oblivion. AStorytelling Gameof Deatnand Damnation Do not go gentle into that good... - Dylan Thomas ByMark Samjennifer Hartshorn DesiJln:Mark Rein Hagen with Sam Chupp and Jenni-ferHanshom Written by: Steven C. Brown, Phil Brucato, Sam Chupp, BriallCampbell , JackieCassauo,GraemcDavis,Da11 Greenberg,MarkRein llagen,JenniferHartshorn, Robert Haordvto for my passing,o1 I diJQ"'rcdIn dlliMtQnt, but wore. wertlJfany-i.ltriblu thinK> Jucin!! "'l' capth i11, secttll! vet ((>J\!floq\cl.botl do !!'tell themFM now, lr Mrfhm rhat }l'Oved.ln mol>bttl ! could neitherI"Wl\1> l:tlc' tD 11nd by" mixture of thuir form" roor fttlhomtilt wordsborne ontheir podfottuneI ulmnatdyN.JI/ ul)nthe oC!lfje,One. neither celell't'tlr...their Jc>j'l!nor comnuerale un their oi\ly Wl\tdl, ond watch. For even :;th'-t11mclcamkillonJ llQ little exertion,Qll (ion onto, iiirJf tuch fd , ' !'I u;nuulc olul'ost conditi()n$ In, rh/Un derworld. E;.ch pttttllllh and well-being, and plce no in offered from Over ye-an. deem o( wMting alliantldme \lvinJ: ore based upon"""'" wrietY' !k>aJuse we aremayb: Sllppooedare Lnvulncmble to ablato walk through walls and ruthlike, )ust OS the $Cribb of the "penny blOods" prc..:ribc.Alas,Itis l}urA pOrpi()l\ of 11\crrutb, tilldwing,by unkind Fnu:, all ofrp poor wtaith, w411e de nylng moJt;>f rlw. b:e or c!amf'Or[i\lll about '""" a bf nffnlt>i.. ... 1\\1 I have i.l')tcP,Lin J;y babl!ii aiid O)lly,bJxed with tbe new wildom that plasm may '1'" be haftedmaner. Thi> il,a $liglu: maner; bftf!P.iying a little COilfF&ntion, one erc.ome ihe ...ani:c tl!Mtt'ff If d\e Glind he 11:t upon the rask. Mon:ate t)i&i: t be bent to a""PI thebull, .fi\Y touch 1riri'It Is thepottOfourdi of the iemptSt wrnifhs. Tilwraith'illthe Shoclo,vlondsbe 1r1sfarpre[elablem ohau$of 1h" .the who htllllt:$ dje evildoer hclcl " Illclarli'nre' of life forll!ffi it' ft bo!lnd 10 emainpt.cq,o!)jccuthe deck:''! aburnt ln Osl94)ord I was hom. inthelivingworltl.,an:d)Ieardthe s,_,thingnOolil tncowner. And yet, I mli.'it rry. Selena would have "-' thil,t tile work! - lspe:U< your 1\'0rlll, 1\-b.q,Hhc un is wann and che- wnoll.11. of mmter and energy and all rhc'!iub.lllllce> andformstohe fuundtl..-.cinnte o( !he l:w Undcrwurld isIn lt$11!1At IIC!I$ - worl#.it Is011onti- Wh'Otevl!r II no't rf rhc Univer.e 1S Isbut 6nc am:( I p11r1.nf Univcnw,so. t.licce Isn oM.Illl l>artJ clleUnclenVrldthat eorrc-untp nd lo[X>nyourhv ing Enttb. :fhe;Jtfllpns of rhiwrritl.lfy arc the Abodes of thebulk of FcMrboul)dwrolth&,3ndore the Sl\3dow41ds. The Sbrtdowla.nd llc, :\lilt were, otbwatt andcho material world c fml cnd1111C of d>e uni\'erse, whicl\ "}uses its.: I(while awniting iu Jl'!"'mtIC a nils fhadle btwond theM.'bordc.rhwlsl of 1hosc (Gw,ilw g{dtertl1elr reall)n Inpnymc1lt for1thc1t knowl -I The Shado,,Jand$indeed, forthey\Othe;l>utlines ofi'the wodd of fj..h, apmg it as a $hudow nru It& R'ms,':bouses, atlllrbole Citic cxiM\ i!the Shado,vlan!f dead Uving world, :u>dmoy ' itby travelingOOt rcspondofll: Sh.'ld.lws - but to anallod nor antheJl!lnl!!.anll mc:e$ r:lw l6QU)lht to eonbmcc withof ll'iistU:hrer ttrqe JleomelJ the di:lcipline of mond required co coudl, ti:'.r ir Was anpnd kinrr ll)nd.l declare cost me less!t) life to Hellespont1o eriPI'Ied porody J)OW.todo>oliAAt" thillll "''tum the page ofi'bOOk,. I here R c,howcvur,omep)nCrcly imotarirag them. A living tl)aci: thnt correspond$Temest. Enrrogy drawn rhr!lltgh a Nihil b>'thc of to a popollr Haunt Is J'OSMJS\positim\. nrc,lnJ,'Cd, manyihlltances where rne reverse isthe CHMl,nnd such Is the ver ity f the Necrn/1011Od .. I.,!1 The dead remaonun.lhaqgt,dihom rhclr fom1cr hlihorudl'!l 'TheydW11.,,{cty innumbtl'J ond the p,Precri.r>no( s_t;!:OJ'Il:ftfellows. Their vii lnges and cities ovedl'j'il>cllvlnR almost wlthut cxceRtioll,fot!he livll)g "fe nfThe NectoRQiis, "'"'IJI a gerwln kinhip to the tlt$hly cicy 11 oc:cupij,:l!; hut I1$ an equal partnnc aJl Underworld, the.walj. thi.> Vll>lan(\ haples.< oournc Founc!ed,nenl1t'ad wiUini!lr. ing tO byCharonhinuel,lt'is"JJ;e ofChamn is!lllal"(cd hi>ahJl(l che".-;lfP!ltt bas become{\ prison. The O...rhlords hoiJ u IOOIOS'OvT the world of the dead as 1n:n1winA with Underworld Qnd the dci!6lt1tent ionsweedsand bcconilng l0$t. "".lr,il' !>WJln1,1 of and orhtrs c:.rwtyl'ini wrire dmre lq,deed nmongr.beclend, 'and anon.speaks 1'1\oreel()lluentltheir Pnlllnt Hicrarcll'l ;, apo11er that none fll1\Y Wtth.Theof: De.rh nwe fenlry tn Ch:Jrpn, h.lsun s.ay !hey ""'Y do. Theirbeen more ac- .Ilute, tbat nweh .. unafn,:flllclrhm abuse.' mnre "!'re(ld. Like uny empire of,f\lllnallllitory, t,hc llicrarchy ru.IC> rl\Orc tluou8h fear than n1iiJ l"""'uasilin, und iJ bnse,having completedmymainpurpose1ndccrihmgthe Hi,rim:hy.Ill l}t, that aqy who love freedomfenr .md 'hup' the thelr mlntons, fot t.houghthetrlu ,:,.,Yoll'er.j prnrcotion ftYmmanyql)hc UndcrwnriJ'$ pen In lrolll whohere arc mAJiywho accuse the D.:ad>lords of doong Aw3y w)d\ their maHer Charon ro hee d)eirhand>inthe pu111uirfpower. lhea>Sdves from tlw upon hismanymace.whu had never )'IXJ, aQ'i Those Whakope hwe already nlluJcll to the corno:nonlibf ChillrhcFar Shores,If"{U thllughr tO be O("'t tangq,le b)tl\1! of the Under-' worlilnd lhc cjua)1rlry of souls devoted theiuca of cbelrreality.$eekm cmplov this low of lhllir urr;ound-ing,.by crafins a belief on,d {cmerinJt itgrowrb. nro a stable rc:llm. Su$ Qn operoLiool is ()ncmus ondee!;l, for thebeUef-foun dation muse be pure 11ndrons\ant If resulting edifice, as it were,any hope of smbllity. Some of lhese lie relics, liS they are duhbed,1espouse them cretd> bi:.'11U>C of namrall!}'ll\P.'Itby, othec::; beqit..c they dread Those who kam or all the power aod hu!ms of me Hierar-chy,thereareother socialbonds among rht deadwhe1callmarmingle as free equaLs. Though the Srygian Guilds are'nor whatonce> were, tbOSclu who!V- they open their doors IIUIY be of any backgrl,!und; oi>Ully 1.; the only quaiiAcatioo, not weald\, posirion or alleglnncc.Whar a h111ve W..