably complete in 30 days.

During this time the mark can roll the demon’s pact die gaining the result as a bonus to
their skills, attributes, saves or attacks as they can for identity pacts only in their case
the bonus lasts for as long as the task takes. This is in addition to whatever the mark
bargained for. Each mark can only have one bonus at a time from the demon’s pact die.

Mage Attainments

Attainments are innate magical abilities granted by a mage's growing knowledge of the
mystic arts. While some attainments require ranks in certain Arcanum, or a number of
awakened levels, others can be learned by any mage. These abilities allow mages to
develop powers other than spells that exist outside of the Arcanum.

Attainments come in two forms. General attainments are minor magical abilities that
exist alongside, but apart from spells. They still count as magical and thus do not work
in an area of antimagic.

The other type is the metamagic attainment. These allow mages to modify their spells
on the fly by spending additional mana points during the spell craft process. This is
explained further in the Creative Thaumaturgy chapter.

Attainments have the following information.

Name. The name of the attainment.

Type. The specific type of attainment listed in parenthesis next to the name.
Prerequisite. If any. An indication of [Arcanum name] and then a number lists the
minimum number of ranks needed in the listed Arcanum needed for the attainment.
Benefit: Explanation of what the attainment does. This will include the cost in mana
needed to use it (if any).

“Awakened" does not appear as a prerequisite in the descriptions, but only awakened
mages can take attainments.

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Alchemist's Touch [General]
You can render harmful materials safe for you to touch
Prerequisite. Matter 3
Benefit: You may spend 3 mana as an action to become inured to a chosen dangerous
material. While concentrating on this effect, you may handle this material as if it was not
dangerous at all. You might handle radioactive or caustic substances or walk through a
cloud of caustic gas with no ill effects. This does not protect against extreme
temperatures or forces caused by the material. The mage could not hold lava or be
protected from the gravity of super-dense materials.

Awakened Mind [General]

You have the ability to touch the minds of other creatures.
Prerequisite. Mind 3
Benefit: You can communicate telepathically with any creature you can see within 120
feet of you. You don't need to share a language with the creature for it to understand
your telepathic utterances, but the creature must be able to understand at least one
language.

You may maintain open telepathic connections with a number of creatures equal to your
rating in Mind. While the connection is open, they may freely reply to you. Having more
than one connection open at a time requires concentration, like on a spell.

Bane Casting [General]

You have a knack for hurting certain creatures
Prerequisite. Level 4
Benefit: Choose a type of creature (Aberration, Natural Creatures, Living Dead etc).
Your attack spells have +1 against creatures of this type, and the DC to resist your
spells is +2 for creatures of this type.
Special. You can select this attainment multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each
time you take this attainment, it applies to a new type of creature.

Blood Magic [General]

You have unlocked the secret power in blood.
Prerequisite. Level 4
Benefit: You may use human blood as part of your spells to reduce their mana cost.
For each pint of fresh human blood you use in casting a spell, you reduce the mana
cost by 2. You cannot reduce the mana cost by more than two times your level, no
matter how much blood you have access to. You can only add this to spells that have a
casting time of 1 minute or longer.

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Preserved blood (such as from a blood bank) is less potent than fresh blood. You need
to use eight times the volume of preserved blood to get the same effect as fresh blood.
Blood from natural creatures is similarly weak compared to human blood.

A vampire's Vitae is twice as potent as normal blood. Using the blood of other creatures
may have other effects based on type as determined by the GM.

To sacrifice blood from yourself or another creature you have to deal at least 1 piercing
or slashing damage to them. A creature gains 1 level of exhaustion for every pint taken
(a vampire loses 1 vitae instead). Each level of exhaustion you inflict in this way takes 2
days to heal.
If exposed to air for more than a few minutes, fresh blood is no longer fresh and is
useless for Blood Magic. If you have at least 1 rank in Life you can cast a spell that
preserves the blood for 1 hour at a cost of 1 mana per pint.

Bouncing Spell [Metamagic]

You know how to bounce spells off resistant targets
Benefit: When a creature succeeds at a saving throw against a single-target spell you
cast or you miss with a spell attack, you may spend 2 mana as a reaction. If you do, the
spell is cast again but must target another creature within 10 ft. of the original target.
This neither expends additional mana or an action.

Careful Spell [Metamagic]

You can shape your magic to avoid harming your allies.
Benefit: When you cast a spell that forces other creatures to make a saving throw, you
can protect some of those creatures from the spell's full force. To do so, you spend 1
mana and choose a number of those creatures up to your spellcasting ability modifier
(minimum of one creature). A chosen creature automatically succeeds on its saving
throw against the spell.

Contingent Spell [Metamagic]

You can set your spells to go off in response to a trigger
Prerequisite. Prime 3, Level 10
Benefit: When you cast a spell of 3 potency or lower, you may spend 2 mana to delay
the spell, casting it when certain circumstances have been met. These circumstances
are designated when you cast the spell and cannot be changed afterwards. The spell's
energy fades after 8 hours if it has not been triggered.

Curse Magic [General]

Your curse spells are especially potent

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Benefit: Targets have disadvantage on any save to resist a non-lethal curse spell you
cast on them. A non- lethal curse is a debuff or control spell that does not deal hit point
damage, damage to ability scores, cause death or encourage the target to try to harm
others. Curses of this type are meant to warn or punish, not kill.

Examples of suitable nonlethal curses are bad breath, diarrhea, limp, nausea, crippled
limb, impotence, phobia, boils, extreme hunger or thirst, loss of a sense, infertility,
chronic pain, chills, minor illnesses and clumsiness.

A spell you cast with this attainment ends if you attack the target. If one of your allies
attacks the cursed target, they may make another save, without disadvantage, to throw
off the curse, at which point it rebounds to their attacker or back to you (50% chance of
either outcome). The rebound target gets a save (with disadvantage) to resist the curse.

Empathic [General]
You can easily sense a creature's emotional state
Prerequisite. Mind 2
Benefit: By spending an action to study a target you can see within 30 feet you learn a
one word (or short phrase) description of their general state of mind. You have
advantage on the next Wisdom (Insight) check you make against them.

Empowered Spell [Metamagic]

Your spells tend to be more destructive than other mages.
Benefit: When you roll damage for a spell, you can spend 1 mana to reroll a number of
the damage dice up to your spellcasting ability modifier (minimum of one). You must
use the new rolls. You can use Empowered Spell even if you have already used a
different metamagic option during the casting of the spell.

Energy Focus [General]

You are a master of a certain energy type
Benefit: Choose from among acid, cold, fire, force, lightning, necrotic, psychic, radiant,
or thunder. Spells you cast that do damage of the listed type ignore resistance to that
damage type and treat immunity to it as resistance.

You may add (purely cosmetic) thematic effects appropriate to your chosen energy type
to other spells at no cost. A fire mage's flying spell may look like fiery wings (though
they do not burn anything they touch) while a cold mage's armor spell may look like a
floating shield of transparent ice (though it does not feel cold).

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Mages with this attainment sometimes use a title appropriate to their energy choice
such as pyromancer for a fire mage.

Special. You can select this attainment multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each
time you take it, it applies to a new type of energy.

Ethereal Step [General]

You can temporarily step into the Ethereal plane.
Prerequisite. Spirit 2, Eyes of the Unseen
Benefit: As a bonus action on your turn, you may step through into the Ethereal plane,
returning to the Material plane at the end of your turn.

Eyes of the Dead [General]

You can sense the presence of undead creatures
Prerequisite. Death 2
Benefit: While using mage sight you get a rough sense of direction and number of
undead within 120 ft. If the undead are being hidden through some power or ability, you
need to succeed on an opposed spellcraft check to sense them.

Eyes of the Unseen [General]

Your can sense the presence of spirits
Prerequisite. Spirit 2
Benefit: While using mage sight you get a rough sense of direction and number of
invisible or ethereal creatures within 120 ft. If the creatures are being hidden through
some power or ability, you need to succeed on an opposed Spellcraft check to sense
them. You also have Ethereal Sight out to 15ft while you are on Earth.

Familiar [General]
You can summon a familiar to aid you
Benefit: You learn the find familiar spell and can cast it as a ritual. The creature you
summon is not always considered a spirit. When you cast this spell you must choose an
Arcanum that you have at least 1 rank in. The creature can take one of the standard
forms, but its type changes based on the Arcanum you use. Alternatively you can
choose a different form for the familiar based on the Arcanum.

Creature Type
Arcanum Type Other Forms

Death Horror (Undead) Crawling claw

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 Fate Horror (Fey) Sprite

Forces Horror (Elemental) Ice or Magma Mephit

Life Animal or Horror (Plant) Twig Blight

Matter Horror (Construct) Tiny Servant

Mind Horror (Construct) Psi-Crystal

Prime Horror (Dragon) Pseudodragon

Space Horror (Aberration) Gazer

Spirit Horror (Spirit) Abstraction

Time Horror (Fiend) Imp

No matter which type you choose, your familiar follows the normal rules as described in
the find familiar spell. Your connection to your familiar counts as a sympathetic conduit,
which others may exploit against you.

Fearsome Spell [Metamagic]

Something about the spells you cast is scary
Benefit: When you cast a spell that targets a creature or area, you may spend 2 mana.
If you do, you may choose a creature affected by your spell. If the target is not immune
to the frightened condition, you may force them to make a Wisdom saving throw against
your spell save DC.

On a failed save, the creature becomes frightened and must use their movement on
each of their turns to run away from you or the center of the spell's effect (if applicable).
The creature can make a new saving throw at the end of each of their turns, ending the
effect on a successful save.

Gravitic Supremacy [General]

Gravity just naturally helps you
Prerequisite. Forces 3
Benefit: Whenever you fall more than 10 feet your rate of descent automatically slows
as per the feather fall spell.

Heightened Spell [Metamagic]

Your spells are harder to resist.

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Benefit: When you cast a spell that forces a creature to make a saving throw to resist
its effects, you can spend 3 mana to give one target of the spell disadvantage on its first
saving throw made against the spell.

Ill Omens [General]

You get flashes of the future, making you hard to surprise.
Prerequisite. Fate 2
Benefit: You cannot be surprised. If the attackers are being hidden through some
power or ability, you need to succeed on an opposed spellcraft check to sense them.

Lucky Steps [General]

You know just where to step
Prerequisite. Fate 3
Benefit: You can move through difficult terrain as if it were normal terrain. Your feet
always seem to find the solid rocks in the field, solid ground in bogs, or avoid stubbing
your toes on furniture in the dark. You also have advantage on Dexterity saving throws
against traps.

Mutable Self [General]

Your body is yours to shape
Prerequisite. Life 3
Benefit: You may cast alter self at will and the effect does not require concentration.

Non-Euclidean Geometry [General]

You’re able to warp space to bring points closer together
Prerequisite. Space 3
Benefit: As a bonus action, you may choose two squares within 120ft of you. Until the
start of your next turn, the distance between the two squares is contracted, treated as
the nominal distance between them divided by your ranking in Space. For example, if
you had 3 ranks in space, two squares 30ft apart under this effect would be treated as
10ft apart.

Occultation [General]
You are resistant to sympathetic magic
Prerequisite. Level 6
Benefit: Anyone trying to use sympathetic magic on you must spend an additional 10
mana on the spell. Enemies using Divination magic on you also pay this cost. The
increased cost applies whether the spell is opening a new conduit or using an existing
one. This attainment doesn't affect your own sympathetic spells.

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Quickened Spell [Metamagic]
You can fire spells off faster than other mages
Benefit: You can spend 2 mana to change the Casting Time of a spell to 1 Bonus
Action for this casting.

Postcognition [General]
You can part the tides of time to view the past
Prerequisite. Time 2
Benefit: By spending 1 minute in meditation and 2 mana points, you may peel back the
barrier of the past to witness events in their current location as if they were physically
present to view them. You must Concentrate while viewing these events and are blind
and deaf to your surroundings for the duration. You may only view for up to an hour,
and the amount of time you can look back depends on your ranks in Time.

Ranks Time Period

2 1 hour

3 1 day

4 1 week

5 1 year

Precise Force [General]

You can calculate the amount of force you need
Prerequisite. Forces 2
Benefit: As a bonus action you can spend 1 mana to calculate the force needed to
improve the damage of your attacks. You add an extra die of damage to one of your
weapons until the end of your next turn.

Price of Hubris [General]

You can bounce counterspelled spells back
Prerequisite. Prime 3, Universal Counterspell
Benefit: When you successfully counterspell a spell and succeed on the associated
check by at least 5 more than the DC, you may instead redirect the spell. The spell uses
the same DC as it had when initially cast, but you choose the new targets. Otherwise
the spell works as if it was cast by you.

Room Radar [General]

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You can sense open spaces around you
Prerequisite. Matter 2
Benefit: As an action, you can concentrate and automatically find secret rooms and
pockets of space within 30 ft. If the areas are being hidden through some power or
ability, you need to succeed on an opposed spellcraft check to sense them.

Subtle Spell [Metamagic]

You can cast spells by thought alone.
Benefit: When you Cast a Spell, you can spend 1 mana to cast it without any somatic
or verbal Components.

Rune Scribe [General]

You know symbols of power that can make spells last longer
Benefit: As part of casting a spell, you may draw or paint runes on a target or area to
reduce the mana cost of increasing a spell's duration by 4 (minimum 0). Drawing runes
on a creature or object takes an action for a Medium or smaller creature or twice that
long for each size category above Medium. Applying runes to an area takes an action
for every five-foot length of its perimeter.

If the runes are smeared or damaged (intentionally or otherwise) the associated spell
ends.

Summoner [Metamagic]
You command the creatures you summon
Benefit: Any creature you conjure or summon is automatically under your control as
long as two requirements are met:

● The creatures you summon at one time cannot have a combined CR higher than
your level
● No single creature has a CR higher than half your level

Sympathetic Spell [Metamagic]

You can cast spells from the other side of the world
Prerequisite. Space 2
Benefit: You can spend mana to cast spells on targets you do not have line of sight to,
by taking advantage of connections to the target. For example, you can cast a
nightmare-inducing spell on someone if you have a lock of his hair, even if he is in a
house on the opposite side of town and even if you cannot see him. The sympathetic
connection between yourself and the target is called a conduit.

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This is a metamagic effect that you can add to spells. The costs of this metamagic are
based on the degree of connection you have to the target. These costs replace those of
the normal range effect. Some spells (such as scrying or teleportation spells) are
naturally sympathetic without having to apply this metamagic attainment to them.

The degrees of connection, and their associated sympathetic mana costs, are as
follows.

Intimate Connection [2]. A piece of the target, such as blood, hair or fingernails (in the
case of a living creature), or a significant piece of the object or target area such as a
brick from a building or carpet fibers from a room. Knowing the target well, such as a
family member, longtime friend, beloved pet or a place you visit regularly, such as a
favorite restaurant or your office.

Moderate Connection [3]. Knowing the target reasonably well, such as a friend,
coworker or having a frequently carried personal possession of the target’s such as a
briefcase or car keys, or a secondhand physical "piece" of the target, such as a close
blood relative or blood or Vitae from a vampire's thrall.

Documentation [4]. Photo or accurate representation of target, or live video or audio

representation of the target.

Acquaintance [6]. Casual acquaintance or connection, such as a friend's spouse whom

you met once or a coworker you hardly know.

Remote Connection [8]. An item the target held or used once, such as a disposable
cup.

Encountered [10]. You encountered the target once, such as passing a person or
building on the street or an object you touched once.

Described [12, Potency +1]. You can describe the target with a reasonable level of
detail, or know a person's name. This must be their true name, and it does not include
aliases (such as shadow names) or names they use infrequently.

The "described" connection is the minimal level of connection you need to work
sympathetic magic. Because of this potential, most mages use one or more
pseudonyms to hamper sympathetic magic.

Celebrity Penalty. Well-known people, objects and places are more difficult to affect
with sympathetic magic because their celebrity muffles their identity. For example,

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unless you know Brad Pitt personally, your perception of him is based on the media,
which is likely to be a distorted perception and therefore a poor conduit for sympathetic
magic.

Likewise, the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of America to millions of people, and the tens
of thousands who visit or pass it every year color its psychic signature with their desires
and feelings about it. When trying to cast a sympathetic spell on a famous target, the
mana costs increases by +10. There might be additional penalties as well.

Tracking. A sympathetic conduit maintains its connection to the target regardless of its
movements. Cast a scrying spell on another mage and it doesn't matter if they walk, or
drive or fly around. The exception to this is if they (or you) enter an area where magic
doesn't work or they somehow leave Earth. A sympathetic spell fails if you attempt to
cast it on a target not on Earth or on an area where magic doesn't work.

Risks of Sympathetic Casting. Though the cost to cast a sympathetic spell is high, it
is within the means of skilled mages, and you may wonder why these masters don't use
sympathetic magic to set their rivals on fire from miles away. The answer is that this
type of magic leaves the caster vulnerable in two ways.

First, these spells always require concentration, and while you're concentrating on a
sympathetic spell all attacks against you have advantage, and you have disadvantage
on any save you make except those triggered by effects that come through the conduit.
Thus, these spells are dangerous to use and maintain in combat, and most mages
restrict their sympathetic casting to times and places when they are safe from threat.

Second, the sympathetic conduit you create with the spell works both ways. If the target
becomes aware of your intrusion (see below), they automatically learn your identity and
location, and can retaliate immediately in supernatural ways if such means are at their
disposal.

A mage can use your sympathetic conduit to cast spells on you or your location even if
they do not have this attainment (or even any ranks in space). They must still pay the
appropriate sympathetic magic cost based on their connection to you, which may be
much higher or lower depending on the nature of your relationship; for example, you
may have a lock of their hair but they have none of yours. At worst, your target's
sympathetic cost is 10 points, as your sympathetic spell counts as encountering them
once.

Non-mages with supernatural powers may use the conduit against you, though its
effectiveness for anything other than spells is limited. You gain advantage on saves to

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resist non spell attacks made through the conduit. Only supernatural abilities and spells
can reach through the conduit; fists, fire, bullets and all other mundane items have no
effect on it and cannot use it.

If the target is an area rather than a person, any creature in the area has a chance to
detect the conduit and use it against you as if it was the specific target of your spell.
This means that scrying busy areas known to contain several mages is a dangerous
practice as any or all of them may decide to retaliate.

Detecting Sympathetic Casting. A creature you target with a sympathetic spell gets a
Wisdom save against your spell save DC to sense the connection. This save is in
addition to any save against the spell's effects (if any). Creatures unaware of the
supernatural tend to dismiss a sensed conduit as a feeling of being watched.

A mage or other supernatural entity who makes this save can make a DC 15
Intelligence (Arcana), Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Perception) check every
round to locate the conduit, starting as soon as they make the save.

Creatures entering an area with a conduit (or in the area when the conduit forms) get
one save to sense its presence; if they succeed, they may make a skill check every
round to find the conduit. Mages know what sympathetic conduits are and can inform
their friends; other characters must make DC 15 Arcana check to figure it out after
detecting it.

Each time you use the conduit to cast a spell on an unaware target, they get another
save to notice the conduit

Closing a Conduit. The conduit remains open for as long as you maintain the
sympathetic spell (minimum one round). As long as the conduit is open, your target can
use it to cast spells on you; if you cast a sympathetic spell that lasts an hour and your
target notices it, they can cast spells as often as they want through it until the conduit
breaks or closes.

A conduit closes automatically one round after it is no longer being used for sympathetic
magic, regardless of which person created it or last used it. You can dispel a conduit
just like a spell; the difficulty is based on the ranks of the spell that created the conduit,
not of the last spell to go through it.

Temporal Shift [General]

You can speed up time to accomplish more in one turn.

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Prerequisite. Time 3
Benefit: By spending 5 mana you may reduce the time it takes to accomplish a task
down by one step, from 1 minute > full round action > action > bonus action > reaction.

This does not change the rules for casting multiple spells in one round. For the
purposes of this attainment a full-round action is a regular action, but all attacks against
you have advantage until the start of your next turn.

Transformative Aspect [General]

You manifest your path physically
Prerequisite. Level 10
Benefit: Your body and spirit reflect the power of your Path. You gain certain abilities
but cannot blend in with normal humans as easily. The precise nature of this change
depends on your path.

● Acanthus. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed and
magic can't put you to sleep. You gain fey-like traits, such as small horns on your
head, patches of green or bark-like skin, fur, an animal tail or large elf-like ears or
eyes.

● Mastigos. You have resistance 5 to fire damage and you may cast the hellish
rebuke spell as a 2nd level spell once, regaining the ability to do so when you
finish a long rest. You gain infernal traits such as goat horns, goat legs, red skin,
unusual body hair, extra fingers, or a reptilian tongue.

● Moros. You have resistance 5 to necrotic damage and nightvision. You gain
undead-like traits such as a corpse-like smell, sunken eyes and cheeks, pallid
skin, hands that are nothing but bone, foul breath or vampire fangs.

● Obrimos. You have resistance 5 to radiant damage and you may cast the
sanctuary spell once, regaining the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.
You gain traits associated with angels, djinn and other benign otherworldly
entities of your faith, such as a faintly visible aura or halo, small feathered wings,
metallic or colored skin, stigmata or the smell of strange herbs.

● Thyrsus. Your initiative increases by +2. You also gain proficiency in the
Perception skill if you don't already have it. You gain feral traits such as an
animal-like nose, fur, claws, elongated teeth, feathers or an animal tail.

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You may suppress or reactivate the effects of this attainment (benefits and drawbacks)
as a bonus action. Suppressing the effects counts as Concentrating on a spell as your
altered form is now your natural form and hiding it is a demand on your attention

Universal Counterspell [General]

You can counter spells of any Arcanum
Prerequisite. Prime 2
Benefit: You may substitute your ranks in Prime for any other Arcanum for the
purposes of counterspelling and dispelling.

Vitality Vision [General]

You can sense a living creature's vitality with a glance
Prerequisite. Life 2
Benefit: As a bonus action, you may analyze a living target you can see with your mage
sight. You learn the target's approximate current HP and any diseases or afflictions
affecting the target. By spending an action, you may also learn the modifier of one
attribute of the target.

