Kickstarter Manuscript Preview #4

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Deviant: The Renegades Manuscript Preview #4
Chapter Four: Storytelling System
There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you
so sick at heart, that you can't take part! You can't even passively take part! And
you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels ... upon the
levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop!
— Mario Savio
This chapter contains the basic rules for playing Deviant: The Renegades. More information,
including optional systems and examples of play, can be found in the Chronicles of Darkness
Rulebook.

Traits
In addition to the supernatural traits of the Remade, Chronicles of Darkness characters have
mundane traits common to Baselines, Remade, and other monsters alike. Attributes are raw
potential, Skills are trained abilities, and Skill Specialties are specific areas of training in which a
character excels. Willpower is the extra effort a character can bring to bear in a stressful or
dangerous situation, when success is crucial or hangs by a thread.
Finally, a Baseline possesses Integrity, a personal Virtue and Vice from which he can draw
strength and refill his Willpower, much the same way a Remade derives Willpower from her
Conviction and Loyalty.
Attributes
Attributes represent essential traits that every character possesses by default. These serve as the
foundation to most rolls in Deviant: The Renegades. The nine Attributes are split into three
categories; Mental, Physical, and Social. If a game rule refers to a “Social roll,” or a “Mental
action,” that means an action that uses the appropriate Attribute category. A character with five
dots in an Attribute has reached the peak of human potential within that ability.
Mental Attributes
Mental Attributes reflect your character’s acuity, intellect, and strength of mind.
Intelligence
Intelligence is your character’s raw knowledge, memory, and capacity for solving difficult
problems. This may be book smarts, or a wealth of trivia.
Attribute Tasks: Memorizing (Intelligence + Composure, instant action)
Wits
Wits represents your character’s ability to think quickly and improvise solutions. It reflects your
character’s perception, and ability to pick up on details.
Attribute Tasks: Perception (Wits + Composure, reflexive action)
Resolve
Resolve is your character’s determination, patience, and sense of commitment. It allows your
character to concentrate in the face of distraction and danger, or continue doing something in
spite of insurmountable odds.
Attribute Tasks: Resisting coercion (Resolve + Stamina, reflexive action)
Physical Attributes
Physical Attributes reflect your character’s bodily fitness and acumen.
Strength
Strength is your character’s muscular definition and capacity to deliver force. It affects many
physical tasks, including most actions in a fight.
Attribute Tasks: Breaking a barrier (Strength + Stamina, instant action), Lifting objects (Strength
+ Stamina, instant action)
Dexterity
Dexterity is your character’s speed, agility, and coordination. It provides balance, reactions, and
aim.
Attribute Tasks: Keeping balance (Dexterity + Composure, reflexive action)
Stamina
Stamina is your character’s general health and sturdiness. It determines how much punishment
your character’s body can handle before it gives up.
Attribute Tasks: Staying awake (Stamina + Resolve, instant action)
Social Attributes
Social Attributes reflect your character’s ability to deal with others.
Presence
Presence is your character’s assertiveness, gravitas, and raw appeal. It gives your character a
strong bearing that changes moods and minds.
Attribute Tasks: Good first impressions (Presence + Composure, instant action)
Manipulation
Manipulation is your character’s ability to make others cooperate. It’s how smoothly she speaks,
and how much people can read into her intentions.
Attribute Tasks: Poker face (Manipulation + Composure)
Composure
Composure is your character’s poise and grace under fire. It’s his dignity, and ability to remain
unfazed when harrowed.
Attribute Tasks: Meditation (Resolve + Composure, extended action)
Skills
Whereas Attributes represent innate ability, Skills reflect behaviors learned and honed over a
lifetime. These are things that could be practiced or learned from a book. Similarly to Attributes,
Skills are divided into Mental, Physical, and Social categories.
Skills do not receive free dots at character creation. Skills without dots are deficient or barely
capable. Skills with a single dot reflect a cursory training. Two dots is sufficient for professional
use. Three is a high level of competency. Four is outstanding, and five is absolute mastery of the
discipline. When creating your character, prioritize categories. The primary category receives 11
dots, the secondary receives seven, the tertiary four.
Sample actions are listed for each Skill; these lists are just common actions, and should not be
taken as comprehensive guides to where Skills can apply. We also suggest dice pools, but it’s
important to look at the context of the scene, and apply the best Attribute + Skill combination for
the events at hand. Also remember that equipment and environmental modifiers can shift a dice
pool. We’ve listed some sample equipment and factors that could enhance Skill usage.
Using a Skill with no dots incurs a penalty. For Physical and Social Skills, it levies a −1 die
penalty to the roll. For a Mental Skill, it’s a −3 die penalty.
Mental Skills
Mental Skills are largely learned, as opposed to practiced. They reflect knowledge and
procedure, lore and understanding.
Academics
Academics is a broad Skill representing your character’s higher education and knowledge of the
arts and humanities. It covers language, history, law, economics, and related fields.
Sample actions: Recall trivia (Intelligence + Academics, instant action), Research (Intelligence +
Academics, extended action), Translation (Intelligence + Academics, extended action)
Sample contacts: Accountant, College Professor, Head Librarian, Lawyer, Rare Book Dealer
Suggested equipment: Internet access (+1), Library (+1 to +3), Professional consultant (+2)
Specialties: Accounting, Anthropology, Art History, History, Law, Literature, Religion,
Research, Translation
Computer
Computer is your character’s advanced ability with computing. While most characters in
Chronicles of Darkness are expected to know the basics, the Computer Skill allows your
character to program computers, to crack into systems, to diagnose major problems, and to
investigate data. This Skill reflects advanced techniques and tricks; almost everyone can operate
a computer for email and basic internet searches.
Sample actions: Hacking a system (Intelligence + Computer, extended action, contested if
against a security administrator or other hacker), Internet search (Wits + Computer, instant
action), Programming (Intelligence + Computer, extended action)
Sample contacts: AI Researcher, Hardcore Computer Gamer, White-Hat Hacker
Suggested equipment: Computer system (+0 to +3, by performance), Custom software (+2),
Passwords (+2)
Specialties: Data Retrieval, Graphics, Hacking, Internet, Programming, Security, Social Media
Crafts
Crafts reflects your character’s knack with creating and repairing things. From creating works of
art to fixing an automobile, Crafts is the Skill to use. Some Deviants must use Crafts to “heal”
inorganic parts when injured.
Sample actions: Appraisal (Wits + Crafts, instant action), Counterfeit item (Intelligence + Crafts,
instant action), Create art (Intelligence + Crafts, instant action), Repair item (Wits + Crafts,
instant action)
Sample contacts: Automotive Engineer, Makerspace Enthusiast, Police Sketch Artist
Suggested equipment: Point of reference (+1), Quality materials (+2), Tools (+1 to +3, depending
on utility and specialty), Well-equipped workplace (+2)
Specialties: Automotive, Cosmetics, Cybernetics, Fashion, Metalworking, Graffiti, Jury Rigging,
Painting, Repair, Sculpting
Investigation
Investigation is your character’s skill with solving mysteries and putting together puzzles. It
reflects the ability to draw conclusions, to find meaning out of confusion, and to use lateral
thinking to find information where others could not.
Sample actions: Examining a crime scene (Wits + Investigation, extended action), Solving
riddles (Intelligence + Investigation, instant or extended action)
Sample contacts: Conspiracy Buff, Medical Examiner, Private Investigator
Suggested equipment: Forensic kit (+1), Unrestricted access (+2), Reference library (+2)
Specialties: Autopsy, Body Language, Crime Scenes, Cryptography, Intelligence Analysis, Lab
Work, Riddles
Medicine
Medicine reflects your character’s knowledge of the human body, and of how to bring it to and
keep it in working order. Characters with Medicine can make efforts to stem life-threatening
wounds and illnesses.
Sample actions: Diagnosis (Wits + Medicine, instant action), Treating wounds (Intelligence +
Medicine, extended action)
Sample contacts: Chronic Patient, EMT, Surgeon, Sympathetic Conspiracy Bio-Tech
Suggested equipment: Medical tools (+1 to +3), Trained assistance (+1), Well-stocked facilities
(+2)
Specialties: Anesthesiology, First Aid, Pathology, Pharmaceuticals, Physical Therapy, Surgery
Occult
The Occult Skill is your character’s knowledge of things hidden in the dark, legends, and lore.
While the supernatural is unpredictable and often unique, the Occult Skill allows your character
to pick out facts from rumor.
Sample actions: Identify the sliver of truth (Wits + Occult, instant action), Relate two similar
myths (Intelligence + Occult, instant or extended action)
Sample contacts: Anthropology Professor, Neo-Pagan Author, Weird Hermit Down the Street
Suggested equipment: Well-stocked library (+2)
Specialties: Angels, Cryptids, Divergence, Divination, Ghosts, Local Legends, Witchcraft
Politics
Politics reflects a general knowledge of political structures and methodologies, but more
practically shows your character’s ability to navigate those systems and make them work the way
she intends. With Politics, she knows the right person to ask to get something done.
Sample actions: Cut red tape (Manipulation + Politics, extended action), Identify authority (Wits
+ Politics, instant action), Sully reputations (Manipulation + Politics, extended action)
Sample contacts: Fixer, Political Blogger, Union Leader
Suggested equipment: Official position (+1 to +5, by Status)
Specialties: Bureaucracy, Church, Corporate, Local, Organized Crime, Scandals
Science
Science is your character’s knowledge and understanding of the physical and natural sciences,
such as biology, chemistry, geology, meteorology, and physics.
Sample actions: Assess variables (Intelligence + Science, instant or extended action), Formulate
solution (Intelligence + Science, extended action)
Sample contacts: Bomb-Making Anarchist, Drug Supplier, Experimental Physicist, Geology
Professor
Suggested equipment: Reference library (+1 to +3), Well-stocked laboratory (+2)
Specialties: Alchemy, Genetics, Nanotechnology, Neuroscience, Physics, Virology
Physical Skills
Physical Skills are those practiced, trained, and learned through action.
Athletics
Athletics reflects a broad category of physical training and ability. It covers sports, and basic
physical tasks such as running, jumping, dodging threats, and climbing. It also determines a
character’s ability with thrown weapons and archery.
Sample actions: Acrobatics (Dexterity + Athletics, instant action), Climbing (Strength +
Athletics, extended action), Foot chase (Stamina + Athletics, contested action), Jumping
(Strength + Athletics, instant action, one foot vertically per success)
Sample contacts: Parkour Enthusiast, Personal Trainer, Physical Therapist, Professional Athlete
Suggested equipment: Athletic shoes (+1), Rope (+1)
Specialties: Acrobatics, Archery, Climbing, Jumping, Parkour, Pursuit, Swimming, Throwing
Brawl
Brawl reflects your character’s ability to tussle and fight without weapons. This includes old-
fashioned bar brawls as well as complex martial arts.
Sample actions: Breaking boards (Strength + Brawl, instant action), Hand-to-hand fighting
(covered in the Violence section, p. XX)
Sample contacts: Club Bouncer, Self-Defense Teacher, Sparring Partner
Suggested equipment: Brass knuckles (+1)
Specialties: Boxing, Dirty Fighting, Grappling, Grenades, Martial Arts, Throws
Drive
Drive is the skill to control and maneuver automobiles, motorcycles, boats, and even airplanes. A
character can drive a car without Drive dots; the Skill relates to moments of high stress, such as a
high-speed chase or trying to elude a tail. It’s assumed that most modern characters have a basic
ability to drive. As well, Drive can reflect your character’s skill with horseback riding, if
appropriate to her history.
Sample actions: Impressive maneuvering (Dexterity + Drive, instant action), Pursuit (Dexterity +
Drive, contested action), Tailing (Wits + Drive, contested action)
Sample contacts: High Speed Courier, News Chopper Pilot, Street Racer
Suggested equipment: Performance vehicle (+1 to +3)
Specialties: Ambulances, Evasion, Motorcycles, Off-Road Driving, Pursuit, Stunts
Firearms
Firearms reflects your character’s ability to identify, maintain, and otherwise use guns. This Skill
covers everything from small pistols, to shotguns, to assault rifles, and anything else related.
Sample actions: Firefights (see p. XX for more on how firearms violence works)
Sample contacts: Gun Store Owner, Local Law Enforcement, Conspiracy Bagman
Suggested equipment: See p. XX for a full list of firearms
Specialties: Firearms Lashes, Handguns, Rifles, Shotguns, Trick Shots
Larceny
Larceny covers intrusion, lockpicking, theft, pickpocketing, and other (generally considered)
criminal activities. This Skill is typically learned on the streets, outside of formal methods.
However, stage magicians and other entertainers learn these skills as part of their repertoire.
Sample actions: Bypass security systems (Dexterity + Larceny, extended action), Lockpicking
(Dexterity + Larceny, extended action), Pickpocketing (Dexterity + Larceny, contested action)
Sample contacts: Burglar, Parole Officer, Security Consultant, Shady Pawn Shop Owner
Suggested equipment: Crowbar (+1), Crowded area (+2), Lockpicks (+2), Partner in crime (+1)
Specialties: Breaking and Entering, Concealment, Lockpicking, Pickpocketing, Safecracking,
Security Systems, Sleight of Hand
Stealth
The Stealth Skill reflects your character’s ability to move unnoticed and unheard, or to blend into
a crowd. Every character approaches Stealth differently; some use distraction, some disguise,
some are just hard to keep an eye on.
Sample actions: Losing a tail (Wits + Stealth, contested action), Shadowing (Dexterity + Stealth,
contested action)
Sample contacts: Agent, Bow Hunter, Lookout from a Former Job, Navy SEAL
Suggested equipment: Binoculars (+1), Dark clothing (+1), Smokescreen (+2), Spotters (+1)
Specialties: Camouflage, Crowds, In Plain Sight, Shadowing, Stakeout, Staying Motionless
Survival
Survival represents your character’s ability to “live off the land.” This means finding shelter,
finding food, and otherwise procuring the necessities for existence. This could be in a rural or
urban environment.
Sample actions: Foraging (Wits + Survival, extended action), Hunting (for animals, Wits +
Survival, extended action)
Sample contacts: Off-the-grid Survivalist, Rough Sleeper, Scout Master
Suggested equipment: Survival guide (+1), Survival knife (+1)
Specialties: Foraging, Hunting, Navigation, Shelter, Tracking, Weather
Weaponry
Weaponry is the ability to fight with hand-to-hand weapons, from swords, to knives, to baseball
bats, to chainsaws. If the intent is to strike another and harm him, Weaponry is the Skill.
Sample actions: Attacking another (see p. XX for more on Weaponry fighting)
Sample contacts: Fencing Instructor, Gang Member, Western Martial Arts Enthusiast
Suggested equipment: See p. XX for a full list of weapons
Specialties: Chains, Clubs, Improvised Weapons, Swords, Weaponry Lashes
Social Skills
Social Skills are those governing interpersonal relationships.
Animal Ken
Animal Ken reflects your character’s ability to train and understand animals. With Animal Ken,
your character can charm beasts or even rile them to violence, under the right circumstances.
Sample actions: Animal training (Manipulation + Animal Ken, extended action), Cowing an
animal (Presence + Animal Ken, contested action)
Sample contacts: Cat Lady, Rodeo Horse Trainer, Zoo Veterinarian
Suggested equipment: Treats (+1), Whip (+1)
Specialties: Calming, Canines, Manticores, Reptiles, Training
Empathy
Empathy represents your character’s ability to read and understand others’ feelings and
motivations. This helps discern moods, or read deceptive behavior in discussion. It is not
inherently sympathetic; one can understand another’s positions without agreeing with them.
Sample actions: Finding someone’s pain (Wits + Empathy, contested action), Sense deception
(Wits + Empathy, contested action), Soothing nerves (Manipulation + Empathy, instant action)
Sample contacts: Shoulder to Cry On, Police Profiler, Psych Student
Suggested equipment: Muted clothing (+1), Relaxing environment (+2)
Specialties: Calming, Emotion, Lies, Motives, Personalities, Trauma
Expression
The Expression Skill reflects your character’s ability to communicate. This Skill covers written
and spoken forms of communication, journalism, acting, music, and dance.
Sample actions: Composing (Intelligence + Expression, extended action), Performance (Presence
+ Expression, instant action)
Sample contacts: Investigative Journalist, Political Speech Writer, Reclusive Poet
Suggested equipment: Quality instrument (+1 to +3)
Specialties: Dance, Drama, Electrokinesis, Journalism, Musical Instrument, Singing, Speeches
Intimidation
Intimidation reflects your character’s ability to influence others’ behavior through threats and
fear. It could mean direct physical threats, interrogation, or veiled implications of things to come.
Sample actions: Interrogation (Wits + Intimidation, contested action), Stare down (Presence +
Intimidation, contested action)
Sample contacts: Barroom Tough Guy, High-Powered Executive, Police Interrogator
Suggested equipment: Fearsome tools (+2), Gang colors (+2), Isolated room (+1)
Specialties: Interrogation, Stare Down, Supernatural Displays, Torture, Veiled Threats
Persuasion
Persuasion is your character’s ability to change minds and influence behaviors through logic,
fast-talking, or appealing to desire. It relies on the force of your character’s personality to sway
the listener.
Sample actions: Fast-talk (Manipulation + Persuasion, extended action), Firebranding (Presence
+ Persuasion, instant action), Seduction (Manipulation + Persuasion, extended action)
Sample contacts: Car Salesman, Con Artist, Speech Coach
Suggested equipment: Designer clothing (+1 to +3), Reputation (+2)
Specialties: Confidence Scam, Fast-Talking, Inspiring, Seduction, Sermon, Sob Story
Socialize
Socialize reflects your character’s ability to present herself well and interact with groups of
people. It reflects proper (and setting-appropriate) etiquette, customs, sensitivity, and warmth. A
character with a high Socialize is the life of the party.
Sample actions: Carousing (Manipulation + Socialize, instant action), Fitting in (Wits +
Socialize, instant action), Getting attention (Presence + Socialize, instant action)
Sample contacts: Drinking Buddy, Event Planner, Society Matron
Suggested equipment: Drugs (+1), Knowing people (+1), Money (+1 to +5)
Specialties: Clubbing, Country Clubs, Frat Parties, Fundraisers, Seedy Gatherings, Tent Cities
Streetwise
The Streetwise Skill is your character’s knowledge of life on the streets. It tells her how to
navigate the city, how to get information from unlikely sources, and where she’ll be (relatively)
safe. If she wants to get something on the black market, Streetwise is how.
Sample actions: Finding a shortcut (Wits + Streetwise, instant action), Working the black market
(Manipulation + Streetwise, instant action)
Sample contacts: Bartender in a Rough Part of Town, Drug Dealer, Undercover Cop
Suggested equipment: Burner phone (+1), Known nickname (+2), Valuable contraband (+1 to
+3)
Specialties: Access Tunnels, Black Market, Gangs, Navigation, Rumors, Undercover
Subterfuge
Subterfuge is the ability to deceive. With Subterfuge, your character can lie convincingly, project
hidden messages in what she says, hide motivations, and notice deception in others.
Sample actions: Disguise (Wits + Subterfuge, instant action), Lying (Manipulation + Subterfuge,
contested action)
Sample contacts: Con Artist, Crooked Politician, Out-of-work Actor
Suggested equipment: Costume supplies (+2), Fake ID (+1)
Specialties: Conceal Deformity, Detecting Lies, Doublespeak, Hiding Emotion, Misdirection
Skill Specialties
In addition to Skills, your character possesses Skill Specialties. These are refinements of the
broader Skills. These should be narrower than the main Skill, and help to define your character’s
particular expertise. For example, your character might have three dots in Firearms, but a
Specialty in Rifles. He’s capable with all guns, but particularly good with rifles. If you look to
the Skill descriptions, you’ll see example Specialties. The Storyteller is the ultimate arbiter of
what constitutes a Specialty and what doesn’t; Specialties that are too broad or too narrow can
hurt the story or never come into play.
If a Specialty applies to your roll, add a die. Multiple Specialties may apply to a single roll,
within reason. If you find yourself going to great lengths to justify a Specialty, it probably
shouldn’t apply.
Skill Specialties let you flesh out your character and offer a mechanical benefit. When creating
your character, let Specialty choice guide his development. For example, there’s a huge
difference between a character with Brawl 4 (Bar Fights) and Brawl 4 (Aikido).
Integrity
Instead of Conviction and Loyalty as described on p. XX, Baselines use an Advantage called
Integrity which represents the health of their souls and senses of self. Baselines risk breaking
points when they suffer psychological stress, including witnessing the supernatural (unless
they’re used to it.) Killing another human being is always a breaking point; but the Storyteller
and players should work together to define a few situations that would constitute a breaking
point for each character.
Characters using Integrity roll Resolve + Composure when they reach a breaking point, with
modifiers for high or low Integrity (8–10 gives +2 dice, 7–6 is +1, 3–2 is –1 and 1 is –2) or
situational modifiers decided by the Storyteller. Whether the character succeeds or fails, reaching
a breaking point applies a Condition such as Guilty, Shaken, or Spooked. Failing the roll means
the character loses a dot of Integrity. Dramatically failing grants a Beat and changes the
Condition to a worse one like Broken, Fugue, or Madness. Only exceptional success escapes a
negative Condition; the character regains a point of Willpower and takes a Beat instead.
Characters at Integrity 1 continue to suffer breaking points but cannot go to Integrity 0. Integrity
may be raised after a protracted period of rest (and, potentially, counseling) for 3 Experiences
per dot.
Virtues and Vices
Virtue and Vice are Anchor traits Baseline characters possess instead of Conviction and Loyalty.
Virtue is a point of strength and integrity in the character’s life, Vice is a place of weakness. This
is just a brief touch on the topic; for more, look to The Chronicles of Darkness Rulebook.
When choosing Virtues and Vices, use the following guidelines:
• Both should be adjectives that describe dominant personality traits. Don’t use physical
descriptions.
• Traits that describe existing Advantages, Attributes, or Skills similarly do not apply. For
example, “Strong,” or “Composed,” would not work as a Virtue.
• Virtue should be a point of self-confidence and self-actualization, but something easy and
tempting to ignore. It’s a higher calling, if she chooses to walk the talk.
• Vice should contrast Virtue as a short-term, quick source of distraction from the world. It
should be a hiding place when you’re weak.
• Virtue and Vice must be different. The same adjective could work as both a Virtue and
Vice in some cases, but a single character must have two different ones.
Whenever a Baseline character acts in accordance with her Vice, she regains one spent
Willpower. When she takes meaningful actions in accordance to her Virtue, she regains all spent
Willpower. She can only recover Willpower from her Vice once per scene, and her Virtue twice
per chapter.
Speed
A character’s Speed is the number of yards or meters she can travel in a single turn. This trait is a
combination of her Strength, Dexterity, and a species factor that reflects her age, physical
configuration, Size, and other considerations.
Other species, such as horses and cheetahs, have physical configurations that lend themselves to
high travel rates.
[CHART]
Factor Species
1 Turtle
3 Human toddler
5 Human adult
8 Wolf
10 Caribou
12 Horse
15 Cheetah
[END CHART]

Rolling Dice
When your character is trying to accomplish something and the outcome is in doubt, you roll a
number of 10-sided dice. The result of that roll determines whether your character succeeds and
accomplishes their goal, or whether they fail and don’t do what they set out to. Failure doesn’t
mean “nothing happens,” just that your character doesn’t get what they want, and complications
are headed their way.
You might also score an exceptional success or suffer a dramatic failure (p. XX).
Dice Pool
The number of dice you roll depends on the action your character is taking. Most of the time, it’s
the value of one of your Attributes plus one of your Skills, or the value of two different
Attributes put together; for example, fast-talking your way past a bouncer might be a roll of
Manipulation + Subterfuge, which means you roll a number of dice equal to your Manipulation
rating plus your Subterfuge rating. (Sometimes you’ll roll a different pool, but those are special
cases that will be called out when needed.)
Circumstantial factors, appropriate equipment (or lack thereof), or opposition from another
character can add or subtract dice from the total; see below.
The total number of dice you roll is called your dice pool.
The Storyteller determines the appropriate dice pool based on what you’re trying to do and how
you’re trying to do it, using the descriptions of the various traits involved. In the above example,
if you explained to the Storyteller that you weren’t trying to lie your way past the bouncer but
schmooze her into liking you enough to let you in, the Storyteller might revise the dice pool to
Manipulation + Socialize.
Most of the actions described in this book will tell you what the dice pool should be, but it’s fine
to come up with dice pools for other actions on an ad hoc basis. Just try to be fair and consistent
— if you decide bashing down a door is Strength + Stamina in one chapter, it should always be
Strength + Stamina unless the situation radically changes.

Circumstance and Equipment

Sometimes, fortune favors your character, or they’re packing the right tools for the
job. Other times, the odds are stacked against you or you don’t have the right gear
at all. The Storyteller should weigh how circumstances or equipment affect a
character’s chance of success and assign an appropriate modifier. A slight
advantage — picking an old and damaged lock — might be worth a bonus die,
while a stressful situation — trying to pick a lock while people are shooting at you
— might subtract three dice from your pool.