>rldmight be wrought among livh'll education we(e apportioned thus! the;w3nc:lcrlng lnthe Dliplhlords'yoke,or juurncy duough tlf, ThlilpEst ti'W..rq a' noncxisti!',nt 1ha,vt:be more rcliWe h011r a\ld better tRe;!!i.,.rqhy qrrjle1Renegades; on,if rdgoes outcJ gokl;arushof wr.ntl Th" poor soul> boundin their newcontests thedi!vil ihe hindmost. This happens form,!heirdnves the objeqIn perforrmnceofbut rudy,the barvurm qf.Jut. keep cl.ooie \Yatch uponthe living, and :llmost w11hoor from thousunds t:lcompound; their k,;:nlne ls terTible lnde Transcendence ow th:aaI h;lvedmwn 1he hortotSofthe Un o;lerworld In such llll\111ld tenible .:olon>, it will noa: astOnish tho reader to learn that rhe nUtinprtOCCUIY.tnonbf m.nyIs({ Ot mw;t be ek!on.-.ed, Oblivkltl no fir1l(tr bold;tq mat. I pn1y that. it ;""'q gh06t stories and old wtves'ralt$ Qf yQur narlve land aod you maybe '.SSurcd of trndlng cottespOI\dences. How couldit bt otherwise. when these tales are all wotedin the same reality! be myAMro the. vmu:lty of the rest ohhc work, fbrall that 4 b,rebyenee. It roll Once morel wish roo well. Perlwps .... ""'Y t.ven me"t, 3ppear too fanwdcal (OJ; hto obll'geme, ueat tllralntwe say and do.Life Is so often pointlc$$ and de'lli.rl of 1\'-'llninU, little more than a journeyThe Jl.l'''l JIIAtwon't go away. Our (c!lr of de-nth\und'lifc ir\lo fMlij\htrruJre.TItCterror of mnrrnliry "'!' iompt>lill cMistence 1;0 muchwe fail ro live. tlwewape We findrefugelil piousuut ol fear,fearthat death is coning. We choose incon\pletene.o; and hmer dis.nrisf'n'lng ghOt place, there is nobo."d involved.Second, oneplayer needs robethe Storyteller -the person whu crcarcs and guidesthe stories. Being the Storyteller isa bit likeplayingrheBankerin Monopoly"',but bears greater rewards rhan a handful of play mone). The StOs even the most ancicnr wraiths have never seen. And because most ghosts died without truly having lived, the obliteration of everything left is the worst nightmare a wraith can ilnaginc. Souls:Thefont of power Souls, ir is said, are the atoms of reality, the fund:Jmental buildingblocksuponwhicheverything elseis constructed. EverythingintheUnderworldis,to onedegreeor another, composed of souls. Thus,souls formthe backbone of Under worldtrade.The Restlessharvestnewandoldsouls alike, hoarding them for srnclting, conversion, labor or as simpletus symbols. The darkest days of Rome or the American South cannot compare withthe brisktradein souls chat drivesthe Underworld. Indeed, rhisinsdtutionalized rrade in souls forms rhe rock of Sl)'gian economics. The system has beenin placefor too long and m.eans roo much coLOOmany (or rc(onns lO have much effecr.Most power and infl uence in rhc Underworld are measuredin souls,andsuchpoweris not anabstract social concept - it is a very direct and measurable commodity. Souls are energy, pure and simple- rhe Hlmighry gold of the Under world. kye15 of the untteoofO M darknessalways teemedwithunexplained sound -and yetllc sometimes sl10ok wirll fear leSI thenoises he heard subsiJJe and allow him to hear certain other fainternoiseswhichhe Stehother aid. They performed mi nor jobs for one another inforrelics andlight that they gleanetoff for their ownFar Shore, a placethey called "Par:>dlse." None of the Shining Ones had evrr heard of such a place, but the Fish ers had faithin its existence. At about this time, Scygian wrniths began "' nmicc more ond more Speccre.' along the roads, in the Shadowlonds, along the riverbanks- everywhere. Wherever Spectres went, chaos, Oblivion, destructionandconfusion followedin thdr wake. Theyskinrodewildbandsof barbarians,particularly cribc called the Vandals, and attacked Rome itself. In the banle msucd, the Vandals were slain. The wrnirhs of rhc dead Van dais, uron seemg Srygia, thought that they were being brought to another version of Rome inthe afterlife. Accordingly, they annckc-dit aswell.Althoughthey were repelledbythe orga-nizedand berrer-armcd Equill'CS,the subsequenr siegelaid by the possessing Specrresresrcdthe defenses of Stygla torheir limit. Charonhimself was oftenseen onrhcbattlefield, his ..:ythe curring a sw-th through the armies of the dead. Then, in A.D. 476, Rome fell.Simultaneously, the dark nw o( the great Labyrinth seethed and hissed. Sentries at all the rorrab of rheLabyrinthrangtheir grtat gont;S,trymg in I'OintowarnStygioof rhc:opprtrdch of theever w befallthe Cityof Death:thefi rsrand grcotcst Mael stmm.lr enoptcd fromthe Labyrinth, wracking rheDnrkness, Ooodi11ginto the Shadnwlnnds, and pouring downthe River of Death.It screamedacrosstheSunless Sea.Theroads cnombled and crack. They demanded that Olaron tithe to rhctr temple,bur he refused. sayingthat he :.crvcdDea1h, not the Far Shores. Instead, he mmlc the Fishers a counteroffer: if they woold donate to him10%o( the relics they collected, he wnuld pruvidc rhem with the souls of those whusoughr Parndise. This w:os OJ:Tteable to the Fishers, althoughrhey ne,er stopped :ot tempting to con,crt Chamn ro their beliefs. Stygin became an excellent walled cily in rhe gr3nd rmdl rion o(Paris. As the Crusades begnn in rhe living world. ChttrOtl once again had the rc>ources to send his Equitres (now known as Ktlif(hts) om on the roads, The whole network of parhs was dClml and repaired, and new roads were crea poor-mortemfightsberweenthe h:odes of Moors and Chniii.Ul). c\cn as they waited to be judged in their "'J'Ktive temples. munbcr o( wmith .. Knights bt-cnme s.taggermg during the C:ru5:1dcs,"' m:onyleft behind lovers, wives and familywhomthe)'caredforandwhoboundthemtolife as Onceal!ainprovinghisknowledge of his owncitizens, Cl>nron changed his Imperialrulcrship to a more feudal style. Hewhnthe termedtheHierorchy, whcrchywr.irh could knmv rhcir in the Shadow lands and in Stygia. The topn'IOStrunGcomprisedCharonandhissevennppointcd DeathlorJ>.llclowthemstoodtheLegions andtheKnights, followed by the Frccwraitlt>. At the botrom came the Thralls, wraiths who had for one reason oranother lx..