Through the Breach: Into the Steam by Mors Rattus

Post 1

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Y'know what I just got ahold of?



Into The Steam is the sourcebook for all things Arcanist, Steamfitter's Union and parts north of Malifaux. It covers the lands north of the city, a new character creation method (the Assembly Line Tarot) with option to play as one of the Invested - a sentient robot. There are eight new basic Pursuits and five new Advanced Pursuits, some new Talents and a lot of new options for skills. There's also new items and new magic variations, plus a bunch of new monsters and rules to make mutant or robot monsters.

The north is one of the areas least controlled by the Guild - it's the primary stronghold of both the Arcanists and the Ten Thunders. Much of the land is known as the Northern Hills, full of soulstone veins and other ores. Lots of abandoned boomtowns and a few that have flourished in the five years since the Breach opened back up. The railroad heads all the way up to Ridley Station, and some small companies are trying to push it even further.

We get a digression on Malifaux astronomy. The place has two moons: Illios the Revealer and Delios the Dark Stone, names found in old documents from before the first Breach. Delios is the first to rise, moving east to west and glowing faintly green. It is known as the Dark Stone because it looks like uncut soulstone. Its light is barely enough to illuminate the ground, and it is often associated with deceit and magic. It is the harbinger of darkness, and the sick or dying are sometimes said to have had the light of Delios upon them. Some say that those who die when Delios alone is in the sky have their souls trapped within it. Illios is slower, taking hours after sunset to rise. It moves southwest to northeast, and it shines white-blue, bright in the sky. Most wait until its rise to travel by night. It is tied to the concept of truth, and many use the phrase 'Illios has not yet risen' to say that the truth will be revealed in time.

When both moons are in the sky, it can be as bright as daylight...well, Malifaux daylight, but everything is given a yellow-green tint. Many in the North don't mind traveling by the light of Illios, if only to add color to an otherwise dull trip. The sun of Malifaux, meanwhile, is not so bright as Earth's sun. Clouds are common, and bright days rare. The days are shorter as winter approaches, and common reckoning holds that the sun rises east and sets west - apparently, the original Malifaux inhabitants used an entirely different system, but humanity has essentially ignored it entirely. Eclipses are rare but not unheard of, typically seen as omens, and a night without a moon might happen once in a lifetime. These nights, known as Fallow Nights, have never been witnessed by human eyes, but they are recorded in old tomes and grimoires of the ruins. There are also many, many stars, some even bright enough to see by day on clear afternoons. Unlike Earth stars, the stars of Malifaux are more colorful, with red and green and, much more rarely, blue. Blue stars are good omens, but can only be seen in the darkest part of the darkest nights.

We also get some mention of Malifaux's massive underground cavern complexes, to be detailed in a later supplement (Under Quarantine). The Northern Hills are relatively tame, but have some animals - mostly moles, and most notably the rare and aggressive Molemen, a magical creation of the Arcanists that's had an offshoot go wild and feral. They are aggressive, territorial, rather clever and very good at weakening mines. As yet, there has been no decision reached on whether the Miners and Steamfitters Union should engage an active project to exterminate or contain the Molemen. The rest of the dangerous animals of the Northern Hills are rare - mostly jackals, Night Terrorsand, near the mountains, Maulers and Hoarcats. There is plenty of other animal life that is less dangerous and relied on for meat. The lands near Frostrun also suffer from Razorspine Rattlers (giant snakes) and giant boars wandering in from the river.

Most settlements in the Northern Hills don't break a thousand people, outside of Ridley or Hollow Marsh. There's just not enough food for large populations, and people tend to be transient - the hillfolk, as they are often disparagingly called in Malifaux. They're survivors, no-nonsense and gruff, with strong ties to local settlements. Most belong to the M&SU, which has fostered a spirit of camaraderie and mutual support, but they don't easily welcome newcomers. They aren't hostile, just standoffish and not quick to help anyone that doesn't pull their own weight. Many towns actively defy Guild mandates, and while Guild men come for the Soulstone, they don't often stick around long. Direct confrontation is rare, given the Guild's heavily armed nature, but they are defied often - magicians, for example, are often protected from them, as are peaceful outlaws, as their skills can be handy to have around. Northerners tend to call themselves the Folk, reclaiming part of the insulting 'hillfolk' nickname. People from nearby settlements are often 'cousins,' a name encouraged by the Union to build a sense of family and community. Still, people tend not to move around too often, except to avoid trouble or find new resources. Still, when it does happen, this network of 'cousins' and their 'cousins' helps people settle in. However, the area between towns is rife with highwaymen and bandits that prey on these rare travelers, often based out of old ghost towns.

Next time: Ridley and Points North

Post 2

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Through the Breach: Into the Steam

Ridley used to just be a small rail station used for trading, but since it was a trade center, it was only a matter of time before little Ridley Station became the largest settlement in the North. It's built atop a plateau, giving it a great view of the area, and while it hasn't reached the edges yet, it will soon, which will limit its growth. It is the southernmost town of the Northern Hills, bordering the Footprints, so it gets very little rain or much in the way of good cropland. Indeed, the only reason Ridley works is that it's the connection to Malifaux City. Even trains headed to Hollow Point have to stop there - and the city council won't honor tickets to Hollow Point bought in Malifaux, so don't bother doing that. Just buy a new one in Ridley. The city council runs a tight ship in Ridley, and every member is a card-carrying Steamfitter's Union man or woman. They keep the place humming. Since Ridley can't feed itself, they have imposed a Sustenance Tax to pay for importing food and water to sell back to the people. The prices are kept low by the council, but many are still uncomfortable with this, especially those with Guild leanings. The Guild control exactly one thing in Ridley: law enforcement. Despite many attempts by the council to take over the courts, it's reached the point where Ridley is backing down to avoid agitating the Guild further, though the council still gets to define the law. The Guild just enforces it...and some of their own laws, at times.

The council is made of eight people, each representing one district. Districting is by population, but the ones at the outskirts are the poor ones, mostly the old or the disabled who can no longer make it on the frontier. On top of the council, there is a largely ceremonial mayor. Mayors are kept in for a year and are primarily retired Union leaders. Most try to get a bit more power, but all such attempts have so far been foiled. The mayor's only true power is that they serve as Guild liaison, and the Guild's started going straight to the mayor in hopes of bypassing the council. So far, it hasn't worked out very well - retired Union heads tend not to like the Guild. Ridley's districts are Center City (the rich part at the center and one of the nicest places in Malifaux due to a functioning sewer), the Smelt (industrial), Slate (a slum), Iron (artisans), Ivory (Guildtown) and the three housing districts, Bronze, Quartz and Jade. All of those three are relatively poor but mostly support the Union thanks to subsidized bread and water.

Outside Hollow Marsh is Hollow Point Pumping Station, the other major settlement of the Northern Hills. It is the brainchild of Victor Ramos, a giant pump to keep the mines clear of floods by hollowing out a mountain. The people of Hollow Point live on the mountainside, and it's safer and wealthier than anywhere else in the Hills. The Union's even paid for a railway - a public line, if rarely used by non-Union people. Hollow Point is on the edge of the Bayou, so it has plenty of water and fertility, allowing them to grow rice, which is shipped throughout the Hills. Ridley depends almost entirely on Hollow Point food. The only real separator from the Bayou is the Frostrun, an icy river that comes down from Ten Peaks in the north. It is rough and treacherous, so it keeps most monsters and natives out...though some Gremlins are determined and cross anyway to loot local villages, which are mostly defended by the robots they use for mining.

In the far northeast is the inexplicably successful Promise, just below the mountains. It's three weeks by horse from Ridley, across unforgiving land, and the winters are harsh. Despite this, Promise has done well, with good cropland and hunting. Indeed, the town appears to be self-sufficient. It is settled mostly by people from the Three Kingdoms, and it's as much an Asian as European town, with a uniquely hybrid culture. People from Promise are easy to spot as a result. And the reason the place works so well? Soulstone trading. The Second Breach, high in the mountains, is one of the best-kept secrets in Malifaux, and it's run by the Ten Thunders. They use it to manage a massive illegal Soulstone smuggling ring based out of Promise. The town is also called Delios by Ten Thunders operatives to keep its status secret - saying you're 'traveling by Delios' leads many to think you mean 'by darkness' rather than through Promise.

Delta Six is the largest mining site in the hills, located north of Hollow Point. It's immense, covering one of the largest Soulstone veins in history, and it's very profitable. It's so big that it's more a quarry than a mine, and Hollow Point was built mostly to keep Delta Six dry. Before its construction, floods were common and very damaging. Nearby Bedlam Quarry, on the other hand, produces no Soulstone whatsoever. It mines granite and occasionally other minerals - even gold, sometimes. It's not so profitable, but far more reliable and easier to staff. Indeed, it's the safest mine in the north, though more tightly Guild-run. Mostly, it gets used to break the will of convict miners and test their skills. Those with an aptitude for the job or for following orders are often shipped to other mines, but all convict labor comes through Bedlam Quarry at some point. It's one of the few shared experiences that the convict miners tend to have, and when two convicts meet, it's Bedlam they gossip about.

The last place of importance before the Ten Peaks is Perennial, home of the Perennial Mines. It was one of the few ghost towns left standing just after the second Breach, with practically no decay at all. Indeed, it was named because it was found in near-perfect condition. The mine was soon cleared, with the Soulstones coming out of it easily and the lowest casualty rate in the north. Perennial became a cushy Union post, a prize town to be sent to for good work. That is, until the town fell apart following a brutal winter and the place's first major mining accident. A lesser town would have survived, but Perennial lost the charm it once held, and most people just moved on. The Arcanists, however, decided to keep the town going on paper. Soulstones of other mines were attributed to Perennial, and all Guild overseers there are Arcanist infiltrators. The entire place exists solely in documentation, and the town isn't even maps any more. Working at Perennial Mines is Arcanist code - a cover story for important Arcanists to use without having to maintain a life there. It's a fiction, a signal to other Arcanists, and the Guild still doesn't realize it.


I don't know, either.

Ten Peaks is as far north as anyone's ever really managed to get. It's a mountain range running from the Bayou to parts unknown, and its meltwater feeds the Blackrill and Frostrun rivers, and ultimately most of the Bayou. It was named because ten of its peaks could be seen from Malifaux City when exploration first started. The mountains are in near-constant snowfall, as storms roll in from the north and break on the peaks, never getting to the lands beyond. Occasionally, there are avalanches. Very little grows there, and only predators make their homes on the mountainsides. They are hardy, vicious beasts, and the Folk have learned to avoid anything coming down out of the mountains. The most common creature to be discussed is the Wendigo. Few know how they come to be. Occasionally, a person from the Hills or even Malifaux City will find themselves drawn northward, trekking without food or water, driven by primal need. As they reach the mountains, they change. They hunch over, shriveling, but will over time grow even larger than humans - the mighty Wendigo. The strongest never leave the mountains, but any will devour anyone they meet. The Mauler, a rare type of mutated bear, is also symbolic of mountain life - twisted, vicious and hungry.

Few people live in the mountains - mostly exiles and criminals, and there's no law out there. They aren't friendly or good-mannered, and they don't look out for each other. Grudges last a long time for them, and most have cast aside human morality just to survive. It's almost tribal, with the strong leading so the strong can live. In winter, they band together to raid settlements, kill anyone they meet and rob them. These groups are known as the Hordes, and while they strike but a few villages each year, their destruction is not soon forgotten. There is one other type of person out in the mountains: the Cult of December. They seem to worship the mountains, the cold and the entity known only as December. They have great magical knowledge, using it to carve a massive temple atop one of the peaks. They use this temple as a base to hunt food from via their followers and strange beasts. No mountain settlements exist, at least according to maps in Malifaux or Ridley.

That's not to say they don't exist at all, though. The Temple of December is a massive edifice of ice and snow, frozen eternally as tribute to winter. It is covered in ice sculptures of strange faces and beasts, which can be animated to defend the Temple as a small, frozen army. Inside is the Cult, with their bulky cloaks. They are small in number, but not so small as must would hope. Most are acolytes, mere adherents to the glory of December. Above them are the Silent Ones, the priestesses of December. They know much of magic, but most had their tongues cut out by an earlier generation of leaders in the cult. Alongside them are the priests, tasked to care for the Temple and commune with the entity December. There are also strange things outside the hierarchy, like the Blessed, a former Silent One warped by magic into a flesh-eating monster, a testament of the raw, feral power of the Cult.

Then there's the Grove - an unsettling place of "trees" carved from ice. The ice-trees are thick...and more strangely, laden with fruit. Few have eaten the fruits of the Grove, but those who do are entranced by the taste, said to be the most wonderful in all the world. They tend not to leave the Grove, and the small village that exists there is quite successful, even friendly, in ways the mountains don't often see. When asked how they survive the winter, they say only 'the trees take our complaints.' A poem implies that the trees command them. The other village of the mountains is Windblown, the largest of the roving villages. Hunters across Malifaux speak of it with awe, for it is the home of the world's finest trackers. Unlike most roving villages of the mountains, it heads south to trade, not raid. The people of Windblown eat meat almost exclusively, making them look unhealthy but muscley and able. They are tough and hunt only in packs, and only for the largest prey. They wear furs of their best kills - Maulers, sometimes even Wendigo. They revel in the hunt, though often one or two die on each hunt. It keeps the population low and thus fed. Some were professional hunters on Earth, but most were convicts or just those uncomfortable with city life They have little respect for those unable to survive like they do.

And then there's the Footprints - the badlands between the Northern Hills and Malifaux City. They are desolate, full of canyons, and not much else. No animals call the Footprints home naturally, save vultures. Few people do, either, save bandits who stay a short while to raid travelers...and even then, there aren't many travelers, and most are destitute, or they'd have used the train. Thus, the trains are the only real prize, and bandits must come up with elaborate plans to slow them down and rob them. It annoys both Guild and Union, but not enough to wipe out the bandits.

Next time: Factions in the North

Post 3

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Through the Breach: Into the Steam

While the Guild is often seen as omnipresent and ever-vigilant, it mostly has just been good at applying force in the right place at the right time, creating that illusion. Its power is centered on Malifaux City, and it is not yet strong enough to control the northern lands. Instead, it focuses on profitable locations there. The overseers track what comes out of the mines, the troops man the trains and the customs officers tax what they can. The Guild doesn't usually do much else in the North, as that would take more manpower. They play the economy - they need Soulstones to stay in business, but they can't extract them very efficiently. The Union checks their power, but they themselves are checked by the Guild's control of the Breach. The Guild might stamp them out if they organized more, but the Union can halt the flow of Soulstone. Guild leaders want heavier control of the North, to increase their returns. They believe it'd pay for itself. However, success is far from a guarantee and the Guild isn't big on risk, so they've settled for economic war, looking for ways to cut Union profits and authority and to get the Northerners to believe the Guild would help them prosper more. The northern operations are overseen by a man named Gilgamesh, rarely seen. He operates the Guild there with clandestine cells and spies, and it is he who commands the shadow wars against the Union. He understands them deeply, and the Union fears an infiltrator in their ranks, which helps the Guild - their infighting has slowed them down. Other than Gilgamesh, there is also Derrick Westmore, head of the mine overseers, who has made the overseers more responsible after he defected from the Union due to being fed up by their politics. There is also a sizable number of Witch Hunters going after the Arcanists in the area, though they're mostly good at catching minor operatives.

The Miners and Steamfitters Union was born in the North, and it is strong there. It formed first among the miners, led by Erick Ulish, and made enough money from dues in a few months to address safety concerns. It hired engineers to focus on lighting and flooding, and that's when Victor Ramos showed up. Ulish, President of the Union, pushed to accept Ramos and his engineers, and by the time the Guild knew what was happening, its influence had already spread throughout the Northern mines, making it impossible to easily remove. Ramos was originally in charge of safety, but he quickly expanded thanks to his massive success. After Ulish died in an accident, Ramos was quickly elected the next President. He has made the Union what it is today, uniting the membership massively. The Union controls a lot of infrastructure, and it works hard for its people...and itself. The Union doesn't help anyone that won't pay dues - it has to be that way to stay strong. It's forced a number of people with no mining or engineering skill to join, for practical reasons.

In the North, in fact, not joining the Union is considered absurd. The Guild might have authority, but everyone knows Ramos and the Union have the real power. The line between Miners and Steamfitters has started to blur, but the Miners are larger and more profitable, covering anyone involved in mining concerns. The Steamfitters cover everyone else - mostly craftsmen of all kinds. The Union has recently been experimenting with company towns - low cost of living and definite work but low pay. It's caused some concern, but company towns would let the Union live entirely outside Guild control. So far, the experiment is working, and it's growing. Beyond that, the Union focuses on opposing the Guild politically, though Ramos has always been careful to appear willing to compromise. He is the friendly face, allowing his subordinates to be more hardline and aggressive while he keeps his hands clean. Below the top levels, most decisions are made by committee, with each mine or other organization having their own committee and reporting to larger committees. Almost all decisions are by vote.

The Arcanists are often felt but rarely seen in the North. The Guild knows but can't prove they have strong ties to the Union. The truth is, Victor Ramos leads both groups. Most Arcanists are also Union members, and they use it for cover. It's simplest to think of the Arcanists as the criminal arm of the Union, smuggling Soulstone and illegally training wizards. Ramos keeps an eye out for magical talent to recruit and protect, bringing them into the Arcanists whenever possible. Ramos founded them around the same time as the Union started, because he knew mages like himself were being hunted, and felt they weren't doing anything wrong but be powerful. He used his wizard allies to bolster the successes of the Union, and the two organizations grew together. Their mixing of magic and technology has often been helpful, such is in the creation of the Leviathan, an immense construct resembling a giant centipede that, until recently, was an immense weapon. Its soulstone has since cracked and rendered it inoperable, however. The Arcanists are also looking for ways to open their own Breach, to try and break the Guild's power, but they must be careful - if the Guild learned of it, they could use it to cement their control.