Dice Rolling Basics

• Building a Pool: Unless otherwise noted, a dice pool is always Attribute + different
Attribute or Attribute + Skill.
• Modifiers: Bonuses add the indicated number of dice; penalties remove them. Unless
otherwise specified, modifiers never exceed +/−5. Add all bonuses before subtracting penalties.
• Successes: Any die showing 8, 9, or 10 counts as a success.
• 10-again: Any die that shows a 10 is counted as a success, then rerolled. Rerolled dice
count successes as normal. Continue counting successes and rerolling as long as you keep rolling
10s.
The Chance Die
If penalties ever reduce your dice pool to 0 or fewer dice, roll a single die anyway. This single
die is called a chance die, and it follows slightly different rules.
Chance Die Basics
• Success: A chance die showing a 10 counts as a success.
• No 10-again: Do not reroll 10s on chance dice.
• Dramatic Failure: A chance die showing a 1 is a dramatic failure (p. XX).
Roll Results
Once you’ve rolled all the dice, counted all your successes, and finished any rerolls or other
permutations, it’s time to see how your character fared. On most actions, you’ll only worry about
whether your character succeeded or failed. Sometimes, however, the outcome of an action is
more dramatic.
Roll Result Basics
• Success: 1-4 successes. Your character’s action succeeds.
• Exceptional Success: 5+ successes. Your character’s action succeeds, and your character
gains a beneficial Condition (p. XX). Usually, the Inspired Condition is the most appropriate.
Specific actions might have additional effects on an exceptional success.
• Failure: 0 successes. Your character’s action fails.
• Dramatic Failure: chance die shows a 1. Your character’s action fails, and something
goes significantly awry. Specific actions might have additional effects on a dramatic failure.
Otherwise, the Storyteller decides on an appropriate turn of events.
• Voluntary Dramatic Failure: Take a Beat and convert a failure into a dramatic failure,
up to once per scene.
Permutations
Deviant: The Renegades has a few variations in how dice rolls work.
• 9-Again: Reroll dice that show 9 or 10, as opposed to just 10. Keep rerolling until you
get a result that isn’t a 9 or 10. Certain Conditions, Merits, or other special circumstances may
award you 9-again on specific kinds of rolls. If you gain 9-again on a roll that already had that
quality, it becomes 8-again instead.
• 8-Again: Reroll dice that show 8, 9, or 10 — any successful die — and keep rerolling as
long as your dice show successes. Certain Conditions, Merits, or other special circumstances
may award you 8-again on specific kinds of rolls. If you gain 8-again on a roll that already had
that quality, it may become a rote action, at the Storyteller’s discretion.
• Extra Successes: Assuming your roll succeeds, you get a number of extra successes
added to your total. This permutation mostly applies to weapons, which add their damage bonus
as extra successes on your attack roll.
• Rote Actions: When you’ve got plenty of training and the steps you need to follow are
laid out in front of you, you’ve got a significant chance of success. When you make a roll with
the rote quality, reroll any dice that do not show an 8, 9, or 10. If you’re reduced to a chance die
on a rote action, don’t reroll a dramatic failure. You may only reroll each die once. Certain
Variations, Merits, or other special circumstances may award you the rote quality on specific
kinds of rolls.
• Successive Attempts: When you fail a roll, you may be able to try again. Normally, you
make successive attempts with your full dice pool. If time is short and the situation is tense, each
subsequent attempt instead has a cumulative one-die penalty — so the third time a character tries
to break down the door imprisoning trafficked victims of the conspiracy, her roll suffers a −2
penalty. Successive attempts do not apply to extended actions.
• Teamwork: Working together can be vital for resisting the conspiracy. See p. XX.
When to Roll Dice
You don’t need to roll dice for many actions. If your character isn’t in a stressful situation —
nobody’s actively trying to tear his throat open or demolish the building as he works — you
don’t need to roll; as long as it’s something your character could reasonably do, he just does it.
When the dice hit the table, the Storyteller should have some idea of what will happen if the roll
fails, as well as if it succeeds. Sometimes that’s coded in the rules. If you fail on an attack roll,
for example, you don’t deal any damage. Other times, it’s up to the Storyteller. If you fail a roll
to jump between buildings while escaping a pack of Manticore dogs, do you make it but fall on
the other side, grab the next building by your fingertips, or plummet to the alley below?
Actions
Deviant: The Renegades rates each action by two criteria: how long it takes to attempt, and
whether another character opposes it. All actions fall into one category in both arenas: An action
might be instant and simple (usually just abbreviated to “instant”), extended and contested, or
reflexive and resisted, for example.
Actions by Time
• Instant: The action resolves in a single roll. Unless otherwise noted, an instant action
only takes a few seconds and takes up your turn in an action scene.
• Reflexive: The action takes no appreciable time or effort, and resolves in a single roll, or
may not require a roll at all. In an action scene, you can take reflexive actions on other
characters’ turns, and reflexive actions don’t take up your turn. Contesting someone else’s action
is always reflexive.
• Extended: The action requires multiple rolls over time to complete; as such, an extended
action is not usually an option in action scenes, unless otherwise noted.

Time
Time in the story can speed past or slow to a crawl compared to time in the real
world. Weeks or months might pass in the space of few words, while a tense
negotiation plays out in real time — or takes even longer.
In addition to years, days, hours, and so on, Deviant also uses five units of dramatic
time. These build upon one another, from shortest to longest.
• Turn — The smallest increment of time, a turn lasts for about three seconds. A
character can perform a single instant action and move their Speed in a turn. Turns
normally only matter in action scenes, like fights, chases, and other dramatic and
stressful situations.
• Scene — Much like a scene in a play, a scene in a roleplaying game is the time
spent dealing with a single, specific event. The Storyteller frames the scene,
describing what’s going on, and it’s up to the players to resolve the event or conflict.
A scene might play out in turns (called an action scene), progress in real time, or
skip forward depending on dramatic necessity.
• Chapter — A chapter is the collection of scenes that happen during one game
session. From the moment you sit down and start playing to the point where you
pack up your dice, you’re playing out a chapter of your story.
• Story — A story tells an entire tale, following the dramatic arc of a related series
of events. It might comprise several chapters or complete in just one. It has an
introduction, rising tension, a number of twists, and a climax that brings things to
a conclusion.
• Chronicle — The big picture, a chronicle is the collection of interlinked stories
that involve your characters. A common theme or overarching plotline might link
them, or they may only share characters and locations. As your story progresses,
the players and Storyteller work together to create an ongoing chronicle.
Permutations
 Many Adaptations, Variations, and other capabilities grant effects that can only be
once per chapter, or have effects that last until the end of the chapter.
At the Storyteller’s discretion, a chapter that covers an unusually long period of in-
game time (a week or more, especially if two eventful periods are broken up by a
long stretch of uneventful downtime) may allow multiple uses of a per-chapter
ability without resorting to an Adaptation. Similarly, a chapter that takes place over
the course of less than a day, in-game, might not allow a character to call on the
same effect twice without Adaptations.
In the same vein, if a character invokes an effect that lasts until the end of the
chapter when the current chapter is nearly over, the Storyteller may allow the
character to benefit from it until the end of the next chapter, instead.
Per-scene and per-story limits are similarly subject to Storyteller modification.
Such limitations in use and duration exist to prevent overuse of especially impactful
abilities. For the most part, Adaptations allow players to overcome these limits (at
a price), so making exceptions isn’t usually necessary. But remember that these
restrictions are not intended as a straightjacket for the Storyteller or the story. As
always, any ad hoc modification to the regular mechanics should be clearly
communicated ahead of time, with general guidelines settled upon by the troupe
before the chronicle’s beginning.

Actions by Opposition
• Simple: No opposition. Calculate dice pool and roll results as normal.
• Contested: Calculate dice pool as normal and roll. The target rolls a dice pool specified
by how they contest the action. If your total successes exceed the target’s, your action succeeds;
if their total successes exceed yours, your action fails.
If you and your target roll the same number of successes, both of you reroll the same pools until
someone comes out on top.
• Resisted: Calculate dice pool, then apply a penalty equal to one of the target’s Resistance
Attributes (Stamina, Resolve, or Composure) or Defense. Roll, and calculate roll results as
normal.

Contested or Resisted?
If you’re not sure whether to use resistance or a contested action, use this guideline:
Resistance applies in situations where the number of successes on the roll is an
important factor. If what matters is just whether the roll succeeds or not, use a
contested action. For example, violence applies Defense as a resistance because the
number of successes on the roll determines how badly the attacker messes up his
victim.

Extended Actions
Some actions require a great deal of effort over time, and represent the sort of project you can
abandon and resume later. Such actions are modeled as extended actions, and they’re a little
more complex than instant or reflexive actions.
When you take an extended action, the Storyteller determines how many total successes you
require. Most actions require between five and 20 successes. Five reflects a reasonable action
that competent characters can achieve with the right tools and knowledge. Ten represents a
difficult action that’s still realistic for a professional in the field. Twenty represents a very
difficult action that even a particularly skilled character will have trouble pulling off.
The Storyteller also determines the interval between rolls. If an action would take weeks to
complete, she might consider one roll per week. If it’s likely to take a day’s work, one roll per
hour makes for a solid timeframe.
Once you determine those factors, make a number of rolls, counting up the total number of
successes across all your rolls. If you earn the required number of successes before you run out
of time, you accomplish your goal.
Extended Action Basics
• Multiple Rolls: You roll your dice pool multiple times over the course of the action.
Successes earned on all rolls count toward completing the action.
• Roll Limit: You can make a total number of rolls equal to your base dice pool for the
action, before factoring in any modifiers. The Storyteller may reduce this value if time is short.
• Time Interval: Each roll takes a certain amount of time, determined by the Storyteller.
• Required Successes: The Storyteller sets the total number of successes required for the
action, usually between five and 20.
Extended Action Roll Results
These apply to each roll of an extended action. Specific extended actions may have additional
effects.
Success: Add the successes earned on the roll to your running total. Work with the Storyteller to
determine what steps your character has taken toward his goal.
Exceptional Success: Choose one: reduce the total number of successes required by your
character’s Skill dots, reduce the time interval for each following roll by a quarter, or apply the
exceptional success result of the entire action when you complete your goal.
Failure: You face a setback. The Storyteller offers you a choice: Take a Condition (p. XX) of
her choice, or abandon the action. You can offer a different Condition if you think it makes
sense. If you refuse or cannot agree on a Condition, you lose all accumulated successes.
Dramatic Failure: Lose all accumulated successes. In addition, the first roll on a subsequent
attempt suffers a two-die penalty.

When to Use Extended Actions

As Storyteller, when should you call for an extended action vs. an instant action
that takes a defined amount of time? Use the following guidelines:
• Time Pressure: If the truck containing the Coactive-creating idol is about to leave
the dig and the cohort need to fix their car before that happens, the question of “how
long does it take?” has real stakes and tension. If the characters aren’t under time
pressure, extended actions can feel like a lot of tedious rolling for no reason.
 • Take a Break: Extended actions are best suited for things the character could
conceivably abandon for some time and then resume later: fortifying an abandoned
building as a crash space, for example. If it’s something that has to be done all in
one go, like finding clues in a murder scene before the police arrive, it’s probably
better modeled as an instant action unless time is short.

Common Actions
The following list represents some of the more common actions characters might undertake in a
Deviant: The Renegades game. They are presented here in a highly condensed form; for more
detailed discussions of many of these actions, see the Chronicles of Darkness Rulebook.
[PRODUCTION: DO A QUICK REFERENCE GRID FOR EACH OF THESE, AS
IN COFD CORE P. 70]
Argument (Instant and Contested; Intelligence + Expression vs. target’s Resolve +
Composure)
You try to sway someone with a rational argument. (If arguing with a crowd, use the highest
Resolve in the crowd.) (See also Social maneuvering, p. XX.)
• Success: They accept the truth (or apparent truth) of your words.
• Exceptional: They’re convinced and become recruits to your point of view, though they
might change their minds if they find themselves at risk.
• Failure: They listen but are ultimately unaffected.
• Dramatic: You convince them of quite the opposite.
Carousing (Instant; Presence + Socialize or Streetwise)
You mix with a group, bringing high spirits with you and using them to loosen tongues.
• Success: You make a single-serving friend who might be willing to pass secrets or go
with you somewhere private.
• Exceptional: You make a friend you can contact again.
• Failure: You end up a wallflower, with a drink in your hand that you don’t even want.
• Dramatic: A faux pas reveals that you don’t belong…and maybe even hints at your
dread purpose.
Fast-Talk (Instant and Contested; Manipulation + Subterfuge vs. victim’s Composure +
Empathy)
You may not be able to win the argument with facts, but you can try to get out of trouble with a
little judicious spin.
• Success: The other party swallows your story.
• Exceptional: The other party believes you so thoroughly that they’re even willing to
offer a little aid…though they won’t put themselves at any kind of risk.
• Failure: The other party doesn’t believe you.
• Dramatic: The other party has a good idea what the truth is.
Hacking (Extended and Contested; Intelligence + Computer vs. victim’s Intelligence +
Computer)
You overcome network security and computer passwords to gain access to digital resources.
• Success: You access the computer or network as though you had proper clearance, but
you only have a short time before someone notices.
• Exceptional: You access the computer or network, and no one will notice until you’ve
gotten what you came for.
• Failure: You’re locked out of the system and you can’t access anything.
• Dramatic: You trip an alarm or corrupt your own flash drive beyond use.
Interrogation (Extended and Resisted; Manipulation + Empathy or Intimidation − victim’s
Resolve)
You try to dig secrets out of a reluctant informant. (See also Social maneuvering, p. XX.)
• Success: You get the information you were looking for; one piece per success rolled.
• Exceptional: You get the information you were looking for, and the informant is willing
to continue cooperating.
• Failure: The informant blabs a mix of truth and falsehood — even he may not know the
difference.
• Dramatic: The informant is so alienated or injured that he will no longer reveal
information.
Intimidation (Instant and Contested; Strength or Manipulation + Intimidation vs. victim’s
Resolve + Composure)
You try to get someone to do what you want by making them afraid of you.
• Success: They’re coerced into helping you.
• Exceptional: They develop a lasting fear of you, which could make them easier to coerce
in the future.
• Failure: They’re unimpressed with your threats.
• Dramatic: They don’t take you seriously, even if you knock them around a bit. They
won’t be doing what you want.
Investigating a Scene (Extended; Intelligence + Investigation)
You look for clues to what’s happened in the recent past…or tidy up so that no one else can find
them. (See also Investigation, p. XX.)
• Success: You find a clue of exactly the sort you need or manage to significantly confuse
future investigators.
• Exceptional: You find a clue, and know exactly how it fits in, or you leave the scene
immaculate and impossible to decipher.
• Failure: You find evidence, but it’s damaged and hard to interpret. Or you miss a spot in
your clean-up that you won’t find out about until later.
• Dramatic: You find clues but you contaminate them, or you leave evidence of your
presence.
Jumping (Instant; Strength + Athletics − (yards/meters of distance))
To get past an obstacle or out of danger, you leap into the air.
• Success: You clear the obstacle or avoid the danger.
• Exceptional: You may attempt another instant action in the air or upon landing.
• Failure: You don’t achieve any significant distance at all — you jump too early, get a
false start, or lose your nerve.
• Dramatic: The task not only fails, but you lose your balance.
Research (Extended; Intelligence + Academics or Occult)
Using your existing knowledge, you look for information on a current mystery.
• Success: You find the basic facts you were looking for.
• Exceptional: You find what you were looking for, which leads towards a much bigger
score of information.
• Failure: You turn up a lot of promising leads, but they’re all dead ends.
• Dramatic: You learn something, but it doesn’t help. In fact, it sets you back. If using
Occult, this could mean dangerously false assumptions.
Shadowing a Mark (Instant and Contested; Wits + Stealth or Drive vs. Wits + Composure)
You follow someone, perhaps in the hopes of ambushing them, or of finding out their
destination.
• Success: You follow the mark to his destination.
• Exceptional: You find some means by which you can continue following the mark, such
as an unlocked entrance into the building he arrived at.
• Failure: The mark senses he’s being followed and manages to lose you.
• Dramatic: You’re caught, either by the mark or some observer that’s become suspicious
of you.
Sneaking (Instant and Contested; Dexterity + Stealth vs. Wits + Composure)
You’re trying to avoid notice by someone, or something…or multiple somethings. Maybe you
want to get into a place undetected. Maybe you’re trying to break out.
• Success: You avoid notice and get closer to your goal.
• Exceptional: You avoid notice and get away before anyone has another chance to catch
you.
• Failure: You’re noticed but still have the chance to slip away.
• Dramatic: You attract a lot of attention…enough that now it’s going to be hard to get
out.
[END QUICK REFERENCE]
Willpower
A character’s Willpower represents her determination and her ability to go above and beyond
what should be possible to achieve her goals.
Deviant and Baseline characters regain one point of Willpower from a full night’s sleep, unless a
Scar says otherwise.
Spending Willpower
• Reflexive Action: Unless otherwise specified, spending Willpower is a reflexive action.
• Roll Bonus: Spend 1 Willpower to gain a three-die bonus on a single dice pool.
• Increased Resistance: Spend 1 Willpower to gain +2 to resistance (see above) against a
single action.
• Other Expenditures: Other abilities may require Willpower expenditure, as noted in
their descriptions.
• Per Turn Limit: Characters may only spend 1 Willpower per turn (unless otherwise
noted).

Conditions
Conditions represent ways in which the story has affected a character, and what he can do to
move past those events. Players don’t buy Conditions; events in the game apply them and they
remain until certain resolution criteria are met. A character can only have one instance of a
particular Condition unless each applies to a distinctly different circumstance — for example, he
may be Informed about both the occult symbol he stayed up all night to research and the inner
workings of the conspiracy he infiltrated. He’d resolve each independently. Various systems and
supernatural powers bring Conditions into play, and the Storyteller can do so based on story
circumstances.
A list of sample Conditions can be found on p. XX. The listed resolutions for each Condition are
the most common ways to end its effects; other actions may also resolve it if they would
reasonably cause the Condition’s effects to end. When a character resolves a Condition, the
player takes a Beat. However, if a Condition has a natural time limit and then fades away without
proper resolution, he doesn’t take a Beat. If a Condition lingers beyond its relevance in the story,
the player and Storyteller may agree to simply let it fade. A player can only earn one Beat by
resolving Conditions in each scene.
Some Conditions are marked as Persistent. These Conditions last for a long time, and can only be
resolved permanently with a specific and impressive effort. Once per chapter, a player can gain a
Beat when a Persistent Condition impacts his character’s life.
Improvised Conditions
Storytellers shouldn’t feel limited by the list of Conditions in the Appendix (p. XX). As a rough
guideline, a Condition typically consists of a modifier between +2 and −2 dice to a certain type
of action, or to any action taken with a certain motivation. A Condition resolves when the
character’s done something significant to act on it, or when she addresses the original source.
The sample Conditions later in this book have examples of how to resolve them, but you can also
resolve them after other events if it makes sense in the story.
If play bogs down as you search for the right Condition, just improvise one and keep things
going. If you can’t think of one at all, don’t worry — just award a Beat and keep going without a
Condition.
Lingering Conditions
Conditions are designed as reminders that events that happened earlier in the story have
repercussions later. Usually, Chekhov’s gun applies — if you put the Condition on stage, it
should fire by the end of the story. But stories are slippery things, and sometimes a story thread
represented by a Condition is better to drop for the sake of the overall narrative.
For example, an emotional state like Inspired might no longer be relevant to events in the game
because a long time has passed, or it might have been the result of an interaction with a character
you don’t care about anymore. In those cases, it’s perfectly fine to just cross off the Condition.
We recommend awarding a Beat as if resolving it, but that’s at the Storyteller’s discretion.
We recommend doing this sparingly, but the bottom line is: If a Condition doesn’t feel relevant
to the story anymore, just let it go.

Action Scenes
Sometimes it’s useful to zoom in close on the action and track things moment by moment, with a
clear understanding of who does what in what order. These are action scenes, and to keep
everyone’s actions straight, they proceed by turns in order of Initiative. The most common action
scenes are fights, but the Storyteller can call for one any time complex things are happening very
quickly, like an escape from a conspiracy’s facility or a car chase.
Turns
• What You Can Do: On your turn, move up to your Speed and take one instant action, or
move twice your Speed.
• How Long It Lasts: A turn is roughly three seconds. If an effect says it lasts “until your
next turn,” it lasts until the beginning of your next turn.
• Order of Action: Characters involved in an action scene take turns one at a time in order
of Initiative, from highest to lowest.
• Cycle: Once all characters involved in the scene have acted, the order of action returns to
the character with the highest Initiative. Initiative can change from turn to turn, if for instance
one character delays his action, or a supernatural power makes a character faster or slower.
Initiative
• Calculating: When you come into the action scene, roll one die and add the result to
your Initiative modifier (p. XX). This is the only roll in the game on which you treat the result of
the die as a number rather than a success or not. Wielding a weapon inflicts a penalty to Initiative
based on the type of weapon (p. XX).
• Delaying: You may choose not to act when your turn comes up and instead act at any
point later in the scene, even if the order of action has reset. When you do act, change your
Initiative to the Initiative you acted on for the rest of the scene.
• Surprise: If the start of the action might take a character unawares, the Storyteller may
call for a surprise roll. Roll the character’s Wits + Composure, possibly contested by an
opponent’s relevant dice pool (Dexterity + Stealth for an ambush, Manipulation + Subterfuge if
they lull you into a false sense of security, etc.). If the surprised character’s roll fails, they cannot
act or apply their Defense until their second turn.
Defense
Defense measures your character’s ability to react to danger and mitigate harm to herself. It’s
most often used when violence breaks out, but is sometimes used to resist harm from other
sources as well.
Defense Basics
• Resistance: Defense counts as a Resistance Attribute (p. XX) for any rule that interacts
with Resistance (e.g. spending Willpower).
• Multiple Hazards: In an action scene, each time you resist an action with your Defense,
you suffer a cumulative −1 penalty to Defense. This penalty goes away at the beginning of your
next turn. You can choose not to resist an action with Defense; if you do, the penalty doesn’t
increase.
Tilts
Tilts apply temporary circumstances to both characters and the environment during action
scenes. Outside action scenes, use Conditions instead.
Tilts do not grant Beats when they end, but the effects of a Tilt can easily cause a Condition. For
instance, a character in a fight gets a handful of road salt flung into his eyes and receives the
Blinded Tilt. When the action scene ends, this shifts to the Blind Condition. Resolving this
Condition grants a Beat as usual. If the character enters an action scene again before the
Condition resolves, the Blinded Tilt applies again.
Tilts come in two forms: Personal and Environmental. Personal Tilts only apply to one character
and include ways in which that character can overcome the effect. Environmental Tilts affect the
whole scene, and offer ways for individual characters to mitigate their effects. For a list of
sample Tilts, see p. XX.

Violence
Renegades are driven to confront their abusers, and Devoted to defend their charges. Conflict —
often violent conflict — is inevitable. These rules help the troupe manage scenes of violence.
Intent
Everybody wants something out of a conflict. The very first thing you need to do — before
worrying about who attacks first or anything like that — is determine what each character wants
to get out of the fight. Boil it down into a simple sentence that starts with the words “I want,” as
in “I want Agena’s key card,” or “I want to rescue Tom.”
Declaring Intent
• By Violence: Intent must be something achievable by violence within the current scene.
• The Price: If your intent doesn’t include causing harm and your character ends up killing
someone, lose one Willpower point. This doesn’t apply to Deviants attacking a Conviction
Touchstone or defending a Loyalty Touchstone.
 Optional Rules: Beaten Down & Surrender
A character who takes more than his Stamina in bashing damage or any amount of
lethal damage suffers the Beaten Down Tilt (p. XX): He’s had the fight knocked
out of him.
A character can choose to surrender, giving his attacker what she wants. If your
character surrenders, regain a point of Willpower and take a Beat, and stop
participating in the fight. Your character’s opponent must spend a point of
Willpower to attack him.
If one side’s intent involves violence for its own sake, their intended victims don’t
get Beaten Down and can’t surrender. When someone wants to kill you, the only
thing you can do is to try to stop her, whether you run like hell or unload a shotgun
at her.
These optional rules only apply to people who would incur a breaking point for
committing (or attempting) murder.

Down and Dirty Combat

The Storyteller might decide that your character can get what she wants without focusing on the
details of the fight. Maybe she’s picking on people weaker than her. Maybe the fight’s not the
important thing going on with regards to the character’s intent. In these cases, the Storyteller can
opt to use Down and Dirty Combat.
This system resolves the entire fight in a single roll. If multiple characters have separate intents,
resolve each intent as a separate Down and Dirty Combat action. If the group only has one intent
but multiple characters are participating, they can use teamwork (see p. XX) on the roll. Players
can call for Down and Dirty Combat, with the Storyteller’s approval. Storyteller characters might
deal damage as a result of a Down and Dirty Combat, but they can’t initiate one.
Action: Instant and contested; takes anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes.
Dice Pool: Combat pool (Dexterity + Firearms, Strength + Brawl, or Strength + Weaponry)
versus either the opponent’s combat pool (as above) or an attempt to escape (Strength or
Dexterity + Athletics).
Roll Results
Success: Inflict damage equal to the difference in successes + weapon modifier and achieve your
intent — including killing, if that was on the table.
Exceptional Success: As success, and gain 1 Willpower.
Failure: Do not achieve your intent. If the opponent rolled a combat pool, suffer damage equal
to the difference in successes + opponent’s weapon modifier. Opponent escapes if they want to.
Dramatic Failure: The opposite of your character’s intent happens, or she’s knocked out or
suffers other serious consequences.
Detailed Violence
When the fight is a significant event in the story, or Down and Dirty Combat doesn’t suit, use
these rules. Violence like this is an action scene (p. XX).
Actions in a Fight
The most common action in a fight is to attack. Characters can also dodge or push themselves to
the limit, sacrificing Defense for greater effect.
Attack
All attack actions are instant actions. Unarmed, melee, and thrown attacks are resisted, while
ranged attacks and touching an opponent are simple actions.
• Unarmed Attack: Strength + Brawl − Defense; bashing damage
• Melee Attack: Strength + Weaponry − Defense; lethal damage
• Ranged Attack: Dexterity + Firearms; lethal damage
• Thrown Attack: Dexterity + Athletics − Defense; lethal damage
• Touching an Opponent: Dexterity + Brawl or Dexterity + Weaponry; inflicts no
damage.
• Damage: A successful attack inflicts damage equal to the number of successes rolled +
weapon modifier (p. XX), if any.
• Pulling Blows: Set a maximum damage value up to the highest trait in your attack dice
pool, and grant the target +1 Defense. Your attack cannot inflict more than the maximum
damage you set.
• Offhand Attack: Take a two-die penalty to attacks made with the character’s non-
dominant hand.

Specified Targets
A normal attack is aimed at the target’s center of mass. You can aim for specific
body parts by taking a penalty on your attack roll. Attacking a specific body part
can bypass armor (p. XX) or inflict a Tilt (p. XX) on the target. Attacks against
specified targets aren’t a way to inflict extra damage or instantly kill people; that’s
covered by simply rolling a lot of successes on the attack action.
The following modifiers assume a target roughly human in size and shape. The
Storyteller can adjust these for more unusual targets.
• Arm (−2): If damage exceeds the victim’s Stamina, it inflicts the Arm Wrack Tilt.
• Leg (−2): If damage exceeds the victim’s Stamina, it inflicts the Leg Wrack Tilt.
• Head (−3): If damage equals or exceeds the victim’s Size, it inflicts the Stunned
Tilt.
• Heart (−3): If damage equals or exceeds 5, the attack pierces the victim’s heart.
• Hand (−4): If the attack deals any damage, it inflicts the Arm Wrack Tilt.
• Ear (−4): If the attack deals any damage, it inflicts the Deafened Tilt.
• Eye (−5): If the attack deals any damage, it inflicts the Blinded Tilt.