-cn bound in chailu o( St1xianmetal.Thrallsbecamewidely as hmhslaves arkl CUITCilC)' In tothiJ,theFishersappoinlcdlheirown Knights, called Crus:1ally obleto selld wmitl"to places like New Amsterdam andBoston.Wars werefought intheNew World between Stygian colonists and the estnblishcd Hercuc sculemcnts. Also, during chis time the nunpanrcolonialism of the British Empire (followe-d closely by the Hierarchy) brou)(ht rhc Stygian Empire imo connictwith rhe jade Emperor to the e"sr andtheQueen m rhe Afrer bitter a mutual agrccmcnr\Vl\5re(lched. This compact gavetheHicr4 nrchy CUSlOO)'of the souls of the European dead, botleft the indigenous dead alone. Hicr.rchy,HereticsandRenegadesbanled consmntly duringthe Warbetweenthe States.TheIvoryQueende manded the souls of the dead children of Africa who hod been enslavedinlife, :mdCharon allowedherminionstotnovel with rhe Hiernrchy's forces as they move-d south. As a of this. the Ivory Qurked like clockwork. Souls wetc lo;Kkrd had,inhis absence, assumed controlin a greatandpowerfulolig:nchy.This,asyouknow,wasa 1113S!Cr>trol.:eof diplom:>eyandstatecraft.EverythingMISto continue un - bus.incss nsusual. My lords, youhnvc often exprsscd your displeasure at the relativelylownumberof soulschattheHierarchyinthe Sh.1in everything. They do not see things in rhe physiaJI world as they appear, but asthey someday will be. A person about to die might appear cadaverou., with hol-low eyes and jaundic.-d slcon;a car destinedto crashwill ap-pear denredin advance. Much of the world :seems dccajcd or near collapse. Billboards are tattered, roads are porholed, paint is peeling, metalisbuildings are crumbling. To the Restless, much of the world Is already dead. The hazards of the Underworld add danger to despair; soul slavery,intrigue andlooming Obliviontaketheir toll on the Rt'Stless.Worsto( alliJ awraith's eternal strugglewithher Shadow.In the Underworld,there is no place: fora wraith to hide fromher darkest aspects. These threats to mind, soul and sanity are the lot of every wmlrh, from the youngest to the most ancient. Srill, hope re mains. The soulsrcrainrheir identity and can ac quiregrc-arpowerandwisdomif they seekit out. After all, Oblivion notwithstanding, they have all the time on the world. life inDeath For allthe suffering and corruption of the Shdowlands, the ngotty of existinu beyond life,and the periL; of the afterlife,the immorUll spirit continues to bum in Restless souls. Though many wmiths have given their nfterlives over to hopelcosness, revenge and trafficking in souls, others have usedtheir continued exist-ence to n:discover rhe (XlMion5 they avoided in life. Some wraiths pursue enlightenment; death has tom a veil fromt.hcir eyes and proved that there is something more to creation than simple ex istence. Orhers glory in rheir newfound powers. Freed frommor tal constminrs, they roke ndvnntnge of their insights and abilities ro explore, experience and pr06per. Great wealth ;ond power may be acquired among the Rest (e.q of one is ruthless enough to rake it. Many among rhe Hier-archy have spent their nfterlives making up for opportunities theynevertookwhile alive.Somewraithsfindthem:selve.s gifredwirhpotent mynlcal powers(calledArcnnos);other.; simply wheedle, betray or enslave their w;oyto the top. Many Resdcss embrace the pursuit of material gain nstheir purpose for existence. Others of like mind hop "Skinride.s" on the liv ing, saturating them:selves with vicarious thrills, or pursue some ns:endaleft over from lofe. The afterlife can be an advenrure if one can supersede the gloom and sidestep the pitfalls. More circumspect wraiths usetheir insights and Arcanos tolearn fromtheir mistakes.Like the Skinriders,theseRest-less possessmort:als and live again through them. Unlike their wilder cousins, these ghosts trycorecapmrethe pain and joy of life, if only for a short while.Bytraveling the living world again, fu1rilling some last mission or savoring the rastcof life, such wandering souls learn more about creation rhan any mor-tal ever could. Metapnysics:TnetnatBindtneDead Lwninous beingsare(VC - not [his crudenumer. - Yoda, TheEmpireStrikesBack Alone, even in a crowd. Dead, but able to touch and sense theliving. Real, but intangible. \Vrairhs hang suspendedbetwcl.!nlife ;md eternal death, and this half-existencedominatestheirperceptions.Inthe world, but not of it, the wraith reaches out fromthe other side orthe mirrorand tries to pierce that cold barrier. Like a ingmansrntgglingtobreakthroughthe sheet of iceunder which heis trapped,the wraithstrugglestotouch- if only fleet ingly- our world. Thisisnot easy.The laws of realityapplyitt a different manner to wraiths than they do to humans. Objects in the real world mayimpede or even harm wraiths (albeit slightly); con-versely,wraiths arelargelyunable coaffecttherealworld. Wraiths are ghosts, and this fact changes all the nrles. There arc, however, nurn.erous ways that wraiths can side, steptherules.AllRestlesscanbrieflydiscorporate,passing throughsolid objects(or leccingthempassthroughInstead) withminimaleffort. Moderatelevels of Arcanos allow vastly increased conrrol over rhe physical world. Because wraiths are formedof spirit-matter instead of flesh,most pain or damage inflicted on themisminimal.A car speeding through theliv-ing world will only slightly harm a wraith, though some forms of damage (Spirit magick, Stygian darksteel or raw Oblivion) can infli ct lasting harm. On the other hand, wraithsaffectone or her as if they were still living, and Underworld surroundings that mirror the physi cal world have asmuch substancefor the dead as they dofor rhe living. And in rhe Tempest, nearlygoes .. . SocialStatus The dead can be as hidebound and sta!llsconscious as the living.The myriadsocialandclassdistinctionsamongthe Rc!itles.s demonstrateLhis nuism.Forthe mostpart, wraiths arc distinguished by a combination of (lgc, arcane power, and freedomof movement. Counts, who are able to leaverhe Sht1dowlands nnd return at will, nrc accorded considcrabht more respect thnn Drone.,, who have practically no semiencc left at II. While Enfants and Drones have the most mfear from the snultmde, all bur the mOStpowerful wrairhs muse beware the slavers' chains. Ahhonsh orocialmobility and intenoction are nor among wmiths, most wraiths ally only wirh those of similar statuS andtrustonlythosewho haveprovedthemselves.Gaunl>arc particulnrly notorious for their cliquishness. In gcncrdl, rhe whole Sl"'ovralls wear legmunacle$ and cannot trove I freely.Sonc vnrinms uf the OJde of Charon declare that no Titmil shall be tormemedor abused.Suchprohibitions arewidely ignored, and abusers are rarely chnllcnged or punished. Thralls' Shad ows oftenrake great delightin the suffering their hosrs' P"Y cha endure. Wraiths who stillholdmoot of theirFetters areconsid ered quite \'OUI\1:- Lemures nrc rhe m0$t common wraiths found inthe Shadowlands.They aremanipulatedandabused on regular hasis by the "old hands." Most Writh player charnc rers full into this catc)(ory. Domem Domcm arcolder wrniths whonolonger IJOSSI!ll:iFerrers nd cannot rerum to the Shadow lands once they leave them. Because of their limit arc cmfrcd fromplnsm,hence their value and mystic:olpropcnies. Bec:lusc of the skill r"'tuir.