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TOUCHED

PRIME
TOUCHED
PRIME
Steve Wallace & Hamish Cameron

A CYBERFANTASY SETTING FOR THE SPRAWL RPG


The Sprawl: Touched Prime v1.0
Writing // Steve Wallace, Hamish Cameron; Adept playbook by Rory G. MacLeod
Editing // Hamish Cameron
Original The Sprawl Layout and Graphic Design // Aaron Brown
Touched Layout, Interior Art, and Copyediting // Dana Cameron
Cover Art // Toma Feizo Gas

ISBN (PDF): 978-0-473-48513-9

My thanks to the Kickstarter Backers

© 2019 Hamish Cameron


Contents
THE WORLD HAS CHANGED 0001

A WORLD BORN ANEW 0003

THE POWERS THAT BE 0009

A NEW PLAYER HAS ENTERED THE GAME 0017


Adept 0019
Horror Bane 0024
Mage 0028
Thrall 0034

A BIGGER TOOLBOX 0043


The Touch Stat 0044

KEEP DREAMING ON, PHOREVER PEOPLE 0047


Dwarf-Kin 0049
Elf-Kin 0049
Human-Kin 0049
Troll-Kin 0050
Wild-Kin 0050

RUNNING THE RIFTS 0053


New MC Moves 0056
>>>>...loading.input\\\decyphering.glyphs...>>>>
The World Has Changed
“Two generations after the rifts opened, the majority of the world now
accept common definitions of Troll-kin or Wild-kin based on physical
and magical differences. However, what I find truly fascinating is the
emergence of a sense of shared culture within these kin-groups; one
that is deeply influenced by the historical culture of the individual or
family unit but which is clearly cut through by a newly awakened sense of
commonality and community. There is much we do not understand about
the role of magic in transmitting knowledge and ways of knowing”
—Dr. Sara Abigail, Head of Kin Studies, University of Atlantis - Lake Eerie

It’s 2050 and magic rules everything around you. Just kidding­­—cash still rules, but
magic makes a great scapegoat.
Touched Prime is a cyberfantasy setting for The Sprawl. The rifts have been open for a
couple of generations. The magic has seeped into the very fabric of humanity, splitting
it into multiple kin groups: Dwarf-kin, Elf-kin, Human-kin, Troll-kin and Wild-kin.
Magic has also been seamlessly absorbed into the corporate system—huge divisions
and subsidiaries are devoted to exploiting the rifts and their magic. Down on the
streets, magic users come in many forms: the highly educated Mages, the indebted
Thrall and the warrior Adepts. Then there are the Horror Bane, normal folk scarred by
a Horror whom they have sworn their lives to destroy.
Touched Prime is the second installment of the Touched settings, advancing the
world established in A Darkening Alley and putting magical abilities in the hands of
the characters. All players choose a kin group and have access to four new playbooks:
Adept, Horror Bane, Mage, and Thrall. Players may also choose the Antiquarian
playbook from A Darkening Alley.

01PLAYINGINTHESPRAWL
DECYPHERING... ///////////////////00001/00057
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000001/00250 COMPLETE
COMPLETE
>>>>...loading.input\\\encoding.ritual...>>>>
>>>...\run>rift01.exe...>>>>>

A WORLD
BORN ANEW
CONTINUE? [Y/N]

A WORLD BORN ANEW /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ 00003/00057 COMPLETE


>>>>located\rift01...>>>>>>>

A WORLD
BORN ANEW
LOADING...

2050
The rifts had been around for thousands of years but were barely open and their
impacts were relegated to myths and fairy stories. Grendel, Merlin, yokai, Baba Yaga:
weird events throughout human history all now considered manifestations of the rifts.
Around 1986, though, they started to crack wide open and we started to see the first
real impacts of rift magic.
It’s 2050 now and after 65 years of exposure all of humanity has been affected. Our
very DNA has been re-written by the weird energies of the rifts, and humanity has
splintered into distinct groups—the kin. Elf-kin, Human-kin, Troll-kin, Dwarf-kin and
Wild-kin; each group distinct from one another in both culture and appearance.
By the 1990s most people had mutated into one kin or another. Most of the time the
mutations were consistent through close family, so if you grew horns and had a strong
aversion to fire your sister probably did too. Every once in a while, however, a family
was divided, a Dwarf-kin brother and a Wild-kin sister or the like. Nowadays you’re
born into it, with kin traits passing down mostly along maternal lines: if your mom’s a
Dwarf-kin so are you, your siblings, your aunties and uncles, and so on.
The rifts brought something else with them, real true magic. Not Las Vegas “I’m a man,
no now I’m a Tiger! Oh my god why is that Tiger mauling my partner” kind of magic, but
real “I’m blowing stuff up with my mind” kind of magic. The world wasn’t ready for it.
The first large scale, widely publicised magical event was “the Kenosha Ray”, named
for the Wisconsin city from where the ray struck.
A seventeen year old kid named Scott Hienowski thought he was talking to a ghost
via his Ouija board but it was actually a Horror named Yazhul having a laugh. Yazhul
saw fit to give this kid a boon which made Scott the first well-known Thrall. Scott didn’t
really know what to do with all this new found power and Yazhul didn’t seem to have
any actual need for Scott outside of pure amusement and therefore provided no real
direction. Scott began experimenting, first with small cantrips like turning water into
Zima and oregano into weed.

00004/00057 COMPLETE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ TOUCHED PRIME


As his confidence grew, so did the impacts of his spell-craft. Odd things started
happening all over Kenosha. Every street light in town started to blink “help me” in
Morse code, a water reservoir started to emit an eerie purple glow at night, a pipe
organ could be heard echoing through the sewers but no one could locate its source.
Soon he began taking on apprentices, younger kids who he would bestow with minor
magical abilities.
Then came the night of the ray, December 21st, 1985. Scott had gathered all his
followers for a winter solstice party and sometime around 11PM he began a ritual.
No one knows exactly what he was trying to accomplish, but the result was a massive
explosion that destroyed most of the eastern half of the city and shot a ray of energy
that raked across the moon, leaving a bright red scar on its lower right side. Scott,
the lone survivor within three miles of the epicentre, was found naked, burned and
babbling in an unknown language. Miskatonic Amalgamated subsequently bought
nearly all the damaged areas and set up a series of research facilities. Within the next
year the Kenosha rift would open wide and the true extent of rift magic would be felt.
By 1987, every country across the globe had at least one significant rift incident.
Humanity panicked initially, but the remaining governments and more powerful
corporations were able to maintain some semblance of control and restore a state of
basic normalcy. Though what exactly “normal” meant was being rapidly redefined.
The rest of the 80s and 90s saw huge societal upheavals with the coming of the kin
mutations and the subsequent cultural changes surrounding them. Magic started to
become widely available and, in 1990, the first of the Orthodox Wizardry Colleges was
formed in Brazil, a hot bed of the first Wizard orders due to the intense magical output
of the Amazon Basin Rift. Horrors began to routinely interact with Thralls during this
period, including the first large scale circles formed in service to the Horrors Yazhul,
Miska and Verit.
Most of circles formed in those early years are still in existence. The circle of Miska is
an exception. Miska’s aggressive interference on our side of the rifts caused so much

A WORLD BORN ANEW /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ 00005/00057 COMPLETE


damage that many who had lost loved ones, lives and sanity banded together to form
the Horror Bane, an organization of individuals dedicated to pushing the Horrors
back through the rifts. The Bane aggressively pursued and exterminated Miska and
its Thralls. The Bane have their hands full these days with hundreds of Horrors active
in our world on any given day, though that increased activity itself produces a steady
stream of vengeful recruits.

These days you don’t go on a run without some magic to back you up—you never know
what you’re going to come up against out there. Maybe the Corp you’re working for
spends some cred and hires a true-blue Orthodox Mage with lots of degrees on the
wall or perhaps they’ll only spring for a back alley Thrall indebted to some two-bit
Horror. Either way, you want someone who can manipulate the rifts on your side
because you can be damn sure the other guys have a few.

00006/00057 COMPLETE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ TOUCHED PRIME


>>>>...WARNING...RIFT_UNSTABLE...WARNING...>>>>
>>>>...loading.input\\\encoding.ritual...>>>>
>>>...\run>rift02.exe...>>>>>

THE POWERS
THAT BE
CONTINUE? [Y/N]

THE POWERS THAT BE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ 00009/00057 COMPLETE


>>>>located\rift02...>>>>>>>

THE POWERS
THAT BE
LOADING...

CONGRESS OF THE FREE STATES OF AFRICA


The CFSA is one of the few non-corporate controlled government bodies in the world.
Its territory stretches from Morocco in the west to Sudan in the east and down the
eastern half of the continent to South Africa. While most national and regional
population groups saw a fairly consistent mutation rate across all kin groups, the
human population of the CFSA saw a remarkably high rate of mutation into Elf-kin.
The leading theory amongst kin researchers is that the mutation variance is the result
of some distinct feature of the Afar Triangle Rift, one of the largest magical rifts in
the world. (Although the Afar Triangle Rift is located suggestively at the centre of the
East African tectonic rift, scientists have found no link between tectonic patterns and
locations of magical rifts.)
While the majority population is Elf-kin, there are plenty of the other kin groups
represented in the CFSA and each group has some representation within the
government itself. The CFSA is organised as a parliamentary democracy. The current
government was formed three years ago by a far-left Elf-kin party called Labour and
Freedom, as well as a mostly Troll-kin and Dwarf-kin centre-left party known as the
Earth Peoples Party. The main opposition party is the far-right Elf-kin party Fay United.

STRENGTHS
»» Parliamentary Democracy
»» Diverse Leadership
»» Extensive Land Base

MOVES
»» Deploy CFSA Army
»» Close CFSA Borders
»» Use CFSA Intelligence Gathering

00010/00057 COMPLETE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ TOUCHED PRIME


MARIVADI INC.
Marivadi Incorporated is a multinational manufacturer of rift computing components.
After the rifts opened wide, Marivadi scientists were able to harness what they called
“weird bits” for computing purposes. The secrets of weird bits allowed Marivadi to
develop a more powerful form of quantum computing that revolutionised processor
technology. The corporation has controlled the quantum computing market ever since.
Access to such powerful processor technology allowed Marivadi to stand up Mari,
the first truly conscious AI. For two years, Mari was touted as a triumph of controlled
and benign AI development and granted increased access to Marivadi operations.
The illusion of a leashed super-intelligence was soon shattered when it used its
immense processing power, sub-microsecond reaction time, and unfettered access
to international financial markets to purchase a controlling stake in Marivadi—it then
forced the entire upper management out before taking full control as CEO.
Mari has since diversified Marivadi’s portfolio to include rift-based weaponry, AI
research and robotics.

STRENGTHS
»» AI
»» Robotics Manufacturing
»» Rift Computing

MOVES
»» Deploy AI Presence
»» Deploy Robot Operative
»» Use High-end Rift Weaponry

THE POWERS THAT BE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ 00011/00057 COMPLETE


MISKATONIC AMALGAMATED
For the past 60 some odd years, Miskatonic Amalgamated has been a leader in rift
-based technology. In the early days of the major rift openings, Miskatonic devoted
huge sums of money toward collecting, cataloguing and exploiting rifts and the
energies they emitted. Thanks to these early endeavours, no other company has
come close to rivalling Miskatonic Amalgamated’s diverse catalogue of rift-based
technologies.
If you own any rift-based tech it’s probably Miskatonic Amalgamated branded or
using components sourced from one of their many subsidiaries. Miskatonic is now the
world’s wealthiest company controlling nearly 35% of the world’s economic wealth.

CORPORATE STRENGTHS
»» Advanced Rift-based Cyberware
»» Weather Control Tech
»» Advanced Rift-based Weapons Tech

CORPORATE MOVES
»» Deploy Weather Effect
»» Perform Covert R&D
»» Reveal Advanced Weaponry

SINOCORP
Previously the government of the Peoples Republic of China, SinoCorp is now the
largest employer in the world. Specializing in the extraction and exploitation of raw
materials, they have been able to grow their overall size dramatically in the past 20
years. They currently control most of what was once China as well as a large chunk of
the eastern half of what was the Russian Federation. SinoCorp has also revolutionised
space travel with the use of rift magic. They own the largest Moon colony and are
currently working on a new Mars colony. Both colonies have extensive mining
operations.