Dodge
Dodging is a reflexive action, but your character can only do it if she hasn’t taken an action yet
this turn, and it takes up her action for the turn.
• Contested Attacks: Attacks made against your character become contested instead of
resisted until your next turn. Contest attacks with double your Defense as your dice pool, and
unlike a normal contested action, your successes cancel out the attacker’s successes on a one-for-
one basis. Don’t reroll ties; if you cancel out all the successes, the attack simply fails.
• Multiple Attackers: Apply the Defense penalty for multiple attackers before doubling. If
your character’s Defense is reduced to 0, roll a chance die.
• Dramatic Failure: Defense suffers a −1 penalty until your next turn.
Special Maneuvers
To enact any of the following instant actions, the character sacrifices her Defense until her next
turn. If the character has already lost her Defense, for example by being surprised or attacked by
enough opponents in one turn to reduce her Defense to 0, she cannot take any of these actions.
• Charge: Move up to twice your character’s Speed and make an unarmed or melee attack.
• All-Out Attack: Make an unarmed or melee attack with a two-die bonus.
• Aim: Keep an opponent in your sights with a ranged weapon to gain a one-die bonus per
consecutive Aim action on your next attack against that target, to a maximum of three bonus
dice. Incompatible with autofire (below).
Other Actions
These are all instant actions.
• Drop Prone/Stand Up: Ranged attacks against prone characters suffer a two-die penalty,
but unarmed and melee attacks against prone characters gain a two-die bonus if the attacker is
standing.
• Reload a Weapon: If rounds must be loaded individually, lose Defense until your next
turn.
• Killing Blow: Inflict damage equal to your attack’s dice pool + weapon bonus. Requires
an unconscious, immobilized, or otherwise helpless target.
Unarmed Violence
These rules present special cases that come up when fighting without weapons.
Bite
Biting counts as an unarmed attack action.
• Damage: Human teeth inflict −1 bashing damage (so an attack that rolls only one success
inflicts no damage). Animals and monsters may treat their teeth as weapons, with a bonus
between +1 and +4.
• Grapple Required: Humans must first grapple an opponent to bite them.
Grapple
Grappling counts as an unarmed attack action. To start grappling, you have to grab your
opponent.
• Grab: Make an unarmed attack. On a success, inflict no damage but start a grapple. On
an exceptional success, also choose a grapple option to enact reflexively.
• One Action: All participants in the grapple act on the highest Initiative among them. The
only action they can take is the grappling action.
• Grappling: Instant and contested; Strength + Brawl vs. Strength + Brawl. The character
with the most successes chooses a grapple option to enact immediately, or two grapple options
on an exceptional success. On a tie, the characters continue to grapple but nothing else happens.
Grapple Options
• Break Free: The grapple ends, and your character may take another instant action
immediately.
• Control Weapon: Take firm hold of a weapon, either your character’s or her opponent’s.
Lasts until your character’s opponent chooses Control Weapon. Required for other grapple
options.
• Damage: Treat the grapple action as an unarmed attack, inflicting damage equal to your
rolled successes. If you have control of a weapon, this counts as a melee attack with the
weapon’s modifier.
• Disarm: Remove a weapon from the grapple entirely. Requires Control Weapon.
• Drop Prone: Throw all participants to the ground. Requires Break Free to stand back up.
• Hold: Immobilize an opponent. Both characters lose Defense.
• Restrain: Your opponent suffers the Immobilized Tilt (p. XX). Requires Hold. If your
character uses equipment to restrain her opponent, she can leave the grapple.
• Take Cover: Any ranged attacks against your character automatically hit her opponent.
Lasts until your next turn.
Ranged Violence
These rules present special cases that come up when shooting at people.
Autofire
Automatic weapons can fire a short, medium, or long burst in place of a single shot.
• Short Burst: Uses three bullets. +1 bonus to attack action.
• Medium Burst: Uses 10 bullets. +2 bonus to attack action. Can attack multiple targets,
up to three.
• Long Burst: Uses 20 bullets. +3 bonus to attack action. Can attack multiple targets, with
no limit.
• Multiple Targets: −1 penalty per target after the first. Roll individually against each
target.
Range
Ranged attacks suffer a dice penalty the farther away the target is. Ranged weapons have a short,
medium, and long range listed on the weapons table (p. XX).
• Short Range: No penalty.
• Medium Range: −1
• Long Range: −2
Thrown weapons have a short range of (Strength + Dexterity + Athletics − object’s Size)
yards/meters, doubled for medium range, and doubled again for long range.
Aerodynamic objects double each range — so an aerodynamic object’s long range is {(Strength
+ Dexterity + Athletics) * 8} yards/meters. Characters can only throw objects with a Size less
than their Strength.
Concealment
If the target of a ranged attack is partially or fully obscured, she has concealment. Concealment
applies a penalty to the shooter’s dice pool.
• Barely Concealed: −1 (hiding behind an office chair)
• Partially Concealed: −2 (hiding behind the hood of a car, with upper body exposed)
• Substantially Concealed: −3 (crouching behind a car).
• Shooting from Concealment: Barely concealed: no penalty; partially concealed: −1;
substantially concealed: −2. You can ignore this penalty, but you lose your own concealment
until your next turn.
Cover
If a target’s entirely hidden by something substantial, he’s in cover.
• Tough Cover: If the cover’s Durability (p. XX) is greater than the attacker’s weapon
modifier, the attack can’t penetrate the cover.
• Less Tough Cover: Subtract the cover’s Durability from the attacker’s damage. Both the
object and the target take any remaining damage.
• Transparent Cover: If the cover is transparent (bulletproof glass, for example), subtract
half the cover’s Durability, rounding down. Both the object and the target take any remaining
damage.
Covering Fire
With a weapon capable of autofire, a character can lay down covering fire to keep anyone from
entering his target area.
• Action: Instant
• Dice Pool: Dexterity + Firearms
• Bullets: Uses 10 bullets.
• Characters in Area of Effect: On their next turn, they must either take cover within
range of their Speed or drop prone, to avoid suffering damage equal to successes on covering fire
roll + weapon modifier.
In Close Combat: Wielding a ranged weapon larger than Size 1 in close quarters grants the
opponent (weapon’s Size + 1) as a bonus to Defense.
Shooting into Close Combat: Take a two-die penalty for each character involved in close
combat with your target that you want to avoid hitting, or a four-die penalty if they’re grappling
your target. You can’t selectively avoid targets this way with autofire.
Weapons and Armor
Weapons are one of the fastest ways to turn a fight into a murder, but sometimes the best defense
is a good offense. Armor, meanwhile, keeps a character from grievous harm. Traits for specific
weapons and armor are in Appendix One: Equipment, starting on p. XX.
Weapons
Ranged and melee weapons share certain common traits.
• Type: A weapon’s type is a general classification that fits any number of specific
weapons. A metal club might be a crowbar or a length of rebar, while a light revolver might be
one of any number of .22-.38 caliber weapons.
• Damage: Added to successes rolled on attack to determine total damage inflicted.
• Initiative: The penalty to Initiative when wielding the weapon.
• Strength: The minimum Strength needed to use a weapon effectively. A wielder with a
lower Strength suffers a −1 penalty on attack rolls.
• Availability: The cost in Resources dots or level of Social Merit needed to acquire the
weapon.
Improvised Weapons
Characters who grab lamps and pool cues still stand a chance of dealing serious damage.
• Use Existing Weapon Traits: If it’s close enough to a weapon in the chart on p. XX, use
the associated weapon traits. For example, a pool cue might count as a sap.
• Improvised Weapon Traits: If it’s not similar to a weapon in the chart, its damage
modifier is (object’s Durability −1); Initiative penalty and Strength requirement equal to
weapon’s Size.
• Attack Modifiers: −1 to attack roll. If successful, the improvised weapon takes the same
damage it inflicts; Durability applies.
Armor
Armor provides protection against attacks, including bullets, knives, and fangs.
Armor Basics
• Ballistic Armor: Each point of ballistic armor downgrades one point of lethal damage
from firearms to bashing.
• General Armor: Each point of general armor reduces the total damage taken by one
point, starting with the most severe type of damage.
• Order of Operation: If armor has both ballistic and general ratings, apply the ballistic
armor first.
• Minimum Damage: When applying armor to an attack inflicting lethal damage, you
always suffer at least one point of bashing damage from the shock of the blow.
Armor Piercing
Some weapons have an armor-piercing rating, usually between 1 and 3. When attacking someone
wearing armor, subtract the armor-piercing rating from the target’s armor. Subtract from ballistic
armor first, then general armor. Armor-piercing attacks in close combat subtract from general
armor only.
When shooting at an object — or a person in cover — subtract the armor-piercing quality from
the object’s Durability.

Injury and Healing

Characters can suffer three types of damage. Fists and feet, along with other kinds of low-impact
trauma, deal bashing damage. Brass knuckles, knives, and speeding trucks deal lethal damage.
Some horrifying powers deal aggravated damage. When something deals aggravated damage
directly, it’s quite obvious. Flesh bubbles and sloughs away. Foaming pustules taint the victim’s
flesh. Blackened veins streak out from the site of the injury.
Suffering Damage
When a rule tells you to suffer an amount of damage, you mark off that many Health boxes,
starting from the leftmost side and continuing to the right. A box marked with any kind of
damage is called a point.
Damage Basics
• Bashing: Mark bashing damage with a (/) in the leftmost empty box of the Health track.
• Lethal: Mark lethal damage with an (X) in the leftmost box that is empty or filled with
bashing damage. If you mark over bashing damage, move that bashing damage to the leftmost
empty box of the track. If no empty boxes are left, that damage is overwritten but not moved.
• Aggravated: Mark aggravated damage with an (*) in the leftmost box that does not
already contain aggravated damage. If you mark over bashing damage, move that bashing
damage to the leftmost empty box. If no empty boxes are left, that damage is overwritten but not
moved. If you mark over lethal damage, move that lethal damage to the leftmost box that is
empty or contains bashing damage. If no empty boxes or boxes containing bashing damage are
left, that damage is overwritten but not moved.
• Upgrading Damage: If your character suffers bashing damage but has no empty Health
boxes in which to mark it, upgrade each point of bashing damage to lethal damage. If she suffers
lethal damage but has no empty Health boxes or boxes marked with bashing damage, upgrade
her leftmost Health box that’s filled with lethal damage to aggravated damage.
Effects of Damage
• Wound Penalties: If your character has any damage marked in her third-to-last Health
box, she suffers a −1 penalty to all actions except Stamina rolls to stay conscious. This increases
to −2 when her second-to-last Health box is filled, and −3 when her last Health box is filled.
• Unconscious: If your character’s rightmost Health box is filled with bashing or lethal
damage, roll her Stamina every turn as a reflexive action. Failure means she falls unconscious
until her rightmost Health box is empty.
• Bleeding Out: If your character’s rightmost Health box is filled with lethal damage, she
suffers 1 lethal damage per minute until she receives medical attention (p. XX).
• Dead: If your character’s rightmost Health box is filled with aggravated damage, she is
dead.
Example of Marking Damage
Experiment 18 has seven boxes of Health. She’s just taken two points of bashing damage. Her
Health boxes look like this:
[PRODUCTION: SEVEN HEALTH BOXES, FIRST TWO CONTAINING A
SLASH]
If a Manticore later bites her and deals a point of lethal damage, her Health track looks like this:
[PRODUCTION: SEVEN HEALTH BOXES, FIRST ONE CONTAINS AN X,
SECOND AND THIRD CONTAIN A SLASH]
If Experiment 18 next suffered a point of aggravated damage, her Health boxes would look like
this:
[PRODUCTION: SEVEN HEALTH BOXES. FIRST HAS AN ASTERISK,
SECOND HAS AN X, THE THIRD AND FOURTH CONTAIN SLASHES]
Healing
Characters need time to heal once they’ve been beaten to a pulp. Normally, a character can heal
without medical attention, though use of the Medicine Skill will help him recover (see below).
The only exception is if a character has all her Health boxes full of lethal damage — she’s
bleeding out. She can’t recover from that without urgent medical attention and emergency
surgery.
Deviant characters heal at the same rates as Baseline characters unless a Variation or Scar says
otherwise.
Healing Basics
• Rightmost Box: Natural healing only affects the rightmost point of damage. Once the
rightmost box is cleared, healing time for the next-rightmost box starts.
• Bashing: Clear bashing damage after 15 minutes of in-game time.
• Lethal: Clear lethal damage after two days of in-game time.
• Aggravated: Clear aggravated damage after a week of in-game time.
Example: Experiment 18 escapes the Manticore and goes to ground, avoiding hospitals for fear
of the Conspiracy. Her health track looks like this at the end of the fight:
[PRODUCTION: SEVEN HEALTH BOXES. FIRST HAS AN ASTERISK,
SECOND HAS AN X, THE THIRD AND FOURTH CONTAIN SLASHES]
Her rightmost wound heals first. Since it’s a bashing wound, she clears it after 15 minutes. After
another 15 minutes, her second bashing wound clears. Her lethal damage then heals over the
course of the next two days. Finally, her aggravated wound heals over the course of the next
week. In all, it takes a little over a week and two days for her to recover from her injuries.
Medical Care
Characters can use the Medicine Skill to speed up healing.
• Action: Extended and simple
• Dice Pool: Dexterity + Medicine with a one-minute interval, for emergency treatment;
Intelligence + Medicine with a one-hour interval, for long-term hospital care.
• Benefits of Emergency Care: Requires total successes equal to total damage the patient
suffers. Successful treatment stops the character from bleeding out and heals one point of
bashing damage.
• Benefits of Long-Term Care: Successful treatment downgrades one point of aggravated
damage to lethal, or one point of lethal damage to bashing. Requires 10 total successes per
aggravated wound, 5 per lethal.
• Long-Term Care Limitations: Heals the leftmost injury first and can only downgrade
one wound per patient per day.

Sources of Harm
In addition to damage suffered in fights, characters face peril from a variety of sources. These are
just a few of them.
Disease
Becoming Remade is no protection against malady, and the rough lives they live can expose
Renegades to all manner of contagions.
Disease Basics
• Tilt: In action scenes, sick characters suffer the Sick Tilt (p. XX).
• Moderate Disease: Outside action scenes, moderate sickness might impose a –1 or –2
penalty on actions that require concentration or stamina.
• Grave Disease: Outside action scenes, grave diseases inflict a certain amount of damage
at specified time intervals, as determined by the Storyteller. The sick character’s player makes a
reflexive Stamina + Resolve roll to resist; success means no damage this time.
• Recovery: Most diseases simply run their course over a certain amount of time. Others
require a minimum number of successful resistance rolls, require medical intervention, or merely
go into periodic remission as determined by the Storyteller.
• Conditions: The Storyteller may represent short-term illnesses with Conditions and long-
term illnesses with Persistent Conditions, which earn players Beats whenever the illness causes
significant harm or inconvenience for the character.
Poison
Whether from a venomous Manticore or Devoted’s Variation or the drug-laced darts from a
Conspiracy agent’s gun, poison can lay even the hardiest Remade low.
Poison Basics
• Tilt: In action scenes, poisoned characters suffer the Poisoned Tilt (p. XX).
• Toxicity: Outside action scenes, the Storyteller assigns the poison a Toxicity rating. The
poisoned character suffers lethal damage equal to Toxicity. Mild poisons only inflict damage
once. More severe poisons may inflict damage every hour or even every turn for a period of time
determined by the Storyteller.
• Resistance: The poisoned character’s player rolls Stamina + Resolve − Toxicity every
time the poison inflicts damage. Each success cancels one point of damage.
Drugs
Some Deviants turn to alcohol or other drugs to push away the horrors they’ve survived.
Drug Basics
• Tilt: In action scenes, drugged characters suffer the Drugged Tilt (p. XX).
• Effects: Drugs can have a wide variety of effects, ranging from dice penalties to
imposing Conditions. Most drugs last for a scene, but some burn through a character’s system
more rapidly or linger for more time.
• Resistance: A drugged character can shake off the effects for an hour or scene (one turn,
in action scenes) by succeeding on a reflexive Stamina + Resolve roll, with a -1 to -3 penalty
based the potency of the drug (use -2 as the default).
Overdose
• Poison: Characters who overdose on drugs treat the drug like a poison, with a Toxicity
somewhere between 3 and 7. The drug inflicts damage once per hour.
• Duration: The overdose typically runs its course after (8 − Stamina) hours, though the
Storyteller may adjust that.
Electricity
Electric shocks inflict damage based on the strength of the current.
[BEGIN CHART]
Source Damage
Minor; wall socket 4B
Major; protective fence 6B
Severe; junction box 8B
Fatal; main line feed/subway rail 10B
[END CHART]
Electricity Basics
• Damage per Turn: Electricity inflicts damage every turn if the current is continuous.
• Breaking Away: Characters in contact with a continuous electrical current must succeed
on a reflexive Strength roll to pull away.
• No Armor: Worn armor provides no protection against electrocution.
Explosions
Whether it’s a Devoted’s grenade or fire catching a laboratory fuel tank, Renegades sometimes
find themselves caught by explosive blasts. Even if they aren’t hit by the flames and shrapnel,
the concussive force can send bodies flying and deafen bystanders.
Explosion Basics
An Explosion has four traits: the Damage of the blast, the blast area, the Force, and which Tilts it
inflicts.
• Damage and blast area: Represents the initial detonation. Anything and anyone within
up to twice the explosion’s blast area suffers levels of automatic damage (no attack roll is
required). At ground zero, touching the explosive or within reach of it, the damage is aggravated.
Within the blast area it’s lethal, and within twice the blast area (secondary blast area) it’s
bashing. Objects downgrade damage equal to their Durability (aggravated to lethal, lethal to
bashing, and cancelling bashing).
• Force: Represents the concussive force. As well as the automatic damage from the blast,
anyone hit by an explosion suffers additional damage. Roll Force as an attack dice pool. Defense
does not apply unless a power would grant Defense against Firearms. Mundane armor applies
half its ballistic rating and none of its general rating. Supernatural armor is applied fully. If the
attack is successful, add the explosive’s Damage rating as extra successes. The damage is
aggravated at ground zero, lethal within the blast area, and bashing within twice the blast area.
• Tilts: Nearly all explosions inflict the Deafened Tilt on anyone within twice the blast
area. Most also inflict the Knockdown and Stunned Tilts, and some inflict the Inferno Tilt.
Extreme Environments
The human body is not built to withstand extreme heat, cold, air pressure, and other harsh
weather. Extreme environments are rated with a level from 1 to 4, depending on the severity of
the environment. While characters are exposed to these conditions without a Variation or
equipment to protect them, they suffer the level of the environment as a dice penalty to all
actions. After a number of hours equal to the character’s Stamina, he takes bashing damage equal
to the environment’s level once per hour. In the case of a Level 3 exposure, the damage is lethal
instead of bashing. Level 4 environments cause lethal damage each turn after a number of turns
equal to the character’s Stamina.
Damage caused by extreme environments cannot heal until the character is back in a safe
environment.
Extreme Environment Basics
• Penalty: Characters suffer a penalty to all actions equal to the environment’s level.
• Level 1-3 Damage: After (Stamina) hours of exposure to level 1-3 environments,
characters suffer damage equal to the environment’s level for every hour. At levels 1-2, the
damage is bashing. At level 3, it’s lethal.
• Level 4 Damage: After (Stamina) turns of exposure to level 4 environments, characters
suffer 4 lethal damage every turn.
• No Healing: Characters cannot heal damage from extreme environments until they are no
longer in an extreme environment.
[BEGIN CHART]

Environment Levels
Level Example Environs
1 Light snow, heavy storms; too cold to sleep safely; air pressure causes shortness
of breath; sweltering sun can cause first-degree burns
2 Heavy snow; cold causes physical pain and potential hypothermia; sun quickly
causes first-degree burns, can cause second-degree burns with time
3 Desert exposure; heat rapidly causing second-degree burns
4 Desert sandstorm, severe hurricane, tornado, tsunami

[END CHART]
Falling
Deviants can find themselves leaping from great heights to avoid worse danger.
Falling Basics
• Damage: Falls of less than 30 yards/meters inflict one point of bashing damage per three
yards/meters fallen. Falls of 30 yards/meters or more inflict 10 lethal damage.
• Armor: At the Storyteller’s discretion, armor may reduce damage from falls of less than
30 yards/meters.
• Reduced Damage: If there’s a reasonable way for a character to slow her fall, she makes
a reflexive Dexterity + Athletics roll. Each success reduces damage from a fall of less than 30
yards/meters by one point.
• Soft Landing: Landing in water or snow, or on another soft surface, may automatically
reduce damage from falls of less than 30 yards/meters at the Storyteller’s discretion.
Fire
Fire automatically inflicts lethal damage per turn of exposure (no attack roll is required). The
damage inflicted depends on both the size and intensity of the flames.
[START TABLE]
Size of Fire Damage
Torch 1
Bonfire 2
Inferno 3
[END TABLE]
[START TABLE]
Heat of Fire Damage Modifier
Candle (first-degree burns) —
Torch (second-degree burns) +1
Bunsen burner (third-degree burns) +2
Chemical fire/molten metal +3
[END TABLE]
Fire Basics
• Combustion: Exposure to fire for longer than a turn ignites anything combustible on the
character; he continues to take full damage even after escaping the source of the flame.
• Firefighting: Fighting a fire typically requires an instant action but no roll. At the
Storyteller’s discretion, an action might immediately put out the fire (e.g. diving into water) or
reduce its size by one level (e.g. stop, drop, and roll).
• Armor: Most armor can block its general rating in fire damage automatically for a
number of turns equal to that rating.
• Uncontrolled Blaze: If an area containing flammable objects is set on fire, it may
acquire the Inferno Environmental Tilt (p. XX).

Acid
Strong acids and other highly corrosive chemicals automatically inflict lethal damage per turn of
exposure (no attack roll is required). The damage inflicted depends on the coverage and the
intensity of the chemical.
[START TABLE]
Coverage Damage
Splashed (<10% surface area) 1
Sprayed (<25% surface area) 2
Doused (<50% surface area) 3
Immersed (entire body) 4
[END TABLE]
[START TABLE]
Intensity Damage Modifier
Mild acid/base (dilute hydrochloric acid) —
Moderate acid/base (battery acid) +1
Strong acid/base (fuming nitric acid) +2
Super-acid or similar (fluorosulfuric acid) +3
[END TABLE]
Acid Basics
• Countermeasures: Neutralizing an acid requires an instant action but no roll. Flushing
the exposed area with water will neutralize a mild or moderate acid but has no effect on strong or
super-acids, which require a chemical neutralizer. At the Storyteller’s discretion, an action might
immediately neutralize the chemical’s effect (e.g. diving into water) or reduce its coverage or
intensity by one level (e.g. applying baking soda)
• Armor: Most armor can block its general rating in acid damage automatically for a
number of turns equal to that rating.
• Objects: Acid can deal Structure damage to objects, which halve their Durability
(rounded up) against this source of damage.
• Acid Attacks: Hurling or spraying corrosive chemicals at a target is usually a thrown
attack. A successful attack splashes the victim (1 damage + intensity), while an exceptional
success sprays the victim (2 damage + intensity). A dramatic failure instead exposes the attacker
(1 damage + intensity).
Radiation
Deviants can find themselves within a source of ionizing radiation or more otherworldly
energies. Some unfortunate Remade are radiation sources themselves.
• Intensity: The Storyteller assigns an Intensity value of 1 (X-Rays) to 5 (Ground Zero)
• Exposure: Each Intensity notes an interval of time. After intervals equal to Stamina, a
character exposed to radiation suffers bashing damage equal to Intensity every interval.
• Healing and Repeated Doses: Characters cannot heal radiation damage while still
exposed to the radiation. Characters who leave and return within the story track intervals as
though they had not left.
• Protection: Equipment designed to effectively shield human beings against radiation
adds its dice bonus to the character’s Stamina for determining how long its wearer can stay in a
contaminated environment.
[TABLE PLEASE]
Radiation Intensity
Intensity Interval Example
1 Weeks Examining a mildly radioactive object. X-Rays and other medical sources.
2 Days Examining a highly radioactive object. Most laboratory research sources.
3 Hours Visiting the area of a radiation leak after the fact
4 Minutes High-Energy sources. The inside of shielded experiments and reactors.
5 Turns Ground Zero
[END TABLE]

Teamwork
When two or more characters work together on a single action of any kind, one person takes the
lead. He’s the primary actor, and his player assembles his dice pool as normal. Anyone assisting
him is a secondary actor, and rolls the same pool before the primary actor does.
Secondary Actor Roll Results
Success: +1 die to the primary actor’s roll for each success earned, cumulative for each
secondary actor’s success.
Exceptional Success: As success.
Failure: Primary actor receives no bonus dice.
Dramatic Failure: As failure, and −4 dice to the primary actor’s roll, cumulative for each
secondary actor’s dramatic failure. Primary actor must continue.
The primary actor’s roll results are as normal for the action the group undertakes.
More participants don’t always mean better results, however. Every action has a point of
diminishing returns at which too many cooks are in the kitchen. This number usually ranges from
three to six, depending on the action, at the Storyteller’s discretion. Excess participants’ rolls
grant no bonuses to the primary actor’s pool, and may levy penalties instead at the Storyteller’s
discretion.

Objects
Objects such as lead pipes, walls, and cars have three traits: Durability, Size, and Structure.
Mostly, these relate to how easy the object is to destroy.
Object Traits
• Durability: How hard the object is to damage. Subtract Durability from any damage
inflicted on the object. Durability has no effect against attacks that inflict aggravated damage.
[BEGIN TABLE]
Durability Material
1 Wood, hard plastic, thick glass
2 Stone, aluminum
3 Steel, iron
+1 per reinforced layer
[END TABLE]
• Size: How large the object is. Objects smaller than Size 1 can fit entirely in a person’s
palm. See p. XX for more examples of objects and creatures of various Sizes.
• Structure: An object’s Structure equals its Durability + Size.
Damaging Objects
• Damage: Each point of damage removes a point of Structure. Objects do not differentiate
between bashing and lethal damage.
• Reduced Functionality: Once it’s taken more damage than its Durability, anyone using
the object suffers a −1 die penalty.
• Destruction: When an object’s Structure hits 0, it is destroyed.
• Repair: See p. XX for rules on how to repair damaged objects.
Equipment
Equipment, tools, and technology help to solve problems. Having the right tool for the job can
mean the difference between life and death — or in Deviant: The Renegades, the difference
between life and a fate worse than death. You can find a list of sample equipment in Appendix 2:
Equipment, starting on p. XX.
Equipment is divided up by the Skills it typically assists with. Mental equipment typically assists
with Mental Skills, for example.
Equipment Traits
• Availability: The minimum level of a relevant trait a character must have to acquire the
equipment with a single roll. Sufficient Resources nearly always obviates the need for a roll, but
as conspiracies tend to track it (see p. XX), Remade characters often use other Social Merits or
Skills (e.g. Larceny to steal it).
• Size, Durability, Structure: See above.
• Dice Bonus: The bonus the equipment adds to relevant actions.
• Effect: Any special rules that apply to using the equipment.
See p. XX for rules on how Deviant characters can build their own equipment.

Social Maneuvering
Most of the time, when a player’s character wants another character to do something, it can be
resolved in a single Social action. The Remade intimidates the bouncer, spins a convincing lie, or
gives a rousing speech. Sometimes, though, the character doing the persuading spends time
getting on the other character’s good side, gradually wearing them down until they do him favors
or undertake actions. When that’s the case, Social Maneuvering is the system to use.
In a Social maneuver, you start by stating your character’s goal. Once you and the Storyteller
agree that the goal is reasonable, you have to overcome the other person’s resistance by taking
actions that make them more likely to agree to your terms. Successful actions open Doors (as in,
“the door is open for further discussion,” not literal doors).
How often you can try to open Doors depends on the impression your character makes — the
more they like you, the more often you can try to sway them.