-d 10 makesuchgoodsandthehighcostof the ,.,..t, ""''' nul forgeditems arescarce and cxpcnsi,e. Some Stygi;m u-cmsSO\Inds(romtime tOtime. smelring process is irreversible, so no one rcull\' know$ wlw1her or not the trans(OI'Illcd wnaiths ;uc srill M:my peeL chnt they arc.No onereally tofi ndt)Ut. Artifacts Anifacrs arc ohjects thnr hold arcanepowo1>. 11tcrc arc tWOtypes of artifactS:those fromthe li\ing, m:odcfnnn reliC$; and rhose of rhc ded, made from souls. Both t)"f'Ci are unique items, and each hasirsO\vnpowers and limitation.). Ani(acu :.re oumgeously C'XJX'nsivc, but nrc sornctin1c:, bcl'tlmwd !'.l{,'llS of (avor or I'C\varJs for service. ol livingneedtuca around a Citadel. Often based out of a rhe activities of the Legions in th31 area. Overlord Overlords arc bass easily heal most ordinary wounds, marks inflicted mcral areinfinicely more painful and arc extremely difficult to heal. Ofcourse, b:l.use wraiths arc crea turcsof spirit, the 1nost lasting pain involves mental anguish .. . Imrrisonment- Ofrcn rhc Hierarchy incmcemtes criminols in Shadow lands refl ections of prisons usedby mor mls, withreinforcedwalls and bars made of Stygianmetal. Branding - Bnmding is H\VHYto nlilrkcriminals, thereby both ostracizing the criminal tlnd deterring others from committingchcsamecrimes.Serious criminals atebtandcd upon rheir foreheads. Discorporotion - Ccrroin criminals arc taken to Stygia and hurledintotheArtificers'forges, wheretheyare Stnclccdinto goods. T' was hard thewoeful tc>KlAh bey" Many wraith:;have founded rhcirown groups based nround common thefor Transcendence.Calle-d "Heretics" by the 1-lierarcll)' these wmiths follow fai ths dedi cared to some higher odc:ol, fnrce ck'ning gloosr, alonR 1hc noo11IW>r slotW hwites m)' su.!IJ,and fx>inuw yonder gladll -Alexander Pope,The Pcrryn'lcn a1c the truvclcrlt u( tht spirituul seas, the pathfinders rhmughrhe Tcm(liwphro u brolu:n dream To exorcisethis silent sCTeam A screamthat'sborne fromsorrow. - Marillion, "Script for a jester's Tear" Althoughthepoint of mostroleplaying g-mc-.istobe heroic andtriumphagainst overwhelming odds, occasionally may wishto tell avery dramatic and, froma storytelling standpoint, satisfyingly tragic story. Tragedyis often handled poorly,butthis isbecause many people think that it is simply a story Hboutsad circumstances. This is not true. A tragic story is 3bom t'lcharlbe :m overr threat of ph\'Sic"l violence.h's muchmurcsubclc thon horroa, nnd canbefarmore et'feccive. TI1c anticipation Or ureacl of some is ofren !\\Ore com pel! ins:than the di>:IStwould order them nbout,undthepeasantrywouldmakeclaims uponthem(or protection or retribution.Allthis would addto the ordinary hamrds of the Underworld. Story earhIVal. ..and hope that whatever they needed is still around. On the Home Front Sometimes the story comes home to the charncters.Per-hapstheir Haunt ill indancer,or their loved ones areunder atrack.The Circleisforcedonthe defensive,tryingto stay one step ahead of their enemies- and the enemiesthey see mnynot be the realthreat. While rhe characters are trying to prcvem rhe Hierarchy from taking over the neighborhood, the Hereticsmaybeconvincin)ltheir alii(-,;that holywarIsrhe key ro salvation. Meanwhi le, crazed Spectres threatento de srrny che lives of the living. Con the characters figure out whn Is behindthis madness! Only time will tell. The Maelstrom Inrhemidstof an ordinary evening,bellsrinx outfn.lln the towers of the Necropolis in which the characters live. The alarmis a waming that come$ perhaps once in a decade - a Maclsrromis coming.Old souls head for their Hnums immc-diMcly.knowingthntchc stormLrnvds fasterthanawr;llth cnn run.The panic is incrcdihlc, no one sl!em.sco kllow when nr where rhe thing will starfoce.If the chnrocters have a strongHaunt,willtheyreachitintime!If rhcyhavenQ safehold, where will they 1,>0? And wherever they cod up,will their shdrcr l:ur the night! Afttline; hook your players at the lx:ginning of each game session and dnlw them along as you go. Conflict llliurrature is concerned ouirhnuo rhings:and violence. -Dr. KennnOict is dynamic; through struggles both internal and external, rour tales and char.tclcnprogress.Byprovidingyour character'!wirh anobsncleto overcome, whether it'sa char .. / .. ..' .. ' acrer, a situation or :.'n institution, you give themmotivation and purpose. lnrerm.Jthe plotline you desireor replotthe chroniclebaseduponthenewdevelop-ments. Remember that you are anovel. and no author knows for certain whar every detail of his finished uovcl will be before he beginswriting ic.Also, writers don't have ro compens:lte for player decisions. The other imporranr thing ro do before you bcghl dcsigu ing the next story in the chronicle is making nmes of an)t new settings or chamctcrs that were introduced into the chronicle. Largechroniclescan spawncasts of hundredsof majorand minor Storyteller chan&ctcrsand :;core.'i of imporr-.mr serrings. Tokeepyour sanity,it'sbesttofinda waytokeeptrackof everything as it develops in the chronicle. Norccards (one 3" x5" for each setting or character)workwellbecausemore informationcan be;rdde can make rolls separately and combine their successes. TI1cy may never com bine their separate Traits for one roll. Teamwork is effective in some circumstances, such aswhen engaging in co1nbat, shod owing prey, collecting Information and repairing devices. 