Vampire Disciplines

Disciplines are the strange, supernatural powers that vampires possess. Discipline
descriptions are similar to feat descriptions, except Discipline descriptions include the
following information.

Action: What type of action the Discipline takes to use.

Cost: How much Vitae the Discipline costs.
Duration: How long the Discipline lasts.

"Vampire" does not appear as a prerequisite in the descriptions, but only vampires can
take Disciplines. In addition, each Discipline (except Blood Potency) has a bold entry
referring to one or more clans, such as "Gangrel or Ventrue." Those are clan disciplines.
When the listed clan takes the Discipline they gain some benefit. This benefit may be a
decreased cost, increased effect or some other advantage. Each clan has a natural
affinity for three Discipline groups, and this benefit represents that affinity.

Devotions
This section also describes devotions, which appear after the Discipline descriptions.
Some skilled vampires have found ways to combine Disciplines, creating new abilities
that augment or complement other vampire abilities. Called Devotions, they are not part

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of any of the known Discipline groups — devotions bridge the gaps among the
Disciplines. Unlike Disciplines, Devotions do not give extra benefits to vampires from
certain clans.

Discipline Groups
Disciplines are organized into a number of broad groups, as described below. The
group to which a Discipline belongs appears after its name, such as Feral Whispers
[Animalism].

Animalism
These Disciplines allow you to converse with, command and summon animals. This
group includes Call of the Wild, Feral Whispers, Obedience and Subsume the Lesser
Spirit. Gangrel and Ventrue vampires have an affinity for these Disciplines.

Auspex
These Disciplines involve improving your senses and perceiving what others cannot.
This group includes Aura Perception, Heightened Senses, The Spirit's Touch, Telepathy
and Twilight Projection. Mekhet vampires have an affinity for these Disciplines.

Celerity
This group includes only a single Discipline, Celerity, which you can take multiple times.
It makes you faster and more agile. Daeva and Mekhet vampires have an affinity for this
Discipline.

Dominate
Dominate Disciplines allow you control over other intelligent beings. The group includes
Command, Conditioning, The Forgetful Mind, Mesmerize and Possession. Ventrue
vampires have an affinity for these Disciplines.

All Dominate Disciplines work only on creatures with sentient minds (Intelligence of 4 or
higher). Dominate Disciplines cannot make a target directly harm himself, so obviously
suicidal orders have no effect.

A Dominated creature (dominated with any Dominate Discipline) may later realize what
happened to her; while she may not realize she was under mental control, she may
wonder why she performed that activity. Creatures aware of the supernatural, and
vampires in particular, likely determine that they were forced to obey against their will.

Majesty

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Majesty Disciplines allow you great charisma and power over intelligent beings without
needing to directly command them. This group includes Awe, Entrancement,
Revelation, Sovereignty and Summoning. Daeva vampires have an affinity for these
Disciplines.

Nightmare
These Disciplines cause fear and insanity in intelligent creatures. The group includes
Eye of the Beast, Monstrous Countenance and Shatter the Mind. Nosferatu vampires
have an affinity for these Disciplines.

Obfuscate
This group clouds the minds of others, making them overlook objects and people as if
they were invisible. This group includes Cloak of the Gathering, Cloak of Night, The
Familiar Stranger, Mask of Tranquility, and Touch of Shadow. Mekhet and Nosferatu
vampires have an affinity for these Disciplines.

Protean
These Disciplines allow you to change your shape. They include Aspect of the Predator,
Body of Spirit, Claws of the Wild and Haven of Soil. Gangrel vampires have an affinity
for these Disciplines.

Resilience
This group includes only a single Discipline, Resilience, which you can take multiple
times. It makes you tougher, difficult to kill. Gangrel and Ventrue vampires have an
affinity for this Discipline.

Vigor
This group includes only a single Discipline, Vigor, which you can take multiple times. It
makes you superhumanly strong. Daeva and Nosferatu vampires have an affinity for
this Discipline.

Discipline Descriptions
Vampire Disciplines appear below.

Aspect of the Predator [Protean]

You project a supernatural aura of ferocity that is intimidating and conceals your
weaknesses from other vampires.
Action: See description
Cost: 0 Vitae

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Duration: Always active

Benefit: Other vampires perceive you as being at least as powerful as they are, even if
you are actually weaker (though they may know otherwise from other sources). You
also gain proficiency in Intimidation. If you are already proficient you may add double
your proficiency bonus to all Intimidation checks. Aspect of the Predator is always
active, though you can suppress or reactivate it as a bonus action once per round.

Gangrel: Creatures you intimidate while this Discipline is active are frightened of you
until the end of their next turn.

Aura Perception [Auspex]

You perceive a creature's aura, discerning his emotions and aspects of his personality.
Action: Special, see description.
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute.
Prerequisite: Heightened Senses
Benefit: You open your perceptions to the psychic auras that surround all sentient
creatures (those with Intelligence 4 or higher). Auras are multicolored, each color
signifying an emotion or personality aspect; powerful colors tend to drown out weaker
ones, but you can still identify multiple colors in any aura.

Typical emotions are aggression, anger, bitterness, calm, compassion, confusion,

depression, desire, distrust, envy, excitement, fear, happiness, love, lust, obsession,
rage, sadness and suspicion. Personality aspects include conservative, generous,
idealistic, innocent, psychotic, spiritual or even under the mental control of another (in
which case the target's aura is muted).

The GM determines what factors are predominant in the target's aura. Supernatural
creatures have auras that are different from those of humans. Undead auras are pale,
aberrations swirl and ripple, fiend auras churn madly and so on. Thus, this ability allows
you to recognize a creature's type.

Studying a creature's aura requires two full rounds of undisturbed scrutiny. You must be
able to see a creature to study its aura. This works like Concentrating on a spell.

Mekhet: Studying an aura requires a single action.

Awe [Majesty]
You become more charismatic and magnetic.

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Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute.
Benefit: You amplify your personality to more easily influence other people. You gain
advantage on all Charisma skills. This Discipline affects everyone who can see you. It
does not work through photos, video or other artificial visual means. Even after the
effect ends, targets remember their enhanced feelings toward you and are inclined to
tailor their future reactions accordingly.
Local disturbances and concerns for safety end the effect for nearby targets. (They may
be listening with rapt attention but someone drawing a gun on them has a higher
priority.)
Daeva: This ability lasts for 10 minutes and does not require Concentration.

Blood Potency [None]

Your Vitae is especially potent and concentrated, and you are skilled at using it.
Benefit: Your maximum Vitae increases by 10, and you can spend 1 additional vitae
per round. You can no longer gain vitae from feeding on aberrations, beasts, or
monstrosities.
Special: You may take this Discipline up to five times. Its effects stack. If you take this
Discipline three times, humanoid blood is no longer sufficient to provide you Vitae
unless the humanoid has a supernatural tag such as shapechanger. You also are no
longer subject to blood addiction or the vinculum. If you take this Discipline four times
only vampires will provide you vitae. If you take it five times, only vampires with the
Blood Potency Discipline provide you vitae.

Body of Spirit [Protean]

You can turn into a chill mist that is nearly invulnerable.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 5 Vitae
Duration: Concentration, until you return to your normal form.
Prerequisites: Aspect of the Predator, Claws of the Wild, kindred level 10
Benefit: You can use your action to transform into a cloud of mist. While in mist form
you can't take any actions, speak or manipulate objects. You are weightless, having a
flying speed of 20 feet, can hover, and can enter a hostile creature's space and stop
there. In addition, if air can move through a space, you can do so without squeezing,
and you can't pass through water. You have advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and
Constitution saving throws, and are immune to all non magical damage except damage
from sunlight.

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You can stay transformed for a number of hours equal to half your vampire level (round
down).
You then revert to your normal form unless you spend more vitae. You can revert to
your normal form earlier by using a bonus action on your turn. You automatically revert
if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die.

Gangrel: Your speed in mist form is 30 feet. As a bonus action you may make yourself
thick providing heavy concealment or return to your normal semi-transparent state.

Call of the Wild [Animalism]

You can call a kind of animal to you as long as it is in range of your voice.
Action: 1 action.
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: 1 minute, or until driven away.
Prerequisite: Kindred level 4
Benefit: You call 2d4 swarms of bats, or rats or other vermin or 3d6 wolves or dogs.
The type of animals that appear depend on the area. The called creatures arrive in 1d4
rounds. You cannot use this feature if the sun is up. The animals are not under your
control but are friendly toward you and receptive to your powers. Unless driven away,
the animals remain for at least one minute and act normally for the situation (for
example, dogs chase cats, rats crawl on things and so on, but all tend to run from fire or
loud noises).

Gangrel or Ventrue: After using this Discipline you may use Obedience (if you have it)
on any one of the animals as a bonus action.

Celerity [Celerity]
You can boost your speed to superhuman levels, traveling faster than the eye can track
and making it difficult for anyone to target you.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: Until the beginning of your next turn
Benefit: You augment your speed and reflexes. Your base speed increases by 20 feet,
and attacks of opportunity against you are made with disadvantage. You may take this
discipline up to three times. If you take it two times you may add double your proficiency
bonus to Dex saves.
If you take it three times creatures have disadvantage on all attack rolls against you,
although if you take damage that effect ceases to function until you reactivate celerity.
You cannot activate this Discpline while you are Incapacitated, Restrained, or otherwise
unable to move.

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Daeva or Mekhet: Instead of adding 20 feet to your speed your speed increases by 40
feet each time you take this, and you may activate it as part of your move. You also do
not provoke attacks of opportunity for leaving a creature's threatened area while this
discipline is active.

Claws of the Wild [Protean]

You can grow powerful talons on your hands, capable of rending flesh and bone.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: 1 minute
Prerequisite: Kindred level 6
Benefit: You grow strong claws on your hands (and feet, if you so choose). You can
use these claws to do your slam attack in slashing damage. The claws also count as
magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance and immunity to non magical attacks
and damage. When the claws are out, you have advantage on Climb checks. You can
retract or extend the claws as a bonus action. The claws may resemble those of a real
animal or something strange and unearthly.

Gangrel: This ability costs 0 vitae.

Cloak of Night [Obfuscate]

You can fade from sight.
Action: 1 bonus action.
Cost: 2 Vitae
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
Prerequisite: Touch of Shadow, kindred level 4
Benefit: You become invisible. Anyone in your presence while you are invisible must
make a Wisdom save or they ignore you as if you were not there. If you leave a
creature's presence and return after a minute or longer, they get another save to detect
you. Mortals who see you vanish may panic or leave the area in alarm, but most simply
come up with a self deceiving explanation for your absence.

If you do something to attract attention to yourself (such as shouting a warning,

breaking a window or attacking), the effect ends. Otherwise, the Discipline ends when
you choose; it even covers for acts that would inadvertently reveal you — crowds
subconsciously part to let you pass, listeners ignore you stepping on a squeaky
floorboard unless they have already pierced your invisibility and so on.

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This Discipline works by affecting the mind, not light or other physical properties. For
example, video cameras record you normally, but the Discipline affects people looking
at you through security devices, and they can't see you until they review the tape out of
your presence. Children, animals, the mentally ill and the simple-minded can sometimes
see through this obfuscation. A vampire using Auspex has advantage on the Wisdom
save to resist this effect.

Mekhet or Nosferatu: Targets have disadvantage on the save to resist, and vampires
with Auspex don't have advantage.

Cloak of the Gathering [Obfuscate]

An expanded version of Cloak of Night, you can cause yourself and other creatures to
vanish from sight.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 3 Vitae
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Prerequisites: Cloak of Night, Touch of Shadow, kindred level 8
Benefit: This Discipline works similarly to Cloak of Night, except that you can hide up to
five other people at once. Each person affected is subject to the rules of Cloak of Night
(drawing attention breaks the effect for them, and so on). If you break the cloak,
everyone you have hidden becomes visible. Anyone you affect with this ability can see
you and each other. If they break line of sight with you, the effect ends for them.

Mekhet or Nosferatu: Targets have disadvantage on the save to resist.

Command [Dominate]
You can force your will on another person, compelling him to obey a one-word
command.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: 1 round
Benefit: You cast the command spell as a 1st level spell. You may use the command in
a sentence so as to disguise the use of this ability, though you must still stress that word
so the target knows which command to obey, and those familiar with this Discipline may
recognize this tactic.

Ventrue: The target has disadvantage on the Wisdom saving throw to resist.

Conditioning [Dominate]

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You can break down a target's mental barriers against you and strengthen them against
others.
Action: 1 action (to begin the process)
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: Instantaneous
Prerequisites: Command, Mesmerize, kindred level 10
Benefit: Conditioning is a slow process, requiring an hour of contact each day for a
week. At the end of each week, the target makes a Wisdom save to resist the
Conditioning. Each week of successful Conditioning gives the target a –1 penalty to
save against any of your Dominate Disciplines, to a maximum penalty of –8.

Once the target's penalty reaches –4, you no longer need to make eye contact to use
Dominate Disciplines against him (though giving orders through artificial or impersonal
means, such as a phone, gives the target advantage to resist). Conditioned targets are
resistant to the mental control of other creatures, and Conditioned targets gain a bonus
on Wisdom saves against such effects. The bonus is equal to the penalty they have
against your control.

Conditioned targets lose much of their ability to think for themselves, as your will blots
out much of their personalities. Severely conditioned targets are little more than robots,
with no initiative or ability to carry out orders except in the most literal fashion.

Each week of Conditioning costs one Vitae. You can Condition multiple targets per
week as long as you are able to give them each at least an hour of attention every day.
Separation from you tends to erode Conditioning. If one week times the current save
penalty passes without the target having contact with you, the penalty drops by 1 (eight
weeks at –8 to get to –7, seven weeks at –7 to get to –6 and so on). Another vampire
cannot Condition a target until its current conditioning is gone.

Ventrue: A Conditioned subject's penalty against your Dominate Disciplines is –2 worse

than normal and +2 better against those of other vampires, to a maximum of –10/+10.

Entrancement [Majesty]
You warp a person's emotional state, making her your willing servant.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: Special, see description
Prerequisite: Awe, kindred level 6

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Benefit: You alter a person's affections toward you, making her admire, trust, love and
feel protective toward you as if you were her best friend or lover. She believes these
feelings come from herself and cannot be convinced otherwise.

When the effect ends, the target feels displaced and confused (similar to ending a
relationship with a lover), leading to mixed feelings; re-entrancing her is difficult. The
target does not feel ill will toward you, she just comes to the conclusion that she no
longer feels "that way" about you anymore.

The target gets a Wisdom save to resist. Entrancement normally lasts about an hour,
but if the target rolls a 1 on her save, the Entrancement lasts for at least a week. She
has advantage on her save if you have successfully used this ability on her within the
past week.

Daeva: The target has disadvantage to resist this Discipline.

Eye of the Beast [Nightmare]

Your gaze carries the weight of the horrors beyond death, rendering an opponent
helpless with fear.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: As long as you remain present, or 1 minute
Prerequisites: Monstrous Countenance, kindred level 6
Benefit: You stare into the eyes of a creature, revealing to it a vision of some
unnamable horror or torment from beyond the grave. The target must make a Wisdom
save or become frightened. A creature that rolls a 1 on its save is helpless rather than
cowering and can do nothing (not even flee) as long as you are present, even if
attacked.

Nosferatu: The target has disadvantage to resist this Discipline.

The Familiar Stranger [Obfuscate]

You fool onlookers into thinking you are a particular person they are expecting to see.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 vitae
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Prerequisites: Mask of Tranquility, Touch of Shadow, kindred level 6
Benefit: The target makes a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure the target believes that
you are someone he expects under the current circumstances. You do not decide who
you "become" and do not know who you have "become," though the target's speech

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and reactions may allow you to figure it out. The assumed identity may not even be a
specific individual — in some cases, a police officer or a homeless person may be
exactly whom the target expects to see, and if the target knows you, she may even
expect to see you. If you know who the target expects to see then the target has
disadvantage on this save.

If she makes the save, any further attempt to use this Discipline on her in the next 24
hours costs one additional vitae. This Discipline is an adjustment to perceptions, not an
actual physical change. The ability normally lasts no longer than a minute, but you can
extend it another minute as a bonus action by spending 1 vitae.

You can use this ability on several creatures at once, but you must focus on one target
as the primary and use her expectation as your guise; all observers who fail their saves
perceive you as that target does, even if they don't know whom the primary expects.

Affected targets get another save if they actually know the person you "become" and
you act contrary to that identity's normal behavior. A target who rolls a 1 on her save
fully accepts your guise even if you act contrary to it (she writes off this behavior as
joking, drunkenness or some other appropriate explanation).

Mekhet or Nosferatu: The target has disadvantage to resist this Discipline.

Feral Whispers [Animalism]

You can create an empathic bond with animals, conversing with them and influencing
their actions.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 1 vitae
Duration: 10 minutes
Benefit: You cast the speak with animals spell.
Gangrel or Ventrue: You have advantage on all checks to get the animal to tell you
something or perform a favor.

The Forgetful Mind [Dominate]

You can alter or erase a target's memories.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 5 Vitae
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Prerequisites: Command, Mesmerize, kindred level 8
Benefit: You make eye contact and speak to a person, acting similarly to a hypnotist,
asking questions to draw forth memories and describing in detail the changes you wish

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to make in those memories. This works like the spell modify memory cast as a 5th level
spell.

You can also use this Discipline to determine if someone's memory has been altered.
Make an Insight check (the DC equals the Wisdom save DC of the altered memory).
Once you recognize it, you can use this Discipline to restore the original memories
using the same procedure as planting false ones.

Ventrue: The target has disadvantage on the Wisdom saving throw to resist.

Haven of Soil [Protean]

You can physically merge with the earth, giving you a safe place to rest or hide, even
from sunlight.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: Indefinite
Prerequisite: Kindred level 2
Benefit: You merge your body with any volume of soil that could normally hold your
body. You must be able to make direct contact with the soil (e.g., if the soil is under a
wooden floor or a sidewalk you must first break through this barrier).

You are not merely buried; your physical essence is distributed throughout the material.
Digging does not discover you. You cannot be harmed when merged this way, even by
magic or sunlight.

When merged, you are asleep. If enough of your confining material is disturbed, it alerts
you to the disturbance, wakes you and ejects you from your haven (usually in a shower
of the material).
When you are merged, all attempts to locate you have disadvantage. Even if searchers
find your general location, they still aren't able to find your body because it no longer
exists as a discrete object.

You decide the duration when you activate this Discipline, though a disturbance can
wake you earlier, as described above. Emerging from your haven does not require an
action if emerging is in response to a disturbance. When you emerge, you must spend
one Vitae to awaken (as if waking at sundown). You emerge from the same direction
you entered unless that direction is now blocked; for example, you cannot fuse with a
stone wall and emerge on the other side.

Gangrel: You may use this discipline as a bonus action.

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Heightened Senses [Auspex]
You magnify your senses to those beyond the human norm.
Action: None
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Benefit: You magnify your senses to a superhuman level. This gives you proficiency on
all Investigation, Insight, and Perception checks, or double your bonus if you're already
proficient. When your sight is heightened, your darkvision can let you see in color as if it
were bright light out to your normal superior darkvision range.

Mekhet: Costs 0 vitae

Mask of Tranquility [Obfuscate]

You can mask the taint of undeath on your soul.
Action: None (always active)
Cost: 0 Vitae
Duration: Instantaneous (always active)
Prerequisite: Kindred level 2
Benefit: You conceal your vampire nature from all supernatural forms of detection,
causing others to perceive you as a normal human. For example, other vampires do not
automatically recognize you as a vampire; a vampire using Aura Perception shows your
aura as strong and colorful as a human. This Discipline does not affect your ability to
detect other vampires or prevent more overt means of detection — you do not bleed,
sunlight burns you and so on.

This ability is always active, though you may turn it on or off as a bonus action. If
someone is using Auspex or other active supernatural means to detect that you are a
vampire, make an opposed Charisma save; if you win, the other does not detect that
you are a vampire.

Mekhet or Nosferatu: You no longer have to spend Vitae to give yourself the flush of
life.

Mesmerize [Dominate]
Similar to a hypnotist, you can implant a suggestion or task in a person's mind.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 2 Vitae
Duration: Concentration, up to 8 hours.
Prerequisite: Command

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Benefit: You cast suggestion as a 2nd level spell without requiring material
components.
Ventrue: The target has disadvantage to resist

Monstrous Countenance [Nightmare]

You take on a horrific appearance to scare someone.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: Special, see description
Prerequisite: Kindred level 6
Benefit: You bare your fangs, make a threatening noise and gain a horrifying visage.
Any creatures within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened
for a number of rounds equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. The target gets another
save every round after the first to stop fleeing but still refuses to come within sight of
you for the duration.
Nosferatu: Targets have disadvantage to resist

Mortal Fear [Nightmare]

You use fear as a weapon, stabbing your prey's heart and mind.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 3 Vitae
Duration: Instantaneous
Prerequisites: Eye of the Beast, Monstrous Countenance, kindred level 10
Benefit: You trigger the target's primal fears, flooding their body with adrenaline and
supernatural terror. These factors combine to cause a horrible shock: the target ages
prematurely, their hair turns white and they may even have a heart attack and die from
the strain on his body.

One creature no more than 30 feet away must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a
failure the target takes 5d6 psychic damage or half as much damage on a successful
save.

The target must be able to see you for this Discipline to work, though seeing your
silhouette or just your face is sufficient. You can use Mortal Fear on a particular target
only once every 10 minutes. Even if multiple witnesses are present, this Discipline
affects only one target; all others see you staring intently but suffer no adverse
reactions.

Nosferatu: The target takes 7d6 damage instead of 5d6

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Obedience [Animalism]
You can empathically command one animal to perform a task.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: Until the order is completed or sunrise, whichever comes first
Prerequisite: Feral Whispers
Benefit: You make eye contact with an animal, allowing you to telepathically convey a
command to it and tell it exactly what you want it to do. The animal obeys to the best of
its ability, but the animal's intelligence and nature may cause it to interpret your
command in unusual ways.

Once you give the order, the animal carries it out, assuming it can be completed before
sunrise. At sunrise, the compulsion ends, regardless of whether or not the task is
finished. The animal gets a Wisdom save to resist any order to act against its nature or
to obviously cause itself harm.

