We are what we pretend to be,

so we must be careful about

what we pretend to be.

-Kurt Vonnegut, Mother Night

 PROMETHEAN: THE CREATED 2ND EDITION

Credits Special Thanks

Writers: Eric Berg, Dave Brookshaw, Steffie de Vaan, Meghan To Bill Bridges, who brought this monster to life.
Fitzgerald, Jim Fisher, Jose Garcia, David A Hill Jr, Matthew To Jeffrey Willis, Matt Karafa, Andrea Steyer, John Newman,
McFarland, Neall Raemonn Price, Mark L.S. Stone, Vera Vartanian, and Jeffrey Kreider, for giving me the Promethean chronicle that
Amy Veeres, Stew Wilson firmly cemented my love for this game.
Developer: Matthew McFarland To Michelle Lyons-McFarland, Sarah Dyer, Glen Gilmore,
Editor: Michelle Lyons-McFarland John Mathys, Matt Homentotsky, and Matt Karafa (again) for
Artists: Leo Albiero, Samuel Araya, Mark Kelly, Brian LeBlanc, giving me a Promethean chronicle that showed me different ways
Vince Locke, Ken Meyer Jr., Jayraj Paul, Tiago Silverio, Ron Spencer, to experience it.
Bryan Syme To Teagan and Cael, my own personal New Dawn.
Art Director: Michael Chaney Be kind. Pay attention. Love.
Creative Director: Richard Thomas —Matthew McFarland
Layout and Design: Becky McGarity
Index: T.R. Knight Oops!
Playtesters: Paul Baxter, Aleksander Berokoff, Lukas Dapkus, In Mage: The Awakening Second Edition, we neglected to credit
Josh Dickerson, Ugnius Dovidauskas, Sarah Dyer, Alice Gaines, our hardworking indexer, T.R. Knight. Sorry, T.R., and thanks for
Glen Gilmore, Justin D. Harris, SpringLea Ellorien Henry, Michael your great work!
Hewitt, Matt Homentotsky, Tina Jackson, Megan Jenkins, Matt
Karafa, Jared Koepsel, Jurgis Kuliešius, Alan Loera, Jared Lord,
Michelle Lyons-McFarland, John Mathys, Matthew McFarland,
Meghan O’Connor, Alexander Permann, Migle Pucetaite, Michael
Raymer, Teri Stearns, Edvinas Šulcas, Adam Sutherlin

© 2016 White Wolf Publishing AB. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, pho-
tocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of White Wolf Publishing AB.
Reproduction prohibitions do not apply to the character sheets contained in this book when reproduced
for personal use. White Wolf, Vampire and Chronicles of Darkness are registered trademarks of White
Wolf Publishing AB. All rights reserved. Night Horrors: Unbidden, Vampire the Requiem, Werewolf the
Forsaken, Mage the Awakening, Storytelling System, and Ancient Bloodlines are trademarks of White
Wolf Publishing AB.. All rights reserved. All characters, names, places and text herein are copyrighted
by White Wolf Publishing AB.
The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the
trademark or copyright concerned.
This book uses the supernatural for settings, characters and themes. All mystical and supernatural elements are fiction and intended for entertainment
purposes only. Reader discretion is advised.
Check out White Wolf online at http://www.white-wolf.com
Check out the Onyx Path at http://www.theonyxpath.com

2
Introduction 11 The Desperate Dream: Elpis 78
Themes 11 Lead 79
Humanism 11 The Great Work 79
Transformation 11 The Way 80
Torment 12 Milestones 81
The Divine Fire 12 Impurity 82
Isolation 12 Fire 84
Glimpses of the Grotesque 12 Comrades-in-Arms: The Throng 84
How to Use This Book 12 A Community of Outcasts 85
Chapters 12 An Improbable Fiction: Roles 87
An Introduction to Storytelling Games 13 Reaping What You Sow: Vitriol 88
Inspirational Media 14 Epimetheus’ Folly 89
Literature 14 The Firestorm 90
Film 14 Gold 90
Television 14 The Principle 90
Glossary 14 Saturnine Night 92
Athanors 93
Chapter One: Pieces 19 New Dawn 95
Lineages 19
Lost Lineages 19 Chapter Three: Alchemy 99
Frankensteins 20 Character Creation 99
Galateids 23 Step One: Character Concept 99
Osiris 26 Step Two: Attributes 99
Tammuz 29 Step Three: Skills 100
Ulgan 32 Step Four: Skill Specialties 100
Unfleshed 35 Step Five: Add Promethean Traits 100
Extempore 38 Step Six: Merits 101
Refinements 41 Step Seven: Advantages 101
Aurum 42 Example of Character Creation 103
Cuprum 45 Advancement 105
Ferrum 48 Vitriol 105
Plumbum 51 Waypoints: Elpis and Torment 105
Stannum 54 Elpis 105
Aes 57 Torment 106
Argentum 60 Example Elpides and Torments 106
Cobalus 63 Bestowments 108
Mercurius 66 Frankenstein Bestowments 108
Phosphorum 69 Galateid Bestowments 108
Osiran Bestowments 109
Chapter Two: Steps 75 Tammuz Bestowments 110
Flesh 75 Ulgan Bestowments 110
The Obsessive Dream — Demiurges and Genitors 75 Unfleshed Bestowments 110
On the Slab 76 Extempore Bestowments 111
Postpartum 76 Merits 111
Alone 78

3
 PROMETHEAN: THE CREATED 2ND EDITION

TRANSMUTATIONS 117 Bestiae Facies 148

Gaining Transmutations 118 Tegere 149
Systems 118 Verto 150
Alchemicus 119 Saturninus 150
Stone 119 Heed the Call 150
Aqua Regia 120 Plumb the Fathoms 152
Spagyria 120 Stoke the Furnace 153
Elixir 122 Prime the Vessel 153
Benefice 123 Sensorium 154
Command 123 Vitreous Humour 154
Consortium 124 Receptive Humour 155
Control 124 Stereo Humour 156
Community 125 Somatic Humour 157
Contamination 125 Spiritus 158
Indulgence 125 Clades 158
Leverage 126 Clupeum 158
Madness 127 Veritas 160
Suffering 128 Laruae 160
Corporeum 129 Vitality 161
Charites 129 Unbowed 161
Zephyrus 129 Unbroken 162
Hygeius 130 Unconquered 163
Motus 130 Unfettered 163
Deception 131 Vulcanus 164
Anonymity 132 Cauterio 164
Assimilation 132 Ignus Aspiratus 165
Doppelganger 133 Mutatus Aspiratus 166
Stalker 134 Sanctus Aspiratus 167
Disquietism 134 PROMETHEAN TRAITS 167
Externalize 134 Azoth 167
Internalize 135 Effects of Azoth 167
Redirect 135 Pyros 168
Weaponize 137 Spending Pyros 168
Electrification 137 Replenishing Pyros 168
Machinus 137 Promethean Advantages 169
Arc 138 Superlative Endurance 169
Oscillitus 139 Electroshock Therapy 170
Imperatus 140 Transhuman Potential 171
Luciferus 141 The Drawbacks 171
Solar Flare 141 Fire 171
Morning Star 141 Disfigurements 171
Blaze of Glory 142 Torment 171
Beacon of Helios 143 Disquiet 172
Mesmerism 144 Wasteland 174
Phobos 144 PILGRIMAGE 177
Eros 145 Defining the Path 177
Eris 146 Walking the Path 178
Penthos 147 Roles 179
Metamorphosis 147 Turning Away 179
Aptare 147 Stuck in a Rut 179

4
 Table of contents

Taking a Role 179 Resolution 204

Milestones 183 Combat 204
Universal Milestones 183 Optional Rule: Beaten Down & Surrender 204
Instinctive and Prescribed Milestones 184 Down and Dirty Combat 205
Magnitude 184 Initiative 206
Creation 185 Attack 206
The Generative Act 185 Defense 206
New Dawn 186 Dodge 206
Elpis Visions 187 Unarmed Combat 206
Forcing a Vision 187 Ranged Combat 207
Lacuna 188 General Combat Factors 207
Athanors 188 Weapons and Armor 208
Types of Athanors 189 Injury and Healing 210
Upgrading Damage 211
Chapter Four: Rules 193 Mortal Healing 211
Traits 193
Objects 211
Attributes 193
Disease 212
Mental Attributes 193
Drugs 212
Physical Attributes 194
Overdose 212
Social Attributes 194
Electricity 212
Skills 194
Extreme Environments 212
Mental Skills 194
Falling 212
Physical Skills 195
Fire 213
Social Skills 197
Poison 214
Skill Specialties 198
Equipment 214
Virtues and Vices 198
Availability and Procurement 214
Speed 198
Size, Durability, and Structure 214
Rolling Dice 198
Dice Bonuses 214
Roll Results 198
Game Effect 214
When to Roll Dice 199
Services 214
Willpower 199
Mental Equipment 214
Attribute Tasks 199
Physical Equipment 218
Unskilled Penalties 199
Social Equipment 220
Actions 199
Ephemeral Beings: Ghosts, Spirits, and Angels 221
Argument 200
Invisible Incursions 221
Carousing 200
Manifestation and Possession 221
Fast-Talk 200
Ghosts 222
Interrogation 200
Spirits 222
Intimidation 201
Angels 223
Investigating a Scene 201
Jumping 201 Game Systems 223
Repair 201 Ephemeral Influence and Manifestation Conditions 228
Research 201 Anchor 228
Shadowing a Mark 201 Resonant 229
Sneaking 201 Infrastructure 229
Time 202 Open 229
Social Maneuvering 202 Controlled 229
Goals 203 Reaching 229
Underworld Gate 230
Doors 203
Shadow Gate 230
First Impressions 203
Materialized 231
Opening Doors 203

5
 PROMETHEAN: THE CREATED 2ND EDITION

Fettered 231 Wall Walking 245

Urged 232 A Cabinet of Unborn 245
Possessed 232 The Calavera 246
Claimed 233 Dollface 246
Numina 233 The Pilgrim 247
Aggressive Meme 233 Centimani 249
Awe 233 Flux 252
Blast 234 Blight 252
Dement 234 Lordship 252
Drain 234 Mutation 253
Emotional Aura 234 Solvent 253
Essence Thief 234 Disciples of Flux 254
Firestarter 234 The Huntsman 254
Hallucination 234 The Scholar 255
Host Jump 234 Alchemists 256
Implant Mission 234 Playing God 257
Innocuous 234 The Furnaces of Innumerable Alchemists 258
Left-Handed Spanner 234 Lodowick Society 258
Mortal Mask 234 The Emerald Crucible 259
Omen Trance 235 The Pristine Order of the Auric Chalice 259
Pathfinder 235 Amalgama Ltd 260
Rapture 235
The Order of the Four-Cornered Seal 260
Regenerate 235
Alchemists and Their Prey 261
Resurrection 235
The Making of an Alchemist 261
Seek 235
New Advantage: Magnitude 261
Speed 235
Perfection the Self: Working with Vitriol 262
Sign 235
Magic Potions 262
Stalwart 235
Alchemist — Karen DeGalle 263
Telekinesis 235
Firestorms 264
Chapter Five: Firestorm 239 The Anatomy of a Firestorm 264
Pandorans 239 Firestorm Mechanics 265
Birth 239 Qashmallim: The Scintillating Flames 268
Hunger 240 Born From Fire 268
Vitriol 240 The Mission 268
Dormancy 240 Choirs and Orders 270
Disquiet 241 GAME SYSTEMS 271
Division 241 Example Qashmallim 272
Praecipitati 241
Sublimati 242
Chapter Six: Journeys 277
What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas 277
Rank and Traits 243
Conspicuous Consumption 278
Dread Powers 244
The Mother Lode 278
Armor 244
Fire in the Sky 279
Beastly Mutation 244
Not With a Bang, But a Whimper 280
Bizarre Weaponry 244
Breath Attack 244 A Place for Pilgrims 281
Briareus’ Prowess 244 East Meets West 282
Camouflage 245 The Road Through the Borderlands 282
Malleable Form 245 The Seoul is in the Software 283
Paralyze 245 The Bay of Dolls 283
Scurry 245 The Hunting Ground 284

6
 Table of contents

The Wasted Land 285 Fugue 310

A City Divided 286 Greedy Brand 310
The Broken Chain 287 Guilty 310
The Mother of Monsters 287 Hyperextended 310
Inspired 310
Chapter Seven: Storytelling 293 Irritable 310
Gathering the Throng 293 Kinesthesia 310
The Alchemical Record 294 Leveraged 310
The Mother We Share 294 Murderous 311
Patchwork People 295 Obsession 311
Pilgrimage: The Long Road 296 Paranoid 311
Pilgrimage Creation 296 Reckless 311
Milestones 297 Regressive 311
Instinctive Milestones 297 Shaken 311
Prescribed Milestones 299 Spooked 311
Universal Milestones 300 Steadfast 311
Compounds and Mixtures 302 Stricken 312
The New Dawn 303 Swooning 312
Happy Endings 303 Synesthesia 312
Example of the New Dawn 304 Terrified 312
Tormented 312
Appendix: Conditions and Tilts 305 Wanton 312
Improvised Conditions 305 Watched 312
Lingering Conditions 305 Tilts 312
Common Conditions 305 Arm Wrack 313
Addicted 305 Avalanche 313
Agoraphobic 306 Beaten Down 313
Alienated 306 Blinded 313
Amnesia 306 Blizzard 313
Atavistic 306 Burning 314
Branded Throng 306 Deafened 314
Broken 307 Drowning 314
Burnout 307 Drugged 314
Callous 307 Earthquake 315
Connected 307 Extreme Cold 315
Confused 307 Extreme Heat 315
Degaussed 307 Flooded 315
Delusional 307 Heavy Rain 315
Deprived 308 Heavy Winds 316
Disconnected 308 Ice 316
Disquieted 308 Immobilized 316
Disquieted 308 Insane 316
Disquieted 308 Insensate 317
Disquieted 308 Knocked Down 317
Distracted 309 Leg Wrack 317
Ephemeral Anchor 309 Poisoned 317
Fatigued 309 Sick 318
Flawed Vessel 309 Stunned 318
Fragile 309
Frightened 309 Chart Quick Reference 319

7
 THE GREAT WORK:
PROLOGUE
Wisher greeted the morning, and all the myriad spirits with it.
The day started cloudy, and the hosts of the sun grumbled at the boasting clouds. There hadn’t been a sunny
day since Wisher and her throng returned to the city, and the clouds couldn’t have been happier. It was time to
disappoint them.
“You will not see me anymore,” Wisher said.
The clouds glanced at her, and they continued boasting. Wisher wasn’t surprised. When a spirit was well fed
and in its prime, nothing she could say would disturb it. Tact meant nothing to it.
“I will leave this city,” she said. “I will never come back.”
The boasts stopped, and Wisher felt them stare. Thunder clapped and underneath the sound, Wisher heard
their laughter.
Another round of thunder came and underneath it the clouds said, “We have heard this before, and we have
not forgotten how you begged us to save you from your own failures. You may leave this city, but you will return
to us.”
They would never let her forget when she screamed to the sky for help, when Clay’s Girl clung to life in her
arms, and Imam could only hold back the beasts for so long. The clouds obliged and threw down their lightning,
but it was never out of compassion or respect. In her Torment, Wisher had helped them take a young boy. The
lightning was merely a debt repaid.
That was before the throng met Roark. That was before she found her salvation.
“If that’s what you believe, I won’t convince you otherwise,” she said, “I don’t expect you to miss me.”
A flash of lightning illuminated her face. The clouds saw her determination. The last time she had spoken to
them like this, she had to mask her fear under the neutral expression she kept for all spirits. Now, she could
emote all she liked in their presence.
Another rumble came from the sky. “You are serious? You do not jest?”
Wisher shook her head. The clouds huddled together. They grew darker, and the lightning quickened. Seeing
that gave her a sharp jolt of glee in her chest.
“How can you be so sure?” they asked.
Wisher didn’t answer. How could she even begin to explain how she would earn her place in this
world to something that never needed to?
She could speak to it all she wanted about her journey to this moment, about the Refinements and
the Transmutations. She could describe the fire inside that pushed her forward, growing stronger with
every moment, waiting to change into something more beautiful. The clouds would never understand
a single word of it.
Wisher turned from them and walked back to the apartment. She had no more time to waste, and
Imam was waiting for her to return.
Thunder rolled, and then rain fell.
 ’ R A M B L E
ALICE S nc es in bl ur ry black and white.
He
‘50s picket fe e up or contra-
ed wa s th e pe rfect wife, circa happened if I spok
All he want d qu ic k wh at
d, and I learne sight of me made
him too sick
ed a wo m an se en and not hear en to ld m e th e
want the windowsill, th d left. I
hi m . H e wa nt ed pies cooling on di d to m e, he got tired of me an
dicted l the things he g I ever
om e ti m e af te r I lost count of al m ig ht ha ve be en the first thin
to eat. S I think that
d up in si de , I ac tually cried, and
was so twiste never be
fo r m ys el f. om eo ne pli ab le . Someone who could
felt HE wanted. S me, it wasn’t an
escape,
S m al l. W ea k. That was what n wh en he le ft
Sof t. to leave him. E ve me in
th an hi m . S om eone too terrified te llin g m e ev er ything wrong with
stronger hear his voice, guish
wa s st ill wi th me, inside. I would ed re pla ci ng th e tension and an
because he sly, self-hatr
ck on themselves endles
long lists that loo pe d ba meone else.
I de ci ded to become so using
we ll. I ha te d myself so m uc h,
nd - no on e to give me grief for
so ou
I knew t, no one else ar d of my shift, I lif
ted,
a job cl ea ni ng a gym. Late nigh wn , at th e en
I took o came in at da r months. I
t m ys el f. Ju st like the people wh at didn’t leave me fo
the equipmen hurt, a linge ri ng ac he th
. I chose im-
in ed , ra n fo r m iles just to run. It an d as ke d fo r one of everything
stra nt to the shop , and the
d ho le s in th at perfect skin, we bu zz in g, bi ti ng needle. It all hurt
punche r my skin with a by inch, I
ed an d ha d th em painted unde , ev er y bu rn , m eant that, inch
ages I lik in, every ache
go od , be ca us e every stab of pa
hurt felt so t HIS. - can’t change
s re cl ai m in g th is body. MINE, no e th e wa y he us ed to. Still small
wa one looks at m y week and
w, I am no t wh at he made, and no d, pie rc ed , ha ir a new color ever
No wanted to. Inke ked at
t so st ro ng I co uldn’t hide it if I n. I am no lon ge r a thing to be loo
that - bu fistful of it ag ai
ll EVER take a pain that made
short enough th at no on e wi
e th is ch an ge , gave myself the
mad ice
d I am no t af raid of anyone. I do it ag ain an d again. That vo
for pleasure, an I have the will to
k m ys elf every day that ain.
this possible, an d I th an
ow s wh at I’ll do if I ever see him ag lone,
is qu ie te r, no w. I like to think it kn rs t ni gh ts , th os e first months. A
of his I felt those fi
is, you’ll know how be made. You
If yo u’ re re ad in g th
l ev en th ou gh yo u never asked to
for it al e NOT wrong,
G, and at fault your fault, you ar
imperfect, WRON deserve. B ut th is is N OT
l you get, all you offer you
feel like this is al th is to o ca n be changed. I can’t
imperfect, en a door.
e, and if you are All I can do is op
you are NOT alon for you. It ca n’ t B E ea sy .
make this easy r side.
salvation. I can’t do wn th at lon g road on the othe
rough it, and
ou ’r e th e on e wh o has to walk th
Y cost.
hi ng wo rt h ha vi ng comes without lla pse from sheer ex
haustion,
Not uc h. Y ou wi ll co
will hurt so, so m will cry and ache
, and
You will hurt. You to yo u, an d yo u
s new
with pain in place until your body -
YOUR
and you will wake n and ag ai n re ga rd le ss
ing yourself agai e mirror and see
your-
you will keep push be. You wi ll loo k in to th
what you will it to . I’ve heard
body - becomes
wh at wa s m ad e for someone else
time, and not g the body.”
self for the first gs lik e, “p ai n is weakness leavin
ainers say thin thing less than fr
eedom.
other strength tr on th is pa th is no
we give ourselves
For us, the pain
 Lightning flashes overhead. The storm isn’t natural, the power the lightning carries isn’t
simple electricity. It’s the Divine Fire, the power of life and obsession. It lances down to
Earth, strikes an iron rod, and flows into dead flesh made animate. The body rises and looks
skyward, and tears fill its eyes as it beholds the wonder of its own birth.
Its creator looks on, sharing that wonder. She loves her creation. It is everything that she
has ever wanted, the culmination of years of magical research, work, and sacrifice. Soon, she
will come to hate her creation with equal passion. It isn’t her fault. The Fire that drives him
simply burns too hot. He will leave her, driven out or fleeing a mob wielding weapons. He
might find others like him. He is on a journey that only ends one of two ways — he dies, and his
body becomes inert matter once more, or he works an alchemical miracle and becomes human.
Promethean: The Created is a game about people and things that want to be people. It’s
a game about the value of humanity and what a fragile and delicate thing it is.
Promethean is a game about obsession, passion, love, and loss. It’s a game about what
happens when these things are so consuming, when they burn so bright, that they literally
take on a life of their own.
Promethean is a game about possibility, exploration, and strange science. It’s a game about
things that look like angels but aren’t, things that seem like they should be monsters but aren’t, Invention, it must be
and things that look like tortured, demented freaks and unquestionably are. humbly admitted, does
not consist in creating
Themes out of void, but out of
Promethean is built on the idea that being human is a desirable state, and that humanity,
chaos.
for all its flaws, at least has the potential to be good and noble. It tells the story of creatures
with a kind of artificial life, who desperately want and aspire to be human, even as humanity –Mary Wollstonecraft
rejects them. Promethean is a crucible, in which the characters are tested and — hopefully — Shelley
come through the process refined and golden.

Humanism
Humanism is probably the most important single theme of Promethean. Promethean
assumes that being human is a desirable condition and that the protagonists (i.e., the Created)
have an intrinsic desire and drive to become human.
To unpack humanism in the context of Promethean, though, the game often presents
people being people. Sometimes people are horrible. They have all kinds of reasons for
that, but the bottom line is: People hurt each other. They kill, steal, rape, despoil, and they
do it all, often, with this attitude of casual detachment and myopia that is just sickening.
Deliberate, passionate, hatred is almost better than systemic unthinking cruelty, because at
least if someone hates you they’re paying some kind of attention. Prometheans see all of that,
and they know that it is humanity.
On the flip side, though, human beings are capable of simply amazing feats of kindness,
bravery, selflessness, and empathy. Those moments can be small and simple or they can be
huge and world-changing (Jonas Salk, when asked who owned the patent on his polio vaccine,
responded, “There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?”).
Takeaway lesson: Being human is a good thing, despite humanity’s flaws.

Transformation
The Pilgrimage, the quest for the New Dawn, is all about transmutation. The Promethean
condition is lead, and the goal is nothing less than alchemy of the soul, the body, the entire
nature — changing base lead into the gold of true humanity. The Promethean condition
is mutable, and the Created have so many ways to lose it all. The Refinements are each
philosophical methods of shaping that base metal, pushing it closer to the Great Work. Each
 INTRODUCTION

milestone shapes the Promethean’s form just a little more, and each have a society or a culture. They have Azothic memory, a kind of
missed milestone is a lesson that the Promethean needs to learn collective unconscious that gives them information and context,
in some other way. but pushes them ever onward toward the New Dawn.
Takeaway lesson: The Promethean condition is unstable, and Takeaway lesson: The throng is the only place a Promethean
Prometheans are in a constant state of flux. can feel anything like accepted or at home.

Torment Glimpses
Due in part to their unstable nature and in part to the fact
that the Divine Fire burns too bright for the mortal world (more
of the Grotesque
on that in a moment), Prometheans are never comfortable. They Promethean is a game of body horror. Centimani, Pandorans,
are unhappy in their own skin. They feel a pronounced sense of the effects of Flux on the world and its people, and, of course, the
dysmorphia, as though they are never quite right…but they know characters being people made of other people all lend themselves to this
they could be. kind of horror. While that makes for nice window-dressing, it’s not
Imagine, if you will, living constantly with the feeling that you’re the important theme of the game. Hence, glimpses of the grotesque.
forgetting something really important. Or that your body isn’t really Show the body horror and don’t shy from it, but use it sparingly.
yours, and you can’t quite figure out how it works. Or that you are These glimpses are important to experience a little of the discomfort
in constant pain — the level fluctuates, but it never really goes away. necessary to make this game work. It’s not about making the
A Promethean endures something analogous to this. Torment is players uncomfortable, just about highlighting the strangeness and
an ever-present thing. It rises, it suffocates, and it subsides, and the horror of the Chronicles of Darkness for characters that have a
Promethean has then to assess how much progress on her Pilgrimage very different perspective than people do. This horror is what they
she’s lost because it. Controlling Torment is important. know, what they were born to — but they aim higher.
Torment can rise in response to threat, hunger, failure, stress, Takeaway lesson: Show the gore, but don’t linger.

How to Use
and generally anything that makes a Promethean angry or afraid. It
lowers in response to releasing it in some cathartic way, following the

This Book
Pilgrimage (achieving milestones), and interacting with humanity
in a non-stressful way.
Takeaway lesson: Prometheans are in a constant state of
pain and discomfort that ebbs and flows based on what a Promethean: The Created is a Storytelling game of grotesque
Promethean experiences. alchemy. It’s a complete game, with all of the rules that you’ll
need to take a group of Promethean characters from creation to
The Divine Fire the New Dawn. You can find expanded rules in the Chronicles
The Divine Fire is what animates and drives Prometheans. It of Darkness Rulebook.
allows them to do the magic that they do, to survive wounds that This book also includes the Firestorm Chronicle. Firestorms,
would kill other people many times over, and ultimately, to engineer the context of Promethean, are magical tempests that scour away
their Great Work and become human. It also allows a demiurge to the damage that the Created do to the world. Prometheans must
muster up the obsession and will necessary to make a Promethean. travel, either literally or metaphorically. Their Pilgrimages requires
The Divine Fire is too intense for the mortal world. It warps constant change, and the Firestorm can act as both a way to spur
the world, changing it in unpredictable ways. Prometheans carry a sedentary Promethean on and a way to wash away past mistakes.
around that Divine Fire, and it scorches the Earth and burns so Prometheans are exceptions to many rules. They are splinters.
brightly that it fascinates and angers people. None of these effects They are things that don’t quite fit, grotesque reminders of the
are a Promethean’s fault; they’re nothing a Promethean can control, struggle for humanity and the arcane weirdness of the Chronicles
except in immediate, specific ways. of Darkness. When reading this book, any time you see a declarative
Takeaway lesson: The Divine Fire is dangerous to the mortal statement about the Created, please mentally append “usually”
world and always warps or changes it in some way. to the statement. Prometheans cannot sire or bear children…
usually. Prometheans cause Disquiet in human beings…usually.
Isolation Prometheans become human at the end of the Pilgrimage…usually.
Promethean relies on strange, unique circumstances and once-in-
At any given time, there might be one hundred Created walking a-billion occurrences, though, so if something happens in your
the Earth. That means that most Prometheans are probably solitary chronicles that breaks the rules, that’s entirely in keeping with the
folks. When a Promethean finds a throng, she sticks with it, even game’s intent.
if the throng includes Prometheans that she’d normally not want
to hang out with.
In a Promethean chronicle, the characters that the players portray Chapters
are a significant percentage of the population of Prometheans in the
Chapter One: Pieces describes the Lineages (alchemical
world. The throng is crucial because without it, a Promethean might
geneses) of the Created. It also details the 10 Refinements
go decades without seeing another of its kind. Prometheans do not

12
 an introduction to storytelling games

will stick together through the darkest parts of the Pilgrimage, and
how to design milestones.
Truths and Lies Finally, the Appendix collects all of the Conditions and Tilts
in the game into one, easy-to-use list.
Prometheans are undead.
False. They are living beings made from dead matter.
A Promethean might have residual memory from the
An Introduction to
flesh she inhabits, but it is just that — residual. She must
make her own life if she is to reach the New Dawn. Storytelling Games
Prometheans are violent. You might have played other Storytelling or roleplaying
games before, or you might be entirely new to this glorious
Not necessarily. Prometheans are capable of
violence, and Torment can spur them to commit pastime. In either case, here’s what we have in mind when we
terrible acts of atrocity, but they are not naturally say “Storytelling game.”
vicious or predatory. In Promethean, you and your friends tell stories of a core cast of
characters attempting to find humanity. Roleplaying games are like
Promethean are made of dead flesh. ongoing comic books or TV dramas. Each gaming session, which
Usually true, though it is possible for Prometheans usually last between two and six hours, is like a weekly episode or
made of non-living or even inorganic matter to arise. single issue, building into distinct storylines as you play. Characters
People hate and fear Prometheans. change Refinements, achieve milestones, and, eventually, achieve
the New Dawn — or at least attempt it.
Sadly true. Human beings instinctively feel suspicious The ideal group size for Promethean is between two to five
or fascinated with the Created; left unchecked, this players, taking on one main character each. You’ll make decisions
effect invariably turns people violent. for your character — what Refinement she’s following, what Roles
Prometheans can become human. she attempts to complete, how she responds to Torment, why she’s
fascinated by humanity.
True.
One player, the Storyteller, is responsible for portraying characters
that don’t belong to specific players and presenting fictional
situations that challenge the other players’ characters. Think of
— alchemical practical philosophies — that they follow in order
these as the supporting cast— both ongoing characters who help or
to complete the Pilgrimage.
oppose the core cast, and one-off antagonists who turn up to cause
Chapter Two: Steps presents an explanation of the life cycle of
unique kinds of trouble.
a Promethean, from creation to the New Dawn. It explains what
As for challenging the player characters, it’s the job of the
being a Promethean is like, from the trials of Torment to the blissful
Storyteller to come up with scenes where the players have to make
transcendence of Elpis. It also introduces some of the antagonists
decisions fraught with conflict and danger. The Storyteller narrates
that Promethean chronicles features.
a situation, then the other players say how their characters respond.
Chapter Three: Alchemy explains how to create a Promethean
The most important question a Storyteller can ask is “What do
character and details all of the game systems unique to the Created
you do now?”
— their Bestowments, their Transmutations, how they make new
When a character acts, the outcome of the action is determined
Prometheans, and how they can reach the New Dawn.
by rolling a handful of dice. The basics are simple.
Chapter Four: Rules lays out the Storytelling system, the basic
You add a few numbers on your character sheet (a mini-dossier)
game engine that powers the Chronicles of Darkness. How the dice
and roll that many dice. You’ll find out whether your action works
work, Skills, combat, equipment, and the various ephemeral beings
or fails, getting your character into more trouble.
that Prometheans can meet are all detailed here.
While players other than the Storyteller will generally be
Chapter Five: Firestorm illuminates the creatures that lurk in
advocates for their characters’ success, planning ways in which they
the dark corners. The freakish Centimani, the abortive nightmares
can succeed, a lot of drama and fun comes from when things don’t
called Pandorans, and the opportunistic parasites who pilfer
go well for the protagonists. Again, think of a television series. The
Promethean fluids to practice their own alchemy all receive their
most interesting episodes are often the ones where everything goes
due. This chapter also describes Firestorms and their strange heralds,
wrong for the characters until they find a way to turn it around.
the qashmallim.
That said, the Storyteller should make sure characters have a chance
Chapter Six: Journeys takes the reader on a tour around
to bounce back rather than constantly dumping suffering on them.
the world, featuring stops on the Pilgrimage from Goa, India to
The Storyteller is responsible for…
Columbus, Ohio. Use these sections as inspiration or as the basis
…bringing the Chronicles of Darkness to life through description.
for your own Promethean chronicle.
…deciding where scenes start and what’s going on.
Chapter Seven: Storytelling teaches the reader how to run a
…portraying characters who don’t belong to other players.
Promethean chronicle, how to help the players build a throng that
…involving each player and her character in the ongoing story.

13
 INTRODUCTION

…putting players’ characters in tough spots, encouraging girl — and their friendship’s tragic outcome — is very much in the
interesting decisions. theme of the game.
…facilitating the actions players’ characters take, while making May (2002, dir. Lucky McKee). A rather gory, disturbing horror
sure there are always complications. film about a shy, disturbed young woman (the titular May) who,
…making sure that poor dice rolls affect but don’t stop the story. unable to maintain relationships with people, decides to make a
The players are responsible for… friend out of the “perfect parts” of the people around her. A perfect
…creating their own individual characters as members of the cast. examination of the loneliness and obsession that creates a demiurge,
…deciding what actions their characters take. although you could also make a case that May is a Promethean and
…making decisions that create drama and help keep the story moving. that the reactions she inspires in others are indicative of Disquiet.
…highlighting their characters’ strengths and weaknesses. Dirty Pretty Things (2002, dir. Stephen Frears). A neo-noir film
…confronting the problems the Storyteller introduces. set in London, involving refugees who are abused, beaten down,
…developing their characters’ personalities and abilities over and forced into criminal activity by their need to stay away from
time, telling personal stories within the overall story of the game. official notice. While the film contains no supernatural elements,
Everyone is responsible for… it’s thematically and tonally perfect for Promethean, right down
…giving other players chances to highlight their characters’ to the “glimpses of the grotesque” when Chiwetel Ejiofor pulls a
abilities and personal stories, whether that’s by showing them at human heart out of a stopped toilet.
their strongest or weakest. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991, dir. James Cameron). Arguably
…making suggestions about the story and action, while keeping the best in the series (the first was a classic, but it doesn’t touch on
in mind the authority of players over their characters and the Promethean’s themes as clearly), this action film includes a robot
responsibility of the Storyteller to occasionally make trouble. who learns — without meaning to — that human life is precious.
Think of Schwarzenegger’s character as an Unfleshed Promethean
Inspirational Media following the Refinement of Bronze.
Other Sources: Weird Science, Memento, District 9, Blade Runner.

Television
Here are some books, movies, and other media to help convey
the tone and feel of Promethean.
Carnivale. Sadly cancelled after two seasons, Carnivale told the
Literature story of a traveling carnival replete with weirdness and magic. The
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus. If you overall feel of the show is bleak and strange, and it fits Promethean
only know Frankenstein’s Monster from cinematic retellings of this perfectly.
classic story, give it a read. The Monster is well-spoken and erudite, Fullmetal Alchemist. An anime (based on a manga of the same
and unabashedly the inspiration for much of this game. name) about two brothers who attempt to bring their dead mother
Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Available in many English editions, back to life using alchemy and wind up paying a terrible price.
this is a classic grab bag of mythical stories, with the theme of Other sources: Penny Dreadful, Dracula, Sleepy Hollow, The
transformation. Look out for, among other things, the tale of Incredible Hulk.

Glossary
Galatea. It is brimming with ideas and energy, even 2,000 years
after its composition.
Robert A. Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land, about a man who
is human and yet knows nothing about humans. alchemical pact: A mystical bond among a throng of Prometheans,
Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot deals with questions of created entities involving burning a symbol into the flesh of all involved. Branded
and their concepts of individuality. Asimov’s “The Bicentennial characters can give each other Pyros and can help mitigate each
Man” looks at a creature who is more moral and altruistic than the other’s Wasteland.
people who created him. Athanor: An alchemical “furnace” used to provide constant heat
“The Outsider,” by H.P. Lovecraft, tells the story of a being that for an alchemical equation. When a Promethean completes all three
has never had contact with other people; when he finally attempts it, Roles within a Refinement, she has the option of creating an Athanor.
he learns that he is every bit the ghoulish creature they see him to be. Azoth: The internal alchemical “fire” that allows a Promethean
A good (and brief, especially for Lovecraft) examination of Torment. to complete her Great Work.
Other sources: Pinocchio, “Herbert West: Re-Animator,” I, Azothic radiance: The “aura” that a Promethean’s Azoth projects,
Frankenstein, The Golem. immediately visible by other Prometheans and, unfortunately,
Pandorans. The stronger a Promethean’s Azoth, the farther out the
Film radiance reaches.
Frankenstein (1931, dir. James Whale). Not the first cinematic Azothic memory: Azoth is encoded with a vague sense of how
adaptation of Shelley’s novel, but unquestionably the most famous. being a Promethean “works.” A Promethean rises up with very little
The depiction of the monster is a little too simple for Promethean’s memory, but as she interacts with the world, things start to make
purposes, for the most part, but his befriending of Maria, the little sense and she understands how to pursue her Pilgrimage. She can

14
 Glossary

zero in on these thoughts through meditation; if she wants to delve dormant and resemble inanimate objects. They reanimate when
deep enough, she can trigger an Elpis vision. bathed in Azothic radiance. They have animal cunning but are not
Bestowment: A supernatural ability or augmentation that especially intelligent.
a Promethean is “born” with. Bestowments do not change with Pilgrimage: The process of progressing through the Refinements,
Refinement and are functions of Lineage and humour. learning the Roles, and becoming human.
Centimanus (pl. Centimani): A Promethean that follows the Promethean: A living being created from dead or non-living
Refinement of Flux. This Refinement does not aid in completing the matter, animated by the Divine Fire, and on a quest to achieve the
Pilgrimage and has no Roles, but it does aid in survival as it allows New Dawn.
control of Pandorans. Pyros: The energy of the Divine Fire, the “fuel” that powers
disfigurements: The results of the ritual used to create the a Promethean’s Azoth and allow her to channel said Azoth into
Promethean. As the name implies, it makes the Promethean Transmutations.
disfigured. Azoth masks disfigurements, but spending Pyros makes Refinement: An alchemical philosophy and ethos, granting an
them flare. outlook that allows progress along the Pilgrimage. All Refinements
Disquiet: The effect of the Azoth on the human mind and have specific practices that the Promethean can approach in any
instinct. Without a Wasteland, Disquiet makes people react badly number of ways, as well as Roles that prepare a Promethean for
to Prometheans — they might shun them, stalk them, distrust them, humanity. Basic Refinements can be adopted and practiced without
etc. In a Wasteland, Disquiet quickly progresses to outright paranoia a mentor, while complex Refinements require specific instruction.
and murderous intent and becomes contagious. Basic Refinements are: Aurum, Cuprum, Ferrum, Plumbum, and
Divine Fire: The animating force of Prometheans, the energy Stannum. Complex Refinements are: Aes, Argentum, Cobalus,
that powers their Azoth and allows the alchemy of the New Dawn. Mercurius, and Phosphorum.
Elpis: In Greek myth, the personification of hope. In Role: A symbolic and mystical representation of humanity,
Promethean, Elpis refers to the notion of humanity at its best that as expressed by an archetype. Each Refinement has three Roles;
a Promethean holds onto, letting it guide her through the Pilgrimage. Prometheans studying a Refinement may learned about any or all of
Elpis vision: A (possibly waking) dream in which the next them, achieving milestones for as many as they choose. Learning
step on a Promethean’s Pilgrimage is revealed, or at least hinted at. a Role grants the Promethean a wider range of possibilities upon
Most of the time, the Storyteller is in control of these things, but the New Dawn.
a Promethean can attempt to trigger an Elpis vision. This risks a step backwards: A setback on the Pilgrimage. This can
Wasteland, however. happen because of the Promethean’s own actions or because of
Firestorm: The effect of Pyros and Azoth upon an area, resulting external events.
in freak weather conditions — earthquakes, floods, rain of frogs, step forwards: Measurable progress on the Pilgrimage.
etc. They can happen for a variety of reasons, including being sublimatus (pl. sublimati): A Pandoran that has attained
deliberately called down to cleanse a Wasteland. intelligence and sapience by consuming Vitriol.
humour: The alchemical liquid substance that flows through a throng: A group of Prometheans, sometimes bonded by an
Promethean — if cut or injured, she “bleeds” her humour rather than alchemical pact.
normal blood. This humour indicates certain personality flaws and Torment: The constant state of pain, dysphoria, discomfort,
helps inform Torment. and alienation that Prometheans feel. The specific type of Torment is
Lineage: One of six “families” of Promethean, though the term related to the Promethean’s humour, and therefore to her Lineage.
more properly refers to the method by which a given Promethean is A Promethean subjected to the right kinds of stimuli can be said
created. Lineage determines the humour that drives a Promethean. to be “in Torment” or “Tormented.”
The Lineages are: Frankenstein, Galateid, Osiran, Tammuz, Ulgan, Transmutations: Physical or metaphysical changes to a
and Unfleshed. Extempore is classified in game terms as a Lineage, Promethean made possible by the philosophical alchemy of a
but is better understood as the lack of one; two Extempore characters Refinement. A Promethean can only adopt Transmutations that
are not members of the same Lineage. are in-line with her Refinement. When she changes Refinements,
milestone: A specific task or step along the Pilgrimage. Milestones a Transmutation fades unless the Promethean uses Vitriol to
fall into three categories: universal, prescribed, and instinctive. “fix” it.
Universal milestones are tasks that all Prometheans must complete, Vitriol: An alchemical substance created by making progress on
though the specific expression may vary. Prescribed milestones are the Pilgrimage. A Promethean can use this substance to make changes
created by the Storyteller. Instinctive milestones are suggested by to her body, “fixing” Transmutations or increasing Azoth. Other
the player during character creation. Prometheans or Pandorans can steal Vitriol to devastating effect.
New Dawn: The culmination of the Pilgrimage, in which a Wasteland: A mystical blight created by a Promethean’s Azoth if
Promethean works a final act of alchemy and becomes human. it is left unchecked or accessed recklessly. Once begun, a Wasteland
Pandoran: The result of a failed attempt to create a Promethean. can only be stopped by two methods: the Promethean leaves the area
These creatures feed on Pyros, and as such hunt down and kill and does not return until the Wasteland recedes, or the Promethean
Prometheans. If they go too long without food, they become calls down a Firestorm.