0\lr ingothers, it can actuallybea hindt'nce,suchasinmany social actions (whereit can confuse the subject). The charrbelow may serve tOdispelyour confusionre garding some of the different type'S of rnll C of C1.ssandro's Stealth Abihouldnow have rhree dice in )"OUr hand- nor a lot, bur atleast you h:tVe a chance. Go ahead androllthe dice.look to sec how numy successes \'Ouhave, making sure co utkc nway a success for every "I" youroll. Did you make it, did you fail, or did you botch?The more successes you get, the better you hide. Only one successmightmc11nrhar youbarely madeit under coverintime.Twomight me:ln thatyoumanageco crouch under a little overhang. Three migh< mc:tn y In wh1eh &le liVed?Here are some ide:u: DestinyYounever fulfilled your dtsriny. Unrequite-dLove- He never looked rwice atyou well, hy God, he willnow! True LoveYouleft someone behind whom youmnn; than 1 Vengeance- Yourlastthoughtswere,ul'm to gcr yn11bock, youbastord!" Mission - You h:od a dury ro prrfonn, and faile-d to do it. Theory - Younever proved ynur theory or published \'Ourideas- and maybe someonewill Slealthcm! Success- You had everything -and now u's all gone. Children - You didn't k-avc :mrone behind to remem her you. Legacy- You didn't lenvc- anythil)g o(lmiting value co t hewmld. Failure-lmlecision, dostrust,lowself-esteem:callir what l"" Mil, bmrou failed. Pleasure - Life was a banqucr, and you oatmeal. Travel - You never rook t h::lt nip ro Brazil 0 1' lhcScot.. tishHiJ(hl:mck Sin- The chair\S of guilt >tillweighheavily on rour soul. BadBlood - Younever made peace with ynur son be (ore you died - nndnow it's l OOhu c. Or is itl NatureandDemeanor Now youneedro choose pcr>sed with freebie poinl:.. foints Youcan spcrnlfreebiepoinlllromise:>nyTmiton)'OUr character shting your Shadow. All starting wraiths have 15 frccboe poonr:s. You can spend them acconlint: ro rhc followingSparKof life Thereuresome other derails of acharacteryoushould consider. The following details will help to m:okeyourrera complete nnd unique person.You do nO< nccesoarily need to write thC>C things down, but you should certainly think about rhem, not only now. bur throughouLihc career of yourrer.If yott ore runninu )eour char:-tctcr through a prelude,wnit untilyuuarc dunebefore attempthlgto completethisuspcct of ynurWmithstendtoassumeaCufJ>u>1har in some \V:>Yre-flectstheir sclfimagc.For example.,a wmlthmayappear as she did ut the IIIC>mcnt of her death, or Inthe prime of her life, or at the thnc she $u(fcrcdmoscSomewrairhs u.sctheir knowledge of Arc:111us to shape their boclics Into monstrou> or bcmifi c fom1> (thus playing the "devil" or "angel")- buttlus ofrenservestoempowerthe Shndow.Yuushouldtum the rele,,.nr Tmitsof I'Ourchamcrcr -such as rhe Social Attributes I and concepr - inro asp..-c" ofappearance.Highcan become a clear, piercing ga:e. A Dilettante co!lcept could uarulate imo stylish o.nd experuive clothes.Inrhis way,\'OU an makeyour chantctcr's Tmitsmoretangible and ing. It's better roleplaying to "'Y "There alw-ays seems to be a sneer of disdflin on my fnce," than tos;>y, "You can relll'm very condescending." Youm;:ty wishLogiveyourcharacter specir.hiesinher Traits. E.1chTroit wlrh a raring of 4 or higher canbe given o specialty. Though most players select spedalries fonheir Tmillo duringpby,ynucanpickthemimmediately. Specialties orr pnrticular aspects ofTmiu ar which your character is especially good.Simply loll in the space next to the Trair wirh an appro-pri:tte spec:1alryi al'e made with ea. Bygivillll your character quirks,inreresrong pcrson:ol de milsandanecdmc-s,you call add a great deal of deprh andIn reresr rohim. Wrire :1 few sentences on Lhcback of your actersheetdescribing the mange and possibly inreresting thinJ:S rim define your chtlr>lctcr.A quirk could twisted scnsheuses that decision to limitherconceptchoices. Sherejecr.;srereorypic:olfemale ch:uacrcr": a prostitute, u housewife, an executive. She w:mrll rhLI'l ,,.ll,h!!ht,t,lih"'''I\ ,..... ,\t,l \1\l l'lli!oll >l l,tol\tl'''l ._,j, , /,,\\,hHI her: her poems arewritten on City walls all over 1hc place, ;md every timt somcorle looks atone, she gets mclrc Memoriom. Thus. she givesa Memoriamrot .. inn of 2. Meg decides that C:tssandm kept her fnvorirepair uf rollcrbladcscvcn heyond the grave. so she lists Relic.I on her sheet. Meg also decides rhat, of therhree factionsinWrith, she like-sthe best, so she Mives Cassandm one dot in the Renegade Background. TI1isdocsn't mean Renegade herself:she justknows afew.Finally, for one poim, shepur chases the HauntBackground. Cassandra's Hauntis Cafe In fcrno, a trendy coffeeshop in Adanra. Now,Meg tums ro Passions. She has10poina to >pend: this iswhere &he can really say lot about her ch:m>he said or wrote. This forms her next Passion: "Get back at the gang," whichis nssociated with Revenge. She rates ir m 2. spendin.i(two more Passion poinrs.She decides tOinvesttwo puinrs in a Passion to keep writing and creuir'8; the emotionis Pride in her work.Megalsodecidurhorsomesleazypublisher took pictures of her groffitipoems nnd compiledthem imo a book thnt hit the bestseller list. She decides to write down a Passion of "Ruinthepublisher who colemy work,"withafocusof Hare and a raring of 2. Finally, with one point left, Meg ;>. nlc essence o( the clmnlCtCr is create-d through mlcpla)'lnC nnd imagin:uion.TraH5 inWraith areintention--allyleft sketchy - at l=t the number-crunching pan - so youwillnotconcentrateonthecharactersheettoomuch. Whati; onlycndelyesrablishcddunng chracter creation bcco1nes Oeshed out in play.Don't look at your Traits think ingyouhtwe a complete chamcu.:r.Your rolcphwing will ere ate yCrson'slooks, no matter how opcnminded you ore. Appearance is often usedbythe Storyteller to judgehow others react to you upon a first meeting.11>us, it can affect all other Socialrolls youmake involving that pe1110n(in some cases, your r.uinc detennines the maximum number of successes from a Social actionthat can actually be applied,making it impossible for an ugly person to achieve anything beyond minim.1l wccess). Specralties: Bold Demeanor, Alluring, CaptiY1lting, Sexy, Luminous, Honest f"aCe, Imposing, Dignified, Pleasing, Hand some, Beautiful, Gorgeous Poor: Youtend to attract the hostility of others. Average: Youare easily ignor, Gang Members Specialties: SworcLI, Axe, Rnpicrs, Kn ives, Clubs, Disarm, B:tllcsrra, Florcnrinc You are able rn pcrfonn anision, applying the extra dice only when absolutely neces lary. Youmay choose to roll only one Eidolon die if youwish. Eidolon dice do not accumulate over several sessions, but you do regain your fulltotal every game session. You hear vague whispc.rs fromfar away. You know that there is romething guiding you. You feel that your Eidolon has a sentient identity. You hove sensed the prcscnce of your Eidolo1\. You huve seen your Eidolon in a dream. Haunt Allwraithscreatehidingplacesforthemselves,called Haunts. AHauntIsa Sure havenunkt\owntothe Hicrnr chy, Heretics or Rel\egndes.lt can be a forcotten drainage ditch, anabandonedcar, n set nf catacombs beneath a cemetery, or thebasement of an oldhouse. Wraiths viciously guardtheir Hounts. Many times, entire groups of wraiths share a Haunt, guarding it against all intruden. 