Gangrel or Ventrue: You may command up to two animals at once if you give them the
same order.

Possession [Dominate]
You can completely take over someone else's mind and use his body as a puppet.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 3 Vitae
Duration: Concentration, special
Prerequisite: Command, kindred level 10
Benefit: This power goes beyond spoken commands. You make eye contact and crush
the victim's will, taking over his body like a malevolent spirit. The target's mind is in a
dream state during this time, perceiving everything you do (perhaps in a distorted
fashion) but not quite sure how real it is.

The target makes a Wisdom save to resist. Supernatural creatures have advantage on
this save, and vampires automatically succeed. On a failure your spirit enters the
target's body. You retain your Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, Proficiency Bonus and
all skills, but use the target's other attributes. You can't activate the body's extraordinary
or supernatural abilities and cannot use Disciplines.

While this ability is active your body is helpless and appears to be nothing but a corpse.
While possessing the target, you can travel safely during the day, though you must still
spend one Vitae as normal to remain awake during the day. If you take damage in
excess of the host's hit points all remaining damage is transferred to you.

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You may end the possession at any time, returning to your body instantly, but can
continue the possession indefinitely, although the effect requires Concentration. The
target is allowed one additional save every 24 hours.

Ventrue: The target has disadvantage to resist

Resilience [Resilience]
You can boost your endurance to superhuman levels, making it very difficult for anyone
to kill you.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: 1 minute
Benefit: You become proficient in Constitution saves. You also gain 10 temporary hit
points.
Special: You may take this Discipline up to five times. Each time you take it the amount
of temporary hit points you gain increases by +10. If you take it three times you have
advantage on Constitution saves. The Vitae cost does not increase.

Gangrel or Ventrue: When the Discipline ends, you automatically heal 3d6 points of
damage.

Revelation [Majesty]
You cause a target to reveal hidden fears, secrets, desires or confessions of past
deeds.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: Instantaneous
Prerequisite: Awe
Benefit: You speak a few heartfelt words or give a compassionate look to a single
person, which causes the target to confess things he normally keeps private. The target
gets a Wisdom save to resist. He has disadvantage on this save if he is currently
subject to your Awe or Entrancement, and advantage if he is hostile to you or if you
have inflicted violence upon
him within the past day.

The nature of what the target reveals is determined by your words and actions before
using this ability. (If you were talking about fears, the target reveals his fears and so on.)
The target continues to reveal these private feelings each round until you stop him or he

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makes a Wisdom save; each round after the first gives him a cumulative +1 bonus on
this save.

You can steer the conversation to other subjects (and other types of secrets). If the
target rolls a natural 1 on his Wisdom save, he cannot stop from exposing all of his
secrets to you, stopping only when you direct him to or he runs out of secrets. The
target remembers that he confessed but may not understand why he did so and may
take action later to correct this "error in judgment."

Daeva: If the target fails the save by 5 or more he tells you all his secrets as if he'd
rolled a natural 1.

Shatter the Mind [Nightmare]

Your confront a person with her greatest fear, temporarily driving her insane.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 3 Vitae
Duration: Instantaneous (stunned) plus one week per point of Charisma modifier
(derangement)
Prerequisites: Eye of the Beast, Monstrous Countenance, kindred level 10
Benefit: You awaken the target's thoughts to the most horrific thing she can imagine,
turning her subconscious mind against the conscious.

The target imagines her greatest fear coming to pass at that moment, no matter how
implausible or nonsensical that fear may be (such as drowning on a city sidewalk). The
target must see you, but you do not need to make eye contact.

The target must make a Wisdom saving throw or be stunned until the end of its next
turn. It must also roll on the long term madness table, gaining a long term madness for a
number of weeks equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). If the target already has
a derangement (short, long or indefinite), the GM may instead upgrade the
derangement to a more severe form for the duration.

If the target rolls a 1 on its save, it falls unconscious for one minute. When it wakes it
must roll on the long term madness table as normal, except its madness does not wear
off without therapy or supernatural intervention.

You can use Shatter the Mind on a particular target only once per day.

Nosferatu: The target has disadvantage to resist

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The Spirit's Touch [Auspex]
You can sense the psychic impressions left on objects.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Prerequisites: Aura Perception, Heightened Senses
Benefit: By handling an object and entering a light trance, you pick up psychic
impressions from the object in the form of mental images or rapid sensations. Most
impressions come from the last person to have handled the object, but two
circumstances overrule this.

First, a long-time owner or user of the object leaves a stronger impression than a more
recent but shorter use by someone else. Second, experiences associated with strong
emotion leave more significant psychic "fingerprints," overriding those from more casual
use. Some items have so many handlers or insignificant attachment that they give
muddled images or none at all.
The typical impression you receive is the owner's identity or a strong memory
associated with the object. The sensations are usually visual and exact identification is
not guaranteed; you may perceive "a blond man in a business suit and red tie" rather
than "Jack Hartman of Hartman Law Partners," though mundane clues on the object
may allow you to identify him (such as a monogrammed briefcase or a name tag).

The images may be brief or run a minute or more depending on the intensity and
relevance of the psychic impression. You can use this ability on a creature to witness its
most recent dramatic, tense or passionate act. You must touch the target, and it
receives a Wisdom save. Especially intense and recent impressions may give the target
disadvantage on its save at the GM's discretion. You perceive the events from the
target's viewpoint.

Mekhet: You may delve deeper into an object's or creature's impressions, receiving a
second image or vision that is weaker than the first.

Subsume the Lesser Spirit [Animalism]

You can mentally take over the body of an animal and use it as your own.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 2 Vitae
Duration: Concentration, special
Prerequisites: Feral Whispers, Obedience, kindred level 8
Benefit: You make eye contact with a creature with the beast type within 30 feet and
psychically enter the creature's body, temporarily leaving yours behind. The animal's

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body is under your complete control; your own body appears to be nothing more than a
lifeless corpse. The beast makes a Wisdom save to resist, although it has disadvantage
if it is a predator.

You keep your Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, level, proficiency bonus, saves and
skills, and other abilities that are purely mental (such as resistance to mind-affecting
abilities).
The body retains its Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, hit points and natural abilities
(natural weapons, modes of breathing and movement and so forth).

You can activate any natural traits the creature has, but cannot activate supernatural
traits, nor can you use the multiattack action (if the creature has it). While in the animal's
body, you can use any Animalism Discipline. If the possessed animal rolled a 1 on its
Wisdom save, you may also use Auspex and Majesty Disciplines while possessing it.

While possessing the animal, you can travel safely during the day, though you must still
spend one vitae as normal to remain awake during the day. Damage to the animal also
affects your body (you take the same amount of damage the body does). If the animal is
killed, you are forced back to your body, reduced to 0 hit point and knocked
unconscious.

You may end the possession at any time, returning to your body instantly, but can
continue the possession indefinitely, although the effect requires Concentration. You
also cannot feed as an animal and you must continue to spend vitae to awaken as
normal, so extended stays leave your body depleted.

Gangrel or Ventrue: You may use this ability on an animal up to 60 feet away without
requiring eye contact.

Summoning [Majesty]
You send a psychic call to the target, who tries to get to you as soon as possible.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 2 Vitae
Duration: Special, see description
Prerequisite: Awe, level 10
Benefit: You reach out to anyone who knows you and telepathically urge him to attend
your presence immediately. The target makes a Wisdom save. They have advantage on
this save if they are hostile to you, are more than 500 miles away, or if they have urgent
business that answering the summons would ruin.

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The GM may decide that if multiple issues apply (the target is your enemy and is more
than 500 miles away) the save automatically succeeds. Creatures affected by daylight
travel (such as vampires) can make arrangements to avoid moving during the day.

If the target fails the save then they are compelled to make their way to you. The call
can reach anyone in the world, though a distant target takes longer to get to you. The
target takes the most direct route to you and knows where to go even if you change
locations (similar to a psychic directional sense), though he doesn't necessarily know
the final destination.

The target knows who summons him but not why. He may pause to make arrangements
before departing (such as calling in sick to work) but otherwise travels as fast as
reasonably possible — he is no single-minded drone willing to drive 100 miles per hour
through city streets to get to you.

If he has the means to contact you (such as your phone number), he may do so. The
effect of the summoning fades at sunrise, as does the subject's awareness of your
direction. If you want the subject to continue beyond sunrise, you need to use this ability
again (though a target inclined to help you may continue on his own volition during
daylight hours). If the subject does not wish to go to you, he may use the daylight hours
to get farther from you.

If the target rolls a natural 1 on his save, the effect persists even through daylight
(including the direction sense) and you do not need to reinstate the Summoning each
sundown (though affected creatures still avoid the daylight).

Daeva: If the target fails the save by 5 or more they act as if they'd rolled a 1.

Telepathy [Auspex]
You can create a mental link with another creature, sending and receiving thoughts or
even reading their mind.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 1 Vitae (willing target), 2 Vitae (unwilling targets)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Prerequisite: Level 6
Benefit: You can create a telepathic link with another creature within 30 feet as a bonus
action, allowing you to communicate with them mentally. To be eligible the target
creature must have an Intelligence score of 3 or higher.

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This communication is two-way; you and the creature may send and receive thoughts.
The target recognizes that your communication comes from outside their mind, though
they may not realize you are the source of the words (though the mental "voice" sounds
like your real voice).

The effect is broken if the target creatures moves out of your line of sight for more than
one round; otherwise, the link lasts as long as you Concentrate. An unwilling target can
end the link with a Wisdom save. You can use the link to read the target's thoughts
against their will. Each round, you can read the target's surface thoughts. This works
like the detect thoughts spell, cast without requiring material components.

Mekhet: You can remain in contact with a target even if they are out of your line of sight
for up to one minute.

Touch of Shadow [Obfuscate]

You can conceal small items in your grasp or on your person so that they are all but
undetectable.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 0 Vitae
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Benefit: You conceal on your person an object of small or smaller size. The item is
undetectable even if it is in plain sight (such as a pack of cigarettes held in your open
palm).
Anyone trying to find the concealed object must make a Wisdom save to find the item.
Furthermore, they must know exactly what they are looking for (such as a pack of
cigarettes, a knife, a pistol, a bag of drugs and so on); a nonspecific search fails to turn
up anything.

If you draw attention to the object (such as by pointing at it or deliberately showing it to

someone), the concealment ends.

A person who spots the object can point it out to others, giving them advantage on their
saves, but anyone who rolls a 1 on their save cannot see the object despite all attempts.
As with Cloak of Shadow, this Discipline is a mental effect rather than a physical one.
Because the ability is nonphysical, you cannot conceal an object and hide another
object behind the first object; the other object is clearly visible.

Mekhet or Nosferatu: Creatures have disadvantage on their save to resist.

Vigor [Vigor]

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You can boost your Strength to superhuman levels, making it possible to perform
incredible acts.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 2 Vitae
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Benefit: You gain advantage on Strength checks, and your jump distance is doubled.
Special: You may take this Discipline up to five times. If you take it twice your carrying
capacity is doubled, and you gain a +2 damage on all attacks that use your Strength
score.

If you take it three times your carrying capacity is tripled (instead of doubled), you have
advantage on Strength saves and the damage bonus increases to +4. If you take it four
times your carrying capacity is quadrupled your jump distance is quadrupled (instead of
doubled) and you can throw objects and creatures twice as far as normal. If you take it
five times your carrying capacity is 5 times its normal limit, you have a +1 attack bonus
on all melee attacks that use your Strength score and the damage bonus increases to
+6. The Vitae cost does not increase.

Daeva or Nosferatu: It costs 1 Vitae.

Devotion Descriptions
Devotions are described below.

Body of Will [Devotion]

You can ignore pain and other debilitating effects.
Action: Reaction, or 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: 10 minutes Instantaneous
Prerequisites: Resilience (x3), Vigor
Benefit: You can temporarily ignore pain and other physical effects. You are not numb
to all sensation and are still aware if you take damage, but your will overrides your
body's limitations.

You activate this Devotion as a reaction to an attack that imposes the stunned or
paralyzed condition, or as a bonus action on your turn. You are immune to those
conditions. You may also ignore the effects of exhaustion while this Devotion is active,
although this doesn't reduce your exhaustion.

Transformation [Devotion]
You can change forms in an instant.

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Action: None
Cost: 0 Vitae
Duration: Instantaneous
Prerequisites: Celerity, Body of Spirit
Benefit: You may change form as a bonus action instead of an action.

Iron Facade [Devotion]

You can hide the extent of your injuries, no matter how grave.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: 1 minute
Prerequisites: Mask of Tranquility, Resilience (x2)
Benefit: You shrug off wounds, debilitating injuries and other effects. That is, you
appear to do so — it is actually a carefully built illusion only partly based on reality. You
appear to be uninjured. You ignore penalties to your movement stemming from injuries
(such as caltrops or a broken leg) but not from other sources (for example, wading
through cement or wearing leg shackles still slows you). If injuries or other effects occur
after you activate this Discipline, they appear to heal instantly.

This devotion only masks the extent of the damage; this devotion does not heal
damage. The devotion is strong enough to let you run on a shattered leg (perhaps
giving you time to escape a dangerous enemy), laugh off shotgun blast to the chest
(even if it reduces you to one hit point) or even walk through sunlight (though your flesh
appears to boil away and re-grow instantly).

This devotion does not protect you from effects, injuries or hit point damage that would
knock you unconscious or kill you (though for the duration you appear to be a strangely
intact corpse).

All masked injuries reappear as soon as the Devotion ends.

You can double your proficiency bonus on Intimidate checks against anyone who sees
you "heal" with this devotion. Any human who sees you "heal" immediately realizes that
something is unnatural about you (and the normal human reaction is to flee).

A supernatural creature who sees you do this probably assumes you are very powerful
or at least guarded by powerful magic — unless he knows about this devotion, of
course.

Quicken Sight [Devotion]

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You combine reflexes and awareness to let you carefully examine fast-moving objects
as if they were still.
Action: Reaction, or 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: 1 minute
Prerequisites: Celerity, Heightened Senses
Benefit: You gain advantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Intelligence (Investigation)
checks, and can see fast-moving objects that would otherwise be a blur. Following a
particular card in a shuffle is a trivial task, subliminal messages are as clear as a
newspaper headline and you can read a newspaper headline as you drive by at 60
miles per hour.

Veridical Tongue [Devotion]

You can make someone unable to speak anything but the truth.
Action: None
Cost: 1 Vitae
Duration: 1 minute
Prerequisites: Mesmerize, Revelation
Benefit: A target that fails it's Wisdom save against your mesmerize discipline cannot
tell a deliberate lie while under the effects of that discipline.

Werewolf Rites
Rites are the alien, supernatural powers that werewolves possess. Using a rite is a
supernatural ability. Rite descriptions are similar to feat descriptions, except rite
descriptions include the following information.

Action: What type of action the rite requires.

Cost: How much Essence the rite costs.
Duration: How long the rite lasts.
"Werewolf" does not appear as a prerequisite in the descriptions, but only werewolves
can use rites. Some rites are designated as New Moon, Crescent Moon, Half Moon,
Gibbous Moon or Full Moon rites. Only Irraka, Ithaeur, Elodoth, Cahalith or Rahu
(respectively) werewolves can use these rites, as indicated in their prerequisites. All
other rites are available to all werewolves.

Alien Fury [Full Moon]

You call upon memories of the moon from your alien dimension and enter a terrifying
powerful rage.
Action: 1 bonus action

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Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: Until the end of your next round.
Prerequisite: Rahu level 10
Benefit: You invoke thoughts of your homeworld's strange moon, filling yourself with its
power. Attacks against you have disadvantage. In addition all melee attacks you make
do max damage.

Your eyes, fangs and claws blaze with a strange white energy resembling fire. You can
use this rite in combination with rage as long as you activate the rite first (though this
combination lasts only one round, as you cannot reactivate this rite while raging).

Alien Speed
You greatly increase your natural speed.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: 1 minute
Prerequisite: Level 4
Benefit: You increase your base speed by +20 feet in Hishu, Dalu, or Gauru form, or
+30 feet in Urhan or Urshul. Attacks of opportunity against you have disadvantage.

Attunement [Full Moon]

You heighten your perceptions toward an opponent, reducing their ability to avoid your
attacks.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: 1 minute
Prerequisite: Rahu
Benefit: As a bonus action you make an opponent within 30 feet of you roll a Wisdom
save. If the target fails this save you gain an intuitive understanding of its combat ability.
For the duration your attacks do +1d4 extra damage to the target creature. This damage
increases by +1d4 for every time you've taken the Primal Urge rite up to a maximum of
+5d4 damage.

Aura of Truce [Half Moon]

You maintain a peaceful truce between two parties.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes or until ended
Prerequisite: Elodoth level 6

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Benefit: You soothe flaring tempers and establish a mood that facilitates arbitration to
violence. When you activate this rite every eligible creature within 60 feet must make a
Wisdom save vs. your rite DC. To be eligible each target must have an Intelligence of 3
or higher, must be able to see and hear you, you must be able to see them, and they
must be capable of understanding your language.

Failure means the target creatures cannot attack other creatures, use magic or
supernatural abilities to harm other creatures, or commit property damage (aside from
non hostile "damage" such as eating offered food).

A creature that tries to break these rules finds their body locked up, as if they were
paralyzed, although the paralyzation ends the moment they stop trying to attack. These
effects persist for the duration of the rite or until they leave the area far enough away
that they can no longer see you. Success means the targets may act normally.
Creatures immune to charm are immune to this rite.

As part of the action of using this rite you give a speech. It doesn't necessarily need to
be about peace, although if it isn't it will be obvious to those attending that you're using
some supernatural ability to influence their minds.

You may end the effect as a bonus action, which ends the effect for everyone. If you
attack an affected target, the effect ends for everyone. Once violence has broken out,
you cannot use this rite to stop it.

Between the Weave [Crescent Moon]

You can use weak points in the fabric of our universe to hide and travel.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 3 Essence
Duration: Special, see description.
Prerequisite: Ithaeur level 8
Benefit: The Intrusion stretched and snapped the supernatural material that separates
our universe from others. In some places, this weakness is apparent by the strange
abilities it manifests. As an action you can slip through one of these points and use it as
a hiding place or a way to travel. These works like the etherealness spell with the
following modifications.

● Instead of traveling into the Ethereal Plane you travel through the Gauntlet, into
an area called the Near Umbra. This works like the Ethereal Plane in that it's a
border zone between Earth's dimension and other realms.

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 ● You can only remain in the Near Umbra 1 round for every point of Wisdom score
you have, after which you return automatically. Otherwise you may return as an
action.

● You can only use this rite at an area affected by the Intrusion (or Nightmare
Wave) or at a Nexus.

● You must make a DC 15 Wisdom check to perform this rite correctly. If you fail
the rite does not activate (although you do not lose any Essence). Using a
reflective surface as a focus for the rite gives you advantage on the check. Areas
of particular weakness might have a lower DC.

It may be possible to use the Gauntlet to reach other universes, but no werewolf who
has tried has ever returned.

Bind or Sunder [Half Moon]

You can influence a shapechanger's control over his or her form.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: 1 round per point of your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1)
Prerequisites: Fuel Rage, Elodoth level 10
Benefit: You can manipulate a target's delicate control over their form-changing. As an
action, target a creature within 30 feet, then choose from one of two effects.

● Extend: [Werewolf only]. You can extend the amount of time the target can be
in Gauru form beyond the normal 1 minute, just as if you were using Fuel Rage
on yourself. The target does not get a save, but may still end their rage as an
action (provided they are not in Death Rage). The target must be in Gauru form
already to gain this benefit.

● Suppress: [Shapeshifted targets only] The target makes a Wisdom save vs

your Rite DC. Failure means the target immediately shifts back to their natural
form. They may not shapeshift again for the duration of this rite. If another
creature attempts to change the target's form they must make a Wisdom save vs
your rite DC to override this effect. This has no effect on targets that are not
capable of shapeshifting or are already in their natural forms.

You must have line of sight to the target to affect it.

Blending

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You can hide in plain sight, even out in the open.
Action: As part of the hide action
Cost: 0 Essence
Duration: Until you move
Benefit: You can make a Stealth check to hide even when you have no cover or
concealment; anyone who fails their Perception check fails to see you or believes you to
be an unremarkable feature of the landscape. You cannot move when using this rite.
You cannot use it to hide while someone is observing you (though you may hide if she
is merely in the area rather than looking specifically at you).

Break the Defiant

You project such a forceful authority that you weaken the target's will.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: Instantaneous
Prerequisite: Level 6
Benefit: Choose a target within 30 feet that can see and hear you. As a bonus action
you growl menacingly at the target, chilling them to the bone. The target makes a Will
save vs your rite DC. On a failure the target is shaken, and has disadvantage on all
Wisdom and Charisma saves until the end of your next turn. If the target rolls a 1 on
their save they are also paralyzed with fear until the end of your next turn.

You cannot use this rite on someone more than once per day.

Bystander [New Moon]

You can become everyman, appearing as if you belong in your current environment.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
Prerequisite: Irraka level 8
Benefit: You become a face in the crowd, failing to attract attention to yourself as an
unexceptional example of the people around you, even if your appearance or personal
hygiene would indicate otherwise. An Irraka wearing bloodspattered sweatpants could
walk through a Wall Street brokerage firm without attracting attention, as anyone who
sees him thinks he sees another "suit." The effect ends if you draw attention to yourself
(such as attacking someone; even a helpful action such as pulling someone out of the
way of an oncoming car) unless that action is appropriate for a typical bystander in the
environment; drawing a gun on an armed attacker is unusual for a man on the street but
perfectly ordinary if you're surrounded by police officers or at an NRA convention.

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Otherwise, the effect remains active even if you interact with others in an unobtrusive
manner (chatting with others on an elevator, waving to a security guard and so on).
This rite doesn't fool security devices such as retinal scanners, voice scanners or key-
code locks, but does fool facial-recognition software trying to pick you out of a crowd. It
may be foiled by something as simple as signing a logbook or handing over a bus ticket
if you cannot cover for these actions (by signing an illegible name or name that is known
at the area, providing a bus ticket or paper that looks like a bus ticket, and so on).