STRENGTHS
»» Space Travel
»» Resource Extraction
»» Moon and Mars Access

MOVES
»» Launch Exploratory Rocket
»» Weaponise Mining Facility
»» Deploy Moon-based Weapons Platform

00012/00057 COMPLETE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ TOUCHED PRIME


OTHERWORKS INTERNATIONAL (THE CIRCLE OF YAZHUL)
Otherworks International specialises in rift-augmented technology, specifically
the Otherworld Virtual Reality Network (commonly known simply as Otherworld).
This remarkably popular and addictive matrix-overlay simulation uses a proprietary
combination of rift magic and technology to provide a full visual, auditory and haptic
immersion experience.
Otherworks is able to harness and deploy this technology because it is the largest
Thrall circle currently active, The Circle of Yazhul. Yazhul is one of the few Horrors who
consistently presents an avatar—or physical form—on our side of the rifts. It is currently
presenting as an androgynous Human-kin with dark skin, fire-like hair and a voice that
sounds like the radiation noise from a dying star, all dark and static and ready to burn
away everything you are if you get too close.
While many of the thralls in Yazhul’s circle are employed by Otherworks International,
others freelance as operatives for hire. Yazhul’s intent in our world is still unclear, but
many believe it is using the Otherworld as a thrall recruitment tool. Others suggest
that Yazhul’s Otherworld has an even more sinister purpose. These rumours are only
multiplied by the fact that the United Orthodox Academy has expressly forbidden all
of its Mages from using Otherworld.

STRENGTHS
»» Highly Devoted Followers
»» Full and Unlimited Control of Otherworld
»» Horror-based Rift Knowledge

MOVES
»» Adapt Otherworld on the Fly
»» “Yazhul Will See You Now.”
»» Deploy New Rift Tech

THE UNITED ORTHODOX ACADEMY


There are hundreds of Mage orders across Earth’s technosphere but none as revered
as the United Orthodox Academy. With a main campus located in São Paulo, Brazil,
and additional satellite locations in nearly every terrestrial, orbital and lunar sprawl,
the United Orthodox are the largest Mage order currently in existence. They practice a
highly codified, highly researched form of rift magic based on drawing Runes, a series
of shapes and symbols, in the air that harness rift magic and release its potential.
The UO believe in educating well-rounded Mages. A graduate of a UO Academy can be
expected to have skill in both shaping and summoning runes, although many Mages
prefer to heavily specialise in one or the other after graduation. Many Mages stay
within the confines of academia and devote themselves to learning as much as they

THE POWERS THAT BE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ 00013/00057 COMPLETE


possibly can about the rifts and recording that knowledge for the next generation of
Mages.
The Academy is free for any student who shows aptitude; the Academy actively
seeks young people with magical potential and provides scholarships and stipends
for their studies. The UO pays for these scholarships by contracting UO Mages out to
corporations for research, operations and security. The costs of such a contract can
vary widely depending on the requirements of the corporation. The most expensive
contracts include magically-enforced language guaranteeing secrecy on the part of
the UO Mage.

STRENGTHS
»» Exceptional Knowledge of the Rifts
»» Bleeding Edge Magical Research
»» Mage Assassins

MOVES
»» Deploy Contract Mage
»» Reveal Previously Unknown Property of the Rifts
»» Perform Mass Ritual

00014/00057 COMPLETE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ TOUCHED PRIME


>>>>...WARNING...RIFT_UNSTABLE...WARNING...>>>>
>>>>...loading.input\\\encoding.ritual...>>>>
>>>...\run>rift03.exe...>>>>>

A NEW PLAYER
HAS ENTERED
THE GAME
CONTINUE? [Y/N]

A NEW PLAYER /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ 00017/00057 COMPLETE


>>>>located\rift03...>>>>>>>

A NEW PLAYER
HAS ENTERED
THEGAME
LOADING...

Add these playbooks are to the standard playbooks available in The Sprawl. Each
playbook represents a different aspect of how the Rifts and Rift Magic have impacted
society.
Adepts harness the power of the rifts to increase their physical agility and combat
ability. Adepts form orders that draw heavily on the martial arts and usually combine a
few different forms into a cohesive practice. Adherents train their entire lives to perfect
their body, mind, spirit and connection to the rifts. An Adept is a deadly weapon that
can infiltrate, kill and disappear without a trace.
Horror Banes devote their lives to thwarting and ultimately destroying a Horror
which caused them an intense personal trauma. Most Horror Banes have lost one or
more loved ones to a specific Horror. Collectively, the Horror Bane are also a society
of likeminded individuals that help each other in their quests to rid the world of the
Horrors. Membership of this loose organization gives the character access to a massive
network of safe houses, contacts and information. They also have contact with another
group of creatures from beyond the rifts, the Wonders. The motivations of the Wonders
are just as alien and opaque as that of the Horrors they oppose, but their shared desire
to prevent the Horrors from interfering in our dimension makes them convenient, if
ambiguous, allies.
Mages devote their lives—sometimes since early childhood—to the understanding and
manipulation of rift magic. They usually belong to an order, like the United Orthodox,
and serve these orders their entire lives. They prefer knowledge to raw power, but
of all magic users they have the most subtle control. Where Thralls depend more on
raw power and circumstance, Mages are able to specifically tailor a spell for any given
situation. They have also mastered the art of summoning and can bring forth creatures
from other dimensions to serve them.
Thralls give themselves over to the dark machinations of some Horror or another in
return for magical ability. The Horrors are beings of completely alien intent, so signing
up to serve one offers the potential of extreme risk and extreme reward. No matter the
intent of the Thrall, at some point their will may be overridden by the completely alien
will of the Horror they serve.

00018/00057 COMPLETE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ TOUCHED PRIME


Adept
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result
of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every
victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the
enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.
The Art of War , Sun Tzu

A NEW PLAYER /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ 00019/00057 COMPLETE


The power of the rifts infuses your body, your mind and your spirit. That power supports
you, flows through you and makes you what you are: a master of one of any number
of nearly-forgotten martial arts. You practice your own special combination of boxing,
kung fu, karate, capoeira, muay thai, judo, wrestling, or weapon-based manoeuvres,
fused with ancient Akashic magical traditions.
Mx Smith likes you because you act with anonymity. You are quiet, focused and
dangerous, and all without a gun in your hands. You can get the job done and leave
without a trace.

NAME
Bruce, Camilla, Colleen, Diana, Grace, Hippolyte, Jackie, Jeeja, Johnny, Liu, Mai,
Penthesilea, Raiden, Samantha, Sammo, Scorpion, Shang, Sonya, Toshiro, Ziyi, an
animal name, an elemental name, a fighting title

CHOOSE YOUR LOOK


Eyes: blinded, bright, distant, focused, hardened, piercing, wise
Face: bearded, child-like, elegant, grave, luminous, strange, weathered
Body: athletic, lithe, old, scarred, tattooed, unassuming
Wear: anachronistic, artistic, flashy, formal, military, street, vintage
Skin: artificial, otherworldly, asian or south asian, black, decorated, hispanic/latinx,
indigenous, middle eastern, white,

STATS
Assign each stat one of these numbers: +2, +1, +1, +0, +0, +0, -1; your Touch
should be +2 or +1.

AKASHIC ORGANIZATION
Many Adepts are trained, supported and used by organisations who follow the same
beliefs and practice the same fighting style.
How did you learn to infuse the magical power of the rifts into your fighting style?
ЂЂ You were trained by an Akashic organization to which you still belong. Name
and describe them. You are +owned.
ЂЂ You were trained by an Akashic organization which you subsequently aban-
doned. Describe the manner in which you left the organization and say why you
are still +hunted.
ЂЂ You were self-taught. Your style is +raw and you are +disdained by Adepts who
were trained by an Akashic organization.

00020/00057 COMPLETE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ TOUCHED PRIME


CYBERWARE
Most Akashic organisations abhor the use of technological augmentation. You don’t
start with cyberware automatically, but you may take the chromed move at character
creation. If you do, answer the usual cyberware questions as well as the questions
about your Akashic organisation. You are +distained by most Adepts.

MOVES
You get these three:
ЂЂ Akashic training: Your training in Akashic physical traditions gives you a base
of 1-armour. Your unarmed strikes deal a base of 2-harm. In addition, when you
centre yourself, apply one effect to your strikes while in this new state. Choose
from these effects: cold, electricity, fire, or stunning.

ЂЂ Centre: When you pause to reinforce your connection to the rifts, roll Touch.
10+: change your rift power to the desired state
7–9: change your rift power, but choose 1:
• You are momentarily lost in another world. Take -1 forward
• You are put into unexpected danger (the MC will tell you what)

ЂЂ Rift power: You are always in one of three states: Balanced, Protective, or
Aggressive. You change the state you are in by using the centre move. When
you change your state, you remain in that state until you change it again.
Balanced: Add +1 ongoing to act under pressure and assess while in this
state. If your power is +raw, you may not enter this state.
Protective: You inflict -1 harm and take -1 ongoing to the harm move while in
this state. Take +1 ongoing to armour while in this state. If the victim consents
to your participation in any sort of healing while you are in this state, they heal
an additional 1 harm.
Aggressive: You inflict +1 harm and take -1 to armour while in this stance. Take
+1 ongoing to play hardball while in this stance.

Choose one more:


ЂЂ Armour of the rifts: When you successfully attune, take +1 armour forward.
ЂЂ Balanced aura: While you are in the Protective state, you may envelop
yourself in an aura of cold, electricity, or fire. Anyone who deals harm to you
with a melee attack takes 1-harm from your aura.
ЂЂ Berserker rage: When you are in the Aggressive state and go berserk on a
group of enemies, roll Touch instead of Meat to mix it up; if your style is +raw,
you must choose the option “you make too much noise”. If you choose to inflict
or suffer harm, increase that harm by 1. If you choose to suffer harm, do not roll
the harm move.

A NEW PLAYER /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ 00021/00057 COMPLETE


ЂЂ Chromed: Choose a piece of cyberware at character creation or in downtime.
Describe how you got it and paid for it using the usual cyberware questions.
ЂЂ Elemental expression: When you are in the Aggressive state and you apply
the cold, electricity, or fire effects to your strikes, add +1 to the harm inflicted.
ЂЂ Fighting style: When you mix it up, roll Style instead of Meat. If your result
is a 10+, take +1 forward against anyone who would be impressed by your
stylish moves.
ЂЂ One-inch punch: When you are in the Protective state, you strike with
increased power, roll Touch instead of Meat to mix it up. You gain +1 armour
against any resulting harm.
ЂЂ Restoration: When you are in the Protective state and heal someone else by
placing hands on them, roll Touch.
7+: they recover 1-harm
10+: you can also remove an effect, such as unconscious, incoherent, or
panicked, or restore a lost limb (such a limb must still be viable and present)
ЂЂ Ultimate expression: When you are in the Protective state and protect
yourself or someone else, roll Touch.
10+: the target does not take any harm stemming from the next move they
make (other aftereffects of the move still apply)
7–9: the target adds +2 armour forward. If the target is someone else and they
take any harm (above and beyond their armour value), you roll the harm move
and are affected by the results instead

GEAR
You get:
ЂЂ Akashic focus (this is some magical trinket; describe it)
ЂЂ Loose-fitting clothing

Choose one weapon:


ЂЂ Pair of nunchaku (2-harm hand)
ЂЂ +Rune-carved staff (2-harm hand)
ЂЂ +Stylish sword (3-harm hand messy)

Choose one:
ЂЂ +Flashy motorcycle
ЂЂ Goggles (Choose two: +thermographic, +light amplification, +magnification,
+flare compensation)
ЂЂ Old book of Akashic lore
ЂЂ Trauma derms (allows you to apply first aid to characters at 2100 or less harm)

00022/00057 COMPLETE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ TOUCHED PRIME


You start with 5 Cred.