11\e Haunt's raring Is subcracted from d\e Shroud;it is o.1tnhlished by pooling the number ofdots d,at each of the founders of the Haunt possesses (maximum 5). Members of a Circle usually share one Hauntin common, but also know of eachpri. vareHaet power). TheSeedof power Wraiths must hamcss their Pathos i11order to affect both the living world and the Shadowlandsaround them. System:Pathos is gained froma number of sources. See Parhos,pg.136-137. Thechainsof life Because Fetter> arc essentially metaphysical chairu bind ing a wraith to her past life,it is easier to affect the living and theliving world within the boundary of a Fetter's influence. System: If applicable, the taring of a Fetter can reduce the difficulty for an Arcanos. The Ferter must be used as part of the crafting of the art. Roll the rating of rl1e Fetter versus a difficulty of 6; for each success, the difficulry of an Arcanos is reducc'ub ject loses. The subject suffers one Corpus Level of damage for each point thus removed. The CastigatOt willreceil'e a tern porory point of AngSt for each "I" he rolls. .... Casting Out By exetling her will, the wraith may can out andforbid the presence of any Spectres in her immediate nrca. Jf she is in u stntcture, It immediutcly becomes protectedfromSpectres. This an drives om all Specrres currently mamfested in the area, as well as Specrres in hiding. For some reason, this ar1has no effect onDoppelgangers. System: The player rolls Charisma+ Cl!Stigate (difficultySystem: When a charncrer's Shadow attempts to take over 7). The number ofsuccesses indicates the number of turns theher character,theplayer may anempt to defy the Shadow by wardlam.If aSpecrreis already present, arollmust firstberollingCharisma+Castigate.Thedifficultyequalst he made against its Angst rating in order to banishit. The Spec- l'ch'""':te1r'scurrent Angst. Each success reduces the character's tre mayresist with an Angst roll.by one, and the Shadow maynot make a resiscedroll. If '"" Defiance The wmithwhopossessesthisArcanc)Sis able,,11:1,,, , 1 a ~ a i n s ther own Shadow, defyingitspower overner.u,non ever the Shadow anemp!. Since Charon vanished, however,theHierarchyhas stopped itspersecution of the Oracles.Many yeors ago,itis said,the Omclcs served theLady of Fate directly. One cantell an Orocle by her gaudy dress and tendency to inscribe symbols of Fate on her forehead and arms. Basic Anilities Kismet:This artallowsa wraithtoperceiverhetole of (me with regardta spc.: cif'ic situation or person.People wid\ b'l'Cat destinies or those for whon'lfate has a specialrole seem IO ''shine" slightly brighter than people who arc playing a lesser role: they arc to pick out in n crowd. System:Byrolling l'erccption +Fatalism (difficulty 6), a c:Jn sense whcrher something ismore or less imporcrsep. rntely,unless the item has been arnmed m the Wn'tith. It costs JPathos forthe character toInhabit apieceof machinery, plusI Pathos per effect eoked. 1111 claim TI1is art allows the wraid1 to Inhabit an object and nwk it a< hco own for one scene. While rhe wrnirh Cbims an object, her i!Cnsc. nrc"' nnrmalas they are in the real worldbut they are spre\ld O\lt over the entire object dut the wmithl11us, ... wmith Clniming a house aon "-"'hear and feel everything that within it, to ir, and around it. While Claiming an object, the wr:tith may conrrol the object to a slight degree. System:The playermustroll Strength+lnhnbot{diffi culty of rhc local Shroud). The number of Mrccesses indicatis an, the wmirh may make some pe.rson, plac:corthing inroa temporary Fetter. Thisobjoct must be touched on some fashion (through Embody, Outrngcor lnhabir), at whiis affinity can be mainraincconrl, just long enough for the wraith to grub It and shape it coher heart's desire. Storyteller Notes: This art can beust.-d roinflict damngc onawrairh's Corpus. - One of themost imporumr guilds In Stygia. the Ma.squers were spies, arti.s..,ns and secret ass.'\S sins.Becnusc nmny wraiths cnjO}'t'3king on power.. ful-loukingforms,theMnsqucrs'Guildusedtore scmhlc :-.house o( f:uhion, offering wraiths a wide v:tri .. ecy of body sl>;pcs and \'iS.'l.ges.Furthermore, because o( 1heir ulliliryto chtlngetheir shapelMnsqucrswerenfrcn cmplnyl'lis witlt their plays and encenain1nents. TI1e f.'lCt that their guild w"s disl"nded me:mt nothing to them: they do what they do not bc'Ca11se ofsome guild, b11t because it is what rhcy love. One c:midc-nti(y ::lSandman by his rcndcnq ro dress conJ;truously, with cloches wovenfromwisps of previouslyhabirt-d dreams. Basic Abilities Sleepsense: The wraith may observe the dreams oi a mnr ral.She nmy usc this abili[y co determine where n mormlisin his sleep cycle: REM sleep (dreaming), deep sleep (not dream ing) or transition. This Mt may also be useclto experience the subject's drcMn. System: The player musr roll Perception + Phantasm (dif Ciculty 6). Each success allows the wraithto view the mortal's clrcmnfor oneturn. Elysia By gently raking the soul of a sleeping person into her hands, a Wf'ttithpullit ouc. This causesno lasting dnmage 0 the soul. Once freed, l hc wraith may carry the dreaming soul along withher. System:The player must rollDexterity+ Thedifficultydependsonrhe subject's current sleep cycle(sec Sfcef>SJ!ttSe, :rhove): REMsleep ( 6), Lransitional sleep {7) or deepsleep(8). Eachsuccessitllowsthe, morralto sta)'one sceneinthe dreantscape. If the subjectis watchingtelevision or un .. clera similar h)pnoticstate,hemaybeaffected by Elysia; the diffi culty is10, however, and at least three successes are required. This m1mber is deducted fromrhe number o( successes for duration. Thisart costsI"lucidity This artallows a wraithto change aspccls of a mortal's dream, For example, a dreamer dreams of being in a thunder storm, adrifr on a boatinthenliddlc of theocean.Awraith could use this art to change the rhunclersronn to a tion + Phantasm. For each success,the changeis morevivid andpermanent.lf therollbotches,the dreameris dmwninto the wraith's Shadow :mdexperiences irs tender cicsan cxtrctnely incense, sanir:y .. threa.tcning nighm1arc. This (Ut costs 2 Pmhos. ... Dreamsof Sleep llois an allowsrhe wraithto cause orher wmidu to fall ..Jeep nnd dream in the manner of the living. System: The player nee-dmake a roll only of rhe wraith is unwilling. In rhbnor. He is rhe master manipulator. Your secrets are the keyswithwhichhegraduallyunlocksironiesandinner doubts. The Director's ultimate goal is to shatter your will with terror in one fellswoop.He enjoyswatching asyou stumble into t rap after t rap thache'slaidforyou,andloves your sur.. prise andincredulous disbelief whenhe showsyouwhat you have become. This meticulous, terrify-ing Shadow subtly evokes dark el ements here andthere, seeds of the soul chat eventually blos-som into something truly horrific. like a demenced game-show host, he pulls back one curtain after anorher, revealing weak nesses rhat you never even knew you had. Wheninpower, this Shadowquietlyprepareshisnext series of traps.Healso enjoysmindgames, forcing mhcrsto confront their own weaknesses.