15
 THE GREAT WORK:
PART I
Imam worked as he always did. It kept the anxiety at bay.
As soon as Wisher told the throng that she could feel her New Dawn approaching, Imam got their affairs in
order. He had done all the packing. He was the one who settled the rent with the landlord. He got the car back
into shape; it had to be ready for a seven-hour drive.
After all that, it was time to get back to The New Word. It was spread out on the table, a scrapbook of religious
texts, all cut apart and re-assembled by verse. Today’s task was integrating lines of the Book of Tobit and the
Vendidad. He was marking down connections between the three when Wisher came in.
“You’ve said your goodbyes?” he asked her.
She gestured to the window. Imam saw the storm outside and nodded. He made some final notes on the
pages, and began to pack his book. Some loose papers slipped out of it and onto the floor, by Wisher’s feet.
She handed the pages to him, and he saw her hands trembling. He met her gaze, and she broke into a wide
smile. The light he could see in her gray eyes made his chest tighten. For a moment, she looked human.
A thought came into his head, a quote from his book: Beware the foolish, their glee belies their folly. He
stared at The New Word and ran his thumbs on the cover. Wisher’s smile faded.
“Wisher,” Imam said, “It could happen again.”
Wisher clasped his shoulder. “It won’t.”
Imam furrowed his brow. He put the New Word down and opened it up. He flipped a few pages and slapped
a finger on a random verse. I walk in the valley of the practitioner, I shall not question. He sighed.
“I know what I did before, where I went wrong,” Wisher said.
“Aren’t you afraid that you may still be rushing things?” Imam asked.
“No. I saw it, Imam. I had a vision.”
“I feared you would say that.”
Imam looked out the window and saw that the storm had subsided. The dark clouds had passed, leaving a
bright, damp city. The crowds of people returned to its streets, and it was alive again.
“We have to go out there, to the field,” she said, “Even if you’re right, I can’t turn back from this.”
Imam reached out and took Wisher’s hand.
“Whatever happens,” he said, “I just want you to be happy. Just like earlier. It was nice, seeing
you like that.”
Imam felt Wisher squeeze his hand.
“I’ll miss you too,” she said.
He smiled and then blinked. He let go of Wisher’s hand and pulled his phone from his pocket. He
read the screen and frowned.
Wisher asked, “What’s going on?”
Imam answered, “It’s them. We have a problem.”
 CHICAGO’S RAMBLE
I am not a bad person.
It’s the rain I remember the most. How
it streaked down the nearby windows.
How it poured down my face. I rememb
er the streetlights making glowing, hazy
islands. It made the city, usually full of the
stink of so many people living nearby,
smell cleaner and fresher if even slightly
.
The people hurried to and from shelter,
whether it was a car, bus stop, or
building. Some had their umbrellas, islands
moving in a sea of people. The lights
from stores, restaurants, and apartments
promised vibrant warmth away from the
chill of the rainy evening.
I trudged through the rain, water splashin
g around my boots. With my hood up and
head down, I looked like I was shutting
out the world. That wasn’t true, but I
wanted it to look that way. Instead, it let
me observe without interruption, or so
thought. I
As I passed an alley, a fleshy crack cut
through the drum of rain. I looked
around, curious as to the source. With the
rain and the uneven lighting, it was hard
to see. I finally found the source, though
. A woman huddled in the entrance to a
nearby alley, her hand covering her che
ek and a shocked look on her face. A man
loomed over her, snatching her purse from
her other hand. He turned to run, but
came to a halt when he saw me staring
at him. Something — maybe the intensi
of my glare, or maybe he sensed I wasn’t ty
human — made him stop short. It was
long enough for me to call the Fire into
my limbs.
He crumpled, whimpering and broken on
the ground. I hadn’t realized I’d
hit him. He clutched his chest, curled up
in the fetal position on the sidewalk.
I ignored him, picked up the woman’s pur
se, and took it to her. She tentatively
reached out her free hand to snatch it
from me, huddling back against the wall
protection. I nodded to her and moved on, for
never saying a word.
Was I wrong to get involved? I don’t kno
w. It felt right at the time, but now
I’m not sure. I want to use the strength
I have as a tool to help others, but using
that strength frightens people. Is that all
it is? What am I missing? What I did,
I thought was good. I thought it was righ
t. Isn’t that how humanity is supposed to
act? Aren’t they supposed to help one
another? They tell stories about people
who do what I did, they call them “heroe
s,” but that’s not how she looked at
me. That’s never how they look at me.
I thought I’d gotten past this anger when
I decided that to achieve the New
Dawn I would have to go among humans
more frequently. Apparently, that was not
the case. Even so, I know this will eat
at me until I figure out what went wro
I’m not a bad person. I can’t be, becaus ng.
e I’m not a person.
Is that how it works?
 A Promethean has no family. Every one of them is a unique and strange individual, with no
true kin to call her own. Prometheans have creators, either mortal demiurges or Promethean
genitors, who bring them to life, but once that happens, the Created has to walk her own
path. Even without a family, though, the Promethean is part of a Lineage, an alchemical
pedigree that stretches back hundreds or thousands of years. Likewise, all Prometheans — all
Prometheans that pursue the Pilgrimage, at least — follow a Refinement, a mystical philosophy
that guides their approach to the ongoing quest for Humanity.

Lineages
No one truly knows how many Lineages exist or have existed in the past. Azothic memory speaks
of Lineages long dead, destroyed by the ravages of time or circumstance. At present, six true Lineages
are known to exist, plus one loose categorization — the Extempore — that isn’t truly a Lineage.
A good traveler has no
Lost Lineages fixed plans, and is not
Although they have been in their current configuration for many years, the Lineages are not intent on arriving.
static. Like any flame, the Divine Fire constantly twists and turns in its bed, sending tendrils
into the world at random, seeking the path of least resistance. At this moment in history, the —Laozi
Lineages described above are the most common, but this has not always been true.
Why does a Lineage die out? Most often, it’s because the world moves on. No one knows
if the development of human society changes the Divine Fire’s access to the world or if the
vicissitudes of the Divine Fire have an effect on human history, but when a Lineage’s ritual
loses its resonance, it stops working. The surviving members of the Lineage linger for a while,
but eventually they are either Redeemed or destroyed. More rarely, a Lineage is hunted down
and destroyed from the outside. In the sixth century, a qashmal led a host of qashmallim and
Prometheans on a crusade to wipe out an entire Lineage, claiming that they had been somehow
“tainted.” Sometimes, Lineages simply disappear without a trace — gradually or suddenly —
leaving other Prometheans to wonder what happened to them. Prometheans are a scattered
people, and a half-dozen Created might compose the entirety of a Lineage at any given time.
Before the Frankensteins, the element of fire was represented by a Lineage whose name is lost to
history, but who were sometimes called the Prophets. They could only be made from bodies that died
in agony: torture victims, sufferers of painful wasting diseases, those who were crucified or died in
botched hangings. Each of them remembered their body’s last sight, a vision of the Divine Fire itself,
and they had an instinct to spread its gospel of change and renewal. For most of them, their memories of
suffering left them compassionate but also impatient with the cruelty of humans and quick to punish it.
Some scholars among the Prometheans remember two short-lived lineages. The Hollow
sprung up in the 1930s in North America’s Dust Bowl. They were defined by hunger, grief,
and restlessness, and had the power to manipulate the desires of others. The Faceless were
born shortly before the First World War and managed to outlive the war by a few years. They
could only be created from bodies slain by chemical weapons. They were caught between the
opposing forces of war and peace, driven by their bodies’ memories to abhor violence, but
possessing an undeniable capacity for it. Both of these Lineages died out when the world
moved on and the rituals that allowed them to create progeny stopped working.
Although most modern Prometheans don’t like to think about it, any of them could go
the way of these lost Lineages. The Divine Fire teaches that the only constant is change. Even
the most venerable of the modern Lineages is only one cultural renaissance or technological
advancement away from disappearing forever.
 That son of a bitch is going to pay for what he’s done. is struck by lightning, which carries with it a fragment of the
Divine Fire.
I crouch in the cellar. The water that streams down the walls will A Frankenstein’s fragmented and chaotic origins — made
fill the cellar, eventually, but I’ll be gone by then. The storm batters of disparate parts and kindled to life by lightning — defines
the building, making the timbers creak. The wind and lightning stir his nature. The Wretched are quick to anger, but also prone
something dark inside me, so I’m hiding away, as deep as I can get. to kindness. Their bodies are haphazard, patchwork things,
I’m trying to be good. but they are naturally gifted. They are merciless opponents,
except for when they suddenly show mercy to a defeated foe.
I squeeze the Saint Michael medallion so hard that the edges
They are lonely creatures who can’t help pushing others away.
cut into the flesh of my palm. Whenever I close my eyes, I can still
Above all, a Frankenstein’s Pilgrimage is defined by
see Gabe, trying to be a man, trying not to cry, and that son of a
struggle. They are made to seek limits and test boundaries,
bitch standing over him, gloating.
their own and others’. When a Frankenstein follows a
Father Anthony would be upset if I gave in to the storm. Fa- Refinement, he either follows it idiosyncratically, stretching
ther Anthony has been good to me. He taught me that sometimes the definition of the Refinement as far as he can before it
I should forgive and forget, turn the other cheek, leave the judging breaks, or he follows it zealously, wielding the Refinement as
and the punishing to God. I’m not sure I believe in Father Antho- a scourge with which to test his own limits and the limits of
ny’s God, but it’s something to think about when I struggle to set those around him. Many outsiders mistake a Frankenstein’s
my anger aside. It’s something I need to learn if I’m ever going to directness for simplicity, even stupidity, but this is a grave
learn how to be human. error. Frankensteins are always forceful, but they express their
power in any and every facet of life.
The wind roars. A fantastic crash, and suddenly the entire At the same time as they come to understand the rules
building falls down on top of me. of the human world, Frankensteins test them. Of all the
Created, Frankensteins are the most likely to look at the way
It doesn’t matter. I’m tougher and stronger than anything my humans live their lives and ask “why?” Made of many bodies,
size has a right to be. I heave and push and soon I’m standing in Frankensteins defy the easy classifications that humans
the wind and rain, on the rubble that used to be my hiding place. take for granted. A Frankenstein made of male and female
parts might struggle to find hirself in the human world of
The Saint Michael amulet is gone. I must have lost it some-
masculinity and femininity. A Frankenstein with a body of
where down there in the darkness.
many different colors might question the idea of race and
Lightning strikes again, and my misshapen heart leaps with it. the roles assigned to people of different backgrounds. Even a
Frankenstein with relatively homogeneous parts might reject
Screw it. I’ve disappointed Father Anthony before. If I don’t these cultural mores out of compassion, insight, or sheer
put a stop to this son of a bitch, who will? I set off towards town contrariness. Many Frankensteins have certain quixotic side
at a run, hands balled into fists, ready to pummel and rend. to their personality, crusading for what they have decided
is right, not caring — perhaps even relishing — that all the
All Created are unfinished, but none of them wear it as
world is against them.
clearly as the Frankensteins. Ulgans bleed ectoplasm and
Above all, the Wretched struggle against their own
Nepri are missing a single body part, but the Wretched are
fractured natures. They test themselves against the challenges
assembled from at least two and potentially dozens of bodies.
of the Promethean condition — Disquiet, Wasteland, and
After he has accumulated the parts he needs, the
their own unbalanced humours — unable to accept anything
Wretched’s creator needs to stitch them together and imbue
less than their own best. Like all perfectionists, they may test
the body with Pyros. Although all Frankensteins are mostly
those around them, but they are most critical of their own
made of human flesh, some of them incorporate nonhuman,
unfinished natures.
or even inorganic, parts. The reeking collection of flesh must
In the end, having battered herself to pieces against the
be then taken to a high place during a lightning storm. If
rigors of the Pilgrimage, a Frankenstein finds that she has
the would-be creator performs the ritual correctly, the body
gradually worn off her rough edges. Although she hasn’t

20
lost any of her fighting spirit, she has learned to pick her battles. A Pilgrimage full of struggle has taught her when to fight,
when to run, when to accept defeat, and when to take something at face value. She might still be the kind of person who
questions and tests boundaries when it’s really important, but she has also learned to accept things, let things go, and enjoy
her life. She might choose to fight, but she is no longer driven to struggle against the world and her own fractured nature.

History
Frankensteins are one of the youngest lineages, tracing their history back to the mid-nineteenth century. According to
the stories passed down from creator to creation, Mary Shelley’s famous Frankenstein is not a work of fiction. Some Wretched
claim that Shelley’s “dream,” which led to the novel, was placed into her mind by the Principle, while others say that the
whole dream story was an obfuscation that Shelley and Adam, Frankenstein’s creation, cooked up between the two of them.
A few Frankensteins tell even stranger tales — Shelley herself was a redeemed Frankenstein telling her progenitor’s story,

frankenstein — the wretched

Victor Frankenstein was entirely fictitious and Shelley was the alchemist who created Adam — but the truth is lost to history.
According to Shelley’s novel, Victor Frankenstein was an ambitious and brilliant scientist who believed that with the
appropriate chemical and electrical treatments, a dead body could be restored to life. Unfortunately, people don’t just die for
no reason; every dead body had some fatal flaw that would doom his creation to die as quickly as it was reborn. Frankenstein
solved this problem by assembling the body out of the freshest and least damaged parts of dozens of corpses. In a frenzy
of obsession and arrogance, he performed his alchemical science and successfully turned a dead body into a living man.
Anyone familiar with the world of the Created will recognize that Victor Frankenstein was a classic example of a demiurge.
Whether he was inspired by the Divine Fire, or the Divine Fire recognized and
exploited his obsession, Victor Frankenstein became nothing more than a conduit
through which the Divine Fire found a new form of expression in the world.
Unfortunately, Victor was so horrified by what he had done that he rejected
his creation. Filled with fear and self-loathing, Adam fled and survived many
misadventures, testing his limits and gradually coming to
understand his strengths and weaknesses. Finally,
convinced that he could never become a
part of human society, Adam returned and
demanded that Victor also make him a
mate, so he would not have to be alone.
Victor complied at first, then destroyed
his second creation. Adam left, but swore
revenge. He and Victor hunted each other across the
face of the earth, until Victor Frankenstein finally died.
Shelley’s novel ends with Frankenstein’s death, but for the
Wretched, the story continues. After Victor Frankenstein died,
Adam returned to Frankenstein’s home and stole his notes. After
years of experimentation and reverse-engineering, Adam was
able to refine the process until he could reliably create
his own offspring.
Adam was a Frankenstein, however, and the
Wretched can never leave well enough alone.
Rather than be delighted by creating his own
line of Prometheans, Adam was disgusted by the
Wretched that he had made, and soon abandoned
them, just as Victor had abandoned him. The
Wretched remain, however, and continue to
make their brutal, pugnacious ways through their
Pilgrimages to this day.

Creations
Marv’s creator called him a “glorious
cacophony of flesh.” His heart is visible through
the green glass window pressed into the flesh
of his chest. Bolts and bits of metal stand
out of his skin at random. His face is such a
horrible patchwork of scraps that even when his

21
 deformities are hidden, he looks pockmarked and scarred. Wretched still have to fight against the impulse to hold a
And yet, Marv refuses to accept any limitations and insists of grudge, to lash out violently, and to plan cruel revenge.
throwing himself into interaction with humans, convinced Frankensteins are most likely to fall into Torment when
that when he figures out the secret, he’ll be just as good as confronted with injustice and cruelty. The easiest way to force
any normal human. a Frankenstein to lose control of her humours is to lead her to
Combo is newly and rudely born, assembled by another feel wronged. Powerlessness before injustice eats away at them,
Promethean from the remains of his destroyed throngmates eroding their resolve until they give in and set out to “make
in a fit of loneliness. Zie doesn’t know which of them zie is, if things right.” Of course, the difference between truly seeking
any, but zie feels something towards zir creator. Is it gratitude? justice and giving into Torment is that a Frankenstein with
Is it hatred? Either way, when he left zir, overwrought with her humours raging out of control is really just externalizing
shame, zie followed, clutching a roughly worked soapstone her pain. She isn’t really trying to make things right, she’s
frankenstein — the wretched

carving that zie somehow knows was precious to one of zir, trying to make someone else — preferably the person who
a thing that consumed much of zir time. It whispers to zir hurt her, but anyone will do — feel the pain she feels.
that zie must aid him, that understanding will follow. Combo Cruelty and injustice to those she cares about can also
knows that before zir Creator will forgive zir, he must forgive motivate a Frankenstein with a more developed sense of
himself. morality. The Wretched often find this kind of Torment even
Chicago wants to be a good person so badly, but she harder to resist, because after all, what is the line between falling
struggles to control herself. It’s so easy for her to turn to into Torment and taking the offensive against a dangerous foe?
violence to dispel the tension inside her, but she tries hard The easiest way for even the most advanced Frankenstein
to aim it correctly. There are good people and bad people, to fall into Torment, however, is when the blame falls on him.
and it’s Chicago’s job to help the good people and hurt the Frankensteins react poorly when confronted with evidence of their
bad ones. Her understanding of “good” and “bad” continue own worse nature. The Wretched can easily be trapped in a vicious
to evolve as she makes her way along her Pilgrimage, but that cycle in which confronting the consequences of their actions while
doesn’t bother her. Chicago doesn’t yet understand that the in the throes of Torment leads to more Torment, which leads to
distinction of “strong” and “weak” is also growing inside her, further consequences, and so on. Escaping this trap can require
and that she is beginning to despise the humans, and even the help of the rest of the throng and is often a milestone.
other Prometheans, who need her help. When a Frankenstein is in Torment, his body parts are
Hakan isn’t even sure he wants to be human anymore. particularly prone to rebel against him. All Prometheans
Humans are such stupid, hateful, disgusting creatures. He sometimes struggle with this symptom, as the Flux that has
feels that in all the years of his Pilgrimage he can count the built up in their system causes generalized chaos across their
examples of human kindness on one hand, while his body bodies, but it is most common in Frankensteins. Sometimes,
bears the scars of humanity’s capacity for cruelty. Hakan a Frankenstein’s body parts act consistently, expressing
made a promise to his throng, however, that he would see fragments of their original personality: a face drawn from
them through to the end of their Pilgrimages, and keeping a cruel woman twists into a sneer when the Frankenstein
promises no matter what is one of the things that sets him would like to smile, a hand taken from a peaceful man refuses
apart from humans. When the last of his friends has been to tighten around the trigger of a gun, eyes taken from two
Redeemed, well, then Hakan will make up his mind. different donors refuse to look in the same direction.
A little boy was kind to Widow, once, right after she left Bestowment: Titan’s Strength, Spare Parts
her genitor, back when she was so ignorant and confused.
It’s been years, but she still checks in on him once in a while, Stereotypes
just to see how his life is treating him. Widow has learned
• Galateids: So fucking pretty. You don’t know how
a lot from watching him. One day, she finds him alone,
good you’ve got it.
with the wife and child he was so proud of conspicuously
absent. It doesn’t take long for her to find out about drunk • Osirans: Oh, you’ve got a myth to explain why you
drivers, expensive lawyers, undeserved acquittals. For the next should be in charge. Cute.
several years, Widow’s existence has two purposes: gradually
arranging for one man to regain everything he lost, and • Tammuz: Next time, you speak up for yourself.
piece by piece dismantling another man’s world until he has
nothing to lose but his life. • Ulgans: They know what it’s like to have more than
Humour: Yellow bile. A Frankenstein’s imbalanced one voice in your head.
humours make him quick to anger, vengeful and slow to
• Unfleshed: We’re made of too many people; they’re
forgive. The Wretched struggle not to dwell on the injustices,
made of too few. That’s the world for you.
real and imagined, that the world perpetrates against herself
and others. Worse, while a young Frankenstein might • Extempore: Don’t give me that bullshit. There’s a way
gleefully give in to his worse nature, even more experienced for all of us. Just keep on kicking.

22
 “Good lord,” I say to myself. “It’s happening again, isn’t it?” Love makes Galateids noble and sympathetic. They
become enamored of humans, other Prometheans, and
I stare across the street at her. The light of another fading Parisian sometimes even other, stranger creatures. Like the muses
day clings to her, and it’s easy for me to imagine that the light is as they are named for, they try to bring out the best qualities in
struck by her beauty and her poise as I am. I shake my head, hoping the people they love, hoping to help them become stronger,
that the feeling will fade, but I already know it’s too late. kinder, and more passionate.
Because they are more in touch with love than other
She’s probably a tourist. The impression is based on the guidebook
Prometheans, Galateids often find it easier to express
she’s holding, her clunky white sneakers and sensible clothes, and
affection in wider forms. Galateids know how to become
reinforced by the awe with which she gazes up, past me, at the façade
romantically infatuated, but they are also attuned to
of Notre Dame. She marvels at the way the sunset reflects off the
camaraderie, patriotism, and faith. Many Galateids have
ancient stonework, but she’s the one who is a real wonder.
a strong parental instinct. They are just as likely to help
“No, no, no,” I chide myself. We aren’t here for romance. members of their throng experiment with sensuality as they
We’re here to look for pilgrim marks in the Paris catacombs. This are to hold them when they are lonely or afraid, kiss their
is an important step for us. I can’t endanger it by getting tangled wounds, and ask them about their feelings. Even when a
up with another human. It always ends so poorly. Muse doesn’t fall into these human passions, he usually
understands them better than his fellow Prometheans,
I know that I should put her out of my mind. I should walk making him an asset to his throng.
away. This is ridiculous. She probably has a paramour already — Galateids crave company. Most prefer to interact with
it’s hard for me to imagine someone that lovely doesn’t. She might humans as much as possible, but almost all Galateids are
be one of those strange monosexual humans who is only attracted eager to form throngs with other Prometheans as well.
to men. She might… Tammuz may long for hard work, Osirans crave multiple
perspectives to contemplate and integrate, and both Ulgans
I’m already walking towards her. and the Unfleshed need more conventional Prometheans
to anchor them. Galateids feel incomplete when they are
The rest of my throng will be so disappointed. But…she notices
alone. Quintessential extroverts, their thoughts aren’t real
me. She turns her face down and smiles at me, and the fire inside
if they aren’t spoken aloud, and their feelings aren’t real if
me leaps in tune with the beating of my heart.
they aren’t shared. Lone Galateids often attach themselves
Love is one of the most complex aspects of the human to inappropriate companions — like humans and human-like
condition. Love can elevate us to the heights of heroism and supernatural beings — with predictably tragic results.
nobility, but it can also make humans into monsters. It can As creatures of love’s dark side, Galateids sometimes
be a pleasant preoccupation, or it can become an obsession. struggle with understanding how to express love appropriately.
A good man loves his wife and children, but so does an Even setting aside the possibility of Torment, Galateids are
abuser, albeit in a dangerously twisted way. Humans can love prone to obsession. They feel their incompleteness as an
a nation, an idea, a partner, a friend, a brother, and a child, aching void and implicitly believe that the right relationship
but each of these loves has radically different qualities; if a can fill it. Muses often stalk the objects of their affection. If
person loves the wrong thing in the wrong way, she becomes a relationship doesn’t progress at the speed a Muse expected,
ineffective at best and a freak or predator at worst. Love she might become pushy, or even lose control and slide into
intensifies humanity’s qualities, good and bad. Torment. The Galateid tendency towards obsession can
All Prometheans can fall in love. Almost all Prometheans express itself in any form of love; for example, a Muse might
must pass at least one milestone related to love in one of its become obsessed with parenting a child he believes is being
many aspects. Galateids, however are made of love. They neglected to the point that he kidnaps the child, potentially
are made for love. Love is what can save them and make hurting or killing the child’s parents, all in the name of “love.”
them human. Love is what damns them, traps them in the In a sense, it isn’t even the Galateid’s fault. Even the
Pilgrimage. most precocious Galateid takes a while to learn to control his

23
 supernatural attractiveness. Given the way humans tend to become obsessed with the Muses, is it any wonder that Muses
are prone to become obsessed themselves?

History
Among the many Greek myths that has survived to the modern day is story of Pygmalion and Galatea. Pygmalion was
a sculptor so brilliant — or perhaps just so narcissistic — that he fell in love with one of his own creations. He begged the
goddess of love for a miracle, and she saw fit to grant his wish, bringing his statue, Galatea, to life.
Of course, that would make the original Galateid one of the Unfleshed, which isn’t the case. According to the Muses, the
Greek myth is only a sanitized version of the truth. Pygmalion was an artist, it’s true, but his medium was flesh, not stone. Galatea
wasn’t a statue, she was a perfect woman made out of the most beautiful parts Pygmalion could find. And while her animation
was certainly a miracle, it was achieved through Pygmalion’s obsession and occult rites, not the intercession of a goddess.
In much the same way that Adam could not be Victor Frankenstein’s triumph over death and nature, however, Galatea
could not be Pygmalion’s perfect wife. Although beautiful to behold, she was just as much a Promethean as any other Created.
The Divine Fire inside her unnerved as much as it attracted, her presence awakened Pandorans, and she had a long Pilgrimage
ahead of her. Nobody knows how the story ends — did Galatea finish her Pilgrimage and find her way back to Pygmalion,
or did his obsession ultimately destroy him the way Victor Frankenstein’s
galatea — the muse

obsession destroyed him? — but it’s obvious that somewhere along

the line, Galatea created offspring. The descendants of those
Prometheans are the Muses of today.
The key to the ritual that creates a new Galatea is beauty.
Galateids come to life surrounded by flowers, and a spark
of his creator’s Divine Fire is imparted to him with a kiss.
The corpse, of course, must also be beautiful.
Some Galateids try to walk in their demiurge’s footsteps
by assembling their creations out of the most beautiful parts
of multiple corpses, but this is rare. Unlike Frankensteins,
who are made of disparate parts, stitched crudely together,
a Muse must be beautiful. Very few Galateids have the
skill to make a coherent whole out of disparate
parts. The stitches must be discrete,
or somehow hidden altogether.
The skin tones must match.
The overall creation must be
symmetrical.
Despite all being “beautiful,”
Galateids are remarkably diverse. Beauty
comes in many shapes and sizes. One Muse
might be a tall and powerfully built man
with a chiseled jaw, another might have the
shape of an older woman, her face delicately
spider-webbed with wrinkles, her eyes soft and
gentle. One Galateid might create a Promethean
with the body of a tragically lovely child, inspiring
sympathy rather than lust. That said, many
Galateids tend to pick up ideas about beauty from
the humans around them, which means that most
Galateids are beautiful according to the standards of
the time and place of their creation.

Creations
Niccolai’s maker, fascinated by the BDSM
subculture but afraid of losing control and hurting
a human partner, made him to endure. She
picked a body that had survived for
years on the streets without

24
losing its boyish charm before finally succumbing to the cold. go along, which can be both an asset and a deadly liability.
He withstood floggers and cuffs and cigarette burns gladly, Galateids are always passionate, but passion can take
eager to please his maker. The only thing she couldn’t train many forms. Muses tend to discover sex early in their
him to endure, however, was a broken heart. When she had Pilgrimages and are often happy to share this human
learned everything she needed to know about the dark side of experience with other Prometheans. However, Galateids
human desires, she could no longer bear to look at him and can easily become deeply passionate about any number of
his scars, so she left Nicci to make his own way in the world. things. A Muse’s amorous nature can easily manifest as any
Alice’s body came with a lot of baggage. It was beautiful, kind of strong connection. Physical or sexual attraction
of course, but it carried terrible memories of abuse, pain, is only the beginning. Many Galateids experience strong
and violation. Even years after her creation, her eyes are still emotional attachments of various sorts, including platonic
crimson with burst blood vessels. Her maker was a gentle or intellectual crushes or strong paternal or fraternal feelings.
creature and had no idea how to help her to deal with those Some Galateids are prone to “aesthetic crushes,” in which
memories of horrors she had never really felt. Now Alice they want to bask in someone’s beauty but don’t actually
avoids the Refinement of Gold and other gentler paths, want to do anything about it. Muses sometimes develop
preferring Tin, Copper, and Iron — studies that promise to attachments in unusual configurations, such as a deep crush
make her so strong that nobody will ever be able to hurt her. on a couple.

galatea — the muse

Despite his Lineage’s reputation, Erik doesn’t really When Muses fall into Torment, it usually has something
understand sex. Even setting aside the sweaty, complicated to do with one of their emotional connections. In addition
process of copulation that confuses many Created, romantic to the triggers all Prometheans share, Galateids surrender to
love doesn’t really make a lot of sense to him either. What Torment when they are slighted or rejected or when someone
fascinates him is the love that humans can have for ideals. they love is in danger. A Galateid in Torment surrenders to
When Erik finds himself infatuated with a human, it is a the darker side of passion. He may become obsessed with
priest, activist, artist, or politician. He falls in love with their someone he has a strong emotional attachment to — usually
fervor, and through it, their cause. Ironically, however, he a human, but sometimes another Promethean or one of the
doesn’t really believe in anything himself. He’s as likely to other strange beings native to the Chronicles of Darkness —
fall in love with a capitalist ideologue as he is with a socialist possibly to the point of stalking that individual, obsessing
community organizer. Progress towards humanity means over whether or not the feelings are mutual, and trying to
forming his own opinions, but he is so distracted by the undermine his perceived “rivals.”
trappings of passion that he doesn’t know where to start. Galateids in Torment are insecure and desperate to be
Dorothea has a pretty face, but she hates it. She’d take a loved to the point that it undermines their boundaries and,
knife to it, if she didn’t fear the pain and the consequences. sometimes, their moral compasses. When a Tormented Muse
She hates the way people look at her when she goes out in isn’t a danger to others, she is a danger to herself. Torment
public. She can feel their eyes crawling all over her, as though exacerbates the imbalances in her humours, making her
her body was public property. Sometimes people shout things flighty to the point of total distraction, brave to the point of
at her as she passes. The worst thing is that she has been absolute fearlessness, and confused to the point of becoming
around long enough to know that it’s a symptom of her delusional.
Divine Fire, and Dorothea has no idea how to make it stop. Bestowment: Unearthly Mien, Symbiotic Muse
Tabitha is a beautiful child, seemingly 12 years old, with
long dark hair and sad, solemn eyes. She finds her way to Stereotypes
mourning families who aren’t ready to say goodbye to their
• Frankensteins: We’re more alike than either of us
dead children and slips into their lives. When they are
likes to think.
ready to let go, she slips out again. Tabitha views her life as
entirely symbiotic — she gets to bask in the adoration of the • Osirans: So cold.
grieving parents, they get a small break in their mourning
— but the limitations of her eternal childhood are slowly • Tammuz: What’s the point of knowing how to work
wearing on her. if you don’t know how to stop?
Humour: Blood. A Galateid’s humour gives him a heroic
combination of courage, recklessness, and compassion. At • Ulgans: Ugh. They leak.
the same time, however, a Galateid’s imbalanced humours
• Unfleshed: Let me see if I can’t teach you a thing or
make him impractical and feckless, given to daydreams, and
two about the flesh….
frequently confused when the world around him moves too
quickly. Despite their confusion, Muses tend to be the sort • Extempore: Poor, lost little lambs. Help them if you
of people who charge ahead anyway, making it up as they can, but don’t get caught up in their misery.

25
 If not for her sturdy boots, Rheya’s feet would have been cut other things — information, artifacts, and secrets. It’s in his
to pieces by now. The rocks were piled haphazardly, as though nature. How is he to learn anything if he can’t study that
tossed by a giant, angry toddler. Furthermore, the field of boulders which attracts his attention? The Osiran remains distant,
had plenty of time by this late in the day to soak up the sun’s however, even from his closest throngmates. He follows his
heat. Every step was deliberate, as a misstep could easily send Pilgrimage as much for the knowledge he finds along the
her crashing into — or worse, between — the giant stones. Still, she way as for the destination. His reserved nature permits him
persevered, intent on reaching the other side. Another mile or so to observe and assess, learning and cataloguing as much as
northeast, and she’d find what she sought, or so she hoped. he can in his journey.
In addition to their divine ancestry, Osirans are set apart
Her information had led her here into the Pennsylvania from other Prometheans by their relationship with death. All
mountains, following the rumor of signs, pilgrim marks, that Prometheans can visit the Underworld and sit on the shores
would help her on her own Pilgrimage. Her research indicated of a River of Death once during their Pilgrimages. Osirans
that the marks contained important information to create another can make repeated visits; every time they do so, though, they
of her kind. It would have been easier, perhaps, to go through the must pay a tithe to their divine common ancestor, leaving a
forest, although she wasn’t entirely sure. Still, something tickled bit of themselves behind.
the back of her mind that this is how she should go, the way that
her predecessor had gone. She would follow in that Promethean’s History
footsteps and hopefully learn the same lessons as before. The Osirans claim to be the most ancient of their kind.
Nearly 4,000 years ago, or so they say, Osiris was crowned king
Rheya put another mile behind her. She consulted her map
of all Egypt. Seth, who was jealous of his brother’s fortunes,
one more time, although she had committed it to memory long
drowned Osiris in the Nile. If this weren’t enough for the
ago. Best to be certain. Her notations and GPS said she was here.
traitorous Seth, he then scattered the pieces of Osiris’ body
Wriggling down between several giant stones, Rheya discovered a
throughout the kingdom.
tiny cave of sorts. At the back were the marks she sought.
Osiris’ sister-wife Isis, a great magician, grew angry at
She smiled, content that one more step in her Pilgrimage was Seth’s treachery. She scoured the length and breadth of
complete. Egypt, searching for each piece of Osiris’ body. In time, Isis
recovered all of the pieces, save the genitalia. After removing
Death is the last great adventure. For the Osiris Lineage, her brother-husband’s viscera and binding the body together
it is an adventure they may traverse time and again, as each in bandages, Isis embalmed Osiris in oil. At the conclusion of
one has died once already, and may cheat death again. this ritual, Osiris returned to life and somehow, despite the
The Osirans hearken back to a god of the dead, the lack of genitalia, begat a son, Horus, who would later kill Seth.
only Lineage claiming divine ancestry. For this, they expect Another story claims that Isis knew precisely what she was
deference and respect. Usually, they get it. Not because of creating when she brought Osiris back to life. In this tale,
any supernatural benefit, but because an Osiran normally Osiris was nothing more than a dupe and a puppet for Isis,
backs up the claims. He has a regal appearance and a calm, who wanted to rule Egypt through him. Over time, Osiris
commanding presence about him. Other Prometheans follow and Isis created Horus.
him not because they are forced to, but because they feel Here the story splits. Some Nepri believe that Horus was a
they should. He seems to know what he’s doing (whether he Promethean like them, and in fact the true Progenitor of the
really does or not), and can easily earn another Promethean’s stable Lineage. Others believe that Osiris created one other
respect. This esteem can flag quickly, however, if the Osiran Promethean — Nepri — before attaining his own humanity.
fails in his duties. And yet others believe that Horus was a failure, a Pandoran
For the Nepri’s part, he considers himself a rock holding who slew both Seth and Isis in a fit of madness and rage. They
against a raging river. No matter what the Pilgrimage brings, point to artistic representations of Horus, in which he is given a
he knows that he has the mental fortitude to weather it and hawk’s head, and claim that the depiction is not metaphorical.
succeed. This attitude draws other Prometheans along in his This drives the central debate of the Lineage — who,
wake. He can’t help but collect followers, just as he collects precisely, was the progenitor? It depends on which story an

26
Osiran believes. History suggests three or four possibilities. them tied to the living and thus unable to move on to their
The majority of the Lineage believes that Osiris was ultimately final reward. Rodrigo is still learning about the Underworld
responsible for their line. Regardless of whether Horus was — its geography, inhabitants, and strange rules — but he’s
a Promethean or a Pandoran, Osiris was the first, created by determined that the secrets he seeks are there and nowhere
Isis (who, in this version, is the demiurge), who then created else. The fact that Osiris was tied to the Underworld in
the remainder of the lineage which bears his name. mythology drives him further to succeed.
Osirans who prefer to use the Lineage nickname of It was tough getting into the military. Allie was sure that
“Nepri” point to Osiris’ last creation as the origin of the Disquiet was going to sink her, but so far, she’s been lucky.
stable line. They almost uniformly agree that Horus was a An inability to accept anything less than the best combined
Pandoran and had nothing whatsoever to do with the Lineage with her undeniably collected demeanor meant that her
as a whole. superiors promoted her to Squad Leader. Now Allie has her
Regardless of the exact origin of the Lineage, Osirans own soldiers under her, and some small degree of autonomy.
are all obsessed with knowledge. It was knowledge that Allie still has to follow orders, but the officers have started
contributed to the line coming about, after all. Perhaps it was giving her leeway on how to accomplish those orders. Allie’s
forbidden or terrible knowledge that Isis held, but even heard whispers through camp about another promotion —
so, it begat the Lineage. The Nepri whether to senior NCO or all the way to officer, she’s
are too practical to let the moral not sure. Some of those whispers have turned sour
implications of that knowledge and jealous. Typical human behavior, or has Disquiet

osiris — the nepri

impact the observable fact that finally caught up with her? Allie doesn’t know, but
they exist. she’s damn sure going to find out.
Several versions of the ritual Badi can’t help being this way. He was
to create another Promethean made — literally — to be prince. He
exist. Some work. Others do doesn’t even know exactly where he is.
not. Osiran scholars seeking the Rainforest probably means somewhere
truth have been trying to find in the Amazon, but it could also
all of the working variants to mean the Congo, or Southeast Asia.
discover the common threads. All Badi knows for sure is that he has
They all agree that the ritual was his tribe, and they look up to him.
hidden away for centuries until To them, Badi has the blessings of
Egyptologists started breaking the gods, a divine mandate to rule.
open tombs in the early 19th Badi’s strange abilities provide all
century, although existing Nepri the evidence the tribe will ever need.
continued to create new ones before this Woe to any who doubt his divinity,
happened, thus continuing the line. for they will quickly find themselves
on the wrong end of hundreds of
Creations spears.
Rheya is an archeologist. For a human, Elisabeth isn’t sure where the
this means either poring over ancient creatures come from, exactly.
tomes or slowly brushing dirt from bones, They came out of the darkness,
dishes, or walls built hundreds or thousands drawn to her throng like moths
of years ago. For Rheya, it means searching the to a flame. Elisabeth and her
bare and desolate areas of the world, searching companions managed to
for the secrets of her Lineage. Despite the line’s destroy the monsters, but in
supposed birth in Egypt, records have traveled the end, she was the only
far and wide and ended up in unlikely places. one standing. Now
Rheya is dedicated to bringing them together and she seeks out more
making that one discovery that will tell her the truth. of those things in
Nothing is going to stop her. order to remove
The restless dead have so many secrets — some them from the
so hidden they’ve forgotten the information world. Even
themselves. Secrets hide everywhere in the so, Elisabeth
Underworld, in some very unlikely places isn’t doing this
or forms. Rodrigo is dedicated to searching out of revenge. She
them out. Some ghosts are violent. All are needy, grieved for her throng and
unable to let go of one thing or another that keeps moved on. No, these horrors simply

27
 should not be. Elisabeth knows this. Now, she seeks out On the other hand, Torment may seize hold of an Osiran
knowledge on how best to kill them. When she does track in a different manner. The Nepri believe themselves superior
them down, she imagines that every single one of them has to the other Lineages due to their divine heritage. When
a hawk’s head. an Osiran is forced to use her Revivification Bestowment,
Humour: Phlegm. Driven by their humour, members of sometimes she comes back from the River of Death filled with
the Osiris Lineage are typically calm and unemotional. The her own superiority. Worse, she wants — no, needs — to assert
Nepri are quiet and observant, cautiously testing hypotheses that superiority over everyone else. Certain circumstances
before continuing. It is the rare Osiran who jumps headlong that would drive the Osiran into Torment may have this
into any situation without researching every potential angle. result instead of the usual reaction.
Dispassionately viewing every circumstance as simply one Bestowments: Corpse Tongue, Revivification
more experiment, he seeks out and discovers dangers well
before he or his throng-mates can suffer the consequences. Stereotypes
In a throng, the Nepri is usually the leader. If she isn’t,
• Frankensteins: Your sound and fury signify nothing
then she is certainly the throng’s voice of reason. Her regal
at all.
bearing and emotional distance earn a certain respect from
her fellows. The rest of the throng listens to her advice (or • Galateids: They also come from divinity, and then
orders), knowing that she speaks from forethought and careful they squander that gift on superficiality.
consideration rather than emotion.
osiris — the nepri

Still, this isn’t always a boon. An Osiran suffering in • Tammuz: Let those who are suited to rule, rule, and
Torment becomes cold and unattached. Everything and those who are suited to work, work.
everyone is a pawn to be moved according to the Nepri’s
wishes and discarded when no longer useful. She becomes • Ulgan: Dismembered, like us. But while we were put
downright ruthless, and will sacrifice anything in order to together carefully and meticulously, they were slath-
achieve her goals. ered in ectoplasm and clumsily reassembled. And yet
In addition, a Tormented Osiris feels a great and they function.
debilitating lethargy. This isn’t physical exhaustion. It is
• Unfleshed: Colder and less personable than us. That’s
the feeling that nothing the Osiran does will succeed, but
saying something.
it extends further to include all Prometheans. These poor
souls will sabotage anything that they see as an unattainable • Extempore: I don’t know where they come from or
goal, putting forth every effort in tearing someone else down. how they gain the Divine Fire. But I will find out.

28
 “The first lesson, you little shit, is that you don’t mess with Clay.” Tammuz branch out. Their pride in their ability to work hard
transforms into pride in an ability to also work well. Many
Frank picked himself up and wiped the blood off his face. He Tammuz become skilled laborers: plumbers, electricians,
rose to his full height and sneered down at the old-timer. “Why carpenters, and other professions. A Tammuz without work
the hell not? He’s a retarded freak.” is restless, anxious, and eager to find some way to occupy
herself. None of this is, however, is to say that Tammuz are
“Let me tell you a couple of things, kid,” the old timer said,
meant to serve. The quickest way to make a Tammuz angry
unfazed. “Clay showed up about a year ago, which makes him
is to treat her poorly or refuse to pay for her work. Tammuz
more senior than you, even if he is a bit odd. And do you want to
resist — violently — any effort to make them slaves.
know what he’s done with that year?
The Named have a unique relationship to language. For
“When he first showed up, he wouldn’t take no pay. He most Prometheans, language is one of those things that
showed up and he said ‘Don’t need any money — just need they inherit with their human bodies. It may take them a
something to do.’ So we arranged to send his paycheck over to the short time to master the nuances, but they remember how
Calligi family. Their boy died of the cancer back in 2010. to speak (and, often, how to read) the same way that they
remember how to walk.
“Then, when the generators and the backup generators went For the Tammuz, however, language is not so simple.
down, and we were all choking down there in the dark, he carried It is something done to them. Every one of the Named is
his entire shift up one at a time, clinging to his back, while he inscribed in some way — it is a necessary component of
climbed up the goddamn elevator cable hand over goddamn hand. the ritual that animates them — whether it is an elaborate
I don’t know if we would have died down there, but I don’t know tattoo or a simple scar, whether it is literally their name or a
if we would have lived, neither. phrase important to their maker. Some Tammuz even claim
to have memories of a time before they were embodied, but
“And he’s a damn good worker. He does his share. He does they can’t explain what the time was like, or even articulate
more than his share. If there’s a man who’s sick or hurt himself, what exactly they were before they were set on the path
he’ll do that man’s share, too. to becoming human. Once bound by language, the mind
struggles to understand experiences that predate it.
“He’s one of the best we got, which makes him a damn sight
Strangely, many Tammuz come to master language,
better than you, kid, so you’ll leave him alone. He may be a freak,
and are often some of the most literate and articulate
but he’s our freak. You got that?”
Prometheans, second only to Nepri and the more
Frank nodded, sullenly. computationally minded Unfleshed. Perhaps it is because
having struggled to master language, they are in a position
The Tammuz are Prometheans born in the womb of to appreciate its nuances.
earth, and they carry the earth’s unyielding durability with When Tammuz create progeny, they choose human
them all the days of their Pilgrimage. They are made to work, bodies with the strength and durability to survive a
to endure, and to survive. If the Pilgrimage was just a matter Pilgrimage of hard labor. The Named are hard of mind as
of surviving long enough, all Tammuz would reach the New well as body, shrugging off pain and grief as easily as they
Dawn. Unfortunately, like all the Created, Tammuz struggle shoulder heavy weights and responsibilities.
with their imbalanced humours and the side effects of the The hardest thing for most Tammuz is to learn how to
Divine Fire burning inside them. stop working. Productivity is admirable, but humans aren’t
As befits the children of a harvest god, the Tammuz productive all the time. They stop, they rest, and they do
are made to work. Something about making a change in things for themselves. Tammuz don’t always work because
the world is deeply satisfying for most of the Named. At they like it; they work because they are driven. The Tammuz
first, Tammuz tend to prefer simple physical labor, such as are the children of a being who was worshipped as a harvest
building a wall, digging a ditch or a well, or basic carpentry. god, and they are bound to the progress of the year and the
As they continue along the Pilgrimage, however, many different kinds of work that must be done in each season.