Victor Ramos is usually more personally invested in the Arcanists - the Union mostly runs itself well without his involvement - but the Arcanists are still mostly autonomous. Most members are also Union, and so answer to both a Union master and an Arcanist one. Sometimes these are the same person, but not always. Most Union members are vaguely aware that their organization shelters Arcanists, and most are fine with it, treating them as family as much as any other Union member, especially since the Arcanists will happily use magic to help the Union. Most are not aware, however, of the extent of the collusion, and only a handful know Ramos leads both groups. The Guild is vaguely aware of the Arcanists using the Union as a shield, but even they would be shocked to learn the level of collaboration between the two groups.


Rah, rah, Rasputin, lover of the Russian queen

The Cult of December worships the Tyrant December, and they are drawn to the north, to the high Temple. The call of December is strongest among the starving, and if they survive the climb, they join the Cult. Their leader is the Winter Witch, Rasputina, who will do anything to get what she wants. Still, she is not so cold as some say. She cares deeply for the Cult, going to great lengths and even resisting December's will to protect them. The Cult was once led by the male priests of December, who cut out the tongues of the priestesses to avoid a prophecy of a woman controlling the cult. When Rasputina came from without their ranks to take control, she killed most of the priests and elevated the priestesses to lead as the Silent Ones. Her pragmatism and struggle of wills with December has led her to ally with the Arcanists, gaining access to their stores of magical knowledge in order to control her gifts and resist December's influence. The Cult predates her, however, dating back to the first Breach. Indeed, some of the eldest priests and priestesses were found after the second opening, frozen in the Temple. When thawed, they taught the new arrivals the ways of December, allowing the Cult to quickly regain much of its former glory. The call of December keeps the ranks full, as those fallen on hard times are lured to the Temple.

The Foundry is a subset of the Union focusing on the expansion of rail travel, and its members mostly work on steel mills to make railroad tracks or constructs. When not doing that, they lay track. They are almost all fiercely loyal to the Union rail boss, Mei Feng, who trains them, keeps them safe and protects them with a Mauler's ferocity. Her magical skill lets her control fire and metal, allowing her to operate the biggest and hottest machinery easily. She was quickly recruited by the Arcanists and given leadership in the Foundry, but the Arcanists have not realized her true loyalties lie instead with the Ten Thunders. She's not stupid, however, and knows that when she stops being a useful spy, she will be discarded, and she's trying to gain Arcanist favor in preparation for that day. The Foundry fights with her, no matter what side she chooses, and so do their rail golems.

Condor Rails is led by an Earthsider named Aucaman, a man of Native American heritage who came to Malifaux after discovering he'd never make the top ranks on Earth thanks to his blood and embezzling large sums of money from his old bosses. Once there, he found his heritage no longer mattered socially, and he used his money to invest in rail companies, quickly outpacing the competition. Condor Rails has been gobbling up smaller companies ever since. It's just about the only game in town now, besides some minor concerns. It owns all the major tracks and most of the cars. Other services pay Condor a fee to run on the tracks, and Condor trains always take precedence. Aucaman is a businessman, and he subsidizes the workers he needs, mostly hiring out to the Union and specifically the Foundry. After all, he wants the best, always, and Mei Feng's crew is the best. Aucaman's consolidations have made him extremely important, and Condor Rails is the de factor confidante of many other organizations, with the Guild and Union both trying to get Aucaman on their side, but he remains stubbornly independent. Rumor has it he plans to take over the train lines through the Breach, though the Guild has been working against him on this, though with a softer hand than they're used to. They could move against him openly, but it'd mean strikes along the entire rail line, and their attempts at a rival rail have never succeeded - Aucaman buys them out too fast.

There are four major lines on the railway. The Green Cannonball runs to Fortune Falls Station, and it's named for the speed it travels the Knotwood with. It has few passenger cars, mostly transporting freight - trees, primarily. It shares track with no other trains - there's only one Green Cannonball, and the trips aren't all the time, but it's a profitable line nonetheless. It does have issues with Neverborn, though, usually on the slower trip home. Still, Neverborn don't seem to like being on trains and are usually driven off. The Ridley Express, meanwhile, goes from Malifaux City to Ridley to Hollow Point. It was the first regular line after the second Breach and is a staple Condor income source. It runs two types of trains - even-numbered engines are Soulstone runs, and odd-numbered trains carry passengers. It's believed that the bandits know not to attack the more heavily defended even-numbered engines. Despite the name, the Express isn't very fast, to avoid wear and tear on bridges, though it runs faster between Ridley and Hollow Point, even if the hills make the overall speed a little lower. While the second stretch is sparsely used, the cars are not often changed for it.

The Downtown line serves inside Malifaux City limits, traveling around the city to stops like Industry Station and Southgate. It's mostly older engines, low on freight cars and often with very short, all-passenger trains. They get across the city quickly and safely, with a few engines always set aside for Guild use. Many smaller lines snake through the city, a remnant of the time before Condor, and Aucaman has even put small trains on some of these lines for direct service to select neighborhoods. The last line is the Southern Belle, heading to the only southern stop of note: Edgeport Station, hub of all southern Contract Towns and the Ortega family. The Belle is fast, as it has no other stops, and it's got a classy set of train cars. Like the Cannonball, there's only one Southern Belle - there's not enough demand for more, and the prices are high to ensure a high class experience. There's only a few freight cars for the Contract Towns in the south, not nearly so many as the Cannonball or Ridley Express.

And then there's Winston Finnegan of Winston's Dirigibles. He is not a businessman, come into his control by accident when his uncle died. He's been wasting resources on his hobbies ever since. He's a social climber, wanting to host the best parties, and he'll use the company's money to do it. So far, it seems to be working out for some reason. His uncle was a better businessman, but Winston's connections have let him expand the aircar lines faster than anyone ever imagined, and business is booming. Prices are high, but service is great. Winston will attend any party he can, regardless of who's holding it, but his company is closest to the Guild, and the aircars in the city move Guild troops. Recently, Winston moved to Ridley to get into social circles there, and he took a lot of the business with him. Ridley now boasts a single aircar line and a second under construction. Winston hates the ban on free-floating zeppelins in Malifaux City, and that's part of why he moved to Ridley. He's planning to build a fleet. So far, he has two, the largest of which he calls the Mountaintopper. The Union helped design them and is using them to win Winston over. Winston dreams of using them and his aircar lines to unite the Badlands, but it's probably little more than a pipe dream. It's theoretically possible, but they haven't even gotten from Ridley to Malifaux yet, and none of the Contract Towns would generate fares to make it worthwhile. Still, some people have approached Winston to fund expeditions to the Bayou for mapping, and despite his advisors' protests, he seems interested.

Next time: More factions

Post 4

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Through the Breach: Into the Steam

The Resurrectionists have little presence in the North. The ones that live there tend to be solitary necromancers, unaware of the others. They rarely have the ability to band together and mostly pursue their own individual goals. This does keep anyone from seeing them as a real threat, though, and for the most part they keep a low profile and are left alone. Many of them are content just to research minor magic, but others are searching for something more, hearing the call of Soulstones. Soulstones are less rare in the North, after all, and the ones that are dug up there behave a little differently. Most magic users never notice, but a Resurrectionist might, hearing the stones sing with the lives they've taken. Most Northern Resurrectionists are researchers, working in the mines to have a chance to get close to Soulstone. This can be a dangerous study, however, as the stones often amplify the whispers most Resurrectionists suffer from, and often they will steal a Soulstone and vanish into the depths of the caves, never to be seen again.

The Neverborn do not leave the North alone, quite. Attacks are not so frequent as in the Knotwoods or Badlands, but they exist. The most common type of Neverborn in the Ten Peaks are the Kaltgeists, strange beings made of snow that can reshape their bodies. They are practically impossible to spot when hiding and will stalk prey for days at a time before striking. There are also the Mountain Wisps, small, faerie-like creatures that glow like campfires. They feed on dead flesh and like to lead travelers off the path by pretending to be campfires. In the Northern Hills,. the most notable Neverborn is Collodi the Puppet Master. Collodi travels the towns of the North in a colorful wagon, and in each town it puts on a puppet show, hiding its wooden body beneath many disguises and letting the puppets take center stage. It enjoys these shows, but it hates the humans that watch them. Collodi is lonely and hateful, and in each town it kidnaps a child or two, using their blood and souls to make new puppets. It takes most of its puppets with it, but some get left behind sometimes, to cause trouble, particularly if it got heckled. These Neverborn puppets are rare, but the stories of their actions are spreading, and some parents now refuse to give their children any toys at all for fear that they were made by Collodi. Still, while Collodi is powerful, it is not a planner and is more interested in pain than power.

The Ten Thunders have agents across Malifaux, but the North is where they've put down roots outside Malifaux City and its Little Kingdom. They settled the town of Promise, which lays close to the Second Breach. Promise is the start of their foothold in Malifaux, but it isn't enough for the Oyabun. He is directing Ten Thunder expansion in the North, always working subtly to avoid attention. Placing Mei Feng in a ranking position in the Union and Arcanists has been their greatest success so far, but the Oyabun knows she's not as loyal as would be ideal. He is working to establish new assets, in case she forgets who she works for. The other Ten Thunders base in the region besides Promise is the Hidden Temple, located in the foothills of the Ten Peaks. It's more fortress than temple, and it's where most Ten Thunders training happens, both martial and mystic. The Oyabun is building an army there, and so far, no one even knows it exists. Promise lets the Ten Thunders and their servants appear civil, integrated...but the Hidden Temple hides their true purpose and their strength.

Anyway, that brings us to the new character generation method! The Assembly Line Tarot spread is meant for characters from the North, who have Union or Arcanist leanings or who are robots. We will need seven cards for this.



The first two cards are Replaceaqble Parts. We set them aside for later. A 3 of Spades Crows and a 5 of Diamonds Masks.



Then we deal out our five cards - Allegiance, Body, Root, Mind and Endeavor. This is where things start to get different - unlike the Crossroads Tarot creation, there's no Heritage. Instead, we get Allegiance, which tells us which faction or group our character has some tie to, though it may not be a tie that determines loyalties. We also now have the option to swap in one of our Replaceable Parts for any one of the other cards we drew. So, for Allegiance for this character, we draw the 8 of Crows. Our Allegiance is Resurrectionists, and the first line of our Fate reads:


But I'm not feeling Resurrectionists here, I think. We could swap in the 3 of Crows but that wouldn't change much. So instead, we swap in the 5 of Masks. This means that at some point in our history, we were going to be indebted to the Resurrectionists, but then something changed our fate. Instead, our Allegiance is to the Outcasts, and our Fate reads:


This brings us to our Body card, the Red Joker. We get 0/0/0/3 to divide between our Physical Aspects.


And then on to the Jack 11 of Masks for our Root card. 2, 2, 2, 2, 1 for skills. We can assign these to any skills we want, as you might recall from last time.


Next, the Mind card: the Ace of Masks. -3/-1/+1/+3.


And, finally, our Endeavor card, for our next set of skills. Northern characters generally get more but smaller numbers here compared to the Root. We get the 8 of Hearts Rams, which gives 3,1,1,1,1,1,1. So lots of skills but only 1s for most, because Northerners tend to be jacks-of-all-trades.


We would now be able to either raise an Aspect by 1 point or get 2 ranks in a Skill we do not already have, then we'd select a Pursuit and a Talent and so on as normal. There is, however, another option - the game allows for an optional rule to take a Flaw instead. The GM flips a card. If it's a Ram, you reduce your highest Physical Aspect by 1. Tomes is highest Mental, Crows is Wounds and Masks is Willpower. If you take a Flaw, you do not receive a Talent, but instead a Manifested Power or another point to spend on either +1 to an Aspect or 2 in a skill you don't already have.

But suppose we wanted to play a robot? The Invested are made similarly to human characters, but require one of two things: 1. the GM allows it or 2. your Body card is Tomes. Any Tomes Body on the Assembly Line Tarot is an Invested, and that's the main use of cheating a card in via Replaceable Parts. But the game says if you really, really want to play an Invested and don't draw it, well, the GM should allow it anyway. What's different about the Invested? Well, first, after Step 7, if your Charm Aspect is positive, it becomes 0. You may then increase any one Physical Aspect by 1, to a maximum of 4. Invested are immune to any Condition referencing Living anatomy, such as Bleeding Out, but can still be knocked unconscious. They may choose to have any starting gear be integrated into their body. The Defining Suit of their Twist Deck must be Tomes. They also get to choose a chassis, which determines their Height, Defense and Armor. Their Evade skill does not help their Defense at all, so no point having one. A Lightweight Chassis is Height 1, Defense 6. A Standard Chassis is Height 2, Defense 4, Armor +1. A Heavy Chassis is Height 3, Defense 3, Armor +2. Lastly, Invested do not have the Living characteristic. They have the Construct characteristic instead. However, if their Body card was an 11, 12 or 13, they may choose to have both. That's the sum total of differences in playing a robot. And yes, if you cheat in a Tomes card, the game suggests that you may not have always been a robot - maybe you died and were trapped in soulstone and now your soulstone animates a robot - and if you cheat one out, maybe you were part of some grand and potent magic that granted your robotic self true life.

Next time: Allegiances

Post 5

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Through the Breach: Into the Steam

Allegiance is new for Into the Steam, and it's an affiliation your character has, willing or unwilling, maybe even unaware. This isn't a guide on personality, but a complication in their story. A character with Guild allegiance might hate the Guild, but owe their life to a Marshal and have too much integrity to let the debt go unpaid, say. Allegiance is helpful to your character, but also harmful, in pretty much every case. The game offers a quick method by taking each possible Allegiance and letting you draw a card and check against the suit to determine what your Allegiance means, or you can make it up y ourself. The possibles are Arcanists, the Union, the Guild, the Ten Thunders, the Outcasts (that is, the folks who live outside society and have ties to no one, like mercenaries or the betrayed), the Resurrectionists, Condor Rails, the Foundry, the Cult of December, the city of Ridley or Manufacturing concerns. We drew Outcasts before, so let's see what we get as suggested options there.


So, what about the new Basic Pursuits? There's 8 of them, and they're often rather more limited in scope than the ones in the core. As a result, they all have a Step Zero Talent - essentially, the moment you get on the Pursuit, you get that Talent for free. Handy!


Fat, happy and robot-obsessed.

The Animator is a creator, someone who uses magic and inspiration to turn scrap into constructs. They work with things thrown away, deemed worthless, and they make these things into valuable creations. Animators aren't common - most who animate Constructs are either engineers or tinkerers using magic or science alone to give their creations life. Few can do both at once. Most Animators belong to the Arcanists, but not all. Some Animators go their own way, and there's even tales of Gremlin Animators in the Bayou. Some Animators also choose to use dead bodies in their work, and are in fact a form of Resurrectionist, using corpses and steel to create twisted minions. Any Animator [i[could[/i] do that, but few would think of doing so. Either way, however, Animators are scavengers, stealing the useless and discarded to turn into tools.

Taking Animator as your starting Pursuit gets you a non-magical skill toolkit. Their Pursuit Talent is Always More Scrap : when a Cobbled or Amalgam controlled by this character is killed or sacrificed by an enemy during Dramatic Time, the Animator may draw a card. During the Epilogue, they may advance any Magical Skill rather than the options presented by the GM. As they advance they get the following talents:

0. Cobble Together : The character gets a Manifested Power which lets them spend an AP to try to summon a Cobbled with 4 Cobbling Points to spend. They may have only one Cobbled at any time, and it has the Slow condition if activated the round it was summoned. When first taken, the Animator chooses corpses or scrap, and must have access to an appropriate amount of the chosen resource, about the same mass as a large dog, to turn into a Cobbled. Cobbling Points are spent modifying a Cobbled's base abilities.

1. Part Efficiency : For each instance of this Talent, your Cobbled made by Cobble Together get +2 Cobbling Points, OR Rage of the Machine : Your Cobbled and Amalgams can take the (2) Frenzied Flurry action, allowing you to discard a Twist Card to have them make three 1-AP attacks with a melee weapon against a single target.
2. A General Talent.
3. Extra Cobbling : Each instance of this Talent increases your maximum Cobbled at one time by 1, OR Scuttling Nuisances : When determining a random target for shooting into melee, friendly characters cannot select your Cobbled, and any attacks made by friendly non-Cobbled characters against a character engaged by your Cobbled get a bonus.
4. A General Talent.
5. Part Efficiency OR Uncontrolled Detonation : You get a Manifested Power that causes one of your Cobbled to explode, attacking everyone nearby with a 2-damage attack that destroys the Cobbled.
6. A General Talent.
7. Extra Cobbling OR Skilled Cobbling : Your Cobbled are Height 2 and increase the range of their Bash attack to 2, while your Amalgams have their Bash range increased to 3. Further, both get the Melee Expert ability, giving them an extra AP each turn solely for melee attacks.
8. A General Talent.
9. Part Efficiency OR Twisted Propagation : Your Cobbled get a Crows trigger on their Bash attacks. If they kill their target and it would leave behind remains of the same type used by the Animator (Scrap or Corpse, as appropriate), you summon a Cobbled from the remains under your control, though it can't activate the round it's summoned. You can only use this Trigger if you are not at your maximum amount of Cobbled.
10. Fusion : You get a Manifested Power allowing you to sacrifice two or more of your Cobbled to summon an Amalgam with total Cobbling Points equal to the combined Cobbling Points of the sacrificed Cobbled. It gains the Slow condition if it activates the round it was summoned, and you may not have any Cobbled while you have an Amalgam. You may force it to tear itself apart into its components as a 1-AP action, causing it to leave behind usable resources (Scrap or Corpses, as appropriate) equivalent to a small child or large dog.

Did someone mention double cyborgs?

The Augmented are often derived from injury - it's easy to get hurt in Malifaux, hurt in ways that disfigure you or remove limbs. Often, these injuries also cause spirals of depression that overtake your life. Fortunately, science and magic have come together to help! They can make you better, faster, stronger than before. Yes, prosthetics can be hard, but don't you want a purpose again? And some people just...embrace it, no injury needed. It doesn't really matter. Those who are as much machine as man are the Augmented, and they become something more than either. (And since there's no restrictions on Infused taking Pursuits, you can be a ROBOT CYBORG, too.)