Social Maneuvering and Consent

We recommend reserving this system for use by player-controlled characters on
Storyteller characters rather than on other players’ characters. If one player’s
character wants to seduce, persuade, convince, or intimidate another, leave it up to
roleplaying and let players make their own decisions about what their characters
do.
Goals
When using Social maneuvering, the first step is to declare your character’s intended goal. This
is as simple as stating what you want the subject to do and how your character is going about
making it happen. You need only announce the initial stages, as the effort will likely occur over
multiple rolls, reflecting different actions.
At this point, the Storyteller determines whether the goal is reasonable. A character might, with
time and proper tactics, convince a rich person to give him a large sum of money. He probably
isn’t going to convince the wealthy individual to abandon all of his wealth to the character,
though it might be possible to get him to name the character as heir, at which point the character
can set about speeding up the inheritance process.
Doors
Once you’ve declared your character’s goal, the next step is to determine the scope of the
challenge. We represent this with “Doors,” which reflect a character’s resistance to coercion: her
social walls, skepticism, mistrust, or just hesitance toward intimacy. It’s abstract and means
different things in every given case.
Calculating Doors
• Starting Doors: The subject starts with Doors equal to the lower of their Resolve or
Composure.
• Breaking Point: If the stated goal would be a breaking point (p. XX) for the subject, and
the subject is aware of that fact, add two Doors.
• Aspiration: If the stated goal is in opposition to one of the subject’s Aspirations, and the
subject is aware of that fact, add one Door. If the goal would clearly help the subject achieve an
Aspiration, remove one Door.
• Virtue: If the stated goal is in opposition to the subject’s Virtue, and the subject is aware
of that fact, add one Door.
• Conviction and Loyalty: If the stated goal would cause the Remade to Falter, add Doors
equal Conviction or Loyalty (whichever applies). If it would clearly support Conviction or
Loyalty, remove Doors equal to half Conviction or Loyalty (as applicable), rounded up.
Touchstones also suffer an additional bonus or penalty when attempting social maneuvers
against the Deviant (p. XX).
• Adding Doors: If things change such that the Breaking Point, Aspiration, Virtue, or
Touchstone rules above apply during the Social maneuver, add Doors to the remaining total. If
your character goes back on her word during the maneuver, add two Doors.
Impression
The Storyteller sets the first impression based on any past history between the characters, the
circumstances of their meeting, the nature of the favor being asked (if the acting character is
asking right up front — sometimes it’s a better idea not to lead off with what you want!) and any
other factors she deems relevant. Most interactions default to an average impression, which
makes the maneuver a long, drawn-out process. Your character can take steps to improve that:
meeting the subject at their favorite restaurant, wearing their favorite perfume, and so on. The
Storyteller is the final arbiter of whether any particular action raises the impression level, but she
should be open to working with you to develop a plan.
Impression level determines how frequently you’re allowed to roll to open the subject’s Doors —
the more they like your character, the more often you can roll. If the impression is too hostile,
you might not be able to roll at all.
[BEGIN CHART: SHOULD BE ON THE SAME PAGE AS “IMPRESSION”]
Impression Time per Roll
Perfect One turn
Excellent One hour
Good One day
Average One week
Hostile Cannot roll
[END CHART]
Adjusting Impression
• Favorable Circumstances: A comfortable environment, appealing clothing, or similar
pleasant situations can raise a hostile impression to average, or an average impression to good.
• Actions: Success on an appropriate action, like a Wits + Socialize action to create the
ideal guest list for a party, can raise an average or good impression to excellent.
• Soft Leverage: A bribe, gift, or offer of service or payment raises the impression level
one step if the subject accepts the offer.
• Vice Leverage: An offer that indulges the subject’s Vice (or aligns with her
Touchstones, or equivalent trait) raises the impression level one step if the subject accepts the
offer.
Opening Doors
At each interval, you may make a roll to open Doors and move closer to your character’s goal.
The roll might be different each time, depending on the character’s tactics. Some of the rolls
might not even be Social. For example, if your character is trying to win someone’s favor, fixing
his computer with an Intelligence + Computer roll could open a Door.
As Storyteller, be creative in selecting dice pools. Change them up with each step to keep the
interactions dynamic. Similarly, consider contested and resisted rolls. Most resisted actions or
contested rolls use either Resolve or Composure, or a combination of the two, but don’t let that
stand as a limit. Contested rolls don’t necessarily require a Resistance trait. For example, Wits
might be used to notice a lie, Strength to help a character stand up to threats, or Presence to
protect and maintain one’s reputation at a soiree.

The total effect of Doors

You may have noticed that the Social Maneuvering system boils down to a way to
track the long-term shifts in difficulty to persuade a particular character to do a
 particular thing. That’s intentional, and it’s why if the character will never reoccur,
it’s often easier to just roll a Social instant action instead.

Roll Results
Success: Open one Door.
Exceptional Success: As success, and open an additional Door.
Failure: Open no Doors. Subsequent actions as part of the social maneuver suffer a cumulative
one-die penalty. The Storyteller may choose to lower the impression level by one step; if she
does so, take a Beat.
Dramatic Failure: The social maneuver fails utterly. No further rolls can be made. Any attempt
to achieve the same goal must start from scratch, likely with a worse impression.
Resolution
The outcome of a Social maneuver is either success or failure. Don’t confuse this with the
success or failure of any particular action that’s part of a Social maneuver; here we’re talking
about the whole thing.
Success
Once your character has opened all the Doors in her path, the subject must act. Storyteller
characters abide by the intended goal and follow through as stated. How they feel afterwards
might vary, but they will always do what you and the Storyteller agreed on.
Failure
A Social maneuvering attempt can fail utterly under the following circumstances:
• Dramatic Failure: The player rolls a dramatic failure on an attempt to open a Door.
• Deception: The target realizes the character is lying to him or manipulating him. This
does not apply if the target is aware the character is trying to talk him into something; only if he
feels betrayed or conned.
• Bad Impressions: The impression level reaches “hostile” and remains so for the rest of
the current story. The character can try again during the next story.

Player vs. Player Resolution

If you allow players’ characters to be the targets of Social maneuvering, resolve the
resolution stage as a negotiation with two possible outcomes. The subject chooses
to abide by the desired goal or offers a beneficial alternative.
Go with the Flow
If the character does as requested, and abides by the intended goal, his player takes
a Beat (p. XX).
Offer an Alternative
If the subject’s player chooses, he may offer an alternative that’s beneficial to the
initiator, and the initiator’s player can impose a Condition (p. XX) on his character
to reflect that alternative. This offer exists between players; it does not need to occur
 within the fiction of the game, though it can. The alternative must be truly beneficial
and not a twist of intent. The Storyteller adjudicates.
The initiator’s player chooses a Condition to impose on the subject. It must make
sense within the context of the scenario.

Investigation
When you want an investigation to play a large role in the tale, with entire scenes, chapters, or
even stories dedicated to a single mystery, you can use this system rather than boiling it down to
a single action. Characters uncover Clues they can use to benefit later actions the investigation
enables — for instance, learning the daily routine of a Progenitor.
Investigation Basics
• No Hard Answers: The Storyteller doesn’t need to come up with all the potential Clues
and answers ahead of time. Letting the players fill some of them in themselves as they succeed in
finding Clues gets them invested in the outcome and creates “a-ha!” moments. If players put
Clues together to reach conclusions that don’t match the outcome the Storyteller had in mind, she
can consider changing it to match.
• No Binary Rolls: Failing to find information crucial to the characters’ progress when
players fail rolls only slows the game down to no satisfying end. Instead, the Storyteller should
raise the stakes or introduce complications when a roll fails. Failure doesn’t mean the players
didn’t find a Clue — instead, it means they miss out on extra benefits success would have
afforded them and must adjust to new challenges.
• Frame the Action: The Storyteller can intersperse Clue-finding actions with other events
in the story to keep the momentum going and give players opportunity to choose which set of
heightening stakes to address first.
• Clues: Clues are a specialized type of equipment that represent objects, facts, and
deductions. They have elements that players can spend for benefits, either to solve a particular
mystery or to stockpile for other uses: leverage in Social maneuvering, proof that someone is
entangled in the Web of Pain, etc.
Scope
First, the players declare a goal to accomplish via investigation. Decide how many total Clues
the characters need to uncover to achieve their goal. For smaller-scope investigations, this
usually falls between one and five Clues. For broad investigations spread out across the
chronicle, the total should equal at least half the number of planned chapters, and can range up to
twice the number of planned chapters in a strongly investigation-focused chronicle.
Interval
Each roll to find a Clue is an instant action, but takes some amount of time based on the kind of
action the players take. The Storyteller can add challenges and obstacles to these attempts to turn
simple die rolls into interesting scenes of their own. If they perform particularly well in these
efforts, the Storyteller can offer bonuses to the roll to uncover the Clue.
Uncovering Clues
Once the characters get where they need to be, they roll to uncover the Clue.
Action: Instant
Dice Pool: Varies. Players can use any pool that matches the action they take to uncover the
Clue. The Investigation Skill is appropriate to case a scene or search through files and evidence,
while other Mental Skills can be used to perform research, experiments, or autopsies. Social and
Physical Skills can also contribute, given an appropriate justification — such as asking around
for rumors of conspiracy activity or breaking into someone’s house to steal a keycard.
The pool suffers a cumulative one-die penalty each time the same Skill is used again in an
investigation. However, if characters use teamwork to uncover Clues, only the primary actor
suffers this penalty, and only his roll contributes to further such penalties in the same
investigation.
Roll Results
Success: Clue is uncovered, with one element plus one more if the character has 4 or more dots
or a Specialty in the relevant Skill; each Specialty or Skill can only contribute to extra elements
once per character per investigation.
Exceptional Success: As success, and the Clue gains one bonus element; character gains a
beneficial Condition.
Failure: Clue is uncovered but incomplete: Its elements may only be used to uncover other
Clues.
Dramatic Failure: Clue is uncovered but tainted. Each accumulated tainted Clue forces the
player to ignore one success rolled on any future actions pertaining to the investigation; these are
cumulative, and all apply to each such roll. The Storyteller may impose a negative Condition as
well.
Clue Elements
Players can spend Clue elements to add a one-die bonus per element to any roll pertaining to the
investigation, including but not limited to rolls to uncover more Clues. A player can only spend
elements from one Clue at a time, or Clues equal to her character’s Investigation dots, whichever
is higher. She may spend any number of elements at a time from a single Clue.
Elements from tainted Clues impose a two-die penalty when spent instead of a bonus; however,
this is the only way to get rid of tainted Clues, since once all its elements are spent, it sheds its
tainted nature.
Uncovering the Truth
Players don’t need to roll to put their Clues together once the investigation is over. Once they
accumulate the requisite number of Clues specified by the investigation’s scope, the characters
learn the truth.
Players may choose to uncover the truth before they’ve accumulated enough Clues, as long as
they have at least one that isn’t tainted. If they do, they still learn the truth, but the Storyteller
introduces one major complication per Clue they fall short.

Chases
A Renegade can often find herself fleeing from agents of the conspiracy, or chasing down her
targets herself. In most action scenes, a character’s Speed trait determines how much she can
move. This means that generally, you can figure out who is faster without dice. The following
rules let you turn the chase into the focus of the scene instead, adding excitement and drama.
Chase Basics
• Set the Terms: By default, each party requires five total successes to prevail. Apply
modifiers to this total as follows.
[BEGIN CHART]
Circumstance Modifier
Opponent’s Speed is higher than yours +1
Opponent’s Speed is twice yours +3
Opponent’s Speed is at least 10 times yours +5
Initiative modifier is higher than opponent’s −1
Initiative modifier is twice the opponent’s −2
Initiative modifier is at least three times the opponent’s −3
Your character knows the territory somewhat −1
Your character knows the territory intimately −3
Your Size is lower than your opponent’s −1
Opponent immune to fatigue +2
Actively dangerous environment +1 to +3, Storyteller’s discretion
Opponent starts with one turn lead +1
Opponent starts with at least two turns’ lead +2
[END CHART]
• Determine the Edge: Whoever has better manipulated the environment, terrain, and
circumstances to his advantage based on the ever-changing situation gains the Edge, not counting
circumstances listed above to modify required successes. If the character with the Edge isn’t
obvious, make a contested roll for each involved character using a relevant pool determined by
the player, with Storyteller permission. Relevant Skills could include Athletics, Streetwise,
Survival, etc. If the context of the scene changes significantly, re-determine who has the Edge.
• Turns: Each turn represents roughly 30 seconds to a minute of chase time. The character
with the Edge rolls first. If she accumulates the requisite total successes before others have a
chance to roll, she wins immediately.

Optional Rule: Seizing the Edge

In Deviant: The Renegades, characters may contend with foes who outclass them
in sheer physical power, speed, or supernatural advantages. Introduce this optional
rule if you want a chase to favor the underdog.
 After the side with the Edge determines the dice pool for the turn, each side predicts
how many successes they will roll that turn. Write down these predictions and don’t
show them to anyone. After each roll, uncover that party’s prediction. The first
person to correctly guess how many successes they would roll gains the Edge for
the next turn, regardless of contested rolls or circumstances.

Pursuit and Evasion

Both pursuit and evasion use the same chase action.
Action: Instant
Dice Pool: Determined each turn by the side with the Edge, based on the current situation. You
can use a different pool, but unless you have the Edge, you lose the 10-again quality on your roll
and suffer a cumulative one-die penalty that increases each turn you don’t have the Edge and use
the wrong pool. These turns don’t have to be consecutive.
Roll Results
Success: You overcome the immediate challenge and make headway. Add rolled successes to
your running total.
Exceptional Success: As success, and inflict the turn’s terms of failure upon your opponent
regardless of his roll.
Failure: Determined each turn by the side with the Edge, before dice are rolled. Choose from
among the following: lose one accumulated success from your total, suffer two points of bashing
damage or one point of lethal, or suffer an appropriate Tilt.
Dramatic Failure: As failure, and the Storyteller may impose a negative Condition as well.
Other Kinds of Chases
The chase system may also be used to represent other kinds of contests that fall outside the
immediate timing of an action scene, such as tracking a Devoted back to his base of operations
through a city, or as an alternative to the Social maneuvering system (p. XX) to finesse another
character into a particular position or behavior.

Building Equipment
With the conspiracies watching for economic activity and other obvious paper trails, Renegades
needing specialized equipment they can’t gain through borrowing, blackmail, or theft are
sometimes forced (or prefer) to make it themselves. If it would offer a bonus to an action, or
would make actions possible that were previously not, it can be considered “equipment,” and you
can build it.
Equipment Types
• Physical Objects: the most common type. Items listed in Appendix One (p. XX) are
physical objects, as are weapons and armor. Creative works also fall into this category.
• Organizations: small groups of people assembled to address a particular need, like a
cadre of bodyguards or research assistants. Organizations built as equipment disband after one
chapter unless purchased as Merits afterward.
• Repositories: collections of research materials and information sources on a particular
topic, like a library of books, a database, or an assortment of security footage. This reflects
gathering materials for repeated future use, not benefiting from an existing source.
• Plans: abstracted plans that orchestrate complex encounters with specific goals involving
multiple people, like heists or rescues. A plan grants its bonus to all participants, but ceases to
exist when the endeavor succeeds or definitively fails.
• Mystical Equipment: anything that carries minor supernatural potency, such as a circle
of protection using salt and bone.
Build Equipment Basics
• Scope: Build Equipment actions never take longer than the time between one scene and
the next. If it can’t reasonably be built in a few hours or less, the character needs to acquire it
another way.
• When to Roll: If the character has plenty of time, isn’t under any duress, and has dots in
the relevant Skill equal to the equipment bonus a standard example would provide, don’t roll. If
the character is under pressure or in danger, roll. Likewise, if she’s trying to build something
beyond her casual expertise — i.e., something with an equipment bonus greater than her dots in
the relevant Skill, something with higher traits than the standard example, or something the
Storyteller determines is too complex — roll.
• Built-In Penalty: The roll always suffers a penalty equal to the intended equipment
bonus. Each other intended benefit, like a new function, an increased trait, or access to a
resource, counts as a one-die bonus for this purpose, as well as to determine whether to roll in the
first place. Weapons impose a penalty equal to their weapon modifier; armor imposes a penalty
equal to its highest armor rating (general or ballistic). Penalties can’t exceed −5.
• Requirements: The Storyteller may require the use of Resources, Contacts, or other
Merits, or a separate research action, to reflect extra effort necessary before you can roll. This
should only apply to enhance the drama of the story or introduce interesting plot elements to the
action.
• Time: ranges from a few minutes to a few hours, but the important factors are whether
you finish before something else happens, and what else happens in the meantime.
During an action scene, a Build Equipment action takes a number of turns equal to the built-in
penalty; the Storyteller may rule that something can’t be built during an action scene.
Build Equipment Action
Action: Instant
Dice Pool: Determined by the type of equipment. Wits + Crafts for physical objects, or Wits +
Expression for creative works; Presence or Manipulation + Socialize or Streetwise for
organizations; Intelligence + Academics for repositories; Wits + Occult for mystical equipment;
Wits + Composure for plans. The Storyteller or player can suggest alternatives if appropriate.
Roll Results
Success: You build the equipment.
Exceptional Success: As success, and add one equipment bonus die or other benefit; bonuses
still may not exceed +5.
Failure: You build the equipment, but it carries the Fragile (p. XX) or Volatile (p. XX)
Condition.
Dramatic Failure: You fail outright and suffer a consequence at the Storyteller’s discretion,
such as taking damage from an explosive reaction, suffering a Condition like Leveraged or
Embarrassing Secret, or leading a threat directly to your location.
Jury Rigging
Sometimes, a character needs to build equipment without time for preparation or even much
thought. Jury rigging always takes place in action scene timing.
Action: Instant; takes one turn
Dice Pool: Same as above. The Storyteller may rule that some equipment is too complex to be
Jury Rigged.
Roll Results
Success: You build the equipment, but it carries the Fragile (p. XX) or Volatile (p. XX)
Condition.
Exceptional Success: You build the equipment.
Failure: As dramatic failure on the Build Equipment action.
Dramatic Failure: As dramatic failure on the Build Equipment action.
Repair, Modifications, and Upgrades
A character may want to fix or alter a piece of equipment that already exists. These actions
usually only apply to physical objects, though exceptions are possible.
These rolls use the normal Build Equipment action, with the following exceptions:
Repair/Modification/Upgrade Basics
• Built-In Penalty: equals the difference between the object’s current state and the bonus
or benefits the player wants to add. Broken objects are considered to have an equipment bonus of
0. Partially functional objects may have a bonus only one or two dice lower than their usual
bonus. For instance, if a computer would normally grant a +2 to research rolls but won’t start and
is therefore currently at a 0, the roll to repair it would suffer a −2.
• Increased Traits/New Functions: treat each modification or upgrade as a +1 equivalent.
You can replace one function with another at no penalty — for instance, reversing the function
of a walkie talkie to cause interference instead of receiving signals.
Taking Your Time
You may build equipment as an extended action instead, taking no built-in penalty to any of the
rolls. Instead, the target number of required successes equals the total intended bonus and
benefits of the equipment +1. Typically, players do this to avoid taking large penalties for
complex equipment, or when they have small dice pools to begin with and don’t want to risk a
chance die. The Storyteller determines the time between rolls as usual. Overall success and
failure work as normal for the Build Equipment action.
The Storyteller may also allow a player to build equipment that normally lies beyond the scope
of this system, such as a car or a business, with an extended action. In this case, the time between
rolls and total successes required should match the effort involved. Building a car may take a
week between rolls and require 15 total successes, for example. Storytellers should keep in mind,
however, that it’s usually much easier to acquire such equipment in other ways, like stealing or
purchasing a car, or using Social maneuvering to convince a potential business partner to take the
bait. As a result, building this kind of equipment with extended actions should only be done if
the player really wants to make it from scratch.

Chapter Five: Antagonists

Bees will not work except in darkness; Thought will not work except in Silence:
Neither will Virtue work except in Secrecy
Maurice Maeterlinck, The Treasure of the Humble
Deviant: The Renegades is a storytelling game of fury and revenge against the people
responsible for destroying their lives. All Remade are pursued by conspiracies, both those
responsible for their transformation and those that wish to use their new nature to further their
own agendas.

The Ones Responsible: Conspiracies

The Remade in their multitude of unique forms all have one thing in common — they’ve been
used as a tool. Conspiracies need resources and the Remade are simply the grist to achieve them.
To organizations devoted to high-minded goals pursued with a religious zeal, a few sacrifices are
worth the end results. The Remade rarely see eye to eye with their tormentors or whatever
pseudo-scientific quackery they peddle.
Look anywhere, and just below the surface of society, a conspiracy could exist. Flourishing in
secrecy and darkness, they’ve grown plentiful off the growth of modern bureaucracy, lax
oversight, and societal ignorance. Their goals are as varied as the cruelties they’ve inflicted on
their subjects. Some conspiracies are simply the profit seeking activities of corporations that
know this activity is a bridge too far, if discovered by the public. Others are enclaves of spurned
academics looking to prove theories so outlandish it’s a stretch to claim them as pseudo-
scientific quackery.
Dynamic Solutions has found the new future of electronic war within the seething grey matter of
combatants. As soon as they retrieve their first run prototypes they’ll be unveiling the project to
the highest bidder. Inside a tech giant the Moderation Team’s algorithm has been running
perfectly — every alpha test subject they’ve run it on has shown a 23% growth rate in
harmonious societal behavior. The Lemure Study Group has a stone, and every third week it
speaks a new surgical procedure. As long as they feed it the medical waste, their patient survives.
The “ancient” matriculation rites of the Fraternity of Saturn require a ragged apostle, but nothing
so mundane as a homeless vagrant will do anymore, not if they want to get anywhere in life.
The only true, universal facts of conspiracies are their willingness to destroy individuals’ lives to
achieve their goals and their fear of being discovered. Not every desire for privacy is the same.
Some conspiracies are organs of larger organizations, like governments or corporations, that
know their actions are a step too far in the minds of the populace, while others seek control,
knowing the secrets they wield would be reproduced without them if they were ever let into the
light.
The Web of Pain Chronicle
Behind every locked door and in every encrypted file are hints of something deeper. No matter
who is killed or what files are destroyed there are always clues of more connections to the
conspiracy. When a Deviant finally destroys a conspiracy, they discover, much to their horror,
that this organization is only one of many groups bound together in the Web of Pain. For
conspiracies, the sort that traffic in the unnatural and inhuman means establishing connections
with others who do likewise. While these are occasionally relationships of loyalty or mutual
admiration, many conspiracies look at other organizations as ignorant charlatans competing for
resources they need.
The Web of Pain ensures that the pursuit of revenge is never entirely over. Behind every hurt are
a thousand more. Behind every perpetrator are a hundred equally deserving of retaliation.
Descending into the Web of Pain is traveling a road of scars. For some Renegades, it may be the
only path to finding balance. For most, it will ultimately lead to their dissolution.
Origins
Every conspiracy has an origin somewhere in society. While they may move beyond their
humble origins, the deepest roots of a conspiracy inform much of their philosophy and methods.
Government
It may begin with an off-the-books program the military never officially ended, or stem from a
bureaucratic accident leaving a high security posting operating in permanent blackout for the last
three generations. A minor bureau chief may find an object in the archives or a required survey
that turns into an object of extreme veneration. The perfected standards of structural safety code
might just naturally lead those eccentric employees in the field to found their own cult. Even
small municipal governments have many posts civilians are completely unaware of that could
someday birth a conspiracy. Governmental conspiracies, no matter their origin, can all rely on
one thing: the implicit authority that comes with saying that they’re with the government. Often,
conspiracies hiding within government institutes have connections to other agencies who, even if
totally unaware of the conspiracy, are still obligated to respect bureaucratic protocol. Thus, even
a conspiracy with no expertise in a field can easily find someone who does.
Corporate
A corporate conspiracy may be a small portion of a larger corporate group or an entire
corporation secretively engaging in illicit experiments to enrich themselves. Conspiracies exist in
every field of production, from contractors doing cleanup for others to high finance managing.
With the infinite novelty of capitalism comes a horrific market ecosystem for conspiracies. No
two corporate conspiracies approach their take on Divergence the same way, and while many
may have started as groups driven by the bottom line, that can radically alter as they establish
themselves. Some conspiracies, founded as research efforts trying to understand the full
possibilities of a medical breakthrough, transform into a zealous association of augmentation
obsessives. Others attempt to cover up an unfortunate side effect of creating cutting edge alloys
from a dimensional rift, but can’t help but think of the possibilities of making viable human
colonists for such a place. The resources of a corporate conspiracy depend highly on the size of
the corporation and how much sway they hold over the company. A rogue department may be
running on a shoestring budget trying to fund their own hidden activities with their intended
purpose. By contrast, a corporation entirely devoted to a conspiracy has more money than sense
to throw at whatever problems come their way.
Cult
Many conspiracies have aspects of a religion, but a cult conspiracy was a religion before it ever
entered the Web of Pain. It may have even once been part of a larger ordained religion or it may
have been a new religious movement. Some cults become conspiracies by invoking or trafficking
with alien or godlike beings discovered by their members. Other cults, due to their isolationist
practices, stumble on the remains of old conspiracies, something they can use to make the
faithful stronger and better. Some are simply in the wrong place at the right time, their secret
knowledge a matter of coincidence rather than piety. Religious conspiracies are less connected to
the rest of the world than other groups in the Web of Pain. With some glaring exceptions, a cult
conspiracy relies more on its community of faith than easy access to the wealth of a national
government or corporate finance. Their strengths lie in the community of faith, both their service
and also a testament to the cult’s ability to present themselves as charismatic diplomats.
High Society
The saying goes that idle hands are the devil’s playthings, and few are less occupied then the
upper echelons of society. Conspiracies that take root in high society may be the result of
boundary pushing hedonism or directly responsible for a family existing in high society at all.
Every old money family has to start somewhere, and not all of them can claim to be descended
from kings and landed gentry. A high society conspiracy may start as innocently as being the
patron of a researcher as an object of curiosity and amusement or start as violently as covering
up the death of a gated community’s favored son. Conspiracies operating in high society don’t
operate by the same rules as other people — most think of consequence as something to be faced
by others. Whether they were born to the way of life or clawed their way up to it, the conspiracy
members have been promised success by any means necessary.
Criminal
A conspiracy from criminal origins has never been on the right side of the law. For the
conspiracy, working behind covers and in coded language has always just been business as usual.
The only difference is now they’re trading human body parts with an antediluvian entity for
relics dredged up from an endless pit. While some of the problems remain the same for criminal
conspiracies, especially when it comes to law enforcement, they suddenly have very new ways of
dealing with them — allies willing to disappear any problem for insight into their secrets and
fascinating toys that break the old game of cops and robbers. What criminal conspiracies lack in
legitimate power to abuse they make up for in practical know-how and sometimes more relaxed
ethical rubric then people coming from “legitimate” society.
Motivations
Conspiracies are human institutions, and so they share the diverse motivations of the people who
share membership in them.
Some seek knowledge, either for its own sake or because of its potential to benefit humanity —
or so they tell anyone who will listen. Their curiosity invariably leads them to secret and
forbidden lore, propelling them to inhuman acts. For them, triggering the Divergence and
subjecting Deviants to invasive study are unfortunate and necessary sacrifices made in the name
of progress.
Other conspiracies are driven by the dynamics of power — whether political, financial, military,
or religious. They might seek to maintain the status quo or abolish it, to elevate themselves or
merely overthrow those who currently sit on the throne. The power they seek might be one they
once had but lost, or they may be new entrants in the great games. Without exception, they
believe themselves natural arbiters of who should have power and how it should be used. Such
conspiracies permit themselves to create or recruit Remade (forcibly, if necessary), and they
expect the Broken to obey them without question.
A handful of conspiracies begin with good intentions. Their founders took in runaway Deviants
and hid them from abusive Progenitors. Or they invited Remade to use their remarkable abilities
to do some good in the world, offering fair wages and at-will employment. Most do not last long,
quickly running afoul of conspiracies that do not hesitate to use blackmail, abduction, or murder
to destroy their rivals and claim the Broken who were under their protection. Those that hope to
survive need to get tough, to overcome their reluctance to resort to underhanded or violent means
of furthering themselves. In consequence, even the most benign conspiracy invariably provides
safe havens to a few bullies, sadists, or killers who are willing or eager to bloody their hands in
furtherance of the conspiracy’s goals.
By far the most common motivation is control. Everyone experiences the supernatural at least
once in their lives. This encounter strips away all pretense that the world works as advertised and
leaves behind deep feelings of helplessness. Although many work to forget, not all walk away
completely. Some seek out the creatures and powers lurking in the shadows, first to understand,
and then to command. For such conspiracies, the Remade are the weapons they forge to defend
against, defeat, and ultimately eradicate the monsters that hide in the world. Although many
profess to do so on the behalf of all of humanity, most settle for merely protecting themselves.
Methodologies
Each Deviant is unique, and each conspiracy that manages to unlock the secrets of Divergence
attains it through its own methods. However, patterns emerge.
Many attempt to augment human beings with technological components, replacing soft flesh
with designer plastics and biocompatible metals. Others use technology to try to cheat death with
solid state computing bricks to take over for the human nervous system that they’ve helpfully
shut down. The use of technology is not limited simply to invasive surgery and prosthesis. A
conspiracy may simply need test subjects for their matter transmitter or to see what exactly the
side effects of supra dimensional radiation are. Others still have a variety of therapies, surgeries,
procedures, drugs, tinctures, and infusions that are ready for living human flesh.
At the other end of the spectrum are conspiracies that need a vessel for occult biology, energy, or
relics, someone who can hold something, either literally or metaphysically. They create Deviants
with rituals, artifacts, and a slapdash occult method designed more to the conspiracy’s goals than
as a functioning world view. They implant the eggs of things that live outside the world in the
brains of victims and invite lemures into the ragged shadows of unwitting volunteers. Their
created Deviants are the unfortunate side effect of attempting true substantiation of otherworldly
allies and objects of worship alike. The human body is simply the gate through which the true
divine was supposed to pass, not be arrested like so much ancient plumbing.
Then there are the conspiracies that have by coincidence or design located the cracks in the walls
of the world. Designers of cognitive behavioral therapy that regresses a human being physically
to an animal form, unwritten fictions that play out in their readers’ heads as alternative lives, a
one-time telephone call with the creator — their creator —spelling out their destiny as plain as a
straight line. These are the works of visionaries and monsters alike, which seem to have little
grounding in either scientific fact or the magics of the world. They are simply oddities which
leave their heavy mark on anything that touches them, inexplicable and esoteric even to those
that wield them.
Some conspiracies are scavengers, incapable of causing Divergence in victims, or unwilling to
do so. These go out of their way to recruit from other groups in the Web of Pain, whether by
subterfuge, force, or contractual agreement. Some cast themselves as charities or as enemies of
Progenerative conspiracies with whom they secretly have an ongoing, mutually beneficial
relationship, redirecting the destructive energy of Renegades into more constructive projects as
Devoted, reinforcing the Web of Pain. Others are obsessive collectors of inexplicable
phenomena.
Dependencies
No conspiracy can truly stand entirely on its own. Organizations form dependencies on each
other in the Web of Pain, dependent on others to assist them and feed desires the nascent
conspiracies can’t reliably get on their own. Most conspiratorial alliances form over a simple
need for resources. A fresh supply of cadavers does not grow on trees, but a mafia-owned
crematorium is more than willing to supply them. This is especially true for conspiracies whose
obsessions intersect in novel ways, coming to agreements to aid each other through material
exchanges. These ties allow groups that would normally risk their safety to gain materials to
instead trade within the Web of Pain. A government conspiracy, while fully capable of gaining
access to signals intelligence, might find it difficult to justify their attempts to move a ton of
phosphorous across the country — but a corporate conspiracy has no problem doing that as a
favor.
Safety is not always a given in the shadows. Conspiracies hide themselves to avoid reprisal and
judgement from the outside world for their actions, but this survival strategy makes them
vulnerable to other things that lurk there. Beyond vengeful creations, many conspiracies have
good reason to fear other members of the Web of Pain. What may seem perfectly harmless to one
organization another might regard as heresy. All it takes is a few of these crisis points to make
one overzealous conspiracy take a swing at another. Similarly, more successful organizations
win the enmity of jealous rivals. Strong alliances discourage outright war between rival
conspiracies, forcing them to engage in diplomacy or, at worst, espionage.
More than anything, conspiracies look for kindred groups that comprehend their drives and
philosophies. Of course, the concepts kinship can form over can be troubling, ranging from
fraudulent psychological disciplines to similar ghoulish political leanings. Conspiracies often tie
themselves to ideologically aligned groups even if they’re not necessarily to their advantage. To
seek community is human, and conspiracies, despite the brutalities they inflict on others, are
ultimately human groups. Academics in the Web of Pain still desire the praise and insight of
peers, religious leaders seek commonalities in disparate faiths, and laypeople still look for others
who understand their reasons for harvesting the dead for a living.