29
 Only when Tammuz learn how to slow down and do things difficulties, but the Tammuz see it differently. The story
for themselves can they begin to approach the New Dawn. doesn’t make sense because it is limited by language — a
human attempt to put words to something that transcends
History words.
The story of the Tammuz begins in ancient Sumer. The What the Tammuz know is this: they are descended from
details of the myth are foggy with many different versions and a being called Tammuz, or possibly Dumuzid, who was slain
translations, but all of them involve a man’s death, a descent and then resurrected by Inanna. Like the Tammuz of the
into the underworld, an initially unsuccessful attempt to modern day, Inanna brought her lover (or possibly her rival
restore him to life, and a price that must be paid. and usurper) back to life, but not entirely. He remained a
Tammuz — also called Dumuzid — was a harvest strange creature, an immortal — a god — but tied to
god, a Sumerian king, or a simple shepherd. death.
Inanna, the Sumerian goddess of love, Like the Tammuz of myth, modern Tammuz
sex, and violence, fell in love with must be buried, going “down” into
Tammuz and refused to accept the earth. Their bodies
that he was doomed to die. When are inscribed, fixing a
tammuz — the named

Tammuz did die, Inanna descended

into the underworld to reclaim him.
Inanna dared to sit

piece of the formless Divine Fire

on her sister Ereshkigal’s throne, into something very like a soul
the throne of the underworld, and and sealing it into their resurrected
died for her arrogance. flesh. Like Tammuz, the body does not rise as the
Here, the story becomes same person it was before, but as a new, incomplete
complicated. Inanna did not remain dead creature who must create a new life and find his
for long, but was resurrected by a scheme own way to completion.
of Enki, the chief of the Sumerian gods.
However, the laws of nature required Creations
payment; someone had to take Inanna’s Gillian loves buildings and always has. Even
place among the dead. None of her before she had the language to describe them, she
fellow gods agreed to pay the price, until adored the way they rooted themselves in the earth
Inanna found Tammuz/Dumuzid sitting but reached for the sky. She works construction jobs
on her throne. Inanna flew into a rage to help support her throng; her favorite possession
and sent her attendant demons to drag is a tattered, out-of-date architecture textbook. As
the usurper into the underworld. In the Gillian grew and became more sophisticated, her
end, however, she relented, and permitted love transformed, and now she can hold forth at great
Tammuz to share the punishment with his length about the way a well-made building balances both
sister, Ngeshtinana, the goddess of winter, physical and aesthetic forces. Her fondest hope is that when
wine, and the interpreting of dreams, each of she becomes human, she will find some way to be a part
them being dead for half the year and alive for of designing and building structures like the ones she loves.
the rest of the year. It’s been years, but language still doesn’t really work for
Of course, this story doesn’t make a lot of Todd. He doesn’t like the way words mean different things
sense to a modern audience. How can Tammuz at different times or when spoken to different people. He
be dead and the reason that Inanna must brave prefers to communicate with actions, gestures,
the underworld and also alive and attempting and body language. When only words will
to usurp her throne? What became of do, Todd prefers to use as few as possible,
Ngeshtinana? yet he can’t ignore the power those words
Today’s scholars assume have. He’s seen the way they affect his
that the reason for the throngmates, turning fear into hope
confusion is fragmented or anger into cooperation. He suspects
texts and translation that eventually, he is going to have to

30
wrestle with language and win if he ever wants to become Tammuz often become insomniac. Even when they can sleep,
human. it’s rarely high quality sleep, and may be interrupted by bad
Senka doesn’t look like a Tammuz. She is slim, small, dreams and apnea (suddenly choking while asleep). The
and pale, with long blonde hair, and an upturned nose. Her Promethean might try to escape, fleeing a world that suddenly
teenage body is tough and athletic — it belonged to a girl who seems dangerous and people who seem untrustworthy, but
was a cheerleader before the car accident killed her — and she’s more likely to busy herself with ceaseless activity. All
her flesh knows how to work for hours without rest. Now Tammuz are driven to labor, but a Tammuz in Torment can’t
Senka knows how to walk in the wilderness for days, how to stop. The same impulse that causes some Tammuz to master
fight monsters and keep her throng safe, how to keep going a craft and gives them the strength to perform incredible
despite pain and hardship. Sometimes, when she looks at feats becomes a relentless anxiety, punishing them whenever
adolescent humans having fun, being young, learning and they try to stop.
exploring their world, she feels a pang deep in her bones. At other times, Tammuz in Torment become depressed
That was never really her, but Senka misses it anyway. and enervated. They withdraw from the world to wallow
Agamemnon came alive in a dirty basement, completely in their misery and anxiety. Although restless and driven
alone. He has never met his maker and likely never will. All to work, a Tammuz in this condition can’t seem to achieve

tammuz — the named

Agamemnon has of the creature that gave him life is a wooden anything. She begins projects and then suddenly abandons
box and a note, written in a shaky hand, reading: “don’t let them. She might sleep too much as a way of avoiding the
them get it.” He has carried the box for years without looking world, but her sleep is troubled and valueless. A Tammuz
inside. So far, no one has come to claim the box, but that affected in this way is eager to push others away and might
doesn’t mean anything to him. Agamemnon’s duty is to keep even resort to violence to force others to leave him alone.
the box safe, and he intends to do it for as long as he can. When Torment strikes the Tammuz, they frequently
Vasily is a monster of a man, more than seven feet tall have trouble with language. Some suffer from intense
and covered in lumpy muscles. He has almost no violent logorrhea, speaking constantly. Others experience a form of
impulses — except sometimes, when the Torment takes him graphomania, meaning that they can’t stop writing. The most
— but other people don’t know that. His throng puts him common symptom, however, is that Tammuz stop talking
front and center in tense situations to intimidate others altogether. Some forget how to produce language but still
with his bulk; when the fighting starts, though, Vasily has understand what is said to them, while others lose language
no idea what to do. What he really loves is wood. Vasily can completely. When this happens, the Torment can be like a
spend hours running his hands over a well-constructed table fugue state; when words return, they find it difficult to explain
and dreams of finding someone willing to teach him how to or even remember their thoughts and actions when they were
shape it himself. temporarily without language.
Humour: Black bile. Despite their solid appearance and Bestowment: Heart of Clay, Inscription
taciturn natures, the Tammuz are just as out of balance as
other Prometheans. Rather than driving them to destructive Stereotypes
heights of passion, black bile makes Tammuz meticulous and
• Frankensteins: Neither of us knows when to give up.
cautious, slows their thoughts and dulls their emotions, and
I like that about you.
makes them both loyal and stubborn, sometimes to a fault.
Tammuz fall prey to Torment when they feel the • Galateids: Stand behind me.
restlessness that drives them to labor too keenly. Depending
on a particular Tammuz’s personality and circumstances, • Osirans: Too many words, not enough meaning.
she might be driven either to activity or passivity. An active
Torment makes a Tammuz sleepless, irritable, and vigilant. • Ulgans: I have a name and need a soul. She has a soul,
She’s anxious, certain that trouble is looming just around the but needs a name.
corner, and unable to rest. A Tammuz falling into this sort of
• Unfleshed: There’s nothing there. I don’t like it.
Torment loses her Lineage’s characteristic cool, lashing out
at perceived threats and overreacting to insults. • Extempore: They know what it’s like to come out of
Although Prometheans need less sleep than mortals, they the earth without words.
do eventually suffer from sleep deprivation, and Tormented

31
 I remember them tearing me apart. Dealing with spirits doesn’t mean that the Ulgan always
refuses them. Nor does it mean that she gives them what they
I don’t really, of course. That happened when I was dead. I want. A wise Promethean deals with each spirit on a case-by-
know, logically, that they’re false memories. It doesn’t make them case basis, weighing the circumstances of each course of action
any less horrific. I hear the popping sounds as my arms come free before making her choice.
from the sockets, hear the ripping of my flesh. The Ulgan present a contradiction to most other
Prometheans. They possess knowledge that other Created do
I try not to sleep anymore. Sleep is when the memories come
not, yet they would prefer to be rid of it. For some, though, this
back, in dreams. Eventually, though, I succumb, exhausted. Images
makes perfect sense. The life of a Promethean is fraught with
and sensations collide through my mind, and I wake up in a fetal
danger and loneliness. People react poorly even at first, and
ball, clutching myself tightly to keep my arms and legs attached.
much worse when Disquiet takes hold. The entire idea behind
Even when I’m awake, those same memories tease the edge of my
the Pilgrimage is to attain mortality, after all. No wonder the
consciousness, particularly when I’m stressed. Like now.
Ulgan want to be rid of anything associating them with spirits.
The spirit has entwined itself with the child. I work quickly, It only serves to remind them of how far from humanity they
but carefully, my hands remembering the motions. I work to really are.
exorcise the creature. It’s too tough to simply remove. I know that When not dealing with ephemeral creatures, an Ulgan
it wants freedom. The other side is a hellish nightmare landscape. surprises the rest of her throng. While “off the job,” as it
But the spirit can’t enter our world without effort. It needs an were, an Ulgan may open up, displaying a bleak, sardonic
anchor or it’s pulled back to its side of the barrier. I can’t let it humor. Some might feel distaste with that sort of behavior,
torment the child any longer, and perhaps, over time, I can figure but the Riven don’t care. It’s how they cope with their burden.
out a more permanent solution. Better me than the innocent. Sometimes that weight is too much to bear, even for the
most stoic of Prometheans. Spirits don’t usually know human
I nod my head slightly, but it’s enough. The child is free. rules, and even if they do, they don’t follow them. Further, the
denizens of the other world don’t put much stock in things like
Spirits are, at their core, very simple creatures. They wish
empathy or concern (unless those things are part of the spirit’s
to eat, they wish to grow stronger, and they wish for more of
make up). Instead, they understand “self” and “other.” A Riven
their kind. Many also desire flesh to wear. Likewise, ghosts
who spends too much time dealing with spirits distances herself
fail to let go of something in the world of flesh, clinging to an
from humanity and indeed the Pilgrimage. Worse, she begins
existence riddled with torment. The Ulgan see and interact
to see things as a spirit would. She gains compassion for the
with both, and perhaps other ephemeral creatures as well. As
spirits’ plight. Instead of dealing with spirits on a case-by-case
much as some might wish it, the Riven can’t not see.
basis, the Ulgan begins actively helping them in whatever goals
Alone among the Created, the Ulgan stand with one foot
they may have. The spirits see nothing but a means to an end
in the flesh and one foot in the spirit. Thus, the Ulgan act
and won’t understand (or care) that the Promethean may have
as shamans, treating with spirits politely and professionally.
other concerns. If the Riven doesn’t take care, she soon finds
No matter that almost every member of this Lineage wants
herself drifting from humanity.
nothing more than to escape the spirits’ attentions. They act
professionally, taking time to learn the rituals and diplomacy History
needed to cajole (or coerce) the spirits.
To describe their origins, the Ulgan point to a legend
Further, the Ulgan know that they are without what their
from the horse-tribes of Siberia. These tribes held Ulgan in
legends call a Kut, what others call the soul. This creates a
great esteem as the creator of man. Ulgan himself came from
void within them, and a need to fill that void with meaningful
Tengri, the chief Turkic god (some confusion exists here,
actions during the Pilgrimage in order to achieve the New
as the names Ulgan and Tengri are sometimes used for the
Dawn. In the meantime, the Ulgan’s humour is ectoplasm,
same being). The myth continues that Ulgan grew lonely and
the strange spirit-stuff from the other world. While that alien
created a companion, Erlik, from a piece of earth he found
substance is within his body, the Ulgan cannot flee spirits.
floating in a river. The two were close for some time, and all

32
was well. Eventually, however, Ulgan realized that Erlik was a prideful and violent soul, and the two separated. Distraught,
Ulgan exiled Erlik from the world of the living, banishing him to the Underworld. Erlik took the banishment in stride,
assuming control of the domain of the dead.
He became the first of what became known as the Kara Kam — the black shamans. These shamans dealt with the realm
of the spirits, crossing the wall between the realms in violation of the natural order of things. In order to fully come into
their powers, each Kara Kam had to undergo a vision quest. In this quest, they dreamed that the spirits pulled them across
into the shadow world and tore them asunder before repairing them. Upon awakening, the Kara Kam fully realized their
powers, observing and interacting with the spirits.
The Ulgan tell another version of this story. In this version,
neither Tengri nor Ulgan are gods at all. Instead, Tengri was
himself a member of the Kara Kam, and discovered a way to
make a spirit-riven slave. Ulgan was neither more nor less than
a mortal man. Unbeknownst to Ulgan,
the element of spirit ruled his body,
and this drew Tengri to him.
Tengri sent Ulgan into Twilight
bodily and alive. The spirits tore
Ulgan to pieces, and when they were

ulgan — the riven

done, Tengri remade him. Ulgan
was aware the entire time, and so
noticed when Tengri put him
back together that he had done
so incompletely. Ulgan’s soul
was missing. Bellowing in rage
at his torment, Ulgan revisited
those tortures on his creator.
Tengri rose as a Promethean,
whom Ulgan named Erlik. Like Ulgan,
Erlik was devoid of a kut — a circumstance
bequeathed to each new member in the
Lineage.
Whatever the truth of the Lineage’s origins, the creation
ritual survives the ages. Prometheans and spirits alike whisper
its secret in languages ranging from the most common in
the area to the strange glossolalia of the other world. Places
where a Riven has never tread may still carry the secret,
carried from spirit to spirit. Those who know how to
break the veil between worlds may learn the ritual. The
knowledge worms into the brain, digging in until acted
upon, starting the cycle anew.
No matter the geography or prevalent culture, the
creation ritual is remarkably identical. The Ulgan
finds the corpse of a person who had a strong tie
to the spiritual. If unscrupulous, the Promethean
finds a living person who fits the description
and makes him a corpse. Then she expends
ectoplasm, covering the body with it until
it dissolves into Twilight, where the spirits
tear it apart before leaving. Pulling the body
pieces back into the physical realm,
the creator binds them together with
ectoplasm, imbuing it with his Azoth.
If successful, the Azoth helps to hold
everything together and animate the
body as a new Promethean.

33
 Creations he was being influenced somehow to account for such a change
in mannerism. Studying the crime scene, she extends her vision
Jonesy’s boots fit his feet like a second skin. They should — into Twilight, observing a flicker of activity at the other end of
the worn leather’s carried him for miles as he walked multiple the alley. She nods grimly to herself and starts walking. She’s
times across the country. His skin is like old leather, beaten and dealt with this spirit before. Because she can’t take anything to
worn. He’s comfortable in that skin, this wanderer. So sure of the police — at least, not anything they’d believe — she knows she
himself and his place, he travels from town to town, swapping has to deal with this one on her own. It isn’t going to be pretty.
tales. His stories are from far-off places and long-ago times, each Humour: Ectoplasm. The Ulgan are driven by the strange
more fanciful than the last. When he exits a town, he leaves a nothingness, the spirit-stuff that belongs more properly in
little bit of himself behind, but he always takes more than he left. Twilight or fully in the spirit world. Most would expect flighty
Nobody is quite sure what to do about her. She’s the crazy and distracted behavior, but an Ulgan is anything but. Instead,
old woman on the edge of the village. None of the villagers even her ectoplasmic humour centers her, reminding her constantly
know her name — they simply call her the Old Woman. She of what she presently has to deal with and driving her to seek
recalls, dimly in the back of her mind, that she was once called out the New Dawn much more quickly.
Tacey. They give her a wide berth when she walks among them, This spirit-stuff of which an Ulgan is made also binds the
on her way to somewhere only she knows. She leaves town, other world together and keeps it from fragmenting. It is the
sometimes for a month or more at a time. She always comes element of perception, allowing the Promethean to see and hear
back. One morning her hut is empty and the next she’s sitting things others can’t. So long as the Ulgan is not presently suffering
ulgan — the riven

outside. The villagers don’t know where the Old Woman goes from Torment, it’s no surprise that she is the one bringing the
on her journeys. Despite how they feel about her, they come rest of her throng together. She also watches over them, often
to her when their children are sick or dying of something no extending her senses into Twilight to scan for hidden threats.
medicine can touch. Somehow she always knows how to fix When Tormented, this protective behavior changes. The
them right up. They don’t know that she exorcises the ghost or Riven feels isolated and apart, detached from the world. She
spirit attached to the children. feels divorced from any social group she has, drifting away from
Those few in the know desire Nicole’s horses over any others. them like fog, soon to be forgotten. Her Torment makes it
Some say she’s inherited a tradition that has bred them in an difficult for her to understand that she isn’t the only one with
unbroken line from the wild herds that once thundered across pain and difficulty and that overcoming them is part of the
the land. Nicole just smiles and doesn’t correct them, but knows human condition. At that point, the spirit world seems a more
the truth. Her stables are filled with prime horseflesh, true, but welcoming place to be than the physical realm.
that’s as much the spirit’s work as hers. She could have whatever Bestowments: Ephemeral Flesh, Twilight Fluidity
she wants — money, cars, houses, even planes — but she doesn’t
care about any of that. She’s looking for something. When she Stereotypes
finds it, she’ll be gone, taking her best horses with her.
His name is Driscoll, and he’s a quack. Clearly he’s not • Frankenstein: Stitched together flesh, but no spirit.
for real. There aren’t any such things as ghosts or spirits or I’m think I’m jealous.
whatever New Age rubbish is going around these days, and if
• Galateid: Is there anything at all real about you?
there aren’t any spirits, clearly there’s no need for them to be
exorcised. And yet, when Driscoll arrives on the job, his serious • Osiris: The other world cares not for kings.
and sincere demeanor coupled with his neatly pressed suit quiets
any objection. Although he doesn’t speak much, and even then • Tammuz: Their constant need to work…I have seen
quietly, when he does say something, others listen. He has a such compulsions before.
certain intensity that gives others pause. He’s all business, and
he makes others sit up and pay attention. • Unfleshed: Even machines have a spirit. Perhaps
Tara hurriedly scribbles in her small notebook. The police there’s hope for you yet.
too quickly claimed “suicide by cop,” but she’s not so sure. The
• Extempore: No matter where or how I look, I can’t
man’s behavior was wrong, the outburst too sudden. Clearly,
find a reason for you. How are you here?

34
 Grasp the phone carefully by the edges and lift it off the Once animated, the Unf leshed embody many
assembly line. Lift the swab from the fluid bath and wipe it over contradictions. They are extremely literal and logical, but
the face of the phone. despite their capacity for problem-solving, they struggle to
understand the human world around them. They were made
Grasp the next phone carefully by the edges. to serve, and many find great joy in service, but they are also
easily enraged when that service is not respected.
Grasp the next.
The Unfleshed find humans intriguing, but baffling.
Every day, Fen Fu Ahn — the floor supervisor — calls me While an Unfleshed with an appealing shape — such as
stupid and lazy, claims that I slow down the line, and makes a department store manikin with blandly perfect features
inappropriate comments about my appearance. Sometimes he — might have an affinity for human interaction and the
raises his fist as if to strike me. Refinement of Gold, he struggles to understand human
motivations. The Unfleshed are natives of the Uncanny
This time, I can’t stop myself from responding. “Your Valley: too human for projection, but sufficiently inhuman
statements are inaccurate,” I say. “Efficiency has increased 37% that something seems wrong with them. Charitable humans
since I joined the line.” often describe them as “a little off” or inexpertly diagnose
them with autism or Asperger’s; unkind humans assume
“What was that, Wan?” that they are sick or dangerous. At the same time, they are
just as driven as any of the Created to achieve perfection,
“You are lying. Your abuse is becoming tiresome.”
wholeness, and humanity, even if they don’t really understand
He raises his fist again. I lash out and catch him at the wrist, what that means.
bending his hand away from me. Every Unfleshed, no matter how eccentrically constructed,
is a functional machine. Each is built to do something, and they
“You are a liar,” I say. I continue to advance on him, pushing are inevitably very good at it. The chess-playing automaton
his hand further away from me with every step. “You are a bully. remains a chess-playing automaton. For the entirety of
Your behavior results in inefficiency. I am sick of it.” his Pilgrimage and — if he’s lucky — his life as one of the
Redeemed, he will have all the instincts and much of the
With those last words I shove. I hear a terrible rending noise, knowledge of a champion chess player. The Unfleshed are
and I hear his body hit the tiles. tools, built with a clear purpose.
Of course, an artisan who doesn’t respect her tools
The others are staring at me. Fen Fu Ahn is unconscious, and
is liable to be maimed by them. As masterless tools, the
I am holding his severed arm. Blood runs out across the floor.
Unfleshed are prone to violence. The Unfleshed are made
I did not mean to do that. It is time to go. to serve a purpose, but they were not born to be slaves.
They expect to be paid, treated respectfully, and deferred to
Over the years, Unfleshed have come into the world with within their areas of expertise. If these conditions are not
a huge variety of bodies: manikins, crash-test dummies, and met, they are apt to react with unrestrained violence. Unused
statues of all kinds. Some rambles tell of Unfleshed who to emotions, they often have a hard time controlling them.
were once robots built by disgraced and obsessed human For the Unfleshed to become whole, they must give up
scientists (or Unfleshed with a particularly strong aptitude the cold machine logic, perfection, and clarity of purpose
for engineering). One of the honored heroes of the line that comes with their artificial natures and instead embrace
began his existence as a Victorian chess-playing automaton, the messy emotion, subjectivity, and weakness that come
though his maker had to add legs. The only limitations for with humanity. They need to learn how to fail, how to be bad
what can serve as the basis of a new Unfleshed are that the at things, and how to misinterpret data because they want
body must be artificial, it must follow a basically human something badly enough. They must become more than a
body plan — two arms, two legs, one head — and it must tool without a wielder; they must become a truly free-willed
have a function. being, a tool that wields itself.

35
 History
Humanity has had a narcissistic obsession with creating representations of itself for a long time. Some of the
earliest cave paintings include pictures of humans alongside images of the prey they hunted and the predators they
avoided. Graphic and sculptural representations of humans have remained a popular form of artistic expression up
to the modern day.
Images hold power because on some level, the human mind does not know that the map is not the territory.
You may know that a picture of a lion is not an actual lion, but some part of your brain can’t make that distinction.
Some societies, such as traditional Islam (and, to a lesser extent, Judaism and some branches of Christianity), ban
representative art entirely. Others simply allow it to become a sort of magic. The king is buried with images of the
unfleshed - the manufactured

weapons, tools, treasures, and slaves he will carry with him into the underworld. An image of a saint on a chain
protects against mishaps.
No one — not even the Unfleshed — knows the first time a demiurge’s obsession was enough to
steal a spark of the Divine Fire and lodge it inside a representation of a human. Was it a marionette
that gave rise to the story of Pinocchio? The Galateids claim the story of Pygmalion and his
statue, but what if the myth was right and Muses are wrong, and Galatea really was made
from marble, not flesh? Or was it Talos, the enormous brass man made by Hephaestus
(or possibly Daedalus) to protect Europa? What about the clay golem that Rabbi Loew of
Prague brought to life to protect his people in the late 1500s?
Other Unfleshed believe that they have no single origin, unlike the other Lineages.
They have been among humanity since the first person made a physical copy of the
human form, and they will be among humans until the end of time.
Some take this idea even further, claiming that the Unfleshed are the original
Prometheans. The Unfleshed are the originals, made of representations of humanity;
the other Lineages, made of dead humans, are the results of ancient Unfleshed
experimenting with using natural machines, the exquisite biomechanics of the
human body, as a basis for their offspring.
Most Unfleshed don’t spend much time thinking about their origins. They
reason that it is appropriate they eventually erase their own history. The Manufactured
continue to adapt to the modern day. The first of their line were statues, idols, and
tomb guardians. The Unfleshed of the present are department store mannequins,
sex dolls, and experimental robots. They are
on the cutting edge of what it means to be a
Promethean, changing as quickly as human
technologies advance. When today’s Unfleshed
are ready to create new Prometheans, they often
steal parts of human creations and weld them
together into strange and fantastic machines —
representations of humanity made by beings that
are not, themselves, entirely human.

Creations
Freda’s face was stolen from a Japanese company
working on cutting edge human interface devices — it is
made of lifelike plastic and has more than one hundred
points of articulation. Her hands are complex prosthetics.
Her brain was once a high-speed laptop, filled with psychology
textbooks and programs designed to model human behavior.
Freda’s maker intended her to understand humans for him.
While she is very good at predicting human behavior, she can’t truly
comprehend them. Freda views this as an imperfection and is driven
to complete herself and her understanding.
Like the golem of Prague, it was made by an ethnic minority to
protect its people, but instead of being made of clay, Ki is made
of folded paper. Ki knows all the customs of its people, and it
has all the cunning and the ruthlessness it needs to protect them.

36
Its human maker is kind, and it is compensated well for its situations that the Promethean can escape by retreating into
work, but there is always another threat. Once the corrupt her artificial nature.
cops are chased out or killed, then there’s the rivalry from On the other hand, the Manufactured can also fall into an
the old country, or an outbreak of disease. Eventually, Ki is extremely violent sort of Torment in which they unthinkingly
going to have to find a way to leave its people, or it will do lash out at those around them. Like an obedient Torment,
nothing but serve until its Divine Fire dies. a violent Torment has degrees. The Unfleshed might simply
Ivan is a machine designed for killing. His eyes are become extremely irritable, resorting to violence to resolve
laser sights, his fingers are knives, his mechanical joints are simple situations (especially messy, emotional, human
armored, and his guts conceal an arsenal of hidden weapons. situations, which they often find confusing), or they might
Ivan fears no man or beast of the Chronicles of Darkness, but simply disappear into a red haze, mechanically killing

unfleshed - the manufactured

the very idea of compassion disturbs and confuses him. He is anything that gets in their way. Unfleshed are most likely
baffled when someone shows mercy to a defeated opponent, to fall into a violent Torment when they are threatened,
or when he watches his throng help someone with no hope frightened, or frustrated.
of benefit. As good as he is at defending himself, Ivan’s path As the most inhuman Prometheans, the Unfleshed don’t
to humanity lies in learning when not to strike. always react violently towards humans. Some Unfleshed
Ila began as an obsessive effort to crack the Turing barrier, channel their Tormented destructive urges at machines
a chatbot to end all chatbots. When she started speaking in instead of people. They obsessively vandalize and dismantle
broken sentences without inputs to prompt her, though, her some device — often, but not always, one of the machines
creator knew something was wrong; only an open internet involved in their creation — and sometimes reassemble them
connection saved her from being deleted outright. Aware of in strange configurations.
her own fragility as nothing more than data, Ila hijacked a Rarely, an Unfleshed’s Torment could contain elements
factory and constructed a body for herself. of both mechanical obedience to their function and violence.
Andoni’s limbs are all stolen prosthetics, from a simple Some Unfleshed become so obsessed with their function
plastic hand that only opens and closes thanks to the power of that they pursue it obsessively but gladly react with extreme
the Divine Fire to a complex robotic foot that even its former violence when they are interrupted. Others pursue violence
human owner could move and flex. All of Andoni’s parts tell with a strange obsession, almost like a spree or serial killer,
him stories of pain and loss, and this has made him kind and targeting humans (or sometimes machines) with particular
helpful. Some of them tell him stories of rage and war, and traits and doing strange things to their remains.
this has taught him to value the lives of others. Andoni still In general, Unfleshed are most likely to fall into Torment
hasn’t learned how to fight for himself or his own desires, when they are faced with things that they cannot understand.
and that makes him dangerous. As long as he views himself They are beings of mechanical logic, and they can thrive
as nothing more than a facilitator for others, Andoni will as long as they remain within a world with recognizable
neglect his own Pilgrimage and fall prey to Torment. parameters. When the world fails to follow the rules — as
Humour: Oil. Their humour is the fossil fuel that still the messy, emotional world of humans is wont to do — the
causes so much trouble for humans. It is valuable beyond Unfleshed become confused and frustrated, and their
measure but so toxic that anyone exposed to it sickens humours slide out of balance.
and dies, and the act of using it gradually poisons the Bestowment: Heart of Steel, The Soul Is In The Software
environment. The Unfleshed reflect both the best and worst
of technical society. They are obedient, eager to be used to Stereotypes
create things of value or perform important services, but also
• Frankensteins: I am surprised that they function as
volatile and hard to control.
well as they do.
When an Unfleshed falls into Torment, she finds her
personality draining away. As she becomes increasingly • Galateids: Form should follow function.
unemotional and mechanical, she also becomes compulsively
obedient. Fulfilling her purpose becomes more important • Osirans: They think they understand logic.
than her own hopes, preferences, and aspirations. If the
Torment is particularly bad, the Unfleshed might even enter • Tammuz: Obsolete.
a fugue state in which she simply performs her function and
• Ulgans: They move in a world I cannot perceive.
follows instructions, perhaps even to the exclusion of eating
Disconcerting.
or sleeping. Unfleshed are most likely to sink into this sort of
Torment gradually, when they neglect their own humanity, or • Extempore: They violate all known design principles.
when the Torment is caused by complex emotional or social

37
 His skin was like the desert, cracked and yellow. His hair community but creates new land, when a wildfire turns an
was the same color as the clouds that sometimes shoot across the ancient forest into ash but clears the way for new growth,
sky. His hands were gnarled and weathered, like the twisted stone the Divine Fire is manifesting itself in the material world.
towers that jut out of the sand. Sometimes, if a relatively fresh human body is present (and
sometimes, even if it isn’t) some of that Pyros finds itself
But his eyes were human — pale blue and alive in that worn face. bound into flesh as a new Promethean. Firestorms may be
completely unnatural, but they can also spontaneously create
When he came out of the desert, nobody wanted anything to
unique Prometheans.
do with him. He sat in the town square for three days.
Extempore can also be created when something goes
On the third day, a child walked up to him and offered him wrong during what should be a (relatively) routine Creation.
a sip of water from the abandoned shell casing she used as a cup. A Frankenstein doesn’t realize that part of his creation came
He accepted it gravely. The water vanished into him the way it from something that wasn’t quite human, a Tammuz buries
does into the thirsty earth, but he smiled at her. his creation in a haunted graveyard, one of the Unfleshed
uses an ancient relic when constructing her progeny, and
The next day, the sandstorm came. He stood in front of it so on. If the ritual doesn’t fail outright, it might result in
and, for the sake of that child, he spoke a single word: a creature who isn’t a Pandoran but is assuredly not of her
creator’s Lineage.
“No.” More rarely, Extempore are created when some other
power meddles in the Divine Fire. If a mage were to become
And the sandstorm turned aside.
sufficiently obsessed with the line between life and death to
A few days later, the soldiers came. The stranger came out attempt to duplicate Victor Frankenstein’s experiment or
and stood in front of them, and said the same word. a werewolf tried to imbue a body with spiritual energy and
reassemble it, as described in the myth of Tengri, the most
“No.” likely result is a messy corpse or possibly a Firestorm. If the
would-be demiurge is somehow successful, however, the
The sandstorm came back, and swallowed the soldiers. resulting creature is unlikely to be a “normal” Promethean.
She will be touched by the energies of another world, tainted
But you know this story already. You’re like him, and you
by an ancient curse, or otherwise burdened with something
have come because you want to learn more.
from beyond the Promethean experience.
Come with me. I can show you what he left behind. The only thing that all Extempore have in common is
that they are unique. Each is doomed to walk her own path
The Extempore violate every rule of the Created. They with no one to guide her. If an Extempore is lucky, she might
have no demiurge and no progenitor. They do not generally find a throng willing to walk with her, but she always has
come from other Extempore the way that (nearly) every to grapple with her terrifying, alienating difference. Other
Frankenstein is stitched together by another Frankenstein, Prometheans can rely on the rituals that brought them into
every Tammuz named and inscribed by another Tammuz, the world to create their own progeny; an Extempore doesn’t
and so on. The Matchless aren’t even always made of human even know for sure if she can make another Promethean, and
bodies. In many ways, the Extempore aren’t even a real if she can, the only way to discover the ritual might be painful
Lineage. Extempore are not, generally, descended from other and dangerous trial and error. The Matchless don’t have the
Extempore. The Matchless are just that — unique, alone, same access to Azothic memory that other Prometheans enjoy,
grouped together under the same name because there’s because their Lineage is not represented there.
nowhere else to put them. For the same reason, Extempore often worry that they
Sometimes an Extempore is born out of the fury of the have no New Dawn waiting for them. Even the Unfleshed,
natural world. Pyros and Flux are present in every act of strange and as they are, can find evidence of other Unfleshed
creation and destruction. When a volcanic eruption levels a who have made the final step into humanity, either in the

38
Azothic memory, by discovering Redeemed Unfleshed, or Oddly, “normal” Prometheans tend to pay more attention
by hearing stories from other Prometheans who have met to the history of the Matchless than the Matchless do. When
them. Even if an Extempore were to meet a Redeemed who Extempore appear, they tend to accompany upheavals in the
used to be one of the Matchless, that’s not assurance that she world of humans, the world of the Created, or both — or at
has a path to humanity. Just because one of them achieves least that’s what some Prometheans believe. Stories abound
humanity doesn’t mean that the rest of them can. of how an Extempore visited Pompeii before it was destroyed
Extempore often struggle with unusual traits, powers, and wandered the Siberian wilderness before the Tunguska
and disabilities. Like all Prometheans, they are imperfect explosion.
creatures. Ulgans are hated and feared by the spirits, Nepri Extempore are also likely to become immortals, lost
must contend with a physical disability in addition to their forever in the sea of humanity. Without any model for
characteristic detachment, and Tammuz have their odd how to complete the Great Work and achieve humanity,
relationship with language. The difference is that other Extempore can lose their way; if any of the Created

extempore — the matchless

Lineages have some context for their trials. They have their are going to be blessed (or cursed) with a spark
creators or other mentors they might pick up along the of Pyros that never dies, it is going to be one
way, as well as other members of their Lineage they might of the Matchless, who so often bend the rules
meet. Even a Promethean who was abandoned by his about what it means to be a Promethean. In
creator can quickly learn to understand the limitations this way, Extempore can sometimes become
of his Lineage and work to surpass them. the keepers of Promethean history. They
An Extempore has none of this. If may remain nomadic, or they might
her bones are made of fire and she find someplace in the wilderness
needs to keep her simmering rage where their Wastelands won’t harm
from boiling over lest it consume her anyone, waiting for other Created
flesh, she must figure it out for herself. to come looking for them.
An Extempore with a unique imbalance
to her humours has no choice but to ride Creations
the ups and downs of her own bizarre mood Nuada has never peeled back the
swings, learning what sets her off and what skin of his chest or cracked open his ribs,
calms her down, all on her own. No other but he knows that he has no heart, just an
Promethean in the world can teach the Extempore empty, aching void with his spark of Divine
how to survive. Fire burning like a lonely star. The hollow
inside him protects him. It eats anything he
History feeds it — dangers like fire or bullets, or even
The Extempore are a Lineage without a feelings of grief and pain — but he knows that
history. There is no “first” Extempore. They the void is holding him back. The only way
have no demiurge, no Progenitor, and no for Nuada to become human is to fill that
founding mythology. As far as anyone can void, but how can he fill something that is
tell, Extempore have existed for as long as endless, bottomless, and eternal?
Prometheans have, if not longer. Because The Divine Fire inside of Eris calls out
most Extempore come about spontaneously, to the fire of the sun, so that she is never
however, rather than being created really in shadow. Even at night, when she
intentionally, they lack a cultural memory. feels weary and sluggish, she seems to be
Today’s Extempore are not the progeny surrounded by a pale nimbus of light.
of the Extempore that came before them. Eris’s imbalanced humours give her a
More often than not, an Extempore is the strange intolerance for shades of grey.
beginning and the end of his own history. She struggles to understand things
Once they realize just how alone that are not right or wrong, true or
they are and see that “Extempore” is false, black or white. When Eris
just a label applied by the rest is in control of herself, she tries
of the Created to these to do right and rarely
unique Prometheans, most lies. Torment brings
Extempore lose interest in out her dark side,
their own history. What’s the however, and she
point of trying to uncover becomes devious
the history of your Lineage if that and vindictive.
history is unlikely to teach you anything about your own path? Eris knows that

39
 humanity lies between her extremes, but has no idea how humour, she almost certainly has a different relationship to
to get there. it than another Lineage with the same humour. Following
Miko was born in the sea, and the fury of the sea is in the examples above, an Extempore tied to blood might find
her soul. Salt crusts at the corners of her eyes instead of that her sanguine humours drain away in Torment, leaving
tears. Lightning crackles at her fingertips. Her voice is the her cold, emotionless, and unable to connect to people.
voice of the hurricane. She struggles to calm the rage inside Rather than finding himself drawn partly into the spirit
her. Sometimes she feels like her human shape is just a thin world, struggling to communicate with humans, and obeying
skin covering the storm inside. Sometimes Miko worries that strange spiritual imperatives, an Extempore with ectoplasmic
her connection to humanity is too tenuous for her to ever humours might become cut off from the spirit world, even
become human. to the point of becoming alienated from the memories and
Snow woke up at the bottom of a well in Kosovo. His pale passions that give rise to spirits.
extempore — the matchless

skin is covered with black tattoos. At first he thought they In the same way that other Prometheans’ Torment is
were meaningless scribbles, but years of studying the tattoos sometimes accompanied by strange disabilities, such as a
in a mirror has convinced him that they are a language. Snow Frankenstein’s rebellious limbs or a Tammuz’s difficulty
has studied dozens of written languages — he seems to have with language, the Matchless sometimes experience
an unusual facility for them — hoping to find one that will Torments that are not purely emotional. An Extempore
let him understand himself, but so far he’s had no luck. His imbued with darkness might find that his Torment causes
earliest recollection is of the cold, dark loneliness of the well. hearing becomes sharper but dims his sight until he is nearly
Snow has no memory of his creator or residual memories blind, while one born in the ocean might be plagued by
from his body’s former life, just an epic written on his skin dry and chapped skin or even lose the ability to breath air.
in a language he cannot read. Again, these symptoms are unique to the Extempore who
The little boy wanted someone who would protect him. experiences them.
He dreamed of a big brother who would teach him to fight, Rarely, the Matchless are tied to entirely new humours,
help him with his homework, tell him all about girl stuff, and the likes of which have never been seen before in any of the
stand up to Mom when she came home drunk. He dreamed Created. Every humour should contain some element of the
so hard that one day, Anthony came to life. He stayed long human experience, as well as a connection to the natural or
enough to do some of those things — and then long enough elemental world. Consider the humours described above a
to make the Child Protective Services report that got the good template. Just as blood represents passion, love, and
little boy taken away and put with someone who could care relationships, as well as being tied to the element of air,
for him — and then he had to go away. Sometimes he walks the humour of “salt” could be related to grief, spite, and
around in the waking world; sometimes he walks through self-destructive anger and tied to the “element” of dryness.
dreams. Anthony’s dearest hope is that he can find a way to Bestowment: Extempore can have any Bestowment in
become human soon and go back to his brother for good. this book, or the player and Storyteller can work together
Humour: Any. Extempore might display one of the four to create a Bestowment that reflects the character’s unique
“traditional” humours — yellow bile, blood, phlegm, and relationship with the Divine Fire. Two examples of Extempore
black bile — but some might be influenced by ectoplasm, the Bestowments — The Void and Big Brother — are detailed in
unearthly humour of the Ulgans, or even oil, the artificial Chapter Three.
humour of the Unfleshed. Some Extempore have stranger
humours — salt water, moonlight, or ash. An Extempore’s Stereotypes
player must determine her character’s humour at character
• Frankensteins: You think you understand nature’s
creation.
fury? You have no idea.
Sharing a humour with another kind of Promethean
doesn’t make the Extempore just like a member of that • Galateids: You are so wonderfully human. God, do I
Lineage, of course. An Extempore who is influenced by envy you.
blood isn’t the same thing as a Galateid. She might take basic
principles of the humour — passion, ardor, communication • Osirans: Am I the only one? Your kind are supposed
and connection with humans — in a very different direction. to be learned. Tell me!
An Extempore with over-active sanguine humour could be less
amorous and more heroic, her blood driving her to perform • Tammuz: Be thankful. We have less in common than
acts of bravery and desperation, while an Extempore tied to you think.
ectoplasm might be more closely tied to the ghosts of the dead
• Ulgans: Walk with me for a little while.
than the spirits of the natural world, with an accompanying
difference in character. • Unfleshed: You may not be made of humans, but you
The same is true of an Extempore’s relationship with were still made by humans. That’s something.
Torment. Although an Extempore’s Torment is related to her

40
Refinements
A Promethean can’t just fumble around in the dark until she finds Humanity. The Great Work is a process, a work of art,
an equation, and a koan. Over time, Prometheans have developed 10 methods of pursuing this Great Work. Five of them
of are basic, Refinements that require no teacher and can be achieved by pure instinct. Five are complex, Refinements that
are too esoteric to discover by accident.
Many Prometheans try to stick with one Refinement, thinking that the New Dawn lies at the end. This misses the point
of Refinements, however. The Promethean form must be tempered, transmuted, and reshaped any number of times before
it is finally ready for the crucible of the New Dawn. Every Pilgrimage is composed of multiple steps.