The Freak knows all your secrets and gees a perverse kick our of them. It enjoysmaking you do what youmostloathe. Whenitwhisperstoyou,it makesyoufeellikeyouarcall alone, like you are the only one who would ever do the things you've done.At the same time, however, the Freak gives you permission to do horrific, terrible things. The Freak take.' plea-sure in your shame. WhentheFreakisin !POwer,it oftentriestoshameits host.It willforcethehosttoindulgeinmanyterrible act,, Moreover, the Freak rakes almost asmuch pleasurein dredg-ing up others' perversity and exposing it to rhe world. Theleech 11>is Shadow is rhe holeinside you, a pit of rawneed dug byneglectandhate.This Shadowneedslove,sexual fulfill ment, goods, food, attention- everything. The Lec'ersdownwithhim, but his main goaliscoforceyoucoembraceOblivion,to complete the process of death.l-Iealways seeks to die again and again. The Martyr often usesyour faith and altnrism aslevers, offer ing glorious,fulfilling sacrificefor the greater good.Butche preaching it offersisfalse, leading only to annihilation. When this Shadow is inpower,it willimmediately place rhehostinthemostdangerous situationitcan. Itwillalso proselytize to other wraith nbnut the futility ofcontinued ex istcnce und rhc need to sncrlfice oneself for higher coal.

l11cMonsrerisn foul3ndunknowablething.YouC3n't begintounderstandwhntitwants,or why.It Ismindlessly deStructive, lashing out"'everything nroundit. Whenrhis Sh3dowisInpower,it will mindlessly arrack anything inits p3th. lt seeks to dt-stroy and will notde-strOying until it dcst!O)'Sn1elf onrhe process. lt is also verbally abu:.ivc, Sl>uuring obscenhits at anyone within earshot. rarent Ovcrprorecrive,loving and caring, this Shnclowwanrsto keep younice and nC3t and clean. She wants youto love only her. She wantsyouto li>1enroher,andif )'OUdon't listen, she'llmukc you feelcuilty for not listening. She's only think ing ofyourbestintereS[S,anyway.Sheknowsyourdirty thoughtsnndvilesecrets,hm .yche's player while doingrhis canalsomake)'OUt imcntions more evident.If nothing else, you muStmake It cleM that it isnot your characrer speaking,bur r he Shadow. psychic Torment: Warthe Accepr rhe rrwh. 11tere isno ligh1urirhour shadow ... - Shiwan Khan, The Shadow TheShadowwithin eachwraithuhimotely one rhlng:to be united with Obhvion. The character'sPsyche is whatimprisonsit.The Corpusactsasthehtstvestiges o( a rnorml cocoon. Acmnsformntion awaiu ... Many Sh:>dows haveunknowable urgtS or cannotfixmc on one spccifocMos1,howevor, have a definite b""'land \VOtk totvard it. Tilt primary goal is usually I heSllbju g:uion o(thePsyche. Tothe Shadow'sway of thinkinl(, the Psyche should allow the Shadow freerein. DarKpassions The cannotunderstand "finer"emotions. Even emotions like love or hope arc at best facaJcs. Still, it has b>Uid ing burnins needs that it must fuiAII. FuiOIIIngDork Passions can strengthen the Shadow. Each DarkPassionhas a purpose. The purpose of the Shadow arc often the opposite of what the Psyche is trying to achieve. For 11\!WlCe,If thePsycheseekstoprotecta lover,the Shadow may seekto destroyhim.Wheneverthe Shadowfulfillsthe I"!JlO'C of a Dark ir can rollits PaMion score (diffi rulty 7). The number of succC$$C$ontherollindicatesthe amount of AngSL the Shadow receives. The Storyteller has the q>tion of chnngins the purposes of Dark from session rosesslon, although the emotions behilld them should remain the same. TI>c Shadow canf\tlfollthe essence of hisDark P3S$iOn(as mdicc P>ychc's Arc:anos. It may use Thoms,suchas Ooppelcanger,ShadowRelic andInfamy.It may not cause t hePsyche to regainPnthos, nor can it refuel the Pathos of the Psyche once it is spem. 11>c Shadow cannot expendWillpower,nor canitreducethe character'sParhos belowI. The Shndow uses Catharsis as a threat:it isthe uh:imatc at of as a specrnomwith "Bruised" 3t one eoo and "lncapacirared" at the ather. Each Health Level suffered be )-ond "Bruised" causes a human to suffer penalties 10 acuons: Mortallevels BruisedNo effect Hurt I Injured.J Wounded.z Mauled2 Crippled-5 lncapacicated Mark off one Health Level for each wound that a char.x tertakes.Wr-Aithssufferforwounds whenthey are 1113terlalited. The first fourwoundleelshoveno effect;the lastsixfunctionjustlikethe sixlccls formortals(ranging fromHurt 10 lncapacir:tted). Death A n1urtnl orwho reaches lnc;;:tp3cittlted is one Health Level owJy from denth. If she isinjured one moretime, or if it is impo&sibleto stem the flow of blood fromher body, she will die. 0( course, mnrmls heal differendy than wraiths do. With pmpermedicalattention.mortalsrecoverbasedon the fol lowing chon. Note that the time given ishow long ir takes ro rewvcr thrup:micular HeolrhLevel- other Health Levels must be hen led as well. Thus, if the mona! rakes three months 10 recover frombeing Mauled,he ""'"still rake rhcrimeto heal \Vuundcd. Injured and so on. Hc:ohhLevelTime BnoisedOneDay HunThree Days InJuredOne Week WoundedOne Momh Maule-d Crippled Three Months Three Months t tNot only do mortals have to he.1lthls Health Level. but the) lose one point from one Physical Allribute as well. Mor tals whoreachIncapacitatedhealat theSooryrellcr's discre tiOni smnc cnrcr comas for lhe rest of their lives. If a mortal die> while possessed with Puppetry,the wraith possessinA her may receive Corpus thunngc. Nmc rhar wrairhs con healmorr.ls using the Usury