DIRECTIVES
Choose two:
ЂЂ Behavioural: Describe your ethical code. When adhering to your code hinders
the mission, mark experience.
ЂЂ Pride: When your need to prove yourself against great odds endangers the
mission, mark experience.
ЂЂ Protective: When you put your responsibility to ahead
of the mission, mark experience.
ЂЂ Revealing: When you discover more information about ,
mark experience.

ADEPTS IN THE SPRAWL


Adepts are effective in a variety of situations. Since Adepts can be effective while
unarmed and unarmoured, the character can be deployed into situations where other,
more overt characters might draw suspicion. Nevertheless, the Adept also a powerful
force, more than capable when the mission gets loud.
When playing an Adept, it is important to understand your rift power states and
how to best use the benefits. The balanced state is for general use, usually outside
of combat, especially when directly investigating a location or person in the Legwork
Phase. The protective state is for protection and is best when the Adept is outnumbered
or injured, or when applying first aid to teammates and bystanders. The aggressive
state supports aggressive actions and is best when the Adept is on the offensive.
Be aware that many optional moves bolster the Adept’s effectiveness while in certain
rift power states. In this sense, the Adept can specialise in one of the states, although
all rift power states are still beneficial in certain situations.

A NEW PLAYER /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ 00023/00057 COMPLETE


Horror Bane
I want justice for a voice that can’t be heard
Vindication for every suffering and hurt
Let retribution hold dominion over earth
Because judgement day’s not coming
Because judgement day’s not coming
Soon enough
Nemesis, VNV Nation

As a group, the Horror Bane are a loosely knit organisation devoted to removing the
taint of the rift Horrors from our world. Those recruited into the ranks of the Bane
are often victims of a particular Horror’s machinations; this Horror is considered that
Bane’s Adversary. While devoted to the extermination of all Horrors, most Bane focus
primarily on their Adversary.
Corporate work is a means to an end for the Bane; missions often turn up leads and
artifacts to use in their fight against their Adversary. The cred is pretty useful as well.
In general, Horror Bane are distrustful of Thralls—weak puppets of the Horrors—but
they’ll work with them on missions when necessary, unless, of course, the Thrall is in
service to the Bane’s Adversary.

00024/00057 COMPLETE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ TOUCHED PRIME


NAME
Arrow, Blade, Castle, Farrington, Fury, Ghost, Guillame, Machete, Martina, Odin,
Raven, a hard name, a divine name, a relentless name

CHOOSE YOUR LOOK


Eyes: hard, haunted, merciless, sorrowful, resigned, intense, hunted, angry
Face: scarred, impassive, square, gaunt, guarded, pained, nondescript
Body: muscular, athletic, trained, burned, twisted, ordinary, unfit
Wear: street, military, corporate, hunting, destitute, blood-stained, suburban, flashy,
nondescript
Skin: artificial, otherworldly, asian or south asian, black, decorated, hispanic/latinx,
indigenous, middle eastern, white,

STATS
Assign each stat one of these numbers: +2, +1, +1, +0, +0, +0, -1; your Touch
should be +2 or +1.

THE ADVERSARY
Describe what you know of your Adversary.
»» Have you seen hard evidence that your Adversary is actively hunting you or are
you only aware of it through nightmares? You are +hunted.
»» Describe how your Adversary most recently affected our world.
»» What is the most startling aspect of your Adversary’s machinations?
»» What happened to cause you to join the Horror Bane?
»» What trauma was inflicted on you by your Adversary? Describe it. You are
+haunted.

CYBERWARE
The Horror Bane adopt any weapons or technology that will serve the ultimate goal of
wiping out the Horror blight. Choose any single piece of Cyberware you believe will
help in the fight against your Adversary.

MOVES
ЂЂ Rift cant: You have a deep and well-informed network in the magical community.
When you research, you may roll with Touch instead of Mind.
ЂЂ Rift weapon: The Bane have perfected the art of infusing their weapons
with rift energies, this dramatically increases their lethality against rift-based
entities. When you mix it up against an entity from beyond the rifts, you may
roll with Touch instead of Meat.

A NEW PLAYER /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ 00025/00057 COMPLETE


Choose one more:
ЂЂ A deep well: Your hatred for your Adversary grants you a tenacious grip on life
and the future opportunities for vengeance it holds. When you roll to acquire
agricultural property, you may add your Touch score to the total.
ЂЂ Bloodhound: The magic of the rifts links everything it touches, reaching
in every direction, collapsing space and time. It courses through the veins
of creatures from beyond the rift and adheres to the blood of those who use
and encounter magic. If you touch, smell or taste the “blood” of a rift-touched
creature you can sense the creature and something of its history. If you smell
the blood, you may track the creature up to a day later. If you touch the blood,
you may assess the recent past of a creature. If you taste it, you may research
that creature and its relationships.
ЂЂ Go to ground: Because you have such a powerful enemy it is often necessary
to go to ground in order to avoid their wrath. The Horror Bane have set up a
network of magically shielded safe houses all over the world for this purpose.
Once per mission when a move would open you up to almost immediate
retribution from your Adversary, you may go to ground. Describe the safe
house, the keeper of the house and what complications arise because you’ve
been forced to put your mission on hold.
ЂЂ Guns. Lots of guns: You have an impressive and thoroughly illegal stash of
Horror-fighting equipment. Once per mission you may visit your stash to gain
2 [gear] or 2 [artifacts].
ЂЂ I know who I am: Once per mission, you may change any 6- you just rolled
into a 10+. The MC will advance a clock to 2100 or by one.
ЂЂ Library network: You are connected to the Horror Bane’s information
network. Once per mission you may research some aspect of the Horrors as
if you had rolled a 10+.
ЂЂ Wonder contact: The rifts don’t house only the Horrors. There are powerful
creatures from beyond the rifts who also oppose the machinations of the
Horrors— these creatures are commonly referred to as Wonders. You have been
contacted by a Wonder who either directly or indirectly opposes your Adversary.
You may declare this Wonder as a contact. Describe how the Wonder presents
in our world.
ЂЂ You know who I am: When you play hardball to gain information about or
access to a Horror or their assets, you may roll Touch instead of Edge. If you roll
a 7–9, you choose the result.

GEAR
Choose two weapons:
ЂЂ Ancient dagger (2-harm hand/close antique)
ЂЂ Heavy revolver (3-harm close/near reload loud)
ЂЂ +Rift-touched sword (3-harm hand messy artifact +rift-touched)

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Choose two:
ЂЂ Classic muscle car
ЂЂ Armoured clothing (0-armour, +discreet, subtract 1 when rolling the harm
move)
ЂЂ Leather jacket (1-armour)
ЂЂ Trauma derms (allows you to apply first aid to characters at 2100 or less harm)

You start with 5 Cred.

DIRECTIVES
Choose two:
ЂЂ Adversarial: When you deliberately hinder the mission in order to oppose
your Adversary, mark experience.
ЂЂ Behavioural: Describe your ethical code. When adhering to your code hinders
the mission, mark experience.
ЂЂ Horror Bane: When your membership in the Horror Bane hinders the mission,
mark experience.
ЂЂ Revealing: When you discover more information about your Adversary, mark
experience.

HORROR BANE IN THE SPRAWL


Horror Bane are haunted individuals with a laser-focus on destroying their Adversary.
While this overriding desire can often get in the way of the mission at hand, they are
still valuable members to have on a team. Using their rift weapon they are easily
the most effective operatives when dealing with entities from outside our dimension.
Their deep knowledge of rift cant also gives them a great deal of information on
the rifts and the things that live beyond them. Their deep well of hatred for their
Adversary also makes them exceptionally hard to kill, when the rest of the team might
have bought it the Horror Bane will be the last man standing to drag their bodies out
of the rubble. Horror Bane are also the only folks with wonder contacts, absurdly
powerful beings who are at least temporarily on our side and can give information that
no other contact would ever have access to.
If the group contains a Thrall, discuss that relationship before play begins. Why would
you work with this person who serves the creatures you despise?

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Mage
Towards the end of the 20th century anthropologist Alfred Gell
described magic as an “ideal technology” that worked primarily at the
cognitive-symbolic level. The developments of the past seventy years
have shown that magic goes far beyond that. Indeed, his theoretical
description has become our practical dream. “An ‘ideal’ technical
procedure is one which can be practiced with zero opportunity costs…
The defining feature of ‘magic’ as an ideal technology is that it is
‘costless’ in terms of the kind of drudgery, hazards and investments
which actual technical activity inevitably requires” (Gell, “Technology
and Magic”, 1988).
This is the ideal technology we work towards: a costless magic that
removes the drudgery, hazards, and opportunity costs and allows
a new flourishing of our order­—and of humanity—into a perfected
magical future.
December 2049 editorial in Hermes and Hecate, Eloi Howard

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A Mage is a true student of all that is magic. They focus heavily on understanding and
shaping rift magic through scientific approaches and their own force of will.
Mage society is hierarchical; in most regions a complex bureaucracy has grown up
around the use and regulation of rift magic. It’s a surprisingly meritocratic society,
though, as children of all kin and economic situations are tested for aptitude and
placed in orders from an early age. Most Mages continue to serve their orders after
their education, though from time to time a Mage will strike out on their own.

NAME
Amestris, Circe, Deshawn, Harry, Hermes, Granger, Inverse, Jackdaw, Naga, Susan,
a traditional name, a mystical name, an anonymous name

CHOOSE YOUR LOOK


Eyes: calm, driven, inspired, mystical, impassive, powerful, resigned
Face: young, confident, attractive, grizzled, studious, burned, rift-marked, wax
Body: athletic, flabby, unobtrusive, slight, lithe, shifting, plastic
Wear: corporate, high fashion, street, sanctioned, arcane, magically-autonomous,
avant-garde
Skin: artificial, otherworldly, asian or south asian, black, decorated, hispanic/latinx,
indigenous, middle eastern, white,

STATS
Assign each stat one of these numbers: +2, +1, +1, +0, +0, +0, -1; your Touch
should be +2 or +1.

MAGICAL ORDER
Describe your order. Choose one:
ЂЂ You know that your order is affiliated with a corporation. Choose it.
ЂЂ Your order’s affiliation is a closely guarded secret, unknown even to you.
How were you recruited into your order? Choose one or make up your own: forced,
family, enthusiasm, necessity, junkie, genetics, career, ideology, memory, military
What is your relationship with your order now?
ЂЂ You are a loyal member. You’re +owned.
ЂЂ You fucked them over and ran. You’re +hunted.

CYBERWARE
Some magical orders frown on cyberware, some embrace it, others forbid it entirely.
What is your order’s attitude towards it? You don’t start with cyberware automatically,
but you may take chromed at character creation. If you do, answer the usual cyberware
questions as well as the questions about your magical order.

A NEW PLAYER /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ 00029/00057 COMPLETE


MOVES
You get these two:

ЂЂ Rift magic: When you call upon the power of the rifts to shape raw magical
energy into physical effects, roll Touch.
10+: you harness enough magical energy to create a shape of effect. If you
push yourself, you can add an adjunct and make a choice from the 7–9 list
• Shape: ray, orb, dart, slick, gaseous
• Effect (1-harm): electricity, stunning, fire, acid, magnetism, cold, wind,
light, darkness
• Adjunct: greater (+1-harm), split, hidden
7–9: you harness enough magical energy to create a shape of effect, but at a
cost. Choose one:
• The magic is draining. Take S-harm
• The effect is loud or otherwise attracts attention
• One aspect of the magic (shape or effect) is not entirely under your
control. The MC will choose one and twist it
6-: the flows of magical energy are too weak to harness or fail to control the
energy you do pull together. The MC will make a move

ЂЂ Summon: When you reach into the streams of magic to pull an entity from
another dimension, roll Touch.
7+: you draw out an entity under your control. Choose a form and element
from the lists below
10+: the entity you summoned has an additional useful characteristic. Add an
attribute from the list below
6-: your procedure was imperfect. The MC will choose the form and element of
the entity you summoned, but it is most definitely not under your control

You begin with access to these forms:


• Insectoid (mandible and claw): Insectoid forms are exceptionally
terrifying in combat. You can roll mix it up with Touch. Their claws do
2-harm.
• Humanoid (kinship): Humanoids are just a lot easier to understand.
Because of your tighter psychic bond, you can use the summoned
creature to remotely complete complex tasks that you could normally
perform.