Finally, the rite fails if the area includes no bystanders with whom you can mingle,
Someone using supernatural means of awareness or actively trying to recognize you as
not belonging gets an Intelligence save against your Rite DC. Success means they
pierce the illusion and can you see you as you are, but otherwise they fall for the same
effect as everyone else.

Clarity [Full Moon]

You touch the white-hot core of your soul, focusing your mind against distractions.
Action: Reaction or 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: 1 minute
Prerequisite: Rahu
Benefit: When you activate this ability, you become alert and ready for battle. You can
activate this rite as a reaction when you roll initiative. If you are surprised, you are no
longer surprised. You can also activate this rite as a bonus action prior to combat. If you
do you can add your proficiency bonus to Initiative rolls for the duration.

This rite does not affect stunning, paralysis, sleep or other conditions that make you
unable to take actions.

Command Fire
You can bend and move existing flames.
fire damage.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 0 Essence
Duration: Instantaneous or 1 hour
Prerequisite: Level 6
Benefit: You can bend and shape any open flame, even arcing it through the air to
strike an object or creature. This works like the control bonfire spell, except you can use
the fire to make an attack against a hostile creature.

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To do so choose a creature within 30 feet of the fire you're controlling, and within 60 feet
of yourself, then make a ranged spell attack. On a hit the target 2d8 + your Charisma
modifier in

Crashing the Gates [Crescent Moon]

You can bring others with you enter the Gauntlet.
Action: Instantaneous
Cost: 3 Essence plus 1 Essence per additional person
Duration: Special
Prerequisite: Between the Weave, Ithaeur level 10
Benefit: This rite works similarly to Between the Weave, except you can bring up to four
other people with you. Each person coming with you must be willing, conscious and
touching you. Any Ithaeur werewolf brought with you can return on their own, but all
other passengers remain until you bring them back or the rite's duration expires.

Sleepers find the Near Umbra disturbing and must make DC 15 Wisdom saves or be
frightened for one minute after leaving it.

Crushing Blow
Your attacks are lethal even when you do not use your claws or teeth.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: 1 minute
Benefit: Your unarmed strike and strikes with melee weapons do an additional 1d6
damage.

Death Grip [Full Moon]

You use your jaws to help grapple your target in a nearly unbreakable grip.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: 1 minute or until you let go with your bite
Prerequisite: Rahu level 6
Benefit: You focus your energy into your jaws, making them the perfect agent for
restraining your prey. If you hit with a bite attack while this rite is active you can make
an opposed Strength check to grapple the target.

Once you've made a successful grapple attempt, as long as you do not speak, use a rite
requiring a howl or bite a different creature, you can lock your jaws. This gives
advantage to maintain the grapple, and the target rolls with disadvantage if they attempt

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to escape the grapple. You can still use your bite as a natural attack to damage your
prey without releasing this hold.

You must be in Gauru, Urshul, or Urhan form to use this rite.

Feet of Mist
Your scent is almost imperceptible; tracking you by scent is difficult.
Action: None or 1 bonus action
Cost: 0 Essence or 1 Essence
Duration: Always active or 1 hour
Benefit: This rite, which is always active, imposes disadvantage on checks to track you
by scent. If you spend Essence then no creature whose level or CR is lower than yours
can track you for 1 hour. You may suppress and reactivate this rite as a bonus action.

Friend of the Dark

You can see in the dark even in human form, and your vision improves for your other
forms
Action: None or 1 bonus action
Cost: 0 Essence or 1 Essence
Duration: Always active or 1 hour
Benefit: While in hishu form you gain nightvision. While in Dalu or Gauru form your
nightvision improves and you have advantage on all Wisdom (Perception) checks based
on sight.. This rite is always active, although you may suppress and reactivate this rite
as a bonus action.

Fuel Rage [Half Moon]

You can remain in hybrid form longer than normal.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: Special, see description
Prerequisite: Elodoth level 8
Benefit: As a master of controlling the balance of flesh, you can remain in your Gauru
form longer than other werewolves. You can activate this rite as a bonus action while in
Gauru form. Doing so extends the time limit of your rage by 1 additional round beyond
the normal 1 minute limit. You can use this rite as many times as you can afford based
on the amount of Essence you have. Each time you use it your rage extends for another
round. You can still change form normally; you are just able to linger in Gauru form
longer than normal. Activating this rite on a round when you are not in Gauru form or
has no effect.

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Hone Rage
You can sacrifice remaining time in Gauru form to boost your Strength or Dexterity.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: Special, see description.
Benefit: When in Gauru form, you sacrifice one round of time in that form, converting it
into a d4 that you can add to Strength or Dexterity checks and saves you make (your
choice).

You can use this rite only if you have at least one full round available in Gauru form. If
you have more than 1 round remaining you can sacrifice that for an additional d4, which
can also be added to either Strength or Dexterity, to a maximum of 3d4 for both. These
bonuses go away when you leave Gauru form.

Example: Gareth can normally spend 1 minute (10 rounds) in Gauru form before he has
to change to another form. He activates this rite at the first round of rage, sacrificing two
rounds to add a d4 to both Strength and Dexterity checks and saves. He has 7 rounds
of rage remaining. On his next round he uses this rite again and increases the bonus to
Strength checks and saves to 2d4. This leaves him with only 5 rounds left before his
rage runs out, at which point he would lose these bonuses.

Intrusion Cloak [Crescent Moon]

You manipulate a tiny element of the Intrusion to conceal yourself in a cloak of
mysterious power.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Prerequisite: Ithaeur level 6
Benefit: You wrap yourself in a shroud of dimensional instability resembling a starry
night sky. This works like the blur spell except you also have advantage on Dexterity
(Stealth) checks. You cannot use Between the Weave, Crash the Gates or Rend the
Gauntlet when using this rite.

Iron-Rending
You can easily tear apart metal and weaker materials.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: Until the end of your next round
Prerequisite: Level 6

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Benefit: You do maximum damage against objects, and ignore an object's damage
threshold when determining if you can damage it. This does not work on magical items.
It also does not work on magical barriers, or conjurations of pure magic such as force
fields.

Killing Frost
You absorb ambient heat, creating unnatural cold and ice.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 3 Essence
Duration: Instantaneous
Prerequisite: Level 10
Benefit: You take in a slow breath, drawing the thermal energy out of the area and
harmlessly into yourself. Each creature in a 30 foot cone must make a Constitution
saving throw. A creature takes 4d8 cold damage on a failed save, or half as much
damage on a successful one. A creature killed by this spell becomes a frozen statue
until it thaws. All objects in the cone freeze as well. Frost forms on surfaces, water
freezes and the ground becomes difficult terrain, for 1 minute.

Leach Rage
You can steal rage from another werewolf in hybrid form, extending your time as a
hybrid at the expense of hers.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: Special, see description
Prerequisite: Level 6
Benefit: When in Gauru form, as a bonus action you draw in a hissing breath while
facing another werewolf that is no more than 10 feet away. The target makes a Wisdom
save against your rite DC. On a failure the target werewolf loses 1 round of their
remaining rage, and you gain 1 round to yours.

If the target rolls a natural 1 on their save they lose two rounds and you gain two. You
cannot steal time that the target does not have; for example, if the target has less than 1
full round remaining on their rage you cannot draw any rage from them. This can be
used to decrease a werewolf's time in Death Rage, but doing so is dangerous. If the
target werewolf is in a Death Rage and you successfully draw time from them you must
make a Sanity Save vs DC 15 or your rage becomes a Death Rage.

You can only use this rite on a particular werewolf once every minute, although multiple
werewolves can gang up on a single werewolf to take all their rage. This rite has no

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effect if you are not in Gauru form, or if you target a non-werewolf, or a werewolf who is
not also in Gauru form.

Legendary Arm
You can throw objects that would normally be too big or unwieldy to lift or throw.
Action: As part of the action of lifting and throwing the object
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: 1 round
Prerequisite: Level 10
Benefit: You can lift and throw large objects or creatures as if they were toys. You can
lift up to 8 times your carrying capacity (or 120 times your Strength score) until the end
of your round.

You can throw a typical irregular object as a ranged weapon with a 10-foot range. If the
item has an aerodynamic shape (even a spheroid boulder), the range increases to 20
feet. This distance increases by 10 feet for 300 pounds the object is below your new
maximum lift capacity.
If you throw the object at something, make an improvised weapon attack as normal (do
not add your proficiency bonus).

The object does 2d6 plus your normal Strength modifier in damage of a kind appropriate
to hits size and shape (typically bludgeoning). It does an additional d6 of damage for
every 600 pounds the object weights.

When it lands the object takes just as much damage as it inflicts. If you throw a creature
this way they can reduce the damage by making an Dexterity (Acrobatic) check as if
they were falling.

Lifting and throwing objects with this rite is no more taxing than throwing a baseball; the
rite augments your Strength to what is necessary and compensates for any strain that
the lifting and throwing would cause an unaugmented person.

Loose Tongue
You can cloud someone's better judgment, making it difficult for them to keep things
from you.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 0 Essence
Duration: Concentration, up 10 minutes
Benefit: For the duration you have advantage on all Charisma checks directed at up to
three creatures of your choice that aren't hostile to you. You can also add your

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proficiency bonus for all Charisma (Persuasion) or Charisma (Deception) checks you
make against them, or double your proficiency bonus if you're already proficient.

To invoke this rite you must speak to the target creatures for a least a minute. If the
targets are in combat or under threat of harm, the rite fails. If the target is not a sleeper
they can make an opposed Wisdom (Insight) vs your Charisma (Persuasion) or
Charisma (Deception). You have advantage on this check. If successful they realize
you're using supernatural means to influence them. Otherwise they have no idea.

Lycan’s Form
Your various forms resemble a non-wolf like creature.
Action: None
Cost: 0
Duration: Instantaneous
Benefit: With this rite your various forms either resemble different animals or more
closely resemble a wolf. Essentially this makes you a different type of were (lycan). For
example, you may look more like a tiger, hyena, bear and so on. In Dalu or Gauru form,
you resemble a cross between human and your new beast form. This does not change
the size of any of your forms, except where noted.

You must choose the type of beast you appear like when you choose this rite. From
then on you gain the listed benefit for your choice.

● Bear - You look like a werebear of some kind (grizzly, black, or polar). While in
gauru form, you have resistance to all damage except psychic damage.

● Boar - You look like a wearboar. Instead of claws you have tusks while in gauru
and other forms. Your tusks do the same damage as claws except you can make
a charge attack. As an action move your speed towards a target, and make a
single attack with your tusks. If you hit the target, it must roll a Strength save or
be knocked prone.

● Cat - You look like a weretiger, werelion, or werepanther. While in gauru form,
you can add 10 feet to your long jump distance and 3 feet to your high jump
distance.

● Rat - You look like a wererat. All your forms are smaller, and thinner than they
are normally, but not enough to change your size. In all forms except for hishu
you can dash and disengage as a bonus action.

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 ● Wolf - You either truly look like a werewolf, or you look like another type of canid
such as a werehyena. While in gauru form any allied creature that can see and
hear you has advantage on attack rolls against any creature within 5 feet of you
that is hostile to you.

Other than the listed benefits your statistics are also not any different than they would
be normally for the form you've assumed (you still have the status of a wolf even if you
look like a tiger).

Mask of Rage
You can drive mortals temporarily insane by revealing your bestial self.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 2 Essence
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Benefit: You reveal your bestial alien spirit, making it obvious that you are not of this
world. This works like the fear spell cast without material components. This works on all
creatures but sleepers are particularly vulnerable. Sleepers have disadvantage on the
Wisdom saving throw to resist, and if they fail the effect lasts for 10 minutes, and does
not require concentration. In addition they are likely to either remember only bits and
pieces of seeing you if they remember anything at all.

Mechanical Failure
You cause a technological device to fail for a short time.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: 1 minute
Benefit: Though primarily a creature of killing, as a werewolf you also represent more
subtle forms of destruction. You cause one mechanical or technological object within
five feet to fail without a discernible cause. A gun fails to fire, a cell phone goes dead, a
computer crashes, a car engine stalls or fails to start. If another creature attends the
object, the creature makes a Wisdom save against your rite DC to resist the effect. A
construct affected by this rite is entitled to a Wisdom save. On a failure the construct is
paralyzed until the end of its next turn.

Mighty Bound
You easily leap great distances.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 0 Essence
Duration: 1 minute
Benefit: You cast jump on yourself.

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Mortal Savage
You retain some beast abilities even in human form.
Action: Free
Cost: 0 Essence
Duration: Always active
Prerequisite: Level 4
Benefit: Your werewolf resilience works in Hishu form as well as Dalu or Gauru. This
rite is always active. Your speed is also increased by 5 while in Hishu form, and you can
speak First Speech without penalty.

Nightfall
You cause a small electrical power outage.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 2 Essence
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Prerequisite: Level 4
Benefit: You release a burst of invisible chaotic energy, preventing electrical devices
from functioning. All electronic devices in a 30 foot radius sphere centered on you start
malfunctioning in unpredictable ways, making them unusable for the duration. Even
battery-powered devices and objects drawing electricity from portable gas-powered
generators fail (in fact, the generators fail); these devices include cars (which are
powered by gas, are started by a battery and rely on an ongoing electrical current to
function).

Pack Awareness [Gibbous Moon]

You extend your senses toward your packmates and learn their location and if they are
harmed.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 0 Essence
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Prerequisite: Cahalith
Benefit: You may make a DC 15 Perception check as a bonus action to get a sense of
where your packmates are relative to you, what form they are in (if applicable), what
activities they are performing and whether they are wounded, unconscious or dead. A
packmate may be "to the left about 100 feet'' or "one floor above me in this building."
Activities may be "fighting," "waiting," "running," "sleeping," "fleeing," "having sex" and
so on.

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This information comes to you unconsciously and does not distract you from whatever
you are doing. A packmate must be within one mile (plus one mile for each Primal Urge
rite you have) for you to sense them.

Partial Change
You can change only part of your body to gain a slight advantage or offset a penalty.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Benefit: Rather than being limited to five forms, you can selectively change one aspect
of your body to that of one of your other forms. For example, in human form you can
give yourself Guaru-form claws to help you in battle without attracting attention as an
obvious monster, or take human hands in beast form to be able to pick a lock or take
human eyes in hybrid form to have unhindered color vision. Even if you take human
hands while in Gauru form your rage prevents you from wielding melee weapons.

You may make one partial change at a time. The change typically affects both the left
and right halves of your body, but you may limit it to just one side if you choose.

Playing Possum
You can make yourself seem dead, even to a thorough examination.
Action: Reaction or 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: 1 hour or until you end it
Prerequisite: Level 6
Benefit: You appear as dead as a corpse, falling prone if you are not already. This
works like feign death cast on yourself, and requiring no material components. You can
activate this rite as a bonus action or as a reaction to taking damage. If you use it has a
reaction it appears as though the damage you took killed you. While under the effects of
this rite you are aware of your surroundings, although you are still blinded and
incapicated. At any time before the duration you can end the rite as a bonus action, in
which case you immediately awake.

Primal Urge
Your alien spirit is powerful, increasing your available Essence and your skill in using it.
Benefit: Your maximum Essence increases by 5, and the rite save DC increases by +1.
In addition you can remain in Gauru form for one additional round. Your alien spirit is
fearsome to humans — even if they don't know you are a werewolf, they can sense that
something is horrible and wrong about you. You take a –2 penalty on all Charisma

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checks against sleepers, except Charisma (Intimidation) checks. This penalty also
applies to rites relying on those checks.

Special: You may take this rite up to five times. Its effects (bonuses and penalties)
stack. If you take it three times all sleepers have their attitudes regarding you worsened
by one step (from friendly to indifferent, and from indifferent to hostile) the second they
meet you. Sleepers that are already hostile may attack you. If you take it four times
these penalties apply to aware as well as sleepers. If you take it five times all sleepers
and aware are immediately hostile to you.

Rallying Cry [Gibbous Moon]

You can inspire others with power.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: 1 minute
Prerequisite: Cahalith level 6
Benefit: You can howl or speak words of fury as a bonus action, filling nearby allies
with courage. All allies (including yourself) within hearing 60 feet who can hear you gain
a rallying die, a d6. Once within the next minute, each ally can roll the die and add the
number rolled to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw it makes. Once the
rallying die is rolled, it is lost. A creature can have only one rallying die at a time.

Rage Armor [Full Moon]

You fill yourself with rage, toughening your flesh against attacks.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: 1 minute
Prerequisite: Rahu level 10
Benefit: You channel your rage. While active you are treated as if wearing armor with a
AV equal to half your level. When this rite is active, your eyes glow amber and the air
around you distorts like the heat from a fire.

Read Intrusion [Crescent Moon]

You can study an Intrusion-tainted thing and gain insight into its nature.
Action: Special, see description
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: Instantaneous
Prerequisite: Two-World Eyes, Ithaeur

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Benefit: You may study a Nightmare Site or object or creature altered by the Nightmare
Wave to gain supernatural insights about it. You have to study the object, creature, or
site for 1 minute.
If the target is an object or site make an Intelligence (Investigation) check. The DC of
the check is 10 to learn a basic fact about the target. If it's an object you learn if the
target is harmful or helpful or both to those who touch or use it, or you learn if staying at
the location is generally helpful or harmful (a location may be both).

If you beat the DC by 5 you learn a fact about the target, such as the nature of either it's
helpful or harmful properties, rather it requires attunement, or its relative rarity. If it's a
location you learn the strength of the supernatural effects in the area.

If the target is a creature it makes a Wisdom save vs your rite DC. On a success you
can't use this ability against the target for 24 hours. On a failure you learn if the target is
a sleeper.
If the target fails the save by 5 or more you learn a fact about the creature, such as its
creature type, hit dice, or supernatural traits (your choice).

Once you use this ability on a target (object, creature or location), you cannot use it
again on the same target until 24 hours have passed.

Rekindle Rage
You can take hybrid form again sooner than usual, though for a shorter duration.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 5 Essence
Duration: Instantaneous
Prerequisite: Level 10
Benefit: Normally, once you exhausted all of your rages you must finish a long rest
before regaining them. With this rite you gain one more use of rage, but you must
immediately spend your action to transform into Gauru form or you lose that extra rage
(and the spent Essence). This has no effect if you have not already exhausted all your
rages. All of the other effects of rage are as normal.

Resist Pain [Gibbous Moon]

You can ignore pain and other debilitating effects.
Action: Reaction (you activate this rite as a reaction to taking damage)
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: 1 minute
Prerequisite: Cahalith level 2

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Benefit: You can temporarily ignore pain and other physical effects that hinder you. You
are not numb to all sensation and are still aware if you take damage, but your will
overrides your body's limitations. You can ignore the stunned and paralyzed conditions,
and may ignore the effects of exhaustion (although this does not reduce your
exhaustion). If you drop to 0 hit points but are not killed outright you may act as if you
had at least one hit point while this rite is in effect.

Running Shadow
Your ability to move silently is unaffected by noisy surfaces or your speed.
Action: As part of making the check
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: 1 minute
Prerequisite: Level 6
Benefit: When you make a Dexterity (Stealth) check you can move your full speed
instead of half your speed. You also cannot gain disadvantage on the check due to the
type of surface or lighting in the area.

Sand in the Eyes

You can cloud someone's memories, making it unlikely she remembers you later.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: Instantaneous
Prerequisite: Level 2
Benefit: You can try to affect a target's memory so that they forget details about you. As
a bonus action choose a creature within 30 feet that you can see. The creature makes a
Will save against your rite DC. If the target fails the last 10 minutes of their memory are
muddled with respect to you. The target doesn't remember what you look like, how long
you were there or what you were talking about. If the target rolls a 1 on her save, they
forget you were there at all.
If you are fighting the creature it automatically makes its save, and it does not affect
creatures that are immune to charm.

This rite affects only memories for the last 10 minutes before you use it; if you interacted
with the target at an earlier time, those memories are intact, though they may not realize
their clouded memories are of the person she knows from earlier. You can use this rite
on a particular target only once every 10 minutes, even if they fail their save.

Savage Rending
You call upon your alien spirit to augment the power of your claws.
Action: 1 bonus action

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Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: 1 minute or until you end it
Prerequisite: Level 2
Benefit: Your claws deal +4 points of damage. This bonus stacks with itself. You can
end the effect as a bonus action.

Scent Beneath the Surface [Half Moon]

You can detect if someone is lying and read her emotional state.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: 1 minute
Prerequisite: Elodoth
Benefit: Choose a target within 30 feet that you can see. Unless the target is
concealing the truth through supernatural means you immediately know if they are lying
outright, lying by omission, speaking the truth in a misleading way or is being
deliberately evasive. You can also determine the target's overall emotional state no
matter how they conceal or disguise it.

Sense Weakness [New Moon]

You sense flaws and weaknesses in the target.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 0 Essence
Duration: Instantaneous
Prerequisite: Irraka
Benefit: Choose a target within 30 feet. The target makes a Wisdom save vs your rite
DC. On a failure you learn a specific weakness of the target, such as its vice, a long
term or indefinite derangement, or a physical flaw such as poor eyesight. The GM
determines what weakness or weaknesses you learn. You can use this rite on a
particular creature once per day. Each time you use this rite, you learn a different
weakness (if any).

Silver Jaws
Your teeth and claws become silver, able to make terrible wounds on werewolf flesh.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: 10 minutes
Prerequisite: Level 6
Benefit: Your teeth and claws in all your forms become magical metallic silver. They
count as magical for the purposes of overcoming damage resistance to non-magical

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weapons, and count as silver against creatures vulnerable to damage from silver
weapons (such as werewolves).

This change has no effect in Hishu form (though you look like you painted your nails
and have a grill or braces) unless you use a rite such as Partial Change to turn your
human hands or teeth into something more dangerous. While using this rite you do not
suffer negative effects for having silver in your body although exposure to other forms of
silver affects you as normal.