Taking Augmented as your starting Pursuit gets you a Pneumatic Limb worth up to 25 scrip, total, for limb and augments. While on the Pursuit, you get End of the Line : When you fail a Might duel, you can draw a card. During the Epilogue, you can advance any Might-based skill instead of the options given by the GM. As you advance, you get the following:

0. More Machine Than Man : You received some kind of internal augmentation, the nature of which and the circumstances of which are between you and the GM. You may choose one of the following or flip a card at random to select it:

• Rams: Mechanical Heart : Your heart was replaced with a machine to regulate and pump blood. You get a bonus to all Toughness duels to avoid unconsciousness.
  
• Masks: Mechanical Eyes : Your eyes were replaced with devices granting increased night vision. You may see in darkness as easily as daylight and are immune to the Blind condition.
  
• Tomes: Brain Pan : Part of your brain and skull were replaced by a metal plate, glass dome or other construction. You get +1 Willpower and are immune to Horror Duels.
  
• Crows: Synthetic Transfusion : Your blood's been replaced by a synthetic substitute. You are immune to the Bleeding Out condition, and when you are the recipient of First Aid, the character making the flip can use Alchemistry instead of Doctor.
1. Specialized Tools : You have augmented yourself with special tools for combat, possibly built into a pneumatic limb or possibly not. You choose one of the following:

• Path of Steel : You get Electrocute, a Tomes trigger on all Close Combat attacks. When you deal damage and activate the trigger, you ignore armor.
  
• Path of Sinew : You get Venipuncture, a Rams trigger on all Close Combat attacks. When you deal damage to a Living target and activate the trigger, you heal 1 damage.
2. A General Talent.
3. Pneumatic Replacement : You gain a Pneumatic Limb worth up to 40 scrip, total, for limb and augments. Regardless of where or how you get it, or what it looks like, you get the following benefits:

• You may use the Pneumatic (Aspect) abilities of your Pneumatic Limbs one additional time per Dramatic Time.
  
• If at any point you have two Pneumatic Arms, you get a bonus on all Close Combat attacks made with them.
  
• If at any point you have two Pneumatic Legs, you get +2 to your Walk and Charge Aspects.
4. A General Talent.
5. Specialized Upgrade : You undergo further change to take you away from your human nature. You gain the Construct characteristic in addition to any others you already had, and one of the following, depending on which path you chose during Specialized Tools:

• Path of Steel : Your Electrocute trigger also ignores Hard to Wound and Hard to Kill. When you suffer a Critical Effect caused by an enemy, you gain the Fast condition.
  
• Path of Sinew : If you declare your Venipuncture trigger on an attack that kills your target, you instead heal 2/3/4 damage. Further, each point of healing you would gain from your Venipuncture trigger that would take you over your maximum Wounds instead gives you the following condition until the end of Dramatic Time: Stored Blood +1 : After you suffer damage, you may reduce the value of the Condition by any amount, to a minimum of 0, to immediately heal that much damage.
6. A General Talent.
7. Implacable Assault : You get a 0-AP action, Implacable Assault, which allows you to discard a Twist Card to get a bonus to all attack and damage flips for the rest of the turn, OR Augmented Leap : you get a 0-AP action, Augmented Leap, which allows you to discard a Twist Card to perform a TN 10 Athletics check to move a distance equal to your Charge in yards, plus 2 yards per Margin of Success, ignoring terrain and characters in your way but not solid walls or other impenetrable barriers.
8. A General Talent.
9. Specialized Technology : You get one of the following depending on which path you took in Specialized Tools:

• Path of Steel : You get the Arc Bolt ranged weapon, with a range of 8. It deals 2/3/4 damage, uses the Long Arms skill, ignores Armor, does not randomize when firing into melee and does not require ammo.
  
• Path of Sinew : You get the Accelerated Metabolism ability. At the start of each turn, if you have Stored Blood +2 or higher, you may end the Stored Blood condition to gain the Fast condition.
10. Apotheosis : You dramatically reshape your body, choosing one of the following benefits:

• Additional Arms : You get another pair of arms attached to your back, and the Pneumatic Expert ability. You generate an additional AP per turn, but it may only be used to take a Pneumatic Close Combat Attack action.
  
• Executioner Claws : You may replace one or both hands with an Executioner Claw, a specialized weapon made of razor claws. If you replace both hands, you get a bonus to attacks using the weapon, but will require help doing things that require hands, like feeding yourself. The Executioner Claw is a melee weapon with range of 3, 3/4/5 damage and a Rams and Crows Decapitate trigger allowing you to, after dealing damage, force the target to discard two Twist Cards to not die immediately.
  
• Patchwork Plating : You replace much of your skin with armor plating. You get Armor +1, but do not reduce your Defense at all for it, and you may have a maximum of Armor +4.
  
• Spider Legs : You replace your legs with mechanical spider legs. You get the Nimble ability. You generate an additional AP per turn, usable only for a Movement general action. If you had any Pneumatic Legs, they are incorporated into your new legs, allowing you to retain all of their benefits.

Where are your eyes?

The Collaborator is the result of the community-driven mindset of much of the North. People need to work together and support each other, and the Collaborator understands that - and applies that philosophy to combat. They excel in a support role as well as fighting to help their allies. The most notorious of them are the Union foremen and representatives, easily able to rouse a mob into action and hold the line against Guild strikebreakers. The Guild has their own, of course, serving as sergeants and commanders. Others prefer no such formal ties, leading gangs or mercenary teams.

Taking Collaborator as your starting Pursuit gets you any weapon and armor with combined value no more than 25 scrip. While on the Pursuit, you get Team Tactics : When you fail a Social duel, draw a card. During the Epilogue, you can raise any Social Skill instead of the GM's offers. As they advance, they get the following:

0. Preparations : After flipping Initiative, you may discard a card to reflip your Initiative.
1. Set 'em Up : After damaging an enemy with an attack, you may discard a card to give the opponent the In Position condition at the start of their next turn: Enemies attacking this character add the suit of the card discarded when this Condition was applied to their final duel totals, OR All Together Now : When taking part in an Ongoing Challenge, you may discard a card to allow all participants in the Ongoing Challenge to add the suit of the discarded card to the final duel totals of any Challenges they make as part of the Ongoing Challenge.
2. A General Talent.
3. Pull It Together : When taking part in an Ongoing Challenge, you may discard a card when another character fails a Challenge to prevent that failure from contributing to any Failure Requirements to the Ongoing Challenge, OR Special Forces : When you take this, choose one of the following (or the option not taken before, if you take this a second time). You and all allies within 6 yards gain a Trigger to attacks in Dramatic Time, based on the suit of your Initiative flip:

• Strike Team : You apply the Trigger to Close Combat attacks. Rams is Critical Strike: When damaging, deal 1 additional damage per Ram in the final duel total. Masks is Reposition: After succeeding, this character may move 3 yards. Tomes is Duck and Weave: After succeeding, you get the Weaving condition until the start of your next turn: +2 Defense. Crows is Twist the Blade: The damage flip gets a bonus.
  
• Firing Line : You apply the Trigger to Ranged Combat attacks. Rams is Precision: Immediately increase the final duel total by 1 per Ram in the final duel total. Masks is Flush Out: After failing, push the target up to 3 yards in any direction. Tomes is Armor Piercing: After succeeding, the attack ignores Armor. Crows is Aim Low: After damaging, the target gets the Slow condition.
4. A General Talent.
5. Special Forces OR Inspiring Speech : You get a 0-AP Action, Inspiring Speech, which allows you to target an ally and make a TN 10 Leadership check. If successful, the ally gets the Inspired condition until the end of the round, plus one round per Margin of Success: This character gets a bonus to all Close Combat and Ranged Combat attacks.
6. A General Talent.
7. Excessive Preparations : You get a bonus to Initiative flips and may count the suits of both flipped cards towards determining triggers from Special Forces or Master Plan talents until the end of Dramatic Time, OR Prompt : You get a Manifested Power that allows you to move willing allies around and let them perform 1-AP actions.
8. A General Talent.
9. Do It Like This : You may Cheat Fate for a willing ally within 6 yards, OR Plans Within Plans : You may declare two Triggers when making an attack, as long as both are different and you meet all necessary suit requirements for both Triggers. You choose which order they resolve in, if relevant.
10. Master Plan : You and your allies get a specific bonus during Dramatic Time based on the suit of your Initiative Flip. Rams: After killing an enemy, the attacking character performs a 1/2/3 healing flip. Masks: Friendly allies ignore severe terrain when moving. Tomes: After killing an enemy, the attacking character can draw a card. Crows: Friendly characters get the Hard to Wound +1 condition: Damage flips against this character suffer a penalty.

Next time: Engineers, Illusionists, Infiltrators

Post 6

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Through the Breach: Into the Steam


Wait, do any of these guys have eyes?

The Engineer is a machinist without magic. They need no Soulstones nor spells to animate Constructs, just good old science, steam and pneumatics. Most of them are Union, working hard to keep things going, but the Guild employs them, too, to maintain their army of Constructs, railroads, aircars and so on. Condor Rails always needs them, and the Foundry loves 'em, too. And it's easy to freelance, since Engineers don't do magic and so are not required to register as mages under Guild law. They solve problems with technology, no one understands machines like they do.

Starting the game as an Engineer gets you a Mobile Toolkit, essentially a pet robot minion. While on the Pursuit, you get Interchangeable Parts : When you fail an Engineering or Artefacting challenge, draw a card. During the Epilogue, you may advance any Crafting skill rather than the GM's offers. As they level, they get:

0. Complex Machinery : You get a bonus to any ongoing Engineering or Crafting duel. When using your Artefecting skill to make a Construct, you get +1 Construct Point per step of this Pursuit you've completed, and the scrip cost to create a Construct is reduced by the same amount, to a minimum of 1 scrip.
1. Mechanical Animation : You may make a 2-AP action to activate a Construct without using magic. It remains under your control for one day, at which point it returns to its inanimate state. You may also deactivate any Construct you have animated this way with a 1-AP action. You may control only one Construct at a time this way.
2. A General Talent.
3. Invention : You create a device that functions as a Manifested Power, with a maximum TN not exceeding (Engineer Steps completed+8), with an AV based on your relevant Skill and Aspect at the time of creation, regardless of who uses the invention. Talents that allow alteration of Manifested Powers do not work on Inventions. Most are portable but require use of one or more hands to operate. Anyone can try to use one, but those who did not make it must make a TN 9 Artefacting+Intellect check once per day or else the device breaks for the rest of the day. You can make additional copies of your Inventions with 8 hours and scrip equal to twice the final TN of the Manifested Power. Each time you take this Talent, you can make a new Invention, and while they are quasi-magical, they are legally considered to be entirely mechanical and thus fine to have, OR Analyze Weakness : You get a 1-AP action, Analyze Weakness, which causes target enemy to gain the Weak Points condition until the end of Dramatic Time: Enemies attacking this character ignore Armor and Hard to Wound.
4. A General Talent.
5. Invention OR Additional Constructs : You may control an additional Construct via Mechanical Animation.
6. A General Talent.
7. Invention OR Grinding Halt : Constructs under your control get the Tomes defensive trigger Grinding Halt: This character immediately gains an additional Armor +2 for the duration of this action.
8. A General Talent.
9. Invention OR Field Repairs : You get a 1-AP Action, Field Repairs, which allows you to discard a card to heal 1/2/3 damage to target Construct within 1 yard.
10. Artificial Soulstone : You create an Artificial Soulstone. It is Size 2, Quality 1 (and so Lade 3) and can hold five Charges. It constantly derives small amounts of energy from the aether, regaining 1 Charge per month, and can be recharged like any Soulstone. You can always use it, regardless of your Harness Soulstone skill, and any other character treats it as if it were Lade 5 to determine whether they can or cannot use it. As a result, its worth is only equal to that of a Lade 1 stone - 1000 scrip. If your Artificial Soulstone is ever lost or destroyed, you may make a new one in eight hours of work with 30 scrip of materials. However, a new one renders all previous ones inert, due to the way they draw on aetheric currents.

It's maaaaaagic

The Illusionist appears to be using simple tricks, mere distractions to fool people. And technically, this is true, but the tricks are far from simple. Illusionists know how to magically manipulate the senses, and while they're rare, they're more common than most suspect. Most do not believe they use true magic, which helps them avoid Witch Hunter attention...and Arcanist recruitment, sometimes. They often pose as stage magicians, in fact, which makes them easily able to blend into society. Even when the Guild does notice them, it's often hard to catch them - their power makes it easy for them to disappear when needed. Many hide their power behind sleight of hand and actual stage magic as they exploit the power of people's senses.

Those that begin play as an Illusionist get Stage Magic : You get a Manifested Power, Hocus Pocus, which allows you to create audible but not overwhelming sounds, create sounds audible to only one person, shove objects weighing 5 pounds or less that you can see, make small objects invisible for 5 minutes or create or extinguish a light source such as a candle or lantern. While on the Pursuit, you get Nothing is Real : Whenever an enemy successfully disbelievers your illusions for the first time during Dramatic Time, draw a card. During the Epilogue, you may advance any Magical Skill rather than the GM's offers. As they level, they get:

0. Illusions : You get a Manifested Power, Illusions, allowing you to create an animate illusion that appears real to observers for 1 minute, plus 1 minute per Tomes in the final duel total. You must define all details of the illusion when you create it, and it can't react to external stimuli, but can be commanded with a 1-AP Order action. Those viewing it believe it to be real unless there is a reason for them to doubt it, requiring a TN 10 Willpower duel to disbelieve, or they come into physical contact with it, causing automatic disbelief.
1. Powerful Illusions : Illusions made by your Spells and Manifested Powers have their duration increased by 1 minute and the TN to see through them increased by 2, OR Effortless Illusions : You may command illusions made by your Illusions Manifested Power with a 0-AP action rather than a 1-AP action.
2. A General Talent.
3. A Thousand Faces : You get a Manifested Power, A Thousand Faces, which allows you to appear as someone else - not a specific person, but you can appear as a generic member of a specific group. This covers your physical appearance, clothing, weapons, armor and equipment, and as long as anyone interacting with you has no reason to call you into question, it automatically fools them. If anyone has a reason to doubt you, it is a TN 10 Willpower duel to disbelieve, or automatic if they come into physical contact with you, OR Smoke and Mirrors : You get a Masks Defense Trigger on Willpower and Defense that allows you to, after succeeding on a defense against an enemy, place yourself anywhere within 5 yards of your current position.
4. A General Talent.
5. Phantasmal Distraction : Enemies within 2 yards of an illusion you created cannot make disengaging strikes, as long as the illusion has the form of a hostile creature and they believe it to be real. If they successfully disbelieve, this Talent stops helping, OR Disappearing Act : You get a Manifested Power, Disappearing Act, which allows you to remove your target from reality. It returns at the end of the round in a safe spot within 5 yards of you, unaware of any passage of time. The return is delayed one round per Margin of Success when casting this.
6. A General Talent.
7. Powerful Illusions OR The Prestige : You get a Manifested Power, the Prestige, which allows you to dispel all illusions within ten yards of you and reveal any hidden objects with a softly glowing light. Any hidden people must make a TN 12 Willpower duel or also be revealed.
8. A General Talent.
9. Hat Trick : You get a Manifested Power, Hat Trick, which lets you reach into any pocket-like object at hand and out of any similar object within 8 yards, making an immediate Pick Pocket action, Pistol attack or melee attack with a one-handed weapon against a target in range of the second object. This action has a bonus, OR Magician's Duel : You get a Manifested Power, Magician's Duel, which is an attack resisted by Intellect+a Magical Skill of the target's choice, dealing 2/3/4 damage, with a Tomes and Masks trigger that, after damage, causes the target to suffer the Dazzled condition until the start of your next turn: This character cannot take actions using the Skill chosen to resist this attack.
10. House of Mirrors : Due to your proficiency with illusions and sleight of hand, you are hard to target and no longer suffer damage from Weak damage flips.

I actually quite like this design.

The Infiltrator is a spy. It's not an easy job - you work undercover for long periods, living a life often counter to your true beliefs, all to ensure your bosses learn useful information. They often lose some sense of self, and many end up as double agents as a result. The Guild and Union have been engaging in a shadow war against each other with heavy use of Infiltrators, and the Ten Thunders are masters of their usage. And, of course, everyone's heard of Neverborn doppelgangers. Infiltrators are highly prized assets, usually well paid and very good at getting into places they shouldn't, usually vie lies, bribes and blackmail as well as stealth.

Taking Infiltrator as your starting Pursuit gets you a non-magical skill toolkit. While on the Pursuit, you get Act Like You Belong : When you fail a Deceive or Stealth duel, draw a card. During the Epilogue, you may advance any Social Skill instead of the GM's offers. As they level:

0. Strike First : When you attack someone who believes you to be friendly or who has not yet acted in Dramatic Time, you may add a suit of your choice to your final duel total.
1. Sneaky : Choose Deceive or Stealth when you take this Talent. You get a bonus to Challenge Duels with that skill, OR Slip Away : You get a bonus to Defense flips made to avoid disengaging strikes.
2. A General Talent.
3. Disguised : You cannot be the target of a Charge action, even if you are taking hostile actions against an enemy, OR From the Shadows : When you must make an Initiative flip, if no enemies are aware that you are an unfriendly combatant, either because they think you're an ally or you are hidden, you may immediately take one turn for each instance of this Talent after the Initiative flip but before anyone can take a turn. If multiple characters have this talent, they resolve actions in Initiative order.
4. A General Talent.
5. Disguised OR Betrayal : When you attack someone who believes you to be friendly or who has not yet acted during Dramatic Time, you get a bonus to the attack flip. You also gain a Masks trigger, No Witnesses, on all Close Combat and Ranged Combat attacks: After succeeding, the target gets the Unbeknownst condition until the end of the round: This character may not declare anyone with the Disguised talent as the target of their Attack actions. This Trigger can only be declared once per round.
6. A General Talent.
7. Infiltration : Choose an organization. You are considered to be a member in good standing of that organization, which may allow you to bypass requirements for Advanced Pursuits. You may also use the Bureaucracy skill to use the resources of that organization, with TN dependent on the importance of the resources, with TN 10 for common resources, 12 for minion recruitment, 14 for uncommon resources, 16 for enforcer recruitment and 18 for rare resources, OR Endless Lies : You may always use the Deceive skill in place of any other Social skill during a Challenge duel.
8. A General Talent.
9. Endless Lies OR Disillusioned : You get a Manifested Power, Disillusioned, which allows you to push a target enemy up to their Walk in any direction and has a Masks and Crows trigger, Question Loyalty, which after succeeding on using this power gives the target the Whose Side Am I On?! condition for the rest of the round: Anyone attacking this character gets a bonus.
10. Membership Cards : If you have the Infiltration Talent, you may switch the organization you have infiltrated once per day with five minutes of concentration. If you do not have the Infiltration Talent, you instead gain the Infiltration Talent.