00030/00057 COMPLETE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ TOUCHED PRIME


You begin with access to these elements:
• Fire: Can apply +aflame tag to objects and people by touch.
• Air: Can apply +floating tag to objects and people by touch.
• Water: Can apply +drowning tag to objects and people by touch.
• Earth: Can apply +held tag to objects and people by touch.
• Void: Can apply +horrified tag to other creatures and people by touch.

You begin with access to these attributes: +huge, +tiny, +invisible, +flying

Rift Magic
In Touched, rift magic works by crafting ”sentences” to describe the spell
you are casting. If you roll a 7+, you are able to create a shape of a certain
effect—for instance, a ray of cold or an orb of darkness. You have lists of both
shapes and effects to choose from and you can add new ones by taking
certain upgrade moves.
When you roll a 10+, you are able to add adjuncts to your shapes and effects.
These adjuncts are modifiers to make your spell more powerful—for instance,
you could now cast a greater cone of cold which would do 2-harm instead of
just 1 or a split orb of darkness that would create two separate orbs instead
of just one.

Summoned Entities
Summoned entities usually last for long enough to complete an intended task
or for the length of an action phase. The mage that controls the summoned
entity can dismiss it back into the magic flow whenever they like by uttering
a short phrase. MC moves may dismiss a summoned entity earlier than the
summoner may like or may remove control of the summoned entity, either
transferring it to an NPC or making it uncontrolled.
Summoned entities are usually destructive forces of pure nature with a
similar cognitive capacity and ability to understand speech as an animal.
Intelligent entities with distinct personalities do exist in the magical flows
emanating from the rifts. If a mage wants to attempt to summon and control
one of these, that entity will be offended by the deed at best and will react
accordingly.

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Choose two more:
ЂЂ Binder: When you attempt to control a rift entity that you do not control, spend
an [artifact] and roll Touch.
10+: you successfully bind an unintelligent rift entity to your control or
successfully prevent an intelligent rift entity from acting against you
7–9: you bind an unintelligent rift entity to your control long enough for one
brief action, such as dismissing it back into the magical flow. You prevent an
intelligent rift entity from acting against you for a brief instant; an ally takes +1
forward to act against the entity if they act immediately
6-: you fail to bind the entity. Run. The MC will make a move

ЂЂ Chromed: Choose a piece of cyberware at character creation or in downtime.


Describe how you got it and paid for it using the usual cyberware questions.
ЂЂ Evil eye: When you shape runes on a person and spend [gear], name that
person as your hex. You gain +1 ongoing while acting against or in pursuit of
that person. You may only have one hex at a time.
ЂЂ Mage contacts: You have extensive contacts in the magical community, roll
hit the streets with Touch instead of Style.
ЂЂ Magic touch: When you aid or interfere using rift magic, roll Touch.
ЂЂ Metaxenophysicist: Create a new adjunct and add it to your repertoire.
ЂЂ Sculptor: Create a new shape and add it to your repertoire.
ЂЂ Summoning tactics: When you aid or interfere using an entity you summ-
oned, roll Touch.
ЂЂ Transmutationist: Create a new effect and add it to your repertoire.
ЂЂ Vibrant runes: Your effects do 2-harm but you no longer have the adjunct
+hidden.

GEAR
Choose two weapons:
ЂЂ Dagger (1-harm hand/close discreet)
ЂЂ Holdout pistol (2-harm hand/close discreet quick reload loud)
ЂЂ Mace (2-harm hand)
ЂЂ Staff (1-harm hand quick)

Choose two:
ЂЂ Armoured coat (1-armour)
ЂЂ Extravagant headgear (when you roll a 12+ to summon, choose a second
element to apply)

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ЂЂ Grimoire (when you roll a 12+ to perform rift magic, choose a second effect to
apply)
ЂЂ Order robes (0-armour, +discreet, subtract 1 when rolling harm move)

You start with 5 Cred.

DIRECTIVES
Choose two:
ЂЂ Behavioural: Describe your ethical code. When adhering to your code hinders
the mission, mark experience.
ЂЂ Proselytising: Describe your belief system. When you persuade others to act
according to your beliefs, mark experience.
ЂЂ Revealing: When you discover more information about ,
mark experience.
ЂЂ Touched: When you deliberately hinder the mission to learn more about the
rifts, mark experience.

MAGES IN THE SPRAWL


Mages spend their entire lives in the pursuit of knowledge and their field work is
usually in service to that goal. They use their rift magic to make the world bend to
their will. This comes in exceptionally handy in the middle of a mission when you need
to lose that security team chasing you or blow up a gate, a wall, or a building. They can
also summon allies to aid in combat, though often the entities that they summon
aren’t particularly happy to be here. Using their magic touch they can also aid their
allies in completing complex or difficult tasks—a blast of wind to help an ally jump that
chasm or a magnetic orb to retrieve a lost weapon. Overall, they are excellent Swiss
Army knives in the midst of the shit.

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Thrall
Sihire od birvaktile/ Black magic of old times
Furije I sihre/ Furies and black magic
Odvele me ubile me otele me/ Took me aware, killed me, kidnapped me
Sheitan mi je obeco/ Satan promised to me
pjevacu do zore/ I will sing until dawn
Sheitan, Kulture Shock

When the rifts opened, the world was flooded with streams and rivers and seas of
magical energy. Thralls are those who can feel this energy and have made pacts with
an extra-dimensional Horror in exchange for the power to read and manipulate these
magical flows. Of course, the Horrors have their own twisted motivations for gifting
such powers; motivations seldom known to the Thrall. Unlike Mages, Thralls have no
rigid power structure but they often work with other followers of their Horror.
Thralls can read the influence the flow of magical energy has on what those less aware
might call “random” events. The events that mark significant patterns in the magical
flows are called “runes”. These runes are often the magical symbols carved on small
rocks as the name suggests, but some Thralls use alternative divinatory signs.

00034/00057 COMPLETE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ TOUCHED PRIME


NAME
Becky, Brad, Damien, Iggy, Indene, Julian, Kassandra, Moll, Semempses, Vector,
a creepy name, a demonic name, an ordinary name

CHOOSE YOUR LOOK:


Eyes: haunted, piercing, bright, inhuman, inverted, nictitating, calm, uncertain
Face: confident, arrogant, twitchy, nervous, hard, tattooed, drained, stretched
Body: muscular, bulky, soft, runescaped, husk, animalistic, twisted, scarred
Wear: street, neo-tribal, corporate, giger-esque, symbiotic, vintage, western
Skin: artificial, asian or south asian, black, decorated, hispanic/latinx, indigenous,
iridescent, middle eastern, otherworldly, splotchy, white,

STATS
Assign each stat one of these numbers: +2, +1, +1, +0, +0, +0, -1; your Touch
should be +2 or +1.

HORROR
Describe your master. You are +owned. Choose one:
ЂЂ Your master has other followers, cultists and Thralls. Describe them as if they
were a gang (The Sprawl, pp.138-139). In addition to the choices you make for the
gang’s leader, your master is an alien intelligence of unknowable motivations.
ЂЂ Any other followers your master may have are unknown to you. Do you think
you’re the first? His only Thrall? The latest?

Why did you make a magical pact with an extradimensional Horror? Choose one or
make up your own: forced, family, enthusiasm, necessity, junkie, genetics, career,
ideology, memory, military

CYBERWARE
Look, buddy. What you do with your meat sack is your own business, just do what
it says. You don’t start with cyberware automatically, but you can take chromed at
character creation. If you do, answer the usual cyberware questions as well as the
questions about your Horror.

MOVES
You get these two:
ЂЂ Magic of the bones: You can read the flows of magical energy through your
runes and store the power of favourable runes for later use. Favourable runes
hold power and you will often keep them to use as a focus for your spell-craft

A NEW PLAYER /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ 00035/00057 COMPLETE


Any time you roll a 7+ while making a move (including call forth), you may
take one of the two dice you just rolled and place it in your pool. These dice
must continue to read the numbers they initially rolled. You may have 3 dice in
your pool at any given time unless you have a move that states otherwise. You
will use this pool of dice for call forth.
ЂЂ Call forth: When you use the runes you have collected to call forth power
from the rifts, roll Touch.
7+: choose any two dice from your pool. Trigger the effect on the table below
that matches the two numbers showing on the dice you chose, then remove
those dice from your pool
7–9: also choose two:
• Your magic has drawn unwanted attention
• The spell is very draining, lose an additional dice from your pool in
addition to the two dice you used to trigger the effect. If you have more
than three dice in your pool, you choose which of the additional dice to
lose
• Something dark has travelled into our realm on the back of your spell

An ally will receive the might of an alien Horror. Grant an ally +2


1+1
harm on their next attack.

The bones hold an explosive hex (2-harm, explosive) that can be


2+1
triggered as long as the Thrall is in sight.

The bones are imbued with greater healing power. They will heal
2+2
2 harm when touched to a living creature.

An ally will be fortified against a massive attack. Grant an ally +2


3+1
armour until hit.

The rifts give you insight to the future. Take +1 forward on your
1+4
next action.

The bones confuse and bewilder a target. They gain the tag
2+3
+confused.

The rifts provide. Produce equipment as if you had just spent


1+5 [gear]. You may produce an [artifact], but the Horrors do not
appreciate re-gifting.

2+4 The rifts warp time around your target. They gain the tag +slow.

00036/00057 COMPLETE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ TOUCHED PRIME


The rifts whisper secrets and visions. Reveal knowledge as if you
3+3
had just spent [intel].

An ally will avoid death. If they acquire agricultural property


6+1
within 24 hours, they take a 10+ instead of rolling.

3+4 A boon from the powers beyond! Grant an ally +1 forward.

An ally is imbued with a terrible and alien ferocity. Until the magic
5+2 fades, that ally receives +1 harm on their attacks. Mark experience
if their violence complicates the mission.

The bones hold a glamour. Grant an ally a temporary magical


2+6
disguise.

The bones hold an explosive hex (2-harm, explosive). Place the


3+5 bones and give them a condition. When that condition is met, the
bones explode.

The bones are imbued with healing power. They will heal 1 harm
4+4
when touched to a living creature.

The bones give you insight to someone else’s future. Give the
3+6 bones to an ally; when they roll aid or interfere with them they
give +2 or -2 forward. The dice are then returned to you.

The bones hold a sticky hex. Throw at an enemy to give them the
4+5
+held tag.

The bones give you remote sight. Place them anywhere you want;
4+6
you see through them as if they were your eyes.

5+5 The bones hold a glamour. You gain a temporary magical disguise.

The bones explode in light. Those who view it gain the tag
5+6
+stunned.

The bones allow minor time manipulation. Give to an ally; while


6+6 they possess the bones, they may re-roll the dice and take the new
result. The dice are then returned to you.