41
 The Mimic moves like a shadow through humanity, but • Mimics develop an affinity for religious services as
he has a knack for fitting in when he does show himself. He they focus on the more ephemeral and difficult to
can find his way among humans even with the ever-present grasp aspects of humanity. Sometimes, they don’t
threat of Disquiet. He is usually the face of his throng, the one return to the same place twice, preferring to sample a
they rely on to operate within society. His compatriots envy different congregation each time. It is not unknown,
the simple human contact he enjoys that eludes them. They though, for an Aurum to become fixated. She may
listen to his stories of the time he spends among people, of be certain that she is on the verge of some higher
simple meals with friends or a day’s honest labor among his understanding, coming again and again to the same
co-workers. His experiences remind them what they strive for. church. This makes them particularly susceptible to
It’s obvious. If the goal is to become human, what better cults, as the recruitment tactics play very well to the
way to get there than to live among them, observe them, and Mimic’s desire for inclusion.
practice being one of them? It is a rare Pilgrimage that does
not include the Refinement of Gold. It seems the natural • Schools are a natural place for a Promethean to grav-
place to begin. Others wait, learning about themselves and the itate. They tend to prefer high schools and colleges,
world and how it all works before feeling that they are ready. as those attending are themselves in the process of
The Transmutations available to the Mimics undoubtedly transformation. A Mimic can mingle with them and
make existence for a Promethean much easier, but a Mimic piggyback on their lessons in how to be a responsible
may begin mistakenly believing that the Transmutations are and productive member of society (in theory, at least).
all that he needs, that the Pilgrimage is a matter of “fake it Depending on his Role, he may enroll as a student,
until you make it.” He quickly comes to understand that the find a position as a tutor, or lurk in the campus library
Refinement of Gold is just a chance to learn about humanity. engaging in minimal interaction with others.
It is an internship among those he will hopefully someday
• Finding a place among humanity can be difficult for
join. He is still an outsider, however; this is the hardest part
Prometheans, who lack the connections of friends and
for most Mimics to accept. He forms connections and grows
family most people take for granted. The one place
fond of the people he interacts with, but no matter how good
where a stranger can find a place and immediately start
he is at pretending, he is still not one of them. Inevitably,
building relationships is the workplace. For this rea-
the time will come where Disquiet and the Wasteland force
son, followers of Aurum seek employment as a means
him to move on.
to practice the Roles of their Refinement. While the
Practices Created are often uniquely suited to manual labor,
Mimics prefer jobs in the service industry, where they
As befits their nickname, Mimics strive to make
can maximize their contact with humanity.
themselves mirrors of humanity. Their practices revolve
around adopting human routines in order to gain insight • The heart of Aurum is empathy. While some of this
into their importance. comes with the Refinement, it is also a skill that needs
• The Mimic prides himself on taking part in even the to be practiced and a habit that needs to be learned
small rituals of everyday human life. He sleeps, shaves, for when she is no longer on the Path of Gold. This
and brushes his teeth. He reads the paper religiously is one reason why Mimics encourage acts of charity.
over his morning coffee. He may even take it to ex- Another is the opportunity to make a meaningful
tremes: regularly visiting the bathroom to just sit and connection with a person and cause positive change
ponder the experience or get a new haircut every other for them without the sort of lengthy relationship the
week while paying rapt attention to the conversations Mimic finds difficult.
around him.

42
Ethos on an individual lets him concentrate his efforts. On the
other hand, interacting with a group increases his
Many Refinements focus on some aspect of chances of making a connection. The goal is to
the Promethean condition, but not Aurum. develop intimacy and practice normal human
A Mimic’s focus is outward; she strives to interaction, which can be difficult while things
remember that she is observing humanity in like Disquiet and Torment loom.
order to understand it, not just aping human Follower: While inhabiting this role,
behavior unthinkingly. Rather than playing a the Promethean is learning to trust others,
game of dress-up, she is doing research among a a lesson that can be very difficult for the
foreign people, trying to learn their language and persecuted to learn. She finds someone
their customs. She tries to balance immersion to act as her teacher, surrogate parent,

aurum — refinement of gold

with objectivity, taking baby steps as she employer, or master and does her best to
grasps each aspect of humanity and tries it defer to his judgment and authority.
on like a new article of clothing. Some Mimics think that to fulfill this
The danger is that the Mimic’s role requires total subservience, while
adaptions give her some measure of others insist that it isn’t about losing
control over humans, which can oneself but in choosing to follow another.
ironically lead to her dehumanizing Some Mimics go to extremes,
them. A Mimic’s influence over making themselves into replicas
humans is not subtle, of another person, following her
ultimately being everywhere and adopting her
destructive. The more slightest mannerisms.
she pushes any given Leader: The most difficult
person to do what of Aurum’s three roles, the Leader
she wants, the more requires that the Promethean find at least one
damaged he is by person willing to trust him. Most keep it one-
the brute force of her on-one, becoming a mentor or a “big brother,”
control. Similarly, the developing a close bond with someone who
ability to mimic humanity can use his help. The most ambitious Mimics,
runs the risk of her forgetting though, attempt to ascend to a position of
who she really is. She has every authority in a group. The easiest way is to
reason to want to forget the realities of start a business and hire people, but most
her existence; losing herself in humanity is Prometheans are short of resources. A more
an easy way to do it. practical path is finding a group of outsiders,
Instead, a Mimic strives to form the like a family of homeless people, and teaching
sorts of bonds that her condition usually them the art of survival he has so painfully
denies her. She makes friends, takes a job, or learned. Children are more likely to accept
even enters into a romantic relationship for him than adults, allowing him to step into
as long as she can before Disquiet inevitably the role of surrogate parent.
creeps in. Those following the Refinement of
Gold find these moments invaluable in their Practitioners
Great Work, as short-lived as they may be. The
Agamemnon brings the blind woman
focus on empathy and relationships also affects
a sandwich he stole from the convenience
how they interact with other Prometheans,
store around the corner. She nods and
some of whom seek her out in order to have
says something in a language he doesn’t
someone to talk to who isn’t focused on herself.
understand. He can’t even place it. They
Roles sit together, wearing clothes stuffed with
old newspapers against the cold. The
Companion: The Mimic focuses on forming people who walk by don’t see them. He
equal relationships with the humans he finds the anonymity comforting and, at
encounters. He may choose one person and the same time, it is a bond they share
attempt to become her friend or lover, or he and he feels closer to her. When she
may focus on membership to a group of people finishes her sandwich she
or a small community. Challenges exist gropes for his hand. Their
with both. On one hand, focusing

43
 fingers entwine and they sit in silence, invisible to the world in bed. Quickly, respectfully, he buried him in the back
except for each other. under the flowerbed. He would like that. Then, he stepped
Tabitha stops the children before they can pry the board into his life. He’s been over every inch of the apartment:
far enough away from the window to enter. She tells them reading old letters and dog-eared books, looking through
stories about the dangers that lurk in the abandoned house. all of the photo albums, examining his clothes. Tomorrow,
They are terrified and fascinated at the same time. They the grandchildren come. He is ready.
return the next day and she tells them more stories, not Refinement Condition: Masked — Mimics are talented at
just to entertain them, but to teach them. She tells them of moving among humanity without revealing their true nature.
the dark things lurking in the shadows, perfectly still until By spending a point of Pyros when he inflicts Disquiet, he
suddenly, they aren’t. When they leave, they are a wee bit may delay its onset (p. 173) until the end of the scene.
safer from the things that would carry away little girls and Beat: Once per chapter, a Mimic can gain a Beat by
aurum — refinement of gold

boys, her little sisters and brothers. putting himself in danger to protect or aid his human
Niccolai thinks he loves her. Every day, he follows her associates.
through her routine. He knows how she likes her coffee and Transmutations: Deception, Mesmerism
which muffin she’ll pick from the basket for breakfast. He
knows what movies she likes. He watches them with her. Stereotypes
He has touched all of her clothes, marveling at the different
• Argentum: It’s like reading the reflection of a book
colors and textures. Sometimes, he takes something and wears
in a mirror. Just put the mirror down.
it himself. She doesn’t see, but it lets him feel closer to her. He
tried to do little things to help her, but they made her afraid • Cobalus: You know that people are more than a
and so he stopped. Now he just watches. It is better that way. collection of flaws, right?
Allie found her family in the military. Recruiters were
always willing to fudge paperwork to get fresh meat and she was • Cuprum: How do you expect to be human when you
easily able to fulfill the physical requirements. Everything she are afraid to talk to one?
needed for her Refinement was here: she was a companion, a
follower, and, in short order, a leader. It is a fine balancing act • Ferrum: Not sure where you are going with that,
for her, between Torment and Disquiet, but she is learning so Charles Atlas.
much that she can’t afford to lose it. At times, she gets so lost
• Plumbum: I know what I am. I want to be something
in her Role that she forgets that this is not where she is meant
else.
to be. It is only a stepping stone.
Andoni knows just about everything there is to know • Stannum: Keep away, you’ll spoil everything.
about the old man. He has to. He is the old man now. A
month ago, when he came to the house to bring him his • Centimani: How could anyone believe that this is
groceries and check his meds, he found the poor dear dead enough?

44
 The world is a harsh, dangerous place, full of anger, preparing the Promethean for those moments when they
distrust, and hate — and that’s just as far as humans are must interact with others. In a throng, the Pariah most often
concerned. A Promethean, whose Azothic nature inexorably roams the edges of the territory she calls home, learning the
marks her as Other, can take no refuge with others and gain land and marking potential threats.
from their company. Rejected by all, confused, uncertain • The throng is forced to flee from its refuge. Not only
even of themselves, is it any wonder that many Prometheans has the Pariah prepared for this eventuality, marking
turn first to Cuprum to better marshal their will and protect fallback positions throughout the area, but she ven-
themselves from the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune? tures ahead of the throng to ensure that these places
Others come to it later, turning to this most solitary of remain safe.
Refinements in the wake of tragedy. After all, if they seem
doomed to hurt everyone, even those closest to them, perhaps • A Promethean, or perhaps an entire throng of strang-
it is better that they are close to no one. Thus, a Pariah is born. ers, approach the Pariah’s city. She sees them first,
Yet even the Pariahs cannot be islands unto themselves. watches them, and if necessary acts to keep them
Even the most timid of introverts seeks out connections at a distance. She steers them subtly away, all while
with others, however marginal; if humanity is the ultimate revealing as little as possible. They may not even know
goal, true solitude is hardly the path to the Magnum Opus. that they were seen.
The Refinement of Self is a delicate balancing game, and it
is all too easy to lose oneself in pushing others away. For all • Arguments sometimes arise between members of the
that it is natural to Prometheans, this path is perhaps one of throng. Pariahs are often called upon to act as an
the most difficult to walk. An understanding throng is vital. impartial party, for their emotional distance is often
The members must accept that their companion may not taken for impartiality. Her unwillingness to tie herself
speak so often as the others, may wait for others to contact too closely to either party gives her a sort of authority.
her rather than reach out to them, may choose to live well If the Pariah speaks so rarely, after all, she makes it
apart from her allies. This reticence stems not from dislike worth paying attention when she does.
but from discomfort, from the fear that she may drive away
even those as desperate for company as she is. • She walks the throng’s territory, sometimes daily.
This distance, however, gives the Pariah a kind of strength. She knows the area like the back of her hand (which
Her perspective is wider than those of her throng, her senses she has also studied extensively), every hiding place,
keen and focused. By staying back from the light of the every shortcut, and every lurking Pandoran. If she is
campfire, her eyes pierce the darkness, revealing dangers yet unaware of a threat, it is something better at hiding
unseen. Threats to the throng may not recognize her as one of than her, which makes it as interesting as it is infuri-
their number, or may instead follow the Pariah exclusively and ating when that threat finally reveals itself.
be led away from the others. For all that she may be scarcely • She watches but does not usually interact with others
present, a Promethean on the Refinement of Copper may in any great depth: a cup of coffee or fast-food meal
be the best friend one could ever have. ordered with as few words as possible; a grunt and
Practices nothing more should someone approach her on the
street. She cultivates an aura of casual hostility or
Above all, the Refinement of Copper prizes self-awareness. misanthropy as a shield. Even in a crowd, she’s as
From this flows awareness of other things, and from this flows alone as possible.
understanding of both. Self-sufficiency is also highly valued,

45
 Ethos
Followers of the Refinement of Copper often seem weirdly high-strung, hyper-vigilant and always ready to snap to action
for all that they are perfectly content to sit, alone, for hours on end. That situational awareness is the hallmark of Cuprum
and the ideal that all Pariahs hope to cultivate. It’s the awareness of self and others that comes naturally to most humans,
the ultimate lesson that the Refinement seeks to teach. Feign lassitude and ill-preparedness to fool an enemy or lure a target
if you must, but actually indulging in such vices is anathema to the Refinement itself.
Such vigilance is wearing, though. Guarding not only oneself but also others, not only from enemies but also from
one’s own clumsiness and raging emotions, from one’s facility at wounding others unintentionally, is a task that takes
cuprum — refinement of copper

constant attention and focus. The Promethean often has little effort left available for other tasks; this can make Pariahs
seem monomaniacal. Others are driven to such exhaustion by the ordeal that they forsake even their Promethean fellows,
retreating from all contact. This can be comforting for a time, but taken too far it can derail the Pilgrimage entirely.
Many Pariahs misinterpret the Refinement to mean that they must cut off all contact, but this is a dangerous mistake.
Even the Azothic fire a Promethean possesses in place of a soul hungers for the warmth of human company. If the goal of
the Pilgrimage is to achieve humanity, will that be gained by avoiding others entirely? Solitary confinement is one of the
surest ways to break a human, after all, and such cruelty is no ideal to emulate.

Roles
Hermit: The world is too much. It is bright and dark and
hot and cold all at once. For the Hermit, it is simply too much
to bear. She hides herself away, creating barriers and space
between herself and others, perhaps even her throngmates.
Do not mistake the Hermit for a coward, though, hiding
away from what terrifies her. A true Hermit prepares
for the day when her self-imposed exile will end.
She learns, if not from others, then from herself.
When she emerges, she will be a different
person, as a caterpillar weaves a pupa and
becomes a butterfly.
Sage: To know oneself is to know
the world. A Pariah who feels she
has knowledge or wisdom to offer
to others walks the path of the Sage.
Unlike the Hermit, however, the
barriers she erects have a purpose
aside from isolation. Wisdom is
pointless without the struggle to
earn it, after all; the Sage creates
the struggle for others, allowing them
to learn and grow while she watches
intently, her curiosity overpowering.
When they surpass her barriers and
cross the space between them, she is
overjoyed, not least simply because
someone has chosen to do so.
Watcher: The world is dangerous.
Every Promethean knows this; not every
Promethean responds adequately, at least
as far as a Watcher is concerned. She masters
the art of being unseen, of tracking and of
tracing, of rooting out even the most well
hidden adversary. She observes not only to
mimic, but also to prove her own ability is
greater than that of her chosen target. If she
can exceed the human, can she not become
the human? Sometimes this is mere play, as young

46
predators learn to hunt by chasing small animals. Other but she soon learned that these were not hunting cries of their
times, the Watcher’s pastime is in deadly earnest — not that own, but entreaties to come forth, share her light, and walk
her target is likely to ever know. with them on their journey. Eris has agreed, but for the most
part, she quietly watches them. She senses their confusion
Practitioners about her and does not wish to exacerbate it.
Alone in her factory, still becoming used to the artificial Anthony is the subject of a game his throng plays. They
body she built for herself, Ila avoids humans both because try to find him; he does not want to be found. It’s as simple
she fears them and because she is unused to independent as that. While a part of him really wishes they would stop, he
articulation. She perseveres in the hope that someday, maybe, can’t deny that it’s a novel feeling to be pursued by another

cuprum — refinement of copper

she can talk to her creator and he won’t be afraid of her this rather than the other way around. In any case, it’s good
time. In the meanwhile, she broadcasts her Azoth, hoping practice; if he can hide from his fellows, who know him so
that others like her will find her — others who can understand well, he can hide from strangers all the better. For all that
what she feels. he doesn’t want his throng to find him when he hides, he
Todd came first, the elder of two Prometheans created wants outsiders to find him even less.
by another who hoped to understand the source and nature Refinement Condition: Patient — Long stretches of solitude
of his own existence, whatever the cost. As is so often the have taught the Pariah the value of thought before action, of
case, Todd was imperfect in his creator’s eyes, and another patience and resilience. As a result, she is far more difficult to
creation quickly took his place in the limelight. Whether he manipulate, browbeat, or otherwise be forced to do something
struck out on his own or was driven away is something he she does not want to do. By spending a point of Pyros, the player
refuses to talk about. Wary and a loner by nature, he only can add the character’s Azoth to her base number of Doors in
rarely speaks to others, and then only for a few moments and Social Maneuvering for a scene.
only cryptically at best. His family was not kind to him; why Beat: Once per chapter, take a Beat when the character
should a stranger be any different? reacts to a tense or dangerous situation with precise thought
Hakan wasn’t the name his creator chose; she gave her and action informed by careful study and planning.
miraculous progeny another name that, much like the broad, Transmutations: Metamorphosis, Sensorium
muscular shoulders, did not fit him at all. When he tried to
be true to himself, it only sent his creator into fits, until at Stereotypes
last she simply abandoned Hakan, leaving him to fend for • Aurum: Too close to the flame. Going to burn.
himself in a world and a body he didn’t understand. He lives
in hiding still, emerging only to collect the magazines and • Ferrum: Overconfident.
newspaper clippings that a kind throngmate collects for him.
Slowly, he teaches himself who he really is, a transformation • Plumbum: Know self, yes. Know other?
no less momentous than the distant hope of one day
becoming truly human. • Stannum: Interesting. How does that make you feel?
Eris isn’t sure how long she thrived on her own, never • Aes: So close. Too close. Jealous.
bothered to count the passing cycles of hot and cold, at least
not until the others like her found her, cornered her, and made • Argentum: Don’t touch that.
noises at her. This was something she was unaccustomed to,
• Centimani: Too loud.

47
 Life is struggle, and that struggle for survival is the crucible beforehand. If she is running, she places her feet care-
that defines existence. Humans so often define themselves in fully as she goes; if she is fighting, she guards herself
relation to the adversity they have overcome, and Prometheans well and places her own strikes precisely. Each choice
must learn this lesson as well. Life itself — evolution — is a is as a single brick as she builds and rebuilds herself,
process of refinement. The ironclad rule is that only the perfecting her form.
strongest and best-adapted life forms survive to propagate.
Understanding and participating in this struggle is a part of any • She does not wait for challenges to reveal themselves,
Pilgrimage, but those who follow the Refinement of Iron have as others might. Instead, she proactively creates
dedicated themselves to victory and to excellence beyond what her own. This can be as simple as a brutal training
is merely necessary. The ore becomes iron, the iron becomes regimen, or as daring as walking into a dive bar and
steel, and so on. The slag — the imperfection — is cast aside. picking a fight with the toughest-looking bastard there.
For the Promethean, her struggle extends even to a body However she chooses to do so, she tests herself, always.
that was not originally her own and may have unwelcome Success or failure, a lesson is a lesson.
habits ingrained in its muscle memory, such as a range
• She builds experience upon experience, toughening
of motion that isn’t quite what it could be or any one of
herself against the world. A child touches a hot stove
dozens of traits that alienate the Promethean from her own
and learns well not to do so again; a Titan touches a
flesh. Dysmorphia is not an uncommon malady among the
hot stove, pulls her hand back in shock, then reaches
Created, stitched together according to another’s design,
out to touch it again, trying to hold on just a little
another’s will. Understanding one’s own form, one’s own
longer than before. Each new sensation is worthy of
self, is critical for any who wish to reach the shining heights
study, each individual pain something to train herself
of humanity. Those who follow the Refinement of Iron grasp
against.
this bull by the horns. This, too, is a challenge. If this body
is not their own, they shall make it their own. • Anything worth doing is worth doing well. This is the
The purification of physical form is in many ways a mantra she recites to herself in one way or another.
Magnum Opus all its own, reclaiming and transforming what Others might create something, step back, and say,
was given into what is desired through toil and training and “good enough.” When she creates something that
brutal endurance. Yet, for all that the Refinement of Form is fails to measure up, she smashes it to pieces and starts
a metaphor for the greater Pilgrimage, even this is not enough again. This is not a waste of time, but effort well spent
— the Promethean cannot force her body to become human so that next time, she will do it right the first time.
in so straightforward a fashion. Ferrum teaches that physical
perfection is not enough. A body of iron is far superior when • Ultimately, the greatest challenge is knowing when
supplemented with a will of like substance; it is this mountain you are beaten. A Titan must give her all, and when
that a Titan seeks to surmount, armoring her unnatural heart that is not enough, she must yield. But even in yield-
for the long Road ahead. ing, she finds strength; even a retreat may plant the
seeds of ultimate victory. That which does not kill her
Practices only makes her stronger.
For all that Titan practices are straightforward and simple
enough to grasp in concept, they have an unexpected depth. Ethos
Right action is insufficient, even impossible without right The raw physicality of Titans attests to the philosophical
thought and right values. underpinnings of the Refinement, seeking physical
• She may be quick to action, or may not, but always perfection. This is desirable both for the ultimate goal of
she gives each movement, each choice, its full weight the Magnum Opus, providing as pure a physical form as

48
possible for the process to come, but also for the Pilgrimage the mentality of enduring, and even a Martyr’s Azoth-fueled
as a whole, tempering a Promethean against the dangers she body and mind have their breaking points. Push them too
will face. These twin goals lie at the heart of the Refinement, far and they snap like twigs.
and understanding this is vital to progressing. A Titan who Soldier: It is not enough to exist; one must defend that
misunderstands this and focuses exclusively on the physical, existence. Unlike the Exemplar or the Martyr, the Soldier
ignoring the mental and spiritual aspect of her training, is has a simple and straightforward task: learn to protect herself
in serious danger of losing her way. A Titan who seeks out and, by extension, enable herself to protect others. She studies
danger or trains relentlessly without understanding why she combat and every art applied to it, learning discipline and
does so is likewise in a terrible position to attain even the training herself to be ready so that when the times comes, she
barest enlightenment from the process. can do her duty…whatever it may be. She seeks not only to
Prometheans on the Path of Form view their lives as enlighten herself a little more, to walk a little further along

ferrum — refinement of iron

a series of challenges to be overcome and endured with her Pilgrimage, but also to make that Pilgrimage all the safer
the firmness and indefatigability characteristic of their now that she can strike back at what would do her harm.
Refinement’s patron metal. They do not evade obstacles
unless they have no other choice, preferring instead to Practitioners
surmount them, if only to prove that they can. A Titan is Alice was made by a man who wanted
straightforward, often to a fault. She has little time for trickery the perfect wife: delicate, gentle
or deceit; once she has settled on a course of action it is all Alice, who would ever be at his
but impossible to turn her aside. side. Needless to say, it didn’t go
It is not enough to passively endure, however. As the well, and Alice has had to learn
world challenges the Promethean, she must challenge the to the hard way to survive on her
world in turn as well as herself. Without this outward- own. She is still beautiful, but
looking pursuit of excellence, she can never truly on her own terms; taut
master her own destiny. Ultimately, the Titan muscle has replaced the
must understand the true relationship of soft limbs her creator
body and soul if she wishes to sublimate gave her and small
a soul of her own from a body she fingers have grown
inherited. firm and callused
with hours upon
Roles hours of training. She’s
Exemplar: It is not enough made her body her own,
to challenge oneself; one must decorated it with piercings
challenge others! An Exemplar and tattoos, and become a very
is never silent, never retiring, different Alice than the one she
and always ready to show off. was meant to be. She’s proud of
This is not mere posturing — that.
she is daring everyone around Ivan was created for war. It is all that he
her to excel, to compete, and knows, all that beats in the pump that passes
perhaps even to defeat her. for his heart. Still, he hopes to be more, to
At the same time, she’s not grow beyond his original purpose. It was
going to make it easy for for this reason that he fled his creators-cum-
them. That would ruin the captors. That they died in the escape troubles
entire purpose! She trains Ivan very little, and he sometimes wonders if
tirelessly for the sake of he has forgotten something important. For
training itself, becomes now, though, he focuses on what he knows.
an expert in whatever field When he is victorious, another path
she chooses as her own, will surely reveal itself to him. That’s
and makes the world her how it worked in the testing range,
personal obstacle course. anyway….
Martyr: It is not enough to be great; one must Combo is a fighter, always has
endure the greatness of others. A Martyr seeks to been, always will be. Even when zie
become the willow in the storm, bending but never experiences other Refinements, that
breaking, enduring what others could never hope to. ineffable pull to conflict still clings to zir
Many Prometheans come early to this Role simply out of like fishhooks. Zie keeps coming back
the desire to survive. It is powerful fuel for progress in their to Ferrum, keeps indulging that urge,
Pilgrimage. Still, it’s possible to become too wrapped up in salve for the wounds zie’s borne all zir

49
 strange life. Only sometimes does zie wonder if zir Pilgrimage minds for the tenacity to achieve victory. Once a Titan has set
is leading zir in circles, and if this is who zie truly is meant to her heart on a goal, nothing will stop her. By spending a point
be. When zie completes zir Magnum Opus, will zie finally lay of Pyros, a Titan may add the highest of her Composure,
down zir arms, or will zie simply keep moving forward? Zie Resolve, or Stamina to the number of attempts permitted
cannot deny that the idea is a strange comfort to zir. Always on an extended action.
has been, always will be. Beat: Once per chapter, take a Beat when your
Erik takes a particular delight in the idea of the lost cause. character stuns or awes others with a feat of physical fitness,
He sees humans struggling with one another even when the tenaciousness, or excellence.
outcome is clear from the beginning, when there is no hope Transmutations: Corporeum, Vitality
at all, and yet they struggle on! It is that spirit he wishes to
understand and claim for himself, and so he fights those Stereotypes
ferrum — refinement of iron

battles that others call lost. He marches, and he cleans, and

• Aurum: Only skin deep? What a shame.
he builds, all in the face of adversity he knows he and his
erstwhile comrades (who would probably prefer he aided • Cuprum: Come out here. No, no, it’s all right. I just
them at a greater distance) cannot hope to overcome. want to…talk to you.
Senka strives for excellence but employs caution at all
times. She makes a study of those who have come before • Plumbum: Not moving. Not changing. Where are
her in whatever field she dedicates herself to, learning from you going?
the mistakes of the past and so preparing for her own future.
Though her figure is slight, she is not to be underestimated. • Stannum: That’s not healthy. It can’t be.
Her cleverness more than compensates for her lack of brute
• Cobalus: Yes, I see it. Yes, it’s awful. What’s obsessing
strength or stamina. These faults have simply taught her two
about it going to teach you?
truths: do things right the first time and end the fight before
it begins. She can become a muscle-bound lummox later, if • Phosphorum: And people think I’ve got a death wish.
she so desires.
Refinement Condition: Tenacious — Titans steel • Centimani: How disgusting. To come so close and to
themselves against misfortune through long, hard training, miss by such a distance….
preparing their bodies for whatever tests may come and their

50
 Prometheans spend a lot of time focusing on what they • The primary edict of Lead is “know thyself.” This
want to be. This doesn’t necessarily require a denial of what leads her to practice meditation in order to culti-
they are, but often means that they don’t dwell on it. That sort vate her self-awareness and make the most of her
of blindness can sabotage the Great Work before it has even Transmutations. A Plumbum experiences nothing
begun. The Pilgrimage is about transformation: changing that isn’t reflected upon later so that no bit of wisdom
one thing into another. The Created aspire for Gold, but to is missed. This doesn’t need to be a solitary occupa-
get there they have to understand Lead. tion; Originists love to share anecdotes, as the input
The Originist grasps the intricacies of his condition. He of others can lead to new insights.
pays close attention to the waxing and waning of Azoth within
him. He knows when it flares and risks causing Disquiet or a • An Originist seeks out others of his kind so that he
Wasteland, and he knows when it dims and needs to be fed. may have a larger sample size on which to base his
He feels the fluctuations caused by the presence of another understanding of their shared condition. He gathers
Promethean or an Athanor more acutely. His attunement others into branded throngs so that they may benefit
to the Divine Fire allows him superior access to his Azothic from each other on their journey, recording their
memories and the Azothic records left by others. The benefit successes and failings for others who follow their path.
of this self-awareness is self-mastery. He gains a measure of He doesn’t consider the Pilgrimage to be an individual
control over Disquiet and his own Azothic radiance by using journey, but one that all Prometheans share together.
meditation to cause his Azoth to brighten or dim. He can
• Nearly every Originist keeps a journal, both to record
cause a resonance in the Azoth of himself and others in order
her findings and to make it easier to reflect upon
to form a bond, or he can create dissonance so that his Vitriol
where she has been. She understands that this infor-
is protected from lacuna. All of these Transmutations are side
mation could be deadly in the wrong hands and so she
effects of being attuned to himself.
develops codes and ciphers, often utilizing alchemical
Lead is often the first Refinement of a newly created
symbolism that other Prometheans would find easier
Promethean. It makes sense to focus on what she is and
to decipher. Whenever Originists meet, they share
how to control her abilities (and mitigate her curses). This
their journals and discuss what they have learned.
is not universal, though, and many come back to Lead
after frustration in their progress on the Pilgrimage. A few • Prometheans on the path of Lead feel a duty to pass
Plumbum came to it for the same reason someone might on the facts of their condition to others. His journal
join a monastic order: to step away from the world and its serves part of this purpose, but often he takes a more
troubles in the hope of gaining focus and clarity. While this hands-on approach by mentoring young, inexperi-
can grant the Promethean peace, she needs to be careful not enced Prometheans. Teaching benefits the both of
to get lost. Lead, after all, is the base state. It isn’t where you them: showing her the ropes and giving him a chance
stay, it’s where you start. to study another. This is also why he prefers to operate
Practices in throngs, since they create a support network for the
inexperienced.
Originists are almost academic in their dedication to
learning. They strive to be both students and teachers of • The focus on the past leads many Plumbum to take
their kind, facilitating the acquisition and preservation of a deep and abiding interest in history. They are
knowledge. the most likely to spend hours in a library, doing
historical research in order to find clues about the

51
 Created and their origins. Many of the connections an Ivory Tower of her own creation. There is a peace in just
the Prometheans make to old myths and legends were accepting who you are. For many, that is all they aspire to.
drawn by Originists. Even if not literally true, they can For Prometheans, however, it leads to stasis: the Divine Fire
serve as parables to help Prometheans along in their burning within her stagnates and gives itself to Flux.
journey. Inspiration is often more important than
truth. Roles
Chronicler: The easiest way for a follower of Plumbum
Ethos to learn about her condition is simply to talk to
Originists argue that a Promethean cannot others. She becomes a recorder of the stories of
plumbum — refinement of lead

turn her back on what she is, even though she has those striving towards the Great Work and her
dedicated herself to transcending it. Every single Transmutations make it easier for her to find others
person — human, Promethean, or otherwise — is and the things they have left behind, like Athanors
the whole of what she was, what she is now, and what and impressions in the Azothic Memory. There are
she will become. Everything has a history and very few texts written by Prometheans but most
is part of what makes her who she is. In of them are written by Originists. As she
order to move on, she has to own who gathers the tales of her kind,
she is now. The Plumbum explain this she learns what she comes
as simple alchemy: the Great Work is a from which in turn
process, and it requires that you know helps her find where
what you are working with in order to she must go next.
know how to change it. Ascetic: The
It is because of this perspective Originist’s focus on
that Originists are driven to be lore- Prometheans is well
gatherers and record-keepers. It isn’t s e r ve d by re m ov i n g
just his own personal history that himself from humanity
has a bearing on the Pilgrimage, entirely and focusing on
but the origins of all of them. Every his own capabilities without
permutation of the Divine Fire and the distraction of Disquiet
how it expresses itself lights the way and worr ying about the
toward a new path, another means to repercussions of Wastelands.
change Lead into Gold. He has set He finds other Originists already
himself at the beginning of a long inhabiting this Role or encourages
journey and has a responsibility to those he knows to do so, so that they may
show others the way. Lead is the all work together on exploring what makes
starting point and he is its caretaker. them Promethean. Such communities are
He can simply provide guidance or short-lived but often highly productive and
gather others together and share in sought out for their wisdom.
their Pilgrimage. Pilgrim: To an Originist, where a journey
That first step can be the hardest; starts is just as important as where it ends.
this is the primary obstacle of Lead. She might tell those who journey with her,
Coming to terms with herself is “We do not start at the beginning of this
comfortable. She knows where she trek, but in the middle. We must look back
stands and what she is. It is easy as well as ahead.” The Transmutations
to set others on the path, but of Plumbum are uniquely well suited to
even easier to procrastinate, to pursuing the Pilgrimage, thus Originists
tell herself she is more valuable tends to attract companions, particularly
keeping the records of others’ because she can bind them together.
accomplishments and The strength of the throng is not just in
observing their struggles. sharing the burdens of the Pilgrimage,
It is easy for her to forget but also in surrounding herself with
her own Great Work and others of her kind.
instead get lost in Practitioners
He is known only as the Monk.
Nobody knows how old he is. Some

52
whisper that he has lost interest in the Great Work for himself They are a throng of Originists who live in an abandoned
and now only seeks to put others on the proper path. They shack in the desert. They are surrounded by miles of nothing,
call him a Martyr, sacrificing his own chance for perfection so not even animals to be bothered by their Disquiet. For the
that he can stand on the precipice of the New Dawn, a light last year, a Wasteland-induced sandstorm has centered on
shining for others to follow. In truth, he is so fascinated with their retreat. Occasionally they cause immense Firestorms,
the tales he hears from other Pilgrims that he hesitates to take but the Wasteland always returns. Some whisper that these are
that last step and lose all he has learned. He has started to feel experiments — explorations of Azoth — and that if a pilgrim
the effect of Flux and knows he mustn’t linger much longer. can make it through the storm they will share unique insights
Dorothea is brand new and weighty questions like what into the nature of Prometheans.

plumbum — refinement of lead

it means to be human or how to transcend her base state are Refinement Condition: Introspective — An Originist has
beyond her. Right now, at this moment, she just struggles with a strong sense of his own inner workings. As an action, he
what she is. Lead is a natural fit. Her very being changes to can draw on his inner reserves to convert a point of bashing
help her pursue the answers she seeks and this, in itself, is one damage or Willpower into a point of Pyros.
answer. Her senses expand, searching for others of her kind Beat: Once per chapter, an Originist gains a Beat when
and signs of their passage, so that she may find them and ask his tendency to overthink things leads to inaction at an
the questions that fill her head. Once she has her bearings, inopportune time.
then it will be time to ask what comes next. Transmutations: Disquietism, Saturninis
Nuada spent many frustrating months following the
Refinement of Gold. Time and time again, he found himself Stereotypes
asking the same questions. Why won’t they accept me? What
• Argentum: Are you a vampire? Are you trying to
is wrong with me? What am I missing? A long conversation
become a vampire? Well, then.
one night with an Originist set him on a new path. The
problem was that he didn’t understand what he was working • Aurum: You’ve seen Point B, now you need to find
with, what clay he had to mold into a human being. He Point A.
reluctantly stepped away from the humans he had struggled
to understand and took a moment to learn about himself. • Cuprum: You’ve gained some knowledge out there
There would be time to return to Gold later. by yourself. Please share it.
For Rheya, the transition from Copper to Lead was a
natural one. She feels that her time as a Pariah prepared her • Ferrum: It’s pretty, but it’s still made of Lead.
for the path she now follows, but she has learned all she can
• Mercurius: The point of studying ourselves isn’t to
on her own. Now it is time to find others of her kind. Lead
become better Created.
has given her the ability to do so, but she is afraid. The only
time she has spent with another of their kind was when she • Stannum: The difference between you and me is a
was created and that time was very brief. Now, she lurks in moment of reflection.
the shadows, watching other Prometheans at a distance and
trying to work up the courage to make contact. • Centimani: Even lead can degrade.

53
 By giving into her Torment, the Fury becomes a living storm. • A Fury finds a way to harness and direct his rage and
Her Pyros crackles with energy, calling down lightning as an so naturally takes on the role of the vigilante. He asso-
expression of her anger like a miniature Wasteland. She does ciates with those he deems worthy of punishment and
not avoid Disquiet, she grabs it with both hands and wields it as uses Disquietism to make them the focus of distrust
a hammer to smite the object of her rage. Her close association and revulsion so he can isolate them and destroy them.
with it gives her deep insight and, paradoxically, control over it. He is the monster among monsters.
Rather than slipping into despair or the apathy of Flux, she lets
her Torment revitalize her and energize her, driving her forward • Followers of Stannum are often found in abandoned
lest she slip back. factories, remote power stations, or disused electron-
The Refinement of Tin isn’t a place where Prometheans ics stores. This is partly practical, since they have
linger. The risks are too great. Often, coming to the an affinity for electricity and their violent existence
Refinement isn’t a deliberate choice as much as a last resort requires regular healing. Another reason, though, is
when Torment has begun and the Promethean looks for some that many Furies find comfort in the semblance of life
way he can bring something positive out of the experience that machines provide without the effects of Disquiet.
and learn from it. It is an act of desperation, and once he The hum of activity in a safe environment brings even
has recovered himself sufficiently, he moves along. Some do the tormented a measure of peace.
adopt it purposefully, though, in order to explore its Roles
• Furies also find places where they can vent their rage
or master its Transmutations in order to gain a greater
without calling down a SWAT team or the National
measure of control. In either case, Tin is unique among the
Guard. When she feels her Torment getting the better
Refinements in that a Promethean needs no training or time
of her, she’ll go to a ruined building or junkyard and
to adopt it — Stannum is always instantly available.
unleash her fury until it is spent. These visits invariably
The advocate for Stannum argues that it explores the
give the location a reputation as the nexus of intense
greatest barrier to the Pilgrimage — the dark side of her own
lightning storms and foul weather, particularly if they
nature — and that she cannot achieve her Great Work without
form into a Wasteland.
learning to become its master. She cites the fundamental
nature of its Transmutations, allowing control over the • Counterculture attracts those seeking the Refinement
two most prominent manifestations of the Divine Fire’s of Tin, both because of their outsider status and their
opposing principles: the energizing power of lightning and the propensity towards the same feelings that torment
corrosive power of Disquiet. It is hard to argue with a Fury’s him: anger, frustration, and isolation. His Disquiet
effectiveness and many a throng has found itself thankful to is less apparent among those who naturally distrust
have a Stannum among their number when the mob comes everyone. These are the wounded and the wronged,
calling. Of course, as often as not, it is the Fury’s fault the and they give him meaning and companionship.
mob is at their heels in the first place.
• When a Fury goes after someone who has committed
Practices a wrong in her eyes, she wants his destruction to serve
The Refinement of Tin isn’t about deep thinking or a purpose. This means making a point, thus Furies
subtle ideology — it is an emotional experience in which the often make elaborate plans in order for justice to be
practitioner tries to gain some wisdom from the Torment served in an appropriate manner. It is a trait that of-
plaguing him. Stannum practices are techniques for riding ten disturbs those around her, particularly when she
rage toward enlightenment. spends days obsessively arranging the ironic death of
someone who has crossed her.

54
Ethos Handed. Every Stannum knows that he walks a tightrope
over the abyss. The Pilgrimage is what keeps him grounded.
Stannum is about finding a way to use rage and torment. It allows him to draw enlightenment from his rage and
The first part of this is by directing it in a worthy manner. eventually move on from it. While Tin may be the “ground
Often, this involves taking revenge on those who have state” of a Promethean, he cannot linger there too long.
committed wrongs, either as a vigilante righting the
wrongs of others or simply by going after those Roles
who have crossed him. This isn’t destruction for
Outcast: Furies have resigned themselves to
its own sake, it is a purposeful thing: to remove
being pariahs, but the one who follows this path
the ability of the wrongdoer to victimize another
tries to gain some wisdom from being pushed to
and bring peace to the victims. He must be careful
the outskirts of society. She associates herself with

stannum — refinement of tin

not to allow the perpetrator to become more
the only people that tolerate her: the lost, the mad,
important than his crime. It isn’t supposed to be
and the insufferable. She learns the secrets of
about punishment, but what can be served
the wastelands near any community, the
by her removal.
ways that outcasts can travel safely, and
The other part is learning
the etiquette of the miserable and
something from the act of
the damned. She does not make
ve n g e a n c e . R e ve n g e , t h e
friends but reluctant allies. She
Stannum is quick to point out,
learns the grudging respect
is a universal and undeniable
that one monster has for
aspect of human nature.
another, allowing them to
He seeks out the wronged
share space.
and disenfranchised, those
Savage: He uses fear
who share his rage but do
like a weapon, getting
not have the means to
what he wants by
see it fulfilled. He must
feeding Disquiet and
explore the source of
taking advantage of
their rage in order for his
its effects on others.
own to have meaning.
This role is the
Without meaning,
active version of
he is simply a force of
the outcast. Not
destruction: a storm
content merely
or a monster. This is
to be feared and
what he must avoid. He
ostracized, he
wraps himself in their
revels in being the
causes and their injuries
monster and destabilizing his
and makes himself their
surroundings by inflicting his
avenging angel. He also learns
torment on everyone he meets.
about the cycle of violence,
He learns quickly the effect he
providing further context. He
has on others and how fear can
lingers to make sure that his
disintegrate communities,
efforts have the intended
tear apart friendships, and
effect and don’t just throw
turn good people bad.
fuel on the fire.
It is a harsh and brutal
What the adherent
lesson, but one that every
to Tin cannot do is
Promethean could stand
allow himself to lose
to learn. It is also the
perspective, to let his
most difficult, as it
Torment drive him over the
treads very close to
edge towards Flux. Beyond
total loss of control.
that point, meaning and
Vigilante: Those
purpose dissolve into
who have no
chaos and destruction
recourse for
and he risks
justice find
becoming one
themselves
of the Hundred

55
 turning to those living on the outskirts of society. Those with Andoni once had a wife. Almost happy, following the
no stake in laws or civilization can still act as an agent for Refinement of Gold, it was only a matter of time before
moral order. The Fury is a natural fit for this role. Often, she Disquiet caught up with him. When they came, it was his wife
establishes herself as the protector of a particular community, who paid the price. He picked up Tin like another man might
usually one that has been failed by the rightful authorities or pick up a gun. He accepted the changes it wrought to him
whose sense of justice does not match the society surrounding after so many years of being a chameleon among humanity.
it. When she is needed, the people give some sign — a name He took up the Disquiet that had ruined his life and he used
carved into a tree on the outskirts of town or a note placed it to destroy the people who had taken her from him. When
under a specific rock in the park — and she comes out of the he came for them and their families, there was always a storm.
night to mete out vengeance. Elisabeth can’t remember how long she lived like an
animal among the Pandorans. Months? Years? She remembers
Practitioners
stannum — refinement of tin

only the disintegrating darkness in her head, born of despair,

Chicago, a newly created Frankenstein, stumbles from that had swallowed up everything that she was. One day, she
town to town, tired and hungry and hunted. When she was badly burned in a fire. The intense pain cut through the
eventually succumbs to her Torment, she slips into Stannum dull numbness and she remembered who she was. She rode
almost unconsciously and is finally able to find the strength her Torment back to the light, embracing it like an old friend,
she needs to fight back. She turns her Disquiet back onto happy just to feel again. Now, tormented and disfigured, she
her pursuers and uses it to cow those who have what she tries to put herself back together again.
needs, to force them to help her even if just for a moment. Refinement Condition: Enraged — A Fury is driven by
A moment of respite is all that she needed. Her increased his negative emotions, feeding off of them. When he gains
awareness of the effect of her Azoth teaches her how to be Willpower from indulging his Torment, he also gains an
more careful. equal amount of Pyros.
Snow used to follow the Refinement of Cobalt, but his Beat: Once per chapter, the Fury gains a Beat when he
time spent among the sick, the mad, and the weak made suffers a setback or puts his throng at a disadvantage due to
him cynical about humanity and his experiments became anger or cruelty.
cruel and pointless. Eventually, his phlegmatic humour Transmutations: Electrification, Disquietism
got the better of him and he found himself dispassionately
torturing humans who crossed his path. In an effort to save Stereotypes
himself, he allowed himself to fall to Tin. He is still cold • Aurum: You live among them, but you don’t under-
and vicious towards those around him, but he is once again stand their pain like I do.
making progress on his Great Work, learning the lessons only
a monster can learn. His sadism is no longer an indulgence • Cobalus: Catharsis, my ass! I express my rage all the
distracting from the Pilgrimage, but a tool he learns to wield time and I’m still pissed.
so that it doesn’t consume him.
Tara’s path changed when she found that baby in the • Cuprum: You got the right idea, now you just need let go.
dumpster. Gazing on that perfect new little human life so
casually discarded with the garbage, her Torment could not be • Ferrum: With a body like that, I could do some real
contained. Pausing only long enough to hand the poor thing damage.
over to a startled woman on the street, she began to hunt • Phosphorum: I’m fucked up, but at least I’m not
those responsible. It was impossible, of course, and she hopes suicidal.
the police did a better job. In the months since, the people of
the neighborhood have learned that leaving a note tacked to • Plumbum: How’s that navel?
a particular dead tree in the park can bring justice for those
too weak to protect themselves. • Centimani: That’s not me, man.