Oh hey this guy has eyes.

The Mage is a magic-users, but not one who got the same training as most spellcasters. The North tends to be more accepting of their presence (and that of spellcasters in general) - their magic is useful! Mages were born with a bit of natural talent, a talent awoken by Malifaux. Of course, the Witch Hunters are always after them, so many leave the city and head northwards. Mages tend not to have a wide repertoire. They don't use a Grimoire, but instead learn magic naturally, making it easier for them to escape attention. They hone a handful of spells to perfection, making them safer and more reliable, if limited.

Starting the game as a Mage gets you a Magical Theory talent and Arcane Shield : During Dramatic Time, if you have not yet taken your turn this round, reduce all damage you suffer by 1, to a minimum of 0. While on the Pursuit, you get Focused Efforts : If you fail to cast a Manifested Power, draw a card. During the Epilogue, you may advance any Magical Skill instead of the GM's offers.

0. New Manifestation : You gain a Manifested Power of your design, with final TN no more than (Completed Mage steps)+8. Alternatively, you may add a single Immuto to one of your existing Manifested Powers without changing its TN.
1. New Manifestation OR Triggered Immuto : Choose one of your Manifested Powers, an Immuto and a Suit. The chosen power gets a Trigger for that suit with the Immuto's effects, without changing the TN of the power.
2. A General Talent.
3. New Manifestation OR Totem : You gain a Totem, a manifestation of your growing power in the form of a small minion or an existing NPC with a strong connection to you whose goals match your own. You and your Totem are immediately aware of what happened and the Totem is always accepting of it. If your Totem dies, you may bring it back to life or create an exact copy with a day-long ritual, even if it was an existing NPC. In Dramatic Time, you may control your Totem with a 1-AP Order action. (There's a state template for new Totems and a set of modifications you can make to it.)
4. A General Talent.
5. New Manifestation OR Furious Casting : You may make a 2-AP Attack action, Furious Casting, which lets you discard a card to make three 1-AP attacks with a single Manifested Power against a single target.
6. A General Talent.
7. Triggered Immuto OR Improved Totem : You may choose a second Manifested Power for your Totem with a max TN of 12. Further, when you direct your Totem, it is a 0-AP action, not a 1-AP action. If you do not possess the Totem talent, instead gain it.
8. A General Talent.
9. New Manifestation OR Reflect Magic : You get a Rams and Masks trigger on Defense and Willpower, Reflect Magic: After a harmful spell fails against you, you deal 2/3B/5BB damage to the caster, but the damage flip receives a penalty.
10. Chain Casting : Choose a Manifested Power. It gains a Tomes and Masks trigger, Overpower: After damaging, immediately take this action again against the same target. This additional action cannot declare Triggers.

Next time: Primals and Advanced Pursuits

Post 7

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

All I can say is that when you talk about the Victorian era or the Old West, prostitutes seem to come to mind. And, in fairness, when you are making a Jack the Ripper pastiche, it'd be wrong not to at least mention that, yeah, he killed prostitutes. Still, they could do way better in that area, yes.

Through the Breach: Into the Steam


I can't even tell if this is supposed to be sexy.

The Primal feels more affinity for nature than for man. They prefer animals to other humans, but that doesn't mean they always reject civilization. Many Primals own homes, have friends, go to parties and so on...but most also feel trapped by their culture, not uplifted. They may believe they can't leave due to obligations or they may lack the wilderness survival skills to make it, but even those that want to leave have not truly abandoned their species. Some surround themselves with animal friends, especially hunters, and in the North it isn't too rare to see someone who's tamed Hoarcats or Raptors to help them hunt. Less common are the ones who've managed to befriend Razorspine Rattlers or wild boars, and those always draw a crowd. Even a few in Malifaux City have become Primals, particularly those that raise the Guild's hounds or the rat-catchers. Primals can be gruff, but they are tenacious and loyal.

Starting the game as a Primal gets you +1 Wound. While in the Pursuit, you get On the Scent : When you fail a Notice, Track or Wilderness duel, draw a card. During the Epilogue, you may advance any Cunning-based skill instead of the GM's offers. As they level:

0. Force of Nature : When you deal damage with a natural attack (typically Pugilism, Martial Arts or Grappling, but if you can shapeshift it'd include shapeshifted limbs, though not pneumatic ones), you deal +1 damage.
1. Beast Whisperer : You can communicate with Beasts on a basic level via body language to tell their general disposition and pass on general concepts. Any Beasts you meet will not attack you or your allies unless provoked or controlled by another. You can also make Social tests with Beasts to change their disposition as if they were humans, with no penalties.
2. A General Talent.
3. Stalk : You get a 0-AP action, Stalk, which lets you discard a card to give an enemy within line of sight the Stalked condition until you use this action again or Dramatic Time ends, whichever comes first: At the end of this character's turn, if they took a Walk or Charge action, the character that applied this Condition may take a Walk action that must end closer to this character than it began, OR Animal Companion : You get an Animal Companion, which can be any creature with the Beast characteristic of Minion level or below without the Defiant characteristic. It may be commanded with the 1-AP Order action. You may have one Animal Companion per instance of this Talent. (There's a sidebar on how the GM should arrange for the Primal to either find a local animal of the type they want or at least have an opportunity to go out and track down that animal, perhaps at a local carnival or zoo, or perhaps with a short adventure.)
4. A General Talent.
5. Animal Companion OR Hunting Call : You get a Manifested Power, Hunting Call, which causes target Beast to make a 1-AP action controlled by you, which may not force the Beast to sacrifice itself but can cause it to go against its nature.
6. A General Talent.
7. Smell Fear : If an enemy that you or one of your Animal Companions is engaged with fails a Willpower duel, you or one of your Animal Companions may make an immediate Close Combat attack against that enemy. This can only be used once per round, OR Loyal Devotion : You get a Tomes Trigger on Defense, Protect Me: After an attack from an enemy succeeds against you, one of your Animal Companions within 2 yards suffers the effects of the attack instead, provided it's a legal target.
8. A General Talent.
9. The Law of Meat : You gain a Manifested Power, The Law of Meat, which causes the target to suffer the Prey condition until the end of the round: This character can't take Charge actions and while engaged in melee can only take Walk actions, OR Pack : When you the 1-AP Order action to command an Animal Companion, you may give orders to two Animal Companions rather than one, and the orders can be different. If you have only a single Animal Companion, you may use a 0-AP action to order it instead.
10. Eat Your Fill : After killing a Living creature with a Close Combat attack, you may immediately end your turn to heal all damage you have suffered by gorging yourself on the enemy's flesh. If you have any Animal Companions, they also gain this Talent.

The book has five Advanced Pursuits. Three of them (the December Acolyte, the Showgirl and the Silent One) require joining a certain group. Two (the Demolitionist and the Shapeshifter) are more personal paths.


No, he's cut off like that in the book, too.

The December Acolyte has felt the influence of the Tyrant known as December. Those chosen by December share a few traits: most have had a near-death experience from cold. While on the brink of death, many see a vision of glowing eyes and a terrible maw or hear a voice urging them to travel north. A few, though, are darker - those who have consumed human flesh out of choice or desperation. Some ignore December's call, but most listen, out of curiosity, need or ambition. They head north to the Cult. They are welcomed, fed and given the initiation rites. It is cruel and difficult, for the Cult has no room for those that will not survive. Armed with but furs and a harpoon gun, the chosen must kill a human, abducted from their home and left on the mountain. If they can track the prey, kill them and eat their heart, they're in. Those that fail are left on the mountain for any scavengers to find. To become a December Acolyte, you must be contacted by the December entity in some way, and then must travel to the Ten Peaks and make contact with the Cult of December, surviving and completing their initiation rites. In return, you get:

1. Frozen Heart : You get the Frozen Heart Talent. If you already have it, you instead jump straight to Step 2. (The Frozen Heart talent involves your heart LITERALLY being turned to ice, having strong emotions only rarely and making you immune to Horror Duels and the Paralyzed condition.)
2. Maim : Choose a Ranged Combat or Close Combat skill. All attacks made with the chosen skill have a Crows Trigger, Maim: When this attack causes a Critical Effect, you may choose instead to inflict any lower Critical Effect of your choice from the same Critical Effect table.
3. From the Shadows : as the Infiltrator talent.
4. Ice in the Veins : Whenever you successfully strike a single target with a Ranged Combat or Close Combat attack, the target also gains the Slow condition.
5. Smell Weakness : You can make the 1-AP Smell Weakness action, allowing you to make a TN 8 Wilderness check. On a success, enemies within 6 yards of you may not benefit from Armor or Hard to Wound for the rest of the round, plus one round per Margin of Success.

That mask must be really cold.

The Silent Ones , historically, were the priestesses of December, whose tongues were cut out by the priests, who feared their power. Since Rasputina took over, they now instead ritually brand their tongues in memory of the sacrifices of the past. What the rest of the cult does not know, however, is that each brand also limits the power of the Silent Ones, to ensure none achieve a stronger connection to December than Rasputina, as she fears December might pick another as a more willing vessel. The Silent Ones also serve as Rasputina's handmaidens and have special privilege, second only to Rasputina herself. In battle, they wield the might of winter. Most never leave the Ten Peaks, but there's no rules against doing so. The Silent Ones are, however, unshakeable loyal to Rasputina, the Cult and December, though not always in that order. To become a Silent One, you must travel to the Temple of December and pass their initiation rites, which involve fighting one or more other prospective Silent Ones to the death and then eating their hearts, then swearing loyalty to Rasputina, December and the cult, after which your tongue is painfully branded with a rune linking you to Rasputina. Traditionally, only women can become Silent Ones, but Rasputina changed that, and men can join the order...if they're castrated first. Silent Ones get:

1. Frozen Heart : As the December Acolyte first step, complete with jumping to the second if you already have it.
2. Frost Magic : You always have access to the Engulf and Elemental Projectile Magia and the Ice Immuto, regardless of your current Grimoire. If you do not have a Grimoire, you can act as though you have one with those Magia and Immuto.
3. Ice Constructs : You get a Manifested Power, Ice Constructs, which summons an Ice Gamin next to you. It suffers the Slow condition if it activates on the round it was summoned. It can be commanded with the 1-AP Order action, and it lasts 10 minutes. You may only control one Ice Gamin this way at a time.
4. Frozen Wall : You get a Manifested Power, Frozen Wall, which creates a wall of ice one yard thick and up to five yards long, +5 yards per Tomes in the final duel total. It is Height 5 and has Armor +5 which is ignored by Burning damage. Each 5-foot segment has 5 Wounds, and destroying a segment does not destroy the entire wall. It melts after 1 minute, plus 1 minute per Margin of Success.
5. Winter Mastery : When casting the Ice Constructs power, you may increase the TN by +3 and Tomes to summon an Ice Golem instead of an Ice Gamin.

Note: not a prostitute.

A Showgirl is a member of Colette Du Bois' Star Theater - equal parts burlesque, magic show and dance number. It doesn't take long for a Showgirl to become famous in the Star Theater, and while some women embrace this fame, others resent their fans and popularity and particularly the cheery persona they must keep up in public. Colette keeps a close eye on those girls and rotates them out when they seem to be almost overwhelmed. As part of their contract, each Showgirl gets a Mannequin assistant - a fully-articulated doll matched to their proportions which serves as a dress canvas, assistant and bodyguard. Each tends to develop its own quirks. Each Showgirl, as part of their bargain with Colette, is also an Arcanist operative, though they aren't given this part of the bargain until they've been with the troupe for a month at least. They work as spies, couriers and messengers for important Arcanist missions. To become a Showgirl, you must first petition to join the Star Theater, which will usually require a history of successful performances at other theaters. Once there, you must prove to Colette that you have a wide array of skills, including singing, dancing and willingness to show some skin if required. If that goes well, you then get an interview with Colette, to ascertain your allegiances. If you seem like a person who would object to joining the Arcanists, she'll give you a letter of recommendation to some other theater instead. Also, you have to be female - Colette only hires women, period. Showgirls get:

1. Mannequin Assistant : You get a Mannequin minion. It can be commanded with a 1-AP Order action. If it is destroyed, the Star Theater will replace it, but it takes two days and costs 35 scrip in materials.
2. Celebrity : People will generally react favorably to you, and when you participate in an Ongoing Challenge, each of your Barter, Bewitch, Convince and Deceive successes count as two successes. In addition, the Star Theater will pay for your room and board and give you 50 scrip per month as spending money. Unfortunately, you also get a penalty to all non-Magical duels to disguise or conceal your identity.
3. Mannequin Bodyguard : Whenever you are targeted by an attack, you may choose to have your Mannequin be targeted instead, provided it is within 2 yards of you and is a legal target.
4. Instant Adoration : You get a Masks Trigger on your Bewitch, Barter, Convince and Deceive duels: After succeeding, the target gets the Lovestruck condition for one day, plus one day per Margin of Success: This character considers the person who placed the Condition to be a valued and trusted ally and will go out of their way to impress her with small gifts and favors.
5. Rehearsed Duet : When commanding your Mannequin, it is a 0-AP action instead of a 1-AP action.

Next time: Shapeshifters and Demolitionists!

Post 8

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Through the Breach: Into the Steam


The mighty sprinting werewolf guy!

A Shapeshifter wields one of the most potent magics in the entire world. Even the most skilled spellcasters can only transform themselves briefly - it's a simple idea, but the actual process of changing the body that way is exceptionally complex, and experiments are limited by the damage you might do to yourself with a single miscalculation. Shapeshifters bypass magical theories and calculations by forging a connection to the primal power of Malifaux itself. It is widely known that Malifaux twists creatures that live there, and it is that subtle force that the Shapeshifter harnesses. Most become more bestial as time passes, but it's not clear why. Some believe Malifaux's natural magic is inherently corruptive, but most spellcasters disagree - they believe, instead, that it's impossible to take beast shape without taking on beast nature, too. Of course, it may also have to do with the fact that when you can turn into a bear at will, you don't need to be polite. Either way, it's common for Shapeshifters to avoid civilization, though the degree varies widely - some prefer to live in frontier towns, while others turn their backs on humanity completely, and others make do preying on humans...occasionally while still living in cities. Becoming a Shapeshifter requires a few things. First, you need the Shapeshift Magia as a Spell or Manifested Power, and you must be Living - those that aren't cannot form a strong enough connection to Malifaux. After that, when you feel ready, you should head into the wilderness to harness the primal forces. This can take many forms, and it's different for everyone. But when you do it, you become a Shapeshifter. Shapeshifters get:

1. Shapechange : You can take the 1-AP Shapechange action, allowing you to discard a card to take on the form of a Peon or Minion Beast. You gain the Beast's characteristics while shifted, as well as its Talents and attacks. You replace your Physical Aspects with those of the Beast, which may affect Derived Aspects. While in Beast form, you can't speak, use manufactured weapons or cast spells. You remain in Beast form until you use this action again or lose consciousness. You do not need to discard a card when using this action to return to your natural form.
2. Rejuvenation : When you use the Shapechange action in Dramatic Time, you heal 1 damage. If knocked out, you can discard a card to immediately perform a 1/2/3 Healing flip and remove one Critical Effect of your choice.
3. Improved Shapechange : You may use the Shapechange action to take on the form of an Enforcer Beast.
4. Mend Flesh : You may take the 1-AP Mend Flesh action, allowing you to suffer 1 damage to heal 1/2/3 damage on target other Living creature within 1 yard. If you discard a card, you may remove one Critical Effect on the target as well.
5. Perfect Shift : Your Shapechange action is now a 0-AP action and does not require a discarded card.

The happiest!

The Demolitionist loves explosives. The Union uses explosives a lot for mining and rail construction, and accidents do happen, even with increased safety guidelines. Demolitionists tend to both solve and cause these accident-related problems. Few people know how to react when a stick of dynamite starts to talk to them, and Demolitionists are the ones who start to listen. As it turns out, dynamite knows a hell of a lot of useful information about blowing things up, and it's happy to chat in exchange for...well, blowing some things up. That's just one stick, though. Get a whole box together, the voices start to blend together, singing about all the wonders you could do if you blew them all up. At some point, it stops being a job, or even about learning more about explosions. At some point it's just about the explosions. Some demolitionists do their best to keep it under control, but most are more than willing to pump up any charge they set to get a bigger boom. They don't really want to hurt people, it's just the dynamite makes a much better argument than the people do for keeping their limbs. To become a Demolitionist, you need to blow something up - not just some regular thing, either, it has to be suitably big and impressive. A house, no. A mansion in the middle of town? Yes! It doesn't need to be a dwelling, of course - an impressive boulder blocking the railroad, a towering Bayou tree covered in Gremlin ornaments...the object just has to be impressive and the explosion real big and loud. The remaining dynamite will start whispering to you, and there you are. Demolitionists get:

1. Explosive Secrets : You may use the Explosives skill as a Crafting skill to make the following explosives, for the price listed:

• Flaming Bottle (3 scrip, Explosives 1): A crude molotov, dealing 1/1BB/1BBB damage, and all characters damaged gain Burning +2.
  