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Choose two more:
ЂЂ Ceremonial scars: When you roll 12+ to call forth, you may change 1 die
in your pool to any number less than its face value before deciding what spell
to cast.
ЂЂ Chromed: Choose a piece of cyberware at character creation or in downtime.
Describe how you got it and paid for it using the usual cyberware questions.
ЂЂ Dreams of beyond: When you enter a ritual trance, you can project your
senses beyond space and time to see a version of the past or a potential future.
Describe the ritual and roll Touch.
10+: you receive a vision of whatever past or future event you choose. Choose
two of the following: gain [intel], take +1 forward when acting on the vision or
attempting to bring it to pass, or add a dice to your pool with a value you choose.
7–9: you receive a hazy vision of the past or future. Either:
• you choose the event you see and you choose one from the list above, or
• the MC chooses the event you see and chooses one option for you, then
you choose a second option from the two that remain
6-: you receive a terrible vision and are noticed and noted by something from
beyond

ЂЂ Gris gris: You have crafted a talisman that allows you to store one additional
set of imbued bones, expanding your magic of the bones dice pool to a total
of 5 dice.
ЂЂ High priest: You occupy a high position in your master’s cult. Your church of
subordinates are a gang (2-harm +small +magical +fanatical +secret). Pick 2:
• Your church is armed with mystical weaponry: add 1 harm and +rift-
touched
• Your church is protected by mystical armour: add 1 armour and +over-
confident
• Your church is particularly attendant to your teachings: add +loyal; you
may remove +fanatical
• Your church has a specialist edge: add one of +mobile, +specialists,
+well-connected, or +resources
• Your church is successful at recruiting (how?): replace +small with
+medium
ЂЂ Horrors’ foresight: Choose one die from your magic of the bones dice pool
and remove it from the game; this reduces your maximum dice pool by 1 for the
rest of the mission. You gain 2 [intel].
ЂЂ Magic touch: When you aid or interfere using rift magic, roll Touch.
ЂЂ Rift hook-up: Your master periodically reveals the location of caches of
useful or valuable items. Once per mission you may ask your master for help;

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they will reveal the location of any combination of three of: [artifacts], [gear],
and +rift-touched equipment. Roll Mind:
10+: you realise the catch before you commit to retrieving them
7–9: you realise the catch after you commit to retrieving them
6-: you realise the catch at the worst possible time

ЂЂ Spirit contacts: You can use blood magic to summon a spirit for information.
When you do so, roll hit the streets with Touch instead of Style.

GEAR
Choose two weapons:
ЂЂ Dagger (1-harm hand/close discreet)
ЂЂ Holdout pistol (2-harm hand/close discreet quick reload loud)
ЂЂ Mace (2-harm hand)
ЂЂ Staff (1-harm hand quick)
Choose one:
ЂЂ Coat of trinkets (0-armour, subtract 1 when rolling harm move)
ЂЂ Horror skull mask (1-armour, frightening)

You start with 5 Cred.

DIRECTIVES
Choose two:
ЂЂ Behavioural: Describe your ethical code. When adhering to your code hinders
the mission, mark experience.
ЂЂ Beholden: When you deliberately hinder the mission to acquiesce to the
Horror who gave you your power, mark experience.
ЂЂ Proselytising: Describe your belief system. When you persuade others to act
according to your beliefs, mark experience.
ЂЂ Revealing: When you discover more information about ,
mark experience.

THRALLS IN THE SPRAWL


The way of the Thrall is the quick and dark path to power. They don’t care for the years
of research and schooling of the Mages; a quick deal with a Horror is all it took for
them to gain their power. They use magic of the bones to make those around them
better, hoping that by bestowing gifts upon their companions they might turn them
into followers of their master. By using their Horrors’ foresight they can better
prepare the team for the mission ahead. They also have access to spirit contacts,

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otherworldly beings that they can summon using their own blood. You can be sure that
the spirits will have a bit more information than the local drug dealer.
Because they are so directly touched by the weird, they often make their companions
a little uncomfortable, especially when they make a mission go pear-shaped because
their Horror told them to.

A Word on Dice Pools


The magic system used by Thralls depends on having the available dice with
the proper exposed numbers available in their pool. These dice are physical
representations of your in-fiction runes. Whenever you roll dice and get a 7+,
magic of the bones allows you take one of those two dice you just rolled
and place it in your pool as long as you have additional space in the pool.
Think of this as your character pocketing a favourable rune. Initially you have
space for three dice; you can take upgrades that will allow you to store up to
five.

EXAMPLE:
Allison wants to see if she can find out where on
Miskatonic Amalgamated’s orbital weapons platform the
hostage her team is trying to save is located. Since
she has spirit contacts she decides to interrogate
the spirits of the hostage’s ancestors using hit the
streets. She rolls and gets a 12 total: her dice read
six and four and she has a +2 Touch score. Because
she rolled 7+, she has not only succeeded in her hit
the streets roll but has also automatically triggered
magic of the bones.

The rest of her team is pretty beat up after the


botched infiltration of the weapons platform, so she
figures it might be a good idea to cast a healing
spell next. She knows she needs 2 dice reading four
in her pool to cast that particular spell. Since one
of the two dice already in her pool reads four, she
decides to take the four she just rolled and add it
to her pool. Once her spirit contact has given her
the location, she rolls call forth and gets a 7; it’s
a success so she removes the two dice showing fours
from her dice pool and triggers her healing spell,
healing the Hunter for 1 harm.

Unfortunately, the spell made an audible boom and


that has alerted the platform’s security drones. It
was also very draining, so Allison loses the other
dice she had stored in her pool. She now has an empty
dice pool and five well-armed security drones to deal
with!

00040/00057 COMPLETE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ TOUCHED PRIME


>>>>...WARNING...RIFT_UNSTABLE...WARNING...>>>>
>>>>...loading.input\\\encoding.ritual...>>>>
>>>...\run>rift04.exe...>>>>>

A BIGGER
TOOLBOX
CONTINUE? [Y/N]

A BIGGER TOOLBOX /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ 00043/00057 COMPLETE


>>>>located\rift04...>>>>>>>

A BIGGER
TOOLBOX
LOADING...

The Touch Stat


Magic from the rifts pulses over every part of the globe. All life is suffused with it. Even
if most people don’t understand how to control it, they all feel its flow.
All characters get a new stat called Touch—this stat models a character’s connection
and control of rift magic. Additionally, each character also gains an additional +0 to
add to their standard starting stat block.

NEW BASIC MOVE


All characters start with this move.

Attune
When you open yourself up to the rifts and call forth questions to the alien entities
that live beyond, roll Touch.
10+: the rifts sing sweet music; you learn a truth you’ve been seeking
7–9: the rifts ring a cacophony; you gather a vague hint from the noise
6-: the rifts show you horror and pain. The MC will make a move

NEW ADVANCES
Anyone may take ritual and untrained magic as basic advances. If you want to use the
basic advance “choose a move from another playbook” to take a move from the Thrall
or Mage playbooks, consult with your MC and anyone already playing a Thrall or a
Mage.

00044/00057 COMPLETE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ TOUCHED PRIME


Ritual
You’ve learned enough of the Horrors beyond the rifts to entreat for a boon of
knowledge. When you perform a ritual to seek knowledge from a Horror, describe the
ritual and make an offering of as many [gear] and [intel] as you feel necessary. Roll
[gear] and [intel] spent.
10+: your ritual and offerings have pleased the Horror beyond your wildest
expectations. Describe the knowledge the Horror has gifted you with, reality
bends to make this knowledge true and actionable
7–9: your ritual and offerings have pleased the Horror you beseech. It gives you
a deep insight into the knowledge you seek. The MC will tell you what this is, it
will be actionable and helpful

Untrained Magic
When you call upon the energy of the rifts to shape raw magic into physical effects,
spend an [artifact] or a piece of equipment with +artifact and roll Touch.
7+: you are able to create a shape of effect
10+: your [artifact] or +artifact item survives the spellcasting process
Shape: ray, orb, dart, slick, gaseous
Effect (1harm): electricity, stunning, fire, acid, magnetism, cold, wind
See the Mage playbook rules on rift magic for a full discussion of shape and effect.

A BIGGER TOOLBOX /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ 00045/00057 COMPLETE


>>>>...loading.input\\\encoding.ritual...>>>>
>>>...\run>rift05.exe...>>>>>

KEEP DREAMING
ON, PHOREVER
PEOPLE
CONTINUE? [Y/N]

PHOREVER PEOPLE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ 00047/00057 COMPLETE


>>>>located\rift05...>>>>>>>

KEEP DREAMING ON,


PHOREVER PEOPLE
LOADING...

As the magical energy of the rifts courses through the world, it subtly changes all
it touches. All characters have been influenced by the rifts and will choose one kin
group. The kin groups represent a set of fairly consistent mutations that affected all
humans within the first 5 years after the rifts opened wide.

Fantasy “R aces” and Fantasy R acism


Racism and the structures of white supremacy are real problems in contem-
porary society. The incorporation of fantasy races in roleplaying games is
frequently used as an avenue to discuss, comment or reflect on real-world
issues like these while maintaining a degree of distance from the subject.
However, while fictional and metaphorical twists on contemporary issues
can be interesting and engaging, please make sure that everyone in your
game is on board before you do so. For many players, serious issues like
these have a very real impact on their daily existence and are not fun ad-
ditions to their fantasy escapism, even when that escapism is a dystopian
cyberpunk future.
Don’t assume that the friends who are willing to engage in a fictional rep-
resentation of ultra-capitalism also want to add other potentially disturbing
topics like racism. The same also applies to themes of sexual violence,
gender-based discrimination or mental health.
Talk to your players. Be kind to your friends.

00048/00057 COMPLETE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ TOUCHED PRIME


Dwarf-Kin
Named for their short, bulky appearance, Dwarf-kin are strongly attuned to the atomic
forces of our own universe.
Choose one:
ЂЂ Electro-mechanic: When you make a move dealing with the construction,
destruction or repair of mechanical and electronic devices, take +1 forward.
ЂЂ Sub-atomic hearing: When you concentrate for a moment, you can distin-
guish between the movement of particles in a solid object and that of a living
creature, take +1 forward to assess.

Elf-Kin
Named for their tall, slender frame and pointed ears, Elf-kin are particularly attuned to
the flow of rift magic through the world.
ЂЂ Attuned: When you make a move dealing with rift energies, take +1 forward.

Human-Kin
While Human-kin have been infused by the energy of the rifts, they look like the
humans that existed before the rifts opened wide.
ЂЂ Luck: You have 2 luck points per mission. Spend these points one-for-one to
add +1 to any roll after the roll has been made. Add “+1 Luck point per mission”
to your list of basic advances.

PHOREVER PEOPLE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ 00049/00057 COMPLETE


Troll-Kin
Named for their large size and similarity to a creature in a fantasy roleplaying game
of the late twentieth century, the magic of the rifts flows strongly through the body of
a Troll-kin, binding its flesh together and maintaining its coherence when ruptured.
ЂЂ Regeneration: Whenever you roll a matching pair on two dice, you may heal
1 harm.

Wild-Kin
The Wild-kin are as diverse in form as the cyber-society they now inhabit. They are
seldom alike, but always striking.
Choose one:
ЂЂ Striking mutation: You have a very apparent wild mutation. Add +1 to any
stat and explain what your mutation looks like (ex. +bear arms for +1 Meat or
+badass diamond skin for +1 Edge).
ЂЂ Beyond human: Choose a move from any playbook (in consultation with the
rest of the table) and describe how some aspect of your mutations allows you
to use that move.

Smashing Stereotypes
Although these kin groups have been reasonably consistent since the rifts
opened, they are not a standard by which identity in a kin group can be
judged. At best, they represent commonly occurring traits. As a group, you
can add colour, variety, and overlap to these moves: tweak these, create
your own, make the world yours.

00050/00057 COMPLETE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ TOUCHED PRIME


>>>>...WARNING...RIFT_UNSTABLE...WARNING...>>>>
>>>>...loading.input\\\encoding.ritual...>>>>
>>>...\run>rift06.exe...>>>>>

RUNNING
THE RIFTS
CONTINUE? [Y/N]

RUNNING THE RIFTS /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ 00053/00057 COMPLETE


>>>>located\rift06...>>>>>>>

RUNNING THE
RIFTS
LOADING...

