THE SEEKER

A custom playbook for

Blades in the Dark
Sam Walker Art adapted with permission
October 2020 from instagr.am/indianajackie
SEEKER
An adventurer and arcane archaeologist
The Imperium holds many secrets. Forgotten places, lost artifacts, and remnants of the
era before the cataclysm. Some brave souls seek fame and glory retrieving these
ancient treasures—not for the coin, but for the hidden knowledge they contain. They
are the Seekers.

When you play a Seeker, you earn xp when you address a challenge with bold action,
wit, or intelligence. Swing from chandeliers, plunge the depths of Deathlands tombs,
and uncover dangerous artifacts, all while cracking jokes. But make sure you come
prepared—you are no simple graverobber, but an accomplished archaeologist and
scholar. Find the maps, translate the texts, and learn from the terrible mistakes of the
past, lest you be doomed to repeat them.

Why are you drawn to the mysteries of the past? Are you the daring explorer or the
obsessed student? What long-lost artifact do you seek? What mystery are you trying to
unravel? What personal connection do you have to your quest?

STARTING ACTIONS SHREWD FRIENDS, RIVALS

SURVEY Una, a guide/love interest. Perhaps a

SKIRMISH
STARTING BUILDS
If you want some guidance when you
assign your faction dots and special
ability, use one of these templates.
THE SCOFFLAW. Prowl +2, Skirmish +1,
Sway +1. You Call This Archaeology?
THE PROFESSOR. Attune +1, Study +2,
Sway +1. Nothing Shocks Me.
THE DELVER. Finesse +2, Prowl +2.
Thats Why They Call It the Jungle.
trusted navigator of the subterranean, or
perhaps a former ally who led you
betrayed you?
Myre, an archivist/love interest. Perhaps
a reliable source of historical documents,
or perhaps a bureaucrat opposed to your
disregard for the rules of the profession.
Senix, a shaman/love interest. Perhaps a
source of anthropological interest, or
perhaps a mystic opposed to your
archaeological intrusions.
Avery, an heir/ess, love interest. An on-
again/off-again significant other whose
family disapproves of your union.

THE PARAMOUR. Consort +2, Sway +2. Papa, your father. Perhaps a
How Dare You Kiss Me. cantankerous but loving advisor, perhaps
an estranged and deadly rival.
SEEKER SPECIAL ABILITIES

HOW DARE YOU KISS ME

When you Sway a love interest, you get +1d. If your love interest is an enemy, you also
gain +1 effect.
Your passion for exploration gives you an alluring personality. Whenever you try to
influence a love interest to agree with you or act in your benefit, you know how to
manipulate them in your favor. For this ability, a love interest is anyone you have an
established romantic relationship with—it can't be someone you just met. The GM
decides who counts as a love interest. If you disagree, start a long term project. An
enemy is someone whose goals are directly opposed to yours, such as a member of a
rival faction or someone posing danger or a challenge during a score.

START THE ENGINES

You can take 1 additional stress after resisting a consequence to make a daring escape.
When you do, take -1 Heat.
Whenever you successfully resist a consequence, you can choose to also escape the
area. This escape could completely remove you from the score or just the scene. In any
case, take -1 Heat, as you know how to flee without attracting attention.

ANTITODE TO WHAT?
You may expend your special armor to resist a consequence of alchemical, poisonous,
or chemical effects, or to push yourself when working with alchemicals or poisons.
You are savvy to most alchemicals, poisons, and other chemical threats. When you
use this ability, tick the special armor box on your playbook sheet. If you “resist a
consequence” of the appropriate type, you avoid it completely. If you use this ability to
push yourself, you get one of the benefits (+1d, +1 effect, act despite severe harm) but
you don’t take 2 stress. Your special armor is restored at the beginning of downtime.

NOTHING SHOCKS ME
You can use a 1 stress flashback to prepare: a map — notes on relevant history —
occult/forbidden knowledge. Make a Crafting Roll using Study instead of Tinker to
determine Quality.
You do your homework. Preparing a useful piece of research could be covered by
normal flashbacks, but you are particularly adept at finding the right information.
The GM might decide that the flashback alone is enough to allow certain actions, or
the Quality can be used in fortune rolls to determine the applicability of your study.

WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE

Choose one fear: snakes—ghosts—demons. You gain an additional xp trigger: You
faced your fear and survived.
You choose your feared entity when you get this ability. You may change your feared
entity by completing a long term project. Only one entity may be chosen.
THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT THE JUNGLE
You may expend your special armor to resist a consequence from the environment, or
to push yourself to survive the elements or natural hazards.
You are accustomed to hostile environments. When you use this ability, tick the
special armor box on your playbook sheet. If you “resist a consequence” from the
environment, you avoid it completely. If you use this ability to push yourself, you get
one of the benefits (+1d, +1 effect, act despite severe harm) but you don’t take 2 stress.
Your special armor is restored at the beginning of downtime.

YOU CALL THIS ARCHAEOLOGY?

You can push yourself to do one of the following: perform a dramatic acrobatic
maneuver — disable an unaware enemy — find a secret route.
When you push yourself to activate this ability, you still get one of the normal benefits
of pushing yourself (+1d, +1 effect, etc.) in addition to the special ability.
If you perform a dramatic acrobatic maneuver, you might swing from a
conveniently-placed rope, dodge a deadly trap, leap from a speeding minecar to
safety, etc. If you disable an unaware enemy, you can knock them unconscious,
distract them, or hogtie them without causing them bodily harm. If you find a secret
route, you might find a way around a threat, bypass security measures, or find your
way to your destination without attacting trouble.

IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM
You can push yourself to study, handle, or use dangerous artifacts without requiring a
resistance roll.
When you push yourself to activate this ability, you still get one of the normal benefits
of pushing yourself (+1d, +1 effect, etc.) in addition to the special ability. Many pre-
cataclysm artifacts contain immense power. A non-expert would have to use a
resistance roll to even handle such dangerous items. The Seeker has the expertise to
examine or even use such artifacts without making a resistance roll.

SEEKER ITEMS

Fine bullwhip: an expertly-crafted and maintained whip. Did Papa give you his whip
when he was ready to hang it up, or did you steal it from a rival? [1 LOAD]
Helpful trinkets: your shoulder bag has what you need. Trying to steal the idol
without setting off the pressure plate? Your trusty sandbag should work! [1+ LOAD]
Fine revolver: any model will do. In your line of work, its more important to appear
armed than to actually be a good shot. Who gave you this gun? [1 LOAD]
Lucky fedora: no archaeologist leaves home without one. Why are you superstitious
about your hat? What was the last scrape it got you out of? [0 LOAD]
A helpful tome: sometimes you brought just the right piece of literature. Who wrote
this volume? What useful piece of information does it contain? [1 LOAD]
A helpful map: X marks the spot. Who created this map? What useful route or area
does it illustrate? Can you trust the author? [0 LOAD]