• Dynamite (10 scrip, Explosives 3): Can be thrown as easily as any thrown weapon, and deals 3/4BB/5BBB damage that ignores Armor.
  
• Demo Charge (15 scrip, Explosives 4): A few sticks of dynamite in a satchel with a timer, also throwable. Deals 4/6BB/8BBB damage that ignores Armor, but anyone with Evade skill of 2+ only takes half damage.
2. Live for This : You no longer suffer damage from blasts (B).
3. There's Always A Boom : You add B to the Moderate and Severe damage of every weapon you wield. Period. Including your fists.
4. Fire in the Hole : When making a Thrown Weapons attack with an explosive, all friendly characters within 5 yards of the target may move up to 3 yards in any direction before you make your attack flip. If you are firing into melee, this occurs before the attack is randomized.
5. I Can Blow A Hole In Anything : Damage dealt by explosives you create or use as part of an attack ignore Armor, Hard to Wound, Hard to Kill and Incorporeal. Characters can't declare Defensive Triggers against Thrown Weapon attacks you make with explosives. Yes, you can blow up ghosts.

The game also provides an array of new General Talents - Frozen Heart, for example, is a general Talent, anyone can take it if they want to have had the touch of December upon them. Some interesting ones are Invested-only, because they're for robots.

Advanced Sensors : Requires Invested, Light Chassis. You get a bonus on Notice duels and can detect invisible things (but not their exact position) with a Difficult Notice challenge.
Avoidant : Requires Resilience -1 or lower. You permanently lose 1 Wound but get +1 Defense.
Blot the Sky : Requires Archery 3+. When you make an Archery attack, your moderate damage gets +B, and your Severe damage gets +BB, as long as you expend 2 additional arrows per B.
Book Smart : Requires Cunning -1 or lower. You get a penalty to Initiative but a bonus to all non-Magical Intellect challenges.
C-C-C-Combo!!!! : Requires Martial Arts 3+. Yes, it's spelled that way. All of your Martial Arts Close Combat attacks get a Masks Trigger: You may take this action again against the same target. This second attack may not declare Triggers.
Channel Destiny : When you perform a duel, you may suffer 2 damage before flipping cards to add a suit of your choice to the final duel total. If this damage causes you to suffer a Critical Effect or Toughness check to remain conscious, resolve the initial duel before checking for either.
Cheating So and So : Requires Gambling 3+. You get a Masks Trigger on all Expertise challenges: After resolving, you may look at the top card of the Fate deck and then choose whether or not to put it on the bottom of the deck.
Common Sense : Requires Cunning 2+. You may discard a card during Narrative Time to get a bonus on a duel.
Concussive Force : Requires Might 2+. Any time you deal damage with the Martial Arts or Pugilism skills, you may push your target directly away from you (Might) yards.
Demanding Taskmaster : Requires Flexible 3+. You get a Masks Trigger on your Flexible Close Combat attacks: After succeeding, move the target 1 yard if this attack deals Weak damage, 2 yards if Moderate and 3 yards if Severe.
Disarming Attack : Requires Martial Arts 3+. You get a Crows Trigger on your Martial Arts Close Combat attacks: After succeeding, the target drops a single item of your choice held in their hands. The attack's damage flip receives a penalty.
Fickle : Requires Tenacity -2 or lower. You get a bonus to any Skill you haven't used this session, but it costs 1 extra XP whenever you try to raise a skill over 2.
Frozen Heart : As noted before.
Gaussian Logic Engine : Requires Invested. Reduce your highest Physical Aspect by 1, but raise a Mental Aspect by 1, to a maximum of 4.
Heavy Mount and Bracing : Requires Invested, Heavy Chassis. You have a weapon mount. You may attach weapons with the Heavy rule to it with five minutes of work. That weapon is then considered braced to a mount, and you may use the 1-AP Ready Weapon action for 0 AP when readying that weapon.
Improvised Parts : Requires Intellect 1+. When making a Construct, you get (Intellect) additional Construct Points.
Inscription : Requires Literacy 3+. You may add up to two total Magia and/or Immuto to a single Grimoire you own. These need not be ones you have in another Grimoire. Any special rules applying to the Grimoire apply to these new Magia and/or Immuto, too.
Interface : Requires Invested. You get a Tomes Trigger on all Social duels: After succeeding against a Construct, gain 1 additional Margin of Success.
Leg Modification : Requires Invested. Your legs can be easily swapped out. This takes 30 minutes and a successful TN 12 Artefacting or Engineering duel, which can be made by you or another. If successful, you gain one of the options below until you use this Talent to change it again:

• Standard: No adjustments
  
• Chargers: +2 Charge, -1 Walk
  
• Light Alloy: +1 Walk, -1 Wound
  
• Treads: Unimpeded, -1 Walk, -2 Charge
  
• Hinged: You may Drop Prone and Stand Up as 0-AP actions, but you cannot take the Run action.

Let Me Show You : Requires Teach 3+. You may discard a card to spend 15 minutes explaining how one of your non-Invested, non-Stitched Talents works to another character. That character may then discard a card to gain that Talent for the rest of the day.
Lightning Rod : Requires Grace -1 or lower. You get a bonus on any duels to resist Spells or Manifested Powers, but when targeted by an enemy's Spell or Manifested Power, the enemy can add a single suit of their choice to the final duel total.
Metal on Metal : Requires Invested. You get a Tomes Defensive Trigger on Defense: Reduce the damage caused by an Attack action by 2, to a minimum of 1.
Mostly Blind : Requires Grace -1 or lower. You get a bonus on Close Combat attacks but a penalty on Ranged Combat attacks.
Mountaineer : Requires Grace 1+. When climbing a surface, your speed is your full Walk rather than half. You get a bonus on any Athletics challenge made to climb a surface, moving 2 yards per Margin of Success rather than 1.
Mow Down : Requires Heavy Guns 3+. When you make a Ranged Combat attack with a Heavy Gun, you may use 2 AP instead of 1 AP to gain two bonuses on the attack flip. You may not Cheat Fate with this attack, and it uses three times as many bullets as normal.
Queensbury Rules : Requires Pugilism 3+. You get a Rams Trigger on Pugilism Close Combat attacks: After damaging, the target takes the Drop Prone action.
Quick : Requires Speed 2+. You get a bonus to any Challenges made to resist an AoE effect and take 1 less damage from AoE and Blast effects, to a minimum of 1.
Rebound : Requires Thrown Weapons 3+. You get a Masks Trigger on Thrown Weapon Ranged Combat attacks: After damaging, you may deal 1/2/3 damage to another target within 3 yards of the original target.
Riposte : Requires Melee 3+. You get a Rams and Masks Defensive Trigger on Defense: After a Close Combat attack fails against you, you deal the damage of your readied sword or blade weapons to the attacker, but the damage flip gets a penalty.
Self Sufficient : Requires Charm -2 or lower. You get +1 Willpower, but you can't take the Assist action and can't voluntarily take part in Ongoing Challenges alongside other characters. The GM can still force you to participate if it makes sense for the instance in question.
Slow Learner : Requires Intellect -1 or lower. You get +1 to an Aspect of your choice. During the Epilogue, the GM chooses what Skill you advance, not you.
Steel Wall : Requires Invested. At the end of your turn, if you did not take any Move or Charge actions, you get Armor +1 until the start of your next turn and provide Hard Cover to characters with Height equal to or lower than yours.
Street Fighter : Requires Pugilism 3+. You get a Crows Defensive Trigger on Defense: After a Close Combat attack fails against you, if you are wielding no weapons, you deal 1/2/3 damage to the attacker. This damage flip can't be cheated.
Stubborn : Requires Tenacity 2+. You get a bonus to all Willpower duels but a penalty on all Convince challenges.
Sycophant : Requires Charm 2+. Choose a Peon or Minion level Commoner from the Fatemaster's Almanac to be your sycophant. That character goes everywhere you do, or tries to, but is still under GM control. If they die or you abandon them, you may gain a new sycophant after a few days in any reasonably populated area.
Taskmaster : Requires Flexible 3+. When a friendly character within 3 yards of you takes an action involving a non-Social skill, they may choose to suffer 1 damage to get a bonus on the challenge. This can only be used while you are wielding a Flexible weapon.
Threading the Needle : Requires Archery 3+. When making an Archery Ranged Combat attack, you may ignore other characters to determine line of sight and you do not randomly determine your target when firing into melee.
Torso Modifications : Requires Invested. Your torso can be swapped for other models. This takes 30 minutes and a TN 14 Artefacting or Engineering duel (which can be made by you or another). If successful, you gain one of the following options until you use this Talent again:

• Standard: No adjustments.
  
• Reinforced Armor: Your Armor can reduce damage to 0, -2 Charge
  
• Lightweight Chest Plate: +1 Defense, -1 Wound
  
• Parade Armor: -1 Defense, -1 Armor (minimum 0), bonus to all Social challenges

Tough as Nails : Requires Resilience 2+. Critical Effects made against you receive a penalty.
Unceasing : Requires Speed -2 or lower. Once per turn, you may discard a card to take a Walk action without spending any AP.

Next time: Skills and new Skill Triggers!

Post 9

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Through the Breach: Into the Steam

There are three new skills in Into the Steam: Culinary, a Crafting skill based on Charm, which is for cooking. Geography, an Academic skill based on Intellect, which is less about the surveying the land (that's Wilderness) and more about the landscape, inhabitants and how they relate to each other. It's useful for deciding where to dig for Soulstone or where to lay railroad tracks, as well as making maps. Finally, Grappling, a Close Combat skill based on Speed. The better you are, the more damage you do when grappling, but the main benefits of grappling are that you can cause Paralyzed and, at high levels, Critical Effects without rolling an actual crit. We also get a sidebar on how the GM should allow PCs to sue (normally very rarely-used) Academic skills in place of stats for some challenges if it makes any sense - so instead of Intellect+Wilderness, you might use Art+Wilderness when trying to pick your way through a ruin by navigating and using the wall art as landmarks. We then get a section on Skill Triggers - an option for GMs that want more Triggers. I say go for it - they're fun! Each time a character hits rank 3 in one of the following skills, they get to take one of its Triggers. At rank 5, they get a second. First, Academic Skills:

Art

• Masks: Propaganda : After succeeding, choose a simple task, such as 'donate to the poor' or 'join the M&SU.' NPCs who see the art must make a Willpower Challenge of TN 8 + 1 per Margin of Success or be compelled to either perform the task if they can or encourage others to do so.
  
• Tomes: Masterpiece : After succeeding, you create a masterpiece. The value of the piece is equal to the final duel total of the Art Challenge, and you may sell it to interested buyers for this amount.
  
• Crows: Avant-Garde : After failing, your creation inspires discussion and interest among an unexpected group. The GM secretly chooses one faction or organization; members of that group that see your creation takes a positive interest in it and try to obtain it (generally in a positive manner). You get a bonus on the first Social Duel you make with such individuals.
  
• Rams: Ambiance : After succeeding, your art provides a certain type of ambiance that affects the mood of those around it. Choose a single Social skill. While in view of your art, characters suffer a penalty on all challenges with the chosen skill. If more than one piece of art has this ability, the character arranging the room or viewing area decides which piece will provide its effect.

Bureaucracy

• Masks: Ruthless Litigation : After succeeding, the target gains the Dazed condition. The target may take a 1-AP Use Skill (Bureaucracy) action against TN 10 + 2 per Margin of Success to remove the Condition; otherwise, it lasts until the end of the scene.
  
• Tomes: Legal Documents : After succeeding, you may produce documents that back up your claim. Any Social or Bureaucracy challenges made with the intent of challenging your claim or changing the minds of those who have seen the documents suffer a penalty on the flip.
  
• Crows: Monotone : After succeeding, choose one target that can hear you. That target must succeed on a TN 10 (+ 2 per Margin of Success) Willpower challenge or fall asleep.
  
• Rams: Now I Might Just Be A Simple Country Lawyer... : After succeeding, every character listening gains the Country Wisdom condition until the end of the scene: If this character doesn't have any ranks in Bureaucracy, the character that applied this condition gains a bonus on Bewitch and Convince challenges made against this character.

Engineering

• Masks: Technobabble : After succeeding, you may make a Social duel against a nearby character. If that character does not possess any ranks of Engineering, you get a bonus to the flip.
  
• Tomes: Efficient Parts : After succeeding, you may apply a modification to a weapon or armor you were working on (or that is possessed by a Construct you were working on) for one-third the normal price.
  
• Crows: Fine Tuning : After succeeding against a Construct, that Construct gains either a bonus or a penalty (your choice) to its next Challenge duel.
  
• Rams: Ready for Manufacturing : After succeeding, if you were drawing up plans for an item or Construct, you gain a bonus on your next Artefacting or Blacksmithing challenge made to create it.

Geography

• Masks: Lay of the Land : You gain the Sure Footed condition for the next 5 minutes: You do not suffer any movement penalties due to terrain.
  
• Tomes: Harness Energies : You gain Ley Line condition for the next 3 turns (Dramatic time) or 5 minutes (Narrative Time): You gain +Tomes to your Magical skills.
  
• Crows: Don't Step In That! : You gain the Light Feet condition for the next 5 minutes: You can't suffer more than 1 damage per round due to Hazardous Terrain.
  
• Rams: Strength of the Earth : You gain the Apex Predator +1 condition for the next 1 turn, plus one additional turn per Rams in the final duel total: You get +Rams to your Close Combat and Ranged Combat skills.

History

• Masks: Neverborn Studies : After succeeding, one target that can hear you gains the Knowledge of the Past condition for the rest of the day: When this condition is applied, choose the Woe, Nephilim, Nightmare, Swampfiend, or Puppet characteristic. This character gains a bonus on all Willpower and Defense challenges made against characters with the chosen characteristic.
  
• Tomes: Of Course! : After succeeding, you learn a previously hidden fact about Malifaux's history that pertains to your current subject of inquiry. It need not be an important secret, but it should shed some light on your current situation and make an interesting topic for a future research project.
  
• Crows: Boring Speech : After succeeding, choose one target that can hear you, plus one target per Margin of Success. The targets gain the Dazed condition for as long as you continue talking.
  
• Rams: Research Grant : After succeeding, your research attracts the attention of the Governer General or his associates. Within a few days, you gain an amount of scrip equal to your final duel total. This Trigger may only be declared once per week.

Literacy

• Masks: Flowery Words : After succeeding, make a Bewitch or Convince challenge against a nearby target with a bonus to the flip.
  
• Tomes: Decipher : After succeeding on a Grimoire, you discover hidden notes that describe a new Immuto. Choose one Immuto and add it to the Grimoire. A Grimoire can only benefit from this Trigger once.
  
• Crows: Scrawlings : After succeeding, anyone attempting to read what you have written must succeed on a Literacy challenge at TN 10 + 2 per Margin of Success. On a failure, the character is unable to read what you have written.
  
• Rams: Editing : After succeeding, you may make a Forgery Challenge with a bonus to the flip. On a success, you may rewrite 1 page, +1 page per Margin of Success, to say whatever you wish.

Mathematics

• Masks: Probability Studies : After succeeding, you may reveal your hand to the GM and draw a card. If the suit of the drawn card matches the suit of any other card in your hand, discard the drawn card.
  
• Tomes: Integers : After succeeding, you may discard a card from your hand. If you do so, each other player may shuffle any cards with the same value in their discard piles back into their decks. Then do the same to the Fate deck.
  
• Crows: Outliers : After succeeding, you may search the discard pile for the Red Joker and the Black Joker cards and shuffle them back into the Fate deck.
  
• Rams: Addition : After succeeding, you gain the Additive condition until the end of the scene: When Cheating Fate, you may end this Condition to Cheat Fate with two cards instead of one; add the value of one card to the other to determine the value of the cheated "card," so long as this value does not exceed 13.

Close Combat Skills:
Flexible

• Masks: Git! : After succeeding, move the target 1 yard in any direction.
  
• Tomes: Whipping Frenzy : After succeeding, make another Flexible Weapon attack against the same target. This attack may not declare Triggers.
  
• Crows: Tangled Up : After succeeding, the target gains the Tangled Up condition until you leave their engagement range, you make another attack with this weapon or the end of their next turn, whichever is first: This character may not take Walk or Charge actions.
  
• Rams: Cruel Laugh : After succeeding, you gain the Focused condition.

Grappling

• Masks: Drag : After succeeding, move up to 2 yards and then push the target into physical contact with you.
  
• Tomes: Toss : After succeeding, throw the target up to your Might in yards (minimum 1). The target immediately takes the Drop Prone action.
  
• Crows: Dislocate : Gain a bonus on the damage flip, but it may not be cheated.
  
• Rams: Submission Hold : Target suffers +1 damage.

Heavy Melee

• Masks: Knock Back : After damaging, push the target 3 yards away from you.
  
• Tomes: Crushing : After succeeding, this attack ignores Armor.
  
• Crows: Finisher : After damaging, if the target is Paralyzed, the target is killed.
  
• Rams: Stagger : The damage flip suffers a penalty. After damaging, the target gains the Slow condition.

Martial Arts

• Masks: Pressure Point : After succeeding, the target gains the Blocked Chi condition until the end of the round: This character may not take 0-AP actions.
  
• Tomes: Pin Down : After succeeding, the target gains the Pinned condition until you leave their engagement range or until the end of the round, whichever is first: This character may not move or be pushed.
  
• Crows: Low Blow : After succeeding, the target gains the Dazed condition until the end of their next turn.
  
• Rams: Jump Kick : After succeeding, if this attack was part of a Charge action, take an additional Martial Arts attack against the target. You may only declare this Trigger once per turn.

Melee

• Masks: Circling Around : After succeeding, place yourself anywhere within the target's engagement range.
  
• Tomes: Impromptu Parry : After failing, gain +1 Defense against Close Combat attacks made by the target until the end of the round.
  