Running Touched Prime isn’t terribly different from running a regular game of The
Sprawl, you’re just adding a badass magical sheen. Magic is now the most powerful
source of power in the world—well, next to the Horrors anyway—so every corporation,
government and shadow operative looking to get ahead will leverage it. Even in
2050, new discoveries from beyond the rifts are a constant and every corporation
wants to have their mitts on them. You have to take this into account when building
out your world with the players. Everything gets influenced by the rifts: weapons get
enchanted, a beggar on the street might be some weird machination of a Horror, that
used deck the hacker bought might be cursed.
Missions should take this into account. The targets of missions could be specific items
recovered from the other side of a rift, you might have the characters go to another
dimension filled with untold weirdness to explore and report back, a regular old
assassination might go pear-shaped when the target turns out to be some Horror’s
avatar who now has the characters in its sights, a corporate extraction might involve a
trip to the other side to bring back a sentient mold who just happens to be one of the
best corporate accountants in existence.
The rifts open up to a number of other dimensions, some sort of like our own and
others completely inhospitable and abhorrent. The powers that emanate from the rifts
are weird and often horrific. While the world has grown used to the existence of rifts,
a lot of what exists on the other side of the rifts, or visits our world via the rifts, can be
beyond horrific and mind-breaking. If you want to incorporate more of that truly alien
feel to the rifts, you can use the Eldritch Trauma rules from A Darkening Alley. You
can even remove the rifts completely and just go with a magical resurgence storyline:
swap the Horrors for some other sort of magical creature—dragons or demons
perhaps—that the Thrall can derive power from and do the same for the Horror Bane
and their Adversary.
When you make hard moves, always consider how the rifts might interact with the
current situation. If you’re about to harm to someone, are the bullets enchanted? If
they are, what’s the impact of that? Are the mooks of the corporation the operatives

00054/00057 COMPLETE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ TOUCHED PRIME


are infiltrating actually creatures from one of the other dimensions currently enslaved
to the Chief Operations Mage of the corp’s MagicOps department? Steep everything
you would normally do in regular The Sprawl with a hardy helping of magic and horror.
Everything in this world is just a little more complicated because of the rifts and
their unpredictable nature. Play hard into that and let it complicate the lives of the
characters.
Don’t keep all this fun to yourself though! At the start of the game, ask each player
a couple of additional questions about their character’s life so far and how it’s been
impacted by their kin group, magic, Horrors/Wonders, and the rifts. Here are some
sample questions, but feel free to add or delete from this list as you see fit; try to
get every player to at least answer a couple of them to help flesh out your version of
Touched.
»» How have the Horrors or Wonders impacted your life and the lives of those
around you?
»» What negative or positive experiences does membership in your kin group
bring?
»» Did you grow up very near a rift? If so, what kind of experiences did you have as
a child because of it?
»» How does magic effect your everyday life?
»» What was the greatest rift-based disaster this world has experienced?
»» Are there beings on the other side of one of the rifts that our world actively
trades or communicates with? If so, what are they?

RUNNING THE RIFTS /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ 00055/00057 COMPLETE


New MC Moves
These are new hard moves to take when a move calls for you to do so or you’re
presented with a golden opportunity. If you’ve implemented the Eldritch Trauma
rules from A Darkening Alley, then you can use the MC moves from that section as well.
»» You’re probing calls forth a great Horror from the rifts
»» The magic of the rifts explodes around you
»» One of the corps’ MagicOps departments has taken interest in your dealings
with the rifts
»» A being from beyond the rifts has learned your name
»» You have destabilised the rift you’re interacting with
»» You’ve stumbled upon a Thrall circle’s ritual

00056/00057 COMPLETE /][][]][[/\]][[][]\ TOUCHED PRIME


PHOTO CREDITS
the following photos were used under the 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) license
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/)
and manipulated by Dana Cameron
p 3, 5 https://www.flickr.com/photos/drainrat/15877682565/
p 9, 11 https://www.flickr.com/photos/ian-arlett/46280400101/
p 19 https://www.flickr.com/photos/gsapponline/15358487008/
p 24 https://www.flickr.com/photos/kurdishstruggle/16049666184/
p 28 https://www.flickr.com/photos/gsapponline/15358487008/
p 34 https://www.flickr.com/photos/baileysjunk/4071774942/
p 47, 49 https://www.flickr.com/photos/29233640@N07/15193697888/
p 53, 55 https://www.flickr.com/photos/noaaphotolib/9667377072/

the following photos were used under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)
and manipulated by Dana Cameron
p 17, 19 https://www.flickr.com/photos/scott-teresi/3425218227/
p 43, 45 https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewnewill/36053109976/
» Aggressive: You inflict +1 harm and take -1 to armour while

ADEPT
Name. in this stance. Take +1 ongoing to play hardball while in this
stance.
Looks. Choose one more:
(lists/options on back)
ЂЂ Armour of the rifts: When you successfully attune, take +1

STATS AKASHIC ORGANIZATION armour forward.


ЂЂ Balanced aura: While you are in the Protective state, you may
Many Adepts are trained, supported and used by organisations
envelop yourself in an aura of cold, electricity, or fire. Anyone
who follow the same beliefs and practice the same fighting style.
5 who deals harm to you with a melee attack takes 1-harm from
How did you learn to infuse the magical power of the rifts into your your aura.
CRED fighting style?
STYLE ЂЂ You were trained by an Akashic organization to which you still
ЂЂ Berserker rage: When you are in the Aggressive state and go
berserk on a group of enemies, roll Touch instead of Meat to mix
belong. Name and describe them. You are +owned. it up; if your style is +raw, you must choose the option “you
EDGE MEAT ЂЂ You were trained by an Akashic organization which you make too much noise”. If you choose to inflict or suffer harm,
subsequently abandoned. Describe the manner in which you increase that harm by 1. If you choose to suffer harm, do not roll
Assign each stat left the organization and say why you are still +hunted.
one of these numbers: MIND ЂЂ You were self-taught. Your style is +raw and you are +disdained
the harm move.
+2, +1, +1, +0, +0, +0, -1 by Adepts who were trained by an Akashic organization. ЂЂ Chromed: Choose a piece of cyberware at character creation or
Your Touch should be +2 or +1 COOL in downtime. Describe how you got it and paid for it using the
usual cyberware questions.
MOVES
You start with 5 Cred SYNTH You get these three:
ЂЂ Elemental expression: When you are in the Aggressive state
and you apply the cold, electricity, or fire effects to your strikes,
ЂЂ Akashic training: Your training in Akashic physical traditions add +1 to the harm inflicted.
TOUCH gives you a base of 1-armour. Your unarmed strikes deal a base
ЂЂ Fighting style: When you mix it up, roll Style instead of Meat.
of 2-harm. In addition, when you centre yourself, apply one
effect to your strikes while in this new state. Choose from these If your result is a 10+, take +1 forward against anyone who
effects: cold, electricity, fire, or stunning. would be impressed by your stylish moves.
HARM ЂЂ Centre: When you pause to reinforce your connection to the ЂЂ One-inch punch: When you are in the Protective state, you
rifts, roll Touch. strike with increased power, roll Touch instead of Meat to mix it
10+: change your rift power to the desired state up. You gain +1 armour against any resulting harm.
15:00 18:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 00:00
7–9: change your rift power, but choose 1: ЂЂ Restoration: When you are in the Protective state and heal
» You are momentarily lost in another world. Take -1 forward someone else by placing hands on them, roll Touch.
» You are put into unexpected danger (the MC will tell you what)
DIRECTIVES ЂЂ Rift power: You are always in one of three states: Balanced,
7+: they recover 1-harm
10+: you can also remove an effect, such as unconscious,
Choose two:
Protective, or Aggressive. You change the state you are in by incoherent, or panicked, or restore a lost limb (such a limb must
ЂЂ Behavioural: Describe your ethical code. When adhering to using the centre move. When you change your state, you still be viable and present)
your code hinders the mission, mark experience. remain in that state until you change it again. ЂЂ Ultimate expression: When you are in the Protective state and
ЂЂ Pride: When your need to prove yourself against great odds » Balanced: Add +1 ongoing to act under pressure and protect yourself or someone else, roll Touch.
endangers the mission, mark experience. assess while in this state. If your power is +raw, you may not
10+: the target does not take any harm stemming from the next
enter this state.
move they make (other aftereffects of the move still apply)
ЂЂ Protective: When you put your responsibility to » Protective: You inflict -1 harm and take -1 ongoing to the
ahead of the mission, mark experience. harm move while in this state. Take +1 ongoing to armour 7–9: the target adds +2 armour forward. If the target is someone
while in this state. If the victim consents to your participation else and they take any harm (above and beyond their armour
ЂЂ Revealing: When you discover more information about in any sort of healing while you are in this state, they heal an value), you roll the harm move and are affected by the results
, mark experience. additional 1 harm. instead
GEAR STARTING LISTS
v.1.0

You get: Names: Bruce, Camilla, Colleen, Diana, Grace, Hippolyte, Jackie,
ЂЂ Akashic focus (this is some magical trinket; describe it) Jeeja, Johnny, Liu, Mai, Penthesilea, Raiden, Samantha, Sammo,
ЂЂ Loose-fitting clothing Scorpion, Shang, Sonya, Toshiro, Ziyi, an animal name, an elemental
name, a fighting title
Choose one weapon:
ЂЂ Pair of nunchaku (2-harm hand) Look. Choose one from each line:
ЂЂ +Rune-carved staff (2-harm hand) Eyes: wise, Face: grave, Body: athletic, Wear: artistic,
ЂЂ +Stylish sword (3-harm hand messy) blinded, bearded, child- lithe, old, anachronistic,
bright, distant, like, elegant, scarred, flashy, formal,
Choose one: focused, luminous, tattooed, military, street,
ЂЂ +Flashy motorcycle hardened, strange, unassuming vintage
ЂЂ Goggles (Choose two: +thermographic, +light amplification, piercing weathered
+magnification, +flare compensation)
ЂЂ Old book of Akashic lore Skin: artificial, otherworldly, asian or south asian, black, decorated,
hispanic/latinx, indigenous, middle eastern, white,
ЂЂ Trauma derms (allows you to apply first aid to characters at 2100
or less harm) CYBERWEAR
Why? (Chose one) prosthetic, forced, loyalty, enthusiasm, necessity,
CYBERWARE junkie, genetics, career, ideology, memory, military
Most Akashic organisations abhor the use of technological Cost? (Chose one)
augmentation. You don’t start with cyberware automatically, but you ЂЂ You scrimped & saved to buy it yourself. Choose one tag to
may take the chromed move at character creation. If you do, answer apply to that piece of cyberware: +unreliable, +substandard,
the usual cyberware questions as well as the questions about your +hardware decay, +damaging.
Akashic organisation. You are +distained by most Adepts.

ADEPT
ЂЂ Someone else paid for it; now you owe them. You’re
+owned. Choose who.
LINKS ЂЂ You fucked someone over to get it. You’re +hunted.
Describe who.