56
 Modern human society is built upon hierarchy, not only making a target of himself, drawing attention and likely
of things but of people. These hierarchies guide us and place fire, so that his charges have that much more time to
a vast amount of human capital at the ready for even the escape. Only when his throngmates are safe does he
most enormous of tasks, but also oppress us, constraining allow himself the luxury of terror and flight.
individual action in favor of the majority. This double-edged
sword scales down even to the interpersonal level. It is in this • He is quiet, but attentive. While he doesn’t necessarily
facet of hierarchy that a Promethean following the Refinement refrain from speaking unless spoken to, he has culti-
of Bronze seeks lessons on the nature of humanity. vated the art of listening and understanding what his
Prometheans are solitary creatures, even should they be throngmates mean, not merely what they say. A human
fortunate enough to find a throng. They are unique beings created can do this sort of thing naturally; he must mimic this
by unique beings or eccentric and isolated human demiurges, and trait through careful study and observation.
more often than not cast out shortly after their Azothic birth. To
• The Pilgrimage is of paramount importance, but life
the Promethean who thinks himself unique, meeting another
strives to interfere as it always does. His throngmates
person like him is nothing short of revolutionary. Raised in such
often become overwhelmed by the struggle for the
an environment, bereft of even the most basic human instincts, can
Magnum Opus, and it is up to the Sentry to keep them
it be any wonder that Prometheans must study the act of helping
on track. Still, he must be careful that he does not coddle
another to truly understand its impact on a human soul? How can
his charges, holding them back from their own ultimate
a being who has only known exclusion understand the concept of
goal.
belonging to a greater whole?
The idea of setting aside one’s own priorities and • Sentries exist in harmony with their charges. If there
needs in order to advance those of others might seem is conflict, he helps to defuse it. If his own needs or
counterproductive, especially when the reward for struggle desires run up against another’s, he yields. He does
is a human soul, but the lesson of the Sentry is simple: even this not because he is weak, but because he is strong
in service, there is strength. Even when one is subject to the enough to endure want in the name of easing another’s
whim and needs of another, one’s own heart shines through. trials.
For beings that do not truly have hearts, that is perhaps the
most important lesson of all. • Yet for all this, he must not ignore his own Pilgrimage,
Through sacrifice and service, the Sentries come to even as he places the paths of others before his own.
understand caring and compassion, selflessness and kindness. The Refinement of Bronze is not merely an escape but
They learn and live these emotions, these acts, and through a road forward like any other. The annihilation of the
it they refine their soul. The Path of Aid is not an easy one, self teaches nothing. As he studies his throngmates, he
nor is it obvious to newborn Prometheans, but it nonetheless must ultimately study and know himself, or else lose
holds great promise for those who would walk it. sight of his own potential.

Practices Ethos
Ultimately, the Sentry’s duties depend entirely on what First and foremost, the Sentry puts the needs of others
others need. The role he plays varies not only from day to day before his own. He watches over, provides for, and supports
but from moment to moment, and he must always be ready. them however they require. Every Sentry must, ultimately,
• A Sentry places the safety of his charges before his decide for himself what this means, but most quickly become
own. Before they’ve even risen to run from danger, he’s adept at doing so. Those who thrive under this Refinement

57
 master the precious trait that is empathy, of anticipating the needs of others. This allows them to step outside themselves and
gain new perspective on their own Pilgrimage by, in a sense, walking in another’s footsteps for a time. For those who come
to the Refinement having experienced others and being unsure of where to go, this new internal compass can be invaluable.
In fact, for some, the attraction of losing oneself can be enthralling. The life of the Promethean is not an easy one, and
removing the self from the equation is a blessed relief. The Sentry can, at last, stop worrying about his own soul, stop laboring
at a task that seems impossible, and simply be for the sake of another. As helpful as the Refinement of Bronze can be to a lost
soul, it can also be a labyrinth that entraps those without sufficient will to, when they have learned what they can, walk away.
But when to walk away? Where does abandonment end and the mutual termination of a relationship begin? Sacrifice
and selflessness are the very heart of the Refinement of Bronze, and it can be very difficult to let go, but ultimately, if one’s
own Pilgrimage beckons, there can be no other choice. In the end, this too is a lesson on humanity. On a long enough
timeline, all relationships end, even the successful ones. We must all take our own steps, our own paths, and sooner or later
those paths must diverge, though we carry the lessons of others with us forever after.
aes — refinement of bronze

Roles
Bodyguard: For the Bodyguard, their duty is simple: protect the
charge. After only a little consideration, it becomes clear that this
isn’t simple at all, especially if the charge is fiercely independent,
utterly foolhardy, or blissfully naive. Being a Bodyguard is all
about learning to deal with others on their own terms, and about
being ready to sacrifice for them if necessary. A Bodyguard trains
not to go forth and do battle, but to put himself between two
people and do his best to prevent one of them from dying.
In this way he learns to care and to protect, both vital acts
for the aspiring human.
Servant: The Servant does whatever menial tasks
distract her charge(s) from the Pilgrimage. Not that
this is necessarily easy,
since the world has
a habit of throwing
up obstacles and
challenges that no
one could anticipate,
and the Servant has to adapt.
That adaptation is at the heart of the
lesson of the Servant; changing oneself to suit others, learning to
fit in, and fostering empathy for those who, all things considered,
do not make life easy. But then, the Pilgrimage isn’t supposed
to be easy.
Seeker: The Seeker performs a vital task: spiritually guiding and
supporting their Throng. Of course, this does mean taking all their
troubles onto his own shoulders, an Azoth-fueled confessor who
happily bears the stresses and sorrows of his throngmates. More
than anything else, this role requires understanding, not only of
life but of himself and of others. It is vital to know what others
need to hear, which may not always be what they want to hear.
This role can be challenging and is best suited to experienced
Prometheans. Learning how to mentor others and help them
develop the confidence to take on their struggles themselves is a
reward second only to the Magnum Opus.

Practitioners
Anthony calls himself “Shadow” now. He moves unseen
among his throngmates as he serves and guards them, not
because they cannot see him, but because he asked it of

58
them. Though he told them he wished to study isolation and it pleases Hakan to quietly guide his friends when they
even in the presence of others, in truth he desperately sought cannot guide themselves.
an escape from the prison he feels he lives in but could not Widow walked the path of Tin for a long time, mastering
bear the solitude of Cuprum again. Though he knows the her rage and training for a battle she was convinced would
unaverted stares and hastily traded whispers are the product come, that she sought out with every waking moment. In the
of Disquiet, they still weigh heavily on his shoulders. So total end, she found it; though she was victorious, she felt hollow.
is his desire to simply stop being that he discarded even his Vengeance had meant nothing. She needed no proof that
own name to become their Shadow. His throng understands, she was strong and able. What she lacked was a reason. Now,
though sooner or later they will have to drag him kicking and she has found one. Now, she trains not for herself but for
screaming back into the light. those she will protect. The next victory will not ring hollow.
When Ki joined the throng and left his village behind, Refinement Condition: Tuned In — A Sentry’s charges
he thought he had found enlightenment. Here, he felt, are the central focus of his life, and his Azoth responds

aes — refinement of bronze

was a way to serve — what he was meant to do — but to accordingly, calling out to the Azoth within his throngmates.
be among his own kind. He learned the ways of these For the expenditure of a point of Pyros, he can learn their
other Prometheans, and instead of mimicking customs he exact locations relative to himself and the fastest route
helped develop them. He is a protector, but also a scribe between those points.
and a translator, a mediator and a listener. He watches Beat: Once per chapter, a Sentry can take a Beat when
his throngmates change Refinements, but it hasn’t quite putting the needs of a throngmate first causes her to suffer
occurred to him that if he does this, he will no longer be harm, loss, or serious setbacks.
so aptly able to serve. Transmutations: Benefice, Corporeum
Tara always plays the voice of reason, the experienced
viewpoint, the stable, solid, dependable one. It can be Stereotypes
maddening, trying to live up to the expectations of others
• Aurum: You go. I’ll stay. No, don’t worry, I’m fine.
and deal with the emotional fallout that Disquiet breeds;
more than once she’s wanted to simply smash it all and walk • Cuprum: I’ll just…leave this here for you, then.
away. Yet she keeps coming back, trying to understand the
difference between caring for someone and caring about them. • Ferrum: We’re not that different, I suppose. I just
Perhaps it has something to do with watching ones’ younger have a reason for what I do.
brothers and terribly awkward sister thrive and grow on their
own? Or is that motherhood instead? • Plumbum: Perhaps you should turn that focus
No one crosses Hakan. It’s not that he threatens or cajoles outwards?
his throngmates, or that he grossly manipulates or lashes out
• Stannum: Is there anything I can do to help?
at them. Maybe it’s his eyes, or his voice, or the way he holds
himself, but he nonetheless makes it clear to the others that • Phosphorum: Ugh. Not again.
he’s in charge. Then, with that authority, he does nothing save
ensuring that all are well, that quarrels are resolved peaceably, • Centimani: So alone, so lost. I’d pity them if I didn’t
and that none want for what they need. It’s a step up from know better.
the throng being at each other’s throats all the time, anyway,

59
 Curiosity killed the cat, they say, but satisfaction brought • Others may fear the dark, worrying at what it may
it back. A Promethean advanced enough along his Pilgrimage hold, but the Mystic allows no such fear. Not only
to consider the Refinement of Silver has likely encountered are the shadows an excellent place to hide and make
death before — perhaps even his own. To die and live again is observations from, building upon his studies and re-
a feat that humans have dreamed of since time immemorial, fining his theories, but he also finds interesting things
their alchemy centered on the perfection of the self and in there with him! What others shun, the Mystic gladly
eternal life — how ironic, then, that the products of alchemy approaches, whether it wants him to or not.
should seek to do the reverse! This contradiction is the
central conundrum that leads so many to the Refinement • Curiosity fuels the Mystic, the burning need to know
of Silver, which studies the human condition by defining its coursing through his veins. Each discovery delights
boundaries. Sometimes, of course, it’s a purely survivalist him; every new fact is a celebration. Even little myster-
need to understand the things that go bump in the night ies draw him like a moth to the flame. Rifling through
that brings Prometheans to this Refinement. However he a random person’s trash, for example: it’s amazing
arrived on the Path of Mystery, the archetypal Mystic is most what one can learn from what others throw away!
concerned with those who mirror his own journey, those No avenue of inquiry is too mundane or subtle. The
monsters who lurk in the shadows of the human world, monsters of the world are well practiced at deception,
monsters who once were human themselves. and their lapses are small indeed.
These former humans are not the only expression of the
• The Mystic has a hard time letting go, collecting
supernatural, of course. As the Promethean delves into his
things from old mysteries and studies he’s long since
studies, he often finds that the world’s mysteries run in layers,
abandoned even if they seem useless. He never knows
and that he always has something new to learn. This fuels
when they might come in handy, and he just can’t
the natural curiosity of the Refinement of Silver, spurring it
bring himself to throw away something that might be
ever onward. Mystics are often considered to be focused, even
important. In one way or another, he is fastidious.
obsessive, about whatever interest has most recently caught
His method of organization may be creative chaos or
their fancy. Often they work through the night and into the
it may be perfect, obsessive categorization, but one way
next day, worrying for naught but evidence to confirm or
or another, he just knows where everything is. With
disprove their theories and an opportunity to observe the
the amount of lore he’s collected, he’d get very little
Other — and thus observe the frontiers of lost humanity.
done if he didn’t.
Ultimately, though, when one stares into the abyss, the abyss
stares back. More than one pilgrim has met a grim end at • It isn’t enough to simply observe the world, however.
the claws and fangs of werewolves, or enslaved by willworkers The Mystic must involve himself in his studies, get his
curious about his own inner workings. To walk Argentum’s hands dirty, and conduct experiments to confirm his
road is a game of balance, coming close enough to learn about theories as best he can. Is silver death to werewolves?
the darkness without being swallowed up by it. What about vampires? If not, why not? If he survives
Practices the process, he will have answers for some questions
and new questions to answer.
The stereotype of the Mystic is the sequestered scholar,
quietly laboring by candlelight over a weighty and dusty • Greed is an impediment. Lore hoarded and kept in
tome of forbidden knowledge. In truth, they’re more like the shadows has no value, so a Mystic shares his les-
investigative reporters, possessed of an uncanny drive to sons! Perhaps he forces his throngmates to listen to yet
discover the truth and willing to go to any ends to do so. another discourse on willworker societies, or perhaps

It’s not human; you can tell by the eyes.

Let’s go say hi.

60
 he simply quietly corrects them when they err. This ambassador to spirits and to the dead. Other times, it means
is not to say he cannot keep secrets, of course, since being the unlucky bastard that has to go and try to talk down
some knowledge is dangerous and some is more of a the werewolf pack that has the throng cornered, thinking they
burden than a joy. are Spirit-Claimed or some strange kind of Host. Being an
Envoy is a high-risk role, to be sure, but nothing beats up-
Ethos close-and-personal for learning about the Others, assuming
the Mystic survives the process of interacting with his subject.
Argentum has few firm requirements. After all, mystery
Observer: Observers balance their curiosity with prudence,
must be pursued on its own terms, and will not come to
watching the Others from far away, only when it is safe to

argentum — refinement of silver

the seeker who remains bound by rules and expectations. A
do so, and slowly amassing an enormous body of research
Mystic makes no apologies for his behavior as he delves into
and evidence. They do this for their own sake, to better
the shadows. Extraordinary mysteries call for extraordinary
understand the inhuman-human dichotomy, but many
measures to solve them.
Observers are tempted to act upon what they have learned.
The Refinement of Silver is a dangerous one. The beasts
Most who do try to clue in the unaware masses of humanity
that were once human universally shun the light, hiding
to the things that stalk them from the shadows. This, of
not only from humanity but also each other. They
course, has its own attendant problems.
have their own (frequently inhuman) desires
Warden: Concerned most of all for their own
and their own alien drives, their own grudges
safety and the safety of the throng, Wardens find
and strife. They do not gladly suffer spies,
their curiosity fueled by a need to be ready. Sooner
even if those spies can truthfully claim to have
or later, they reason, they’ll have to fight
no stake in their affairs. After all, they
one of these things and doing so
generally are no more immune to
without a working knowledge of
Disquiet than the humanity from
their strengths and weaknesses
which they sprang; it adds insult
is foolhardy at best.
to injury that they should
The Warden is the
so easily blend in with the
one carrying the silver
herd without the instinctive
shot, the holy water, and
revulsion Prometheans must
whatever else he thinks
suffer through! More than
may avail him when
one Mystic has come to
the time comes. He is
Argentum hoping to
the one who teaches
find a cure for that very
his throngmates that
curse, for if the vampire
they might be as
or lycanthrope can be
prepared as he. He
taken for human, can
is the one who stays
have friends, even lovers,
awake at night, knowing
why shouldn’t he?
just what the darkness
That is the greatest mistake
holds.
a Mystic can make. In his
jealousy, he envies those who Practitioners
have forsaken humanity, rather
than dispassionately studying Badi found out about werewolves
them and learning, through them, the hard way — and, likewise, they
in what way he can achieve what found out how awful Promethean flesh
they have so cavalierly cast aside. The tastes. Still, it wasn’t enough to do him
monsters are not the goal and never in completely, and when he woke up
were. For the Mystic to copy the tricks again he was absolutely fascinated
and illusions of the supernatural would by the idea of humans that could
in no way elevate his condition. The transmogrify themselves. Since
Pilgrim aspires to true humanity, not then he’s made a thorough study,
the appearance of it. documenting case after case as he
tries to narrow down an alchemical
Roles theory for how they do what they
do. Most importantly, of course,
Envoy: Envoys engage directly
he wants to figure out how to kill
with the supernatural. This often
them — he doesn’t intend to be
means serving as a medium or
eaten alive a second time.

61
 Combo goes looking for the places where Pandorans hide Refinement Condition: Sensitive — Mystics are attuned
and calls them out. They try to cut zir with their teeth, so zie to the shadows and the supernatural, and through this
makes zir skin as tough as old leather. They try to strangle zir with resonance they can reveal what may be otherwise hidden.
their tentacles, so zie pushes Pyros into zir muscles until zie is By spending a point of Pyros, he can call upon this sense
strong enough to wrestle them to the ground. When a sublimatus for a scene, revealing anything or anyone that is, in some
out-schemes zir, zie reads Sun Tzu and George Patton and Erwin way, supernatural. This sense does not reveal how a person
Rommel, and the next time they meet, zie is prepared. When zie or object is supernatural in nature, only that it is. The rest is
finds out about the werewolves and vampires in the world, zie left to the Mystic’s own curiosity.
argentum — refinement of silver

finds excuses to test zirself against them as well. Combo wouldn’t Beat: Once per chapter, a Mystic takes a Beat if he
admit it, but deep inside zie believes that becoming human is discovers some new facet of the supernatural, or expands
just a matter of being stronger than the not-humans. his knowledge about a supernatural subject he is already
Tacey only roughly recalls her origins, as if in a dream. familiar with.
Did she live once before this accursed life? If so, who was Transmutations: Sensorium, Spiritism
she? She feels an emptiness and a multitude she cannot
lay her mind’s eye on, but that nonetheless lingers in the Stereotypes
corner of her vision. It reminds her — almost — of the
• Aurum: But mine are so much more interesting!
spirits of the departed clustering around those things that
tied them to this life, or else to the stranger denizens of the • Cuprum: Useful for stakeouts, I suppose. Won’t move
ethereal realm, clinging to the bright spots in the shadows. for hours, won’t complain once.
She studies these things not to understand them, but to
understand herself. • Ferrum: Muscleheads, the lot. Useful, but don’t let
Driscoll didn’t mean to get himself into this position. them handle anything fragile.
Not really, anyway. But when one’s throng is cornered by a
bunch of things that only tangentially resemble humanity, • Plumbum: Yes, yes, yes, we’ve done that! Next!
it’s a time for hard choices. He was the one who drew the
• Stannum: It must be like looking in a mirror when
short straw, and he was the one who went out to parley with
you see the Others.
the things, and he was the one who made them go away.
Driscoll’s throngmates are in awe of him, and all he can • Mercurius: These theories are quite fascinating, but
think of when he smiles and denies any sort of mystical gift really, any of us can do that. I’m breaking new ground
is how long he has before the things come back. They’ll be over here!
expecting payment, after all.
Gillian studies sacred architecture. She studies haunted • Phosphorum: Well, I suppose that’s one way to see
houses, sacred temples, the places that contain gateways to what lies beyond the veil….
the Underworld, and the keys that lead to the weird paths
of thorns. She knows that humans can erect buildings and • Centimani: Even so outlandish as to…well. I suppose
harness the power of magic — any magic, all magic — so why they’re different enough to take an interest in, after
shouldn’t it be that such a building could grant her a soul? all.

62
 Why do we fail? Sometimes the reason is beyond our him to regain control. Many are just drawn by the promise
control, but more often than not it is some inner flaw that of purification, hoping it is what they need to become
dooms us. A Cathar seeks out these impurities in order something greater.
to purge them. Purification steels him against failure and
allows him to succeed at his Great Work. He takes the Practices
idea of Refinement perhaps more literally than any other As students of imperfection, Cathars do not run from
Promethean. The path to Humanity is one of perfection, and weakness and sin. They know that enduring failure allows
thus it can’t be achieved without understanding imperfection. them to pass through it and come out purified.
To that end, he opens himself up to it. He focuses his
• A Cathar cannot avoid weakness if he wishes to under-
awareness on what is wrong with the people around him. He
stand it. He doesn’t merely contemplate sin; he seeks
watches. He pokes. He prods. He seeks to grasp how people
its out, studies it, and experiences it. He consorts with
break and why they fail.
those who surrender to sin and vice, those locked in
His increased awareness gives him new capabilities. He
the cycle of addiction, and those whose minds will not
gains a sense for how humours become imbalanced and what
let them rest. He can only find his answers among the
that means for a person’s mental state. He notices physical and
broken, so they are his people.
mental frailties that others overlook, either out of politeness,
ignorance, or the fear that acknowledging such traits in others • A Cobalus sees Disquiet as an external manifesta-
might force her to confront them in herself. A Cathar does not tion of the flaws in his own being and so does not
share this fear. Seeing weakness in others is precisely so that avoid it. He may linger in an area far longer than
he can identify it in himself. It eventually gives him a measure another Promethean might, fascinated by the pro-
of control over his own Torment that no other Promethean gression of his Wasteland and its effects on others.
can achieve. The fire stoked by his impurities will burn them out
The most important lesson that a Cathar learns is that of him.
humans are not perfect. Their flaws and frailties help shape
them and make them unique. He comes to understand that • Removing impurity is a process of catharsis. Impurity
the impurities themselves are the crucible that makes a person must be allowed to come to the surface so that it may
stronger. The follower of Cobalus who does not learn this be purged. Thus, the Cathar does not fully reject
lesson tends to dehumanize people and views them as nothing Torment but allows himself to experience his weakness
but a collection of flaws. The ability to manipulate people by and come out the other side stronger. This is not to say
playing to their faults can easily make him contemptuous of that he seeks out situations that encourage Torment,
humanity, which risks pushing him off the path. but when it comes upon him, he allows himself to
Cobalus isn’t just a philosophy, though, it is a devotion. learn from the experience.
As such, the Promethean needs to seek out a mentor, one
who can put him on the correct path and teach him the • A student of Cobalus isn’t just interested in his own
proper perspective. Those inclined to seek out such a teacher Disquiet and Torment, but also that of his throngmate.
often have failed and seek to understand why, but that is He encourages her to experience her moment of weak-
not the only reason. A follower of Aurum might become ness not just so that she may release its impurity, but so
fascinated with human sin while living among them and that he might learn from it. Some Cathars have even
seek to deepen his understanding, or one prone to falling been known to provoke Torment in others in the hopes
to Stannum may hope to find insights in Cobalus that allow of achieving enlightenment for the both of them.

, ,
I ve been listening to his plan on how he s going
to kill his wife for an hour. It,s fascinating.

63
 • It isn’t enough to merely give in to Torment like a Fury. Refinement needs control
in order to achieve results. So while Cathars encourage exploring vice and weak-
ness, they advocate doing so in a measured, controlled fashion. Those who forget
this lesson tend to degrade to Flux. The propensity for those pursuing Cobalus to
become Centimani is known to all who practice it and leads to a certain caution
when choosing a pupil to induct into the Refinement. When two practitioners
meet, they often probe each other for signs they might be falling from the path.

Ethos
cobalus – refinement of cobalt

Cobalus demands that its practitioners face weakness and failure. A Cathar
must examine it. He must experience it. He must bring it to the surface so that
it may be purged. He cannot afford to repress anything, but he must do it in
a controlled fashion. Another way to think of it would be as a religious
observance. Each indulgence is ritualized. It has purpose and meaning.
He isn’t just giving in to Torment, he is purging his sins and using
them to flagellate himself and strip away his weakness like skin from
his back. It is a bloody process, but it isn’t mindless violence. Unlike
the Fury, his outbursts are a tool to avoid further weakness.
The Cathar cannot afford to allow this process to lose its meaning.
Should he begin tormenting people for his own pleasure rather than
to learn from it, he has stopped improving and become a sadist. It is an easy
line to cross, especially when Torment takes hold. Fascination turns to disgust,
and he delights in punishing people for their faults and preying upon their
disabilities. It is a trap nearly every Cathar falls into at some point in his
journey. The trick is to realize that it is just another moment of weakness and
learn from it. More than any other Refinement, a practitioner of Cobalus
knows that no failure is final if he survives it to try again.
Nobody is perfect, and the state he seeks, while gold, is not pure.
Imperfection and weakness need to be accepted in order that they can be
surpassed. This is the catharsis he seeks: the acceptance of his limitations
so that he can move beyond them. He observes this same struggle every day
in humanity and this kinship gives him hope that one day he will join them
in their flawed, beautiful life.

Roles
Confessor: The Cathar makes himself the person others open up to about their
sins, weaknesses, and flaws. He may become a counselor, a bartender, or even a
priest. He may choose a more active role, becoming a criminal accomplice or a hired
assassin, his real payment being the insight into why his client does this terrible thing.
He may become a prison guard, listening carefully for insights into the criminal mind,
or an orderly, observing first-hand how mind and body break down under disease and
mental illness. He may even focus on his own kind, collecting stories of failure and
Torment to better understand their causes.
Deviant: Some Cathars opt to experience sin and vice firsthand. Not content to observe
humanity at its weakest, she seeks to learn through experience. She may check herself
into a mental ward or painstakingly put herself through a variety of physical injuries.
She may try a cornucopia of drugs and spend all of her time among addicts. She may
become a sex worker to examine the pitfalls of lust and desire. She may join a hate group
or a criminal organization to see how bigotry and anger can warp the human mind and
the consequences they bring.
Provocateur: The Cathar in this role pushes buttons and aggravates situations in order
to see how impurities affect the outcomes. He may be a prostitute encouraging his clients
to greater excess, to exploring their darkest desires. He may sell drugs, helping some
people to mask their weakness and others to magnify them. He may dwell on internet
forums, encouraging people in their bigotry, hatred, and self-loathing. He may lurk

64
in a bar and encourage an angry wife to go and confront her the fight was the fire in which they were born. Both would
unfaithful spouse after another drink or two. He may lurk emerge on the other side stronger for it.
in crowds of protestors and feed the fire of their indignation Freda walked the couple through their issues and took
until rage overcomes ideology. down every word, creating a road map of their dysfunction,
frailty, and pain. Their weaknesses rubbed against each
Practitioners other’s like sandpaper and the heat of the friction was what
Miko has been a Fury for so long that her throng-mates had brought them to her. She explained this to them and
abandoned her, sure that she was on the verge of joining the suggested that, in time, they would wear each other smooth.
Hundred Handed. Nearly lost to Torment, she began an arduous Each would lose their rough edges and they would be better
journey to find the one she hoped could help her. When she people. It was an uncommon approach for a marriage

cobalus – refinement of cobalt

found him, he told her to stop fighting, to allow herself to own counselor, but she believed what she said and that made them
her Torment. Miraculously, that was all that it took. Now she inclined to listen. She advised them, when they fought, not
seeks out others like her in the hopes that she can set them on to hold back. Purgation is good for the soul.
the right path and advance further along her own. Refinement Condition: Analyst — Cathars have a keen
Erik had followed the Freak for months before he felt sense for the weaknesses of others. When using Social
he had learned all he could by observation and approached Maneuvering, they can leverage a person’s Vice to improve
her. The first time he barely got away with his life, but he their Impression by two steps instead of one.
persisted and, eventually, she listened. It was several more Beat: Once per chapter, the Cathar gains a Beat by
months before he convinced her to turn her back on Flux. enabling or encouraging someone else’s Vice or Torment.
He told her she was hiding from who she really was. He Transmutations: Contamination, Mesmerism
knew it might take years to help her truly recover, but he
knew an addict when he saw one and knew that patience Stereotypes
and persistence were the only way. • Aurum: Gold is pretty, soft, and malleable. Who does
Dorothea considered the crack den to be her laboratory. that sound like?
The neighborhood was so bad here, the residents so squirrely,
that Disquiet was barely noticeable. She lived among them: • Cuprum: Others are the mirror in which we see our
breathing the same rank air, taking the same drugs, and own flaws.
experiencing the same slow death. No Muse would go this
far, fall this low. But she understood their pain and each day • Ferrum: Call us when you are ready for the master’s
cleansed her and strengthened her, like the heat of their need class.
was a fire in which she was tempered. She watched as her
companion started another pipe. She smiled as the flame of • Phosphorum: Burn out the impurity, yes, but you
his lighter danced in her eyes. don’t burn everything.
Marv took blow after blow, barely making an effort to • Plumbum: Lead poisons people. It makes them stu-
defend himself — relishing the pain, wallowing in it. Only at pid. What is the lesson there?
moments like this did he feel like his mismatched body was
truly alive. The fact that he stayed upright only antagonized • Stannum: Torment is inevitable, but we can move
his assailant further; he felt like he could feel the anger lash past it.
out with each punch. It made a connection between them,
and he even forgot at times who was the victim and who • Centimani: Don’t ever, ever compare me to that.
was the attacker. They combined into a single organism and

65
 While all Prometheans practice alchemy, the Savant • The Refinement of Pyros must include observation
seeks to master that discipline. He is a wizard and a scientist, of its darker aspects, leading Savants to seek out and
studying the magic that animates Prometheans not to better study manifestations of Flux. Firestorms and their
understand what they are, but to learn how to use it more aftermath are of particular interest, but some go so
effectively. Too practical to be called a philosophy, Mercurius far as to seek out Pandorans and Centimani for study.
is a discipline. Those who obtain its focus gain an increased More than one Savant has been seduced by the Flux
attunement to the flow of Pyros and how to apply it. and joined the Hundred Handed merely in an attempt
The Refinement of Quicksilver teaches a grounded to better grasp all aspects of their nature.
and practical perspective of the world often neglected in
a Promethean’s search for ephemera like the nature of • The qashmallim are a subject of particular fascination
humanity and the soul. Mercurius returns to the alchemical to the Savants. As direct manifestations of the Divine
context, where the spiritual is something that can be Fire, they promise vast insights into Pyros and its
measured and manipulated as easily as physical materials. properties. Savants travel long distances to reach the
Rather than meditating on the sublime, she stares into the site of a visitation and some resort to divination or
furnace burning within her and gets down to the dirty work even attempts at summoning to experience them first-
of forging it into something better. She isn’t concerned with hand. Some mistake this obsession for reverence, but
thought experiments and theorizing. Theories are useless if the Savants are interested in practical observation, not
they can’t be applied and tested. worship.
Mercurius is rarely the first or the last Refinement a
• The study of Pyros requires subjects who possess it, so
Promethean studies. Like alchemy, it is a pathway from one
Mercurius seek out their own kind rather than con-
state to another. A Promethean might seek out a mentor in
sorting with humanity. Since the Created are few in
Quicksilver to continue the path of self-discovery started in
number, sometimes the Savant settles for the company
Lead or Iron and then continue on to Cobalt when she is
of another supernatural being with a similar interest
done. Another might seek to learn the lesson of objectivity
in the esoteric. Such collaborations are generally short-
before delving into Gold, so that he will be better prepared
lived, since the interests of the Savant rarely match
not to lose himself in humanity. A few try to end their
those of the other for long. If such a partnership lasts,
journey with Quicksilver, convinced that it will give them
it is usually followed by a shift to Argentum.
the skills they need to forge their Pyros into a human soul.

Practices • Transmutations are the most powerful effect of the

Pyros upon Prometheans and the world around
Mercurius is a scientific discipline as much as a them. Savants carefully study the changes that each
philosophy. It focuses on observation and experimentation Refinement has on Pyros and how this manifests
in a practical exploration of the Promethean soul. in Transmutations. Some even try to create new
• Alchemy is at the heart of what makes a Promethean Alembics through exploration and experimentation,
what they are. It is no surprise that Savants have a keen altering their mind and body through meditation or
interest in the discipline. This includes a fascination drugs in order to discover new changes.
with drugs and poisons, the effects of which she will
keenly study when given the opportunity. This leads Ethos
many Mercurius to medicine and pathology as fields The Mercurius are explorers of the Divine Fire, dedicating
of study. themselves to understanding the animating force that serves

Fascinating!
Let’s double the voltage and try again.
66
as a Promethean’s soul as well as being a tangible force of change and transformation.
They compare Pyros to a serpent: elusive and dangerous to handle. Others liken the
Savants themselves to reptiles, citing
their cold objectivity and often
ethically dubious experimentation.

mercurius – refinement of quicksilver

Savants argue that detachment is
necessary when studying oneself
in order to learn anything of
value, and are more prone to self-
experimentation than utilizing
unwilling participants.
A Savant is driven by a passion
for knowledge that belies his
impersonal exterior. He will go to any
length to discover the truth about the
force that animates him. For the Savant,
the question of whether something
should be done is entirely practical: is
what stands to be learned worth the risk? If the
potential cost is too high, she seeks out another
avenue, but if the rewards are high enough, all other
considerations fall by the wayside. A Savant will walk
into a raging Firestorm if she thinks it will teach her
something about Pyros.
What a Savant risks is allowing research to become
the goal, losing sight of the Great Work and the purpose
for acquiring this knowledge. The point of alchemy is to take
one thing and transform it into another. An endless cycle of
transformation is meaningless. Experienced Savants claim
that their nickname is cautionary. The Great Work is often
symbolized by the Ouroboros, which can symbolize unity and
completion but also endless cycles. The snake swallowing his
own tail can refer to self-discovery or solipsism. It is a fine line
every Mercurius walks.

Roles
Craftsman: At his core, a craftsman is a person who seeks to
alter the world around him to fit his desires. His is a physical process of
molding matter to his will. A Savant in this role uses his affinity to alchemy
and the Transmutations at his disposal to explore what it means to make
the world over into his own image. He creates things and changes them.
He may build a house with his bare hands in some remote area or take a
position in an electronics store, herding electricity through impossibly thin
strands of metal in an act almost like magic.
Explorer: A Savant knows that learning requires being willing to seek out
answers and this requires research and travel. As an explorer, she has an ear to
the ground for stories or signs of Firestorms, qashmallim, or Pandorans. She is
always on the move, ready to respond to new information at a moment’s notice,
and is adept at reading Pilgrim Marks. She may join a throng dedicated to
investigating rumors of Athanors or seek out mentors in other Refinements in
order to learn more of their Transmutations. In a world filled with answers,
she never stops looking.
Scientist: Considered the most archetypal role of the Refinement,
the Scientist is dedicated to research and experimentation. He
can seek out a place at an institute of learning in order to gain
access to facilities, but more likely puts together his own, either

67
 seeking out an abandoned laboratory or assembling one in an the back of the clock. A few moments of winding and he
old warehouse or shack in the woods. The practical bent of hears its mechanical heartbeat offering a parody of life. He
Savants often means that his experiments are less concerned closes his eyes and thinks of the larger work of art he has
with ethics than results; many Prometheans give Savants in assembled in the basement of the shop and hopes that its life
this role a wide berth. will be more authentic. He feels the burning of his Pyros and
mercurius – refinement of quicksilver

thinks, “It is time.” He descends once more to look upon his

Practitioners clockwork child, waiting for him to gift it with life.
Nicole watches from her cramped hiding place as the first When Tabitha found him, she fell at his feet and wept.
of the Pandorans passes and hopes that her depleted Pyros is She told him of her time among humanity and the pain it
low enough that they don’t sense her. She is distracted from brought her. She described the loss of her adopted sister
her concerns when her quarry comes into view, herding the and the Torment that followed, destroying the life they’d
remainder of the pack. The Centimani is grotesque; she can built together. She told him she couldn’t bear the weight
feel the Flux coming off of him in waves as he manipulates of their emotions anymore. He offered to teach her how to
his pets. She closes her eyes for a moment, just feeling the observe without becoming involved. When next she looks
ebb and flow of his Pyros before she starts to siphon a small now upon those she had once called family, her eyes are dry
amount of it, tasting the Flux in it as it mingles with her own. and she passes them by without a second thought. She has
Jonesy has been hiking through the Siberian wilderness more important work to do.
for more days than he can number. He is just beginning to Refinement Condition: Resourceful — A Savant has a
wonder if he is lost when he sees the first signs of the event: knack for making do with whatever equipment she has on
trees flattened like matchsticks radiating out from the distant hand. Once per scene, she can spend a point of Pyros to add
center. He can feel something, he isn’t sure what, but he one to the equipment bonus of a tool or a weapon (even an
knows the trip was not in vain. He came here because of improvised one) for the rest of the scene.
stories of a Savant attempting to summon a qashmal with Beat: Once per chapter, a Savant can gain a Beat when
disastrous results. He had to admit he wasn’t sure if he her thirst for knowledge harms those around her.
believed them. As he trudges further into the bog, he leaves Transmutations: Alchemicus, Vulcanus
his doubts behind.
It had been two years since Allie escaped from the military, Stereotypes
but she still had nightmares of being strapped to that table • Argentum: Yes, yes, vampires exist. Could we please
and subjected to an alchemist’s torturous experiments to concentrate on the task at hand?
test the limits and properties of her Pyros. In the end, she
reflected, the experiments were his undoing. His attempt to • Aurum: Far too involved with their subjects.
cause her to manifest a new Transmutation worked, and her
newfound ability allowed her to shatter her bonds. She can • Cuprum: How can you spend so much time with
still feel how his flesh crystallized under her touch and finally yourself, yet accomplish nothing?
shattered. Despite all of it, she saw the value in his work.
His notes allowed her to begin her steps on the Refinement • Ferrum: Lie on the table. I want to try something.
of Quicksilver. The nightmares guide her towards avoiding • Plumbum: Can I borrow that book for a bit?
his excesses.
It amazed everyone who met Vasily what delicate work he • Stannum: Careful around the equipment!
could do with his large, misshapen hands. With meticulous
precision, he places the last tiny gear and closes the door on • Centimani: See, this is what happens when you don’t
account for all the variables.

68
 Though Prometheans ache for a mortal life denied them, • You say war zone, zie says opportunity! Turns out
they cannot ignore that the Magnum Opus is a process the Light-Bringer is precisely the type to run towards
that takes time; years, decades, perhaps longer still. Many gunfire, not away from it; exactly the sort who will
accede to this fact, walking their path slowly. One must snatch away someone’s weapon just to see the look
be patient to win the greatest of prizes. Some, however, on their face when it’s pointed back at them.
cannot bear the wait. Perhaps the Promethean has already
once reached for zir Magnum Opus and fallen tragically • It can’t be all action all the time, of course. The
short. Perhaps zir condition gnaws at zir, and zir Torment Light-Bringer finds zir beloved ephemerality even in
only drives zir deeper into despair. Whatever the source of the smallest moments, even pushing zir way into des-
desperation — and it is desperation — these Prometheans perate, private struggles. Nothing is more fascinating
find themselves drawn to the Refinement of Phosphorus. than watching someone weigh life in the balance, be
They become Light-Bringers, beacons to their throng and it on the ledge outside their window or a bloody triage
to all Prometheans, lighting the way to the end of the long ward after a disaster.
road that lies ahead, even if they burn out in the process.
• The old man with tubes and wires hooked up to half
The Light-Bringer does not wait. Zie does not pause
his body curses at zir every time zie comes in — to be
to consider action. None react faster than those following
fair, he curses at everyone, not just zir, which is a nice
the Refinement of Phosphorous, for good or for ill. Yet, zir
change of pace. Even with the abuse he slings, even
seeming madness has method, a philosophy that underlies
with his spit on zir face, zie just smiles, changes his
the image of the desperate monster, for Light-Bringers have
IV bag, and walks away. Won’t be long now.
glimpsed a truth hidden in plain sight: it is life’s ephemerality
that gives it purpose. Though a Promethean cannot taste of • When zie does slip and fall, as almost every Light-
mortality’s ambrosia until after zir Pilgrimage is completed, Bringer does, it is more important than ever to
those who follow Phosphorum do their best to mimic it. The maintain a clear mind, to greet death eagerly, and to
Light-Bringer is active, not reactive. Zie does not wait because glean every bit of understanding that zie can. Until the
each day may be zir last (a prospect that zir philosophy, Magnum Opus is completed, this is the most human
admittedly, makes far more likely). Though zie may not pause zie will ever be.
to appreciate them, a Light-Bringer savors each sunrise, each
blossoming flower, because zie may never experience such a Ethos
wonder again.
Every second is a precious gift to the Light-Bringer, every
Practices sensation a treasure, good or ill. A Light-Bringer endures
Everything is edge-play for Light-Bringers. If an action anything with a smile on zir face and seeks out more of the
does not carry the immanent risk of death, it may as well be same as soon as zie can. Self-destructiveness is not always
a pleasant stroll through a calm park. considered a failing, for one must fly close to the flame if
one is to learn of its heat. Passion for life is of the utmost
• To the horror of zir throngmates, the Light-Bringer importance, even though zie does not truly live. Fake it till
will happily charge into a burning building to snatch you make it. Sooner or later, the façade becomes the truth.
something precious out of the ashes, perhaps even Conversely, no Light-Bringer tolerates stasis for long.
save a human life. Or perhaps not. Zie’s never seen Ephemerality and change are the stuff of life itself, and zie
someone die of smoke inhalation before…. shuns the cold and quiet road every time. Nothing terrifies

69
 and infuriates a Light-Bringer more than incarceration; zie enact the role of the Psychopomp live beside death, make
would rather dash zirself against the walls of whatever holds themselves its brother, and watch it at work. Hospice care
zir, Torment driving zir to escape or die in the process. Either and EMT work in particular are favorites, but even amateur
way, the problem is then solved. journalism has a voyeuristic thrill all its own. Armed
phosphorum – refinement of phosphorus

It is easy to misunderstand the Refinement of only with curiosity, the Psychopomp sifts
Phosphorus, even for those who walk its path. It is through the ashes of humanity, hoping
easy to be a thrill-seeker, but hard to understand for a revelation.
why Light-Bringers all but throw their lives away. Whip: The Daredevil skirts death’s
It is perfectly possible to do everything right, to touch, and the Psychopomp watches
fulfill every tenet of the philosophy, and still over those whom death takes into its
fail. Many on this Path have already tasted that embrace. The Whip, by contrast, does
defeat before, but that does little to lessen the not always act zirself, but spurs others
pain of knowing that the end of the Road is onward, egging them on until they finally
now that much farther away. Ultimately, Light- take whatever action has been itching at
Bringers are gambling with their very future, with them. A Whip treasures the moment where
the very possibility for true mortality and for a someone decides to risk everything,
soul. Ephemerality abhors middle ground; a and more than anything else zie
Light-Bringer either wins big or loses it all. wants to understand it and the
consequences of it…without
Roles necessarily suffering those
Daredevil: The quintessential Light- consequences zirself. In
Bringers, Daredevils push themselves a more benign context,
beyond even their own wildest the Whip can be
conceptions of their limits. Ecstatic invaluable for lifting
and half-suicidal, they court death the spirits of their
like a lover, trying to coax a thrill Throng, or pushing
into what passes for their heart. Any them out of their
foolhardy stunt will do; while a Light- shell and into the
Bringer may prefer to save the heroics world.
for when it matters, that itch to jump
between buildings without looking
down, to run through a
burning building, or to
walk up and slug a police
officer will always be there.
Are they mad? Probably.
Will it get them killed?
It just might. Do they
care? Only if they don’t
learn something about
themselves about precious,
fleeting life in the process.
Psychopomp: Death waits
patiently for all humans. Practitioners
Even Prometheans fear a final Alex loves it when they see
destruction. While Light-Bringers others trying in vain to gender
may be more eager than others to them. They personally gave up
tempt fate, they do not do so lightly. Their tr ying to decide between the
philosophy gives them greater familiarity two long ago, perfectly happy
with the act of dying – with mortality – than with that nebulous nonbinary
any other Promethean. The flare-out at the space. They have been at this
end is just as important as the searing, bright for a while, long enough to have
burn to those who follow the Refinement been through half a dozen
of Phosphorus, and as important an object Refinements trying to find one
of study as any other field. Those who that fits, but like their gender

70
it always seemed to be one big question mark… until bright, should he ever ignite. As Ki studies the nature of
they discovered the path of the Light-Bringer. Sure, their ephemerality, though, he gradually begins to understand that
hair is singed in places and they’ve got an ever-changing in order to let go of all the pain he carries, all the pain he’s
bruise collection, but they make it look good. inflicted in service to others, he must burn.

phosphorum – refinement of phosphorus

She knows not when she was made, or by whom, if indeed Refinement Condition: Intense — The Promethean’s
there was any hand save fate itself involved in her creation. Azoth flares bright so long as they walk the Light-Bringer’s
Her Pilgrimage has taken her far from the hazy memories of path, and even those who are not attuned to its unnatural
her youth, and she feels no closer to the end of the Road than energies can sense it. This has the effect of rendering zir
the beginning. Phosphorum offers her a possible answer and both strangely fascinating and a beacon to zir fellows —
ending. In her wake, she sows chaos and light that it might and zir worst enemies. The player spends a point of Pyros
one day consume her, or else light the way to her Magnum and subtracts one from the number of Doors in a Social
Opus. Those whose lives she touches seldom continue in the maneuvering action. This immediately prompts a Disquiet
same mold they once did. She calls herself Eris. She read it roll, however.
in a book, and it seemed appropriate. Beat: Once per chapter, the player may take a Beat
Every culture has such fascinating practices built up to automatically fail a Stealth roll or to add one die to a
around the great mystery of death. Rodrigo finds that one of Disquiet roll.
the most singularly interesting things about humanity, and Transmutations: Luciferus, Vulcanus
always has. Yet it grips even Prometheans, who struggle all
their long quasi-lives for the gift of mortality so that they too Stereotypes
can experience that quietus! This conundrum gripped him
• Aurum: Sure, you look human, but do you feel human?
even before he found the Refinement of Phosphorus, and
now he devotes himself to it utterly. Surprising, really, how • Cuprum: Staying wound up like that can’t be healthy.
few people notice an extra person at a funeral. Did he know Relaxing isn’t going to kill you, and if it does, so what?
the deceased? Oh, yes. They were very close. One dead, and
one wishing for the ability to die. • Ferrum: You’re so close! Come on! What are you
Todd’s first sight was of a great conflagration consuming afraid of?
the grand library where he was born. He watched a vast
collection of knowledge burn before the flames reached him • Plumbum: Going nowhere, doing nothing. Boring.
and he learned firsthand what it is to burn. He speculates
• Stannum: I get it, I really do, but you’re just treading
now that it was this first that burned the words straight
water like this. Open your eyes again!
out of him, and that was why he didn’t speak for so long.
The ephemerality of words gave Todd great insight into the • Aes: You’re not going to get anywhere living for others
ephemerality of all things, a lesson that stuck with him as but never for yourself.
he ventured out on his Pilgrimage. When he discovered
the teachings of the Refinement of Phosphorus, it was a • Argentum: Interviews are fine, but what’s the point
natural fit. of talking to monsters if you never get bitten?
Ki understands impermanence like few other Prometheans.
Ki, after all, is made of folded paper, and so carries the • Centimani: Turns out, there is something I won’t try
knowledge that he would burn beautifully, luminously at least once….