• Crows: Smeared with Poison : After succeeding, the target gains Poison +1.
  
• Rams: Bloody Mess : After killing the target, draw a card and then discard a card.

Pneumatic

• Masks: Steam in My Eyes! : After damaging, the target gains the Blind condition until the end of their next turn.
  
• Tomes: Steam Blast : When damaging, this attack's Moderate and Severe damage values gain +B. All B damage dealt by this weapon is weak damage.
  
• Crows: Industrial Strength : After damaging, the target receives a Critical Effect of the appropriate severity.
  
• Rams: Overheated : After damaging, the target gains Burning +1.

Pugilism

• Masks: Rabbit Punch : After succeeding, take an additional Pugilism attack against the target. This attack may not declare Triggers.
  
• Tomes: TKO : After damaging, the target must make a TN 10 Unconsciousness challenge. The TN is +1 if the attack dealt Moderate damage and +2 if Severe.
  
• Crows: Cowed : After damaging, the target gains the Cowed condition until the end of their next turn: This character suffers a penalty on all attack flips made against the character that applied this condition.
  
• Rams: Beatdown : When damaging, you deal +1 damage if the target does not have Armor.

Next time: More Triggers!

Post 10

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Through the Breach: Into the Steam

Crafting:
Alchemistry

• Masks: We Can Drink That! : After succeeding, if you are creating an item, you gain a jar of moonshine.
  
• Tomes: Additional Product : After succeeding, if you are creating an item, you gain an additional item of that type.
  
• Crows: Toxic Distillation : After succeeding, if you are creating an item, you gain a vial of poison. Anyone who drinks it gains Poison +4.
  
• Rams: And It Burns! : After succeeding, if you are creating an item, you gain a flaming bottle (as per the Demolitionist item)

Artefacting

• Masks: We Can Drink That! : After succeeding, if you are creating an item, you gain a jar of moonshine. That seems wrong, given it's a copy from Alchemistry. But hey! Free steam engine booze.
  
• Tomes: Valuable Components : After succeeding, if you are creating an item with a value greater than 10 scrip, you find leftover parts you can sell for 3 scrip.
  
• Crows: Give It A Good Thwump : After failing, immediately make another Artefacting challenge against the same TN. If this Challenge is successful, your first failure is ignored.
  
• Rams: Patch Up : After succeeding, if you are working on a Construct, it heals 1/2/3 damage.

Blacksmithing

• Masks: Knock Offs : After succeeding, if you are creating a weapon, gain two additional weapons of the same type, each with the Shoddy customization.
  
• Tomes: Additional Product : After succeeding, if you are creating an item, you gain an additional item of that type.
  
• Crows: Special Process : After succeeding, if you are creating a weapon, add the Blued customization to the weapon at no cost.
  
• Rams: I Added Some Spikes : After succeeding, if you are creating a pistol or rifle, add a free bayonet to the weapon.

Culinary

• Masks: Strong Stuff : After succeeding, if you are brewing alcohol, anyone drinking it gets the Drunk And Reckless ability for the next hour: At the start of this character's turn, they may suffer 2 damage to get an additional General AP.
  
• Tomes: Banquet : After succeeding, if you are creating food or drink, you produce enough for three people per Tomes in the final duel total.
  
• Crows: This Tastes Like Dog Food : After failing, you gain a plate of animal food. If fed to a Beast within the next hour, that Beasts gains a bonus to all flips it makes during Narrative Time for the rest of the day.
  
• Rams: Loosen Your Belts : After succeeding, if you are preparing food or drink, anyone partaking of it gets the Stuffed condition until the end of the day: The character that applied this condition gets a bonus on Bewitch and Convince duels made against this character.

Farming

• Masks: Weird Fruit : After succeeding, if you are planting crops, they end up being strange in some way, such as odd shapes or a glow. If you choose to sell them, you must succeed at a Bargain challenge to do it, but on a success you get twice as much scrip as usual.
  
• Tomes: Abundant Yield : After succeeding, if you're planting crops, the field produces twice as much as normal.
  
• Crows: Scarecrow : After succeeding, if you are planting crops, you can erect a scarecrow in the field. As long as it stands, Peons cannot enter the field, which is usually enough to keep most birds and vermin out. (Along with, y'know, other small monsters, giving you a decently protected space against weak stuff.)
  
• Rams: Good Ingredients : After succeeding, if you are harvesting crops, any Culinary challenges made with those crops gain a bonus to the flip.

Homesteading

• Masks: We Built Around It : After succeeding, if you are constructing a building or compound, you discover a single wondrous feature, such as a tree with healing fruit, unburnable wood or underground caves allowing safe passage between buldings, at the GM's discretion.
  
• Tomes: A Fort : After succeeding, if you are constructing a building or compound, so long as you are within its boundaries, you and your allies treat all soft cover as hard cover and ignore severe terrain.
  
• Crows: Safe Pasture : After succeeding, if you are building a fence, you gain a bonus to any Husbandry duels made against Beasts within the fenced off area.
  
• Rams: Barbed : After succeeding, if you are building a fence, it gains the Barbed property: characters passing through this fence suffer 1/2/3 damage.

Printing

• Masks: Propaganda Machine : After succeeding, anyone reading what you have printed must succeed on a TN 10 Centering challenge or be swayed to a political opinion espoused in the printed work
  
• Tomes: Paper Blizzard : After succeeding, you produce 25% more copies of whatever you are printing.
  
• Crows: Slander : After succeeding, anyone reading what you have printed must succeed on a TN 10 Centering challenge or develop a negative opinion of someone mentioned in the work.
  
• Rams: Laudation : After succeeding, anyone reading what you have printed must succeed on a TN 10 Centering challenge or develop a positive opinion of someone mentioned in the work.

Stitching

• Masks: From Curtains : After succeeding, if you are creating or repairing an article of clothing, it appears to be of much higher quality than usual.
  
• Tomes: Dolly! : After succeeding, you have enough leftover materials to craft a small dolly. If given to a child or collecotr, you may make an immediate Bewitch or Convince challenge against the recipient with a bonus to the flip.
  
• Crows: Loose Stitches : After succeeding, target corpse you are stitching together gains the Loose Stitches condition if later animated as an Undead: All characters within 1 yard of this model gain Poison +1.
  
• Rams: Tight Stitches : After succeeding, target corpse you are stitching together gains +1 Wound if later animated as an Undead. A single corpse may not benefit from more than one instance of this trigger.

Expertise Skills:
Appraise

• Masks: Overestimate : After succeeding, if you attempt to sell the appraised item in the next day, you gain +20% additional scrip.
  
• Tomes: Expertise : Immediately increase your duel total by one for each Tomes in the final duel total.
  
• Crows: It's A Fraud! : After succeeding, everyone present believes that the item is worth 20% less than its actual value.
  
• Rams: It's A Good Deal : After succeeding, you may make a Barter challenge to either purchase the item or sell it to an interested party with a bonus to the flip.

Doctor

• Masks: Outpatient Care : After successful Surgery, the target heals 1/2/3 damage.
  
• Tomes: Lots of Bandages : After successful First Aid, make another First Aid attempt on the same target.
  
• Crows: Antidote : After successful First Aid, remove the Poison condition from the target.
  
• Rams: Take Two of These and Call Me in the Morning : After successful First Aid, the target heals +1 Wound per Rams in the final duel total.

Explosives

• Masks: Bomb in a Jar : After succeeding, you are able to disguise the explosive as a simple household item (Notice TN 10 + 1 per Margin of Success to recognize it's an explosive)
  
• Tomes: Incendiary : After succeeding, characters damaged by the explosive gain Burning +1.
  
• Crows: Concentrated : After succeeding, the explosive deals no B. Instead, it deals +1 damage per B.
  
• Rams: Here Comes The Boom : After succeeding, add +B to the explosive's Moderate and Severe damage values.

Forgery

• Masks: Perfect Copy : After succeeding, you gain a bonus to any Convince or Deceive challenge made regarding the forgery.
  
• Tomes: Expertise : Immediately increase your duel total by 1 for each Tomes in the final duel total.
  
• Crows: Skilled Duplication : After succeeding, increase the TN to detect the forgery by +5.
  
• Rams: Illicit Gains : After succeeding, you may sell the forgery at the full value of the original.

Gambling - man, all of these are great support dumb card tricks, too!

• Masks: Draw Up : After succeeding, draw a card, then discard a card.
  
• Tomes: Quick Hands : After succeeding, look at the bottom card of the Fate deck. You may choose to put it on the top of the Fate deck.
  
• Crows: Discard : After succeeding, look at the top card of the Fate deck. You may choose to put it on the bottom of the Fate deck.
  
• Rams: Shuffle : After succeeding, you may discard a card to reshuffle the discard pile back into the Fate deck. No characters may draw cards as a result of this reshuffling.

Husbandry

• Masks: Puppies!!! : After succeeding at birthing a Beast, you birth +1 Beast of the same type, +1 additional Beast per Margin of Success.
  
• Tomes: Grow Up Strong : After succeeding at birthing a Beast, increase two of its Physical Aspects by +1 each.
  
• Crows: Twisted : After succeeding at birthing a Beast, the Beast is a twisted creature with unnatural parts. It gains one step along the Twisted Monster Pursuit.
  
• Rams: Proper Care : After succeeding, if the target is a Beast, it heals 1/2/3 damage.

Lockpicking

• Masks: Entering : After succeeding, gain the Silent Entry condition for the next 3 minutes: Gain a bonus to all Stealth duels.
  
• Tomes: Copy : After succeeding, gain a copy of the key.
  
• Crows: Trap : After succeeding, the next time a character uses the lock, they gain the Poison +3 condition.
  
• Rams: Breaking : After succeeding, the lock is jammed and cannot be unlocked using a key.

Music

• Masks: Lullaby : After succeeding, make a Music challenge against the Willpower of everyone within 8 yards. Those who fail the Willpower duel gain Slow.
  
• Tomes: Inspiring Ballad : After succeeding, friendly characters within 8 yards may discard a card to gain a bonus to Social skills for as long as you continue singing or playing.
  
• Crows: Disjointed Tune : After failing, all Social skills performed within earshot receive a penalty as long as you continue singing or playing.
  
• Rams: Marching Tune : After succeeding, every friendly character within 8 yards may discard a card to gain the Fast condition.

Navigation

• Masks: Shortcut : After succeeding, your travel time is reduced by 25%.
  
• Tomes: Cartographer : After succeeding, you may create a map of the area that provides a bonus to all future Navigation duels in the same area.
  
• Crows: Road Less Traveled : After succeeding, gain the Hidden Paths condition for the next 30 minutes: Gain a bonus on any Wilderness or Track duels.
  
• Rams: Prepared : After succeeding, you gain the Shelter condition for the next 30 minuites: All allies within 6 yards of oyu gain a bonus on any environmental hazards checks.

Pick Pocket

• Masks: Both Hands : After succeeding, make another Pick Pocket check against the same target with a bonus to the flip. This extra action can't declare Triggers.
  
• Tomes: Well Hello There : After failing, you may make an immediate Bewitch challenge against the target. If successful, the target does not notice your failed Pick Pocket attempt.
  
• Crows: Pat Down : After succeeding, you learn whether the target has any hidden weapons on their person.
  
• Rams: Must Have Been Payday : After succeeding, if you lift any amount of scrip off the target, double it.

Scrutiny

• Masks: Political Eye : After succeeding, you learn the target's Allegiance, or, if they don't have one, the organization they are most closely associated with.
  
• Tomes: Sense Magic : After succeeding, you learn the identity of every Magia in the target's current Grimoire, if any.
  
• Crows: Ready For Anything : After succeeding, if you are in Narrative Time, you gain two bonuses to your Initiative if the target performs an action that leads to Dramatic Time, such as drawing a gun or ordering guards to attack.
  
• Rams: Size Up : After succeeding, you learn the target's highest Close Combat or Ranged Combat skill and its value.

Track

• Masks: No Trail : After succeeding, you may obscure the trail, imposing two penalties on anyone else trying to follow it.
  
• Tomes: Deep Impressions : After succeeding, you gain a rough idea of how the people you are tracking are equipped, such as backpacks, types of weapons, strangely shaped heavy items and so on.
  
• Crows: Follow Their Lead : After succeeding, you gain a bonus to any Wilderness duels made while you follow the trail.
  
• Rams: Guns Blazing : On a success, when you catch up with the targets you are tracking, you may take one additional turn after the Initiative flip, but before characters begin resolving their turns in Initiative order.

Wilderness

• Masks: Naturalist : After succeeding, you gain the One With Nature condition for the next four hours: If you encounter a wild Beast, you may end this condition at the start of Dramatic Time. You and your allies may each take on additional turn after the Initiative flip but before characters begin resolving their turns in Initiative order.
  
• Tomes: Hidden Cache : After succeeding, you find a hidden cache of supplies. This might be a few rounds of ammo, a useful item or a crude map of the area.
  
• Crows: Forecast : After succeeding, you may choose what sort of weather the local area experiences for the next day, plus one day per Margin of Success. This weather must be natural for the area and season - you can't predict snow in summer.
  
• Rams: Look, Berries! : After succeeding, heal 1 damage.

Next time: Even more Triggers!

Post 11

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Through the Breach: Into the Steam

Magical:
Counter-Spelling

• Masks: Expose Prestidigitation : After succeeding, if the caster of the spell is within line of sight, they get the Dazed condition until the end of their next turn.
  
• Tomes: Douse Sorcery : After succeeding, if the caster of the spell is within line of sight, they suffer 1/2/3 damage as you turn the spell's energy back on them.
  
• Crows: Unravel Necromancy : After succeeding, target Undead Peon or Minion within line of sight suffers 1/2/3 damage.
  
• Rams: Break Enchantment : After succeeding, target Construct Peon or Minion within line of sight suffers 1/2/3 damage.

Enchanting

• Masks: Quicken Reflexes : After succeeding, a friendly target within 3 yards of you gains +1 Grace until the start of your next turn.
  
• Tomes: Enhance Intelligence : After succeeding, a friendly target within 3 yards of you gains +1 Intelligence until the start of your next turn.
  
• Crows: Amplify Resolve : After succeeding, a friendly target within 3 yards of you gains +1 Toughness until the start of your next turn.
  
• Rams: Strengthen Muscles : After succeeding, a friendly target within 3 yards of you gains +1 Might until the start of your next turn.

Harness Soulstone

• Masks: Draw Power : After succeeding, you gain a bonus to the next Enchanting, Necromancy, Sorcery or Prestidigitation challenge you make within the next 10 minutes.
  
• Tomes: Supercharge : After succeeding, if you are recharging a Soulstone, it gains 1 charge per Tomes in the final duel total. If this takes it over its maximum, these bonus charges disappear at the rate of 1 per 10 minutes. A Soulstone that has bonus charges already may not benefit from this Trigger.
  
• Crows: Guarded Soul : After failing, if you were attempting to recharge a Soulstone, reduce the damage you suffer by 2 per Crows in the final duel total.
  
• Rams: Try Shaking It : After succeeding with a Soulstone, gain one use of Soulstone Dust per Rams in the final duel total. A Soulstone cannot produce more uses of Soulstone Dust than its Lade per month through the use of this Trigger.

Necromancy

• Masks: It's Alive...-ish : After succeeding, target Undead within 3 yards gains the Visage of Life Condition until the end of the scene: This character appears to be Living. Characters who suspect otherwise may attempt a TN 12 Scrutiny challenge to see through this. If this character attacks, this condition immediately ends.
  
• Tomes: Whispers of the Dead : After succeeding, you learn the location of any corpses within 3 yards of you, even if they are buried beneath you, plus 3 yards per Tomes in the final duel total.
  
• Crows: Bolster Undead : After succeeding, target Undead within 3 yards heals 1 damage.
  
• Rams: Fray Life : After succeeding, target Living character within 3 yards suffers 1 damage.

Sorcery

• Masks: Telekinetic Shove : After succeeding, push a target within 3 yards up to 1 yard in any direction.
  
• Tomes: Bright Flash : After damaging, all characters within 1 yard of the target must succeed on a TN 10 Centering duel or gain the Blind condition until the end of the round.
  
• Crows: Arcing Energies : After damaging, a different target within 2 yards of the initial target that was not damaged by a Blast suffers the effects of one Elemental Immuto in your spell.
  
• Rams: Brute Force : After damaging, a piece of hard cover within 2 yards of the target is reduced to soft cover or a piece of soft cover is destroyed and reduced to severe terrain.

Prestidigitation

• Masks: Fade Away : After succeeding, you gain the Fade Away condition until the start of your next turn: Attacks made against this character suffer 2 penalties. This condition immediately ends after an attack against this character is resolved.
  
• Tomes: Glimpse the Future : After succeeding during Dramatic time, immediately increase your Initiative by +2.
  
• Crows: Distraction : After succeeding, one target character within line of sight gains the Dazed condition until the end of the round.
  
• Rams: Weapons of the Mind : After succeeding, a target within 2 yards of one of your illusions suffers 1 damage.

Ranged Combat:
Archery

• Masks: Awkward Shot : After damaging, the target gains the Awkward Arrow condition: This character has a penalty to all attacks. This character may take a 1-AP Action to remove the arrow and end this condition.
  
• Tomes: Pinned to the Ground : After succeeding, the target gains the following condition until they move or are pushes: This character may not declare Walk or Charge actions. This character may take a 1-AP action to remove the arrow and end this condition.
  
• Crows: Poisoned Arrowhead : After damaging, the target gains the Poison +1 condition.
  
• Rams: Headshot : When damaging, this attack ignores Hard to Wound. If a Critical Effect is generated, it automatically affects the target's head.

Heavy Guns

• Masks: No Man Can Outrun A Bullet : After succeeding, reduce all damage dealt to this attack to 0. Move the target up to its speed in any direction, so long as the move ends further from the firing character than it began.
  
• Tomes: Hit the Deck! : After succeeding, reduce all damage dealt by this attack to 0. The target immediately takes the Drop Prone action.
  
• Crows: Perforate : After damaging, the target gains the Bleeding Out condition.
  