Skin-Stealing
You can disguise yourself as any creature whose flesh you have tasted.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: Instantaneous
Prerequisite: Level 10
Benefit: As an action you can assume the form of any humanoid creature whose flesh
you've tasted. This rite causes you to go grow a new skin over your own that perfectly
emulates this new appearance, including coloration, hair, and sex. This also adjusts
your height and weight, but not so much that your size changes, and it doesn't change
any of your statistics, although it does change your scent.

This does not change your voice, or your clothing and equipment, and it only works
while you are already in Hishu form. If you attempt to change form while under this rite
the false skin tears and falls off rendering it useless. You may use an action to discard
the skin. The skin decays into unidentifiable dust within a few minutes, as do pieces of it
taken from you.

Slip Away [New Moon]

You are able to easily slip out of chains, handcuffs or even grapples.
Action: 1 bonus action or 1 action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: Instantaneous
Prerequisite: Irraka
Benefit: You slip out of any physical bond, leaving the item behind unharmed and
unchanged (rope still tied, handcuffs locked and so on). If you are in a grapple, you can
use an action to automatically escape. This rite does not work on binding supernatural
effects, mundane bindings supernaturally enhanced for this purpose or on enclosed
spaces such as prison cells, car trunks or footlockers.

Snarl of Command [Half Moon]

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You force a target to reveal a truth.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: 1 round
Prerequisite: Elodoth
Benefit: With an ugly snarl and a few harsh words, you force the target to reveal the
simple truth about a topic you are discussing. Choose a creature within 30 feet who can
see you. The target creature makes a Wisdom save vs your rite DC. On a failure they
must either answer a single question you put to them without knowingly lying, or must
reveal their true form, be it removing a disguise or a supernatural transformation,
assuming revealing such is under the target's control.

You don't have to know that the target is lying before using this rite, but it has no effect if
the target has been truthful and compliant with your questioning (nor does it force them
to lie in an act of contrariness). You must be face-to-face with the target. You can use
this rite on a specific creature only once per day.

Speak with Beasts

You can communicate with normal animals as if you shared a common language.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 1 Essence or 0 Essence if cast as a ritual
Duration: 10 minutes
Benefit: You cast the speak with animals spell. You can cast this spell as a ritual, in
which case it costs 0 Essence.

Talisman Dedication
You bind items to your body so that they stay with you regardless of your form.
Action: 1 minute
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: Instantaneous
Benefit: You spend 1 minute performing a rite that binds objects to you so that when
you change form the object changes form with you or melds into your body without
being harmed. When you transform you choose if bound equipment merges into your
new form, or is worn by it.

After the rite is complete choose a number of items equal to your proficiency bonus to
bind to you. For these purposes a set of clothing counts as one item, including pants,
shoes and socks, shirt, jacket, and possibly helmet or sunglasses.

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Worn equipment functions as normal, but the GM decides whether it is practical for the
form to wear a piece of equipment, based on your new shape and size. Your equipment
doesn't change size or shape to match the new form, and any equipment that the new
form can't wear must merge with it. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect
until you leave the form.

Two-World Eyes [Crescent Moon]

You can split your vision, maintaining a partial focus in this world and a partial
awareness on the effects of the Intrusion.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
Prerequisite: Ithaeur
Benefit: You shift the vision in one eye so that it becomes hypersensitive to the
Intrusion; this eye turns completely black while you use this ability. This works like the
detect magic spell cast without components except it only works on Nightmare Sites, or
objects and creatures affected by the Intrusion (such as Horrors).

Instead of detecting the school of magic you can learn clues about the nature of the
affect. For example, an old house that eats the souls of anyone who sleeps within it
might look like a giant face with two hollow "eyes" (windows) and a gaping "mouth"
(door), a rifle that poisons anyone it shoots might look like a stiffened snake and a
vampire might look like a withered corpse.

Sometimes, the Intrusion afflicted shape may not be clear or indicative of what has
happened to it; the house, rifle or vampire might look a little blurry, have a dark halo or
just look wrong. Some Intrusion tainted things may be harder to detect requiring you to
make a Wisdom (Religion) check to understand what you're seeing. You retain normal
vision in your other eye. This duality of senses does not cause you any discomfort or
give you any other penalties or benefits (for example, a sudden bright light can still blind
you just as easily).

Unspoken Communication [Gibbous Moon]

You can telepathically link the minds of your packmates, enhancing their communication
and ability to coordinate attacks.
Action: 1 action
Cost: 1 Essence. After the start of the link, you may add other packmates to the mental
network (for example, if they were out of sight when you started) by spending 1
additional Essence.

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Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute. You may continue the effect for another
minute by spending 1 Essence (without requiring your packmates to be in sight).
Prerequisite: Cahalith level 10
Benefit: You link the minds of your packmates, allowing them to communicate instantly
and silently with each other or you by thought alone. They can "hear" each other
perfectly clearly despite physical noise, and may send their mental "voice" to just one or
all simultaneously.
You can link only packmates who are in your sight when you activate the rite. They do
not need to see you or each other (you are the "hub" for the communication). Once you
activate the rite, affected packmates may pass out of your sight without breaking the
effect. Because they can quickly coordinate their efforts, when two or more packmates
attack the same creature, they both attack with advantage.

Ward
You mark your territory so that others sense it.
Action: 1 hour per square mile marked
Cost: 0 Essence
Duration: 1 lunar month
Benefit: You mark the boundary of your territory by urinating on objects at its perimeter.
This creates a scent mark backed by supernatural power, which affects predators and
humans. Any natural predator that wants to enter your territory must make a Wisdom
save vs your rite DC. On a failure they cannot enter your territory. Most avoid these
areas, not liking competition

A predator brought into your territory against its will has no penalties but tries to leave
as soon as possible. The ward triggers a primal flight instinct in sleepers, causing
feelings of fear and dread. Any sleeper who tries to enter the warded area must make a
Wisdom save vs your rite DC or become frightened for 1 minute. A frightened target
must leave the area by the safest possible route. If a sleeper is brought into your
territory against their will, they cower and will try to leave as soon as they can.

Other werewolves and supernatural creatures that can follow scents (even if they
require supernatural means to do it) sense this boundary but can breach it without a roll.
In this regard, the ward is a warning that you are willing to kill to protect your territory.
Supernatural creatures without a strong sense of smell don't detect the ward and may
break it without a roll.

You can mark an area up to one square mile plus an additional square mile for every
Primal Urge rite you have. The ward fails if your territory already contains 10 or more
different types of significant predators per square mile (such as a zoo) or a large

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concentration of humans (such as a city); in such cases you can only ward a smaller
area (such as a cave, an alley or rarely used parking lot).

You can also mark a single creature with this rite (and urine), signifying that the creature
is under your protection (or perhaps as prey with which you don't want others to
interfere). A marked creature does not trigger a fear reaction in sleepers the way a
boundary does.

Warning of Danger
You have an instinctive sense that warns you of threats.
Action: Free
Cost: 0 Essence
Duration: Always active
Benefit: You cannot be surprised. To gain this benefit, you can't be blinded, deafened,
or incapacitated.

Warning Growl
You voice a powerful growl, filling an opponent with doubt and weakening their ability to
face you.
Action: 1 bonus action
Cost: 1 Essence
Duration: 1 minute
Benefit: You glare at the creature within 30 feet who can see and hear you, and issue a
growl of warning. The target creature makes a Wisdom save against your rite DC. On a
failure all attacks the target creature makes against you are made with disadvantage.

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I don’t know why, but I felt compelled to return to the spot of
my awakening.

Badlands National park. Ha. Whoever gave it that name had no idea
how right they would become. It’s part of the haunted lands now,
right on the edge of the end of existence.

When I think about how close I came to being killed, I shudder.

Somehow my awakening flung me out of this universe seconds before
the wave hit. If it hadn’t I would have been just another smear
in the desert dust.

I look around. The area is cold, the once beautiful desert gray
as fallen ash. I hear a piercing howl in the distance, followed
by a gurgling watery noise. It’s unearthly, alien, and right at
home in what’s left of this place.

I can’t stay here any longer. It’s getting dark, and even I’m not
strong enough to be out here after dark. I close my eyes,
picturing the imago of the spell that will take me home. In my
mind the space between here and there shrinks to a point, and as
I utter a few words in a language I barely understand, I feel
space contract to my will.

The spell goes off without a hitch, I step forward, and just like
that I’m back home. Safe.

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CHAPTER 6: CREATIVE THAUMATURGY
It's a fact. For thousands of years many people claimed to practice magic, but even
those who claimed true power could muster only a few minor effects. With the arrival of
the Nightmare Wave, things are very different. What once no one could do no matter
how much effort they put into it now happens with a gesture and a quick chant, and
formerly impossible feats are now almost commonplace.

Unlike other natures, mages have access to a special form of spellcasting known as
creative thaumaturgy. To a mage, magic is not a rigid, formalized practice with strict
formulas for every effect passed down through generations. Mages, who call
themselves the Awakened, have become privy to deep universal truths about existence.
As such they don't need to memorize magical formulas or study their spellbooks in order
to prepare magic for the day. Their magic doesn't work that way.

For them magic is about understanding that what we call "reality" is one layer of a larger
tapestry. By studying the threads of that tapestry they can sense the pinholes in our
reality caused by the Intrusion. Then they can pull on those threads, weave through
those pinholes, and pull energy into themselves from outside our universe.

Sometimes it's gentle, like threading a needle, and sometimes aggressive like
hammering a nail into a stubborn block of wood. It just depends on what you want to do.
Mages call these magical effects spells, but they aren't like spells the way others might
think of them. Mages cast their spells "on the fly" using their knowledge of the principles
of reality to weave magic together, to create the effects they want.

This means mages are flexible in terms of what spells they can create. They don't sit
down each morning and decide what spells they are going to cast for the day. Mages
craft spells at the spur of the moment based on their needs at the moment.

Arcanum
Each mage has experienced an almost mind-shattering event known as an awakening.
At that moment their souls were hurled through universe after universe, reality after
reality, before finally finding their way back to their living bodies.

During that time each mage came to a realization. The laws of physics are real, yes,
we're not imagining it, or creating it out of some shared delusion. Yet at the same time

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the laws we've discovered are only true in our universe. Other universes have other
laws of physics, and still others have other laws and so on. Each Universe is unique.
Below all of those laws, however, there are deeper ones, laws that apply across all
universes, that tie all realities together. In fact mages have discovered that these
metacosmic laws can be categorized into ten groupings. Mages call these ten divisions
of reality Spheres or Arcanum. Each Arcanum is a category of laws that pertain to all
realities.

The Awakening is an overwhelming experience to say the least. As a mage reflects on

their awakening and studies the Arcanum they learn they learn how to control it. The
Arcanum and their perviews are as follows.

● Death. All things die. All things end. It is the natural order in all universes. These
are the rules of the Arcanum of Death. In D&D terms this Arcanum would govern
all necromancy spells, as well as all spells that conjure or control darkness, or
allow one to see through darkness. Mastery of this Arcanum gives control over
death and the undead. It damages targets by rotting or decaying their bodies
(necrotic damage).

● Fate. Everything has a destiny. Fate governs all. Rules of the Arcanum of Fate.
In D&D terms this Arcanum governs most divination spells, as well as any spells
that manipulate probability or luck, or grant a bonus to attacks, checks or saves.
Mastery of this Arcanum grants control over the threads of one's fate. It damages
targets through bad luck, causing them to stumble or hurt themselves, or to have
a terrible accident.

● Forces. Energy flows through existence. Everything is energy. Such are the
rules of the Forces Arcanum. In D&D terms this Arcanum governs most
evocation spells, as well as any spell that conjures or transmutes energy such as
wall of fire or reverse gravity or that summons elemental beings. As one masters
the Arcanum they learn to control energy with their willpower alone. It damages
targets through direct energy attacks that do fire, cold, explosive, or lightning
damage.

● Life. Life flourishes everywhere. The cosmos exists for the benefit of life. These
are the rules of the Arcanum of Life. In D&D terms this Arcanum governs all
transmutation spells that affect living creatures, including all spells that heal
(such as cure wounds) or that transform a living creature (such as alter self or
polymorph). Also includes spells that summon living creatures. Mastery of this
Arcanum grants one the ability to modify living creatures to their whims, and even
eventually to create life. It damages through directly hurting one's pattern (such

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 as by causing a heart attack, which is considered necrotic damage) or by
granting the mage natural weapons such as claws.

● Matter. The physical is as real as the metaphysical. Solidity is the nature of most
universes. Rules of the Arcanum of Matter. Whereas Forces govern things in
their energy state Matter governs them in their "frozen" or solid state. In D&D
terms it governs all transmutation spells that affect objects or constructs, as well
as all spells that conjure physical objects (such as blade barrier). Mastery of this
Arcanum lets a mage remake everything non-living around them. It damages by
conjuring temporary items that do ballistics, piercing, slashing, or bludgeoning
damage, or conjuring acid to do acid damage, or enhancing objects.

● Mind. All things have a mind (panpsychism). Each living mind is a universe unto
itself. With the power of the mind we can shape existence. Thus are written the
rules of the Arcanum of Mind. In D&D terms this Arcanum covers all illusion
spells that affect only mental perceptions, as well as all spells that modify minds
or allow the reading of minds, enchantment spells, or spells that do psychic
damage. It does not cover every effect considered typically "psychic" such as
telekinesis (which would be more the purview of Forces). Master of the Arcanum
grants a mage power over their mind as well as the minds of others. It damages
by direct application of mental force, doing psychic damage.

● Prime. Beneath the surface energies of existence there is a deeper energy,

which flows through the spaces between realities. This is called prime. All magic,
all of existence is prime, and prime is all. Such are the rules of the Prime
Arcanum. It is often considered the "meta" Arcanum for it controls magic in its
purest form. In D&D terms it covers all spells that cancel magic (such as
antimagic field) or detect or identify magic as well as all spells that conjure
objects of force, all illusions with a solid aspect, and all spells that summon
beings from other realities. It also covers most abjuration spells. It damages by
conjuring weapons or objects that do force damage.

● Space. Distance is an illusion. Everything in all universes exists at a single

overlapping point. These are the rules of the Arcanum of Space. In D&D terms
this Arcanum governs conjuration, spells of teleportation, or any spell that works
by controlling motion through space. Mastering this Arcanum allows a mage to
move instantly from one location to another, or to create duplicates of
themselves. It damages by causing a spatial disjunction in the target, an attack
that does bludgeoning damage.

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 ● Spirit. Everything casts a spirit reflection, be it object, creature or even abstract
concepts. These rules, in line with the concept of animism, are the core of the
Spirit Arcanum. In D&D terms it covers conjuration spells that summon spiritual
beings, spells that do radiant damage, or spells that trap or control souls. A
master of this Arcanum could rip out a creature's soul or summon a plethora of
spirit beings to assist them. It damages by tearing at a creature's soul or by
summoning spirits to attack on the mage's behalf.

● Time. Time is an illusion. All moments, be it past, present, or future, exist as one.
Rules of the Arcanum of Time. In D&D terms this Arcanum governs all
transmutation spells that speed up, slow down, or otherwise alter time, including
all spells of chronomancy. Masters of this Arcanum learn to make time their
plaything, speeding it up when needed, or even traveling through it. They can
create duplicates of themselves, time remnants, to fight at their side. It damages
indirectly at best, by allowing a mage to make multiple attacks, or by causing
temporal disjunctions that age the target.

Taken all together it might be tempting to think of some of these Arcanum as opposites,
such as life and death, or as wholly incompatible with one another. After all, how can
the universe be solid, and spiritual, energetic, and an illusion?

There are even mages who think this is true, but it is not the case. The Arcanum
describe universes in various stages or forms, and the rules that govern those forms.
Just as physical matter in our universe can be solid, liquid, gaseous, or plasma, so too
do the universes themselves have different states. Generally these are solid forms
(matter, life, and space), energy forms (mind, forces, and time), and deeper forms
(spirit, prime, and death). Above all is the guiding hand of destiny in the form of fate.

Many Roads

Astute players will likely figure out a multitude of ways to accomplish similar effects
with different Arcanum, sometimes at different ranks. This is okay. Just because a
Fate 3 spell can do a thing doesn't mean a Forces 1 spell that does a similar thing is
"broken" or should be disallowed.

Take for example influencing the outcome of a coin toss. A simple Fate spell can
easily tip the odds toward either heads or tails, but it's theoretically possible to use a
Forces spell to alter the kinetic energy imparted to the coin, causing it to spin slower,
or use a Matter spell to change the coin's center of mass (or change the appearance
of both sides to your chosen side). Both are perhaps more complicated than the Fate
approach, but they're valid within the purview of their respective Arcanum.

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Still not every mage can make sense of all of this. Depending on their inclinations and
the paths they took to return to themselves, mages find some Arcanum easier to work
with than others. Mages all have Arcanum they are drawn to, which they call their
Ruling Arcanum, and Arcanum that goes against their natures, which they call their
Inferior Arcanum.

Mages further divide their understanding of the different Arcanum into ranks. There are
believed to be fully five ranks for each Arcanum which are as follows:

● Initiate. Initiates have barely any knowledge of the Arcanum. They can sense it
or use it to sense things under its purview, or they can very slightly manipulate it.
Spells cast by initiates are equal to cantrips and 1st level spells in D&D.

● Apprentice. Rising to the rank of apprentice means a mage is beginning to

understand the Arcanum better. Their control over it is slightly stronger, and they
can use it to shield themselves. Spells cast by apprentices are equal in power to
2nd and 3rd level spells.

● Disciple. Disciplines of an Arcanum are on the path to true understanding. They

are starting to say they "get it". This is about as far as mages have come since
the Intrusion. Spells cast by disciples are equal in power to 4th and 5th level D&D
spells.

● Adept. No mage has so far risen to the rank of adept so anything past this point
is theoretical. Spells cast by adepts would be equal to 6th and 7th level spells.

● Master. To call themselves a master of an Arcanum a mage would have to

demonstrate that they can control it down to its very core. A master could create
the Arcanum out of nothing, or empower it to its maximum strength. Such spells
would be equal to 8th and 9th level D&D spells.

Mages gain ranks in the various Arcanum as they gain levels in the awakened class.
Some spread those ranks out becoming dabblers in several Arcanum, while others
focus on one or two at a time. Either way knowing which Arcanum you have ranks in
and what those ranks allow you to do, is key to being able to play a mage character
effectively.

Conjunctional Magic
A great many, perhaps an endless amount of, spells can be created by the use of a
single Arcanum. Others however require a mage to weave multiple Arcanum into a

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single whole.Such spells are called conjunctional magic. In D&D terms this would
include spells such as create food and water which creates magical energy (Prime) or
material (Matter) and transmutes it into consumable organic food (Life). In general any
spell who's effect can't be described in a single Arcanum is probably conjunctional.

Casting conjunctional spells is harder, and more dangerous than single sphere spells. It
also requires ranks in every Arcanum involved up to the amount required to achieve the
effect.

Rotes & Improvised Spells

It is perfectly natural for a mage to develop a spell on the spur of the moment based on
his present need and available power. In fact, this is how those with the power realized
that magic worked differently with the arrival of the Nightmare Wave — a reflexive
action made possible with their gift. Mages call this sort of spellcasting improvised
magic.

Since the Intrusion, mages have come to understand at least some of the methodology
of casting spells: what gestures accentuated the flow of magic, what words activated
apertures of power, what objects resonated with certain effects. To make it easier to
describe and teach magic to themselves and others, mages codified this methodology,
even going so far as to create instructions for spellcasting.

These instructions are the closest thing mages have to spell formulas. These tried-and-
true spells are called rote magic or rotes. They are usually simple but effective, and are
well known among the mage community, whether developed independently or shared
from mentor to student.

Rote magic is easier than improvised magic because rote magic uses principles that
have been reliably practiced hundreds of times. Mages do not disparage rote magic
unless that's all a mage ever relies on.

Covert & Vulgar Spells

At their heart mages are using the same energy to cast their magic that the Iconnu
brought with them into our universe. The downside of using that stolen energy is that
the collective will of humanity is set on expelling that energy from our world.

Because of that humanity pushes back on spells cast by mages. It's as if those spells
are caught up in some larger net. While the Iconnu, and the creatures they created or

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that serve them, have the strength to push through that barrier, mages aren't so lucky.
Casting spells creates resistance in humanity. The more obvious the spell the greater
the resistance.

Spells that are powerfully obvious, such as blasting fire from your hands, or flying
through the air, are known as vulgar magic. These are the hardest and most
dangerous spells to cast, especially in the presence of sleepers, who seem to focus the
will of humanity against the offending mage. While those spells have a place it's
generally preferable to cast spells that don't look so obvious.

Spells that seem like anything other than magic are known as covert spells. Covert
spells seem very much like they aren't magic at all. A clever mage can even duplicate
many of the same effects you could do with vulgar magic. It's not a fireball, a gas main
burst. You're not flying under your own power, you're wearing a jetpack. Some mages
pass magic off as technology, some as coincidence (it struck lightning right when it was
most needed) and others rely on ignorance to hide their effects (the woman wasn't as
wounded as she seemed). A great many just rely on subtle Arcanum such as Fate or
Mind.

However a mage does it as long as it isn't obvious it's covert. Covert magic is safer and
easier to cast. The will of humanity doesn't lash out the mage because no human is
aware anything even happened. Not that there needs to be a sleeper, or even any
human, present to interfere with magic. The will of humanity covers the world, and it
reacts to vulgar magic wherever on that world a mage is casting from.

The third and final category of magic is improbable magic. That is magic that might
seem covert, but it's pushing it. If it's already raining, and there's lightning in the sky it's
possible a bolt might strike your enemy once, but beyond that it becomes ridiculous.
Humanity is easy to fool, but catches on quick. Improbable is the gap between covert
and vulgar. It's harder to cast than covert, but not as bad as vulgar.

Paradox & Backlash

Unlike in D&D casting magic is not automatic for mages. It's not something they can just
do, even if they are very high level. To successfully cast a spell a mage must make a
Spellcraft check. This is described later on in this chapter.

Just know that a funny thing happens if they fail. A mage who fails to craft a spell
correctly loses control of it. If the spell is covert or improbable this creates a simple
backlash, a tug of energy as the pull of the magic gets out of control. Although taxing a
mage can pull that energy into themselves preventing it from causing further damage.