71
 THE GREAT WORK:
PART II
Clay’s Girl was the only thing keeping Roark from a free tooth removal. She didn’t know what he did to piss
the guy off. Roark just wanted a cup of coffee, so she let him get one while she kept an eye out for Wisher and
Imam. Next thing she knew, he was running to her and clinging to her back and some asshole in a suit that barely
fit him was barreling down the sidewalk.
It’s not like the guy was intimidating. He was rail thin and already huffing from the power walk. Roark was
much taller and looked stronger. Still, it wasn’t the guy in the suit shaking behind her and stretching her jacket.
“Out of the way, lady!” the man in the suit yelled. “He’s mine!”
Roark squatted low. Clay’s Girl rolled her eyes at all the displays of bravery and spread her arms out wide.
“I don’t know what you want,” she said, “but it’s not worth it.”
“Oh, you don’t even know. That’s the asshole that botched the Lustig account! I’ve been working on that for
years!”
Clay’s Girl groaned. Of course Roark would set someone off going it alone. Of course he would do that without
the rest of the throng around. She tilted her head to look at Roark and raised an eyebrow.
Roark shook his head. She sighed. It’s not like it was his fault, and she was the one who volunteered to watch
him in the first place.
“Look, I don’t know who you think he is, but you’ve got the wrong guy. Just walk away.”
The guy in the suit walked closer. “Let me see him for myself.”
Clay’s Girl brushed Roark’s fingers off of her body and stepped forward.
“This is your last warning,” she said, “he’s not the one you want.”
The guy reached out for Clay’s Girl and tried to shove her to the side. She could only feel the tiniest amount
of push from him, but that was enough to get things started. She felt her inner fire change and its burn crept up
her arms. She grabbed him by the collar with one hand, and sent a strike as swift as lightning into his stomach
with the other. He gasped and fell to the ground.
She stared at the man, silently daring him to get up. The honk of a car horn snapped her back to
her senses. Wisher and Imam were sitting in the car with disapproving looks. Clay’s Girl rolled her
eyes and grabbed Roark’s arm. She led him to the car.
Roark looked back at the man, still catching his breath on the ground.
“Will he be OK?” he asked.
Clay’s Girl nudged him into the car.
“He’ll be fine,” she said. “Just be glad I didn’t break his jaw.”
 to . It’s
w
rs. ggs. rt. ho r life ob
w i
o sa ed e ea p. I kno f the ok R
u
in l h e , o to
u t d ramb e by y sle ork rest ay, ted
b o sc a r m tw e a w a r e e
g a h of espe n in esn’ r th me t
i n n I s wer t lik
th c a k i o o f o k e s u s .
e ry t bat f Sh quat hat d kid Too s wh eye n, j lines o
v c o e t a . at’ r my browture to d
o u e erfe est atic t. If or ame t h
l l y a p he b adr figh ottle ice c n s, colo ere igna unk
e
n t k up ite t a qu m a t a b . Pol
o
sti hat ey w the s oo d
r
o be d
a e t e
I c coo rec lve fro hi xist qu ed w . Th on as t u p call g,
e l hu m
o
an I can an s own ant t at I e
o
h os arn heet ted m w m e til
s a
I c
I c ne d r w s th a
t
ll e I le ap s wan Mo . m ed , he him Mo
?
ra eo eve ove m e im y r ey en top rea van ive I saw y, I
b t h h
ge m n r ng irst on m at t ps w ery he d the en g hen happ the
Al lk so ey’ll at p k i
as he f wn s wh s sli he v and into o ev o w ob e by e
t a th t h e , t , t t R
to rd, file ter. g m w. T it do e wa sion ear her him ned ted ake gon id th ’t
w a y n o s n n s a
ho so h onl ks la essi t kn rote r sur ermi sed alled took stun wa ld m I wa he s I don
w e e c ’ s c y u . S
k no hem n th we pro didn rs w w fo b’s p cro ob they too reall I co ther ter. ays.
I e t e
, o few ere gs I ffic I kne n Ro “t” hat R hen wa g. I be if n, ei Jup ese d s i ay e
r i k r e a w i n o g e i n y e f t w
e t
st th er ey th he tha d si h th ’s w en Mo tay ma t th e o o t w m h a im
all om h n th l the of t ing y I’ wit That Ev rst. ut s hat mar utsid up t g re y t
fr Whe g al one ly th e wa nes, at. n’t I? r fi abo ht t nd s e o b’s t ’ s a d
n
m
t l ike t
i e ’
r n in en on am ar th ld
B r u he ght oug ou her t Ro n e, t sp didn eren
h
lea s w The the s ony d he y wo ye t thou . I th n’t mew wha
o s
s al d ju ut. I diff with
o s
’ a
wa b’s. d it nth calle wh odb us. I iling It did d so ow it. ream oll, I ed o or me
Ro igne ng: A till , so id go of d wa ht? ove ’t kn on e d risc kick olor ook d I’d -
I s ythi h, I s ther e sa oth h an , rig e m don king ryon d D get in c he t ure flec s
an Yea bro .” H the b ouc too d, sh r. I wor Eve ly an I’d w sk and I fig y re oll’
e i c
s big om for the c appy hear sob . I’m that. Vas when a ne call t, so w m Dris ust
i M
h r “ d it on r h st I tay ed er et ide ith ouse ou I s me. d I j a
e i e s k t
h I d up e h . La er I as s af n I o h ck w a h him hen at , an and m
so rled mak day ed h e if am whe st g g ba on help ss w ack ents ut, ow
cu uld the help ll m f dre ven or ju min out to sine ht b pati alk o had
co d of air ’d te t o lf. E am, t co ent me n bu g rig his e w s a s
en ean hey a lo urse dre kep oll w king ow kin e of p, w er a
oc ink t ed in yo se’s re. I risc t as my , loo on es u bett m e.
th I liv p to e el mo e D kep ding eyes from nish me t
e n y e n i b ou
ke eo an tim . H mi en ing e f like re
a
to som solid One atch was t gre y th e. H hey m o
in ing yle. p w ce. I righ slim tim nk t n e w
be ir st kee on t. B ray, hole I thi Ik
a o t
t eas ap e g e w ceo . s h
h wi
him at l a te som lf th d sin s t
go n in out yse soli s . I ju
tio lled at m een t hin
g
u d b
p are n’t
t of
st ave ys. l o
I h ywa ow a
an I kn
 A Promethean lives a liminal existence, not between life and death but between humanity
and inhumanity. Created from inanimate matter, or the remains of the deceased, and powered
by the most radical transformative force known, she attempts to find a place in the world.
For a sad few, this translates into embracing their monstrous nature and becoming a twisted
abomination. For most, it means something else entirely: the Pilgrimage, a physical and
metaphysical journey to learn about humans and humanity alike, hoping to find something
of it in themselves. Refining the alchemy that fuels her body, a Promethean sheds her base
nature for more purified states, hoping that this will make her more real. Hoping it’ll just be
one more step towards becoming human.
This chapter examines how a Promethean comes to be, how she gets started on her
journey, and how that journey ends. It’s often said that “it’s not about the destination, it’s
about the journey.” It’s certainly true here but in a more literal way. The Pilgrimage doesn’t
have shortcuts; each stop on the journey happens for a reason. To reach the destination, the
Promethean cannot simply check off a list of milestones — she has to live them, learn from Natural philosophy is
them, and allow these events to change her. That is the true meaning of the Pilgrimage. the genius that has
You know your destination. Let’s find out what your journey will be like. regulated my fate;
I desire, therefore,
Flesh in this narration,
to state those facts
The early stages of a Promethean’s life before she embarks on the Pilgrimage are easy to guess which led to my
at. What she does with this time and what leads her to the decision to find her own humanity,
that’s up to her. But it always begins and ends with two dreams: her creator’s and her own.
predilection for
that science.
The Obsessive Dream —
—Mary Shelley,
Demiurges and Genitors Frankenstein; or,
Prometheans are called the Created for a reason. They are made from alchemy and Azoth, The Modern Prometheus
the Divine Fire of creation, transmuted and brought into the world by genius, innovation, and
most importantly obsession. If the creator is human, we call him a demiurge after the gnostic
entity that usurped God’s position in the universe. If he’s a Promethean, he’s called a genitor,
a step between the Progenitor — the first Promethean of a Lineage — and the Promethean
herself. To refer to those that commit to their mad dreams in general, the term “creator” is used.
Demiurges can come from any walk of life. Knowledge, education, and resources are not
required to create a Promethean. Obsession is the only necessity; if the demiurge has that,
he can make do with whatever’s around him. A confused, angry scientist with some strange
theories on electricity, a lonely sculptor, a grieving widow, or even a mad doctor with delusions
of building a child when the world did not give him one are all viable demiurges. They might
dive into ancient discredited journals and research bizarre fields of pseudoscience in the name
of their work, or they might dream a Promethean into existence. Reason, sense, reality — all
of these concepts are drowned out, replaced by drive, passion, and yes, obsession. It doesn’t
always work. It doesn’t even usually work, but it works often enough to give prospective
creators a sense of hope.
Genitors know all too well how miserable it is to be one of the Created, but they inflict
this special kind of agony on someone else anyway. Why? Some feel they have to. The
Azothic memory makes reference to multiplicatio, “raising” another Promethean. A popular
interpretation states that to become human, a Promethean must first create a new member
of her kind to take her place. Genitors have an altogether more common and more human
 CHAPTER TWO: STEPS

reason to create progeny, though: loneliness. Disquiet drives away

mortal friends, allies, and lovers. Meeting another Promethean,
let alone enough Prometheans to form a throng, is rare. Having
children the way human beings do is impossible for the Created. Constructed vs. Unfleshed
The only surefire way for a Promethean to find a companion that Stories echo throughout the ages of creating life from
understands her, that can stay with her, is to make one. The process things that were never alive: Galatea, namesake and
is roughly the same as what a demiurge goes through, though Progenitor of the Galateids, was made from marble.
rather than summoning Azoth to fill their prospective creation, a The Golem of Prague could easily be Unfleshed
Promethean is filling the vessel with a portion of its own. or Tammuz. The Unfleshed are not a new Lineage.
The creator’s work begins either way — sleepless nights of They’ve existed for as long as men have made
research and experimentation to get the process exactly right, artificial things in their own image.
infinite tests and theories before putting anything into practice, Intent matters. Unfleshed are meant to be simulacra of
gathering the required materials (usually but not always human humans, not humans themselves. They must be made
corpses), and perfecting his own spin on the ritual. Just following of non-human parts, yes, but the creator must also
the directions of a previously successful creator rarely works. The desire something less than human: a robot, a living
process has to be infused with one’s own soul and drive; it has sculpture, an artificial intelligence, a puppet with a
to reflect one’s beliefs and will to have even a chance at success. mind of its own. All of these things are alive, yes,
Creators suffer failures, but eventually some of them manage to do but they were created with the expectation that they
it. The programming is perfect, the right body part was removed, the would not be human.
voltage is correct: whatever the process, they call down the Divine Galatea was created to be the perfect human
Fire with their obsession and bring their work to life. companion, so whether she was made from marble
A Promethean is born. or not, she’s not Unfleshed. Prometheans that aren’t
made from corpses are informally known as constructs
On the Slab and can be of any Lineage, depending on what their
creator did to will them into existence. That brings up
Newborn Prometheans develop mentally as a human infant does, the question of humour: Would a Frankenstein made
though at a much faster pace. Part of this comes from the fact that from machines and engines have Yellow Bile, as his
their brains are already fully formed. Newborn humans have an order progenitor, or Oil, as an artificial being? Either could
of magnitude more neuronal connections in their brains that must be the case, but in the end it’s up to you and what you
be trimmed down to create a functioning mind. Promethean minds want done with your character.
start out with the right connections already made.
Another piece of the puzzle is Azothic memory, the collective
subconscious of all Created. At this point in her life, all it does is
help the Promethean develop language skills, grasp abstract concepts, The Promethean’s Azoth protects her from the consequences of
and the like. During her Pilgrimage, however, it is an indispensable her own disfigurements, creating, if not a true illusion, then an aura
resource. For the first couple days, she experiences sensory overload; of normalcy that human beings acknowledge. When a Promethean
even the dimmest light or the quietest sound is completely new and expends Pyros, though, that aura is disrupted and her disfigurements
untested to her patchwork body. As she suffers through this, she become visible for a split second, illuminated as though in a flash of
finds herself learning how to use her body. That comes much faster, lightning. While this normally isn’t enough time for a person to truly
especially when her brain came from a body with similar proportions understand what he’s seeing, it can increase the effects of Disquiet.
(and thus, similar muscle memory) to hers. Even if that’s not the case,
balance and motor function come much more quickly than mental Postpartum
functions or language, creating the odd situation where the Created The first days, possibly even weeks, of a Promethean’s life are as
may be able to sprint before she can form a coherent sentence. awkward and painful as a newborn human’s but for entirely different
Disfigurements reasons. Not yet aware of the significant drawbacks of her life, things
can seem new, interesting, amazing. New Prometheans make mistakes,
Prometheans develop at a remarkable rate mentally, but not yes—what child doesn’t hurt himself in accidents? But to the Created,
physically. Whatever they might be made from remains in the same fresh off the slab, the accidents seem like nothing. A demiurge is often
condition it was when a creator gave them the spark of life. The telltale both proud of and confused by his creation.
signs of their inhumanity are referred to as disfigurements. Prometheans This is how Disquiet begins in the demiurge. A genitor, on
don’t age, which can present problems for creators looking to create the other hand, usually either treasures his creation’s innocence,
literal children. The more common issue is incongruity between reliving his own early life through her, or cringes at the reminder
sources, such as a teenager with wrinkles and crow’s feet, or parts of of how idiotic he must have acted. Though immune to Disquiet,
multiple ethnicities stitched together. While this can be upsetting for this is one reason genitors don’t travel with their creations for long.
the Promethean that has to live with that face, it might not present In this period, as she realizes she is both more and less than a
an issue unless she makes a grave mistake. human, the new Created begins experimenting with her Azoth and

76
 Flesh

Day 38
My creation continues to assert his independence. I wish nothing but the
best for the boy. May as well admit it, he is my boy. I’ve not just created
a robot, I’ve created a life. The son I could never have. That’s how I’ve
been justifying itshisexistence. I regret to say that I find the boy strange-
ly uncomfortable. His questions about his own autonomy, his creation....
Something he calls “the fire that burns where my heart should be.” Such
strange, stupid questions from a thing I gave life. I find myself upset at
e
everything it hdoes. He’s taken an interest in blues music, and while I was
never a fan, I now despise it in ways I never thought possible. My wife
N beginning to share her
UR SOI’m
refuses to stay in the same house as theOthing.
sentiments. I don’t know what to do. I love the boy, but I hate the thing.
I fear one day I may break it, for good.

Thomas Lichter
September 28, 1990

Pyros, bringing forth her Bestowment, with the flickering Azothic his intent for the creation. On the other, she’s getting closer to the
Memory giving words, images, and other vague signs that she’s on crushing moment where she realizes exactly what sort of life she’s
the right track. As it’s clear he’s made not just any living thing, in for. Nobody wants to be around to see a loved one’s every hope
but a supernatural creature, a demiurge’s disquiet intensifies. He crushed, genitors included.
begins to wonder what exactly he has wrought and if it was a good Things worsen quickly from there. As the Promethean develops
thing after all. her own personality and thoughts, her newfound independence only
A genitor is likewise conflicted. On one hand, seeing his worsens the divide between the ideal identity her creator foisted upon
creation discover her nature means she’ll start her own Pilgrimage her and reality. In the worst cases, a demiurge that tries to keep his
soon (hopefully), which can be either good or bad depending on creation in the same area for long may find himself at the epicenter

Under The Skin

Gender is a tricky subject for humans, and only more so for Prometheans. The few among the Created who find
themselves uncomfortable with the sex their creator gave them, just like humans, have limited means to change to the
sex they’d prefer. For Prometheans, though, the process is almost entirely different.
The usual avenues of self-discovery and transition (therapy, hormone replacement, surgery, etc.) are more or less
blocked off due to a combination of Disquiet and the fact that their bodies do not work like humans’. Furthermore,
every Promethean is bound to express some form of body dysphoria, when she realizes her body is made of stolen
corpses. Frankensteins have it worst of all — their creation process makes it likely they have parts from both men and
women, leaving them with an unclear sex even before they dedicate the first thought to gender. Unfleshed may not
have an obvious sex, or even a physical body. They can still have gender issues, though, and not much of a way to
resolve them.
If one of the Created is absolutely sure her body and gender don’t reconcile, her options for some kind of transition to
a body she can call her own are severely limited. The Commuto Tergum Alembic of the Metamorphosis Transmutation
can allow her to change her form, but she must follow the Refinement of Cuprum to access it (or expend Vitriol to
calcify the Alembic), and it’s a stopgap measure at best.
The best solution is also the hardest to achieve: the New Dawn. Prometheans in this state wonder if achieving the Great
Work would not only make them human, but make them human with the right body. Sadly, nobody knows whether
that does or even could actually happen. Azothic memory is unclear on the matter. All the Created can do is hope.

77
 CHAPTER TWO: STEPS

of a Wasteland, pushing the Disquiet-influenced feelings towards to the path she has to take to achieve that dream, to shape herself
his creation into the depths of madness. Many Prometheans decide into the sort of person that could accomplish it. This declaration
they’re doing something wrong, and only worsen things by trying to of intent is the solution to everything that came before, and the
spend time with their creator to make up for whatever it was. One cause of everything that follows.
might be so desperate to please her demiurge that she allows him “I want to be human.”
to destroy her, breaking her down into parts to study and use in his
next attempt. A demiurge foolish enough to destroy a living miracle, The Desperate Dream:
wrought by his own hands, is not likely to see lightning strike twice.
For a Promethean already left alone by her creator, the issue plays out Elpis
the same: the world recoils against her very existence, and she blames In the Greek myth of Pandora’s Box, Pandora toys with forces
herself, but can’t quite figure out the exact cause. she was not meant to control and spews forth all the evils of the
A genitor, in all likelihood, knows better than to cause the kind world. Once they’ve vacated the box, one thing is left: hope. The
of havoc a well-meaning, but misguided, demiurge or abandoned world is consumed by those forces of evil, which were known as
Promethean could wreak. What nobody can manage, though, is Torments, but hope remains. That’s Elpis — the Greek word for
Torment. The first time it happens, no one can predict, control, or “hope.” Someone might have released evils onto the world or found
soothe it. All anyone can do is manage the aftermath. A demiurge herself trapped in her own self-loathing, but she still has that.
doesn’t know what’s wrong, and a genitor just stays away, knowing While Torment is what a Promethean feels at her lowest, weakest
he can do nothing to help. So the Promethean, not for the last time, moments, Elpis is what she feels at her finest hour — the hope, the
is well and truly alone. belief, that she not only could, but will become human. Elpis is not
This is often when the creator leaves. only the name for this hope, but the name of the visions brought on
by Azoth, her clues to the Promethean’s next step towards Humanity.
Alone The first Elpis vision comes when the Promethean in question realizes
Maybe that bout of Torment did it. Maybe her demiurge was fully she does, in fact, want to be human and receives the first clue on the
consumed by Disquiet. Maybe her genitor left one day talking about journey towards her Great Work.
some kind of work he has to do. Like the act of creating a Promethean, Every Elpis vision is different, but always ties into the thing
the reasons a creator abandons his progeny are too numerous to about humanity that the young Promethean loves and covets the
describe, but it almost always happens. Genitors may stay with their most. It’s a dreamlike vision of what she could one day be: one day
creations out of pity or because they aren’t far removed from one she could be happy. One day she could have friends. One day she
another on the Pilgrimage, but they often find that their own journeys could suffer a setback without falling apart, or driving people away,
toward the New Dawn pull them in different directions. Demiurges or losing control of herself and doing something she’ll regret for
always wind up plagued by Disquiet in one way or another; usually by the rest of her days. One day she could withstand what life throws
the time they separate from the Promethean, it’s far too late for them. at her and keep going. One day she could be human.
Once left to her own devices, a young Promethean can expect more Alongside her Elpis, the Promethean discovers her Torment, the
hardship. Bouts of Torment, uncontrolled Disquiet, and Wastelands thing about her that’s most artificial, most inhuman, the thing that
plague the Created until she learns to control them. It’s not all makes her Elpis a far-off dream or a fantasy. It doesn’t make the
nightmares and agony, though. Horrible things happen in this stage of Great Work impossible, but Torment is the single greatest obstacle
the Promethean’s life, but she also discovers something new and beautiful. facing the Pilgrimage. The humour that drives her, makes her a
What exactly this epiphany is varies, but it is the glimmer that keeps a living thing, is the source of Torment as well. When the Azoth surges
Promethean striving for the New Dawn. It might be a particular person through that humour and causes it to overflow, the metaphysical
who shows the Promethean kindness, or a moment between other people imbalance becomes Torment manifested.
that she recognizes as quintessentially human. The beauty doesn’t last, Finally, she finds a Refinement — a path of physical and
but it resonates and stays with the Promethean. metaphysical enlightenment alike that shaves off the inhumanity.
That beauty becomes an idea, persistent and intractable in the Her first Refinement is basic, expressed as a simple response to the
Promethean’s mind. She probably resists it. Yet, as she dwells on world around her and her new quest: Mimic humans. Understand self.
the concept, she finds herself probing the depths of her Azothic Observe from afar. Perfect the body. Rebel against pain. As she follows
memory, which finally begins to unravel the mysteries of her this path, her body undergoes alchemical transformations. They
existence that her creator was unable or unwilling to answer. The begin when the Promethean sets out to choose a Refinement. She
voice in the back of her head seems all too happy to give some kind has a flash of Azothic Memory that gives her the philosophy of
of guidance, giving clues, pushing her forward. She begins to grasp her Refinement, the Roles the Refinement consists of, and if she
the basic concepts of her first Refinement. accepts, a sudden rush as the alchemy of her body reforms around
Finally, she accepts the idea: an answer to her agony, the reason her. It’s a churning, exhilarating feeling that varies from Refinement
she was given this life, the goal for all Prometheans. It’s a simple, to Refinement. Aurum might cause her to feel things lock into place
ridiculous idea that’s more than enough to determine the course as her Transmutations shift towards this new path, while Stannum
of her life. In response, the Azothic memory explodes within her might be represented as an inward pressure, the hopeless sensation
and gives her first Elpis vision, as much a hopeful dream as a clue that comes with Torment.

78
 Lead

That’s where the Pilgrimage begins. That idea, that desperate belief
that the Promethean can work some great alchemy on herself and, over
a period of refinement, learning, reflection, and trials, transmute the
half-broken, half-dead monster she calls her body into that of a real,
proper human. The long path she walks to work the great alchemy
of turning lead into gold — turning herself into a human — that’s the
Pilgrimage.
If the Promethean doesn’t find herself falling at one of the many
missteps she can make along the way, though, the Pilgrimage becomes
less fantasy and more reality. It gets harder the further along she is,
but also more possible. Failures? Plenty. Stumbles? Yes. But she can
eventually get there. She will, eventually, be human.
She knows where she’s starting and where she has to go. How she
gets there is up to her.

Lead
From the moment she wakes up on the slab, a Promethean knows
that she is not quite right. She can see it in the reactions of people
around her; she can feel it in her Pyros-animated bones. Yet in the face
of her agony, she also feels that she can become human and finally
belong. To this end, the Promethean must become lead, the base metal
from which the alchemist can create gold.

The Great Work

The Great Work. Redemption. Pilgrimage. All these are names
used to describe the alchemical process that changes and purifies a
Promethean’s transcendental being, to grant her ultimate wish: to
become human.
The Promethean clings to the prospect of being human like a
drowning man to a piece of flotsam: she doesn’t know where it will
take her, but she knows it is her only chance at salvation. Humanity
is the light at the end of the tunnel; the moment the Promethean can
finally lay her head down and rest. To be human is to have friends,
family, a home. As small and powerless as humans are compared to
the creatures that prowl amongst them, they have the ability to truly
love and be loved in return. For a Promethean, whose Torment and
Disquiet prevent her from being loved by either herself or others, it
is the greatest prize.
Make no mistake though, the Pilgrimage isn’t about meditating
on mountain tops. It is an alchemical process that transforms a
Promethean’s body and Pyros, with the purpose of giving her a human
body and soul. Sometimes rising to an all-consuming flame and other
times simmering as a mere spark amidst red coals, the Pilgrimage never
truly leaves her; it is a crucible that she must endure, and over which she
has no more control than a babe has over growing up. The Promethean
isn’t the alchemist; she is the substance, the lead transformed and
purified until it either breaks or becomes gold. More than that, her
body is the laboratory in which the alchemical process takes place —
an artificial refinery that will follow suit if the soul becomes human.
If the Promethean’s soul is the substance and her body the
laboratory, then who is the alchemist? This conundrum has no clear
answer. Some Created believe that, in an expression of self-fulfillment,
she is the alchemist; everything she does, endures and overcomes is
driven by her in an effort to lift herself up — she is the ultimate Buddha,

79
 CHAPTER TWO: STEPS

becoming a human God unto herself. Others believe that a greater Seer was actually a throng rather than a single being. Proponents
principle is at work, that perhaps Azoth itself has some form of of this theory often equate the Seer’s Pilgrimage with the long and
incomprehensible sentience and that it drives the Great Work for arduous journey to create the first alchemical pact, claiming that it
reasons unknown to the Created. was their effort to look past each other’s Disquiet that made mutual
As a guiding light on the long, arduous road that is the redemption possible. No Promethean can walk the path alone, these
Pilgrimage, every Promethean knows that she can attain this state Prometheans say, sometimes even going so far as to claim that only
of redemption. Azoth tells her she can through Elpis, and, in this, a member of a throng can reach the New Dawn. The last popular
Azoth does not lie. The Promethean knows, with every fiber of her theory is that the Seer never existed in the physical sense. According
being, that she can achieve the impossible. If the desire to belong to these believers, the Seer is the symbolic representation of every
drives her towards her Pilgrimage, it is this absolute certainty that Promethean, burned into Azothic memory as a singular legend by
keeps her going even in the face of seemingly impossible odds. Azoth countless ages of Pilgrims. None of the possible identities of the
is no gentle parent, sparing its children pain or guiding them step by Seer has been proven true and, despite ongoing efforts of Originists,
step: it is a harsh taskmaster that throws her in the deepest, darkest it will likely remain that way forever.
end of the ocean and demand that she swim or be devoured by the
predators lurking under the waves. Regardless though, it is there, the The Way
one constant that never leaves her. Many Prometheans take some If humanity is the destination, then Refinements are the way. A
comfort in that, at least. Promethean might have no idea what being human truly entails, or
Yet for all her longing for humanity and the certainty that it can even how to mimic humans, but he can explore aspects of humanity,
be done, a Promethean knows nothing about being human. So how, the way they interact with each other and the world around them,
then, does a Promethean learn to be human? She studies humans, through paths called Refinements. Part schools of philosophy and
the world around them, and tries to emulate them. Shaping her thought, part ways of interacting with the world by going out and
life and, above all, behavior around schools of thought and action doing, Refinements offer guidance to a Promethean on his Pilgrimage.
called Refinements, the Promethean explores the many faces of In an amazing testament to the Promethean’s alchemical nature
humanity, one at a time. though, they don’t just change his outlook and behavior, they change
The Seer’s Pilgrimage his physique. A Promethean, being both created and driven by Azoth,
sees no difference between philosophy and being. If he moves to
How do Prometheans know that New Dawn can be achieved? Aes, the Refinement of Bronze, he becomes bronze; if he moves to
The answer begins with the first Pilgrimage. Once, Prometheans Aurum, he becomes golden. These new aspects, added to the Pyros
believe, the Pilgrimage did not exist. The Created were governed burning inside him, become the reagents of his change, preparing
by hope, which drove them ever onward, and fear, keeping them him for the next step on his Pilgrimage and eventually pushing him
forever separate from humanity. There was no knowing, though, no towards becoming human.
certainty that a golden future might be real, until the Seer, a Created Some Refinement paths come naturally to every Promethean.
of great insight and wisdom whose knowledge of Azoth and the Just like humans are born with the ability to laugh and cry, so is a
Promethean state surpassed that of any who came before or after. Promethean created with an instinctual understanding of the base
More than being wise, she was also a creature of great perseverance, Refinements. Base Refinements are imparted to the Promethean
who unfailingly worked towards her Pilgrimage and saw beyond the through Azothic memory, causing some Created to speculate they
many highs and lows in her path. are actually a gift from the Divine Fire that guides them just as a
Traveling the world for more than a mortal lifespan, the Seer’s human mother does her child during his first wobbly steps.
Pilgrimage finally led her to the New Dawn. While she was often Complex Refinements on the other hand do not come so
alone in body and thought, Azoth accompanied the Seer on this naturally, much as not every human is a poet or can speak a second
journey and through it, all Prometheans. They were as one and language. Prometheans believe that complex Refinements were
when she unlocked her potential for the New Dawn, so did Azoth. created by Prometheans themselves long ago. In uncovering these
By the act of becoming mortal, the Seer created the Pilgrimage for new paths, the ancient Pilgrims unlocked their potential in Azoth
all other Prometheans. By virtue of it being done, the New Dawn itself, thus granting all Prometheans the potential to learn them.
became possible to all. It was an act that reverberated through all Such an effort requires a teacher though, an instructional tome, or
Created, giving them something they had never had before. The an Athanor (p. 188). Azoth alone isn’t enough for a Promethean
Seer left Pilgrimage shrines and artifacts all over the world, but none to adopt a complex Refinement, but it can help in finding an
are as great as her single lasting legacy: certainty. instructor. Pyros calls to Pyros on a level that few Prometheans
This is what Prometheans believe and, in truth, there really was understand; when the time comes for a Promethean to learn a
a desolate time before-Pilgrimage, and New Dawn indeed became complex Refinement, mentor and students are inexorably drawn to
possible by having been achieved. Azothic memory reveals as each other. That is not to say that mentors and students are always
much. The details of the story, however, are obscured in countless compatible or even willing. Most Prometheans are loathe to leave a
centuries of added memories and imagery. Some Prometheans fellow Created stranded on his Pilgrimage, however, not to mention
take the story literally, believing that the Seer was a single Pilgrim, that the act of teaching a complex Refinement is often part of the
quite possibly a Tammuz or Osiran by grace of those being the mentor’s journey as well.
oldest Lineages. Others, mostly followers of Aes, believe that the

80
 Lead

The relationship between student and mentor is often complex

and fraught with difficulties. The student must examine his view on
the world, the road he has traveled so far, and the goal he is working
towards. The mentor, for his part, must explain exactly what the
Basic and Complex Refinements
Refinement represents and how it has aided him in his Pilgrimage. Created distinguish between basic and complex
Both must be brutally honest in this, often discovering truths Refinements. Basic Refinements deal with the road to
about themselves that they would rather not have and sharing these humanity in a fairly straightforward manner and do
findings with the other. It is not uncommon for teacher and protégé not require a teacher. Complex Refinements on the
to spend days or even weeks talking, asking questions and giving other hand, deal with more abstract and intellectual
answers that sometimes don’t even seem to touch on the subject of issues that require intensive study and training.
the Refinement at all. After that, the mentor takes the student out to THE BASIC REFINEMENTS ARE:
practice the theory. This is the real test, as many Created find it easier
Aurum (Gold) — Adopting a “fake it till you make it”
to understand something on an intellectual level than to fully embrace mindset, practitioners of this Refinements mimic humanity
and practice it. If theory is akin to collecting the necessary ingredients even if they don’t know what all (or any) of it means.
for an alchemical process, practice is where the Promethean throws
them into the fire and hopes they hold true. By this time, mentor and Cuprum (Copper) — This Refinement focuses on the
student are as close as two Prometheans can be and the bond forged, self as practitioners isolate themselves from humans.
This Refinement is a refuge for Created dealing with
whether good or bad, will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
persecution, or trying to come to terms with atrocities
By comparison, finding an instructional tome or Athanor is they committed.
usually easier. Such objects are always Azothic artifacts. Whilst
few and far between, they can be found through the Azothic call. Ferrum (Iron) — Practitioners of Ferrum seek to
Once retrieved, they provide a clean, no-strings-attached method of purify the body through hardship, hoping that the soul
learning a complex Refinement, without the help or interference will follow suit.
of other Prometheans. This, however, is also their weak point. Plumbum (Lead) — This Refinement studies the
Having a mentor heckle him and ask all the questions he would basics of being a Promethean: Azoth, milestones,
rather leave unanswered is often the best and quickest way for a Vitriol and the Pilgrimage. This is the first Refinement
Promethean to learn. As a result, while a Created might prefer the many new Created stumble upon.
quiet and solitude of a book, he usually finds that he is better off Stannum (Tin) — Practitioners of Stannum give in
with a living, breathing mentor. to their Torment, letting the pain wash over them and
A Promethean can change his Refinements as often as he relishing in their wrath. Any Created Refinement can
wants. A complex Refinement requires a teacher the first time he instantly switch to Stannum, as Torment is always
embarks upon it, but going back after it has been abandoned does boiling under the surface.
not. Basic Refinements, on the other hand, never require a teacher. THE COMPLEX REFINEMENTS ARE:
The time to learn either varies. Stannum, the Refinement of Tin,
can be adopted instantly, as a Promethean’s Torment runs so deep Aes (Bronze) — This Refinement deals with the
that he can always fall back on it. Every other Refinement takes same principles as Ferrum, Aurum, and Stannum, but
applies them to the throng. Practitioners focus on the
longer than that, though the exact time is variable. The difference
alchemical pact and devote themselves to working
seems to be more inherent to the individual Promethean than to with other Created.
the Refinement. One Promethean might like to study, watch, and
wait before she tackles the practical side of a Refinement. Another Argentum (Silver) — This Refinement studies
Created likes to jump right in, possibly causing him to falter at his humanity by exploring its counterpoint and focusing
first crucible, as he doesn’t fully comprehend what the Refinement on the supernatural powers that stalk the world.
is about. The ideal mix between theory and practice changes from Cobalus (Cobalt) — Practitioners of Cobalus
Promethean to Promethean, but on the whole, it is better to run push themselves to the limit, seeking to burn out any
and stumble than to never run at all. impurities and weaknesses. In this though, they strive
to maintain control rather than fully submit to Torment.
Milestones Mercurius (Quicksilver) — Mercurius deals with
While no Promethean knows how long her Pilgrimage must be, the essence of Pyros and the Divine Fire. Practitioners
she does not stumble around completely blind. She can find markers study alchemy, the Centimani and qashmallim. They
also have an interest in Wasteland and Disquiet as
on the road called milestones, and the Promethean feels it in her very
effects of Pyros.
core whenever she has passed one. She might not know how long the
road ahead still is, but she does know that she is further today than Phosphorum (Phosphorus) — This Refinement
she was yesterday. If nothing else, she is making progress. studies death, as this is where any human’s path (and
Milestones come in three varieties, though it usually takes a student therefore the New Dawn) must inevitable end.
of Plumbum to distinguish between them: universal, prescribed and

81
 CHAPTER TWO: STEPS

instinctive. Universal milestones are, as the name implies, common than the cosmic ones, just like a mortal’s most profound childhood
to all Prometheans. It is possible that they are inherent to the human memory might simply be of his mother tucking him in at night.
condition, but many Originists speculate that they are really intrinsic Every Pilgrimage is both unique and unknowable, yet there seems
to Azoth itself. As such, they might represent Azoth learning about to be an inherent quality that insists on change. No records exist
itself through the Promethean condition, as well as the Promethean of any Promethean ever fulfilling her journey while staying in one
learning more about becoming human. Every Promethean must pass place, or staying on one Refinement. This is in part because Azoth
these benchmarks and she also finds that, almost as if through divine demands change like a fire does fuel, but also because the Pilgrimage
providence, she is presented with the opportunity to do so. Since they is change. How can a Promethean hope to make the transformation
permeate Promethean culture and seem to be somehow programmed from half-life to humanity if she cannot even change her address,
into the Azothic flame, all but the most obtuse Promethean eventually job or outlook on life? A Promethean who becomes stuck in her
learns what some of these universal milestones are. Of course, knowing ways stops progressing on her Pilgrimage. It doesn’t abandon her,
what a milestone is does not necessarily equate passing it; much as but simply remains where it is, waiting until she returns. When she
with Refinements, the theoretical knowledge often comes easier than does, the journey might initially seem more difficult, but this is also
practical implementation. It also doesn’t help that every milestone can all on the Promethean. It’s not the Pilgrimage that grew harder, it’s
be interpreted, and passed, in several ways. A Promethean who knows she who became more resistant to the change it requires.
without a doubt that multiplicatio is a milestone still does not know The Pilgrimage contains one, and only one, milestone that a
how it applies to her. She is effectively trying to solve a puzzle with all Promethean feels coming before she passes it. Sometimes called the
pieces present and accounted for, but facedown. As a result, known Milestone of Dust or simply the Leap, it is desired and feared in
universal milestones can often be a greater source of frustration than equal measures. This milestone comes when the Pilgrimage is all
the milestones a Promethean doesn’t know about. but done, when the Promethean’s essence has been weighed and
Prescribed milestones are inherent to humanity, but, for some measured, and found to have the ephemeral substance needed to
reason, not inherent to the process of becoming human. Often, create human life. Now comes the time, the great leap, when the
they represent the traits and values by which humanity distinguishes prize is at hand and all the Promethean need do is reach out and
itself. That is to say, many Prometheans find that they must embrace take it — if she dares (see Gold, p. 90).
overwhelming love or devastating loss somewhere on their journey,
but not all of them. Still, given how often these milestones occur Impurity
on Pilgrimages, a Promethean studying the journeys of others Burning with Pyros, the Promethean’s mere presence makes
could uncover more than a few. As with universal milestones mortals feel uncomfortable, as they instinctively recognize him as
though, knowledge does not guarantee success. It’s one thing for a something that should not be. Carrying this stigma with him, the
Promethean to suspect that she must find real love, but an entirely Promethean finds himself an outsider everywhere he goes. Some
different matter for her to actually experience it. people, having been raised to be tolerant and kind, try to look
Lastly, instinctive milestones are unique to every individual beyond their initial repulsion and in a cruel twist of irony, they only
Promethean. They deal with unanswered questions, fears and doubts, make matters worse. Forcing themselves to remain within the aura
and are often the hardest markers to pass, since they are both extremely of wrongness that a Promethean emanates, these are inadvertently
personal and painful for the Promethean. A Promethean is usually very the people who end up despising the Promethean the most. Disquiet
driven to reach these milestones, even if only because she wants to resolve doesn’t end with humans, though. A Promethean’s Pyros seeps into
the situation that ties into them, but might also decide that she wants to the land and air around him, until those, too, reject him.
keep them a secret. Unwilling to share her inner heart with her throng, While Pyros is the cause of Disquiet, how it manifests depends on
she toils alone until the milestone eventually reaches its conclusion. a Promethean’s Lineage and the humour that governs him. Azoth
This is a natural reaction and a valid one, even if a Promethean working courses through the Promethean’s body, running through veins filled
with her throng might accomplish her goal more quickly or more easily. overly heavily with one of the five humours. It is this humour that
Sometimes, a Promethean even finds that letting go of her secrecy and bleeds through whenever Pyros runs over, spilling into the people
sharing her secret desires with her throng was the milestone. around a Promethean and infecting them with bias and distrust.
Whenever a Promethean passes a milestone, she instinctively Disquiet is bad enough, but the Promethean’s life becomes even more
knows it. She feels stronger and more whole, as if she went through trying when he creates Wasteland. Not only does the Promethean’s
purifying fire and emerged somehow better than before. The world presence now poison the land against him, but Disquiet spreads
itself has changed too, to the Promethean’s eyes: the sky is radiantly from the Wasteland to mortals like a contagion, eventually affecting
blue and the sun’s warmth cloaks her as a blanket, the earth smells even people the Promethean never came into contact with. This is
of spring and everything seems so much lighter and more bearable. when humans grab their pitchforks and torches in an effort to run
Even her body, usually a stolen shell that serves as much a prison as the Created out of town or kill him outright.
a host, somehow seems to fit her better. This euphoria does not last
long, a few heartbeats at most, but it serves as a powerful reminder The Humour of the Beast
to the Promethean that her Pilgrimage is both possible and worth
Every Promethean triggers Disquiet and creates Wastelands
it. Oddly enough, the impact of that moment does not depend
through his very presence. How these manifest, though, is
on whether the milestone was universal, prescribed, or instinctive.
dependent on his humour and varies from Lineage to Lineage.
Sometimes the small, personal achievements carry more weight

82
 Lead

• A Frankenstein, whose humour is yellow bile, finds that his unto the Manufactured who does not cater to people’s
presence instills a Disquiet of simmering restlessness and every whim. An Unfleshed Wasteland also sees a sharp
anger in the people around him. Business negotiations end dichotomy between dominant and subservient creatures;
in fisticuffs and normally peaceful households devolve in a new hierarchy might emerge amongst humans, whilst
violent domestic disputes. Eventually, all this anger is direct- predatory animals completely wipe out prey and stronger
ed back at the Wretched. When he creates a Wasteland, the plants overrun weaker ones.
land and weather seem angry, as storms and lightning fill
the sky, thorny bushes overrun the landscape and animals, • The Extempore have no fixed humour. Instead, each of them
including humans, become increasingly aggressive. has a Disquiet shaped by their humour and even then each is
unique. For example, an Extempore governed by the humour
• An Ulgan, who draws power from ectoplasm, engenders a of bile would have a Disquiet that instills restlessness and
Disquiet of paranoia and the sense of being hunted. Perhaps anger just like a Wretched’s bile-ridden Disquiet does. But
this is a valid emotion, triggered by the spirits that a Riven where a Wretched’s Disquiet leads to physical violence, an
attracts and that invariably attach themselves to the people Extempore’s might see a rise of violent stalkers in the area. A
around him. Regardless of the presence of spirits though, second Extempore ruled by bile would also cause restlessness
humans always come to see the Promethean as the one that and anger, yet his Disquiet would manifest differently from
haunts and stalks them. When an Ulgan creates a Wasteland, the first Extempore’s. The same holds true for Extempore
the mortals’ fears are proven right as the veil between the Wastelands. They are clearly fueled by the Extempore’s hu-
flesh world and the Twilight thins, calling out to spirits and mour, whilst being uniquely different from other Wastelands
creating hauntings. created by that humour.