Conspiracy Traits
In Deviant: The Renegades, conspiracies as organizations play a large role in pursuing the
Remade, not just as individual agents but also an organization wielding wealth and influence to
bring home their prodigal creations. In game terms, each conspiracy has Traits like a character.
Standing
All conspiracies have an advantage called Standing which is representative of the material and
supernatural power of those subordinate to the conspiracy’s leadership, as well as their
prominence within the Web of Pain. As Standing increases, the conspiracy wields greater power
to achieve its goals, including bringing Renegades to heel.
Standing ranges from 1 to 10 dots. Those rare conspiracies with more than five dots of Standing
are difficult to discover and dangerous when threatened. They have far more resources to burn
through to cover up a problem and have almost always progressed further in their own
mysterious goals.
Standing determines the starting number of Nodes (areas of influence) and Icons (special
capabilities) a conspiracy has, as well as the number of Attribute dots it has, its maximum rating
in its Attributes, and the number of conspiracy actions it can take each chapter. A conspiracy
can increase its Attributes and numbers of Nodes and Icons by completing Projects through
downtime actions.

Standing and Scale

Standing often indicates how large and powerful a conspiracy is, as well as how far
its reach extends beyond its base of operations. As a general rule:
Standing 1-2: Locally influential or regional but diffuse.
Standing 3-5: Regionally influential, or global but diffuse, or local but ubiquitous.
Standing 6-8: Globally influential, or regional but ubiquitous, or having a small
presence in otherworldly places.
Standing 9-10: Global and ubiquitous or influential in otherworldly places.

TABLE
Standing Base Nodes* Conspiracy Icons Base Attribute Points* Trait
Maximum Conspiracy Actions
1 3 1 8 5 1
2 5 1 10 5 1
3 7 2 12 7 2
4 9 2 14 7 2
5 11 3 16 9 3
6 13 3 18 9 3
7 15 4 20 12 4
8 17 4 22 12 4
9 18 5 24 15 5
10 21 5 26 15 5
* For each additional member of the cohort beyond the first who is pursued by the same
conspiracy, increase the number of Attribute points by 2 and the number of Nodes by 1.
[END TABLE]
Nodes
Conspiracies can range in size from a few individual researchers to government entities
employing thousands. This is represented by the conspiracy’s Nodes, which are the specific
capabilities and organizations that make up the conspiracy. Nodes are further divided by their
function within the conspiracy into four categories: Hierarchical, Temporal, Exploitative, and
Structural. The various Nodes of a conspiracy are connected by Linchpins, the individual
character who represents the authority and effectiveness of their respective Nodes.
Hierarchical Nodes are the beating heart at the center of the conspiracy and include some of the
most secretive members. These Nodes are the central nervous system of the organization,
keeping their subordinate Nodes running according to conspiracy principles and choosing the
best course of action for their future. The Linchpins of Hierarchical Nodes are the face of the
Remade’s suffering: charismatic CEOs, zealous demagogues, shadowy boards of directors, or
even Devoted who have taken the conspiracy for their own.
Temporal Nodes are the conspiracy’s material holdings and power in the world. These temporal
holdings can be as varied as the conspiracy’s themselves, such as ownership of all local news
media, extreme financial wealth, trained combat personnel, or esoteric libraries. Linchpins of
temporal Nodes could be Devoted, hunters of the most dangerous game, demagogue politicians,
or publicly loathed financiers.
Exploitative Nodes are a conspiracy’s ability to exploit and derive resources from the wider
world. These Nodes are representative of their resources for manipulating the outside world as
well as organizations that the conspiracy has sway in. This may be a ring of agents used for
corporate espionage, the surgical teams that process test subjects, a relentless legal team, sleeper
agents in law enforcement, or the blackmail held above a Deviant’s family that prevents them
from asking questions. Linchpins of exploitative Nodes may be the Progenitor responsible for the
Remade’s transformation, a barely controlled Feral infiltrator, a highly placed agent in law
enforcement, or the ritual master of the conspiracy.
Structural Nodes are the logistical portions of the conspiracy, responsible for keeping it
running. These Nodes represent the bureaucracy and diplomats that keep the conspiracy efficient
internally as well as externally connected to the Web of Pain. This may be the human resources
department of a corporation, crime scene cleaners, the accounting department performing
financial fraud in the conspiracy’s favor, underworld fixers that unite interested parties, a fleet of
unmarked black vans, or unpaid graduate students. Structural Linchpins may be the administrator
in charge of volunteer harvesting, a lead researcher for the conspiracy, a political officer
responsible for weeding out dissent, a zealous loyalist looking to please their keeper, or a young
ideologue responsible for internet recruiting.
Linchpin
Each Node has a Linchpin character who is the face for that part of the organization. Linchpins
can be leaders of their particular sections of the conspiracy, memorable characters, or even just
weak links in the conspiracy’s hierarchy. These may be targets the cohort has yet to discover or
some of the people the Renegades most vividly remember from their torturous time in captivity.
Icons
As conspiracies continue their experimentation into the unnatural and strange, they work
tirelessly to expand their power and influence. Some make breakthroughs or discover objects that
allow them to harness strange powers. Others use mundane means to wield undue influence over
the institutions and populations that surround their centers of power. Mechanically, an Icon
represents objects or individuals under the sway of the conspiracy that give them access to
unique abilities or powers. Each Icon is attached to a specific Node in the conspiracy, and if that
Node is destroyed or subverted the conspiracy loses access to that Icon.
Some examples of appropriate Icon abilities include:
• Harmonious Community Interaction Algorithm: Members of the Moderation Team
offer specialized management training to all members of the conspiracy, teaching them how to
direct the collective behavior of the common people. The conspiracy enjoys the 8-Again quality
on relevant Finesse rolls, and its members gain one dot in the Fast-Talking Merit.
• Unquestioning Populace: The people of Providence do not talk about the conspiracy for
fear of the Local Mafia. Attempts to interrogate witnesses regarding the conspiracy’s activity
within the city limits suffer a -2 penalty. The conspiracy’s next surveillance roll enjoys a +2
bonus after any chapter during which the characters attempted to research the conspiracy by
talking to local Baselines.
• Pillars of the Community: Members of the conspiracy’s Community Outreach Team are
active in local charities and other philanthropic endeavors — from fundraisers for first
responders, to priceless gifts to local museums, to college scholarships for local students. This
helps them appear to be good corporate citizens even during terrible scandals. Members of the
Node add one dot to their effective Status whenever their past philanthropy might influence their
audience. Once per chapter, as a conspiracy action, the Node can downgrade one point of lethal
damage to the conspiracy’s Association to bashing damage or heal a point of bashing damage.
• Mnemonic Therapy Chamber: Members of the conspiracy who work in the Dynamic
Problem-Solving Department benefit from a Scar-free version of the Precognition 2 Variation.
The Node’s chief researcher benefits from Precognition 3, instead.
• Stone Guardians: If these strange Devoted have a name other than the one given to them
by The Lumure Study Group, they have not yet found a way to express it to the conspiracy in
their quiet language of enamel scraping enamel. Increase the effective bond rating of any
Devoted associated with this Node by one step (Acquainted to Personal, or Personal to
Obsessive). If already Obsessive, add a further 1 Attribute point, 4 dots of Skills, and 2
Magnitude of Variations.
Attributes
Conspiracies use a simplified set of the Power, Finesse, and Resistance categories instead of the
usual nine Attributes.
Power describes the conspiracy’s ability to get things done by itself or in the shortest amount of
time possible. When a conspiracy uses Power, its actions are based on the Temporal Nodes that it
has available to it. When a conspiracy wants to start a manhunt, needs to make a breakthrough
and consequences be damned, wants a local ordinance passed now, or just needs somebody dead,
it’s utilizing Power.
Finesse describes the conspiracy’s ability to leverage resources at its disposal and others’. When
a conspiracy uses Finesse, its actions are based on the Exploitative Nodes that it has available to
it. When a conspiracy wants to manipulate others, synthesize the work of its researchers, or play
other conspiracies against each other, it’s utilizing Finesse.
Resistance describes the conspiracy’s resolve in their actions, loyalty, and willingness to do
whatever it takes to complete their goals. When a conspiracy uses Resistance, its actions are
based on the Structural Nodes that it has available to it. When a conspiracy needs to purge the
organization of whistleblowers, safely absorb new discoveries into their worldview, or perform
experiments far in excess of anything they’ve attempted before it’s utilizing Resistance.
Conspiracies begin with 8 dots of Attributes to place in Power, Finesse, and Resistance. They
then add bonus Attributes for Threat Response, gaining two dots for each Standing and two dots
for each additional player Deviant associated with the conspiracy. No Attribute can be raised
higher than the maximum rating for a conspiracy of its Standing. Each Attribute starts at zero
before dots are applied but must be raised to at least 1. Conspiracies do not have Skills, but also
don’t suffer unskilled penalties.
Conspiracy Actions
The amount of force a conspiracy can bring to bear on the Remade changes with its Standing.
Minor conspiracies are forced to focus on one or two avenues of retrieval, while influential ones
can make the Broken’s life a living hell. Mechanically, a conspiracy has a limited number of
conspiracy actions they may take against the Deviants in a chapter based on their Standing. This
trait also informs the number of downtime actions (p. XX) the conspiracy is able to take.
A conspiracy action creates a short-term narrative complication for the cohort. This could be
sending a capture or elimination team against the Deviants, but could just as easily involve
blackmail against their loved ones, psychological warfare, or exposing the Renegades to public
scrutiny. See page XX for more detail on the mechanics of conspiracy actions.
Anchors
Conspiracies have a Virtue and Vice, which represent the conflicting drives within the
organization. Virtues represent the defining attitude towards sacrifice to further their goals such
as Zealous or Remorseless. A conspiracy with the Virtue of Zealous follows the Principles of
their group, believing the benefits of the sacrifices far outstrip the harm. Vices represent what the
organization considers permissible indulgences in thought or action that could be actively
harmful to the conspiracy’s goals. Vices are often expressed as things like Truthful or
Compassionate. A conspiracy with Truthful is an open and sharing community that genuinely
believes in the conspiracy’s beliefs, and its members find it difficult to keep their work secret
from their loved ones — for good or ill.
Principles
Each conspiracy has three defining statements of founding philosophy called Principles, which
are the guiding mission statements of the conspiracy. All are long-term goals and are rarely
challenged as long as the conspiracy feels safe in its current status quo. Only aggressive action
by Renegades or rival conspiracies is likely to force the Principles into conflict. Familiarity with
a conspiracy’s Principles can provide the Broken with the leverage they need to fight it.
Characters may discover Principles through play and narrative. As the cohort begins to map and
dismantle the conspiracy, they gain an understanding of the desires and drives of their
tormentors. The Storyteller may choose to reveal Principles after the successful cooption or
destruction of a conspiracy’s Node.
Challenging Principles
Conspiracies are comfortable predators by nature, content to remain at the center of their webs of
influence, waiting to exploit, torture, and destroy those who stumble onto them. Both the
machinations of other conspiracies and the actions of Renegades in pursuit of revenge can
challenge the very Principles a conspiracy is founded on.
Each of the following can challenge a conspiracy’s Principles:
• Stress: The conspiracy begins a new action past their action limit.
• Loss: The opposition destroys a Node with accompanying major loss of human life or by
eliminating its Linchpin.
• Exposure: The conspiracy has been exposed to the larger world either through one of the
covert agents being weeded out or a former member of the organization blowing the whistle.
• Conflict: The conspiracy is brought into active war with another conspiracy in the Web
of Pain.
When a Principle is challenged it creates a crisis point within the conspiracy that is resolved as a
downtime action (p. XX).

Conspiracy Creation
At the beginning of a Deviant: The Renegades chronicle, every Remade cohort is being pursued
by at least one conspiracy. This section provides a step-by-step breakdown of the process, along
with guidelines for creating a conspiracy and their Web of Pain.
Note these are guidelines walk through the process of creating a single conspiracy. If a cohort is
being pursued by multiple conspiracies it will be necessary to go through the process several
times. Rules for running multiple conspiracies can be found on p. XX.
Step One: Concept
The first step to creating a conspiracy is to decide with the players what kind of organization
you’re creating. You probably have some idea of who the conspiracies are by the time you begin
this process. If the chronicle features an Invasive whose body is suffused with Bronze Age
analog computers, they probably came from a conspiracy who has some interest in ancient
technology. Are they doing this for occult purposes looking to make a mechanical oracle? Is the
conspiracy looking to advance their own cutting-edge cybernetics with ancient secrets lost to the
eons?
Consider also what role the conspiracy plays in the Web of Pain. If the chronicle features
multiple conspiracies with similar backgrounds, such as several conspiracies enmeshed in the
military industrial complex, this will create a very different dynamic then the unlikely union of
rogue surgeons, the military industrial complex, and a fraternal brotherhood of occultists. This
may be desired if the players want a game of conspiracies that see each other as fertile ground for
conquest the moment they’ve fixed the security risk posed by the Remade. Consider what each
conspiracy brings into the Web of Pain and if that’s the sort of story you want to create. Is the
chronicle about the unexpected alliances of the Web of Pain pitting the troupe against a truly
bewildering group of antagonists or focusing on the backbiting and cruelty of corporate
conspiracies? Speak with the troupe about what sort of group they’re looking to have their
vengeance against.
Alice is storytelling a short chronicle of Deviant: The Renegades for her friends Arran, Luke,
and Monika. Her friends have all decided for the time being the main conspiracy the story will
be focusing on is Luke’s corporate researchers, a profit-before-ethics company who has earned
itself a prominent place in the Web of Pain peddling the secret of Divergence to others. Monika
and Arran playing Amanda and Miguel have decided that, for the time being, their own
Progenitors have other projects to deal with, and are not pursuing the cohort. Besides, the
conspiracy really has it out for Arran’s character after he smashed up one of their labs. That is
already a strong concept, and Alice decides she’ll build that out into something suitably
intimidating. The name for the conspiracy comes to mind almost immediately: Omics
Enterprises, the sort of bland corporate naming that an unsuspecting person would forget almost
immediately.
Step Two: Standing and Determine Threat Response
At the start of the chronicle, each active conspiracy’s Standing ranges from 1 to 6, depending on
the threat level (p. XX). Conspiracies introduced later in the chronicle can have a Standing from
1 to 10, depending on the Standing of current conspiracies and the means by which they were
introduced (p. XX).
Conspiracies with multiple Renegades in their sights tend to be more potent and to have more
resources to bring to bear. If multiple Deviants are pursued by the same conspiracy, then for each
additional Deviant add two dots during Attribute allocation and one additional Node during
conspiracy creation.
Having worked through character creation with her friends already, Alice knows they’ve decided
to start at the Invasion threat level. Looking it up, Alice makes a note that the conspiracy will be
starting at Standing 4, and because there are two additional Deviants she’ll get four more
Attribute dots and two extra Nodes to play with. Her friends were looking for a challenge, and
Omics Enterprises is going to be scary enough to give them one.
TABLE
Threat Level Conspiracy Standing
Mutation 1
Hyperplasia 2
Dysplasia 3
Invasion 4
Metastasis 5
Metamorphosis 6
END TABLE
TABLE
Additional Deviants Additional Points Additional Nodes
1 2 1
2 4 2
3 6 3
4 8 4
END TABLE
Step Three: Principles and Anchors
Choose three Principles for the conspiracy. These are the foundational concepts that outline the
organization’s reason for existing. Principles at a glance give a summary of the sort of
organization the conspiracy is and further differentiate two separate conspiracies that otherwise
both are interested in genetic engineering and corporate profiteering. Additionally, at this step
choose a Virtue and a Vice for the conspiracy that are evocative of the individuals within the
conspiracy.
Choosing Principles and Anchors should be a collaborative process between the Storyteller and
players. These provide context for what makes the conspiracy tick and why it pursues the cohort.
They also give the Renegades a tool for hitting the enemy where it hurts most.
Luke’s background gives Alice an idea for the conspiracy’s first Principle: “Profit is a Reason
unto Itself,” which the rest of the troupe agrees on easily, knowing that the only thing that guides
Omics Enterprises is the largest return on their investment. The troupe considers what they know
about Omics and decide that the next two Principles will be “I Before Us” and “In with the
New.” The conspiracy is ruthlessly self-interested and also true neophiles, always looking to
improve themselves — just not ethically.
For Virtue and Vice, they consider what exactly counts as a Virtue for this group of people, but
decide on Diligent. Members of the conspiracy are willing to sacrifice by working hard and long
at their jobs to get ahead of the others in the office. For a Vice, they choose Selfish, which is fully
indulged by the corporate culture of the conspiracy but does make them rather vulnerable to
petty office politics that can have lethal consequences in the Web of Pain.
Step Four: Nodes and Linchpins
Nodes inform some of the most prominent tools and resources at hand for the conspiracy. Each
Node is defined as a physical location or a social organization that is either a component of the
conspiracy or secretly influenced by the conspiracy. Then, each Node is classified as a
Hierarchical, Temporal, Exploitative, or Structural Node, depending on its function within the
conspiracy. For more information on the Node classifications, see p. XX.
Each player whose character is connected to the conspiracy should have an opportunity to define
one of its Nodes (including Linchpin). This is a Node with which the character has had direct
contact, whether prior to his Divergence, soon after, or more recently (such as one he is currently
assessing as a potential target for his wrath). The Storyteller decides on the nature of any of the
other Nodes and their Linchpins.
Alice looks up the number of starting Nodes for a Standing 4 conspiracy and considers carefully
what sort of abilities a conspiracy like Omics Enterprises would have. She already knows that
Luke and Monika want to use the extra Nodes Amanda and Miguel bring to mark down
representatives from their respective Progenitors, and Arran determines that destroying one of
the conspiracies laboratories has made his character painfully aware of Omic’s new security
team (formed after Arran’s character’s break-in), so Alice has eight more to play with. Alice
decides first-off she must have a Node representing the conspiracy’s leadership, so she puts
Omics Board of Directors down right away. The researchers are the characters Lee personally
encountered, but the true individuals responsible for his suffering is Omic’s leadership.
Next, Alice decides the sort of things a malevolent science startup needs to be able to do. She
writes down two rival research labs, a PR department, and a corporate legal team. For the
Linchpins she notes down the two feuding scientists, both of whom would be happy to see the
other disappear, a security officer with a score to settle with Arran, the two-faced managing
director of Omic, and a corporate lawyer whose main job is blackmailing those who raise a fuss
about disappearances. She considers where else the conspiracy has its fingers and decides that
Lee was turned over by the cops for a reason. Alice writes down a corrupt local precinct that’s
getting citywide acclaim for their tough on crime stance, with a crooked station chief more than
happy to suggest some places to dispose of the unwanted. Deciding that Omics has a heavier
hand on the city then just the police, Alice also writes down the city council with a city counselor
Linchpin who is secretly sitting on the Omics’ board as a minor partner, the city’s records
department with a corrupt coroner who covers up mysterious deaths, and a hospital whose chief
administrator sees to the care and maintenance of Omnic’s Devoted. With only one Node left,
Alice decides that the conspiracy needs something a little stranger to emphasize their status in
the Web of Pain. For her final Node Alice writes down a Temporal Node she labels as the Urban
Renewal Efforts with the Linchpin of the Crawler. Lee has become an urban legend in the time
since he was released, but that doesn’t mean all the Needle Man stories are necessarily about
him. Alice decides the conspiracy managed to headhunt a Deviant from a much more powerful
conspiracy they’d prefer not to anger and have won its affection by allowing it free reign against
anyone they can’t threaten with town hall or a lawsuit.
Finally, Alice looks over her Nodes and assigns each of them a classification so she knows what
sorts of actions she can perform with them. It’s obvious to Alice that the board of the directors is
the Hierarchical Node of the conspiracy. Without them, the entire place breaks apart. She marks
down the security team, urban renewal, the legal team, and one of the labs as Temporal Nodes.
Next, she decides the city council, cops, records department, hospital, and other lab will all be
Exploitative Nodes. Alice considers making the PR team one as well but decides they’re a
Structural Node instead. After all, everyone already expects a big corporation to be a little
sleazy. The PR team isn’t for the benefit of the outside world but controlling the people already
inside Omic’s web. With all of that out of the way, she assigns her two bonus Structural Nodes as
connections to Amanda and Miguel’s conspiracies with Linchpins of underground sales
associates for the respective conspiracies.
Step Five: Icons
Each conspiracy begins with a number of Icons dependent on their Standing, each tied to one of
their Nodes. Before the chronicle begins, the Storyteller and players should work together to
create half the Icons (rounded up) with which the conspiracy begins, creating their own or using
the examples on p. XX. The Storyteller decides the nature of any remaining Icons.
Now that Alice has created her conspiracy, she decides on the Icons that feel appropriate to the
organization. Omics Enterprises gets two Icons at the beginning of the chronicle. Arran suggests
that Omics has just rolled out a new weapon suite for its security team. The troupe settles on
giving the Cutting Weaponry Lash (Deadly, Insidious [Stamina], Soporific) 2 Variation to
members of that Node. They’re not going let somebody smash up their labs without seeing the
power of genomics.
For the second Icon, Alice elevates the Crawler, attaching it to the Urban Renewal Efforts Node
and increasing its effective bond by two steps. The Crawler isn’t just a powerful Loyalist. He
also has a personal connection to Lee, seeing the Renegade as his rightful prey, so Alice builds
him as a Devoted with an Obsessive bond and grants him a further +1 Attribute dot, +4 Skill
dots, and +2 Magnitude of Variations. For the time being the conspiracy has the Crawler on a
short leash, but it’s only a matter of time before the powerful Remade make the conspiracy
desperate enough to let go.

Undefined Nodes, Linchpins, and Icons

While it can be useful for the Storyteller if she has all the details of a conspiracy
figured out before the chronicle begins, this isn’t a necessity. Especially when
dealing with large, high-Standing conspiracies, the Storyteller may choose to leave
one or several Nodes, Linchpins, and Icons undefined until such time as an
appropriate one presents itself.