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A mage who loses control while casting a vulgar spell or one who opts to not absorb a
backlash instead causes a paradox. This is when the will of humanity uses the very
energy the mage tried to use as a punishment. This energy lashes out cursing the mage
or creating great damage.

Even then a mage can still absorb the paradox. It's as taxing as absorbing a backlash
with the added problem that a mage who absorbs paradox becomes a living battery of
chaotic energy. Contain enough and the mage will explode.

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Casting a Spell
When a mage casts a spell they all must follow the same basic rules, and go through
the same basic steps. There are sample spells at the end of this section that were built
using these same rules. These spells and any others can be turned into rotes, which
have all of this worked out ahead of time.

Casting Time

Most spells require a single action to cast, the spellcrafting action. It is possible to
increase the power of spells to allow them to be cast quicker or to reduce the power by
taking longer to cast them. When spells take a longer or shorter time to cast they follow
these rules.

Bonus Action
A spell cast with a bonus action is one cast incredibly swiftly. You must use a bonus
action on your turn to cast the spell, assuming you haven't already taken a bonus action
this turn. If you cast a spell using a bonus action you can only cast another spell on the
same turn if it fits the following criteria.

● It's a rote spell for you

● It's casting time is 1 action
● Its cost after calculation is 0 mana

Reaction
For a hefty cost it's possible to cast a spell as a reaction. Only rotes can be cast as
reaction spells. All other spells take too long to formulate to cast this way. Only certain
effects can be cast as reactions, and this makes the rote spell as hard, and as
expensive to cast as an improvised spell.

Longer Casting
Times It's possible to craft a spell that takes longer to cast; sometimes minutes,
sometimes hours. When you cast such a spell you must spend your action each turn
casting the spell, and you must maintain concentration while you do so. If your
concentration is broken the spell fails without backlash or without costing you any mana.
If you want to try again you have to start over.

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Potency

Mages can cast a variety of spells of different strengths. A spell’s strength is known as
its potency, and it’s equivalent to the minimum number of ranks in an Arcanum that are
required to create a given effect. Thus to cast a potency 3 spell using the Death
Arcanum you must have at least 3 ranks in that Arcanum.

It’s impossible to cast spells with a higher potency than 5. In addition spells of 4 and 5
potency are always considered vulgar magic, even if they’re using subtle Arcanum such
as Mind or Fate. They are just too powerful to pass off as anything other than magic. In
addition even a mage capable of casting spells of 4 or 5 potency may only do so once
for each potency level. They regain the ability to do so after a long rest.

Spell Components

All spells require thought, word, and gestures to cast. You can’t cast any spell if you’re
wearing armor you’re not proficient in, as it interferes with the delicate movements you
need to cast.

Thought. You must be capable of thinking to cast a spell. If you are unconscious or
otherwise mentally incapacitated you can’t use magic.

Word. You must speak some magical words to begin the flow of power. This is identical
to verbal components in standard D&D. It’s possible for trained mages to cast spells
silently but that is a metamagic attainment.

Gestures. At least one hand must be free to make special focusing gestures (known as
mudras). This is identical to the somatic components in standard D&D spellcasting.

To cast a spell, a mage must be able to speak clearly and have at least one hand free
to gesture. Mages also typically require an arcane foci on their person to focus their
mind on the spell they are attempting to cast. Touching or holding their foci counts as
having a hand free to gesture.

You can bypass some of these requirements with what are called metamagic effects.

Material Components. You can also make spells cheaper to cast by adding costly
material components to the casting of the spell. This is explained in greater detail later
on in this chapter.

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Concentration
Spells with ongoing effects usually require concentration to cast. It's possible to cast a
spell with an ongoing effect that doesn't require concentration, it's just more expensive.

As with standard D&D you can only concentrate on one spell at a time. If you cast a
spell that requires concentration, and you attempt to cast a second spell that also
requires concentration the first automatically expires no matter if you make the spellcraft
check or not.

In addition whenever you take damage while concentrating on a spell you must make a
Constitution saving throw as normal to maintain your concentration. The DC equals 10
or half the damage you take, whichever is higher. Spells you're concentrating on also
automatically end if you're inapacitated or killed.

Active Spell Effects

Even if an ongoing spell doesn't require concentration there is still a limit on how many
spells you can have active at one time. This limit is equal to your spellcasting ability
modifier. If you exceed this amount of active spells the oldest spell you cast on that list
ends. To avoid this you can dismiss any active spell as a bonus action.

Group Spellcasting

Mages can combine their efforts to create spells more cheaply than they could as
individuals. The group designates one mage to be the leader of the casting. The leader
is the one that crafts the spell and sets its effects, and other elements. All participating
mages contribute mana to the leader's spell.

The leader must have the necessary ranks in the Arcanum needed to produce the spell
effect. Participants must have at least one rank in all of the Arcanum needed for the
spell or they automatically fail the Spellcraft check.

When the spell is finished, all participants make a Spellcraft check to cast the spell as if
they had cast the entire spell on their own; each mage gains a +2 bonus on this
Spellcraft check for every participant involved (including himself). If any of the mages
fail this check, the spell fails. If all mages make the check, the spell succeeds.

If a spell backlashes all mages suffer that backlash. If it causes a paradox the leader
rolls for the paradox suffered, but all participating mages suffer that same paradox.

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Spellcasting Steps

To cast a spell a mage must complete the following steps.

1. Objective. Figure out what you want the spell to accomplish. Are you trying to
damage someone, heal someone, or some other effect?

2. Approach. Determine how you’re going to achieve your objective with the
Arcanum ranks you have. Take time to look through your rotes, and figure out if
one of those might be the perfect fit for what you want to do.

3. Effect. Choose an effect from the list that matches your objective, and determine
how strong (potent) you want that effect to be. This sets the DC and base mana
cost of the spell.

4. Spell factors. Set additional factors for the spell including metamagic.

5. Spellcraft. Make the Spellcraft check.

a. Success. You pay the mana cost (including metamagic) and the spell
goes off. If necessary you might need to make a spell attack (melee or
ranged) or the target might need to make a save.

b. Failure. Either take a backlash or roll for paradox.

Let's walk through each step in greater detail. We will be building a few example spells
along the way.

Building Spells in Combat

Until you become familiar with creating spells, you may take several minutes looking
through the effect and spell factor descriptions before putting together the sort of spell
you want. Rather than bringing a combat scene to a screeching halt while you page
through this guide, it's a good idea to write down some sample spells in advance
(even if they aren’t rotes) so when it's your turn to act you can do so immediately. As a
rule of thumb you should have one extra pre-written spell for every rote you have.

Step 1: Objective

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The objective of a spell is what you're trying to do at a high level. At this step you don't
want to try to figure out specifics just yet. You just want to focus on your reason for
casting the spell. Do you want to damage an enemy? Buff an ally? Move to a higher
location? Those are all objectives.

You might need to discuss your objective with the GM. Be sure to break your objective
down into the simplest form.

Ex #1: The obrimos mage Nix got himself in trouble again. This time he’s being chased
by a pair of local vampires who want to teach him a lesson for meddling in their affairs.
Desperate to hurt them before they can hurt him, Nix ducks into an abandoned
warehouse, and the vamps follow him in. Nix decides he really wants to kill these
bloodsucking freaks. His objective is damage.

Ex #2: Jackson is in a wild car chase with a van full of Technocracy Sandmen in fast
pursuit. He knows if they catch him he’s dead. His objective is purely escape.

Step 2: Approach
Approach is a rough idea of how you think you might attempt to meet the objective
using the Arcanum at your disposal. If you have ranks in Forces your approach to
damaging an enemy might be to summon fire from your fingertips. If you have ranks in
Life you might cause yourself to sprout claws so you can rip them apart.

The approach determines if the spell is going to be covert, vulgar, or impractical. In

general using deception (or the Deception skill) to cover the casting of a spell can be
done as part of the same action of casting the spell, and does not usually require a
separate check. This is also the time when you'll determine if a spell will be
conjunctional or not.

Present your objective and approach to the GM, who has final say on if your approach
is a) possible to achieve with the Arcanum you have ranks in, and b) capable of
achieving your objective. The GM will also tell you if the spell is covert or not based on
your approach or if it will require more than one Arcanum to achieve (conjunctional
magic).

Ex #1: Nix’s player looks over his Arcanum. He has 3 ranks in Forces, and these are
vampires, not sleepers, so he decides he wants to go for broke. Show these vamps
what a mage can do. He glances through his rotes, and sees one that can cause
lightning to blast from his fingertips. Normally he might try to pass it off as leaping from
some source of electricity, but he’s too pissed. He presents his objective and approach

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to the GM who decides that the rote (and the 3 ranks of Forces) are sufficient, although
the spell will be vulgar.

Ex #2: Jackson’s player glances over his rotes, but unfortunately none of them will help
in this situation so instead he looks over his Arcanum. He’s a mastigos, so that means
he’s mostly good with mind and space. He considers trying to teleport away, but he
doesn’t want to lose the car. Mind won’t work either as psychic powers don’t work on
Sandmen. He does have 2 ranks in Fate. He asks the GM if he can use that to mess
with the traffic lights. The GM agrees 2 ranks is enough for that, and the spell will be
covert.

Step 3: Choose Effect

There are an infinite number of things a mage can attempt to do with their Arcanum.
That’s the advantage, and power, of creative thaumaturgy. No spell list, no matter how
long, could account for everything a mage can do, and if a player had to cycle through a
huge list of specific spells to find the one they wanted, casting any spell would take
forever.

Instead of focusing on specifics, creative thaumaturgy focuses on effects. It’s not that
you want to summon fire. The fire is just the descriptor (and damage type). The effect
you’re trying to do is what’s important. Maybe you’re using that fire to damage an
enemy. Maybe you want to use it to shield an area (creating a hazard). Maybe you just
want to warm yourself. It’s important when using creative thaumaturgy for a mage
player to choose the specific effect they want.

Most of those effects can be broken down into a few different categories. These are in
turn broken down by potency, which sets the minimum ranks needed to achieve the
effect at a given strength.

At this step the mage will look through these various effects, and then decide on which
one most closely matches their objective. It's possible to cast a spell that doesn't fit into
one of these effects, but if you do so then that probably means it has no mechanical
impact on the game. That's fine. There's plenty of magic that wouldn't give a dice bonus,
or do x number of points of damage. It's just not something we need hard and fast rules
for. In that case the GM will just use the effects presented here as a guide in
determining how many ranks are needed to do what you're trying to do, and thus
determine the potency of the effect.

Effects are shown in the following table:

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 Thaumaturgy Effects
Effect Mechanical Description

Damage Do hit point damage to a target or targets

Healing Restore lost hit points or remove debuffs to a target or targets

Debuff Impose a penalty, or negative condition on, or weaken a target or

targets

Enhance Grant a target(s) bonuses, temp hp, special abilities, or grant them them
some other (non-movement) boon

Divination Locate a creature or object, divine the future, or learn hidden

information

Illusion Create images and sounds of things that aren’t real

Movement Teleport a creature or creatures, grant movement related boons, or

open portals to other universes

Conjure/ Manifest a hazard, create real objects out of nothing, or summon

Summon creatures to do your bidding

Control All miscellaneous effects that rely on controlling a given Arcanum

Between them that should cover most things a mage can do with their spells. Some
spells however combine effects (a spell that creates a damaging hazard) in which case
the most powerful of the effects sets the potency, which increases by +1 for every
additional effect a mage wants to add to a single spell.

The exception to this is control, since in a sense all spells are control spells. While
control might set the minimum Arcanum ranks needed for a given spell, it has no effect
on potency unless it’s the only effect being achieved.

Each effect will be described in further detail in its own section.

Ex#1: Since this is a rote spell Nix has all of this ready to go. However, if he were
building it on the fly he would have to go through the spellcrafting steps. The spell is a
damaging spell. It uses the damage column for save negating the damage (spells
where the damage is completely negated if the target makes their save are also the
most damaging). Nix knows this means if the vampires make their save they won't take
any damage at all, but he thinks that's unlikely. With 3 ranks in Forces a spell like that

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would normally be able to do up to 8d8 of damage (potency 3 for two targets), but the
rote spell also imposes a debuff effect. Specifically it imposes disadvantage on the next
attacks made by targets who fail their save. This is a potency 1 effect, so it's within Nix’s
limit based on ranks, but adding a second effect raises the potency to 4, which is more
than he can do with only 3 Forces. In the case of this rote the damage was lowered to
6d8 (potency 2). The highest effect is potency 2, but it combines effects so the rote has
a potency of 3. Nix’s player has all of this written down ahead of time so he knows what
to do. Being a rote the spell has a base mana cost of 5, and a spellcraft DC of 15.

Ex#2: Thinking about it, Jackson realizes that controlling traffic lights could mean a lot
of different things. Discussing it with the GM Jackson’s player decides the traffic lights
are only the how of what he wants to do. The effect he's really going for is granting
himself advantage on a Driving/Piloting check. This is a potency 2 enhancement effect.
He also thought about granting disadvantage to the Technocracy's Drive checks but
that would raise the potency beyond his limits. As an improvised spell its base cost is 4
mana and requires a DC 18 check.

Step 4: Spell Factors

At this step the mage sets the spell factors of the spell they want to cast. Spell factors
refers to all the incidental components that go into casting a spell such as:

● Area. If the spell is going to affect an area, how large an area and what shape
will it take. All area affected spells have to have a point of origin, and shape
chosen from the following list; cone, cube, cylinder, line or sphere. These work
like the area of effect shapes in standard D&D.

● Casting Time. How long the spell takes to cast. By default all spells take 1 action
to cast, but you can reduce that time with metamagic, or increase it to make the
spell easier to cast.

● Range. How far away the target, or point of origin, the spell can be. The range
can be expressed in feet, or expressed as touch (for a creature the mage must
make physical contact with) or self (the spell affects the mage or the mage is the
point of origin).

● Duration. How long the spell will last. Spells often have a duration of
instantaneous which means the spell takes immediate effect. Spells that debuff,
enhance, conjure, summon, create illusions, or affect a creature’s movement
must have a duration other than instantaneous, usually given in minutes or

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 hours.

● Material Components. Mages can offset the mana cost or lower the difficulty of
casting a spell by adding costly material components.

A mage can tweak any one or more of these to make a spell just like they want, with the
caveat that changing too many things might make the spell cost more in mana to cast.
Some might also increase the spell’s potency. Some tweaks reduce a spell’s mana cost,
but no spell can have a mana cost less than 0.

This is also the point where the mage adds any metamagic abilities to their spells to
modify them in additional ways. Metamagic abilities are unlocked through attaintments
granted by the awakened class. Metamagic can be used to cast a spell silently, to cast it
sympathetically or to apply many other effects. See the Supernatural Powers chapter
for a full list of metamagic attainments .

Using the Environment

Spells cost less if a mage uses the environment around them in some way (such as
pulling lightning from an existing thunder storm, or using a building to wrap around a
target). A spell cast in this way costs -1 mana (to a minimum of 0).

Ex#1: Nix ‘s player looks over the spell factors. The damage effect already accounts for
two targets so he doesn't have to pay any additional mana for that (he would if it were 3
or more targets). He doesn't want to have to touch them and the spell is not technically
an area effect spell so he has to pay for range. The vampires are only 10 ft away so he
sets the range for that (+1 mana). This is a damage effect so the duration is
instantaneous (-1 mana). He's tempted to try to cast it as a bonus action, but opts
against it. This brings the final mana cost to 5.

Ex: Jackson’s player talks this over with the GM. Normally affecting all the traffic lights
around him would require a large area, and a lot of range, but again the traffic lights are
only the explanation, not the effect. Since the real effect is just to grant advantage to
Jackson’s drive checks it's really a 0 area spell with a range of Self (-1 mana). However
looking over the durations James realizes that most of those wouldn't help him. Having
advantage on a drive check for a round isn't bad, but he's going to need more to get out
of the mess he's in. He opts for the 1 minute duration but he doesn't want to have to
concentrate. This brings the total cost of duration to +3 (+1 for 1 minute, +2 for
removing the Concentration requirement). Thing is he needs to cast this spell while still
driving. The only way to do that is to cast it as a bonus action. Fortunately he has the

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quickened spell attainment (+2 mana cost). However, the GM feels that Jackson is
being clever by using the traffic lights, so that’s worth a -1 on the mana cost. This brings
the total cost to 7.

Step 5: Spellcraft Check

This is the final step when the mage actually casts the spell. This requires a Spellcraft
check. This is a check made using the mage’s spellcasting ability modifier. This can
either be Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma depending on the type of mage they are
(chosen at character creation). If a mage casts the spell using their paradigm they add
their proficiency bonus to the Spellcraft check.

A spell that uses a mage’s Ruling Arcanum (either alone or as part of conjunctional
magic) gives the mage advantage on this check. A spell that involves their Inferior
Arcanum gives them disadvantage. A conjunctional spell that uses both gives neither
advantage or disadvantage.

A mage is required to have a free hand to either hold or touch their arcane foci, and
they must verbalize magic words. The subtle spell metamagic attainment allows a mage
to forgo these requirements.

Success
If the mage is successful the spell activates as normal. They spend the mana to pay for
the spell. In some cases the target might need to make a save to resist the effects, or
the mage might need to make a melee or ranged spell attack.

Failure
If a mage fails the spellcraft check that means they lose control of the spell. It doesn’t
cost them any mana for failing the spell. However they might suffer either a backlash
(physical draining or damage caused by the errant magic) or a paradox (a much worse
wild magic effect). A backlash can be contained (absorbed into the mage’s body)
otherwise it becomes a paradox. Some paradoxes can also be contained for a while.

The type of negative effect a mage gets (backlash or paradox) depends on the spell
they cast.

● Covert Spells. If a mage rolls a natural 1 on the Spellcraft check of a covert spell
they suffer a backlash. Otherwise they suffer no negative effect for failing the
Spellcraft check aside from the spell just failing to activate.

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 ● Improbable Spells. If a mage rolls a natural 1 on the Spellcraft check of an
improbable spell they suffer a paradox. Otherwise they suffer a backlash for
failing to cast the spell correctly.

● Vulgar Spells. A mage that fails the Spellcraft check for a vulgar spell suffers an
immediate paradox. They can opt to contain this paradox unless the Spellcraft
check was a natural 1. If it is, they can’t contain the paradox and its effect is
worse (-10 on the Paradox Results table).

Ex#1: Nix is a Euthanatos, but his paradigm is Ancient Egyptian mysticism (the belief
that the old Egyptian gods are the source of all magic). His arcane foci is a small gold
ankh that he wears around his neck. Forces is one of his Ruling Arcanum. He’s opted to
go with Charisma for his spellcasting ability, and he’s going to use his ankh and mutter
a prayer to Amemet who judges the guilty in the afterlife (and these vamps are mighty
guilty). This gives him both proficiency and advantage on the Charisma (Spellcraft)
check. His Charisma is 16, and his proficiency bonus is +3, giving a +6 to the check.
The DC is 15 so he needs to only roll a 9 or higher to succeed. He rolls a 16 (more than
enough) so the spell goes off successfully. Lightning erupts from his fingers frying the
vamps. It's not something they can really dodge so the GM determines it's a
Constitution save, which they both fail. They take 3d10 lightning damage, and if they
survive the damage they have disadvantage on their attacks.

Ex#2. Jackson is a Virtual Adept, and his paradigm is that everything is a simulation
that he can reprogram at will. His arcane foci is a smartphone. Fate is not one of his
Ruling Arcanum, but he has no choice but to use it. Fortunately it’s not his Inferior
Arcanum either. His spellcasting ability is Intelligence, and he makes a show of
activating a program on his phone so he gets to add his proficiency bonus. His
Intelligence is 16 so he too has a +5 on the check. In his case however the DC is 18,
meaning he has to roll 13 or better to pull off this spell. He opts to sacrifice an
expensive computer chip to reduce the mana and spellcraft DC by -1. However, not
only does he fail he rolls a 1 on the check. It doesn’t cost him any mana for the attempt,
but it does waste his bonus action (and the computer chip which burns out). It’s a covert
spell so he normally wouldn’t suffer any negative consequences for failing, but he rolled
a natural 1 so he suffers a backlash. This would impose exhaustion on him, which
would mean he’d have disadvantage on all ability checks. Since he needs to drive well
if he’s going to escape he can’t afford that. He opts to let it become a paradox. He rolls
a 17 on the Paradox table, meaning for 24 hours he’s unable to cast magic of any kind.
His day just went from bad to worse.

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Spell Effects
All the possible effects magic can have are listed here. Each ranges in strength from a
potency 1 effect all the way up to potency 5. This determines the minimum Arcanum
ranks a mage needs to cast a spell. A mage cannot cast a spell with a higher potency
than the maximum ranks they have in the required Arcanum.

Damage
The most common effect of most spells in D&D (and let's be honest probably most
spells you're going to cast) is at its heart an attempt to damage or hurt an enemy. By
itself this doesn't determine the amount of targets you can hit (that's determined later) or
the type of damage done. It also doesn't cover weaknesses or incidental effects. It just
determines that you want to do hit point damage to one or more targets.

All ranks of almost all Arcanum can be used to damage a target. The difference is in the
amount of damage done, and the nature of the effect done to achieve that damage. The
type of damage is usually dependent on the approach taken to the spell. Spells that
conjure fire do fire damage, spells that attack the mind do psychic damage and so on.
Sometimes you can set the damage type when you cast the spell. This is most common
with physical damage (piercing, slashing, or bludgeoning).

To determine the potency needed for the amount of damage you wish to do, first decide
if you want to hit only a single target or if you want to hit more than one target. You have
to choose the multiple target damage if it’s going to be an area effect spell, but you can
hit up to 2 targets as part of using the multiple target damage table without having to
pay to increase the spell’s area. Anymore than that and you have to pay additional
mana to increase the spell factors.

Then determine how the target will resist the effect. Will they roll a save, and if they do
will making the save mean they take no damage (damage is negated) or that they take
half damage?