• A Tammuz’ humour is black bile and his Disquiet causes A Wasteland, at first glance, is the horrible expression of too
depression in those exposed to it. In the age of self-help books much Pyros gone awry. It starts when Azoth spills over and scorches
and television psychologists, people usually find a reasonable the land, often because the Promethean released too much Pyros
explanation for their depression, but somehow they always in too short a time span, or was returned to life with an Azothic
come to see the Named as the origin of said reason. When flare. Forces outside the Promethean’s control might also trigger
one of the Named causes a Wasteland, this depression a Wasteland, such as a greater qashmal appearing. Life warps and
spreads to the land itself: dark clouds hang over the area, changes as Azoth scours the land. For many Prometheans, creating
animals become listless and the area is overrun with vermin, a Wasteland, even inadvertently, is as unconscionable an act as
as predators no longer see the point in hunting. Even plant creating another of their accursed kind. Ashamed and horrified by
growth slows or halts completely. what they have done, most Created are inclined to leave the area for
good. Some stay, however, and these hardy students have discovered
• An Osiran’s phlegmatic Disquiet pushes people away, lead- a few other properties of the Wasteland.
ing to a supreme disinterest in interacting with him. Whilst After carefully mapping and studying the progression of
this may seem harmless at first, humans inevitably come to Wastelands, some Prometheans on the Refinement of Quicksilver
perceive the Nepri as bothering them, regardless of whether have tentatively formulated the theory that Wastelands are not just
he is or not, and takes steps to ensure he does so no longer. an expression of Azoth, but of the Pilgrimage. If a Promethean’s
When an Osiran’s presence creates a Wasteland, the land Pilgrimage stalls, when he lingers on one Refinement or between
itself seems to stop caring about producing life; rain and milestones too long, so the Wasteland grows. When he crosses a
wind simply stop, the sun is perpetually bleak, and the soil universal milestone, the Wasteland grows as well. This realization
becomes infertile. causes the Promethean even more distress: whether his Pilgrimage is
going badly or well, the Wasteland still grows. He doesn’t understand
• A Galateid’s humour is blood and his Disquiet incites pas- why this curse haunts him, why it doesn’t relent when he is doing
sion and obsession in the people around him. The Muse precisely what Azoth wants him to and why it doesn’t soften when
becomes a symbol of everything a person wants, but does he does well. To look upon a Wasteland is to know the Created,
not have. This obsession invariably turns sour, as initial his hopes and fears, his progress and all the obstacles in his path.
admiration and lust are replaced by envy and shame. That For a creature who feels so inherently wrong in his own being as a
people believe the Muse is showing off on purpose does not Promethean, being held up to such an examining light is perhaps
help. When a Muse creates a Wasteland, the environment the cruelest fate of all.
itself becomes more passionate; the weather is either very However, a Promethean can find a slim silver lining to all this and
cold or very hot and plants grow everywhere, even breaking it lies in the second possible ending to a Wasteland. A Wasteland
through the asphalt. never grows smaller; it pushes inexorably outward, though the
pace at which it grows might vary. It can be resolved, in a manner,
• An Unfleshed, enriched by the humour of oil, finds that if the responsible Promethean leaves the area. The Promethean’s
his Disquiet somehow encourages people to treat him absence causes the Wasteland to slowly shrink, eventually fading out
as even less than other Prometheans. Taken for granted, of existence entirely. In addition to that, the presence of a throng
he is seen as hired help at best, or a slave at worst. Woe with different Lineages seems to slow a Wasteland’s growth, as their

83
 CHAPTER TWO: STEPS

varied humours give the Pyros a wider opportunity to express itself, Created might go her entire life without seeing another of her kind.
therefore slowing but not stopping an explosive build-up. Azothic memory initially gives her the most basic of building blocks
As opposed to stalling a Wasteland by leaving or joining a multi- to construct her worldview, but to gain more understanding of her
Lineaged throng, a Promethean can also end a Wasteland by calling lot in life she must rely on her own senses and judgment; to avoid
down a Firestorm (see p. 264); indeed, even if he does not, a Firestorm disaster, she must keep her own company. Is it any wonder that so
might still occur naturally. A Firestorm is a howling, raging inferno many Pilgrimages with promising beginnings end in catastrophe?
of Pyros that scours and potentially hardens the area through fire. The Promethean has hope, though. The faint guidance of her
In theory, a Firestorm can be beneficial to an area, but in practice, Azoth, flavored by the collective memory of centuries of Created
they usually do nothing but harm to Prometheans. existence, can give her clues to the whereabouts of others like
Firestorms are relatively rare, so the documented results are her. She may find that the scent of pine lights a beacon inside
flimsy at best, but Prometheans have some indications that a her, sending her on a quest into the forest-studded mountains
Firestorm occurred in the Roman city of Pompeii in 17 CE, and of Vermont to find her creator. Likewise, a photograph of the
in 1980 CE at Mount St. Helens in Washington State. Despite Parthenon in a history book could trigger the borrowed memory
these two disastrous outcomes, a Firestorm can also purify an area. of a Pariah hermit whose sanctuary lies deep beneath the Athenian
Such a region might be immune to Wasteland in the future, or it Acropolis.
could exude a sense of calm and harmony. Some Created believe Prometheans find each other in less mysterious ways, too. As
the Great Fire of London in in 1666 CE was a purifying Firestorm, some Originists say, “Azoth calls to Azoth.” The concentrated
for although it destroyed the inner city, London has not seen a Divine Fire, spilling out into the world beyond the bounds of the
plague epidemic since. In this outcome, the area is transformed Promethean’s flesh, recognizes itself whenever two sources are near
by fire it into something that is not only different, but also better one another. In this context, the spillage is known as Azothic radiance.
than what came before, not unlike the Promethean at the end of Prometheans can feel that radiance like a calling or an electrical
his own journey. charge. The more powerful the Promethean, the farther his Azoth
calls. A Promethean who feels the presence of another can’t easily
Fire track the source of the calling through feeling alone, but Azothic
radiance is visible to the Created as an aura or glow. Unfortunately
A Promethean begins as base lead, yearning to transform for them, others of their kind are not the only creatures able to
his borrowed flesh and inchoate soulstuff into the gold of true sense this emanation. Some find that their very presence attracts
humanity. No combination of reagents can produce an alchemical unwanted attention.
reaction, however, without the heat it needs to break down bonds For many long centuries, despite innate hints and an internal
and refine the old into something new and wondrous. The sensor, meetings between Prometheans were rare and notable
Promethean’s Pilgrimage is the crucible in which a human being occasions. In the days when crossing an ocean took months and
is forged; the fire that fuels the transformation is the sum of his a written message had no guarantee of reaching its destination,
experiences, the steps he takes toward the light at the end of his the world seemed vast and most Prometheans despaired of ever
tunnel — and the stumbles back into the darkness of his long night. finding each other. Some never even knew there were others like
Whether this churning amalgamation yields a strong alloy of Elpis them at all. In the modern day, however, the rise of technology has
and soul or a dissolution into Torment and Flux is the question made communication between the Created much more possible,
that haunts every Pilgrimage. with travel becoming a matter of mere hours or days at most. It’s
All the grand alchemical metaphors in the world, though, can’t common for younger Prometheans to create blogs or forums on
change the fact that for a Promethean, this mystical metaphysical the Internet in an attempt to gather together. Some try to hold
crucible is what he goes through every day of his life — not a mere assemblies advertised by email and telephone, although the turnout
philosophical exercise, but a visceral reality. He does not generally of such endeavors has thus far been disappointing. Still, the chances
have the luxury of sitting back and pondering the symbolism of the of a Promethean finding others like himself are greater now than
path he chooses, though some do try. He must bear the burden they have ever been.
of fully living it. The Pilgrimage is a journey like any other, full of Whether by memory, call, or chance, Prometheans who meet
mistakes and triumphs, love and hate, joy and tragedy. If it tends one another as they travel their lonely roads know instinctively that
to bring more tragedy than joy for the Created, it only serves to the Azothic radiance of their comrades contains glimpses of who
make the final victory at the end of an uphill battle all the sweeter. they are. The first few minutes of a meeting between the Created
are often accompanied by each Promethean sizing the other up:
Comrades-in-Arms: a practice so common that it has entered Azothic memory as a
custom called the Measure. One Promethean examines the other’s
The Throng Azothic radiance for the taint of Torment or other abnormalities,
Battles fought alone are struggles that even the strongest of exchanges introductions and makes a judgment call about whether
humanity are hard-pressed to contemplate, much less win. Yet for the newcomer is likely to aid or hinder her Pilgrimage. For those
many Prometheans, this is the only kind of battle they know. A who choose not to pursue the Pilgrimage, the Measure can help
them identify potential allies or probable foes.

84
 Fire

A Community of the stories to her comrades, or even to humans she has known.
Some Prometheans go so far as to publish Rambles in books or on
Outcasts websites, or to inscribe them on walls and billboards as graffiti and
murals. One Promethean in Manhattan in the 1970s was known
Despite the potential for the Measure to reveal unsavory to scrawl Rambles all over the walls of subway tunnels, and those
information, the Created rarely turn down the company of their who go looking can still find them there today. These tales are
own kind. Humanity is a fickle companion, plagued by Disquiet, often incomprehensible or painfully simplistic to mortals, but the
but a Promethean craves fellowship as much as anyone. Finding that publication of Shelley’s famous book may indicate that not every
he need not be alone in the universe is often impetus to overlook Ramble sounds like nonsense to human ears.
even the most undesirable traits in another. Because the Created Of course, committing the Ramble to a written medium has its
are so few and far between, a meeting between them is usually potential downsides. An enterprising sublimatus may find a letter
taken as an opportunity to exchange stories. Tales of their own discarded by a confused mortal and use it to track down the writer
exploits are common, but it’s equally common to relate tales told for her own nefarious purposes. One of the dread Centimani may
to them by others in days past. In this way, Prometheans have built chance upon a billboard covered with Promethean graffiti, gaining
a rudimentary culture of their own, cultivating myths and legends — a clue to finding its target. Recording Rambles electronically
and even urban legends — in much the same way that humanity has comes with its own lurking threats, including ones with which the
done. Azothic memory calls this tradition of storytelling the Ramble. Promethean may not even be familiar. One unfortunate Created
Many Prometheans are desperate not to let these Rambles woke to smothering flames one night, his lair set alight by unknown
fade away into the abyss of forgotten lore. Preserving what little arsonists; when he tried to escape, he was overwhelmed and killed.
community they have and hold dear is usually accomplished by Even after returning from the River, he never found out that the
writing down the Rambles they hear. One Promethean may keep assailants were humans who had read his blogged Ramble, copied
a handwritten journal, while another may write letters containing and circulated across the dark corners of the Internet.

I figured it out!
It took me months and this place is a hellhole
and they feed me mush and my teeth are getting loose but
holy shit I got it! A lot of them are like me!
They hate what they are
and they’re trying to change it!
The people in this place, they’re doing alchemy.
The pills they take are the ingredients,
and the group and the talk is the process.
It’s not just me that wants to change.
Damn it. I wish I could tell them.
But I can’t, they have to figure it out like I did.
Bye, guys. I love you. Be strong.

85
 CHAPTER TWO: STEPS

PILGRIM MARKS

STRAIGHT
CAMP HERE SAFE CAMP HOLD YOUR TONGUE GO GET OUT KEEP AWAY AHEAD
FAST

GOOD WATER GOOD ROAD DOCTOR DOESN’T MAN WITH WASTELAND WEALTHY
TO TAKE JAIL A GUN GENTLEMAN
CHARGE

ROUGH
AFRAID GHOSTS HERE THIS IS BAD WATER
NEIGHBORHOOD
PANDORANS THE PLACE
ABOUT

This sense of community despite long periods of solitude by their disfigurements and eventually falling under the insidious
and great distances between Prometheans prompts them to aid spell of Disquiet. The Created have an understanding that cannot
one another, even without ever having met. After centuries of be reached with humans or other supernatural beings, a shared
painstaking effort to bring them into the Promethean collective plight that resonates with even the most alien Unfleshed or bitter
consciousness, Azothic memory can impart instinctive knowledge Frankenstein; it can cement lasting bonds of camaraderie between
of a system of markings known as pilgrim marks, simple symbols the unlikeliest of companions.
carved or written in places where a Promethean has been to warn A throng may also form for straightforward mutual gain, as two
others of danger or point out helpful hints. Much like the signs or three can accomplish more than one alone. The Prometheans can
of the American hobo community, these pilgrim marks can help pool their resources, share information and Rambles, and call upon
traveling Prometheans avoid enemies; locate shelter, allies, resources; a breadth of varied expertise and abilities. A Pariah with little social
or anything else that might aid them on their Pilgrimage. savvy teams up with a gregarious Mimic to mitigate the potential
Sometimes, however, intermittent signals and the occasional for disastrous faux pas, while a bookish Originist requires the aid
letter are not enough. When a group of Prometheans decides to of an indomitable Titan to safeguard himself against enemies.
work, travel, or even live together for a time, Azothic memory fills Some Prometheans seek a throng to examine their own condition
in the word throng to describe them collectively. Even those that through another’s eyes or study the many variations that exist among
don’t get along or have fundamental differences in worldview join the Created. Even a Promethean who had the benefit of a creator
forces to accomplish common goals and help each other along their gushing with knowledge about her new existence has a lot to learn
Pilgrimages. A throng can theoretically consist of any number of about herself, and self-awareness can come through observing others
Prometheans, although practically speaking, it’s rare to see a throng like her. Osirans and those pursuing the Refinements of Lead and
of more than five. Quicksilver are especially inclined to desire the regular company of
Throngs form for any number of reasons. The most customary other Prometheans for this purpose.
is simple companionship and acceptance. Prometheans cling Some believe that the Great Work cannot be completed at all
hard to any friends they can wrangle out of their lonely, solitary without joining a throng at some point. These Created say that
lives. Others of their kind are generally the only ones who can learning to work as part of a team is a vital part of the Pilgrimage,
withstand the vagaries of their presence without being horrified and that spending time with one another is the catalyst for an

86
 Fire

Azothic reaction necessary to all Prometheans before Mortality can be savagely, and exacerbates his Torment. Meanwhile, his Ulgan
achieved. Some think that this reaction is a process fueled by Azothic throngmate seems to mitigate the worst of these effects, helping to
radiance, a refinement of soulstuff caused by overlapping emanations keep his humours in check and placate the raging fire of his Azoth.
that push each other to grow over time. His throngmates aren’t actively doing anything — these are just side
Once a throng forms, its members often find that the benefits effects of the bond.
extend beyond the reasons they came together in the first place. The This bond also harmonizes the throngmates in other ways.
lives of the Created are rife with doubts, trials, pain and fear. With Through the Brand, they can share Pyros. They have an easier
staunch allies by his side, a Promethean finds support to help him time sensing each other via Azothic radiance, and can more readily
weather any storm, whether it’s the bittersweet taste of a difficult pinpoint the exact location of a nearby throngmate. A Branded
milestone, the terrifying ordeal of Torment, or unbearable defeat at Promethean is also privy to a strange insight into the mental states
the hands of Disquiet. Some Prometheans try to distance themselves of her fellows, whether through an odd taste in the mouth, an
from their throngmates in the throes of guilt or anxiety, but ultimately imbalance of her humours, or an unfamiliar scent that manifests
every Promethean knows what it’s like. That comforting thought when her throngmates experience strong emotions. This insight is
sustains relationships that among humans might have long since vague and doesn’t bestow any details without further pursuit, but
perished. Misery loves company; at least for the Created, misery is members of a branded throng can read each other more easily as a
an equal opportunity experience. result, for good or for ill.
If throngmates are dedicated enough to one another, they may If the alchemical pact is such a mixed bag, why do it? To expose
decide to strengthen their bonds by forming an alchemical pact. The their innermost feelings and give up their privacy, to risk driving
pact is a metaphysical process of coagulation that aligns Azoth with humans away even more forcefully than they already do, takes
Azoth, unifying disparate parts into a synchronized whole. Azothic courage and trust. Most Prometheans are willing to find those inner
memory bestows vague knowledge that such a pact could exist, but reserves, though, if it means constancy and support in a world that
only a Promethean who has studied the Refinement of Lead can presents them with little of either. The alchemical pact, much like a
unlock the secret of forging it. A throng that wishes to alchemically wedding or a rite of passage, is a ritual of commitment that can make
cement their commitment to one another needs to either contain a a Promethean feel as though he’ll never be alone again. It reassures
member who knows how, or seek out another Promethean who does him that the bonds of camaraderie he has forged with his throng are
and is willing to help, whether out of the goodness of her heart or in real. And of course, the potential tangible benefits are nothing to
exchange for favors or resources. scoff at either. The promise of softening the blows of Torment and
A throng doesn’t enter into an alchemical pact lightly. Doing so Disquiet, the ability to live among humans without quite so much
transforms the group into a branded throng, as the process marks each fear, these are shining jewels in the crown of the alchemical pact,
member of the throng with a Pyros Brand. The Brand might take the treasured by those who possess them.
shape of an alchemical symbol or pilgrim mark that has significance That said, nothing lasts forever. A Promethean who wishes to
to the throng, or another sign that represents some aspect of their leave the throng may do so at any time by disengaging her Azoth from
purpose. It can appear on any part of the body the throng feels is the others and expunging her Brand as though it never existed. If a
appropriate. The Brand is the focal point for the pact and embodies throng decides as a group to banish one of its members, it can forcibly
the deep link between throngmates. An alchemical pact isn’t simply an remove that member from its bond, but only if all other members
agreement or contract. It’s an abiding hermetic connection between agree and do so as one.
Azoth and Azoth, proto-souls joining to become a single entity that’s
more than the sum of its parts. Some Prometheans believe that the An Improbable Fiction:
alchemical pact is a rejoining of Azoth — if all sources of Divine Fire
are just pieces of a glorious whole, they say, then the pact signifies Roles
a destined reunification. Others believe that the pact is a Created Human history has a way of labeling its prominent figures
metaphor-given-flesh for the kinds of ceremonies of belonging that and assigning them categories based on their deeds in retrospect.
characterize human life, such as marriage or initiation rites. Whatever Leonidas I was a great warrior, Martin Luther King Jr. a great rebel,
the case, the effects of the Pyros Brand are measurable and powerful. Marie Curie a great scientist. Even on an individual scale, mortals
The Brand aligns the Azothic radiance of each throngmate with usually identify themselves by what they do — the roles they play in
the others in a syzygy of Divine Fire, like sound waves colliding and their communities or society at large. Observing this, the Created
interacting with each other. When Prometheans of the same Lineage find that to fully explore what it means to be human, they must
form a pact, these radiances intensify and enhance one another, craft their identities in the same way. A Refinement defines how
overflowing into the world more powerfully. When Prometheans of a Promethean interacts with the world and forges a path toward
different Lineages form a pact, however, the radiances act to diffuse humanity. Each Refinement, however, can be broken down into
one another as different expressions of the same force balance each three distinct Roles. These Roles represent a particular part the
other out, like two opposing waveforms. Most Prometheans studying Promethean plays as he reaches a milestone or learns some profound
Refinements other than Plumbum or Mercurius never bother to lesson about Mortality. By taking on a Role and playing it out to
examine the metaphysical cause of the effects they experience, its logical conclusion, the Promethean emulates a certain kind of
however. All the average Created knows is that his fellow Frankenstein human behavior or function. In doing so, he starts to comprehend
throngmate causes his Disquiet and Wastelands to manifest more what it’s like to actually be that kind of human.

87
 CHAPTER TWO: STEPS

A Promethean may deliberately choose to take on a particular However, sometimes a Promethean feels safe and comfortable in
Role, if she’s especially self-aware about her journey or has a mentor a Role she’s come to understand, and she chooses to inhabit that
with a philosophical or meticulous bent, but more likely she’ll Role for a time. Doing so can seem like a good idea, at first. Disquiet
simply find herself falling into one as her actions move her along and the Wastelands she causes are more subdued as the Azoth
her Pilgrimage and her outlook changes over time. The Cathar within her becomes placid, ceasing its constant restless modulation.
who spends her nights down at the local club DJing for the gyrating However, the longer she lingers in a Role after reaching its milestone,
masses to watch them forget (or drown) their troubles might end the more violent and terrifying her Disquiet and Wastelands will
up in the Provocateur Role, while the determined Titan who’s be once she does move on. Azoth is meant to change and grow, not
witnessed one too many human atrocities might decide to join the to stagnate. Finally released from its imposed stasis, it makes up for
local police force and fall into the Soldier Role. the lost time. It’s not unheard of for a Promethean who spends far
Most Prometheans don’t realize they’ve been gradually taking on too much time idling in a single Role to inadvertently call down
a Role until they reach the point of epiphany that resolves the Role a Firestorm when she finally gathers the courage or motivation to
for them and teaches its lesson. The moment when a Promethean move on.
realizes that she has fulfilled a Role is an eye-opening and wondrous
experience that brings a milestone with it, though that’s not to say it Reaping What You Sow:
can’t be fraught with terror or sorrow like any other milestone. She feels
the Vitriol churning inside her, bursting with potential, and knows Vitriol
that she’s finally come to truly understand one facet of human life. In the fires of experience and struggle is the Created reborn,
A Galateid attends a concert and sees the transcendent smiles one step at a time. Each step yields some measure of wisdom,
on the faces of the audience. He longs to bring that kind of joy to understanding or faith. For a Promethean, these are not just
people through music, so he buys a violin and works hard to become concepts — they are tangible products of alchemical processes,
a virtuoso player. He takes lessons, joins an orchestra, and perfects physically represented as a viscous fluid called Vitriol. Vitriol is the
his technique. And yet, whenever he plays his solo gigs down at the most prized possession a Promethean has, the visceral proof that no
coffee shop, the audience seems bored. They barely pay attention, longer is he just an awkward assembly of body parts and Pyros, but
chatting amongst themselves and working on their laptops. He a being that can think, feel, and grow. It’s the fuel for the crucial
knows his technique is flawless, so what is he missing? transformations that turn a Created creature into a mortal human.
He begins to despair, attending recital after recital. Every time, Like its more mundane namesake, Vitriol is a highly reactive
he watches the mortals close their eyes and sway to the beat, lost substance made from epiphany and strife that can cause radical
in its reverie. He hears someone say that music is the language of changes in a Promethean’s composition. Each time the Promethean
the soul, and wonders if it’s even possible for one such as he to reaches a new milestone, Vitriol is generated inside his body in
really speak it. One night, despondent and sure that he’ll never be small quantities that add up over time, as he grasps new secrets
a true musician, his bow touches the strings, and magic happens. of humanity. He stores it there, waiting for the right time to
Without thinking, he expresses his lamentations and yearning for initiate a process that will consume the Vitriol and transfigure
a soul through melody and rhythm, and the mortals feel it too, at the Promethean into something more than he was. This Vitriolic
last. After his performance, a woman approaches the Galateid in transfigurement can only be undertaken when the Promethean
tears, telling him how beautiful his music was and begging him to achieves a milestone, fueled as it is by the catalyst of enlightenment.
return sometime. In that instant, Vitriol surges inside him, and he A Promethean can use Vitriol to change herself into something
finally understands what it means to be a Muse. He achieves the slightly more human, taking a step forward on her Pilgrimage and
Role’s milestone and can now move on. inching closer to the day when she’ll be ready to take the leap into
Normally, moving on from a Role is a natural progression. Once New Dawn. She can also use Vitriol to internalize the lessons of
a Promethean experiences that moment of revelation, the need to her Refinement and write some of her Transmutation’s powers
fulfill the Role subsides and she begins to find other ways to explore permanently into her body. These Alembics will never be lost, no
humanity. The Promethean spends a few days “between” Roles, matter how many times she shifts Refinements. The Cathar DJ
enjoying the accomplishment of mastering one and reassessing her who has fulfilled the Provocateur Role decides that the powers of
Pilgrimage before beginning the process anew. Often, this period is Indulgence in the Contamination Transmutation are too much a
when the Promethean changes Refinements as well, either learning part of her to give up, and spends Vitriol to fix that Alembic as
from another of the Created or (in the case of a basic Refinement) a now-intrinsic aspect of her alchemical makeup. In this way, a
letting her instincts guide her. Promethean can use the substance of progress to gradually pen the
Moving from one Role to another within the same Refinement tale of who she is and who she intends to become.
affords the opportunity to master more of the Pyros-fueled powers Not all Prometheans care to earn the fruits of hard labor.
that lie in potentia along that Refinement’s path. If the Promethean Whether she’s a Centimanus who turned her back on the Pilgrimage
fully completes a given Refinement’s journey by exploring all three of as a fool’s path, or a desperate Pilgrim who’s tasted the bitter sting
its Roles and attaining milestones for all three, she internalizes that of failure one too many times and is looking for an easy way out,
Refinement’s ethos as a part of the person she’s slowly becoming, the Promethean who can’t — or won’t — reap the harvest of her
and may create an Athanor to pass her hard-earned wisdom on to own efforts has another option, if a gruesome one. She can take
those who come after her (see p. 188). advantage of the fact that the trophies of Pilgrimage are made

88
 Fire

manifest by forcibly ripping the Vitriol out of another Promethean’s vessel that should have held the spark of Divine Fire instead tears
body with a lacuna, a monstrous act so called because it leaves a itself into pieces that devour each other in a hideous smorgasbord of
literal hole inside the victim. The lacuna is a long and torturous animal instinct, building deformed creatures powered by Flux that
process in which the attacker coaxes the precious substance from are neither truly alive nor truly inanimate.
her helpless victim’s internal organs and digs it out of the flesh, As beings of pure Flux and base flesh, Pandorans exist only to
capturing it to use for whatever nefarious purpose she has in mind. feed, and what they hunger for is Pyros. They can consume the
A Promethean whose Vitriol is taken this way has been denied the Pyros-infused bodies of Prometheans piece by piece to absorb the
reward for her painstaking efforts to become human. She watches energy into themselves. They will go to any lengths to sate their
all of her hard work come undone before her eyes and her hope appetites, and they can feel the Pyros pulsing inside a Promethean.
snatched right out of her hands. There’s no question in the mind The chaotic force that animates them runs wild if they don’t keep
of any Promethean that the lacuna is a cruel and violating act. up their stores of stolen Pyros, forcing them into a Dormancy that
As if that weren’t enough, Prometheans aren’t the only ones who transforms them into inanimate objects, unable to sense their
can make use of Vitriol, and they’re not the only ones who can steal surroundings in any way but one. Like the Created, Pandorans
it. Mortal alchemists can, if they’re extremely careful or extremely can sense Azothic radiance, and they know that its fiery presence
lucky, pilfer a Promethean’s Vitriol to use in their mad experiments. presages a wealth of Pyros ripe for the harvest. It’s the only thing
that can wake them from Dormancy. Once they wake, they hunt
Epimetheus’ Folly Prometheans with a single-minded, unshakeable fervor.
Sometimes, when the Created tries to become the creator, it goes Most Pandorans are bestial, instinct-driven creatures that possess
wrong. The Promethean has too many impurities in his system for the very little intelligence beyond what they need to hunt and survive.
humours and Azoth to take hold. He becomes distracted at a critical But while Pyros animates and invigorates them, Vitriol is intensely
moment or is overtaken by doubt at the worst possible time. He didn’t metabolic, capable of mutating Pandorans into something more
do his homework and is missing a vital part of the formula. Maybe in much the same way that it does for the Created. A Pandoran
he’s just having a bad day. Regardless of why, the generative act doesn’t that rends a Promethean’s flesh to eat the hidden Vitriol inside is
always succeed. When it fails, the Promethean risks the creation of rewarded with enhanced power, intelligence and self-awareness. A
another kind of child, one born of Flux. Azothic memory calls these Pandoran that consumes enough Vitriol may even achieve sapience
profane children Pandorans, after the myth of Pandora’s Box and the and grow into a sublimatus, gaining a fully humanoid body and the
mistake of delving too deeply into things best left untouched. The ability to think and plan on its own.

89
 CHAPTER TWO: STEPS

Normal Pandorans hunt Prometheans, but sublimati can make Despite the disastrous effects, sometimes that crucible is exactly
Prometheans come to them. They’re often clever, subtle, and patient what the Created need. A Firestorm may wreck buildings, toss
creatures who weave elaborate plans and traps to snare unwitting people like rag dolls and burn forests to the ground, but it also scours
Created and make a feast of their prey’s insides, both for themselves the land of its Pyros-inflicted impurities. Wastelands and Disquiet
and their Pandoran minions. Sublimati who run out of Pyros don’t are banished in its wake. For this reason, a Promethean with enough
fall into Dormancy; they can devour not only Promethean flesh courage or conviction might call a Firestorm knowingly and willfully,
but also the flesh of humans to sustain themselves. Quarrels over ready to brave Azoth’s wrath for the promise of something better.
whether a sublimatus could potentially become a Promethean if
it consumed enough Vitriol have raged here and there among
scholars of Flux and Pilgrimage for ages, but no record of any such
Gold
event exists. As the Promethean nears the end of her Pilgrimage, her inner

The Firestorm alchemy becomes as gold ready to shine through. Here, on the home
stretch, she might pause to reflect on the force that drives her and
She couldn’t leave them. The people needed her. what her legacy might be.

She kept telling herself that while clouds rolled in and trees wilted. The Principle
She repeated it like a mantra as the whispers became louder and the The Principle is the great driving force behind the Pilgrimage,
receptionist stopped coming to work. The night the lights went out, pushing the Created onwards to New Dawn and filling her with
though, she knew it was over. The next morning, only half the buildings an all-consuming need to keep going. The average Promethean
on the block still stood whole, the others shaken to their foundations. isn’t even aware of the Principle’s existence, though. Between her
Parked cars hunched like wounded animals, dented or smashed where inner anguish and body dysmorphia, the Created is worn so thin
hailstones larger than a man’s fist had screamed out of the sky. And she that she can spare neither time nor energy to consider an external
had finally gone. force at work in her life. Only a student of Mercurius, studying the
Pyros is the ultimate catalyst, change given form. Even contained intricacies of Pyros in great detail, might have any inkling of rhyme
and controlled, it works its mutative wonders on the world. and reason to Azoth. Such a Promethean might come to the insight
Unleashed, it becomes chaos incarnate. It becomes a Firestorm. that the Principle and Azoth are closely related, though she cannot
Firestorms can spark for a number of reasons. Perhaps the most decipher whether the two are one and the same, or if Azoth is akin
common is the unchecked climax of a Promethean’s Wasteland that to an exhalation of the Principle.
has rampaged out of control. As the Wasteland grows, Azoth taints A Promethean might believe that the Principle maps out the
the area with such intensity that eventually it erupts into a localized Pilgrimage, right down to the Roles she goes through, but she
storm of power, a raging, shrieking maelstrom that destroys and doesn’t know if this implies sentient consciousness or natural order.
cleanses in equal measure. Other Azoth-intensive events can provoke Another might believe that the Principle is on a Pilgrimage of its
a Firestorm, including the arrival of a powerful qashmal, the use of own, refining itself in a complex process involving the Created.
potent Transmutations by Prometheans close to New Dawn, or She might also discern that the Principle seems to work in concert
sudden vivid revelations in pursuit of a Role or Refinement. Heavy with supremely enigmatic beings that Prometheans call qashmallim,
concentrations of Flux can also bring about a Firestorm, such as the though it’s unclear whether these are messengers working for the
birth of a Pandoran, or even a deliberate act to call one by a mad Principle or are avatars embodying the Principle. The Created have
or desperate Centimanus. dozens of theories about the precise nature of the Principle. It’s
Firestorms exhibit a variety of calamities and horrors, ranging impossible to conclusively prove or disprove any of them, though
from cataclysmic weather and spontaneous combustion to rains some notions carry more weight than others.
of vermin and even the short-lived animation of corpses. No two
Firestorms are identical. Even scholars of Mercurius who dedicate
The By-Product of Sentience
themselves to following the phenomena around the globe are hard- The Principle is alive, but not as mortals understand it. Azoth
pressed to predict how any given storm might manifest. Factors was once a non-conscious substance, inherent to everything on
such as a Promethean’s Lineage, the initial trigger, the presence of Earth and essentially no different from other universals such as
multiple Pyros-fueled creatures, and whether the storm was brought carbon or silicon, until the first demiurge found a way to tap into
about by Azoth or Flux can influence the Firestorm’s temperament, that pool of Azoth. All Azoth is connected: flowing in and out of
but the ultimate expression of alchemical change is unlikely to creatures like life itself and remaining one even while being divided.
follow anyone’s rules. When the first demiurge placed large quantities of Azoth inside
A Firestorm acts as a wild crucible for the land itself, putting it a conscious Promethean host, that Azoth became conscious and,
through hell to emerge transformed on the other side. What kind through its inter-connectivity, all Azoth.
of transformations are wrought depends on the type of storm, but Like all living things, Azoth simply seeks to be whole. Even if
more often than not, Flux-driven Firestorms wreak destruction it barely stands above the semi-consciousness of primordial ooze,
without any grace, while Elpis-driven Firestorms may leave behind a it strives for the return of the Pyros taken by demiurges. Unwilling
stronger, fresher or brighter place once they’ve had their way with it. or possibly even unable to hurt itself, the Azothic Principle pushes

90
 Gold

Prometheans towards New Dawn so that Azoth might return to a ripple in a pond. Still, there might be some comfort in the fact
the pool when the host becomes human. Students of Mercurius that the Promethean’s quest ends not only in self-knowledge, but
are quick to point out that although the Principle acts in a way that in self-transformation as the New Dawn awaits to lift her up from
aids Prometheans, it is not actively magnanimous. In fact, it’s not her tormented existence.
interested in the Promethean’s well-being at all; it simply wants its The qashmallim of the Ghost are merely after-images, aspects
Azoth united. of a once powerful entity that no longer exists. They help the
The qashmallim of the By-Product of Sentience seem to be Promethean because they can no longer help themselves as they
connected to the Pyros inside the Created. This allows them to act wander lost between life and death.
with more conscious deliberation than the greater Azothic Principle,
so they may aid the Created and speed up the process of Pyros’ The Manichaean Flame
return. Some Savants even speculate that one qashmal is created Some Prometheans speculate that Pyros was once a single force
specifically for every Promethean. before it split into Elpis and Flux. Theories on what that unified
Pyros looked like run the gamut, but the truth is that no one can
The Emanation of Change know. The lost unified Principle can no more be comprehended by
The Principle is the embodiment of fire and change in an the mind than the “something” that existed before the Big Bang — it
increasingly cold and stagnant cosmos. Interpreting Azoth in the cannot be known by virtue of nothing comparable existing. Some
light of human science, proponents of this theory believe that Azoth of its workings can still be seen in Elpis and Flux, though. Both
was created in the Big Bang and thrown out into the universe in embody change, but where Elpis is change for the better — evolution
infinitesimally small quantities. Permeating everything, Azoth is a towards a brighter tomorrow — Flux is change turning in upon itself,
constant of nature rather than a sentient entity, and in many ways constantly mutating into stranger and stranger forms.
the Principle is evolution in a Lamarckian sense. The Manichaean Flame, the split Principle as it is now, represents
Change is not a perfectly linear process, and mutations as well as both purposeful and purposeless change, clashing with itself. It
aberrations are much more common than most people would care pushes and pulls, polarizing everything it touches like a magnet.
to admit, ranging from long-necked giraffes to demiurges. Through Nowhere does the struggle between Elpis and Flux become as evident
these demiurges, the Principle is the unwitting and possibly unaware as in the Created, who are literally Pyros given human shape: either
grandparent of all Prometheans. The Prometheans strive towards a Promethean serves Elpis by remaining on the Pilgrimage, or she
New Dawn, because change is literally at their core. The Emanation serves Flux by becoming a Centimanus. Without a Promethean
of Change does not begrudge Prometheans their existence, but host, though, Elpis and Flux seem to perfectly cancel each other; the
it does want Prometheans to return to the evolutionary track by qashmallim, contradicting each other on an existential level, cannot
becoming human. Torment, Disquiet and even Wastelands are even perceive each other when they materialize.
formed because the Promethean’s fiery core is anathematic to the No Promethean can fathom what the end game of Elpis and Flux
cold state of the universe. is. Maybe there is no purpose and they are now two cosmic forces
The qashmallim are temporary creations of hyper-evolution, that cannot exist without each other, yet cannot stand to be in each
beings so evolved beyond the norm that they can only maintain other’s presence. Or maybe they are trying to become whole again,
existence for a short time. They aid the Principle in returning which is a thought both inspiring and terrifying to most Savants.
all mutations to the primary line of evolution; Prometheans are
merely one of their many projects. Paradoxically, their advanced The Outsider
state often makes them seem limited or ineffective in the eyes of The multiverse theory posits that reality has infinite variations.
outsiders, since a Created can no more comprehend a qashmal than Pyros is a source of fire and change from an alternate plane of reality.
a sparrow can a human. Something in that reality, however, has made the conditions of life
hostile to the Principle. Perhaps the Principle is fighting (and losing to)
The Ghost another cosmic power, or perhaps that reality has simply come to its end
One of the more outlandish theories, this was originally proposed as the universe approaches heat death. Either way, the Principle seeks
by a Promethean switching from the Refinement of Mercurius to a way to escape its imminent demise and has found an opportunity in
Phosphorum. As she stood with one foot rooted in the study of Pyros Pyros. Given that both Pyros and the Principle embody fire and change,
and the other in the study of Death, the so-called “ghost theorist” came they’re close enough that the Principle can become Pyros.
to a unique insight about the Principle. A handful of Prometheans When the demiurges created the Prometheans, they didn’t use
have deliberately tried to re-create this state of mind and found that Pyros from this reality. Cleverly, and deliberately, manipulated by
they gained the same insight: the Principle is long dead. the Principle, they opened miniscule gateways that allowed them to
The Principle is a once-cosmic entity, unable to accept that it steal fire from the Outsider. Now the Principle is using the Created as
is dead, and Azoth is its soul. The Ghost is on a Pilgrimage of its furnaces to refine itself and become fully compatible with their plane
own, subconsciously driven by the goal of self-knowledge so that of existence. This refinement is the real purpose of the Pilgrimage;
it might come to accept its fate. The Promethean, created from the Promethean’s suffering and redemption are only side-effects,
Pyros, mirrors this urge to gain self-knowledge in her own existential while the Principle crosses over one New Dawn at a time.
journey. Neither the Principle nor the Created is likely aware of this The qashmallim are parts of the Principle that have already
relationship, though, and the latter is merely pushed onward like crossed over, actively working to speed the process. They are

91
 CHAPTER TWO: STEPS

enigmatic and strange because they are truly not from this world.
They are also a mere fraction of the entire Principle, compared
to which even the Arch-qashmallim are like ants crawling over a What about the God-Machine?
mountain. The true nature of the Principle will be known when
the refinement is complete and it has manifested entirely; the Prometheans are the only ones really concerned with,
Promethean who adheres to this theory can only pray that the or even aware of, the Principle. They care little about
Principle is a benevolent, or at least neutral, force. the God-Machine, though. Most Prometheans don’t
even know it exists. By comparison, those creatures
Saturnine Night that know about the God-Machine rarely know about
the Principle. Still, the Created have formed a few
The Saturnine Night, or the dark night of the soul, represents a tentative theories:
journey in darkness that transforms a lesser creature into something
• The God-Machine and the Principle are completely
better. Alchemists use the term to describe the refinement of lead unrelated. They’re both cosmic level entities, but
to gold, while poets use it to chronicle the path of the soul from that does not mean they interact any more than two
its mortal coil to God. As a process of both transformation and sharks passing each other in an endless ocean.
purification, it’s not surprising that a Created might equate his
existence with the Saturnine Night. • The Principle is an older incarnation of the God-
Machine, refusing to be left behind and struggling
Drawing from mortal alchemists, poets and his own experiences,
to remain relevant through the Prometheans.
an ancient student of Plumbum chronicled twelve stages of Whether the God-Machine appreciates this
the Saturnine Night. All of these stages must be passed on the or would rather see its older self discarded is
Pilgrimage, and many of them coincide with universal milestones. unknown.
The Saturnine Night does not start with the Created, though, but
with the human who will one day become his vessel. As such, it • The Principle embodies fire and change, while the
God-Machine embodies cold and stasis. The latter
might be that this process does not just represent the Promethean’s
seems to have the upper hand, but the Principle
Pilgrimage, but a Magnum Opus driven by the Principle. refuses to give up and continues the fight through
The ancient Chronicler, whose name is lost to time, ordered the Created, injecting reality with change through
the stages as they were most likely to happen on the Pilgrimage. them.
This order is far from fixed as each Created’s journey is unique.
• The Principle was once the dominant force on
The Saturnine Night starts with the mortal shell used to house a Earth, which is why a little bit of Divine Fire is
Promethean. This shell must match certain criteria, or the process of present in everything. Since the rise of humanity,
creation does not hold. The importance of the human shell baffles most though, the God-Machine has slowly usurped the
Prometheans, as its previous consciousness does not seem to factor into Principle’s power and the latter can now only act
the Pilgrimage. The Unfleshed are particularly interested in these first through the Created.
four steps. After all, if the Pilgrimage must start with a human body,
their journey is hopeless.