• Rams: Sweeping Fire : After damaging, immediately make another Heavy Guns attack against a different target that has not yet been targeted by this attack or one of its Triggers this action.

Long Arms

• Masks: Precision Sniping : If the damage from this attack results in a Critical Effect, you may choose the location of the Critical Effect rather than flipping for it.
  
• Tomes: Sight In : After succeeding, you may discard a card to gain the Focused +1 condition.
  
• Crows: Punch Through : After damaging, deal 1/2/4 damage to a second character, if the second character is within 3 yards of the original target and behind them, relative to your position. This second damage flip can't be cheated.
  
• Rams: Headshot : When damaging, this attack ignores Hard to Wound. If a Critical Effect is generated, it automatically affects the target's head.

Pistol

• Masks: Ricochet : After damaging, another character within 3 yards of the target suffers 1/2/4 damage. This damage flip can't be cheated.
  
• Tomes: Armor-Piercing Bullets : When damaging, this attack ignores Armor.
  
• Crows: Loud Blank : After succeeding, reduce all damage dealt by this attack to 0. The target gains the Slow condition.
  
• Rams: Unload : When damaging, if you have 2+ bullets left in your weapon, deal +2 damage to the target. Your weapon is now empty.

Shotgun

• Masks: Run 'n Gun : After damaging, you may immediately move any distance towards the target, up to (Walk) yards.
  
• Tomes: What If...More Powder? : When damaging, this attack adds +B to its Moderate and Severe damage values.
  
• Crows: Shotgun Surgeon : When damaging, this attack does not deal B damage. Instead, deal +1 damage to the target for each B.
  
• Rams: Blown Back : After damaging, if this attack dealt Moderate or Severe damage, the target is pushed 1 yard away and takes the Drop Prone action.

Thrown Weapons

• Masks: Ready Weapon : After resolving, take the 1-AP Ready Weapon action.
  
• Tomes: I Had An Extra : After succeeding, you find an additional item identical to the one you just threw in your gear. This Trigger will not duplicate rare or unique items, at the GM's discretion.
  
• Crows: Smacked in the Head : When damaging, the attack deals +1 damage. If a Critical Effect is generated, it automatically affects the target's head.
  
• Rams: Hey! Over Here! : After resolving, take the Impose action against the target.

Social:
Barter

• Masks: Flatter : After succeeding, the target becomes friendly and willing to assist you with gossip, directions, or other forms of information.
  
• Tomes: Can't You Do A Little Better? : After succeeding, reduce the price of the item or service you are trying to purchase by an additional 20%.
  
• Crows: I'll Never Shop Here Again : After failing, the target offers you a minor item or service to keep you as a customer, such as a free pie at a restaurant, a box of ammo at a weapons shop or a sack of flour at a general store. This Trigger may not be declared against the same target more than once per day.
  
• Rams: How Much For The Hat? : After succeeding, you may make another Barter challenge, this time for an item the target owns but was not otherwise willing to sell.

Bewitch

• Masks: I'm Kinda Important : After succeeding, the target believes that you are a moderate- to high-ranking member of an organization they're friendly with and treats you accordingly until they have reason to believe otherwise.
  
• Tomes: Flirtatious Wink : After succeeding, the target develops a crush on you. They will not immediately throw themselves at you, but will offer small favors and speak favorably about you to others. The crush lasts for one week.
  
• Crows: I Don't Like You, Either : After failing, you may immediately make an Intimidate challenge against the target with a bonus to the flip.
  
• Rams: And Who's Your Friend? : After succeeding, immediately make another Bewitch challenge against a different target with a bonus to the flip.

Convince

• Masks: Just Between Us : After succeeding, if you asked the target for a favor or to do something questionable or illegal, they will keep it a secret unless forcefully questioned.
  
• Tomes: Revelation : After succeeding, the target now believes your opinion is the correct one, abandoning their previous beliefs on the topic and adopting yours.
  
• Crows: We're Just Talking Is All : After failing, if you asked the target to do something questionable or illegal, there are no repercussions for failing the duel.
  
• Rams: The Honest Truth : After succeeding, if you are telling the truth, you gain an additional Margin of Success.

Deceive

• Masks: Straight Faced : After failing during Narrative Time, if the target has no ranks in Scrutiny, you win the challenge.
  
• Tomes: Revelation : After succeeding, the target now believes your opinion is the correct one, abandoning their previous beliefs on the topic and adopting yours.
  
• Crows: "Guys, He Said It's Not A Real Knife!" : After succeeding during Narrative Time, the target turns their back on you. You may draw a one-handed weapon and make an immediate attack against the target with two bonuses to the attack flip.
  
• Rams: But Seriously... : After failing, you may make a Convince challenge against the same target with a bonus to the flip. If you succeed, there are no repercussions for failing the Deceive duel.

Intimidate

• Masks: It's Nothing Personal : After succeeding, you may make a Bewitch challenge against the target with a bonus to the flip. If you succeed, the target's perception of you does not worsen as a result of the Intimidate challenge.
  
• Tomes: Interrogation : After succeeding, the target must reveal a piece of helpful information, if possible.
  
• Crows: We're Just Talking Is All : After failing, if you asked the target to do something questionable or illegal, there are no repercussions for failing the duel.
  
• Rams: Soften You Up : After succeeding against a target within 1 yard, you may make a free Pugilism attack against the target which may not declare Triggers. If the attack is successful, gain a Margin of Success on the Intimidate challenge.

Leadership

• Masks: It Wasn't My Idea : After resolving, all characters listening believe the order or inspiring words came from another character, who does not have to be present, even if that character later claims otherwise.
  
• Tomes: I Believe In You : After succeeding, any NPCs performing a task as a result of your Leadership challenge treat their Rank value as two higher for the duration of the task.
  
• Crows: For Them! : After succeeding, all characters listening may make a TN 10 Tenacity challenge. On a success, that character may ignore the first Critical Effect they suffer within the next hour.
  
• Rams: Let's Do This! : After succeeding during an Ongoing Challenge, every other character participating in the Ongoing Challenge gains a bonus to Challenge Duels they make during the next Duration.

Teach

• Masks: Mentor : After succeeding against an NPC, choose a skill you have at 2+. For the rest of the scene, you may Cheat Fate for the NPC when they make a skill challenge using that skill.
  
• Tomes: Breakthrough : After succeeding against an NPC, that NPC immediately gains 1 rank in a relevant skill of your choice. This Trigger may not take them above 2 ranks in any skill and you must have more ranks in the chosen skill than they do when you declare this Trigger.
  
• Crows: You're An Idiot : After failing, you may make an Intimidate challenge against the target with a bonus to the flip. On a success, you berate the target into trying harder, making the initial Teach challenge a success.
  
• Rams: By Example : After succeeding during Dramatic Time, the target gains the Following the Example condition until the end of Dramatic Time: When this character performs a skill challenge, they gain a bonus to the flip if the character who applied this condition performed the same skill challenge earlier in the round.

Next time: We finish off Triggers!

Post 12

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Through the Breach: Into the Steam

Training:
Acrobatics

• Masks: Bouncy : After succeeding, you may move up to 2 yards in any direction.
  
• Tomes: Show Boating : After succeeding, you may make an immediate Pugilism or Martial Arts attack against a character you are engaged with. The attack flip gains a bonus.
  
• Crows: Hold Still! : After succeeding, any Ranged attack made against you before the start of your next turn suffers a penalty to the attack flip.
  
• Rams: Physique : After succeeding, gain one Margin of Success per Rams in the final duel total.

Athletics

• Masks: Like A Spider : After succeeding while climbing, you move at full speed.
  
• Tomes: Showoff : After succeeding, you may immediately make an Acrobatics duel at a bonus.
  
• Crows: Pratfall : After failing, if you would suffer damage from the result, you suffer 2 less damage.
  
• Rams: Physique : After succeeding, gain one Margin of Success per Rams in the final duel total.

Carouse

• Masks: Just Like Down On the Bayou : After succeeding, you gain the Drunk and Reckless ability for the next hour: At the start of your turn, you may suffer 2 damage to generate 1 additional General AP.
  
• Tomes: Teetotaler : After succeeding, you may dispose of your drinks or drugs without partaking and without anyone realizing you have done so.
  
• Crows: Drunken Strength : After succeeding, gain the Drunken Strength condition for the next hour: You have +1 Might, to a max of +4, but suffer a penalty to any Ranged Combat challenges.
  
• Rams: Binge Drinker : After succeeding, you heal 1/2/3 damage and gain the Poison +1 condition.

Centering

• Masks: Strange Numbness : After succeeding, you gain a bonus on the next challenge you make to resist a Social skill, provided it occurs before the end of the day.
  
• Tomes: Calm Mind : After succeeding, you gain the Calm Mind condition for the next 30 minutes: This character gains +1 Willpower.
  
• Crows: That's It, I've Had It! : After failing, you may draw a one-handed weapon and make an immediate attack against the target who beat you, if they are in range.
  
• Rams: Is That All? : After succeeding, any of your allies within line of sight that failed to resist the same effect may make a second Centering challenge. On a success, the first failure is ignored.

Evade

• Masks: Check, Please! : After succeeding, immediately take a 1-AP Walk action.
  
• Tomes: Oww-reeka! : After failing, you may suffer 2 damage to draw a card.
  
• Crows: Pratfall : After failing, if you would suffer damage from the result, you suffer 2 less damage.
  
• Rams: Ignore the Pain : After succeeding, remove one Weak Critical Effect from yourself.

Labor

• Masks: Shirker : After succeeding, you may discard a card to draw a card.
  
• Tomes: Off to Work We Go : After succeeding during an Ongoing Challenge, gain an additional Margin of Success
  
• Crows: Walk It Off : After succeeding, heal 2 damage.
  
• Rams: Efficient : After succeeding, cut the time required to complete the task by 50%.

Notice

• Masks: Context Clues : On a success, you may make an immediate Scrutiny challenge against the target with a bonus to the flip.
  
• Tomes: Expertise : Immediately increase your duel total by 1 for each Tomes in the final duel total.
  
• Crows: Wary : After succeeding, you gain the On Alert condition for the next ten minutes: When this character enters Dramatic Time, they may end this condition to gain a bonus to their Initiative flip.
  
• Rams: Size Up : After succeeding, you learn the target's highest Close Combat or Ranged Combat skill and its value.

Stealth

• Masks: Dart and Snatch : After succeeding, you may make a Pick Pocket challenge against a target within 3 yards with a bonus to the flip.
  
• Tomes: Stakeout : After succeeding, you may make a Notice or Scrutiny duel with a bonus to the flip.
  
• Crows: Stalker : After succeeding, you gain the Getting Closer condition for the next minute: This character may end this condition when making a Melee attack against a target that doesn't know they are present to gain two bonuses to the attack flip.
  
• Rams: Sniper : After succeeding during Narrative Time, you may make a Long Arms attack with a readied weapon against a target within range. If it hits, the damage flip gains a bonus.

Toughness

• Masks: Motivated By Pain : After succeeding, you may suffer 1 damage to take a 1-AP Walk action.
  
• Tomes: Stanch the Bleeding : After succeeding, you may choose to end one Critical Effect affecting you.
  
• Crows: It Doesn't Hurt Anymore : After succeeding, you gain Hard to Wound +1 until the end of Dramatic Time.
  
• Rams: Tough As Nails : After succeeding, heal 1 damage.

And now we're out of that and into equipment! We get some discussion on various manufacturing concerns, but you don't really need that. New Crafting rules! To make any item, you need the appropriate skill rank; this book has the ranks needed for any item in it or the core. If your rank is equal to or higher than the one needed, you're fine. If it's lower, you can't make it. Creating an item takes raw materials costing a quarter of its price, but no flip needed if you have the tools, materials and skill. A Challenge duel may be needed if you lack the tools or are in a strenuous environment; fail, and you get no item and ruin the materials. Modifying an item is more complex, and is mostly done on weapons and armor. It is handled the same way, though. First, you add the skill requirements of the item and any mods it already has, plus the mod you are trying to add. If this is equal to or less than your Aspect+Skill, you can modify it. If not, you can't. You need resources equal to a quarter of the mod's price or to already have the mod present - a salvaged bayonet, for example.

Inventing a new item, however, is more complex. The GM is encouraged to be careful with inventing, as unbalanced items can frustrate everyone. Still, creativity should not be discouraged. The GM should work out how much time and resources it'd take to complete, but note that inventions made this way should be grounded in relatively normal science and logic. Super science is for Engineers, and magic is for Manifested Powers. Mundane crafting shouldn't step on their toes. We then get some new weapons, armor and ammo, including some ancient relic weapons like lightning guns and some modern marvels like clockwork power armor. We get soe rules for more pneumatic replacements - clockwork limbs, for example, which are more precise than pneumatics, or advanced limbs, or even a pneumatic torso or head, plus more augmentations.

From here, we hit magic. In the North, it is considered rude to mention that someone is able to use minor manifested powers, like powering alcohol form an empty bottle. The Guild might be listening, after all. More impressive magic still gets talked about, however. Also, a note: while the path of each spellcaster is unique, they can all be seen as one of two groups: the Studied and the Natural. The Studied use Grimoires to learn to cast their spells, gaining knowledge by, well, study. It leads to a more fundamental understanding of magic and its rules. The Natural is more instinctive, a lived magic. These are the people who come to understand their power subconsciously, and this magic is often referred to as Manifested Powers, needing no study or special invocations. Some of these manifestations seem to break laws of magic, but these also tend to be limited in application. We get a retread of the core's discussion of magic and Grimoires, and a variant rule to limit the power of Grimoires. The GM can randomly determine a Grimoire's power by flipping a card and seeing if it's weak, Moderate or Severe. A Weak Grimoire has 1 Magia and 1 Immuto, a Moderate has 2 Magia and 1 Immuto, and a Severe has 2 Magio and 2 Immuto. This limits spellcasters in practice. Another method is to generalize the Magia and Immuto - it's very freeform, and it makes magic much more powerful, however. In this method, the numbers remain the same, but each Magia is instead a type of magic, like Sorcery, instead of a specific Magia. This gives massively increased access to Magia and spells in genral. You might combine these methods - so a Grimoire might have all Sorcery Magias, but only 1 Immuto.

We also get rules on creating Magia. A Grimoire should have at least 2 Magia, and the player and GM involved in making it should ensure the first is one desired by the player - so, for example, a Graverobber sould always get a grimoire with a Necromancy magia. Any further Magia are more flexible and can be chosen by the GM or player, or decided randomly by flipping to see what type they are. Then you decide on the Grimoire's history and who or what made it, which should help determine what Immuto it holds. This is a purely narrative step, but it should be ensured that the Immuto in it are usable with at least one of its Magia. Each Grimoire generally has at least 3 Immuto, which can be generated by type randomly. A sidebar talks about how the GM might add Locked Grimoires - that is, Grimoires with an Immuto that must be applied to any Magia cast from it. This should, however, be used sparingly as it takes control from the players. We then get a list of notable and exceptionally potent Grimoires.

The Earthly Tome is a book that has all Magia and all Immuto, but any spell cast from it must use a Soulstone during hte process, either to Manipulate Fate or Augment the Duel. The Elemental Paradox is a small glass bauble that contains only Elemental Projectile, but all Elemental Immuto, and it allows you to combine any number Elemental Immuto into one spell, at the cost of an additional TN +1 per Immuto past the first. The Celestin Universe is a Grimoire made of stars, visible only on certain nights. It contains all Magia and Immuto, and all suit requirements are stripped for spells when using it. However, those who study it must flip two cards each morning - a severity and a Critical Effect within it. The Effect happens to the user and can't be healed until the character studies a new Grimoire, even if hte ffect is normally temporary. Spells cast from this Grimoire also may not benefit from the Additional Suit Immuto. Lastly, the [i[Nihilim[/i] is a large, rune-covered staff. It contains no Magia or Immuto, and is useless while not held. The wielder can't cast Spells or Manifested Powers, but while holding it, the user is immune to the effects of all Spells and Manifested Powers. The staff also contains a Lade 5 Soulstone (Size 3, Quality 2).

Next time: New magical theories.

Post 13

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Through the Breach: Into the Steam

First off, we have Phenomological Reflection . It's a theory that holds that truth is somewhere between subject and object. Its adherents, the Reflectionists, say that reality is neither in the mind nor in the world, but in the connection between them. They believe reality is made of perception, and that magic is the embodiment of the connection between all things, and therefore the basis of reality. They believe the Neverborn take on the form of human fears because they are creatures of magic, something between a living creature and the humans that perceive them. It's a very complex and convoluted theory, but it's also produced some of the best illusionists in the world, in part due to its loose definition of 'real.' The talent gives a bonus to all Prestidigitation duels, but a penalty to all Enchanting, Sorcery and Necromancy duels. Any illusions made by someone following this theory also last 1 minute longer than normal.

Then there's the Lifewell Doctrine , which holds that magic is the basis of life itself. Conflict Earthside, the Lifewellians say, is because magic is running out and only Soulstone's power can preserve life on Earth. They also hold that magic should not be used to harm, as it runs counter to its nature. This distortion, they say, is disrupting the fabric of the world and leading to many of the problems Breachside. They believe in proselytizing this view, but they know it's not popular. The Guild, however, finds them rather useful, as their beliefs keep them from being a threat. Lifewell Doctrine magic focuses on healing and improving, trying to eliminate more brutal magic. The talent causes any of your healing spells to heal an extra point of damage per Rams in the final duel total. Further, if a spell would remove a Critical Effect, it also removes an additional one. Any time you'd inflict dmage with a spell, however, reduce its damage by 1 after all other modifiers, to a minimum of 0.

The book also provides variants on each of the core magic theories. The Refined Oxford Method takes the core methodology of the Oxford Method and its highly formalized casting to a different conclusion. They use the structure to ensure greater spell stability. The Talent allows you to, before casting a spell, choose to increase the AP cost by 1. If you do, you can add a single suit of your choice to the final duel total.