Step Six: Attributes

Conspiracies begin with 8 dots of Attributes to place in Power, Finesse, and Resistance. They
then add bonus Attributes for Threat Response, gaining two dots for each Standing and two dots
for each additional player Deviant associated with the conspiracy.
Alice has 18 Attribute dots and considers the sort of organization that Omics Enterprise is. She
decides that, as a powerful research corporation, they’re going need to be well rounded in both
Finesse and Power but their Resistance might be lacking due to the conspiracy’s self-interested
office culture. She settles on Power and Finesse of seven with a Resistance of four.
Step Seven: Building the Web of Pain
The conspiracy gains a number of connections to other conspiracies equal to its number of
Structural Nodes. Additionally, the Storyteller may choose to give one direct connection between
the conspiracy’s Hierarchical Node and another conspiracy, indicating a deeply entrenched ally.
Alice looks at the conspiracy as it currently stands and makes note of the two conspiracies she
knows Omic Enterprises acts as an intermediary for. Then she considers if there is an external
connection between her last Structural Node and who it might lead to. After some consideration
Alice decides that Omic’s PR Manager has a connection with another smaller conspiracy, the
House of Mammon, which is looking to insinuate itself into Omic Enterprises and take it over
from the inside. That should provide some interesting fireworks if the Remade ever discover it.
Finally, she considers if the Hierarchical Node is subordinate to another conspiracy, but decides
that the board of directors is acting independently: the chronicle is already going to be wild
enough with three other conspiracies just waiting in the wings.
Playing with Multiple Conspiracies
Many Deviant: The Renegades chronicles will feature only a single conspiracy as the cohort’s
current antagonist. Although this conspiracy may have tenuous connections with other
conspiracies, the cohort will not need to deal with the rest of the Web of Pain directly until they
have dealt with their current enemies. Some chronicles, however, will include the machinations
of multiple conspiracies with some frequency, whether because the players’ characters were not
made by the same one or because the chronicle’s setting suggests multiple active conspiracies.
When running a chronicle with multiple conspiracies, the Storyteller should choose one to be the
focus of each story. A conspiracy in focus functions normally, while the other, inactive
conspiracies usually act in the background, busy are they are with concerns other than the
Renegades. Inactive conspiracies do not perform conspiracy actions during the chapter and only
generate one Effort during downtime.
The exception to this is when the focus of the current chapter is a war between two (or, more
rarely, more than two) conspiracies. In this case, each conspiracy is limited to a single conspiracy
action directed toward the cohort. The rest of their actions must be directed at maneuvering
against one another.

Temporal or Exploitative?
Sometimes the difference between Temporal and Exploitative Nodes can be hard
to decide, especially when it comes to armed mercenaries, which many Remade
discover conspiracies seem heavily invested in. A Temporal Node indicates the
mercenaries are part of the conspiracy, a corporate troubleshooting team that is
invested in the principles of the organization or at least the paycheck provided by
it. Dynamic Solution’s temporal Node of Dynamic Problem Solving represents
their own in-house PMC, a variety of veteran operatives who aren’t just employees,
they’re also customers. An Exploitative Node by comparison represents a well-
placed agent or sway within a group that allows the conspiracy to get others to do
the dirty work for them. For example, the Fraternity of Saturn’s exploitative Node
of Brother Allen Pond FBI representing the fraternity’s ability to place their quarry
on a variety of wanted lists and allow that agency to solve the problem for them.

[LAYOUT: THE FOLLOWING SECTION SHOULD BE A FULL PAGE SPREAD]

Optional Rule: Mapping the Conspiracy
Instead of keeping conspiracies as loose agglomerations of Nodes and abilities the troupe may
instead choose to track the individual portions of a conspiracy physically. During conspiracy
creation, the Storyteller chooses a basic structure for the conspiracy. Conspiracies act like a road
map, with Renegades only able to pick up leads on the “bottom” facing portion of the
conspiracy, the rest being too obscured from the world by cloak and dagger to be easily
investigated. However, insulated from the outside world, it becomes more difficult for a
conspiracy to use a Node for action. For every level of connection from the exterior of the map
the conspiracy takes a -1 penalty to use that Node for actions, but any attempt by the cohort to
research that Node suffers the same penalty. Under this rule each Node must be connected either
to a Structural Node or a Hierarchical Node as these are the glue that keep a conspiracy running
together. Some example forms conspiracies may take include:
• Hierarchical Pyramids: These organizations are stepped pyramids with the Hierarchical
Node at the top and branching layers of Nodes connected to several reliable Structural Nodes.
Conspiracies in this form have various tiers that may rarely interact with each other or even
understand what the level above them does with only the layers closest to the Hierarchical Node
understanding the true scope of the order.
• Alliances: This conspiracy is either one or two straight horizontal lines of interconnected
Nodes. By far the least communicative and least organized conspiracy type these are often cells
or loose confederacies of individual actors working together to keep each other safe in the Web
of Pain. A Hierarchical Node in this conspiracy represents either the founders that are keeping
the conspiracy on task or an overall “commander” that gives objectives for each cell to complete
at their own pace.
• Overseers: The conspiracy is a single Node in the center with a circle of Nodes ringing
it. The most overbearing conspiracies sometimes it’s not enough to delegate to others. These
conspiracies are the most vulnerable to losing their leadership and collapsing under their own
weight when that presence is gone, however this centralized organization makes them excellent
at interacting with the outside world. Sometimes larger forms of this conspiracy structure exist
with an inner circle of Nodes that protect the Hierarchical Node.
• Corporate Ladder: This conspiracy is one or two vertical lines with the Hierarchical
Node crowning it. This type of organization significantly distances the conspiracy’s leadership
from threats though it does significantly limit the resources that can be utilized at a given time to
solve the problem effectively.
[LAYOUT — END FULL PAGE SPREAD]

Using Conspiracies in Play

The following systems are used to model the actions of the conspiracy within the Web of Pain
and in its pursuit of Renegades over the course of the chronicle.
Conspiracy Actions
Inside their webs of power, a conspiracy knows that given time and patience, it will complete its
goals. The only things that stand in its way are the dual threats of discovery and the interference
posed by Renegades. Conspiracy actions describe the ways the conspiracy brings its power to
bear against the cohort to capture, control, or stop them in their tracks. Unlike downtime actions
(p. XX), these nearly all revolve around the players’ characters, seeking to affect them in some
way even if they are not the ones directly at risk.
A conspiracy may push itself past its available resources to achieve more aims. However, doing
so invites serious consequences. A conspiracy that begins a conspiracy action past its action
limit takes 1 lethal damage and causes a challenge to their Principles (p. XX).
All conspiracy actions are reliant on a surveillance roll which determines the overt response they
are able to muster against the deviants.
Step One: Surveillance
At the beginning of every chapter, the conspiracy rolls for surveillance to see if they’ve managed
to catch a hint of the player Remade in their dragnet. The actions of the characters during the
previous chapter modify this roll, particularly if they involve Overt Variations, Scars, or Merits.
Surveillance
Dice Pool: Conspiracy Standing + Highest-rated Overt Variation or Scar activated/manifested in
the previous chapter
Suggested Modifiers (total bonus/penalty cannot exceed +/-5): No Overt Variation/Scar used
during current story (-5). Abandoned Loyalty Touchstone known to the conspiracy (-3). Living
off the grid (-3). Homeless (-2). Recently changed residences (-1 for different building to -3 for
new city). False identity (-1 for false name to -3 for new body). Unemployed (-1). Own a
cellphone or car (+1). Recently harmed (+1) or destroyed (+3) a Node. Used an Overt Merit (+
half Merit dots of highest-rated Merit, rounded up, if one-time use; + full Merit dots if multiple
uses of Overt Merits). Connected through social media (+2). Used modern information
technology (+2). Had a steady job or bank account (+2). Checked into a hospital (+2). Rent an
apartment (+2). Own a house (+3). Recently arrested (+3) or escaped custody (+5). Created a
significant public scene involving Overt Variations/Scars (+3) or multiple such incidents (+5).
Action: Instant
Roll Results
Success: The conspiracy may take actions as normal against the cohort for the chapter.
Exceptional Success: The conspiracy’s first action this chapter does not count against their
maximum actions.
Failure: The conspiracy may only take actions against known accomplices and allies of the
cohort.
Dramatic Failure: The conspiracy may take no actions against the cohort or their allies, this
chapter.
Omics Enterprises is looking to reacquire their wayward creations, now that they’ve seen just
how effective those failed experiments can be when properly motivated. Their previous
surveillance actions have all failed. The Renegades have been very good at covering their tracks.
This chapter, however, Alice the Storyteller rolls four successes for the conspiracy’s
surveillance. They’ve caught scent of the trail.
Step Two: Threat Response
The conspiracy selects from its available Nodes the kind of intrusion it is attempting to throw
into the Deviants’ plans. A threat response must be logically drawn from the conspiracy’s
available resources and influences.
Alice looks over Omics Enterprises’ Nodes and decides they’re going to go through their
crooked law enforcement to deal with this problem. This is a job for subtlety and it draws much
less attention if their agents deal with the Remade rather than their own private security.

The Best Defense

Conspiracies are reactive by nature, and they do not have unlimited resources to
commit to threats. Each time one of the conspiracy’s Nodes, Linchpins, or Projects
 comes under attack by the Renegades, it counts as a conspiracy action. Attacking a
conspiracy’s concerns can therefore diminish its ability to pursue the cohort, and
can even force it into a crisis point by bringing its total number of conspiracy
actions above its safe limits.

Step Three: Establish the Structure

The Storyteller determines what complication the conspiracy seeks to visit upon the Renegades
and how it intended for it to play out. A conspiracy attempting physical violence may send their
armed enforcers to capture the cohort at their hideout, or maybe, having been tipped off about
their break-in at a laboratory, sent a team to ambush them there. Conspiracies looking to
influence allies of the Broken may send teams to pay off the erstwhile friends of a Deviant, or,
more radically, kidnap them for hypnotic programming.
Ask the big questions of what a confrontation scene is going to look like. If a conspiracy is
sending armed agents to face the cohort in broad daylight, consider what their goals are. Are they
planning on their agents utilizing violence or using threats against their unaware families to force
the Renegades to stand down?
After some consideration Alice decides that Omics has found hints of the neighborhood that the
Remade are laying low in. Deciding the best course of action is flushing the rabbits from the
brush, they tip off their owned officers and leave behind several bodies with conspicuous needle
wounds. The conspiracy is planning on the officers bursting in on the Renegades and either
taking them into custody or retrieving the bodies on the way to the city morgue.
Step Four: Create the Dice Pool
The Storyteller creates a dice pool based on the appropriate Attribute for the Node it is utilizing.
Conspiracy Action
Dice Pool: Attribute
Suggested Modifiers (total bonus/penalty cannot exceed +/-5): The Deviants are publicly
known and feared (+3). Action is led by a Linchpin (+2). The conspiracy is cooperating with
another organization (+1 to +3). Conspiracy has lost a Node or Linchpin this chapter (-1 to -3).
Utilized Node is infiltrated by another conspiracy (-2). Using an inappropriate Node for the
action (-2). Conspiracy is in revolt (-3).
Action: Instant
Roll Results
Success: The conspiracy creates the complication and sets the stakes for the outcome scene.
Exceptional Success: The conspiracy creates the complication and sets the stakes for the
outcome scene. The conspiracy learns of a new potential target for future conspiracy actions.
Failure: The conspiracy action occurs, but the Deviants’ players add a complication to the
confrontation.
Dramatic Failure: As a failure. Additionally, the cohort gains intelligence on the shape of the
conspiracy, learning of a Linchpin or Node location connected to the action.
Alice puts together her dice pool for Omics Enterprises attack. Because the Node is Exploitative
and Omics is just guiding another organization (albeit an armed one) to the Renegades, she
decides the Attribute should be Finesse, which is 7. Alice rolls five successes and takes note of
what an exceptional success means: not only is the conspiracy’s maneuver successful, but they
learn something about the Deviants’ lives from the action. Alice decides the police detectives
casing the block run a license plate for one of the Remade’s cars, only to find it belongs to Lee’s
sister. That’s going to cause problems in the future.
If Omics had failed the conspiracy action, then the player cohort would have had a chance to
modify the outcome of the action before resolving it.
Step Five: Determine the Warning
Each conspiracy action creates narrative indicators of the peril that is about to strike their
intended target. For Deviants with their ear to the ground this can be a vital warning of trouble
brewing in the short term. Even in secretive operations there are security leaks and accidents that
expose the truth.
After some consideration Alice says that even though the police have kept tight-lipped about the
discovered dead bodies, it has started trending on local social media, and especially about the
police department’s refusal to comment on them.
Step Six: Set the Stakes
The Storyteller determines the terms of the confrontation and what sort of action the conspiracy
had planned. The Storyteller may announce the parameters of the action to the players such as
violence, pursuit, diplomacy, infiltration, or theft. A conspiracy that is sending their trained
soldiers anticipates violence, while one that is pulling a false flag operation to place a Devoted
amongst the cohort is planning for there to be an infiltration. If the conspiracy failed in step four
then instead the targeted characters get to add a complication to the stakes. Some examples
include:
• The characters recognize an alternative way of resolving the confrontation. Such as
talking down armed goons or shooting unarmed diplomats.
• The cohort gets the drop on the action, ambushing the operatives.
• The Remade establish a rapport with a Devoted or had a previously undiscovered
connection with them, giving them much-needed intelligence on the conspiracy’s Nodes or
Projects.
• An infiltrator’s indoctrination is not as successful as originally believed, giving the cohort
the opportunity to make a powerful ally or at least do a good deed.
• Some aspect of the operation goes embarrassingly public, being covered by
commentators in a hard-to-silence area like national news media or online.
• Operation-critical materials are accidentally left behind or are exposed to an unintended
third party either sympathetic or completely unaware of the cohort.
Because Omics Enterprises rolled a success, Alice sets the stakes for the scene. She knows that
Omics would prefer the Renegades alive but will settle for dead if that’s what they can get. This
chapter, the cohort chose their Conviction over their own safety and ignored the warnings in
order to discover more of the shadowy conspiracy. Alice decides complication rears up when the
cohort has returned to their hideout to remove a bullet. She narrates the police getting the drop
on the exhausted cohort as they stumble back to their hiding place and makes it clear they’re in a
position where their options look like arrest or another vicious fight with armed detectives.
If the conspiracy had failed their roll then the Remade would have been able to add a
complication to the situation. They might consider making one of the detectives one originally
responsible for having gotten rid of Lee in the first place, but clearly shocked seeing what has
become of him. It could be the perfect opportunity for Lee to extract some payback, but it might
give him the leverage they need to talk their way out of this.
Step Seven: Resolve Action
The Storyteller introduces a scene based on the stakes and response, and the players’ characters
address the complication it represents.

Square Peg, Round Hole

A conspiracy that’s desperate may choose to take a conspiracy action with a Node
that is completely unsuited for a task. A Linchpin character for an Exploitative
Node in a hospital may find themselves required to assassinate a doctor they suspect
of aiding fugitive Deviants with a Power action. A Progenitor from a Temporal
Node may be tasked with inspiring his Manticore “children” into a killing fury with
a Resistance action. A keeper of a cult’s laws of a Structural Node may be put in
the position of shepherding the zombie enforcers loaned by another conspiracy with
a Power. When this happens the conspiracy action takes a -2 penalty.

Downtime Action
Unlike the individual Deviants who oppose them, a conspiracy has the luxury of being in more
than one place at once. While tracking down a Renegade that has escaped their clutches may
occupy some members of the conspiracy, others may continue the great work of the conspiracy:
expanding their influence, gaining more power, or shattering more lives in the name of progress.
As a chronicle develops, a conspiracy naturally grows more powerful and influential if it isn’t
stopped. Downtime actions reflect this constant process of self-improvement.
Anatomy of Downtime Actions
Downtime resolves according to the following steps.
Step 1: Plan Projects
The Storyteller determines any long-term plans that the conspiracy is pursuing, such as the
creation of new Icons, the pursuit of their own shadowy goals, or the subversion of the
Renegade’s allies to their own side of the war. If the conspiracy does not start a Project or invest
their Effort into an ongoing Project, that Effort is lost.
Step 2: Generate Effort
The conspiracy generates Effort for each conspiracy action not taken this chapter. The
conspiracy may suffer 1 lethal damage to their Association (p. XX) to generate additional Effort.
The Storyteller decides which Projects the conspiracy is currently working on. There is no limit
on how many ongoing Projects the conspiracy may have, though they are limited in which they
may complete by the amount of Effort they can reasonably generate.
Step 3: Resolve Crisis Points
If the actions or the Renegades (or the conspiracy exceeding its maximum number of conspiracy
actions) challenged any of the conspiracy’s Principles, this chapter, these are resolved now.
Step 4: Set the Stage (Optional)
Conspiracies are complex ecosystems of individuals with their own reasons for joining and who
have very different views of their founding Principles. They are also, for the most part,
objectively more reprehensible people than are the Renegades who oppose them. This optional
rule gives the game a more cinematic television experience seeing the interior lives of the
potentially large cast of human monsters who all consider themselves the protagonists of their
own stories.
At the end of each chapter, each player takes on limited control of a single character in the
service of the conspiracy. The Storyteller may choose to provide as wide or narrow a selection as
she wishes. Linchpins and Conviction Touchstones are a good choice, but it could also include a
member of the capture crew the Renegades gave the slip, a friend whom the conspiracy has
convinced to betray one of the Remade, or even a witness to the Deviants’ actions whom
conspiracy members are interviewing.
The players then play out a brief conversation or scene involving these characters. This can
highlight schisms in Principles, determine conspiracy strategy for the future, and show
conspirator (and bystander) reactions to the exploits of the Renegades.
Projects
The pursuit and capture of Renegades is but one minor function of the greater founding
principles of a conspiracy. When not trying to claim their wayward creations, most conspiracies
have their own missions to accomplish, from acquiring a rival corporation to digging up the
remains of their founder sealed beneath the governor’s mansion.
Downtime actions further the long-term Projects the conspiracy is carrying out. The core of
downtime actions is the generation of Effort, which is used to generate new influences and
narrative effects for the conspiracy. Effort is the difference between an organization growing
smoothly, and everything the conspiracy has worked for being pulled apart by their own
vengeful creations.
Effort
A conspiracy generates Effort when it is not actively opposing or pursuing Renegades. For each
conspiracy action unused by the conspiracy at the end of a chapter they generate 1 point of
Effort. Effort can’t be stockpiled to be spent later. They’re either used for an ongoing Project
immediately, or the excess labor is squandered by the conspiracy.
Once the conspiracy has put forth enough Effort, they may complete the Project.
Complexity
The Complexity of a Project indicates just how much Effort the conspiracy will need to put into
the Project to bring it to fruition. Small Projects that barely affect the local population or only in
small, esoteric ways may only merit a single point of Effort, while Projects that bring entire
populations around to a conspiracy’s way of thinking may require as many as 10. Once a
conspiracy has spent enough Effort to complete the Project, the results of the Project go into
effect at the beginning of the next chapter.
[BEGIN TABLE]
Complexity Example
1 Gain the temporary obedience of a group of people unrelated to the Renegades or a single
member of their social network. Create or recruit a Manticore or Deviant appropriate to the
conspiracy’s Standing. Cause minor changes in the status quo, such as getting a symbol included
in city iconography. Grant a Linchpin character access to three dots of Social Merit(s)
appropriate to the relevant Node until the end of the chapter. Move an existing Icon from one of
the conspiracy’s Nodes to another. Assimilate a Node another conspiracy has abandoned.
3 Demand the loyalty of a large group of people unrelated to the Renegades or a single
member of the players’ characters’ inner circle. Gain access to a new Icon. Cause substantial
changes to the status quo, such as making a portion of conspiracy lore or belief a beloved
character or saying.
5 Subsume a smaller organization or political entity into the conspiracy. Replace a
previously lost Temporal, Exploitative, or Structural Node, complete with Linchpin (must be in
some way connected to the conspiracy’s current holdings). Cause significant alterations to the
status quo, such as making a Principle a publicly tenable belief.
7 Subvert operatives in an organization that operates on a national scale. Replace a
previously lost Hierarchal Node (complete with Linchpin). Cause serious changes to the status
quo, such as normalizing open recruitment by the conspiracy.
10 Seize citywide control of local governance, operating freely and openly. Deploy an Icon
with world-shaking properties. Cause major changes to the status quo, such as gaining the
adoration and loyalty of the public or seizing control of a place of occult power from the
supernatural creatures that laid claim to it. Create a new Node (complete with Linchpin) or
increase an Attribute by one.
[END TABLE]
Projects and Nodes
Each Project is connected to a Node that narratively represents the group within the conspiracy
finishing, guarding, or stewarding the Project until it comes to fruition. Once the conspiracy
begins a Project, but before it comes into play, anything that destroys its connected Node
disrupts the Project. This causes the loss of any Effort the conspiracy has already invested in the
Project.
Resolving Crisis Points
By nature, conspiracies are resistant to change, confident in the elegance of their Principles.
Some events, however, can inspire a collective crisis of faith known as a crisis point (p. XX).
Whenever a conspiracy faces a crisis point, in addition to suffering lethal damage to its
Association (p. XX), the conspiracy must respond in one of the following ways:
• Replace one of its Linchpins with another.
• Shifts one dot of an Attribute to another.
• Lose a point of Effort from an existing Project.
• Suffer an additional 1 lethal damage to Association, which does not trigger a crisis point.
Narratively, these changes come about from the conspiracy attempting to maintain control in an
increasingly disorganized environment. If the cohort had a direct hand in causing the crisis point,
the Storyteller may allow them to choose the effect of the crisis point from the options above.
Conspiracy Versus Conspiracy
Although conspiracies often coexist peaceably and can benefit considerably from their
relationships with other conspiracies, they sometimes come into conflict over territory and
resources, including control over Deviants. A conspiracy that means a rival conspiracy harm has
three ways of handling the conflict: sabotage, subversion, and war.
Sabotage
Sabotaging a rival conspiracy involves interfering with its ability to accomplish its goals —
disrupting supply chains, intimidating employees, or passing along information about delicate
Projects to hostile Renegades. This is a downtime action with no Complexity. Each point of
Effort the saboteurs spend inflicts a point of bashing damage to the target’s Association and uses
one of the target’s conspiracy actions, potentially inflicting lethal damage and a crisis point, if
this pushes the target beyond its conspiracy action limit.
Subversion
The conspiracy attempts to compromise a rival slowly. This is a downtime action with a
Complexity equal to the targeted organization’s Standing, and it must target a Node the attacker
is aware of (including ones connected via Structural Nodes). Successfully completing the Project
replaces the Linchpin of the Node with a loyal agent. This also grants the attacking conspiracy
knowledge of all the other Nodes connected to the subverted Node, offering future fronts in their
war of subversion. The victim of a concerted subversion attack may be unaware of what is going
on until only their leadership remains loyal to the conspiracy’s Principles. Successfully
compromising the last Hierarchical Node of a conspiracy allows the infiltrators two choices:
• Completely subsume the target conspiracy into their own, adding its Nodes and Icons to
their conspiracy. If the subverted conspiracy’s Standing is equal to or greater than the
interloper’s, the attacking conspiracy also gains one Standing, complete with additional
Attributes.
• Place the target conspiracy on a leash connected to one of their Structural Nodes. In this
case, the subordinate conspiracy becomes the puppet or catspaw of the attacker. The dominant
conspiracy can direct the subordinate to take conspiracy actions on its behalf. Although these
still count against the maximum number of conspiracy actions the dominant conspiracy can take,
attacks or crisis points the subordinate conspiracy suffers do not normally impact the dominant
conspiracy.
For example, if a Standing 3 conspiracy relegates a Standing 1 conspiracy to its puppet, it may
demand that the subordinate take a conspiracy action on its behalf each chapter, leaving the
puppet to suffer the consequences of that action while leaving itself a free conspiracy action to
convert into Effort. It can instead force the subordinate conspiracy to take two conspiracy
actions, but this causes the subordinate conspiracy to go over its action limit for the chapter,
inflicting lethal damage to its Association and causing a crisis point. If the subordinate
conspiracy was instead a Standing 5 conspiracy, the dominant conspiracy could only demand it
take two conspiracy actions before the master conspiracy begins suffering Association damage
and crisis points for exceeding its own action limits.
War
The conspiracy attempts to annihilate a rival. Going to war is significantly more dangerous for
everyone involved. This is a downtime action with no Complexity. Instead, every point of Effort
generated towards the war effort deals 1 lethal damage to the target’s Association. The
conspiracy can continue the war as long as they wish, until either the other conspiracy is
completely destroyed or the organization is too weak to continue action.
The shadow wars of conspiracies are rarely one-sided affairs. Loyal officers on both sides suffer
“accidents,” precious libraries are torched, and expensive facilities that took time to create are
vandalized. Both conspiracies may generate Effort towards destroying the other side. Lower-
Standing organizations often have a hard time surviving a war with a conspiracy significantly
larger than them, unable to muster the resources to hit them in enough places to really make the
bigger group hurt.
War tends to end poorly for both conspiracies involved. Unless one conspiracy has the
overwhelming advantage of size and situation, these conflicts can delay both conspiracies’ goals
and severely damage both groups. In the Web of Pain, these sorts of conflicts rarely stay private,
either. Other connected conspiracies, both ally and enemy, join the conflict, some more than
willing to take advantage of the chaos and some that want to ensure the peace no matter who
they will have to put down.