It's important to note that it is possible to build a (very expensive) spell that
automatically hits with no save or roll required, but doing so requires metamagic
components. Once you've figured out all that out consult the following tables for your
exact damage:

Damage by Potency (Single Target)

Potency Saves halves Save negates Penetration Value*
damage damage

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 1 2d8 2d10 1

2 5d8 5d10 3

3 8d8 8d10 5

4 11d8 11d10 7

5 15d8 15d10 9

Damage by Potency (Multiple Targets)

Potency Saves halves Save negates Penetration Value*
damage damage

1 1d6 1d8 1

2 6d6 6d8 2

3 8d6 8d8 4

4 12d6 12d8 6

5 14d6 14d8 8

*spells that do psychic, necrotic, or radiant damage ignore armor

Spell Attacks

If the spell damage is negated on a save then you can (at your option) choose to make
a spell attack with that spell instead of requiring a save. To do so the spell cannot affect
an area or target more than two enemies. It might still require a save if it has additional
effects beyond just damage. In all other instances the spell requires a save instead. The
specific type of save is determined later.

Damage Over Time

It's possible to create a spell that damages targets over a period of time, be it rounds or
minutes. This uses the same Damage Table by Potency tables as normal damage, but
with a few modifications.

● Stationary Hazard. A stationary hazard covers an area and damages all

creatures that end or begin their turn in that area (your choice). These hazards
are fixed in place and thus cannot be moved. They also require concentration,
and a duration of 1 round or longer. They use the multiple target Damage by

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 Potency table.

● Repeating Action. Spells that once cast let you deal damage round over round
by repeating the action, but without having to recast the spell. They use the
Damage by Potency table, but their potency is 1 higher than the normal potency
required for a set damage. Thus a potency 3 repeating action single target
damage spell would do 5d8 damage, a potency 2 does 2d8 damage. For potency
1 you reduce the number of damage die by half (2d8 > 1d8) or reduce the
damage die itself by one level (1d8 > 1d6 > 1d4).

● Second Hit. This is a spell that does 2/3 of its damage immediately, and then the
rest at the end of the target's next turn without having to cast the spell again. To
calculate damage use the regular chart, but remove about 1/3 of the dice
(rounded up), and roll that later. Ex: You cast a spell that would do 5d8 damage
against a single target, but you want it to be a second hit spell. It does 3d8 on the
first hit, and 2d8 at the end of the target's next turn. This doesn’t affect the
potency but it does reduce the mana cost by 2.

● Repeating bonus action. These are spells that after you cast them you can do
additional damage using a bonus action. These are 2 potencies higher than the
damage would normally be. Thus a potency 3 repeating bonus action damage
would only do 2d8 damage against a target. For potency 2 and 1 reduce the
damage die by half or the damage size by two steps (6d6 > 3d6, 2d10 > 2d6),

Healing

The second most common effect is healing hit point damage, or recovering debilitating
effects (such as poison or disease). To calculate hit point damage healed use the same
rules as the damage and damage over time effects, only it heals hit points instead of
taking them. Healing effects do not require the target to make a save to resist, or for the
mage to make a spell attack to hit (although spells with a range of touch do require the
mage to at least make physical contact with the target).

Healing HP by Potency (Single Target)

Potency Damage Healed

1 2d8

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 2 5d8

3 8d8

4 11d8

5 15d8

Healing HP by Potency (Multiple Targets)

Potency Damage Healed

1 1d6

2 6d6

3 8d6

4 12d6

5 14d6

It is however easier to hurt someone than it is to heal them back up. This means that
the minimum a healing spell can cost is 2 mana. If any spell modifications would make it
cost less than 2 mana the cost becomes 2 mana instead.

For effects that heal conditions other than hit point loss consult the following table:

Healing (non-HP) by Potency

Potency Recovery effect

1 Repair a small (handheld) object.

2 Cure a non-magical disease, remove blinded, deafened, paralyzed,

poison, frightened, or cursed conditions

3 Cure 1 level of exhaustion, cure reduction to hit point max or ability score,
remove petrified or charmed conditions or magical disease

4 Raises the dead*

5 Resurrect the dead*, Heals any condition, restores all damage

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*For these purposes raising the dead means bringing a dead creature back to life that
has been dead less than 10 days, while resurrecting the dead means bringing any
creature back to life that has been dead less than 100 years.

The above are only meant to be guidelines for determining the potency needed. It's
possible to create a spell that heals something not accounted for on this list, but this
table should help the GM make the determination of the potency required for the effect
you're trying to achieve.

It's also important to note that the type of creatures that can be impacted by healing
spells depends on the Arcanum used. Life can heal living organic creatures only (not
constructs, elementals, undead or spirits). Death heals undead. Forces can be used to
heal elementals. Matter can be used to heal constructs. Spirit heals spirits. Otherwise all
the same rules apply to all.

Debuff

This category of effects includes all spells that hinder enemies without doing direct
damage. This might take the form of disadvantage on an attack, check or save,
reduction in maximum hit points or ability scores, or the application of a condition. For a
general idea of the potency of certain effects consult the following table

Debuff by Potency
Potency Debuff effect

1 Imposes a -2 (or variable 1d4) penalty to either target’s attacks, checks,

saves or the damage of target’s attacks, imposes the frightened or
poisoned conditions

2 Imposes disadvantage to target’s attacks, checks, or saves or imposes

disease, blinded, deafened, or incapacitated, conditions

3 Reduces hit point max by 1d6 or ability score by 1d4, imposes the
paralyzed condition

4 Imposes petrified condition, reduces hit point maximum by damage dealt*

5 Raises target’s exhaustion by 1, traps souls

*requires combination with a damage spell effect.

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You can impose multiple debuffs with a single spell if your approach allows it. If so, find
the highest potency of the effect you’re trying to achieve and add +1 for each additional
debuff you’re trying to impose beyond the first.

Debuffs are also harder to use against creatures that are larger than medium size. If the
creature you’re trying to debuff is large or huge, increase the required potency by +1. If
the target is gargantuan, increase the potency by +2. Debuffs are easier to impose on
sleepers. Decrease the required potency by -1 if the spell will only affect sleepers.

As with healing this is only meant to be a rough guide to what can be achieved by each
level of potency. Describe your effect to the GM who will decide what potency is
necessary. As with healing the type of creatures or objects you can apply these effects
to depends on the Arcanum used.

All debuffs allow saves to resist. If the effect is ongoing then the target can make saves
to remove the effects at the end of every one of its turns.

Enhance

The opposite of debuff, this category is about augmenting a target creature or object.
Spells that fit under these groups include spells that grant advantage, increase damage
dealt or provide other bonuses. It also covers imbuing items (for the Matter Arcanum)
granting them temporary magical enhancements. The type of enhancements you can
make and the possible targets of those enhancements depends on the Arcanum used
(Death can enhance living dead but not the living, Life the opposite and so on).

For a general idea of the potency of certain effects consult the following table.

Enhance by Potency
Potency Enhance effect

1 Grants minor bonuses, grants a d4 that can be added to a single attack,

check or saving throw, imbues items making them magical (no bonuses),
grants up to 5 temp hp, removes imperfections in an object, removes
poison or disease from food

2 Protects against any one condition, increase hp by up to 5, grants special

movement such as swimming, grants natural weapon, creates barrier that
imposes disadvantage on attacks against target, grants darkvision up to
60 ft, grants advantage to all checks with one ability, grants weapon +1d4

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 damage

3 Grants resistance to a damage type, protects against death, grants

intelligence of 10 to non-intelligence creatures, grants advantage to
attack, check or saving throw or 2d4 bonus

4 Wards an area against intrusion, creates barrier that blocks damage,

creates barrier against teleportation, grants immunity to damage type

5 Grants immunity to all damage, for a single skill replaces rolls lower than
15 with 15

Enhancements work like the inverse of debuffs. You can impose multiple enhancements
with a single spell if your approach allows it. If so, find the highest potency of the effect
you’re trying to achieve and add +1 for each additional enhancement you’re trying to
impose beyond the first.

Like debuffs, enhancements are also harder to use against creatures that are larger
than medium size. If the creature you’re trying to enhance is large or huge, increase the
required potency by +1. If the target is gargantuan, increase the potency by +2.

Enhancements do have one restriction that debuffs that do not have, and that’s a
restriction based on Arcanum. Death can only enhance living dead, Life can only
enhance living (non-aberration) creatures, Spirit can only enhance spirits, and Forces
can only enhance elemental entities.

Other Arcanum are less restrictive. Mind can enhance any creature with a mind (even
animals), while Space, Time, Prime, and Fate can enhance any creature. Matter is a
special case. It can only directly enhance constructs, but it can enhance objects being
held or used by any creature. Mechanically the object is only the medium, the creature
that uses it is the one that gets the bonus. Of course to work the creature must be able
to use the enhanced object.

Again this is only meant to be a rough guide to what can be achieved by each level of
potency.

Divination

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The divination category technically refers to all spells that in any way predict the future
or reveal information. That said a lot of the mechanical effects of divination spells can
be summed up in the enhancement category. In that case divination is just the
explanation for why your character has advantage or an extra d4 to a skill check,
because they can see, or have seen, the future.

Divination as a category separate from enhancement refers to spells that reveal

information (such as detect magic), or spells that protect from scrying attempts . For a
general idea of the potency of certain effects consult the following table.

Divination by Potency
Potency Divination effect

1 Reveals information that requires scrutiny (such as learning a person's

name, finding a lost object in the immediate area, or finding a secret
door), grants a language proficiency, detects the presence of aberrations,
entities, spirits, or living dead creatures, detects the presence of poisons
or diseases, grants ability to speak with natural creatures or read their
minds

2 Reveals information about the future up to 1 hour, reveals information that

cannot be found without magic (such as creature's type, or supernatural
item's properties), locating lost objects in a larger area, finding the
quickest path from one location to another, learning someone's greatest
desire or fear, asking questions of the dead, detects invisible creatures

3 Locating a creature in the immediate area, concealing a target from

divination or scrying magic, revealing information about the future up to 1
day, reads a humanoid creature’s mind

4 Scrying a creature on the same plane of existence as you, asking

questions of entities beyond our world, locating creatures in the
immediate area, locating objects anywhere in the world, seeing into the
Near Umbra, seeing into the future up to 7 days

5 Revealing information about the future up to 1 month ahead, locating

creatures anywhere in the world, granting a creature truesight, scrying on
a creature in a different plane of existence

Illusion

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This category covers spells that deceive the senses no matter if they are caused by
projecting into a creature's mind, directly manipulating light patterns or some other
approach. In general illusions appear real but are not solid, unless you combine effects
(such as an illusion combined with a damage effect to produce a fake gun). Unless
otherwise specified all illusions use the same rules for adjudicating similar spells as in
standard D&D. For a general idea of the potency of certain effects consult the following
table.

Illusion by Potency
Potency Illusion effect

1 Create a minor sound or image, blind creatures with a blast of light, create
an image no larger than 15 foot cube, create enough light to see normally

2 Disguise a single creature, turn a creature invisible (ends if target attacks

or casts a spell), grant disadvantage on attacks through an illusion, create
illusionary duplicates of a creature or object, deceive divination spells,
suppress sound in an area, create illusions up to 30 feet cube

3 Create an illusion that has a temperature or affects other senses (besides

touch), charm creatures with a hypnotic pattern of lights, create illusions
up to a 60 foot cube, turn a creature invisible (lasts for duration), disguise
multiple creatures

4 Create illusions up to 120 foot cube, affect up to 1 mile of terrain with an

illusion, create a scripted illusion, project an illusion of yourself out to 500
miles

5 Create illusions up to 240 foot cube, affect up to 10 miles of terrain with

an illusion

All illusions grant a save to see through them aside from illusions that grant invisibility.
Creatures only get to make the save if they directly interact with the illusion. Illusions
made with the Mind Arcanum only affect minds, and have no effect on mindless
creatures (such as zombies) or on mindless sensory objects (such as cameras or
motion detectors).

Movement

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Within this category are all spells that affect movement, or grant special movement
abilities (such as teleportation or flight). This makes it somewhat of a catch-all category
as some of its effects can also be granted under other effects. This also covers spells
that restrict movement (similar to hold person). For a general idea of the potency of
certain effects consult the following table.

Movement by Potency
Potency Movement effect

1 Move up to 10 lbs at a distance, launch an object up to 5 lbs 90 ft, create

difficult terrain, slow a creature's rate of descent, triple a creature's jump
distance, add 10 ft to a creature's speed, restrain a tiny, small or medium
creature

2 Levitate a target up 20 ft per round (500 lbs max), teleport a creature up

to 30 ft, grant a creature haste, slow a target creature, move up to 150 lbs
at a distance, allow a target to escape non-magical restraints,

3 Step into the Near Umbra, teleport one creature up to 200 ft, make a
target immune to difficult terrain, push or pull a creature 20 feet towards
or away from you, pass through up to 30 feet of material (non-magical,
non-lead) restrain or move a creature huge size or smaller, move up to
1500 lbs at a distance, exert fine telekinetic control, grant 30 ft flight
speed to a small or medium creature

4 Create a pair of linked teleportation portals, grant flight to a huge or

smaller creature (60 ft), grant 30 ft flight to multiple creatures, transport
multiple creatures to another plane of existence, cast teleport spell, move
up to 3000 lbs at a distance

5 Enter the Deep Umbra (Astral Plane), grant 60 ft flight to multiple

creatures, move a creature of any size, move up to 7000 lbs at a distance

Conjure or Summon

This category is about conjuring objects or materials out of nothing, or summoning

creatures to serve or fight for you. Some effects that could technically be conjuring
(such as creating fire out of nowhere) is better handled under other effects (such as
damage). This is also not for spells that transmute one material into another (that's
control spells). It is strictly for creating something out of nothing.

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It's also important to note that "summoning" does not usually mean in this game what it
means in standard D&D. In D&D a summoned creature is usually brought in from
another plane. That can happen, but in general summoned creatures in the World of
Darkness are just inanimate material given limited sentience (such as summoned
"elemental") or creatures summoned from the immediate area. The exception to this is
spirits and insubstantial undead which are pulled from other realms, as well as anything
summoned with Prime.

What is specifically summoned or created depends on the Arcanum used.

● Death. Conjures shadows or objects made from shadows or ectoplasm, objects

made of bone or rotting flesh, or summons insubstantial undead from the shadow
realms.

● Fate. Used to "summon" objects or certain people (by making sure they happen
to be near when you need them). It can also summon fey creatures who are
drawn to masters of destiny.

● Forces. Used to summon creatures made of pure forces (fire, lightning, cold, or
air) or to create objects made out of those same forces.

● Life. Used to summon living creatures in the immediate vicinity, conjure organic
material or give plant creatures sentience.

● Matter. The go to Arcanum for most conjuration, including creating objects, or

summoning earth, water, metal or acid creatures.

● Mind. Used to "summon" illusionary creatures that do psychic damage, to

conjure weapons that do psychic damage, or to pull a creature's worst fears out
of their minds.

● Prime. Conjure objects made of pure magical force, solidify illusions, and can
summon entity creatures or creatures from other universes.

● Space. Technically space can be used to conjure anything, the excuse being that
you're pulling it from the immediate area (conjuring the food from a nearby
supermarket into your hand). It can't summon anything however.

● Spirit. As befits the name the Spirit Arcanum can be used to summon spirits or
to conjure objects made of spirit energy.

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 ● Time. Used to conjure things from the past or future (similar to Space). It cannot
summon anything.

To actually determine the potency needed to summon certain things consult the
following table:

Conjure/Summon by Potency
Potency Conjure/Summon effect

1 Conjure a hazard (see damage effect), conjure tasteless food (feeds 1

creature for 1 day), conjure difficult terrain, conjure a simple object (1 lb or
less) or a field of force

2 Summon creatures from immediate area (8 of CR 1/4, 4 of CR 1/2, 2 of

CR 1, or 1 of CR 2 or lower), create up 15 ft of darkness or concealing
gas, conjure a wall of sand, wind or water, summon an entity of up to CR
1, cast spirit guardians

3 Conjure a damaging hazard (see damage effect), create up to 45 lbs of

food or water, cast creation, summon creatures from anywhere (8 of CR
1/4, 4 of CR 1/2, 2 of CR 1, or 1 of CR 2 or lower), create a destructive
shield of fire, cold, or lightning, summon a wall of fire, cold, acid, lightning,
bone, shadow, force, or light, summon an entity of up to CR 5 (not under
your control)

4 Summon creatures from anywhere (16 of CR 1/4, 8 of CR 1/2, 4 of CR 1,

or 2 of CR 2 or lower, or one of CR 6 or lower), conjure a globe of
invulnerability, cast fabricate

5 Summon an entity of up to CR 10 (not under your control), summon

creatures from anywhere (1 of CR 8 or lower)

Control

This is a broad category of spells that covers everything from control over the minds of
others (effects that impose the charmed, frightened, or stunned conditions), control over
an element (such as fire control or shaping stone), control over a creature or objects
form (transmutation spells), or any other spell that exerts control over an element of the
Arcanum used.

From a certain point of view all spells are control spells. After all that's what ranks
measure, an increasing level of control over a single Arcanum. That makes control a

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sort of super-category that covers everything that doesn't fit into one of the other
categories (aside from conjuration spells).

Because of this we're going to break this down by Arcanum. In general though it goes
from slightly compelling the Arcanum, to weaving the Arcanum, to complete control.

Death Control by Potency

Potency Effect

1 Shape and thicken shadows in a 5ft cube, control and shape ectoplasm,
grant advantage on Charisma checks against an undead creature

2 Prevent a corpse from decaying or becoming undead, create a weapon of

solidified shadow, animate shadows in a 15ft cube, animate one minor
undead, make a living creature appear dead, speak with the recently
dead

3 Block undead creatures in area, charm or frighten undead creatures,

create an area that non-undead can't enter, cast contagion, animate up to
5 small or medium minor undead, grant a creature protection from death,
turn a destroyed object into an ephemeral object, sever a sleeper's soul

4 Create up to 3 lesser undead, dominate undead creatures, cast magic jar,

turn a dying sleeper into a ghost or revenant, make a living creature
appear undead, grant resistance to radiant or necrotic damage

5 Reduce an undead target's Strength, or Dexterity to 1, create up to 3

greater undead, grant immunity to radiant or necrotic damage

Fate Control by Potency

Potency Effect

1 Mitigate disadvantage for a target creature, alter small scale probilities

(such as dice rolls), perform a ceremony

2 Make an oath spell, be in the right place at the right time, curse a target
creature, remove a curse on a target creature

3 Alter the conditions of a pledge, pact or other contract sworn with fate,
grant a target creature the lucky feat (duration no longer than 1 minute),
alter large scale probilities

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4 Grant a target creature the lucky feat (no longer than 10 minutes), release
a creature from a pledge, pact or other fate contract without harm

5 Alter a creature's destiny, change probilities on a massive scale

Forces Control by Potency

Potency Effect

1 Control non-magical fires in a 5ft cube, chill or warm 1ft cube of non-living
matter, lift up to 10 lbs of material, control light

2 Heat metal in range, call lightning from the sky, summon a small storm,
limited control over magnetism or gravity, grant target ability to see
invisible forces

3 Create an unseen servant, call element form your hands (lightning, fire, or
cold), create forces out of nothing, grant resistance to fire, cold, lightning
or thunder damage

4 Reverse gravity in a 100ft area, control magnetism, convert one type of

energy into another, create an investiture of flame or ice

5 Control weather within a 5 mile area

Life Control by Potency

Potency Effect

1 Make a flower blossom or seed bloom, cause plants to become difficult

terrain or to grab a target, purify food or water of bacteria

2 Enlarge or reduce a living creature's size, cause plants to become

damaging difficult terrain, grant a target a climbing or swimming speed,
transfer your hit points to a target creature, speak with plants, bring a
target creature back to life (if they died within last minute)

3 Create an aura of life or purity, make a non intelligent creature intelligent,

polymorph a target natural or humanoid creature

4 Turn a creature to stone (requires Matter 2), grant regeneration on a

target creature, cast tenser's transformation, turn up to 8 willing creatures
into gas, transform 5 willing creatures into natural creatures

5 Polymorph up to 10 creatures, polymorph a creature into an object

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 (requires Matter 3), create a clone of a target (requires Death 3), reduce a
living target's Strength, or Dexterity to 1

Matter Control by Potency

Potency Effect

1 Mold Earth or shape water in a 5ft cube, create an Earthquake in a 10ft

radius, mend a broken object, control an object's conductivity

2 Render a lock unpassable, create a common potion (follows crafting

rules), cause Earth to erupt beneath a creature's feet, make an object
invisible

3 Animate objects, control up to 150 ft of water or earth, shape earth into

objects of your choice, double an object's damage threshold or grant a
damage threshold of 10, create an uncommon potion (follows crafting
rules)

4 Control up to 300 ft of water or earth, create a homunculus, create an

investiture of stone or wind, create a rare potion (follows crafting rules)

5 Create an Earthquake in 100 ft radius, create a tsunami, create a very

rare potion (follows crafting rules)

Mind Control by Potency*

Potency Effect

1 Grant advantage on Insight or Charisma checks against one living target,

convince a natural creature you mean it no harm, frighten a target, charm
a target, compel a creature to fight you

2 Force a tiny creature to deliver a telepathic message for you, see through
a target beast's eyes and ears, calm a target creature's emotions, enthrall
a target humanoid creature, cast suggestion on a target humanoid, create
a zone of truth, create an invisible sensor in an area, prevent a target
creature from telling friend from foe, alter a target creature's aura, read a
creature's mind

3 Charm a non-humanoid creature, force a target creature to move in a

direction of your choice (aside from obviously deadly areas), cast
confusion on a target, enter a creature's dreams, dominate a target
humanoid creature, modify a target's memories

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 4 Cast suggestion on more than one creature, charm or frighten more than
one creature, lock a target creature in a mental prison

5 Cast a antipathy or sympathy spell, dominate a non-humanoid creature,

reduce a target's Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma to 1, stun a target
creature that has 150 hit points or less, create a telepathic link between
yourself and a willing target, make a target immune to psychic damage

*all mind control effects require a target with a living mind. Creatures immune to charm
are generally immune to mind effects.