The Murmur is a variation on the Whisper. It seems some people hear different supernatural whispers than others, apparently at random. The Talent allows the user to add Immuto not in their current Grimoire to spells, but the TN adjustment of these Immuto is increased by +2. When the user casts a spell, they take damage equal to the number of Immuto added to it.

Cutting Edge Research is on the forefront of the Darlin Theories, one of the most common permutations of the theories. It is derived from some of the less stable researchers and their papers, allowing for great power but...well, not much stability. The Talent allows the user to add 4 whenever calculating Construct Points or Cobbled Points, but the user also suffers a penalty to all Social duels.

Due Process is a variation on the Court Procedure. It holds that the Gates of Power should not be broken, that the rules should be obeyed. Breaking the rules to your advantage may help, but the Due Process theory holds that more power can be found by altering your magic to obey the laws of the Gates. The talent allows you to, once per turn when casting a spell, increase its TN by +3 to cast it for 1 less AP than usual, to a minimum of 0. However, you may never apply more than one Immuto to any spell you cast - even multiple iterations of the same Immuto.

Special Allowances is a variation on the Thalarian Doctrine, in which the Guild loosens its regulations on magic with special permission to use certain approved spells and gives extra training in stopping magic. It's not common, but these allowances have been granted more often in recent years, as more and more operatives develop magic. The talent grants a bonus to Counter-Spelling duels, and the user also takes 1 less damage from Spells and Manifested Powers, to a minimum of 0. However, the character must also pick a single Magia. If they try to use a spell involving any other Magia, the TN is increased by +2.

The Sixth Element is a variant of the Balanced Five which holds that soul is the sixth element that binds the other five together. Its adherents try to find a new harmony in using the soul on top of other elements, and they often have a surprising insight into Soulstone usage. The talent allows the user to, whenever using a Soulstone or Soulstone Dust to augment a duel, flip an additional card and add its value to the final duel total. However, when casting without use of a Soulstone or Soulstone Dust, the TN is increased by +1.

Personal Theory is a variant of hedge magic - it refers to those who do not belong to any school of thought, who cobble together their own theories as they go. It seems to work. The talent provides neither benefit nor hindrance.

Fragments of the Past is a variation on Tradition Magic. Some traditions have been lost and forgotten over the years. The core of the theories are still there, but the specific rituals and rites are not. As the students of these traditions learn more about magic, they often begin to fill in the blanks with borrowed ideas. The Talent prevents the user from ever ignoring or adding any suits to their duels made to cast Spells or Manifested Powers, even if those suits are associated with their Aspects or Skills. However, when casting any Spell or Manifested Power, they get a bonus to the flip.

Next time: On Manifested Powers

Post 14

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Through the Breach: Into the Steam

Those on the path of the Natural instinctively understand magic and how to use it. They don't care about rules, and in not knowing the rules or theories, they seem more able to break them. Most of them do not actively seek this power, however - they naturally develop it as they spend time in Malifaux. While some manifestations are mere minor effects to help in life, those with more potent destinies tend to develop more potent powers. It's rare that these powers use any incantation, ritual or focus - they tend to just happen, and those that can do them often develop more than one, as they learn to grow and harness their abilities. They are often more diverse and strange than Spells. The game provides several ways now to make them. The first, spell-based powers, was briefly discussed in the core, but now gets more weight.

First, pick a Magia. Then, pick any number of Immuto to add to it, though the game suggests no more than 4. It notes that, with GM permission, you can combine Immuto that normally couldn't, like two different Elemental Immuto. The player and GM then decide on a suit, defaulting to the normal one of the Magia if they can't agree. They then decide on an appropriate Aspect and Skill determined by the type of power and how it is used. And there you are! Done.

There's another type of Power, however: Ability-based. These, the game notes, can be extremely powerful and break the game, so you should be very careful with them. It gives thre ways to make them. First way: pick a Pursuit Talent from a Pursuit you aren't on. This is very flexible, but the game notes that because Pursuit Talents generally get stronger as you go, as a rule no one should be able to get one from a higher step than the step they are on in their current Pursuit. Second, rework the way an AV or Derived Aspect is determined - so maybe now your Defense is 2 + the higher of your Evade or Intellect. That would let you use your mind and intelligence to avoid damage, rather than speed. Or you might roll Tenacity + Melee to attack out of a magical belief that if you swing enough, you'll hit eventually. Third, you might create a special rule that changes how you interact with the game - perhaps by cribbing from the Malifaux miniatures game. The example is Bring It!, a power that gives two bonuses on Defense duels when engaged by two or more enemies.

And, optionally, there's a third type of Manifested Power: Foscused Manifesting. You create a template with two or three steps to provide a unified theme to your powers. These are more restrictive, but can hit options not normally covered. If you choose one of the templates, however, that's it - you can't get other powers until you finish it. Each time you get a Manifested Power, it must be the next step of the focus...and you must choose to gain a new power each time you resolve a Destiny step until you finish the path. The game provides only three focused templates.

First, Luck . It controls destiny.

1. Either/Or : Whenever you would draw a card during the game, you instead draw two. Keep one, discard the other.
2. Siphon Luck : You may permanently add one non-Joker card of your choice to your deck.
3. Reversal of Fortune : If you or an ally within 3 yards flip the Black Joker, that character may treat it as the Red Joker.

Then, Weather , for commanding the weather.

1. Rain Dance : After ten minutes of dancing, chanting or other preparation, you can make it rain over a rough circle with radius of (Charm) miles, minimum 1.
2. Storm Caller : You can create storms, winds, hail or even tornados via Rain Dance. You can't directly control them, but anyone who does not seek shelter might be struck by lightning or sucked into a tornado, typically dealing 3/5/9 damage if they fail an Evade duel, as determined by the GM.

Finally, Scrying , to see over great distances.

1. Canyon Echoes : As long as it's quiet within 5 yards of you, you can make Notice duels to hear any noises from a location you can see without penalty, as if you were standing in that location. You get two bonuses to any Notice duels made this way.
2. Locator : If you have something that once belonged to someone, you get three bonuses to any Track challenges made to locate that person and don't need a physical trail to do it.

We also get 12 new Magia and a few new Immuto. Enchanting receives:

• Disassemble Creation : Target Construct or Undead suffers 2/3/4 damage that ignores Armor and Hard to Wound.
  
• Mental Enhancement : The target gains the Mentally Enhanced +1 condition for one hour: The character adds +1 to their Mental Aspects, to a maximum of 5.
  
• Unnatural Shifting : The body of a living target begins to change into that of an unidentifiable Beast. The part of the body changed is based on a suit of the caster's choice in the final duel total, and the effect lasts one minute.
  
  • Rams: Torso. The target suffers 2/3/4 damage and may not benefit from any armor worn on the chest for the duration.
    
  • Tomes: Head. The target gains the Dazed condition and may not benefit from any armor worn on the head for the duration.
    
  • Crows: Arms. The target gains the Useless Limb (Arms) condition and may not benefit from any armor worn on the arms for the duration.
    
  • Masks: Legs. The target gains the Useless Limb (Legs) condition and may not benefit from any armor worn on the legs for the duration.

Sorcery

• Shield : The target gains Armor +1 for 10 minutes, to a max of Armor +3.
  
• Summon Beast : You summon a Beast of any kind to serve you. It appears anywhere within 5 yards on a surface that can support its weight. You may command it with the 1-AP Order action. If it acts on the turn it was summoned, it gains the Slow condition. It lasts 3 turns before disappearing. The TN is 5 Tomes plus the Rank Value of the Beast you want to summon - so a Rank 5 Minion like a Waldgeist would be TN 10 Tomes.
  
• Summon Gamin : You combine this with an Elemental Immuto to summon a Gamin of that element within 5 yards on a surface that can support its weight. You can command it with the 1-AP Order action. If it acts on the turn it was summoned, it gains the Slow condition. It lasts 3 turns before disappearing.

Necromancy

• Forget : A Living target permanently forgets one short memory, no more than five minutes, that occurred within the past minute. The caster must be generally aware of the memory in question, even if that knowledge is vague, such as forcing someone to forget a conversation with a specific person or what happened inside the mine the target just exited.
  
• Touch of the Grave : A Living target suffers 1 damage and gains the Touched by Death +1 condition for one minute: When this character suffers damage, they suffer +1 damage.
  
• Weaken : The target gains the Physically Weakened +1 condition for one hour: This character subtracts 1 from all Physical Aspects, to a minimum of -5.

Prestidigitation

• Float : The target floats 1 yard above the ground for a minute and can ignore terrain or similar objects beneath that. For every Masks in the final duel total, the target can float an additional 1 yard up. The target can move in any direction as if walking on air and can declare Charges as normal, but may not take the Drop Prone action for any reason.
  
• Improved Fate : The target gains a bonus to all Skill challenges they make for 1 turn.
  
• Phantasmal Weapon : Target weapon gains the Phantasmal Weapon special rule for 1 minute: When declaring an Attack action with this weapon, the attacker may force the target to resist with Willpower instead of Defense.

And the new Immutos are all Elemental :

• Infected : TN +2. Any character damaged by the Magia also gets the Infection +1 condition: at the end of the day, you take +1 damage.
  
• Light : TN +1. Any character damaged by the Magia also gains the Blind condition until the end of the round.
  
• Water : TN +1. Any character damaged by the Magia is doused with water, ending the Burning condition on them and lowering the Inferno condition on them by 2. Any Fire-based creature, such as a Fire Gamin, also becomes Slow.
  
• Wind : TN +1. Any character damaged by the Magia is also pushed 1 yard in a direction of the caster's choice. This Immuto can be applied multiple times, increasing the distance by 1 yard each time.

Next time: Hazards

Post 15

posted by Mors Rattus Original SA post

Through the Breach: Into the Steam

The game divides environmental hazards into four types: Immediate, Ongoing, Activated and Personified. An Immediate Hazard is pretty simple - something bad is happening, succeed at a check or a bad thing happens to you. So, say, if it's flooding, you make a TN 9 Athletics check to not get an iteration of Tired. Too much Tired, you become Suffocating. The game provides a number of example Immediate Hazards - floods, crevices, hypothermia, quicksand, etc. The sort of problems you're going to run into in the wilderness, and where you might do it.

Ongoing Challenges, on the other hand, are problems you need to deal with over time. You try and gather successes before gathering too many failures. The examples ofr this sort of thing are blizzards, evadfing the cops, finding your way through an area and more. Activated Hazards are a special variant of Ongoing Hazards, which are triggered by character actions. For example, if you're in a cave, there could be a risk of cave-ins. Any time an attack misses, you check for damage with no modifiers, and if the attack deals enough damage to beat the local TN - 3 for caves with supports, 5 for a nature cavern - then you accumulate one success towards the Activation Requirement. Once the Activation Requirement is met, there's a ceve-in, and it's a pretty nasty one - even if you don't get hit by rocks, you're going to suffer from claustrophobia. Basically, Activated Gazards are a thing where you want to avoid doing a certain thing too many times - often missing when attacking. Unfortunately, it applies to everyone, not just you - so your foes can trigger it, too.

Finally, there are Personified Hazards. These are the most complex, used for situations where the hazard can be considered to attack the characters. Personified Hazards have a character sheet, but differ from normal characters in a few ways. First, unlike most NPCs, their Rank can often rise over time, and it doesn't help their defense. However, they are immune to Willpower duels and rather than suffering wounds, they lose Rank Value, being defeated when that hits 0. That doesn't necessarily mean you killed the hazard or removed it - you just stopped it being dangerous. So if you destroy an angry mob, people are probably still mostly alive. but they've been scattered and are not a threat. Personified Hazards otherwise have stats and skills like characters, and evn talents. Fires, swarms and mobs are the examples here.

The game now presents rules for random encounters - specifically, if a session is going to have one, say on a long journey, you flip a card. The suit determines the type of encounter and the number the difficult - like damage, they come in Weak, Moderate and Severe. Rams means a combat, Tomes a skill encounter, Crows a social encounter and Masks a weird location of some kind. Combat, obviously, is fight a monster. A Skill encounter is some problem that needs a skill check to deal with - a herd of cows to maneuver around, a river to cross, a water pump to fix to get some water. A social encounter is going to be meeting some people who are not necessarily hostile, but only a Weak is automatically friendly. A Moderate encounter is neutral and a Severe is either annoyed at the party or already in a bad mood. For Location encounters - well, the more severe, the larger the location. You might find a hunting lodge that could be useful but is secretly an Arcanist safe house, or a strange statue in the middle of a Quarantine Zone, or a section of broken sewer leading to a bricked-up room. There is an optional rule to allow the PCs to cheat a card in, to semi-control their fate, and I rather like that.

From here, it's just a bestiary, most of which isn't very interesting. Of note is what does count as a Beast, though, which can be handy for Primals and Shapeshifters - it's not just animals. Sawtooth Creepers, a form of killer plant, molemen, the immortal jackalope and several types of Neverborn count as Beasts, like the Kaltgeists, presumably because they're Neverborn animals. Also Wendigos. However, the book also presents two Monster Pursuits - NPC-only Pursuits to better customize creatures for your use.

First, the Twisted , which represents mutation by the primal energy of Malifaux. This is where you get giant animal monsters, dogs with acidic blood, cows that eat human flesh and so on. You can put steps onto critters all at once or gradually over time - either's fine. To become Twisted, an NPC must have the Beast characteristic and must have spent significant time in Malifaux. The game suggests only normal annimals be given ranks in this, rather than Malifaux-native creatures like the Mauler, but sometimes offshoots do occur, so it's not set in stone. Creatures with one step on the Pursuit are fairly common - anything from Earth that survives in the wild for more than a month or two is likely to get that mutated. Two steps is a more significant change, and unusual. Three steps is a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, something deeply primal. Four steps is legendary, and most deny that these creatures exist. Five steps is something rare indeed - the number of fully Twisted creatures in all of Malifaux can be counted on perhaps two hands. They are strange aberrations, almost unrecognizable, and prized by hunters as trophies.

At each of the five Steps, the Beast gets the Twisted Mutation talent, which gives one of the following mutations each time (and, unless otherwise noted, they can be taken more than once each):

• Additional Limbs: The creature grows fangs, claws or new limbs, giving it a new form of attack. Choose a 1-AP attack from another Beast or create a new one, and give it to the creature, calculating the new AV fro mthe appropriate Aspect and Skill. If it does not have the relevant skill, it gains 2 ranks in it automatically.
  
• Armored Plates: The creature grows boney plates, armored spikes or chitin. It gains Armor +1.
  
• Black Blood: The creature's blood becomes thick, black and corrosive. It gains the Black Blood ability: All characters without Black Blood within 1 yard suffer 1 damage when this character suffers damage. This mutation may not be selected more than once.
  
• Manifested Power: The creature gets a Manifested Power of some sort that is appropriate to it.
  
• Multiple Heads: The creature grows another head. It gets +2 to Notice challenges, and if it has three or more heads now, it gets the Three-Headed ability: So long as this creature has half or more of its Wounds remaining, it gains a bonus to attack and damage flips.
  
• Ornery: The creature becomes aggressive and cruel, or has its aggression increased even further. It gets the Ornery +1 ability: This character's natural attacks deal +(Ornery) damage, and it gains one bonus per Ornery to attack actions made as part of a Charge.
  
• Twisted Cunning: The creature becomes closer to human intellect. Its Mental Aspects each improve by 1, and its Rank Value improves by 2, turning it from a Peon to a Minion, a Minion to an Enforcer, or an Enforcer to a Henchman. A creature that is a Henchman already can't take this.
  
• Unnatural Vigor: The creature's muscles grow larger and stronger. It gains Hard to Wound +1 and Regeneration +1.
  
• Wings: The creature grows wings of some kind. It gets the Flight ability: This character is immune to falling damage and may ignore any terrain or other characters when moving. Technically, it doesn't say you can't take it more than once, but it wouldn't be useful twice.

The second Monster Pursuit is Mechanical - that is, a robotic version of the monster. It is intended as an easy way to make mechanical creatures, new and interesting Constructs to use without having to make new NPC blocks. It's good for giving NPC engineers and tinkerers a theme to their creations, too! To become a Mechanical monster, a creature must have the Living tag but not the Spirit tag. That creature is not actually transformed - it's the base template for the mechanical duplicate, which is generally immediately recognizable as a Construct. At the first step, the creation can mimic the original. It's not too rare to see these. The second step adds a minor change to function - not too hard to find someone who could make it, though. At the third step, it's a notable improvement on the original, and it'd take some time to find someone skilled enough to make one. It wouldn't be cheap, either. The fourth step is the domain solely of the extremely skilled, significantly improving the base creature. The final step is pretty much a scientific perfection of the base creature in every way.

The first step gives the Mechanized talent: +1 Armor, -1 Defense. The creature also loses the Living characteristic and gains the Construct characteristic. Every step thereafter grants Mechanical Upgrade , which gives one of the following abilities (note that each can only be taken once unless otherwise noted):

• Buzz Saw: The creature gets a large buzz saw, more powerful the larget its Height.
  
• Heated Metal: The creature is able to heat one weapon to very high temperatures. One of its Close Combat or Ranged Combat attacks adds Tomes to its AV and gets the Tomes trigger Heated Metal: After succeeding, the target gains Burning +1 for each Tomes in the final duel total. This upgrade can be taken multiple times, applying to a different attack each time.
  
• Mobility: The creature's legs are redesigned somehow, giving it the Nimble talent: This creature generates an additional AP each turn, only usable for a Movement General Action.
  
• Chain Harpoon: The creature has a harpoon gun fitted onto it, with a winch that can drag people closer. Plus the harpoon's pretty damaging.
  
• Machine Guns: The creature has mounted machine guns - damaging, and sometimes able to do stutter fire to attack more often.
  
• Sharpened: The creature's melee weapons are sharpened to a razor edge. One of its Close Combat attacks gets a bonus to the damage flip.
  
• Self-Repair: The creature has self-repair or redundant systems. It can take the 0-AP Self-Repair action to discard a card and heal 2 damage.

The End!