Arcnnos (pg.170).,.,._.,...,., fo< wraulu, final death means f.1lling into Oblivion. There are several ways a wrnith can reach his ftnal death. A wraid' who loses all his Corpus Levels 10 aggravared wounds will arrainOblivion. A wraithwhoreaches n score of zero inWillpower or Corpus (fromnonaggravatedwounds)willundergoa final Harrowing. (Sec Harr,wing, pg.184). The Harrowing docs not involve a Fetter or Passion roll. At the end of the Harrowing, the playermust rollpermanent Willpower venus an oppo>eys rcnu .. suggestions of what sorn of things can happtn during the scene. Physical dra mntic systems arethe most numerous1 be Cllusc rhcse actions are impossible ro resolve rhrough roleplaying alone. Social and Men to I systems can be simulated by the players. pnysical Thee systems describephysical :octionsandtions-dromatic situarions in which Physical Attributes pre domin:nc. Climbing When a character auempts to climb any sort or surface (a tree, cliff orbuilding),ask theplayerto rollthe character's O.xterity+ Athletics.The difficulcydept bertloodccn damaged andtwisted bythe chaos ufObliviun muilthey resemble monsters. All of Lhcm rmliarc a cold, block phospho rescence:the mys uf Oblrvion. Creation Artributcs 6/4/2,11/7/3,&ckgrounds 3. Will power 0,8, Corpus7 Suggested Attributes: Strcngrh 3, Oexrertty }, Sramina J, Charisma 0, Manipulation 3, Appearance 0, Perception 4, In tclligcnce 2, WirsI (A Shade's Perception is..harp because oritspreda-tory nature.) Suggested Abilitits: Regard It$$ or who or what they wert in life, Shades have succumbed to rheir btstial nnrure and usu-ally have at k..,, Bn"vl 2,Dodge 2. Alertness:>, nml Stealth J. Powers: Shades havevarious special powers(see btlow). Most Shades have only one power, although some of the larger Shadeshaveuptothree.Thispowerismostoften "Pathos Dmin"- Shades are incredibly hung!)' creanores and require the warmth ofemotions to withsmnd rhe chill of the Tempest. All Shades cnnflyunhinderedthroughthe Tempest and havetheabiliryrolocate entrancestotheL1byrinth.They also h.1vethe abilitytO sense a wraoth by its amount of inner Pathos: those wit!> !.'!"Cat amounts of Pathos (7+) bhnc like fire inthe Tempest's darkness. Relics:Shadesusually don'thaverelics, but somecarry knives or clubs or some sort. rowers Shark's Teeth-The Shade can do aggravnrcd damage with a bite: Strength +2. Ectoplasmic Tentacles- The Shade can attaek twice a cum, but usualll' doesn't wield weapons. Pathos Om in -The Shade can drain one point of Pa-thos per success on art anack roll.Pathos points arc converted directly to Angst poinrs for the Shade on a one-for-one basis. Spectral Scrt.'m-The Shade can scream onto 1he Tem-pest, thereby summoning one to flve more Shades. Use of this power cosrs five Angst points. Shl!des are generallyloathe to do this, however, bccm1se [hey might attract the aucmion ofa ravenous Malrean. Bind - The Shademustfirstsuccessfully grapple his GJ'l:et. (See Combat Manerwm, pg. 223) The round afler grnp- thetarget,the Shade coversthetarget completely and musr be destroyed to freetile targer. The encapsulated wraith b usually calfiedorr inrorhe Tempest to an unccrrain doom. Use of this power eo5ts three Angst points. Some Shades use thos power to conceal other Shades wrrhin them, bursting open at the appropriate moment. Numbing the Heart - The Shade can nuck a wraith's Passions directly. infecting 1he wrnirh's Passions with the cold of Oblivion.First,n successfulauack mustoccur.Then the Shaderollsits In an opposedrollagainst thewraith's Willpower.If the Shade succeeds, one of rhe corgct's Passions isreduced byone.Usc of this power costs threepoirm. Rendthelifcweb - The Shade can attacka wraiths Fcntmake a succtS.Sfulattack. Thenthe ShaderollsitsAngstonanopposedroll againsl the wrnilh's Willpower.lftheShadcsucceeds, oneoftloc wraith's Fet tcrs is reduced by one.Use of this power costs five Ani!$! points. Hound the Harrowed - The Sh;>de cnnnttach itself ooWl':lith'sPsyche35it fnllsthroughthe Tcmpe.tinto the labyrinth. While in the Labyrinth, the Shade can arrempr ro capture Willpower or Parhos spent and convert it to Angst lor iu own The roll to do so isDexterity +Alertness (dif flculty 9). Chameleon Pararpus might dettet the pres-"""rlthe Shade-pnrnsite: roll Perception + Occult (difficulty l). Use of the Castigate Arcanos will abo dm-cta Shadep:tra site. Su Ion&asitremain.< quiescent,the Sh3de canfollowthe nith it goes, even into the Shadowlnnds. 'llle Shade may then demch itself, inOicting one CorpusLevel of damage on iiShostin the prncc., and arr:1cl:anyone neMbyfor one to five huns before vanishing into the Tempest. Tile Shade can also act as "tars" (or a Malfean. This power CO':.b fivepoinrs m use1 pillS one Ang:nper d:.y spent our of rhe Tempest. Doppelgangers MoredangerousrowrairhsinrheShadowlands are Doppelg:mgers: wroirhs whose Shadows have consumed them. Doppelgangers stillmaintain the appearance of nonnal-lonk ingwraiths.UnlikemoSer willoften try to evoke a wraith's Shadow during these conversations. ADoppelganger's usefulness C\ICnwally runs out asitswill crodu under the forceof Oblivionnndits appear-ance degenerates. A Doppelganger >a dcvolvtdcnrsacras "tMchers" nnd even hold clac> in rhe classrooms. TI1e tench ersareabletoadvicerorhenewlydeceased- from a slighrly biased viewpoint, of course. One of the wraiths has auunh, so srrangc symbols appear onthe chalkboard>in the middle of the night. Tite build me Is also uSes,bur youcan't argue"'iththe facts- something's goong on.Oetting this far has been a real mimcle.Even as I write these lan words,I keep looking be hind my back, half expecting something ro spring. It's been such along hard It's hard to believe it's ncnrlyover.Everythingthntcould gowrong didgowrong. 1vcnever seenanythinglikeil.Contr"dctsgorscrewedup, schedules got mangled, write,. and artim disagreed and every uncinvolvedarguedandfought endle$Sly. There wasno end of em.rgencies.Nothing ever seemedtoworkour.Every thin.st good about this project came about only with agonizing effon.All in all, it socked. The curse began years ago, back in the early days of White Wolf beforetheideaof Vampirewasevenaglimmerinmy mind.At the timeI was working on a brand new concept, fl gameI called Inferno, something I was very excited by. 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