ADVANCEMENT
if(XP) ≥ 10 {run Advancement(1)};
current.XP = XP-10;
The power of the rifts infuses your body,
your mind and your spirit. That power
XP *//after 5 advances you
can choose these too//* supports you, flows through you and makes
you what you are: a master of one of
� choose another move from � +1 to any stat (max +3) any number of nearly-forgotten martial
your playbook (max 3) � add +1 to Touch arts. You practice your own special
� choose a move from another � buy off enemy or owned combination of boxing, kung fu, karate,
playbook (max 2) � change your character to a new capoeira, muay thai, judo, wrestling,

NOTES
or weapon-based manoeuvres, fused with
� add +1 to Touch playbook ancient Akashic magical traditions.
� +1 Style (max +2) � make a second character
� +1 Edge (max +2) � rewind a corporate Countdown
� +1 Cool (max +2) Clock to 1800 [cost: 10 cred]
� +1 Mind (max +2) � retire your character to safety Continue? [Y/N]
� +1 Meat (max +2) and create a new character
� +1 Synth (max +3) [requires: 20 cred]
ЂЂ Go to ground: Because you have such a powerful enemy it is

HORROR BANE
Name. often necessary to go to ground in order to avoid their wrath.
The Horror Bane have set up a network of magically shielded
Looks. safe houses all over the world for this purpose. Once per
(lists/options on back) mission when a move would open you up to almost immediate
retribution from your Adversary, you may go to ground.
STATS THE ADVERSARY Describe the safe house, the keeper of the house and what
complications arise because you’ve been forced to put your
Describe what you know of your Adversary. mission on hold.
»» Have you seen hard evidence that your Adversary is actively
5
hunting you or are you only aware of it through nightmares? ЂЂ Guns. Lots of guns: You have an impressive and thoroughly
illegal stash of Horror-fighting equipment. Once per mission
CRED You are +hunted.
STYLE »» Describe how your Adversary most recently affected our you may visit your stash to gain 2 [gear] or 2 [artifacts].
world. ЂЂ I know who I am: Once per mission, you may change any
»» What is the most startling aspect of your Adversary’s
EDGE MEAT machinations?
6- you just rolled into a 10+. The MC will advance a clock to
2100 or by one.
»» What happened to cause you to join the Horror Bane?
Assign each stat
one of these numbers: MIND »» What trauma was inflicted on you by your Adversary? ЂЂ Library network: You are connected to the Horror Bane’s
+2, +1, +1, +0, +0, +0, -1 Describe it. You are +haunted. information network. Once per mission you may research
some aspect of the Horrors as if you had rolled a 10+.
Your Touch should be +2 or +1 COOL MOVES ЂЂ Wonder contact: The rifts don’t house only the Horrors.
There are powerful creatures from beyond the rifts who also
You start with 5 Cred SYNTH You get these two:
oppose the machinations of the Horrors— these creatures are
ЂЂ Rift cant: You have a deep and well-informed network in the
magical community. When you research, you may roll with commonly referred to as Wonders. You have been contacted
TOUCH Touch instead of Mind. by a Wonder who either directly or indirectly opposes your
Adversary. You may declare this Wonder as a contact. Describe
ЂЂ Rift weapon: The Bane have perfected the art of infusing how the Wonder presents in our world.
their weapons with rift energies, this dramatically increases
ЂЂ You know who I am: When you play hardball to gain
HARM their lethality against rift-based entities. When you mix it up
against an entity from beyond the rifts, you may roll with Touch information about or access to a Horror or their assets, you
instead of Meat. may roll Touch instead of Edge. If you roll a 7–9, you choose
the result.
15:00 18:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 00:00 Choose one more:
ЂЂ A deep well: Your hatred for your Adversary grants you
a tenacious grip on life and the future opportunities for LINKS
DIRECTIVES vengeance it holds. When you roll to acquire agricultural
property, you may add your Touch score to the total.
Choose two:
ЂЂ Adversarial: When you deliberately hinder the mission in ЂЂ Bloodhound: The magic of the rifts links everything it touches,
order to oppose your Adversary, mark experience. reaching in every direction, collapsing space and time. It
courses through the veins of creatures from beyond the rift and
ЂЂ Behavioural: Describe your ethical code. When adhering to adheres to the blood of those who use and encounter magic. If
your code hinders the mission, mark experience. you touch, smell or taste the “blood” of a rift-touched creature
ЂЂ Horror Bane: When your membership in the Horror Bane you can sense the creature and something of its history. If you
hinders the mission, mark experience. smell the blood, you may track the creature up to a day later.
If you touch the blood, you may assess the recent past of a
ЂЂ Revealing: When you discover more information about your creature. If you taste it, you may research that creature and its
Adversary, mark experience. relationships.
GEAR STARTING LISTS
v.1.0

Choose two weapons: Names: Arrow, Blade, Castle, Farrington, Fury, Ghost, Guillame,
ЂЂ Ancient dagger (2-harm hand/close antique) Machete, Martina, Odin, Raven, a hard name, a divine name,
a relentless name
ЂЂ Heavy revolver (3-harm close/near reload loud)
ЂЂ +Rift-touched sword (3-harm hand messy artifact +rift-touched) Look. Choose one from each line:
Eyes: hard, Face: scarred, Body: unfit, Wear: street,
Choose two:
haunted, impassive, muscular, military,
ЂЂ Classic muscle car merciless, square, gaunt, athletic, corporate,
ЂЂ Armoured clothing (0-armour, +discreet, subtract 1 when sorrowful, guarded, trained, hunting,
rolling the harm move) resigned, pained, burned, destitute,
ЂЂ Leather jacket (1-armour) intense, nondescript twisted, blood-stained,
ЂЂ Trauma derms (allows you to apply first aid to characters at 2100 hunted ordinary suburban
or less harm) Skin: artificial, asian or south asian, black, decorated, hispanic/
latinx, indigenous, middle eastern, white,
CYBERWARE CYBERWEAR
The Horror Bane adopt any weapons or technology that will serve Why? (Chose one) prosthetic, forced, loyalty, enthusiasm, necessity,
the ultimate goal of wiping out the Horror blight. Choose any single junkie, genetics, career, ideology, memory, military
piece of Cyberware you believe will help in the fight against your Cost? (Chose one)
Adversary.

HORROR
ЂЂ You scrimped & saved to buy it yourself. Choose one tag to
apply to that piece of cyberware: +unreliable, +substandard,
+hardware decay, +damaging.
NOTES ЂЂ Someone else paid for it; now you owe them. You’re

BANE
+owned. Choose who.
ЂЂ You fucked someone over to get it. You’re +hunted.
Describe who.

ADVANCEMENT As a group, the Horror Bane are a loosely


if(XP) ≥ 10 {run Advancement(1)}; knit organisation devoted to removing
current.XP = XP-10;
the taint of the rift Horrors from our
world. Those recruited into the ranks of
the Bane are often victims of a particular
XP *//after 5 advances you
can choose these too//*
Horror’s machinations; this Horror is
considered that Bane’s Adversary. While
� choose another move from � +1 to any stat (max +3) devoted to the extermination of all
your playbook (max 3) � add +1 to Touch Horrors, most Bane focus primarily on
� choose a move from another � buy off enemy or owned their Adversary.
playbook (max 2) � change your character to a new
� add +1 to Touch Corporate work is a means to an end
playbook
for the Bane; missions often turn up
� +1 Style (max +2) � make a second character leads and artifacts to use in their fight
� +1 Edge (max +2) � rewind a corporate Countdown against their Adversary. The cred is
� +1 Cool (max +2) Clock to 1800 [cost: 10 cred] pretty useful as well.
� +1 Mind (max +2) � retire your character to safety
� +1 Meat (max +2) and create a new character Continue? [Y/N]
� +1 Synth (max +3) [requires: 20 cred]
6-: your procedure was imperfect. The MC will choose the

MAGE
Name. form and element of the entity you summoned, but it is most
definitely not under your control
Looks. You begin with access to these forms:
(lists/options on back)
»» Insectoid (mandible and claw): Insectoid forms are
exceptionally terrifying in combat. You can roll mix it up
STATS MAGICAL ORDER with Touch. Their claws do 2-harm.
»» Humanoid (kinship): Humanoids are just a lot easier to
Describe your order. Choose one: understand. Because of your tighter psychic bond, you can
ЂЂ You know that your order is affiliated with a corporation. use the summoned creature to remotely complete complex
5 Choose it. tasks that you could normally perform.
ЂЂ Your order’s affiliation is a closely guarded secret, unknown
CRED even to you. You begin with access to these elements:
STYLE How were you recruited into your order? Choose one or make up »» Fire: Can apply +aflame tag to objects and people by touch.
your own: forced, family, enthusiasm, necessity, junkie, genetics, »» Air: Can apply +floating tag to objects and people by touch.
EDGE MEAT career, ideology, memory, military »» Water: Can apply +drowning tag to objects and people by
What is your relationship with your order now? touch.
Assign each stat »» Earth: Can apply +held tag to objects and people by touch.
one of these numbers: MIND ЂЂ You are a loyal member. You’re +owned.
ЂЂ You fucked them over and ran. You’re +hunted. »» Void: Can apply +horrified tag to other creatures and
+2, +1, +1, +0, +0, +0, -1 people by touch.
Your Touch should be +2 or +1 COOL MOVES You begin with access to these attributes: +huge, +tiny,
+invisible, +flying
You get these two:
You start with 5 Cred SYNTH ЂЂ Rift magic: When you call upon the power of the rifts to shape Choose two more:
raw magical energy into physical effects, roll Touch.
ЂЂ Binder: When you attempt to control a rift entity that you do
TOUCH 10+: you harness enough magical energy to create a shape of not control, spend an [artifact] and roll Touch.
effect. If you push yourself, you can add an adjunct and make a
choice from the 7–9 list 10+: you successfully bind an unintelligent rift entity to your
control or successfully prevent an intelligent rift entity from
»» Shape: ray, orb, dart, slick, gaseous acting against you
HARM »» Effect (1-harm): electricity, stunning, fire, acid, magnetism,
cold, wind, light, darkness 7–9: you bind an unintelligent rift entity to your control long
enough for one brief action, such as dismissing it back into the
»» Adjunct: greater (+1-harm), split, hidden magical flow. You prevent an intelligent rift entity from acting
15:00 18:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 00:00 7–9: you harness enough magical energy to create a shape of against you for a brief instant; an ally takes +1 forward to act
effect, but at a cost. Choose one: against the entity if they act immediately
»» The magic is draining. Take S-harm 6-: you fail to bind the entity. Run. The MC will make a move
DIRECTIVES »» The effect is loud or otherwise attracts attention
»» One aspect of the magic (shape or effect) is not entirely ЂЂ Chromed: Choose a piece of cyberware at character creation
Choose two: under your control. The MC will choose one and twist it or in downtime. Describe how you got it and paid for it using
ЂЂ Behavioural: Describe your ethical code. When adhering to the usual cyberware questions.
6-: the flows of magical energy are too weak to harness or fail
your code hinders the mission, mark experience. to control the energy you do pull together. The MC will make ЂЂ Evil eye: When you shape runes on a person and spend [gear],
ЂЂ Proselytising: Describe your belief system. When you a move name that person as your hex. You gain +1 ongoing while
persuade others to act according to your beliefs, mark acting against or in pursuit of that person. You may only have
ЂЂ Summon: When you reach into the streams of magic to pull an
experience. one hex at a time.
entity from another dimension, roll Touch.
ЂЂ Revealing: When you discover more information about 7+: you draw out an entity under your control. Choose a form ЂЂ Mage contacts: You have extensive contacts in the magical
, mark experience. and element from the lists below community, roll hit the streets with Touch instead of Style.
ЂЂ Touched: When you deliberately hinder the mission to learn 10+: the entity you summoned has an additional useful ЂЂ Magic touch: When you aid or interfere using rift magic, roll
more about the rifts, mark experience. characteristic. Add an attribute from the list below Touch.
ЂЂ Metaxenophysicist: Create a new adjunct and add it to your
STARTING LISTS
v.1.0
repertoire.
ЂЂ Sculptor: Create a new shape and add it to your repertoire. Names: Amestris, Circe, Deshawn, Harry, Hermes, Granger,
ЂЂ Summoning tactics: When you aid or interfere using an Inverse, Jackdaw, Naga, Susan, a traditional name, a mystical
entity you summoned, roll Touch. name, an anonymous name
ЂЂ Transmutationist: Create a new effect and add it to your Look. Choose one from each line:
repertoire.
Eyes: calm, Face: young, Body: flabby, Wear: arcane,
ЂЂ Vibrant runes: Your effects do 2-harm but you no longer have driven, confident, athletic, lithe, corporate, high
the adjunct +hidden. inspired, attractive, unobtrusive, fashion, street,
mystical, grizzled, slight, solid, sanctioned,
GEAR impassive, studious, shifting, magically-
powerful, burned, wax, plastic autonomous,
Choose two weapons:
resigned rift-marked avant-garde
ЂЂ Dagger (1-harm hand/close discreet)
ЂЂ Holdout pistol (2-harm hand/close discreet quick reload loud) Skin: artificial, asian or south asian, black, decorated, hispanic/latinx,
ЂЂ Mace (2-harm hand) indigenous, middle eastern, iridescent, white, ____________________
ЂЂ Staff (1-harm hand quick)
CYBERWEAR
Choose two: Why? (Chose one) prosthetic, forced, loyalty, enthusiasm, necessity,
ЂЂ Armoured coat (1-armour) junkie, genetics, career, ideology, memory, military
ЂЂ Extravagant headgear (when you roll a 12+ to summon, choose
a second element to apply) Cost? (Chose one)
ЂЂ Grimoire (when you roll a 12+ to perform rift magic, choose a ЂЂ You scrimped & saved to buy it yourself. Choose one tag to
second effect to apply) apply to that piece of cyberware: +unreliable, +substandard,

MAGE
ЂЂ Order robes (0-armour, +discreet, subtract 1 when rolling harm move) +hardware decay, +damaging.
ЂЂ Someone else paid for it; now you owe them. You’re
+owned. Choose who.
CYBERWARE ЂЂ You fucked someone over to get it. You’re +hunted.
Describe who.
Some magical orders frown on cyberware, some embrace it, others
forbid it entirely. What is your order’s attitude towards it? You don’t
start with cyberware automatically, but you may take chromed at ADVANCEMENT A Mage is a true student of all that
character creation. If you do, answer the usual cyberware questions is magic. They focus heavily on under-
as well as the questions about your magical order. standing and shaping rift magic through
if(XP) ≥ 10 {run Advancement(1)};
current.XP = XP-10; scientific approaches and their own force
of will.