Discovering the Conspiracy

The difficulty of pursuing revenge against a conspiracy is finding its independent parts. Except
for the most hierarchically driven conspiracies, most are secretive and autonomous, operating in
the shadows to avoid discovery. Renegades looking to dismantle their tormentors must first
discover exactly how the organization is put together before they can fully strike back.
Deviants looking for a target to hit must attempt to discover a vulnerable or exposed portion of
the conspiracy’s Nodes. This process adheres to the normal rules for investigations (see p. XX),
but special modifiers often apply to research a conspiracy or one of its Nodes.
Suggested Modifiers (total bonus/penalty cannot exceed +/-5): The Node’s Linchpin is the
Progenitor of a member of the cohort (+3). Cohort has the aid of a whistleblower (+3). The
cohort was the target of a recent conspiracy action originating from the Node (+2). Node
operates in public view (+1). Target is a Hierarchal Node (-1). Conspiracy has never been
targeted by a conspiracy action originating from the Node (-1) or its conspiracy (-2). Conspiracy
takes special care to conceal the Node’s existence from the public (-2). The lead is years old (-3).
Node Destruction and Subversion
A Deviant looking to put some capability of a conspiracy on hold for the immediate future is
attempting to destroy a Node. While the concept is simple in theory, in practice, it may require
radical action. For many sorts of Nodes, such as research labs, libraries, or front businesses, this
may require vandalism, arson, or even violence. Against infiltrators and planted double agents in
other organizations, it may demand public exposure, blackmail, or forcing them out with scandal.
A Node is considered destroyed when it is no longer accessible to the conspiracy or no longer
able to serve its intended application. Alternatively, if the Linchpin of a Node is taken out of
action (whether killed, abducted, or convinced to abandon the conspiracy), the Node is similarly
destroyed, unable to function without their supervision. When a Node is destroyed, the
conspiracy takes 1 lethal damage to its Association and loses access to that Node for all actions,
as well as control of any Icons or Projects attached to it. This may permanently stall downtime
actions if the conspiracy has no sort of specialized abilities to replace it.
Instead of destroying a Node, a Deviant may try to subvert it. If a Deviant gains leverage over a
Linchpin, whether with blackmail or threats, they may take partial control of the Node. A
subverted Node functions as normal for the conspiracy but also provides any benefits of the
location to the Deviant, allowing them to make use of the Node’s resources, administrative
access, or position to help their own lonely crusade.
Project Discovery and Prevention
Merely thwarting a conspiracy’s attempts to capture, control, or neutralize the cohort may
consume much of a Renegade’s time, but these little victories do nothing to stop the enemy from
achieving its goals. The cohort may uncover one of the conspiracy’s Projects entirely by accident
or after careful investigation:
• Inquiry: Using the Investigation system (p. XX) to uncover a potential lead on the
conspiracy’s current actions.
• Serendipity: A lead is discovered from a failed conspiracy action (p. XX), giving some
clue of what the conspiracy is up to.
• Informant: The cohort becomes aware of any Projects that are connected to or rely on a
subverted Node to function.
Every Project within a conspiracy is connected to a specific Node until its completion and
implementation. This may represent the team of technicians putting the finishing touches on the
newest invention, the kennels newly bred Manticores are stored in until they’re let loose, or even
a marketing firm in charge of the memetic plague the conspiracy is about to unleash. Destroying
this Node before the Project’s completion can set back the plan or even permanently stop it.
When a Node connected with a conspiracy Project is destroyed, the conspiracy loses all Effort
they have invested in it.
Harm, Healing, and Purges
Harming a conspiracy takes more effort than just harming its agents. A conspiracy tracks damage
using Association, a measure of the size and loyalty of its following. Conspiracies have
Association equal to 3 + Resistance. Association boxes act like Health boxes (p. XX) when the
conspiracy suffers damage.
Instead of corresponding to physical damage, Association tracks how many members the
conspiracy has and how loyal they are to the cause. Bashing damage indicates fear or worry for
personal safety, distracting individuals from their jobs. Lethal damage reflects a growing panic
with the conspiracy’s mission or the member’s safety. Aggravated damage is outright factional
war within the organization, as members of the conspiracy try to escape the life. Common
sources of Association damage include the following:
• Bashing: Subversion by an enemy conspiracy; Renegades carry out a significant and
successful act of sabotage against the conspiracy or intimidation of its members
• Lethal: Wartime attacks by an enemy conspiracy; Renegades destroy an Exploitative,
Structural, or Temporal Node, whether by eliminating its Linchpin, carrying out a major attack,
or exposing its crimes to the public; conspiracy exceeds its conspiracy action limit for the
chapter
• Aggravated: The conspiracy began the preceding chapter with an Association track
filled with lethal damage and did not perform a purge to clear it; Renegades destroy a Hierarchal
Node
Once a conspiracy’s Association track is filled with lethal damage, it enters a vulnerable state of
extreme disorganization, gradually crumbling into its constituent parts unless it performs a purge.
In such a state, the conspiracy loses the ability to pursue downtime actions and takes one
aggravated damage per chapter as the population of the conspiracy disperses or joins
uncommunicative rival factions. Once the Association track is filled with aggravated damage, the
conspiracy completely dissolves, leaving nothing behind but rumors of its existence and the
survivors whose lives it destroyed. Other conspiracies can scavenge the leftover Nodes and Icons
of the now defunct organization. Allowing a conspiracy to crumble away from disorganization
can be a cathartic event for Renegades, but cohorts often rankle at letting so many of those
responsible just walk away without answering for what they have done.
Conspiracies gradually recover from most setbacks, as their subordinates slowly forget the
terrors of the past. At the end of any chapter in which the conspiracy suffered no damage to its
Association, it downgrades damage to its Association equal to its Standing — aggravated to
lethal, lethal to bashing, and bashing healing entirely. However, any damage the conspiracy
suffers during the chapter prevents this gradual restoration of institutional confidence.
A conspiracy may also undertake a purge to restore order and calm to panicking conspiracy
members. Purges take one of four forms, each of which is a conspiracy action:
• Expel: The conspiracy cuts its losses and severs ties with a Node closest to those making
trouble. The conspiracy destroys a Node and any Icons attached to it, but clears all damage from
Association. The absolute destruction prevents characters from following the destroyed Node’s
connections to any of the conspiracy’s other Nodes, unless they had already made contact with
those Nodes.
• Reform: The conspiracy chooses to make an illustrative example of one of its dissenting
members, showing there are many ways to serve the cause. The conspiracy selects a Node and
makes an immediate conspiracy action with it. This action does not count towards a conspiracy’s
maximum actions per chapter. The Node is destroyed after being used this way, but the
conspiracy clears all damage from Association.
• Reclaim: The conspiracy cannibalizes its own for resources to further its goals and
reaffirm the Principles they are founded on. The conspiracy permanently reduces its Power,
Finesse, or Resistance by one and clears all damage from Association.
• Resignation: Rather than attempting to fix the failing organization, the conspiracy makes
a desperate push to achieve its goals. The conspiracy destroys up to its Standing in Nodes and
gains that amount of Effort to spend on downtime actions.
How A Conspiracy Dies
Sometimes the Remade get exactly what they want and finally put a stop to the actions of a
conspiracy. When a conspiracy falls into one of the following categories, it is considered
destroyed. If survivors of the organization attempt to rebuild it from the ashes, it may look the
similar but is a significantly different organization then it once was.
• Dissolution: The conspiracy’s Association track is filled with aggravated damage,
whereupon its surviving members abandon their posts and flee en masse.
• Decapitation: The conspiracy’s last Hierarchical Node is destroyed, causing the
conspiracy’s remaining Nodes to dissolve into their constituent parts.
• Desolation: The conspiracy drops below its Standing in Nodes, collapsing under its own
weight as it becomes unable to support its needs.
When a conspiracy is destroyed, all remaining Nodes and Icons remain in the wild and can be
acquired by another group in the Web of Pain with a downtime action. If Nodes are not
destroyed or subsumed by another conspiracy, then they may become the basis for a new
conspiracy in the world.
Going Deeper
Renegades rarely find vengeance so simple as killing the person who pulled the switch or
invoked the seven forbidden names. Wherever they search, they find clues of deeper mysteries
and of organizations that enthusiastically pushed their tormentors onward. Every clue hints at
someone else who made this possible. After a conspiracy has been destroyed, the Renegades
responsible may descend deeper into the Web of Pain and start uncovering secrets of the original
conspiracy’s allies.
When the players’ characters destroy their first conspiracy, they may immediately make a
connection with a new conspiracy using all destroyed Nodes as Clues with one element each (p.
XX). The troupe collectively decides whether this new conspiracy is the former’s Inheritor,
Rival, or Master.
• Inheritor: An inheritor conspiracy was previously subordinate to the now destroyed
conspiracy. They may have previously been kept on a short leash by the organization, or perhaps
much of their own understanding of Divergence is reliant on their predecessor conspiracy. An
Inheritor conspiracy starts at one Standing lower than its predecessor.
• Rival: A Rival conspiracy was another conspiracy that had both competed and
cooperated with the predecessor conspiracy. They may be attempting to absorb the territory and
assets now freed up by their rival’s destruction or looking to avenge the loss of such brilliance
from the world. A Rival conspiracy starts at the same Standing as the predecessor conspiracy.
• Master: A Master conspiracy was in some way controlling the Predecessor conspiracy,
secretly behind the scenes another pulled the strings that made all this tragedy play out in the
first place. A Master conspiracy starts with one more Standing than the predecessor conspiracy.
A new conspiracy starts with Nodes and a pool of Attribute dots appropriate to its Standing. If a
new conspiracy unconnected to other conspiracies already in play is discovered (or discovers the
cohort), its Standing is based on the average total Magnitude dots of the cohort’s Variations
(rounded down):
[TABLE]
Average Total Variation Magnitude Standing
2 1
5 2
7 3
10 4
12 5
15 6
17 7
20 8
25 9
30 10
[END TABLE]

The Devoted
Some Remade slip the shackles of the conspiracies who kept them, tormented them, and
reshaped their lives. Others, however, never know this taste of dicey freedom or their fraught
independence. They stay nestled in the iron embrace of those who made them, safe from truth
and choice and the many dangers of the outside world. For this, the Devoted are forever grateful
and owe their mutable lives to those who changed them.
The lives of the Devoted are dictated by the conspiracy that reared them. Some fortunate
Devoted may have time to themselves to pursue their personal joys: favorite TV shows or
hobbies, or other mundane things. Others are bound tighter to their leash, every minute of every
hour spoken for, dictated by scientists, engineers, and dubious medical professionals. Only those
who escape eschew this control. The Devoted realize they are volatile aberrations and that this
structure is for the best. Without it they’d lose control and destroy themselves or harm others.
For others still, it may never occur to them that a life can persist outside the conspiracy’s walls.
Conspiracies make little effort to convince their creations to leave, so why would any Remade
seek a free life?
The Open Door
To say the life of a Renegade is fraught with challenges would be a tremendous understatement.
They are hounded on all sides by opposition, by the unpredictability of their bodies, and by the
fear of rejection by their peers. With the world arrayed against them, is it any wonder that some
Renegades reject their hellish livelihood — such as it is — and return to the conspiracies they
fled? Or yet that some Remade never leave? The world outside the sterile conspiracy compounds
will chew up and spit out new Renegades. Why would anyone leave? Yet, they do, and when
they eventually crawl back, ruined and empty, the conspiracies welcome them.
Prodigal Children
The hardships of attempting to live an ordinary human life become insurmountable. A
Renegade’s body won’t stop changing, shifting every time she glances in the mirror. Life was
better when she had a routine — awful body-altering drugs and all — and a reliable roof over her
head. Scars fester, leak, and mutate. It interrupts sleep, keeping the Renegade from focusing on
the day-to-day. The people who made her could stop this. Maybe they’ll take her back, she
thinks, maybe not even with a price.
The easiest way for the Remade to become Devoted is to return to the conspiracy’s fold.
Depending on the conspiracy, this return may come with a price, while others may at least appear
to welcome their prodigal creation home with open arms. Perhaps the only asking price is the
character’s freedom. Either way, if the character returns to a conspiracy after being a Renegade,
she becomes Devoted.

Children by Adoption
The Remade does not have to return to the conspiracy that made her. Another
conspiracy can just as easily open its doors to a wayward Deviant, promising her a
life free of pain and torment, for nothing more than the price of her independence.
Remade can return to any conspiracy willing to take them in, and are not required
to crawl back to their conspiracy of origin.

The Enemy’s Face

Devoted make excellent recurring antagonists for a Deviant chronicle. These enemy Remade
cling to their kept lives, the dark reflections of the cohort and a warning of what could have been.
Entangled with the players’ characters’ stories, Devoted appear when the characters are at their
lowest to grind them beneath their boots, claim their pathetic lives, or cajole them back to the
welcoming arms of their mutual conspiracy. These encounters should be intense, dangerous, and
deeply personal. The four archetypes listed below function as guidelines for designing the
Devoted who will appear in the chronicle. These antagonists are intended to be built
collaboratively between Storyteller and players, with a sliding scale for the antagonists’
involvement with the players’ characters.
Four Archetypal Devoted
The Rival: Whether an individual foil to a specific character, or the one left behind when a group
escaped, a Rival is not out for blood. A rival wishes to see her counterpart(s) defeated and
humiliated, with all their plans foiled. Rivals are the most well-rounded of the Devoted
archetypes, ideal for a recurring threat. These Storyteller characters always have some personal
entanglement with one or more of the player’s characters: the most common background being
another Deviant created at the same time who chose stay (or was unable to escape). However
that story unfolded, the rival likely still harbors festering resentment. Rivals should be designed
to counterbalance and challenge the cohort.
The Stalker: Where Rivals often face the cohort directly, Stalkers provide a stealthier, more
subtle opposition. Stalkers are frequently engineered in response to the escape of the players’
Remade. They pursue and track the players’ characters, observing them, recording their lives,
sending snippets of data back to their conspiracy, and, eventually, aid in the characters’ capture.
Most Stalkers do not have a history with their prey, and were created specifically to return rogue
Broken. As Storyteller characters, Stalkers have spent their entire changed lives observing and
pursuing, so it is not uncommon for them to develop obsessions with one or more of the players’
characters. This does not have to be a romantic obsession, but should always verge on
uncomfortable. Stalker characters should be designed to be skulking observers first and
dangerous fighters second.
The Assassin: Remade are valuable assets, the result of months or years of investment and labor.
Ideally, a conspiracy dispatches a Stalker and gets its lost creations back in one piece. When
attempts to recover the Remade alive fail, conspiracies fall back on Assassins, the final, lethal
choice. Conspiracies create Assassins as general weapons; creatures designed for slaughter and
war, and it is these grim-faced huntsman that are turned loose upon the players’ characters.
Assassins may have Rival or Stalker type relationships with the players’ characters, or they may
simply be forces of nature kept on a leash until the conspiracy has need for them. The players
and Storyteller should discuss what kind of threat they’d like to see, when creating an Assassin.
Though often a major enemy featuring in a single chapter or story, Assassins can become repeat
antagonists if the characters evade their initial attack.
The Warden: Where Assassins are made to kill, Wardens are made to preserve and protect.
Remade are dangerous and volatile, so when a conspiracy creates one that is more obedient and
stable than the others, they become a Warden. Wardens keep the other Deviants in line and bring
lost Remade back to the fold. Ostensibly this is done with love and care — a Warden wants their
charges to be safe and secure above all else. Wardens designed in opposition to the players’
characters may have been their former guardians, overseers, or supervisors who failed in their
task and let the Broken escape. This antagonistic relationship can be as intimate as the players
desire. Like Stalkers, Wardens focus more on capture than the kill, but rather than stealthy
observers Wardens present a social threat as they attempt to convince the characters to surrender
and come quietly. They only have the characters’ best interests at heart, after all.

Making the Devoted

Devoted serve the story as personalized antagonists, foils, and nemeses who punctuate the
chronicle with their repeat presence. Rivals and Stalkers tend to be directly personal: having
relationships with one of the players’ characters, rather than the entire group, while Assassins
and Wardens have connections to the entire cohort. Storytellers and players collaborate to create
these antagonists, building them based on the severity of the relationship: Acquainted, Personal,
Obsessive. Begin building the Devoted with the same character creation as players’ characters
(p. XX).
• Acquainted: Acquainted characters have 2 additional Attribute points, 5 additional
Skills, and 2 additional Variation dots, and any Scars that may go with them. Antagonists at this
level of engagement have a familiar but not intimate relationship with one of the player’s
characters. These Devoted might be unfeeling guards who knew the character’s face from her
time imprisoned in the conspiracy’s experimental cells, a former middle-manager half-
transformed by the same cruel procedures but given a longer leash for his cowed obedience, or a
cellmate of a few days who remembers snatches of bonding conversation but failed to form a
lasting or meaningful relationship. These types of Devoted view the players characters with little
more regard than passing recognition — they know her name and likely know what was done to
her, but little more.
• Personal: At the Personal level, the bond between antagonist and player’s character is
more intense - they may have been intimate or lovers, or shared a friendship forged in trauma.
Assign 3 additional Attribute points, 8 additional Skills, and 4 additional Variation dots plus
relevant Scars. This level of entanglement indicates a character who might have been a partner in
the experiment. Perhaps the Personal-level Devoted character signed up for the same “medical
trial” with the player’s character and was left behind when she managed to escape. They might
have been former colleagues both doing research towards the same genetic modifications, each
pushing the other towards greater and more volatile changes while the player’s character quit the
program without telling her compatriot. They could also have been a teacher, especially if the
conspiracy the Renegade came from has religious associations. The Devoted imparted valuable
lessons in controlling their Variations before the Renegade made her escape.
• Obsessive: Antagonists designed at the Obsessive level cannot let their damaged
relationship with the players’ characters go. They are singularly focused on the downfall of the
character or characters with whom they are entangled. Apply an additional 4 Attribute points, 12
additional Skills, and 6 additional Variation dots plus any relevant Scars. If the antagonist is
being designed by the group of players, add one extra Skill, and Variation dot for each player
beyond the first who wishes to be entangled with the character. Whatever created this degree of
relationship, it was consuming and traumatic; something unforgettable in the worst possible way.
This Devoted character may have been lovers with the transformed, perhaps they even agreed to
sign up for the program together, holding hands with barely contained fear as they signed their
lives away. If not lovers, perhaps they were instead close friends and the Devoted perceives the
Renegade’s choice to leave as the ultimate betrayal. What once was love and partnership now
burns as spurned hatred. The Obsessive wants nothing more than to be back together with the
Renegade who abandoned her, no matter what the cost. The Storyteller should avoid creating an
Obsessive character who has no emotional connection to any of the players’ characters. These
types of Devoted are always deeply personal, not just a stalker who observed the players’
characters from across the room and let negative feelings fester.

Growing Threats
Powerful Renegades attract the attention of powerful Devoted, both as a matter of
narrative and a means of ensuring the players’ character continue to face real
challenges.
When introducing Devoted during the chronicle, the Storyteller may instead
determine starting Magnitude of Variations based on the Standing of the conspiracy
that created them, rather than based on the Threat Level of the chronicle.
Particularly with Obsessive Devoted, the Storyteller may elect to award
Experiences to these antagonists at the same pace as each of the players’ characters
earn it (or the average number of Experiences, if using individual Beats). The
Storyteller may spend these at his sole discretion, or invite players to make some
purchase decisions on behalf of their greatest Remade foes.
Nemeses
Like their Renegade counterparts who achieve Catharsis and become Guardians, Devoted
become consumed by Fury and become Nemeses. When one of the Devoted’s Conviction
exceeds her Loyalty, she fills with endless hatred, transforming into a Nemesis. Often, this
occurs when someone kills one or more of her Loyalty Touchstones, leaving her with more
sworn enemies to destroy than people to protect.
If one of the players’ characters pushes a Devoted into this state, her entanglement jumps
immediately to Obsessive, regardless of its previous status. If she was already at the Obsessive
level, she instantly increases all her Attributes by 1 (and therefore any derived stats) and
immediately gains one new Variation (with any accompanying Scar).
Devoted Form
Being Devoted means giving up on personal freedoms for personal gain. While the Renegades
buck their leash and choose to live a life of scarcity and pain, the Devoted embrace what the
conspiracy has given them — it is a gift only fools throw away. Some Devoted might justify their
loyalty, saying they are playing a long game and intend to rebel when the time is right or when
they have amassed enough power to do so. Others own their choice to remain, choosing to
believe in a “just” cause, while others still delude themselves with the kind of sweet lies one
whispers to keep doubts away. Regardless of what a Devoted tells herself to sleep at night, she
still wakes up in her conspiracy-granted cell, looks at her conspiracy regulation walls, and does
her conspiracy ordered duty with flawless obedience. Some may call this life a cage, living as a
kept pet or a prized possession, but who would rather live under a bridge, suffering and hungry?
Who will help you when your own body rebels?
Systems: Devoted reverse the effects of Conviction and Loyalty when compared to Renegades.
• Newly created Devoted have 3 Loyalty and 1 Conviction, plus whatever their Origin
grants.
• After a scene in which the Devoted performs some service for a Loyalty Touchstone, she
gains one Willpower and takes a Beat. Once per chapter, when she risks danger or suffers in the
pursuit of a Conviction Touchstone, she regains all Willpower.
Identifying Variations and Scars
When dealing with a Remade opponent, knowing his capabilities and vulnerabilities can be the
key to defeating him. However, not all Broken wield obvious Variations, and most Scars are not
immediately obvious to a casual observer. The genre abounds with cases where a Deviant’s
enemies were able to identify and exploit his weaknesses, and so this system is designed to allow
players’ characters (and their opponents!) do just that.
A character can only identify a Variation or Scar when it is active (or manifested). Whether the
Variation/Scar is Overt or Subtle, the dice pool and suggested modifiers are the same.
Dice Pool: Wits + relevant Skill. This is usually Occult for Variations and especially exotic
Scars, Medicine for Physical Scars, and Empathy for Mental and Social Scars.
Suggested Modifiers (total bonus/penalty cannot exceed +/-5): Attempting to identify a Clade
Variation of a Clade other than the observer’s (-2). Circumstances in the scene make it highly
unlikely the Scar will come into play, such as a Remade with the Native Environment Scar while
in that environment (-1 to -2). Circumstances in the scene make it more likely the Scar will come
into play, such as a Deviant in the same scene as the object of his Phobia (+1 to +3).
Variation/Scar is one the observer has seen before (+1), studied closely (+2), or has himself (+3).
Observer has relevant exotic sensory equipment or senses (+1 for Unseen Sense Merit to +3 for
Specialized Sense 3).
Identify Overt Variation or Scar
Action Type: Reflexive
Roll Results
Success: The observer identifies one of the target’s active Overt Variations or Scars (name and
Magnitude).
Exceptional Success: As a success, but the observer also learns more specific details (the trigger
for his Involuntary Stimulus, for example, or the specifics of his Bane).
Failure: The observer only notices the obvious effects but doesn’t associate it with a specific
Variation or Scar.
Dramatic Failure: As failure, but the observer misidentifies the Variation or Scar.
Identify Subtle Variation or Scar
Action Type: Extended (one roll per turn in action scenes; one roll every several minutes in
other scenes)
5 Successes: Identify the Variation or Scar and its general effects (name and Magnitude).
Each additional two successes yield an additional key detail about the Variation/Scar — effects,
Deviations, Variation/Scar entanglements, specifics (which Specialized Senses, for example, or
what triggers Power Failure).
Example Characters
Madeline “The Wall” Hager, Rival Devoted
Quote: "I remember what you said. I’ll see you destroyed if it’s the last thing I do!"
Background: A low-level clerk at Dynamic Solutions, Madeline’s department manager took
notice of her hard work ethic and commitment to taking on overtime hours, and put her name
forward for a reward. Usually this meant pizza parties or free company swag, but Dynamic
Solutions had other things in mind for their hardest working, most loyal employees willing to
donate so much of their time. Assuming this meant a promotion, Madeline went along with it.
She went into her annual review anticipating praise, a small increase in pay, and a change in job
title, but her supervisor only spared her a forced smile as two Dynamic Solutions Talent
Acquisition Team members put a blackout bag over her head and injected sedatives. They
reshaped her into something else: something big, something powerful, something terrifying.
Talent Acquisitions considers her their most successful experiment yet. The rest ended messily,
or made the mistake of trying to leave.
Madeline remains ever a good employee. She doesn’t blame Dynamic Solutions — after all they
made her something when she was nothing, just a wage slave chained to a desk. Now she can
punch through walls. Who else can boast such a thing? She brims with misdirected rage at her
former life: at her former coworkers for readily turning her over to brutal experiments and with
everyone in her former life for saying she’d never make anything of herself.
Appearance: Madeline at first appears little, ordinary, and inoccuous besides having a bit of
unusual bulk. This is a ruse, for her true Remade form is a towering mass of muscle, bulging
subdural plates and raw, unchecked fury. Before activating her Variations, she has dark hair,
dark eyes, glasses, and dresses in earth tones and other subdued colors. These give way to the
monster within once her array of power has been activated.
Storytelling Hints: Madeline used to be small and unassuming but has been transformed into
powerhouse of raw might. Once set on a path, she is an unstoppable force, an inexorable
juggernaut.
Origin: Exomorph
Clade: Coactive
Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 3; Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2; Presence 3,
Manipulation 4, Composure 3
Skills: Academics 1, Athletics 1, Brawl (Grappling) 1, Empathy 3, Expression 3, Firearms 1,
Intimidation (Physical Displays) 3, Investigation 4, Persuasion 3, Politics 3, Science 1, Socialize
1, Stealth 2, Subterfuge 2, Weaponry (Improvised) 1
Merits: Dauntless, Investigative Aide (Investigation), Investigative Prodigy 1, Fast Talking 2,
Living Progenitor 3, Prized Experiment
Willpower: 6
Stability: 6
Conviction 1
Loyalty 3
Aspiration: Find an excuse to break something or hurt someone
Initiative: 5
Defense: 3
Speed: 10 (12)
Health: 8 (13)
Size: 5 (10)
Acclimation: 1
Controlled Scars: Preparation (Social; Gigantic) 2
Persistent Scars: Bane (Physical; Draining; Blessing, Immunity) 4*
Variations: Blessing (Albatross) 3, Gigantic 3, Immunity (Deviant Variations) 3
* Madeline cannot approach lit safety spotlights and suffers intense pain when caught in their
direct light.
Tristan “Echo” Howe, Assassin Devoted
Quote: "Come quietly or die. Those are your choices."
Background: For Tristan, their options after high school narrowed: not quite bright enough to
make college work, not quite skilled enough to enter a trade. They made a choice that many
young people coming of age in the early twenty-first century did: they joined the military. After
a few tours in Iraq, Tristan was offered a new and exciting opportunity. They took it out of
curiosity and the promise of a six-figure paycheck.
They entered the training program with two dozen others in the early summer and by winter
Tristan no longer recognized their own face. A few more months later, and whatever was left of
their personality had been replaced by a focused desire for violence. They have become a perfect
weapon, honed to a clean, unthinking point. Wherever the government points them, they go, and
they execute their job with horrifying ruthless efficiency. Their commanding officers give
Tristan a target, and the Devoted learns everything possible about them before beginning their
bloody task. Tristan Howe doesn’t really exist anymore. They are the Echo, a flawless weapon,
an empty shell of a person-become-weapon.
This experiment has been successful beyond any of the military scientists’ wildest dreams.
Appearance: Tristan retains a general human form: one head, two arms, two legs, but the
similarities end there. Their body is elongated and strange, reformatted for every imaginable type
of movement — joints snapping and ligaments uncoiling as they drop from unexpected places.
Tristan’s hands have been reshaped into rending claws which they use to shred opponents, but
remain dexterous enough to handle firearms. The military dresses them in a bulletproof bodysuit
to better protect their perfect weapon.
Storytelling Hints: Dispatching the Echo is a last resort. They will pursue the players’
characters until their job is complete, even if this means temporary defeat and an escape to attack
again later. Encounters with the Echo are violent and dangerous, and only the most silver-
tongued of characters can dissuade them from their bloody task. Storytellers looking to include
this deadly force of nature should consider what the players’ characters have done to earn such a
threat sent after them.
Origin: Epimorph
Clade: Mutant
Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 2, Resolve 3; Strength 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3; Presence 3,
Manipulation 3, Composure 4
Skills: Athletics 2, Brawl (Claws) 4, Computer 3, Crafts 2, Drive 1, Firearms (Rifles) 4,
Intimidation 3, Investigation 4, Medicine 3, Persuasion 1, Politics 2, Science 2, Stealth (Ambush)
3, Subterfuge 2, Survival 2, Weaponry 4
Merits: Dauntless, Demolisher 3, Grappling 2, Hardy 2, Iron Skin 2
Willpower: 7
Stability: 8
Conviction: 2
Loyalty: 3
Aspiration: Bring down a target
Initiative: 7
Defense: 4
Speed: 12
Health: 8
Size: 5
Acclimation: 3
Involuntary Scars: Involuntary Stimulus (Physical; Insistent; Cutting Brawl Lash) 2
Persistent Scars: Conspicuous Appearance (Social; Brachiation) 3, Frozen Heart (Social;
Hypercompetence) 2, Glitch (Mental; Anomalous Biology) 2
Variations: Anomalous Biology (Breathless, Heartless) 2, Brachiation 3, Hypercompetence
(Firearms) 3, Cutting Brawl Lash (Deadly, Forceful, Piercing) 2*
* Tristan’s claws activate whenever they become fully submerged in water.
Weapons/Attacks:
[START TABLE]
Type Damage Dice Pool Special
Claws 2L 8 Armor Piercing 2; inflicts Knocked Down Tilt)
[END TABLE]
Ian “Cipher” Temple, Stalker Devoted
Quote: “I can find anything you need. Just give me five minutes.”
Background: With college applications looming, Ian needed money. He had good grades, but
not quite good enough for a scholarship. He was athletic and talented, but not the star of the
team. Getting a good education would be expensive, and his family couldn’t afford to foot the
bill. Ian came across a flyer advertising a paid study looking for young men in his age bracket. A
few internet searches on the sponsoring company turned up reputable information, so he
volunteered. What followed was a blur, and he doesn’t fully remember any of it. When he asks,
his handlers tell him not to worry, to focus on his job. He doesn’t think he’s always been able to
climb walls; no, that’s probably new. Ian only has the vaguest recollection of a life before his
time as one of the Devoted, half-recalled dreamlike snippets of parents and siblings, so it has
never occurred to him that he might escape his life as a prisoner. He continues to live his life day
to day, job to job, losing a little piece of his memory each time he activates his powers.
Appearance: Slender and wiry, Ian was once a handsome, young black man but has become
something between chameleon and human. Ian’s hands and feet have been shaped into grasping,
sticky paws. He keeps himself almost entirely covered up, preferring dark clothing in grays or
navy blues to better blend in with shadows. His clothing is otherwise utilitarian: close fitting and
made of material that minimizes sound while moving. When he is not scuttling barefoot across a
ceiling, he moves awkwardly in ordinary shoes as his feet have been transformed to facilitate his
unusual method of locomotion.
Storytelling Hints: Ian only remembers what the conspiracy has told him, and he believes that
by pursuing and observing the characters, he will be given the keys to unlock the secrets of his
life before. He derives genuine pleasure from his duties as a stalker, ferreting out information,
overhearing critical conversations, and infiltrating spaces he doesn’t belong and does not see any
of these activities as wrong or immoral. Ian’s first instinct when confronted with violence is to
flee or to hide, the latter of which he is exceptionally skilled at doing.
Origin: Epimorph
Clade: Chimeric
Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 3; Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3; Presence 2,
Manipulation 2, Composure 3
Skills: Academics 1, Athletics 3, Brawl 2, Computer 2, Investigation (Profiling) 3, Larceny
(Burglary) 2, Medicine 1, Science 1, Stealth (Shadowing) 3, Streetwise 2, Survival 2, Weaponry
2
Merits: Area of Expertise (Stealth: Shadowing), Investigative Aide (Stealth), Patient, Resources
2, Shiv 1, Stabilizer 2, Street Fighting 2
Willpower: 6
Stability: 6
Conviction: 2
Loyalty: 3
Aspiration: Learn something about the cohort
Initiative: 6
Defense: 6
Speed: 10
Health: 8
Size: 5
Acclimation: 1
Persistent Scars: Amnesia (Mental; Camouflage, Face Thief) 3, Conspicuous Appearance
(Physical; Brachiation, Predator’s Cunning) 3
Variations: Brachiation (Spider) 2, Camouflage (Invisible) 2, Face Thief 2, Predator’s Cunning
(Uncanny) 3
Eve "Hellbender" Strang, Warden Devoted
Quote: "Come with me, friends, this way to safety."
Background: Eve Strang thought she was signing up for a pharmaceutical drug trial, but after
putting her name in ink on all the paperwork, the conspiracy revealed the truth. This was an
experiment to build a sturdier, unstoppable person. The final candidate would, ideally, be able to
work tirelessly, endure any hardship, and become the perfect bloodhound. Having already signed
away her freedom legally, and being too poor to afford an attorney to dispute it, Eve agreed to
the conspiracy’s terms. Months of extended treatments, drugs, tests, surgeries, and worse
followed. Others in the program died or fled. Some shifted wildly out of control. Eve stayed
miraculously stable through the whole trial, and for that she was rewarded with a job. She’d
witnessed so many other Deviants go rogue when they should have endured, so she happily
agreed to become the conspiracy’s dragnet, an unsleeping force that would return the lost to
home. Her persistence and aggressively protective nature earned her the moniker “Hellbender”
after the species of lizard with the same nickname.
Appearance: Eve “Hellbender” Strang is tall, lean, and sharp-featured with straight, platinum
blonde hair and a cold stare. She wears a calf-length double-breasted black trench coat tailored
enough to appear professional, but also loose enough to conceal weapons. Beneath it her clothes
are practical, bordering on plain, intended for ease of movement. The Hellbender walks with
purpose and the inexorable confidence of a person who feels no pain.
Storytelling Hints: What humanity remains within her clings to compassion — Eve truly cares
for the safety of prodigal Remade and believes that her efforts to return them to their
conspiracies is what’s best. She herself must regularly undergo therapy and treatment to maintain
her tremendous power and without it, she would crumble and die. If she needs such things,
surely others do, too, and she’s more than willing to help them understand.
Origin: Autourgic
Clade: Invasive
Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 3; Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3; Presence 3,
Manipulation 2, Composure 3
Skills: Academics 3, Athletics 3, Brawl 2, Drive 1, Empathy (Deviants) 3, Expression 2,
Firearms 2, Intimidation 3 (Scare to Safety), Investigation 3, Medicine 1, Persuasion (Deviants)
4, Politics 2, Science 2, Socialize 1, Stealth 2, Streetwise 1, Subterfuge 2, Survival 1
Merits: Direction Sense, Good Samaritan, Lifeline 2, Resources 2, Shared Suffering, Tolerance
for Biology
Willpower: 6
Stability: 6
Conviction: 2
Loyalty: 4
Aspiration: Protect another Deviant from harm
Initiative: 6
Defense: 6
Speed: 11
Health: 8
Size: 5
Acclimation: 1
Controlled Scars: Tribulation (Mental; Meditation; Omnicompetence) 4
Persistent Scars: Dependency (Physical; Fatigued, Sluggish, Submissive; Anomalous Biology,
Healing Touch) 4, Paranoia (Mental; Onomantic Influence) 3
Variations: Anomalous Biology (Bloodless, Heartless, Painless, Tireless) 3, Healing Touch 4,
Omnicompetence 4, Onomantic Influence (Invoke Name) 3
Armor: 1/3 (Kevlar vest)