Prime Control by Potency

Potency Effect

1 Make a non-magical object appear magical, create a magical shield of

force around a target (+2 AC)

2 Dispel magic, create a magic circle, send a short message to a target

creature you know, identify the magic in an item

3 Create an invisible magical eye, banish a target creature, create a circle

of power, break an enchantment on a target creature or object, convert
mana into tass, create enchanted items (follows crafting rules)

4 Create a contingency effect, beseech an otherworldly entity for aid, grant

true seeing on a target creature, make a sleeper aware

5 Create a 10ft radius sphere of antimagic, make a target immune to

damage, alter reality (as per the wish spell)

Space Control by Potency

Potency Effect

1 Open or close a portal, extend a creature's reach by 5ft

2 Teleport an object in range to your hand, conceal sympathetic

connections, see 360 degrees around

3 Scry on a creature or area, create a pocket realm, cause two areas to

occupy the same physical space (up to 60ft cube), destroy sympathetic
connections

4 Mark an object and then use action later to teleport it to your hand

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 wherever it is, sequester an object, teleport up to five willing creatures to
a preset area, cause two areas to occupy the same physical space (up to
500ft cube)

5 Create a demiplane, open a portal to another plane of existence, banish a

creature into a demiplane you've previously created

Spirit Control by Potency

Potency Effect

1 Speak to spirits, awaken a slumbering spirit, grant advantage on Insight

or Charisma checks against one target spirit, summon a spirit and force it
to take the form of a weapon

2 Fortify or weaken a Nexus, fortify or weaken the gauntlet in an area, grant

a target ability to physically interact with spirits, charm or frighten a target
spirit

3 Exorcise a spirit, block spirits from entering or leaving an area, grant

targets the ability to see spirits, dominate a spirit, banish a target spirit

4 Create fetish items (follows crafting rules), create a path through the spirit
realms, bring up to 8 willing creatures into the spirit realms, make a target
resistant to radiant damage

5 Create a spirit, create a telepathic link between a target and a spirit,

reduce any of a spirit's attributes to 1, make a target immune to radiant
damage

Time Control by Potency

Potency Effect

1 Make a small event occur at just the right or wrong time, force a creature
to make the same action it took on a previous round (save negates), grant
a target creature advantage on Dex saves

2 Grant a target an additional action (Attack, one weapon attack only, Dash,
Disengage, Hide, or Use an Object action only), force a target to go last in
initiative order, stop time so a target can make a free Intelligence or
Wisdom check

3 Curse a creature to age at twice their normal rate, grant a target

perception of the past of an area, restore a creature's youth (requires Life

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 2), cast a spell of permanent duration

4 Step out of the normal flow of time, grant a creature an AC of 22 (target

gains one level of exhaustion after spell ends), dispel a temporal eddy

5 Stop time, create a temporal bubble, freeze time for a target creature (150
hit points or less), cause a target creature to jump forward in time 1d4
turns (save negates)

That's the list of possible effects. If a desired effect does not fit in one of these
categories it's up to the GM to determine the necessary potency. If two effects disagree
on potency it's up to the GM to choose the potency.

Saving Throws
Most effects that damage or debilitate allow some sort of save. The specific type of save
depends on the nature of the effect.

● Spells that move targets against their will, or physically hold them in place require
a Strength save.

● Spells that do damage to an area or ensnare a target tend to require Dexterity

saves if it's not one of the other saves.

● Constitution saves are for spells that weaken or poison a creature's body, or for
spells that drain life or that do physical damage that can’t be dodged.

● Intelligence saves are for disbelieving certain illusions and resisting mental
assaults that can be refuted with logic, sharp memory, or both.

● Almost all spells that target a creature's mind rather to damage, alter or charm,
require a Wisdom save.

● Charisma saves are for all spells or effects, such as possession, that would
subsume a target’s personality or hurl them to another plane of existence

It’s up to the GM to determine the specific save of a spell using the above criteria. When
in doubt use Wisdom for spells that affect a target mentally, and use Dexterity for spells
that affect a target physically.

Mana cost & Spellcraft DC

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All of this was done to set the potency, which in turn determines the Spellcraft DC and
the base mana cost as outlined the following tables:

Base Mana Cost by Potency (Rote Spells)

Potency Mana Cost Spellcraft DC

1 0* 10

2 3 12

3 5 15

4 7 18

5 9 20

Base Mana Cost by Potency (Improvised Spells)

Potency Mana Cost Spellcraft DC

1 2 15

2 4 18

3 6 20

4 8 23

5 10 25

*any spell that heals a target cannot cast less than 2 mana. This doesn’t change the
spellcraft DC however

You cannot cast any spell without a higher potency than your maximum ranks in the
Arcanum used.

Spell Factors
Once you have the basic effect the spell is trying to do, it's time to tweak the incidental
effects that make up a spell, which are called spell factors. In most cases changing a
spell’s factors will increase the mana cost, but some spell factor changes reduce the
mana cost. In some cases the potency of the effect will go up, which will require higher

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ranks in the needed Arcanum to cast the spell. No matter what factors you add to a
spell it can't cost less than 0 mana.

The spell factors are listed here.

Area
Determines how many individual creatures or how much area a spell affects. The sizes
represent the maximum size for that cost adjustment. For instance, to cast a spell with a
30 ft line costs +3 mana.

Mana Cost by Area

Cost Area
Adjustment

0 Casting mage only (non-damage) or 1 creature (damage); no target

required; or creates or conjures the target.

+1 1 creature/object (non-damage), each additional creature/object*

+1 Five-foot-square wall, one inch thick.

+1 10 ft cube, sphere, or cylinder, or 20ft cone

+2 20 ft line

+3 50 ft line

+3 20 ft cube, sphere, or cylinder, or 40ft cone

+4 100 ft line

+4 50 ft cube, sphere, or cylinder, or 100 ft cone [Potency +1]

+5 200 ft line [Potency +1]

+5 100 ft cube, sphere, or cylinder, or 200 ft cone [Potency +2]

*Some effects have multiple targets calculated into the potency (and thus the mana cost
already). For instance damage affects that target two or more creatures (with reduced
damage) don't have to pay for 1 or 2 creatures since it's already factored in. Targets
beyond that still cost +1 mana for each additional target.

Range
This spell factor determines how far a spell reaches or the origin point of an area spell.

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 Mana Cost by Range
Cost Range
Adjustment

-1 Affects only the caster (range of "Self")

+0 Area spell originates from caster

+0 Affects a creature the caster touches (range of "Touch"). If the

target can avoid the spell the caster must make a melee spell
attack against the target's AC.

+1 Range of up to 10 ft.

+2 Range of up to 30 ft.

+3 Range of up to 60 ft.

+4 Range of up to 90 ft.

+5 Range of up to 120 ft.

+6 Range of up to 500 ft.

+10 One mile (extreme range) [Potency +1]

+15 Anywhere on Earth [Potency +3*]

*This is the cost for casting a non-sympathetic spell against a target somewhere that
you don't know. For a cheaper way to cast spells against distant targets see the
sympathetic metamagic attainment.

Duration
This spell factor determines how long the spell lasts. The Duration refers only to
ongoing magical effects, as the consequences of these effects may last much longer.

You are limited in how many spells you can have active at one time. As with standard
D&D you can only concentrate on one spell at a time, but for spells that don't require
concentration you can't have more spells active at one time than your spellcasting ability
modifier.

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Objects created by magic (such as fetishes, potions or enchanted items) are treated as
if they have a duration of instantaneous. The effect housed in them is what has the true
duration of the item.

Mana Cost by Duration

Cost Adjustment Duration

-1 Instantaneous or 1 round (until the start of target's next turn)

-1 Spell has no effect until triggered

+0 1 round (until the end of target's next turn)

+1 1 minute, requires Concentration

+2 10 minutes, requires Concentration

+4 1 hour, requires Concentration

+2 Removes Concentration requirement from one of the above

+6 6-8 hours, does nor require concentration

+10 24 hours, does not require concentration [Potency +1]

+10 Limited permanent* [Potency +2]

+15 Unlimited permanent* [Potency +3]

Some spells with a 24 hour duration can be made permanent if you cast the spell in the
same area or against the same target every day for a year and a day. This is called
limited permanent. Unlimited permanent refers to a spell that is permanent from the
moment you cast it.

Casting Time
By default spells require an action to cast. You can make a spell cost less mana by
taking more time to cast the spell. These adjustments cannot make a spell cost less
than 0 mana.

Mana Cost by Casting Time

Cost Casting Time
Adjustment

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 -8 Casting the spell takes one day. You are concentrating while
casting. Potency -2

-6 Casting the spell takes one hour. You are concentrating while
casting. Potency -1

-6 Casting the spell takes 10 minutes. You are concentrating while

casting.

-4 Casting the spell takes one minute. You are concentrating while
casting

-1 Cast the spell as an action, but all attacks against you have
advantage until the end of your next turn

+0 Cast the spell as an action

+2 Cast the spell as a bonus action (requires quickened spell

attainment)

Special Cast the spell as a reaction (rote spells only, makes rote cost as
must as improvised spell of the same potency, requires GM
approval)

Material Components
You can reduce the cost or difficulty of casting a spell by adding in expensive or hard to
acquire material components. If the item is not consumed during the casting of the spell
it can reduce the mana cost by -1 for every $1,000 in the item’s price up to a maximum
of -5 mana for a $5,000 item. Such an item can be used to aid in the casting of a spell 7
times before it ceases to function, and must be discarded.

If the item is consumed in the casting of a single spell then it reduces the mana cost by -
1 for every $500 in its price up to -10 for $5,000. It also reduces the DC of the Spellcraft
check to cast the spell by 1 for every $1,000 up to -5.

Thus a material component that costs $2,000 and is consumed in the casting of the
spell would lower the mana cost by -4, and would decrease the DC of the Spellcraft
check by -2.

These components can take any form the GM desires, although they do need to match
both the paradigm of the casting mage, and the Arcanum being used in some thematic
way. Some paradigms simply do not allow for as many opportunities to incorporate
material components.

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Despite the components having a listed cost in dollars it’s not always possible to find or
purchase them. The dollar amounts are just provided to give GMs a rough sense of the
value of any given component. Getting a component might require an extended
downtime session (equivalent to buying a magical item). Alternatively the GM could
require the mage or mages to hunt and kill a certain Horror (taking its body parts as the
ingredient) or to take a sample from a Nightmare Site or to overcome any challenge the
GM feels is appropriate.

The GM is also free to rule that some spells (such as raise dead) always require a
special component. No matter which components you use however, you cannot reduce
a spell’s mana cost to less than 0.

Backlash & Paradox

When a mage fails to cast a spell correctly they lose control of the spell, causing either
a backlash or a full paradox.

Backlash
A backlash is when the magic goes haywire. You can choose to contain that inside
yourself, in which case you suffer a level of exhaustion no matter what kind of magical
protection you may have. This exhaustion is resistant, and it may not be healed or
recovered by magical means of any kind. The only way to get rid of it is to rest.

If you choose not to contain it a backlash becomes a paradox.

Paradox
This is the worst, when the magic is at its most chaotic and out of control. This is when
reality itself has snapped back at you, when the collective will of humanity has targeted
you for retribution.

If this happens you roll on the paradox chart. This is a d100 roll. Effects lower on the
chart are progressively more damaging, while effects higher on the chart are less so. If
sleepers are present when a paradox goes off you take a -5 on the paradox check roll
for every 10 sleepers present up to a maximum of -50.

However, all is not lost. Even after the paradox effect is rolled for you can choose to pull
the energy inside yourself, to contain it. If you do you suffer a level of resistant
exhaustion as if you'd contained a backlash. Your paradox level also goes up by +1.
You're a charged battery full of chaotic energy about to go off.

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You suffer a -1 on all Spellcraft checks for every paradox level you have as the energy
interferes with your casting. In addition you can't regain mana as long as you have
paradox levels (even from tass). You also can have one less active spell for every
paradox level you have.

Anytime before your next long rest you can choose to release that pent up energy. If
you do so you must automatically roll on the paradox table taking a -10 for every
paradox level you have. You suffer an additional penalty if you decide to release that
paradox in front of sleepers.

If at any time before you release your paradox energy you suffer a paradox you can't
contain, you automatically release all your remaining paradox along with the paradox
that triggered the roll (roll twice, once for the new paradox and once for the pent up
paradox at -10 for each paradox level).

You cannot release only a little paradox at a time. Once you open that door it's all or
nothing. Once released your paradox level resets to 0, but you do not recover any
resistant exhaustion.

The GM is free to change the effects for each roll on the Paradox table (or even create
an entirely new table). However, in general the effects should match the relative
challenge of the effect it’s replacing.

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Mage Paradox
d100 Effect

01 Roll twice on this table, ignoring this result on subsequent rolls

02-03 A Phantasm (creature of a CR equal to your level +2 and made out of your fears) appears
within 1 mile and starts hunting you down. It is immune to your magic.

04-05 A fiend of a CR equal to your level +2 appears suddenly and attacks you.

06-07 For the next 24 hours every servant of the Iconnu becomes hostile and attacks you and they
know where you are.

08-09 The sky darkens and a fiend with a CR equal to your level +1 descends from above and
attacks

10-11 Your Dark Adversary manifests within 10 miles. Its CR is equal to your level, it looks and
sounds like you and has your memories. It has the same Arcanum ranks as you and knows
every rote you know. It has 7 days to kill you

12-13 For the next 24 hours every sleeper you've ever encountered becomes hostile and hunts you.

14-15 A fireball explodes at your feet. You and each creature within 20 feet of you who must make a
Dexterity saving throw vs your spell save DC, taking 6d6 fire damage on a failed save, or half
as much on a successful one

16-17 For 24 hours you can't cast magic, and everytime you try you suffer a backlash

18-19 Your body turns to stone and you gain the petrified condition. The process cannot be stopped
or reversed. After 3 days you return to normal

20-21 You are cursed as per the bestow curse spell. The GM chooses the nature of the curse. It
lasts 24 hours.

22-23 You become infected with cackle fever that cannot be cured by magic.

24-25 You transform into a random object for 1 hour, during which time you are considered petrified.

26-27 You stand amid a circular wall of energy with a radius of 15 feet. Any creature in any of the
spaces covered by this energy must make a Dexterity save vs your spell DC or take 5d8
damage (cold, fire, necrotic, radiant, or electricity). The wall of energy remains for 1 minute.

28-29 You are sickened for 24 hours

30-31 For the next minute, every creature within 60 feet of you that hears you speak only hears
insults as if you are casting vicious mockery at them.

32-33 You immediately drop to 0 hit points.

34-36 You are immediately shunted to the Near Umbra (Ethereal Plane) and are stuck there for 24
hours. You cannot leave even with the aid of magic.

37-39 A loud boom emanates from you. All creatures within 15 feet take 2d8 explosive damage and

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 must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or be deafened for 1
minute

40-42 You lose the ability to see for 1 day.

43-45 You lose the ability to hear for 1 day.

46-48 For 24 hours all food and drink you eat becomes ash in your mouth

49-51 For 24 hours everything you say is gibberish, even your thoughts, unstandable only to
yourself

52-54 You lose the ability to understand any written language for 1 day

55-57 You cast polymorph on yourself. If you fail the saving throw, you turn into a random beast for
the spell's duration.

58-60 Your spellcasting ability is decreased by 2 for 1 day

61-63 You teleport 1 mile in a random direction

64-66 You jump forward in time exactly 1 minute, for everyone else, you cease to exist during that
time.

67-69 For 1 hour you gain the ability to breathe underwater but lose the ability to breathe air

70-71 You become heavily intoxicated for 2d6 hours, during which you must roll a d4 and subtract
the result when making an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw that uses any ability other
than Charisma

72-73 You cast grease centered on yourself.

74-75 You lose proficiency on all skill checks for 6 hours.

76-77 A globe of darkness appears centered on you and cannot be dispelled for 1 hour

78-79 For the next minute, any object or creature you touch takes 2d6 lightning damage.

80-81 For the next minute, any flammable object you touch that isn't being worn or carried by
another creature bursts into flame.

82-83 You hear a ringing in your ears for 1 minute. During this time, casting spells requires a Con
check against your spell save DC.

84-85 Roll a d6. On a roll of 1-3 your Strength is decreased by 2 for 1 hour. On a roll of 4-6 your
Dexterity is decreased by 2 for 1 hour.

86-87 Plants grow around you and you are restrained for 1 minute.

88-89 You are surrounded by a faint, offensive odor for 1 day. You gain disadvantage on all
Charisma checks

90-91 You have terrible luck for 24 hours. How this manifests is up to the GM.

92-93 Your skin turns a vibrant shade of blue. A remove curse spell can end this effect.

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 94-95 All animals are hostile to you for 1 day

96-97 Your hair falls out but grows back over 24 hours

98-99 For 24 hours to move anywhere you must walk backwards (half speed)

00 Your size decreases by one size category for the next hour.

Rote Spells
Rotes are well-known mage spells, simpler and easier to cast than improvised spells.
They have a reduced casting cost as shown in the Mana Cost by Potency table. All
player character mages know all of these rotes; in mage society, they are as popular
and rehearsed as songs by the Beatles. You can cast these rotes as-is or tweak the
spell factors to suit your needs, but tampering with a rote this way on the fly makes it an
improvised spell, and thus harder to cast.

Adding metamagic attainments to the spell does not stop it from being a rote however,
so if you have the silent or still spell metamagic attainments you could add them and
cast these as rote spells.

Each rote includes an explanation of its potency, Arcanum required, mana cost, spell
factors, and the Spellcraft DC as well as a description of what it does.

Alarm
Arcanum: 1 Forces or 1 Mind (Initiate)
Potency: 1
Casting Time: 1 minute
Area: 20ft cube
Range: Originates from caster
Duration: 8 hours (triggered)
Cost: 8 (rote), 10 (improvised)
Spellcraft DC: 10 (rote), 15 (improvised)

When you cast the spell a 20ft cube around you becomes alarmed against unwanted
intrusion. You determine what size or type of creature triggers the alarm. For example,
you can have the spell ignore anything of small size or smaller, or only react to women,
or tigers, someone not wearing a particular uniform or visible insignia or someone who
doesn't speak an appropriate word or phrase.

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If you use Forces to cast the spell it produces an audible alarm with the sound of a bell
that can be heard up to 60ft away. If you use Mind then the alarm alerts you with a
telepathic ping if you are within 1 mile of the warded area.

Alter Aura
Arcanum: 1 Mind or 1 Prime (Initiate)
Potency: 1
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Area: Caster only
Range: Self
Duration: 8 hours
Cost: 5 (rote), 7 (improvised)
Spellcraft DC: 10 (rote), 15 (improvised)

You change your aura, projecting whatever emotions or traits you desire and hiding
your true nature. You cannot change your aura's obvious type (it always looks like a
mage's aura rather than a vampire or werewolf).

Alter Size
Arcanum: 2 Life (apprentice)
Potency: 2
Casting Time: 1 action
Area: 1 creature
Range: 30ft
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
Cost: 7 (rote), 8 (improvised)
Spellcraft DC: 12 (rote), 18 (improvised)

You cause a living creature you can see within range to grow larger or smaller for the
duration. If the target is unwilling, it can make a Constitution saving throw. On a
success, the spell has no effect.

Enlarge The target's size doubles in all dimensions, and its weight is multiplied by eight.
This growth increases its size by one category – from Medium to Large, for example. If
there isn't enough room for the target to double its size, the creature or object attains
the maximum possible size in the space available. Until the spell ends, the target also
has advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.

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The target's weapons also grow to match its new size. While these weapons are
enlarged, the target's attack with them deal 1d4 extra damage.

Reduce The target's size is halved in all dimensions, and its weight is reduced to one-
eighth of normal. This reduction decreases its size by one category – from Medium to
Small, for example. Until the spell ends, the target also has disadvantage on Strength
checks and Strength saving throws. The target's weapons also shrink to match its new
size. While these weapons are reduced, the target's attacks with them deal 1d4 less
damage (this can't reduce the damage below 1).

Variation (2 Death). Affects undead creatures.

Variation (2 Matter). Affects objects or constructs.

Analyze Life
Arcanum: 1 Life (initiate)
Potency: 1
Casting Time: 1 action
Area: 1 creature
Range: 10ft
Duration: Instantaneous
Cost: 1 (rote), 3 (improvised)
Spellcraft DC: 10 (rote), 15 (improvised)

You learn the species, age and gender of a nearby living thing. You may identify
supernatural creatures (demons, vampires, werewolves) with this spell, but if you have
never examined one before, the spell tells you the species is "unknown." Sleepers,
aware, chosen and mages are all detected as human.

Annihilate Matter
Arcanum: 2 Matter (apprentice)
Potency: 2
Casting Time: 1 action
Area: 1 object
Range: Touch
Duration: Instantaneous
Cost: 3 (rote), 4 (improvised)
Spellcraft DC: DC: 12 (rote), 18 (improvised)

You touch an object and do 5d8 force damage, ignoring its damage threshold (if any). If
this damage reduces the target's hit points to 0, the item disintegrates, leaving nothing

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behind, not even dust. If the object is being held, worn, or carried by a target creature
you must make a melee spell attack against the creature's AC to activate this spell.

BS Guess
Arcanum: 1 Fate (initiate)
Potency: 1
Casting Time: 1 action
Area: 1 object
Range: Touch
Duration: Instantaneous
Cost: 0 (rote), 2 (improvised)
Spellcraft DC: DC: 10 (rote), 15 (improvised)

You make a wild guess about the properties of an object you touch and happen to
somehow be right. If it is a magic item or some other magic-imbued object, you learn its
properties and how to use them, whether it requires attunement to use, and how many
charges it has, if any. You learn whether any spells are affecting the item and what they
are. If the item was created by a spell, you learn which spell created it. This is always a
covert spell.

Zap
Arcanum: 1 Forces (initiate)
Potency: 1
Casting Time: 1 action
Area: 1 creature or object
Range: 30 ft.
Duration: Instantaneous
Cost: 1 (rote), 3 (improvised)
Spellcraft DC: DC: 10 (rote), 15 (improvised)

You cause electricity to strike a creature within 30 feet. The creature makes a Dexterity
save, taking 2d10 damage on a failure. This is a vulgar spell unless you somehow
disguise it with the use of the environment.

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