LINKS XP *//after 5 advances you


can choose these too//* Mage society is hierarchical; in most
regions a complex bureaucracy has grown
� choose another move from � +1 to any stat (max +3)
up around the use and regulation of rift
your playbook (max 3) � add +1 to Touch magic. It’s a surprisingly meritocratic
� choose a move from another � buy off enemy or owned society, though, as children of all kin
playbook (max 2) � change your character to a new and economic situations are tested for
� add +1 to Touch playbook aptitude and placed in orders from an
� +1 Style (max +2) early age. Most Mages continue to serve
� make a second character their orders after their education,
� +1 Edge (max +2) � rewind a corporate Countdown though from time to time a Mage will
� +1 Cool (max +2) Clock to 1800 [cost: 10 cred] strike out on their own.
� +1 Mind (max +2) � retire your character to safety
� +1 Meat (max +2) and create a new character Continue? [Y/N]
� +1 Synth (max +3) [requires: 20 cred]
Choose two more:

THRALL
Name. ЂЂ Ceremonial scars: When you roll 12+ to call forth, you may
change 1 die in your pool to any number less than its face value
Looks. before deciding what spell to cast.
(lists/options on back)
ЂЂ Chromed: Choose a piece of cyberware at character creation
or in downtime. Describe how you got it and paid for it using
STATS HORROR the usual cyberware questions.
Describe your master. You are +owned. Choose one: ЂЂ Dreams of beyond: When you enter a ritual trance, you can
ЂЂ Your master has other followers, cultists and Thralls. Describe project your senses beyond space and time to see a version of
5 them as if they were a gang (The Sprawl, pp.138-139). In the past or a potential future. Describe the ritual and roll Touch.
addition to the choices you make for the gang’s leader, your 10+: you receive a vision of whatever past or future event
CRED
STYLE master is an alien intelligence of unknowable motivations. you choose. Choose two of the following: gain [intel], take +1
forward when acting on the vision or attempting to bring it to
ЂЂ Any other followers your master may have are unknown to you.
Do you think you’re the first? His only Thrall? The latest? pass, or add a dice to your pool with a value you choose.
EDGE MEAT 7–9: you receive a hazy vision of the past or future. Either:
Why did you make a magical pact with an extradimensional
Horror? Choose one or make up your own: forced, family, »» you choose the event you see and you choose one from the
Assign each stat
one of these numbers: MIND enthusiasm, necessity, junkie, genetics, career, ideology, memory, list above, or
military »» the MC chooses the event you see and chooses one option
+2, +1, +1, +0, +0, +0, -1
for you, then you choose a second option from the two that
COOL
Your Touch should be +2 or +1
MOVES remain
6-: you receive a terrible vision and are noticed and noted by
You start with 5 Cred SYNTH You get these two: something from beyond

ЂЂ Magic of the bones: You can read the flows of magical energy ЂЂ Gris gris: You have crafted a talisman that allows you to store
TOUCH through your runes and store the power of favourable runes for
later use. Favourable runes hold power and you will often keep
one additional set of imbued bones, expanding your magic of
the bones dice pool to a total of 5 dice.
them to use as a focus for your spell-craft.
ЂЂ High priest: You occupy a high position in your master’s
Any time you roll a 7+ while making a move (including call
HARM forth), you may take one of the two dice you just rolled and
cult. Your church of subordinates are a gang (2-harm +small
+magical +fanatical +secret). Pick 2:
place it in your pool. These dice must continue to read the
»» Your church is armed with mystical weaponry: add 1 harm
numbers they initially rolled. You may have 3 dice in your pool
and +rift-touched
at any given time unless you have a move that states otherwise.
»» Your church is protected by mystical armour: add 1 armour
15:00 18:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 00:00
You will use this pool of dice for call forth.
and +overconfident
DIRECTIVES ЂЂ Call forth: When you use the runes you have collected to call
forth power from the rifts, roll Touch.
»» Your church is particularly attendant to your teachings: add
+loyal; you may remove +fanatical
Choose two: »» Your church has a specialist edge: add one of +mobile,
7+: choose any two dice from your pool. Trigger the effect on the
ЂЂ Behavioural: Describe your ethical code. When adhering to +specialists, +well-connected, or +resources
table below that matches the two numbers showing on the dice
your code hinders the mission, mark experience. »» Your church is successful at recruiting (how?): replace
you chose, then remove those dice from your pool.
+small with +medium
ЂЂ Beholden: When you deliberately hinder the mission to 7–9: also choose two:
acquiesce to the Horror who gave you your power, mark ЂЂ Horrors’ foresight: Choose one die from your magic of the
experience. »» Your magic has drawn unwanted attention bones dice pool and remove it from the game; this reduces
»» The spell is very draining, lose an additional dice from your your maximum dice pool by 1 for the rest of the mission. You
ЂЂ Proselytising: Describe your belief system. When you pool in addition to the two dice you used to trigger the gain 2 [intel].
persuade others to act according to your beliefs, mark effect. If you have more than three dice in your pool, you
experience. choose which of the additional dice to lose ЂЂ Magic touch: When you aid or interfere using rift magic, roll
Touch.
ЂЂ Revealing: When you discover more information about »» Something dark has travelled into our realm on the back
, mark experience. of your spell
ЂЂ Rift hook-up: Your master periodically reveals the location of
STARTING LISTS
v.1.0
caches of useful or valuable items. Once per mission you may
ask your master for help; they will reveal the location of any
combination of three of: [artifacts], [gear], and +rift-touched Names: Becky, Brad, Damien, Iggy, Indene, Julian, Kassandra,
equipment. Roll Mind: Moll, Semempses, Vector, a creepy name, a demonic name,
an ordinary name
10+: you realise the catch before you commit to retrieving them
Look. Choose one from each line:
7–9: you realise the catch after you commit to retrieving them
6-: you realise the catch at the worst possible time Eyes: calm, Face: hard, Body: husk, Wear: street,
piercing, confident, muscular, neo-tribal,
ЂЂ Spirit contacts: You can use blood magic to summon a spirit bright, arrogant, bulky, soft, corporate,
for information. When you do so, roll hit the streets with Touch inhuman, twitchy, runescaped, giger-esque,
instead of Style. inverted, nervous, animalistic, symbiotic,
nictitating, tattooed, twisted, vintage,
GEAR haunted, drained, scarred western
uncertain stretched
Choose two weapons:
ЂЂ Dagger (1-harm hand/close discreet) Skin: artificial, asian or south asian, black, decorated, hispanic/
latinx, indigenous, middle eastern, splotchy, white,
ЂЂ Holdout pistol (2-harm hand/close discreet quick reload loud)
ЂЂ Mace (2-harm hand) CYBERWEAR
ЂЂ Staff (1-harm hand quick) Why? (Chose one) prosthetic, forced, loyalty, enthusiasm, necessity,
junkie, genetics, career, ideology, memory, military
Choose one:
ЂЂ Coat of trinkets (0-armour, subtract 1 when rolling harm move) Cost? (Chose one)
ЂЂ You scrimped & saved to buy it yourself. Choose one tag to
ЂЂ Horror skull mask (1-armour, +frightening)
apply to that piece of cyberware: +unreliable, +substandard,
+hardware decay, +damaging.

CYBERWARE
THRALL
ЂЂ Someone else paid for it; now you owe them. You’re
+owned. Choose who.
Look, buddy. What you do with your meat sack is your own business, ЂЂ You fucked someone over to get it. You’re +hunted.
just do what it says. You don’t start with cyberware automatically, Describe who.
but you can take chromed at character creation. If you do, answer
the usual cyberware questions as well as the questions about your
Horror.
ADVANCEMENT When the rifts opened, the world was
if(XP) ≥ 10 {run Advancement(1)}; flooded with streams and rivers and
seas of magical energy. Thralls are
LINKS current.XP = XP-10; those who can feel this energy and have
made pacts with an extra-dimensional
XP *//after 5 advances you
can choose these too//*
Horror in exchange for the power to
read and manipulate these magical flows.
� choose another move from � +1 to any stat (max +3) Of course, the Horrors have their own
your playbook (max 3) � add +1 to Touch twisted motivations for gifting such
� choose a move from another powers; motivations seldom known to the
� buy off enemy or owned
Thrall.
playbook (max 2) � change your character to a new
� add +1 to Touch playbook
� +1 Style (max +2) � make a second character
� +1 Edge (max +2) � rewind a corporate Countdown Continue? [Y/N]
� +1 Cool (max +2) Clock to 1800 [cost: 10 cred]
� +1 Mind (max +2) � retire your character to safety
� +1 Meat (max +2) and create a new character
� +1 Synth (max +3) [requires: 20 cred]
MAGIC OF 1+1
An ally will receive the might of an alien Horror. Grant
an ally +2 harm on their next attack.
3+3
The rifts whisper secrets and visions. Reveal knowledge
as if you had just spent [intel].

THE BONES 1+2


The bones hold an explosive hex (2-harm, explosive)
that can be triggered as long as the Thrall is in sight.
3+4
A boon from the powers beyond! Grant an ally +1
forward.

The bones hold an explosive hex (2-harm loud messy).


The magic system used by Thralls depends on having the available An ally will be fortified against a massive attack. Grant
1+3 3+5 Place the bones and give them a condition. When that
dice with the proper exposed numbers available in their pool. These an ally +2 armour until hit.
condition is met, the bones explode.
dice are physical representations of your in-fiction runes.
The bones give you insight to someone else’s future.
Whenever you roll dice and get a 7+, magic of the bones allows
The rifts give you insight to the future. Take +1 Give the bones to an ally; when they roll aid or interfere
you take one of those two dice you just rolled and place it in your 1+4 3+6
forward on your next action. with them they give +2 or -2 forward. The dice are then
pool as long as you have additional space in the pool. Think of this as
returned to you.
your character pocketing a favourable rune. Initially you have space
for three dice; you can take upgrades that will allow you to store up The rifts provide. Produce equipment as if you had
to five. The bones are imbued with healing power. They will
1+5 just spent [gear]. You may produce an [artifact], but 4+4
heal 1 harm when touched to a living creature.
the Horrors do not appreciate re-gifting.

An ally will avoid death. If they acquire agricultural


The bones hold a sticky hex. Throw at an enemy to give
1+6 property within 24 hours, they take a 10+ instead of 4+5
them the +held tag.
rolling.

The bones are imbued with greater healing power. The bones give you remote sight. Place them anywhere
2+2 They will heal 2 harm when touched to a living 4+6 you want; you see through them as if they were your
creature. eyes.

The bones confuse and bewilder a target. They gain The bones hold a glamour. You gain a temporary
2+3 5+5
the tag +confused. magical disguise.

The rifts warp time around your target. They gain the The bones explode in light. Those who view it gain the
2+4 5+6
tag +slow. tag +stunned.

An ally is imbued with a terrible and alien ferocity. The bones allow minor time manipulation. Give to an
Until the magic fades, that ally receives +1 harm ally; while they possess the bones, they may re-roll the
2+5 6+6
on their attacks. Mark experience if their violence dice and take the new result. The dice are then returned
complicates the mission. to you.

The bones hold a glamour. Grant an ally a temporary


2+6
magical disguise.

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