Quislings of the Flesh: Human Conspirators

Conspiracies aren’t made up of monsters of scales and metal. Even if the person pulling the
switch wasn’t themselves human, which is extremely rare, most of the people who run the labs,
set up experiments, and dispose of evidence are, well, people. They have families, hobbies, and
annoyances just like anyone else in the Chronicles of Darkness. When they go home at night, do
they hug themselves in the darkness, ridden with guilt? Or do they fall into a sound sleep, safe in
the knowledge that they are advancing the evolution of the human race?
Humans of all kinds make up a conspiracy. The CEO making decisions on her yacht is just as
human as the janitor mopping the blood off the floor in the operating theater. They all have their
reasons for being there, and they all have their own reactions to what happens in the halls of the
conspiracy they’re a part of.
For Money
One of the most common reasons people work for a conspiracy is the paycheck. Many don’t
think too hard about the implications of the corporation’s or the hospital’s policies. They collect
their checks, clock in and out, and treat it as a 9-to-5 job.
This doesn’t mean all, or even most, of the conspiracy members don’t know what’s going on.
Janitors see things in quiet hospital rooms that make them vomit in the bathroom later.
Accountants meet Remade at the office Christmas party and see them for what they are. The
Chief Financial Officer signs off on orders for endangered animal parts, ECT machines,
restraints, and vats of formaldehyde. A Progenitor requires a massive infrastructure to create a
Deviant, and many of those people aren’t bound to the conspiracy by anything other than their
livelihood.
While whistleblower laws nominally protect those who talk, conspiracies are not noted for their
adherence to ethical jurisprudence. They might pay the fine, but whoever talks might be found
floating in a river a day later. Or they might be terminated after failing to meet a sudden load of
unreasonable demands placed on them, and found hanging in their closet several months, or even
weeks, later. Or they might be paid off and sent to live in the Caribbean. It really depends on the
conspiracy.
Those at the very top of the food chain might also have this motive, but they are creating Broken
to make money, not to scrape by on a salary. These corporate overlords are extremely dangerous,
due to the number of underlings at their disposal. If something cuts into their bottom line, then
they will cut right back to restore profitability and prevent future threats to cashflow.
For Knowledge
The search for truth, change, or a higher form of life consumes many who become Progenitors,
including scientists, occultists, and doctors. The desire for understanding and discovery
motivates such conspirators, whether it is proving a seemingly laughable theory, curing a bizarre
supernatural illness, or unlocking the secrets of a lost cult.
These conspirators are often among the most loyal to the conspiracy because they cannot
continue their work without its aid. While some treat their creations with a degree of kindness,
many regard their test subjects as little more than lab rats, and the Broken that result as valuable
only insofar as they cooperate with their creators.
While these conspirators are far less numerous than those who are just in it for the money, they
are what most Renegades picture when they plan their assault on the conspiracy. These people
have a personal stake in the conspiracy: intellectual property, college credits, possibly even some
emotional attachments. They are often heavily protected due to their intimate knowledge of the
conspiracy’s projects, and they will not go down without a fight (and possibly a healthy amount
of begging).
However, they are not always enemies. One Deviant’s torturer might be another’s savior. They
can be negotiated with and even worked with for extended periods of time — but they always
want the knowledge that results.
For the Pain
Many Renegades would like to think that their conspiracy was founded on a pedestal of absolute
evil. The employees are all cringing underlings or abusers-in-training, their Progenitors are
cackling mad scientists, and the heads of the conspiracy are omnipotent puppeteers in the
shadows. The truth is usually much more complex. Many Progenitors think they are doing the
best for the human race, the accountants and administrative assistants are just doing their jobs,
and the CEO plays at being a Silicon Valley startup prodigy who is too far removed from his
people to know or care about what they’re doing.
However, this is not always the case. Many who join a conspiracy know exactly what they’re
signing up for. They’re willing to fudge numbers, buy secondhand needles, and do whatever is
necessary to continue creating and torturing Remade to exercise their own need for power.
Conspiracies deal in unethical (or at least highly questionable) experiments and business
practices, so staying in operation means finding people who are willing to look at those
behaviors without going to the FBI or the ethics board. And such people are often those who are
willing to look the other way in exchange for the conspiracy letting certain personal habits slide,
too. In short, even relatively benign conspiracies attract the worst kinds of people, at least some
of the time.
These people are extremely dangerous and often lurk in odd or unexpected areas of the
conspiracy. A cell guard for Remade might enjoy torturing them, but there also might be a head
of marketing who wields her power like a whip, or a janitor who has learned to use the ECT
machine. They may play a long game, befriending a Remade only to betray her later, or they may
launch themselves at a Renegade while she’s casing the facility. Each one is different, and each
one is always looking for a new victim to bully and abuse.
Sample Characters
These are templates for your human conspiracy members. Feel free to use or modify them as
necessary.
Administrative Assistant
“Sure, I have access to that spreadsheet. Can I see your badge?”
She’s the conduit through which most of the conspiracy’s information flows, a Linchpin in their
affairs. There might be one, ten, or a hundred like her, but all of them hold unique keys to the
organization’s information. A lot of Renegades overlook administrative assistants, considering
them mere pawns. A smart Remade knows better. A good administrative assistant can make
anyone disappear or destroy precious data with the stroke of a key or the push of a button.
Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 3, Resolve 3; Strength 1, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3; Presence 2,
Manipulation 2, Composure 4
General Dice Pools: Find a Smoking Gun 6, Destroy Damning Evidence 6, Deal with Difficult
Person 7
Combat Dice Pools: Duck! 3, Outrun Pursuer 5
Initiative Modifier: +3
Defense: 2
Health: 8
Willpower: 7
Size: 5
Speed: 7
Doubles as: Information security technician, personal assistant, accountant, grey-hat hacker
Executive
“I understand your concerns. Why don’t we step into my office and discuss it further?”
The executive sits at the heart of the conspiracy. Whether in the know, or totally in the dark, the
executive directs the overall agenda and policy of the conspiracy. Some are mere figureheads.
Some really are the menacing corporate overlords they appear to be.
Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 2, Resolve 4; Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2; Presence 5,
Manipulation 3, Composure 4
General Dice Pools: Inspire Conspirators 9, Make Important Call 6, Money Laundering 5
Combat Dice Pools: Call for Backup 7, Small Pistols 4
Initiative Modifier: +6
Defense: 2
Health: 7
Willpower: 8
Size: 5
Speed: 9
Doubles as: Financial adviser, mob boss, chief of surgery, university president
Graduate Student
“Can’t talk. Need coffee.”
There is no single type of grad student in a conspiracy. Their fields vary widely — from science
and engineering to history and religion. They are suckered in by the promise of a stipend, of
cheap housing, of credit, of free food. Most do their duty and leave; after all, the abuse isn’t any
worse than any other academic institution. Some, though, become whistleblowers, or even
Remade.
Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 2, Resolve 3; Strength 2, Dexterity 1, Stamina 4; Presence 2,
Manipulation 4, Composure 3
General Dice Pools: Find Cheap Food 5, Frantic Research 7, Strong Stomach 6
Combat Dice Pools: Frenzied Punching 4
Initiative Modifier: +4
Defense: 1
Health: 9
Willpower: 6
Size: 5
Speed: 8
Doubles as: Well-meaning journalist, underpaid intern, janitor who knows too much
Nurse Practitioner
“How are you feeling today? Any change in those nightmares?”
Nurse-practitioners are much cheaper to keep on staff than doctors, and have a better bedside
manner. Many conspiracies employ them, hoping their Remade will stay Devoted due to their
kindness, rather than turn Renegade. Sometimes, it even works.
Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 4, Resolve 4; Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3; Presence 2,
Manipulation 1, Composure 4
General Dice Pools: Diagnosis 9, Cut It Out 7, Bedside Manner 5
Combat Dice Pools: Improvised Weaponry 5
Initiative Modifier: 7
Defense: 3
Health: 8
Willpower: 8
Size: 5
Speed: 10
Doubles as: General practitioner, head nurse, ER technician, mad scientist
Private Military Contractor
“Code Delta Radio, I repeat, Code Delta Radio!”
Some conspiracies have the money and reach to hire groups of mercenaries to protect their most
valuable assets. These men and women make sure that the Deviants don’t escape, the Progenitors
remain safe, and nosy reporters and moles are kept out of the organization.
Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 4; Strength 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3; Presence 1,
Manipulation 1, Composure 4
General Dice Pools: Identify Problem 7, Small Group Tactics 7
Combat Dice Pools: Automatic Firearms 7, Knockout Punch 6, Subdue Busybody 7
Initiative Modifier: +7
Defense: 3
Health: 8
Willpower: 8
Size: 5
Speed: 12
Doubles as: Military police, terrorist insurgents, private security
Professor of Biology
“So, if you insert the package via the xiphoid process, you should be able to connect it here...”
No one pays academics better than conspiracies with money. Biology and medical professors are
often the backbone of Remade creation. While they are rarely Progenitors themselves, they often
create the plans for Progenitors to work from.
Attributes: Intelligence 5, Wits 1, Resolve 3; Strength 1, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3; Presence 3,
Manipulation 3, Composure 5
General Dice Pools: Biological Blueprints 9, Explain Anomaly 7, It Just Might Work! 5
Combat Dice Pools: Panicked Flailing 3
Initiative Modifier: +6
Defense: 1
Health: 8
Willpower: 8
Size: 5
Speed: 7
Doubles as: Mad scientist, infosec department head, mid-level technical management, sadist
Slavetaker
“You know, I heard there was this amazing cache of pre-Columbian artifacts in the ruins beyond
the river. It’s just a rumor, of course, but…”
Not all people involved in the creation of Deviants practice medicine or engineering. Some just
get lucky and know where to put people to force them to change. Some pose as adoption
agencies and buy up Born Deviant children. Others seed rumors for urban explorers and
archeologists, luring them to places of mystical power. Once the target undergoes the
Divergence, her Progenitor uses her as an indentured servant, often abusing her and reminding
her how grateful she should be that someone wants her.
Attributes: Intelligence 5, Wits 3, Resolve 4; Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3; Presence 3,
Manipulation 3, Composure 2
General Dice Pools: Charm 7, Lure 7
Combat Dice Pools: Hand-to-hand 5, Taser 4
Initiative Modifier: 8
Defense: 3
Health: 8
Willpower: 9
Size: 5
Speed: 11
Doubles as: Con artist, smuggler
Whistleblower
“Please don’t tell them it was me.”
Every conspiracy has its weak link. The whistleblower can be anyone, but is usually someone the
upper echelons overlook.
Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 4, Resolve 4; Strength 2, Dexterity 4, Stamina 1; Presence 1,
Manipulation 4, Composure 2
General Dice Pools: Paranoid Bastard 7, Damning Evidence 8
Combat Dice Pools: Frantic Brawling 4, Escape 7
Initiative Modifier: +6
Defense: 4
Health: 6
Willpower: 6
Size: 5
Speed: 11

Manticores
Humans are not the only creatures capable of being Remade. Animals are candidates for
Divergence as well, and many of the conspiracies find them to be not only perfect subjects for
experimentation, but also much easier to control once the changes have been made. Animals
have no souls, and therefore aren’t prone to the Instabilities and fluctuations their human
counterparts suffer. Manticores are also far less likely to turn on their masters, and those that do
can be put down with little regret.
Manticores can be trained to do specific jobs, and are often Remade with traits intended to
enhance their abilities in those areas. Among the conspiracies, Manticores are primarily used for
hunting down escaped Deviants, guarding the labs and homes of the corporation’s most
prominent members, and spying on rivals and Renegades that might be plotting against them.
Manticores can also make good companions, detecting sources of a Renegade’s bane nearby and
warning them away, or being a walking, purring Faraday cage that adds a degree of security to
her hideout.
Not all Manticores are created in a lab or intentionally twisted by magical means. Some are
animals that happened across an improperly-discarded barrel of chemicals and took a long,
fateful drink of tainted water. Others were in the right place at the right time: a flock of birds
whose migration path flew them through a beam of interdimensional energy; a fox that caught
and ate an escaped lab rabbit, its blood teeming with nanobots.
Conspiracies have the best access to Manticores. They possess the resources, the materials, and
the facilities to make them, and can tailor a new breed to their exact specifications. These
Remade animals have loyalty and obedience coded into their DNA. Every cell is a tracking
device. If they require any sort of upkeep, their Progenitors can provide it or breed out the need
in the next generation.
People in a conspiracy’s upper echelons keep Manticores as both pets and protectors. More than
one CEO has put in a request for an ever-vigilant watchdog after a midnight visit from a
Renegade in the apartment she once thought impregnable. Devoted bring Manticores along to
sniff out their targets. The Broken’s roommate might say he’s not home, but the crow on the
Devoted’s shoulder detects another heat signature inside the flat.
Though conspiracies use Manticores in the pursuit, capture, and subdual of Renegades, they
aren’t the only ones with access to the animals. Some Remade free lab-grown Manticores during
their escapes, and find one of the animals has followed them home. Others happen upon them out
in the wild, expecting to find another transformed human at the end of a strange trail, only to find
a Manticore, instead. Some Renegades — especially Autourgics — create Manticore
companions of their own. A cohort with a Manticore in their midst often values the animal just as
strongly as their human members.
Enhanced Hunting Hound
Quote: [low growling, with an odd tinny buzz underlying it]
Background: Its predecessors were hunting dogs: retrievers and hounds, terriers and curs. They
bred it for keen senses, superior tracking ability, fearlessness around the roar of a gun. It has as
many ancestors who won Best in Show as it has plain old mutts who survived through sheer
scrappiness. They threw in a bit of wolf — of course they did. But then they got creative. They
spliced in bat-like sonar and added venom sacs behind their teeth that mix a sedative into the
dog’s saliva, the better to knock out its victims. They implanted a playback device in its ears, so
it can recall its victims’ voices and listen for their low, frightened murmurs wherever they might
hide. They replaced its corneas with cameras, so the hound’s masters can see what it sees and
play it back to study later.
Now the dog is trained to heed its Devoted master’s commands. They search the streets together,
the hound with the Renegade’s scent in its nose and her voice in its ears. If she’s out there, it will
find her.
Description: At first glance, the hunting dog resembles a finely bred black Labrador retriever,
but it’s too big for its breed, and sleeker than a lab ought to be. It occasionally emits a clicking
noise rather than a bark, and cocks its head to listen for the results. It has two sets of snakelike
fangs, longer and sharper than the other teeth in its maw. When it catches a victim and bites
down, its sedative-laced saliva enters the target’s bloodstream and renders her unconscious. The
hound sits beside the target, guarding her until its master arrives and bundles the target away.
Storytelling Hints: The hound can hunt in packs or alone, and responds quickly to its master’s’
commands. It doesn’t usually display the viciousness or aggressiveness of other breeds, but will
certainly use its power to intimidate prey. Once the dog has its target’s scent, it follows it almost
single-mindedly. Its Progenitor bred its need for sleep down to a minimum, and stimulant packs
implanted under its skin can give it several extra hours of useful, uninterrupted tracking time.
Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 3, Resolve 4; Strength 3, Dexterity 2, Stamina 5; Presence 2,
Manipulation 0, Composure 1
General Dice Pools: Aggressive Growl 5, Chase 7, Tracking 8
Combat Dice Pools: Bite 7, Tackle 6
Variations: Brachiation (Bounding) 1, Cutting Brawl Lash (Deadly, Envenomed, Soporific) 2,
Sensor Array 2
Initiative: 5
Defense: 7
Health: 7
Willpower: 0
Size: 4
Speed: 12
Weapons/Attacks:
[START TABLE]
Type Damage Dice Pool Special
Bite 2L 7 Inflicts Drugged and Poisoned Tilts
[END TABLE]

Ferals
Sometimes, the process of Divergence breaks a Remade’s soul too deeply for him to hold on to
his humanity. Along with his sense of self, the drive to protect other humans or seek revenge on
his Progenitor simply never takes root, making him Feral. Often, this violent change is
accompanied by powers too great for the Remade to control, or mutations that reshape his form
into something far stranger than his mind can bear.
Yet, some of these Deviants manage to wrest a modicum of control over their fluctuating powers
and deteriorating bodies. They regain a measure of self-awareness, and succeed in making their
Variations and Scars subside, for a time, though the threat of Instability is always lurking.
Conspiracies seek Ferals out for several reasons. When they’re the result of an experiment gone
horribly wrong, it behooves the conspiracy to get rid of the evidence and protect the
organization. However, sometimes they want the Feral for her powers. A Feral on a leash can be
an extremely potent weapon — more unpredictable than a Manticore, but the tradeoff is in the
sheer amount of power the Feral can wield. A conspiracy with a captive Feral can force him to
astrally project into a Renegade’s hideout and spy on them. A Feral who is a Face Thief can steal
his target’s identity, committing a crime that gets the Renegade arrested and puts her in the
conspiracy’s control. Conspiracies can be far less subtle, sending the Feral straight in to the
Renegade’s home — or to where his Loyalty Touchstones live — to strike out with his Lashes
and do as much damage as he can.
Once a Feral loses control over his powers, he poses a terrifying danger to anyone in his path. He
might emit pheromones that cause anyone in their range to turn violent, or send massive bolts of
lightning tearing through buildings. He grows to impossible heights and crushes anything in his
wake, or fades entirely from view, striking out at his enemies from seemingly nowhere. It is
often up to Renegades to subdue him, which puts them at risk not only of the conspiracies
finding them, but also of triggering their own Instabilities.
Ferals who have a handle on their powers and have retained a degree of clarity can also be
potential allies for Renegades. Their time on the run from conspiracies gives them a keen
understanding of how those organizations work, and they may have spent some time entangled
with one, either as a participant in creating other Remade or as a prisoner and tool. Most Ferals
are extremely cautious, to the point of paranoia. The slightest hint that a Renegade could lead the
conspiracy to her door is enough to spook her and send her even further off the grid. Alternately,
a Feral who feels she’s been betrayed by a Remade or members of his cohort could decide to
unleash her rage on them all. Killing them, after all, gets rid of the problem.
Chloe Kincade, The Girl with a Thousand Faces
Quote: "I don’t know who I am, some days. Maybe today I’ll be you."
Background: Chloe always thought she’d be a famous surgeon someday. She focused her
studies on facial reconstruction, interning under the best in the field. She read journal articles
voraciously, and wrote letters to their authors asking questions that belied her brilliance. When a
recruiter from a biomed company reached out to her with an exciting opportunity to work on
cutting-edge procedures, she jumped at the chance.
The methods the company employed were beyond her understanding. The materials and
pharmaceuticals they used weren’t any she’d ever heard of, and the equipment approached
Clarke’s Law-levels of complexity.
Chloe remembers examining the machine the doctors used one night while she was alone in the
lab. Maybe there was a short in the system. Maybe she didn’t calibrate it correctly. Maybe she
just stood in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Next thing she knew, she was across the room, on the floor, her face burning. When she looked
in the mirror to assess the damage, there was nothing there, her features melted or blurred or
fused into a blank slate. She’s not sure how she saw anything, how she was able to breathe, or
how the scream got out.
Chloe ran, and stole the faces of the people she passed along the way.
Description: Chloe’s face changes too often for any photos to be reliable. She takes faces from
the young and old, and from across all genders. She’s of average height, flat-chested, and
sturdily built, and wears clothes to match whichever persona she’s adopting.
Storytelling Hints: Chloe hardly remembers what she looked like before her Divergence, but
she’s stopped mourning who she used to be. The constant face-shifting has unmoored her from
any true sense of self, and she discards personas the way most people discard fast food wrappers.
Within a week of wearing a new face, the features deteriorate, and Chloe goes out to seek a new
one. She doesn’t only steal a person’s looks. She tries their personality on as well.
Her former employer has been searching for her for over a year, without realizing how many
times she’s returned to the lab wearing one of her old colleague’s faces to steal information.
She’s grown adept at switching faces to lose herself in a crowd. If she’s being followed, she’ll
attempt to circle back and tail the person who was tailing her first.
Origin: Pathological
Clade: Invasive
Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 3, Resolve 2; Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2; Presence 3,
Manipulation 4, Composure 3
Skills: Academics 4, Athletics 2, Brawl 3, Expression 3 (Technical Writing), Larceny 2,
Medicine 4 (Plastic Surgery), Politics 2, Persuasion 2, Science 4 (Biology), Socialize 2, Stealth
2, Subterfuge 3, Survival 3
Merits: Anonymity 5, Fast-Talking 4, Hypervigilance
Willpower: 5
Stability: 6
Conviction: 0
Loyalty: 0
Aspiration: Live someone else’s life
Initiative: 5
Defense: 2
Speed: 9
Health: 7
Size: 5
Acclimation: 1
Persistent Scars: Addictive Variation (Physical; Lingering; Face Thief) 3, Paranoia (Mental;
Environmental Adaptation, Hyper-Competence) 2
Variations: Environmental Adaptation (Urban) 1, Face Thief 4, Hyper-Competence (Medicine)
1