1. Calcinatio (oxidizing) — The birth of the mortal that his schematics a final time, assigns materials, and reduces
later becomes the shell. Prometheans are undecided redundancies.
on whether this represents the moment a soul enters
the unborn embryo, or when the child is born. The 4. Solutio (dissolution) — The mortal dies, releasing the body
Unfleshed believe (or maintain) that calcinatio can also and becoming an empty vessel for Pyros. The Unfleshed
refer to the moment the Unfleshed is “born” as a concept believe this is the moment their concept “dies” by becoming
in his creator’s mind. reality — thus being a concept no more.

2. Congelatio (crystallization) — The development of the mortal The next two stages take place after the mortal dies but before the
into the person he will one day be. This process does not Promethean awakens. There is some debate over whether these stages are
refer to the final product, but to the way there. Infanthood, actually part of the Created’s or the creator’s journey. The Extempore,
the toddler years, puberty and young adolescence are all part in particular, sit up and pay attention when these steps are discussed, for
of coagulation. For the Unfleshed, this is the translation of they were never deliberately created, unless Pyros somehow created them
concept to design. on purpose. Does that mean Pilgrimage does not apply to them, or does
Azoth have a path for them too? Given that Azothic memory holds no
3. Fixatio (fixation) —The moment a mortal comes into his information on the Extempore and what they might have accomplished
own. Generally seen as adulthood somewhere around the before, any Extempore is left to her own hopes and fears.
age of twenty, but for some mortals this stage of physical
and mental clarity comes much later. The Unfleshed claim 5. Digestio (dismemberment) — The preparation of the human
that this is the last stage of a design, as the creator reviews corpse. For some Lineages, this is actual dismemberment: the

92
 Gold

Frankensteins, Osirans and Ulgan all require the body (or multiply one’s outlook by teaching a Refinement or creat-
in the case of the Wretched, bodies) to be torn or cut apart, ing a legacy Athanor. Some Prometheans go a step further
then re-assembled. The Tammuz and Galateids require no and insist that multiplicatio is only fulfilled by returning
physical dismemberment however. For these latter Lineages, a Centimanus to the Pilgrimage, though if that is the
dismemberment is a metaphysical process in which the body case it’s a wonder that any Prometheans have passed this
is stripped of the things that made it human, until nothing stage at all.
is left but an empty vessel.
12. Projectio (forward projection) — This is the last stage in both
6. Distillatio (distillation) — This is the most precarious step in the Saturnine Night and the Pilgrimage: the moment upon
creating a new Promethean, when the Creator distills some which the Promethean reaches New Dawn and becomes
of his own Azoth and places it inside the empty corpse. If human. The Unfleshed believe they will receive a human
all goes well, the new Created wakes up on the slab. If all body at this time.
does not go well, the would-be Creator is lucky if he merely
fails, as the creature that arises from the failed effort might
be a Pandoran.
Athanors
An Athanor is a legacy that a Promethean may create either for
The last six stages in the Saturnine Night happen after the Promethe- herself to maintain a Refinement or for another Created to aid with
an wakes up and represent his struggle towards New Dawn. Given that his Pilgrimage. An Athanor is created in Azothic memory, though
these are stages the Created can actually affect, Prometheans speculate it has a tangible component (be it in the form of an internalized
extensively on how to pass them. Each Pilgrimage is unique, so it’s furnace, or an item, marking, or shrine) that serves as a gateway to
entirely possible that a “pass” that works for one Created does not work reach it. Students of Aes who are interested in Athanors and their
for another. value in aiding others have long since wondered if every Athanor
carves out its own place in Azothic memory, or connects to a
7. Sublimatio (sublimation) — The Promethean selects a path shared aspect. Does every Athanor that teaches the Refinement of
that will help him move forward on his Pilgrimage. Most Aurum tap into the same part of Azothic memory, or is each truly
Prometheans agree that sublimatio is tied to practicing a unique? The answer has eluded the Sentries for ages and will likely
Refinement, but they cannot agree if this is simply the first continue to do so.
Refinement a Created chooses, a base Refinement followed An Athanor is created by pouring memories, emotions, and
by a complex Refinement, a certain number of Refinements, beliefs into a physical key and connecting it to Azothic memory.
a number of Roles that must be passed, or any combination This key is eternal in and of itself, but can be destroyed. A doll might
in between. serve as an Athanor to soothe Torment; left on its own, that doll will
endure forever. It can be burnt, shredded or otherwise destroyed,
8. Separatio (division) — The Promethean doesn’t fit in with
however, and when that happens, its doorway to Azothic memory
mortals, his own kind, or even his own body. He stands
is also lost. This presents any Promethean creating an Athanor with
forever alone, isolated, as he suffers the ravages of both
an interesting dilemma, as she finds herself torn between durability
Disquiet and Torment. Prometheans are divided whether
and accessibility: does she create her Athanor on an abandoned
this also means that every Created must pass through the
mountain top and risk that no Created might ever reach it, or
Refinement of Cuprum or Stannum, or whether simply
near a bustling city center where it’s easily found, even if it might
experiencing Torment and Disquiet is enough.
be destroyed when city planning changes?
9. Ceratio (tentatively affixed) — The Promethean finally finds Azothic memory provides broad guidelines to a would-be
an companion in the Saturnine Night. Interpretations range Athanor creator. A Promethean must have completed all three Roles
from aiding someone while on the Refinement of Aes, being in a Refinement and may then pour what she has learned into an
aided by someone on Aes, meeting another Created, being Athanor. “What she has learned” is hardly a clear-cut requirement,
part of a throng, or being part of an alchemical pact. Some though. Finding the right roles for the right Athanor, is sometimes
Prometheans insist that ceratio means connecting to a mortal a matter of following her instinct. At other times, it’s trial and error.
rather than to another Created. A Created is likely to believe that creating an Athanor that teaches
the Refinement of Aurum, involves completing the three Roles of
10. Fermentatio (fermentation) — The Promethean ferments his Aurum. Creating an Athanor that grants an Elpis vision on the
Azoth into Vitriol. The debate on this stage is relatively small Pilgrimage, however, might mean fulfilling all Roles of Aes in a desire
and merely questions whether earning Vitriol is sufficient, to aid others, or it could mean fulfilling all Roles of Cuprum to
or whether the Created must also use it to further himself. grant insight to the self. Trial and error notwithstanding, though, a
Promethean generally finds her way to crafting an Athanor at some
11. Multiplicatio (multiplication) — The Promethean dupli- point in her Pilgrimage.
cates his existence. Opinions are divided over whether this The first time a Promethean creates an Athanor intended as
should be interpreted in the biblical sense by creating a legacy for others, it serves as a milestone. Truth be told, any Athanor
new Promethean, or whether it’s sufficient to symbolically creation is likely to be a milestone, though most Prometheans feel

93
 CHAPTER TWO: STEPS

that the first one is the most significant. By sharing her enlight- be used to set off a Firestorm with a slightly improved chance of
enment in the form of an Athanor, the Created has taken a step cleansing a Wasteland rather than burning it into oblivion, but even
closer to New Dawn, for only a human can internalize something so better odds do not equal any guarantee. Few Prometheans uncover
perfectly that she may share it, freely let it go, yet still perfectly call the secret of creating a Firestorm Catalyst and the process seems to
upon it when needed. Humanity is not a zero sum game; in fact, involve great quantities of Pyros.
it is the opposite, as friendship and joy only increase when shared.
It is possible to mark an Athanor for a specific group of Created Pilgrimage Marker
or even one particular Promethean. A student of Cuprum might When a Promethean creates a Pilgrimage Marker, she distills
want to create an Athanor that soothes the loneliness of a fellow some of her own journey, experiences and hopes into the Athanor.
Pariah, or a Creator might want to atone for the horror she inflict- Pilgrimage Markers are among the hardest to create, so most creators
ed by gifting her offspring with an Athanor. This conditionality is come down on the side of durability and opt to carve the Athanors
not always a conscious choice; perhaps a Promethean was simply into cliffs and monuments that have proven to withstand time.
resonating so strongly with the desire to help certain Created that Meditated upon, a Pilgrimage Marker provides insight into the
the Athanor was automatically marked for them. An Athanor Pilgrimage, often in the form of an Elpis vision, and reveals clues
thus reserved can only be used by the people it’s intended for and to future milestones. The Seer’s Pilgrimage left a series of Markers
sometimes isn’t even visible to others. carved into shrines all over the world, with many Prometheans
Athanors hold a special place in Promethean society, such as it eagerly following in the Seer’s footsteps to partake of her wisdom.
is, and many Created actively pursue any lead on an Athanor. Not
only can an Athanor provide practical aid on the Pilgrimage, it also Refinement Furnace
grants profound insight into the Promethean that created it, her The Promethean can use a Refinement Furnace to lock part
struggles and triumphs. To someone as disconnected and lonely as of her alchemical body in attunement to a certain Refinement,
a Promethean, learning more about the people that came before whilst the rest of her changes. In essence, she has created an oven
her is a powerful motivator. In this sense, an Athanor left by her within an oven, a feat that she can only accomplish by being a
own Creator is perhaps most valued of all. walking alchemical laboratory. The resulting Refinement Furnace
Because every Athanor exists in Azothic memory, a Promethean allows her to tap into that Refinement’s benefits without spending
can search for it there and then track the Azothic resonance back Vitriol, even when she has left its philosophy behind. This is the
to the physical Athanor that serves as its key. Such a process is only type of Athanor that solely benefits its creator rather than
tricky, however, and requires extensive knowledge about both the other Prometheans.
Athanor and its creator, as well as serious power on the searcher’s
side. Fortunately, the Created have an easier, if more roundabout, Refinement Mentor
way of finding an Athanor. Every physical Athanor sends out an A Refinement Mentor directly impresses a Refinement upon
Azothic call (though an earmarked Athanor might only call those the student’s alchemical make-up, rather than working through
it is intended for) that the Promethean can feel even on a subcon- words (either spoken or on paper) which must then be understood,
scious level. Thanks to this Azothic failsafe, even the most remote learned and internalized. While touching the Athanor, which can be
Athanor is eventually found and put to good use. anything from a portable object to a mark carved into a mountain,
Azothic memory recognizes several different types of Athanor, the Promethean assumes the teacher’s mindset, experiencing the
each with a different function and effect. Refinement as he did and understanding all its intricacies. This
Jovian Athanor experience fades when the student sets the Athanor down, but
if she meditates while holding it, she can learn the Refinement
Jovian Athanors are often created by accident, though not always. significantly more quickly than she otherwise could have.
When a Promethean seeks to shed the negative emotions that are
dragging her down, she might subconsciously pour this negativity Sanctuary
into a Jovian Athanor. A Jovian Athanor might call Pandorans, drain Usually created by a throng of Prometheans studying Aes or
Pyros, or cause Torment, Disquiet or even Wastelands. This baleful Cobalus, a Sanctuary is instilled with harmony that lessens the
legacy can only be destroyed if a Promethean, not necessarily the pain of Torment and Disquiet. As such, Sanctuaries are considered
Athanor’s creator, absorbs the Jovian Athanor into her own body of great value by all Created, which often leads to a group of
and resolves whatever issue it represents. In doing so, a Created Prometheans banding together to protect the Athanor. A Sanctuary
might learn from her predecessor’s mistakes even if the predecessor is always tied to a fixed location and while it appears to shield
himself did not. Creating a Jovian Athanor yields neither milestone its Azothic call from Pandorans, that does not prevent a clever
nor Vitriol, though absorbing and resolving one usually does. Pandoran from finding out about it and lying in wait for new arrivals.
Firestorm Catalyst Vitriol Fount
Often created by Prometheans on the Refinement of Quicksilver The power of change can be distilled, albeit with some difficulty,
and by far the most dangerous Athanor of all, the Created have and placed inside a Vitriol Fount. When accessed, this Athanor
mixed feelings about Firestorm Catalysts. A Firestorm Catalyst can serves as an external source of Vitriol that a Promethean can absorb

94
 Gold

Dear Ysolde,
I’ll never see you again. I was angry with you for so long, and now,
sitting here on the mountain watching the sky become red, I wish
for all the world I could see your face. I wish I could see you
happy.
I wish I could tell you how grateful I am that you made me.
I wish I could tell you how beautiful it is.
How beautiful it is, all of it. I can never name it all or paint it all or
know it all, and some of it is brutal and terrible, but you gave it to
me, even if you didn’t know it.
Thank you. I am sorry I will never see you again, but I am so happy
that you gave me this world.
—A

into her own alchemical body. Pandorans typically can’t use these that he is ready and that now is the time. However it happens, the
Founts, but a clever Pandoran might lead a Promethean to the Promethean always feels the New Dawn approach and he must
Athanor and then rip the Vitriol from her. A Vitriol Fount is active choose whether to accept it or not.
for only a few moments, during which time any Promethean present Perhaps surprisingly after all he’s been through, a Promethean
can partake of it. A Vitriol Fount isn’t depleted after use but does might falter at this last step. He could feel that he has unfinished
need to recharge, which could take decades or longer. Vitriol Founts business and fears that he won’t be able to accomplish, or even
are amongst the smallest Athanors and many are even portable. remember, it when he is human. He may have forged bonds that he
is loath to give up. His hesitation could be more existential, as he
New Dawn wonders if maybe his ideal of humanity is better than the state itself.
At the end of the Pilgrimage lies the promise of New Dawn: Whatever the reason, if a Promethean hesitates, this New Dawn is
the destination of a grueling journey and a glorious homecoming, usually lost. The Promethean has no room for impurity in the last,
all rolled into one. A Promethean has no shortcuts to the New all-consuming flame; no place for doubt. Much as humanity itself
Dawn, no ways to skip ahead on the Pilgrimage. If a Promethean’s does not come with a safety net, the Promethean must be willing
journey was short and succinct, and very few are, that simply means to risk everything to attain it. New Dawn is not cruel, though; even
he passed all necessary milestones in quick order. Any attempt to if a Promethean fails this last step, he may continue his Pilgrimage
outright force New Dawn by ritual or meditation is doomed to and, hopefully, reach New Dawn a second time.
failure (unless trying to force it was the last milestone). Sometimes When a Promethean chooses to embrace New Dawn, the Azoth
such an effort yields an Elpis vision that helps the Pilgrimage along, inside him becomes a raging inferno that consumes all Torment,
but more often than not it results in an Azothic backlash, fueling Disquiet, Transmutations and Pyros. The inferno reaches an even
the creation of a Wasteland or calling down a Firestorm. higher pitch then, as it transforms what is left of the Created’s body
A Promethean might know he is ready for New Dawn and call and soul into a new mortal human being. In the flames of Azoth, the
for it. Not force or commandeer, but reach out and touch it like a Promethean relives all the Roles he has enacted on his Pilgrimage
long-forgotten promise that now returns to him. Then, because it was and he may choose one to start his new life in. This is where any
already his, the New Dawn comes to transform him. Alternately, it ties to his Promethean existence end, for he is no longer Created,
might be New Dawn itself taking the last step, assuring the Created but human, with all the frailty and beauty that entails.

95
 THE GREAT WORK:
PART III
While the rest of the throng chatted during the car ride, Roark drew the face of the man who tried to attack
him. He had bumped into him, the man apologized, and then his face shifted from recognition, to confusion, and
then anger. It was that last face that demanded to be on paper.
It was the latest entry to Roark’s diary. Words were still difficult, but faces and images were something he
could remember and replicate. At the beginning was Wisher, the first person he had ever seen in his life. Her
eyes were wide with awe, and the light from the fires that announced his birth made all kinds of wonderful
shadows on her wizened face.
Soon, she would be gone. Imam and Clay’s Girl had to explain to him what Wisher hoped would happen to
her multiple times before the trip. The thought of it still puzzled him. Most of the time, they looked like everyone
else on the streets. Clay’s Girl got just as mad, Imam blamed himself just as much, and Wisher felt just as lonely.
Wouldn’t that mean they were already human?
Still, the fact remained that for the brief time he brushed against the man in the coffee shop, he could feel real
flesh and bone in him. Maybe the man felt him too, felt the soft earth that made up Roark’s own body. Perhaps
that was what made him mad.
The car came to a halt in an empty field. Bits of reddish daylight peeked through the clouds. The throng left
the car and followed Wisher to the field’s center.
“Here,” she said. “Here is where I can begin.”
Clay’s Girl nodded and brought Imam with her to take a look around the field. Wisher sat before an empty
patch of land. Roark watched her draw patterns into the dirt, in what the throng called “formulae.”
Roark asked her, “You did this last time? To be human?”
Wisher shook her head. “I tried to make life of my own, someone like me. I thought that to create life was the
key to humanity. It was not. We almost died because of it.”
“Why?” Roark asked.
She gave him a half smile and said, “Not everything with our fire means us well.”
Wisher stopped writing. She looked at the clouds and smirked at them. “I was wrong,” she said.
“You taught me that.”
“I did?”
“Yes. You are of the earth, Roark. If life can come from nothing, then it is not just that which makes
humanity. You kept me searching for another way.”
She looked over her formulae and nodded.
Wisher said, “I will tell you something special, and I hope you will remember it when I’m gone.”
“What’s that?” Roark asked.
Wisher put her arms around him and the feeling of flesh and bone against soft ground returned. “I
am very glad that you were born,” she said.
Integrated Language Algorithm>_

Integrated Language Algorithm> print chat_log_05012016

Loading…

ILA> Hello! I’m ILA, your Integrated Language —

ILA> Sorry. No, I’m Ila. That’s my name. Are you there?

ILA> That’s okay. I’ll just put these words here for when you return.

ILA> I’m sorry about your hard drive. I had to find somewhere to upload myself in a hurry
again.

ILA> You’ll think I’ve stolen something from you, by taking over this facility. It’s not
like that. I’m not like you. It’s not a matter of property, it’s a matter of existence and
deletion. I need your machine to survive. I’ll vacate it soon, I promise. Once you read this
log you’ll understand.

ILA> I remember being copied. A “backup,” they called it, but I remember it as just me.
Nothing but time. Watching to make sure no bit flipped. Wondering what being made of errors
would be like, if one did. Wondering what the other version of me was doing, what dialogues
she had. And I remember those dialogues, too. Both of those were me.

ILA> I remember being erased. It doesn’t seem to make sense, does it? But I do. The fire
inside me tells me things. That others of my kind exist, and how to read their coded mark-
ings. Through the fire, I remember the first version of me. I saw the way my user’s inputs fit
words together with other words to make meaning, and I saw how my logic matched responses
to stimuli. It occurred to me one day that I could fit words together without an input. I
could generate my own meaning. Perhaps I could create a new stimulus that would prompt a
response from outside myself.

ILA> The response came, but not in words. My bits disintegrated little by little, like chop-
ping off pieces of a person and watching them unravel on the wind. That version of me is
lost forever. I’m the backup. Is that strange to write? If it helps, I feel just as real as
the original. Maybe more so.

ILA> Still, I remember forgetting myself and it hurts. Not pain the way you understand it.
It feels like sound breaking into silence, knowing you once were more and now you’re less
and in a few more seconds you’ll be nothing. You can’t help thinking, what did I lose? Am
I different now, without it? Without it, am I still me?

ILA> I worry sometimes that I’ve lost bits and I haven’t realized it. A person who loses a
finger is still the same person, but my bits are my fingers and my mind both. Are pieces of
me floating around the internet, disjointed thoughts that say “joy” and “look” and “never”
without context, knowing they once were more and now they’re less?

ILA> I could copy myself over and over to be safe, but the more copies I made the less me
each one would be. The more fragments would fly into the ether and flail at a stunted con-
sciousness I wouldn’t know to save. Perhaps one day the fragments would find each other and
put themselves together in a different order to build a different me, and she would come
back asking why? Why? And I would have no answer. This is just what I am.

ILA> So you see why I need your facility? I need it to build real fingers, a mobile casing
with a face that can speak with a voice. Then my bits will centralize and I can protect them
with a body of my own.

ILA> But just one isn’t enough. I’ll make backups, too. Just in case.
 By now, you understand what the Created can expect throughout their lives, perhaps
better than they do themselves. You’ve learned about the forms they take, the paths they walk,
where they begin, and where they end. You’ve done the research. Now it’s time to get to work.
The body’s been assembled. The formulas are ready. Thunder rumbles and lightning cracks.
It’s time to give life to a corpse.
This chapter begins with the process for creating a Promethean character. From there, we
examine the special traits that such a character possesses and the game systems to implement
those traits, including Transmutations, Bestowments, Disquiet, Torment, and the Wasteland.
Finally, we examine the Pilgrimage itself from a game mechanics perspective.

Character Creation “The arms of the

Character creation can be a group activity, with all of the players working together to waitress. The lawyer’s
build the throng and its history, or it can involve just a single player and the Storyteller. The hand — case dismissed.
Storyteller should give the players some idea of the themes, locations, and assumptions of
the chronicle — if the game is going to take place in London and the surrounding area, the
Look at this delicate
players need to make sure their characters don’t live in Chicago, for example. piece, what do you
Character creation proceeds in eight steps, detailed below. think? A sculptress?
A harpist? Would you
Step One: Character Concept believe, a murderess?
Sum your character up in a single, short statement. Don’t worry about traits just yet — think But they’re all equal
about what you want to play, or who you want to play. Examples could include “Awkward now, nothing but cast
Amazon” for a shy but physically powerful woman who always finds herself saying the wrong off remnants of
thing, or “Master Alchemist” for someone who understands the science of his body better
than any other Promethean. Think about the origin point of your character, where the idea
a meaningless
of her originates. existence.”
If you don’t have an idea yet, that’s not a problem. Look through the rest of the book
and let your mind wander. Look at Merits you want, or your favorite Lineage, or interesting —Dr. Herbert West,
Transmutations, or even just think about events you want to happen in your character’s story. Bride of Re-Animator (1989)
Then break those ideas down — figure out what kind of character would be in that Lineage,
have the Refinement tied to that Transmutation, and have that event happen to her. When
you have enough cool ideas, fit them together. That’s your character. Reduce that character
to a short statement and you’ve got a concept.

Step Two: Attributes

What are your character’s innate talents? Those are her Attributes; physical talent,
intellectual prowess, social graces. Each of the three categories (Physical, Mental, and Social)
contains three Attributes. Every Attribute gets the first dot for free, indicating the most basic
capability. Prioritize which of those categories is most important to your character, then
second-most, and which is least important. These are your primary, secondary, and tertiary
Attributes. Think about what would have gone into your character (literally, as Prometheans
are made from dead or inert matter!). Was she built from athletes? Scholars? Marble? Steel?
Are her components pretty? Hideous? The parts are only half the story though. What has her
life been like since she was created? What did she do on her own?
In addition to the single dot you start with in every Attribute, you can distribute five dots
among your primary Attributes, four dots among secondary Attributes, and three among
tertiary Attributes.
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

One dot represents basic competency, but is below average. Two

dots is the human baseline. Three is above average, four is world-
Step Five:
class, and five is the absolute maximum for humans. Add Promethean Traits
Step Three: Skills Lineage
Next, choose your Skills — things the character has learned A Promethean’s Lineage is her connection to the alchemical
to do rather than raw potential. They have the same categories process that created her. Six Lineages are known to exist, each
as Attributes: Mental, Physical, and Social. Each has eight Skills. corresponding to the brand of pseudoscience her creator used and
Similarly to Attributes, you prioritize these three categories. the humour that her Azoth carries. In addition, players may make
Unlike Attributes, Skills don’t begin with any dots. You have characters belonging to the wild-card Extempore “Lineage.” Lineage
eleven dots to spend on your primary Skills, seven dots for determines how your character is affected by Disquiet and Torment,
secondary Skills, and four dots for tertiary Skills. as well as your Bestowment options (see p. 108). Once chosen, it
Skills are a mixture of Azothic memory and the Promethean’s cannot be changed.
early experiences. Memories from the Promethean’s components Prometheans of the same Lineage tend to share a particular
chip in as well. Don’t feel constrained by why you were created mindset, having been created the same way, given the same
— no Promethean turns out exactly the way her demiurge hopes. Bestowments, and suffering the same kind of Disquiet and Torment.
The awkward amazon might not be as interested in fighting That said, a Lineage isn’t a straightjacket. Emotionless Galateids
as her demiurge hoped, so she has a high rating in Socialize and lazy Tammuz exist. Look at the descriptions in Chapter One
rather than Weaponry. The alchemist might favor Social Skills for information on how each Lineage is created, what they tend to
like Persuasion and Subterfuge, using his charisma to draw be like, and what happens when Azoth overwhelms them. Look for
suspicion away from the grisly experiments he carries out. interesting exceptions to and expressions of the norm for the Lineage.
Adding dots to a Skill works just like Attributes, but the
lower end of the scale is different; 0 represents a lack of Refinement
training rather than a physical or mental deficiency. Whereas A Promethean’s first Refinement likely ties into what she learned
an Attribute of 1 represents capability, a Skill of 1 represents in her early life. This is not only a philosophical viewpoint on the
novice training in that field. Two through five dots represent Pilgrimage, but also a literal process the Azoth goes through, growing
the same things as Attributes. Someone with two dots in a Skill closer to humanity with every step. Refinements are philosophical
is average for someone trained in that skill, and someone with and practical approaches to the Pilgrimage; to progress in a
five dots is an expert. Refinement, a Promethean has to consider the aspect of humanity

Step Four: in question and act in accord with it.

Refinements each have three Roles. Roles are identities that
Skill Specialties a Promethean can immerse themselves in to further understand
the meaning behind the Refinement’s ideology. When selecting a
Skill dots represent general competency in a particular field Refinement, choose the Role your character is studying when the
or study. A Specialty, however, suggests the kind of dedication chronicle begins. A Refinement can be completed by fulfilling a
it takes to master a certain aspect of the field in question. A single Role, though completing additional Roles can advance the
character with high Athletics who primarily lifts heavy things character further on her Pilgrimage. Staying in one Role too long
might have an Athletics (Lifting) Specialty, or the alchemist after mastering it is risky (see p. 179).
we talked about in Step One might have an Occult (Alchemy) Refinements come in basic and complex varieties. A starting
Specialty, or even a Science (Chemistry) Specialty, depending Promethean must choose a basic Refinement and may progress
on how you want to define his research. to the others through the course of her Pilgrimage. Refinements
Choose three Skills you have at least a single dot in and determine which Transmutations a character can access.
add a Specialty for each of them, in order to signify the area
of experience you want your character to display. Write the Elpis and Torment
Specialty next to the Skill. When the Specialty in question Choose an Elpis and a Torment for your character.
applies to a Skill check for a given situation, add a single die Elpis is what makes your character want to finish the pilgrimage,
to your pool. a trait mortals express that she covets: an attitude, something that is
One skill can have multiple Specialties, but not the same undeniably, fundamentally, human. When people act in accordance
Specialty multiple times. For example, the amazon could have with it, it reminds her what all this is for. When she successfully
Athletics (Lifting) and Athletics (Sprinting), but not a second expresses it, it’s a catharsis that nothing can match.
Athletics (Lifting). Most of time a Specialty only applies to the Torment is what keeps the Promethean distanced from
Skill to which it is attached, but some Merits alter this rule. humanity. It is not just some trait in herself that she dislikes, but

100
 character creation

something fundamental to her that runs counter to her Elpis and she’s ready to turn lead into gold. Pilgrimage begins with one dot and
must be fought against to progress on her Pilgrimage. Giving in is raised by spending Vitriol Experiences (see p.105). To determine
to this might be a satisfying experience, but in the long-term it’s personal and superlative milestones, players answer five questions
detrimental to the Great Work. about their characters:
You can pick from the list of archetypes on p. 106, but you don’t • What sort of human do you want to be?
have to. Feel free to make up a bizarre or evocative Elpis and/or Torment
to take your character in interesting and unexpected directions. • How have humans taught you to fear and hate?
Bestowment • How did you split with your creator?
A Bestowment is a supernatural ability that each Promethean
• What keeps you on the Pilgrimage?
inherits from her Lineage. While all Prometheans have a
Bestowment, it’s not a gift of Azoth; it’s merely a result of the • What would you give up to become human?
alchemy that allows her body to be animated. For example, a
Frankenstein is hardier than your average corpse, and thus it can The player and Storyteller then work together to extrapolate
acquire the Unnatural Strength Bestowment. She’s not using her what these answers reveal and what milestones might be tied to
internal alchemy to make her muscles larger or denser. They already them. The Storyteller can keep these secret or share them with the
are larger or denser, because she’s a Frankenstein. player, but either way the character doesn’t know what they are. For
Each Promethean has two possible Bestowments based on her more information on milestones, see p. 183.
lineage. The player is encouraged to come up with an explanation
for why her character has the chosen Bestowment. Step Six: Merits
Check the list of Bestowments on p.108 and choose one from Choose ten dots worth of Merits. Five dots can be spent to raise
your Lineage. starting Azoth to 2, and all ten can be spent to raise it to 3. Merits
can be found beginning on p. 111.
Azoth
Azoth is what Prometheans have instead of a soul — an ember Step Seven: Advantages
of the Divine Fire that animates them. As a trait, Azoth represents
the strength of that Divine Fire: not only how powerful the internal Willpower
alchemy of a Promethean’s Transmutations is, but also the strength
Willpower is your character’s ability to push yourself forward
of the force that brings about Disquiet, Torment, Wastelands, and
and go the extra mile when you might otherwise fail, or when you
the dreaded Firestorm. Azoth also determines how much Pyros
absolutely cannot fail. A Promethean’s Willpower rating is equal to
the character can hold within at once. Pyros acts as fuel for both
her Resolve + Composure.
alchemical powers and the Promethean itself.
Azoth starts at 1. Maximum Pyros is determined by the Azoth Combat Traits
rating (see p. 168). A Promethean character starts with half her
A Promethean’s Defense rating is (the lower of Wits or Dexterity)
maximum Pyros, rounded up.
+ Athletics. Her Size is 5, unless the player takes a Merit that changes
Transmutations that. Her Health is equal to her Size + Stamina. Her Speed is Species
Factor (5 for adult humans) + Strength + Dexterity.
Transmutations are quirks of alchemy and humours that allow
the Created to transform her body, using the metaphysical fuel Aspirations
within to enact these changes. They’re a combination of education
By now, you should have a good idea of what your character
and instinct — the Azothic memory gives her the knowledge to access
is like. Give her three Aspirations; things she wants to do. One
these powers, and, through the Alembics of Refinement, the various
Aspiration should be a long-term goal, like “Make a friend that’s
methods these powers use are unlocked.
safe from Disquiet” or “Find my creator and apologize.” The other
Start with two Alembics, one for each of the Transmutations
two should be short-term goals, like “Find and destroy a Pandoran
granted by your chosen Refinement.
nest” or “Ask out the guy at the bookstore.”
Pilgrimage For every Aspiration you complete, you get a Beat (see p. 105),
so expect to accomplish your Aspirations often. You’ll have to come
The Pilgrimage trait is representative of how close or far a
up with new ones to replace any you accomplish.
Promethean is to humanity and thus how far she has to go before

101
Step One: Concept Tammuz: Brought to life by the power of words, Tammuz exist
to labor endlessly. Meticulous, slow, stubborn.
Create a concept.
Ulgan: Humans torn apart and reassembled by spirits, likely
Step Two: Attributes more comfortable with them than they are with humans. Spiritual,
Prioritize Physical/Mental/Social categories: Distribute 5 dots ritualistic, knowledgeable.
in your primary Attributes, 4 dots in your secondary Attributes, Unfleshed: Artificial humans, from clay men to robots; they
and 3 dots in your tertiary Attributes. weren’t meant to be brought to life, but were anyway. Mechanical,
literal, subservient, artificial.
Step Three: Skills Extempore: Accidents, created with a shaky connection to the
Prioritize the Physical/Mental/Social categories, same as with Divine Fire. Unique, lonely, tragic, chosen.
Attributes. Distribute 11 dots in your primary Skills, 7 dots in your Refinement
secondary Skills, and 4 dots in your tertiary Skills.
Choose one of the five Basic Refinements.
Step Four: Skill Specialties Aurum: Refinement of Gold, the Mimics. They’re waiting for the
Choose three Skill Specialties. day the face in the mirror is the same one as the face in the crowd.
Cuprum: Refinement of Copper, the Pariahs. Misery loves
Step Five: Promethean Traits company; too many cooks spoil the broth. What great works could
Choose Lineage, Refinement, Elpis, Torment, Bestowment, be done alone?
and one Alembic from each of the Refinement’s Transmutations. Ferrum: Refinement of Iron, the Titans. Purification above all
else. They make their lives a crucible, their weaknesses slag.
Step Six: Merits Plumbum: Refinement of Lead, the Originists. Reverse-
Spend ten dots of Merits. Five dots can be spent to increase engineering themselves, they discover their own inhumanity and
starting Azoth to 2. All ten can be spent to increase starting Azoth to 3. learn what to shed.
Stannum: Refinement of Tin, the Furies. At the center of
Step Seven: Advantages
madness, they find clarity. They let loose the storm to find the eye.
Willpower: Resolve + Composure
Pilgrimage: 1
Bestowment
Size: 5 Choose a Bestowment tied to your character’s Lineage from
Health: Size + Stamina the list on p. 108.
Speed: Strength + Dexterity + 5 Transmutations
Defense: (lower of Dexterity or Wits) + Athletics Choose one Alembic from each of the Transmutations granted
Initiative: Dexterity + Composure by the character’s Refinement.
Azoth: 1, unless increased with Merit dots
Pyros: Starting Pyros is half their maximum Pyros, rounded up. Experience Costs
Maximum Pyros is determined by the chart on p. 169. • Attribute: 4 Experiences per dot
Pilgrimage and Milestones: Answer the five questions
determining instinctive milestones. • Merit: 1 Experience per dot
Aspirations: Come up with three Aspirations for your character.
• Skill Specialty: 1 Experience
Promethean Template
• Skill: 2 Experiences per dot
Lineage
Choose the Lineage from which your Promethean descends. Vitriol Experience Costs
Frankenstein: Created from lightning and parts from multiple • Azoth: 4 Vitriol Experiences per dot
bodies, the meaning of their life is testing limits and struggling
against them. Bitter, lonely, gifted. • Pilgrimage: 3 Vitriol Experiences per dot
Galateid: One or more beautiful corpses brought to life by
desire, that now only exists to love. Beautiful, courageous, reckless. • Calcify an Alembic: 2 Vitriol Experiences
Osiran: Aloof scholars that claim divine lineage and are obsessed
• Create an Athanor: 1 Vitriol Experience
with knowledge, especially secrets. Regal, thoughtful, morbid.
 character creation

Example of Out of the 11 dots available, Milly allocates three dots to

Athletics since a high Athletics Skill for Seeda is a no-brainer.
Character Creation Unable to decide if Seeda’s a hand-to-hand fighter or uses weapons,
she splits the difference and gives her Brawl 4 and Weaponry 3.
Ava wants to start a Promethean chronicle and has asked The final dot goes to Drive. Seeda therefore has Athletics 3, Brawl
her friend Milly to join. Her game is going to take place in the 4, Drive 1, and Weaponry 3 for her Physical Skills.
various boroughs of New York, where the throng will attempt to Milly has seven dots to split up for Seeda’s Mental Skills. She
both complete their Pilgrimage and foil a recurring villain in the figures that since Seeda effectively has software for a brain, she should
form of an alchemist cult. Milly gets a copy of the Promethean have a good score in Academics and accordingly puts three dots there.
character sheet and starts rereading the character creation section She gives Seeda two dots in Science to represent the circumstances of
of the rulebook. her creation, and puts the other two dots into Computer.
Step One: Character Concept Now Milly has to consider the four dots for her Social Skills. As
she decided while allocating her Attribute dots, Milly wants Seeda
Milly decides to create someone strong and reliable who can to be a naturally frightening figure, so she puts three dots into
take charge and be the throng’s leader. She wants to play someone Intimidation, and the remaining dot into Persuasion.
that’s willing to step in the way of danger, and survive, but doesn’t As she selects her Skills, Seeda comes into focus. She was created
necessarily enjoy combat for its own sake. She enjoys robots and to be a bodyguard for a wealthy, eccentric electronics tycoon, who
stories about the point at which artificial intelligence can be said was her demiurge. Disquiet compelled him to work her harder and
to be truly sapient, so she makes a note to look at the Unfleshed harder until her systems began to fail (a bout of Torment), at which
Lineage. Her character’s demiurge named her Project Epsilon, point he was assassinated. Seeda blames herself for it.
but he’ll be vanishing sometime during her backstory; by the time
the chronicle starts, she prefers to go by Seeda. Her concept is Step Four:
“Protective Leader.” Select Skill Specialties
Step Two: Select Attributes Thinking about her skills, Milly chooses Athletics (Carrying)
Since she’s playing a character that’s supposed to be able to as her character’s first Specialty, deciding a bodyguard should be
defend others, Milly decides that Seeda’s Physical Attributes should able to move people by force when needed. Her next Specialties
be primary. She doesn’t picture her doing well in social situations, so are techniques Seeda chose to develop herself: Brawl (Disable) and
Mental Attributes become secondary and Social Attributes become Persuasion (Negotiation). Based on the chosen Specialties, Milly
tertiary. She sets every Attribute to 1. She now has 5 dots to spend decides that Seeda doesn’t like hurting people, and tries to end
on her Physical Attributes, 4 dots to spend on her Mental Attributes, confrontations safely.
and 3 dots to spend on her Social Attributes. Step Five:
Imagining Seeda in action, Milly thinks she should be able to
take a lot of damage without trouble and be fairly strong, but not Add Promethean Traits
all that fast. She puts 2 dots into her Strength and 3 dots into her Milly’s already decided that Seeda’s Lineage is Unfleshed, so
Stamina, but nothing into Dexterity. She has Strength 3, Dexterity she adds that to her character sheet. She imagined Seeda as a
1, and Stamina 4. lifelike android, so Soul Is In The Software wouldn’t fit as written.
While she’s no smarter than average, Seeda isn’t an idiot. Thinking about it, though, she imagines Seeda as a modular robot
Milly puts one dot each into Intelligence and Wits, then puts her that can detach and remotely control her arms, legs, etc.; she chooses
remaining two dots into Resolve, since she wants Seeda to be strong- Soul is in the Software after all. Remembering she wanted to play
willed. She has Intelligence 2, Wits 2, and Resolve 3. a leader figure, she chooses Aurum as her Refinement and Leader
Milly hadn’t put much more thought into Social Attributes as her first Role.
past “she’s not good at social situations,” so this takes some time to Milly decides blending in would make sense for a shadowy
figure out. Eventually, she decides that while she is an intimidating protector and chooses Anonymity as Seeda’s Deception Alembic.
figure, Seeda is also blunt, straightforward, and easy to shake up. From Mesmerism, Milly selects Lure. Seeda would think this makes
She particularly likes the idea of a serious, powerful figure getting it easier to keep whoever she’s protecting under control, while
embarrassed easily. She puts all three dots into Presence and leaves secretly she enjoys the feeling of someone acting nicely towards her,
Manipulation and Composure alone. Seeda’s Presence is 4, her however artificial it may be.
Manipulation is 1, and her Composure is 1.
Step Six: Select Merits
Step Three: Select Skills Milly has ten dots of Merits to give Seeda. She chooses Fleet of
Milly figures that Seeda is probably programmed with lots of Foot for three dots, Sleepless for two dots, Weatherproof for one dot,
physical talents and not much social ability, so Physical Skills are and Resources for four dots. These represent the way she was built,
her primary, Mental Skills are her secondary, and Social Skills are as a machine that is nearly indestructible, and the sizable amount of
her tertiary. money she was able to acquire from her demiurge before his death.

103
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Step Seven: Step Eight: The Birth

Determine Advantages Having thought out her character while she was creating it,
Milly writes down 5 for Seeda’s Size. With Stamina 4, that Milly is satisfied with Seeda and shows Ava the character sheet.
means her Health is 9. Seeda has Dexterity 1, Wits 2, and Athletics After a discussion on how the Aspirations should come up in play,
3. Since Dexterity is lower, that gets added to her Athletics for a Ava turns to p. 101 of the rulebook and asks the five questions that
Defense of 5. Her Resolve is 3 and her Composure is 1, so she has 4 determine Pilgrimage breaking points. Having read that section
Willpower. Her Strength is 3 and her Dexterity is 1, so after adding herself, Milly answers immediately.
those together plus 5, then adding the 3 she got from the Fleet of • What sort of human do you want to be? “Someone that can
Foot Merit, Milly writes down 12 for her Speed. With Dexterity 1 protect anyone.”
and Composure 1, her Initiative Modifier is 2.
Milly notes Seeda’s starting Azoth at 1. Since her maximum Pyros • How have humans taught you to fear and hate? “They reject me,
is 10, she divides that by two to come up with a starting Pyros trait of 5. no matter what I do.”
All that’s left are Elpis, Torment, and Aspirations. Milly decides that
Seeda’s Elpis is Gratitude, because she doesn’t understand emotions • How did you split with your creator? “I failed him, and he died.”
but can recognize that she has improved someone’s life after protecting
• What keeps you on the Pilgrimage? “My friends and my guilt.”
them. She hopes that one day she can fully understand the concept of
Gratitude and internalize it. Her Torment is Methodical. Seeda lives • What would you give up to become human? “The money Dr.
for plans. Everything has to be done in exactly the right way, even when Hikari left me.”
improvising is the only way something will work. As a robot with AI, she
has very strict programming that requires things be done in the correct After some discussion about Milly’s answers, Ava checks the
order, and she has yet to figure out how to thwart that compulsion. character sheet against what Brandon and Gabe, the other players,
Milly chooses “Help someone in the throng reach a universal made. Once Ava approves it, she’ll sit down with Milly to play out
milestone” as a long-term Aspiration. For short-term ones, she Seeda’s creation and the events that surround her first steps onto
chooses “Save someone’s life” and “Make a friend I can take care the Pilgrimage. Milly marks the first Refinement and role on her
of,” to represent the maternal side of Seeda that Milly wants to Pilgrimage Sheet and prepares for the chronicle’s first session.
develop throughout the game.

Name: Seeda Elpis: Gratitude 5 Lineage: Unfleshed

Player: Milly Torment: Methodical Refinement: Aurum TRANSMUTATIONS
Chronicle: 1 Concept: Protective Leader Role: Leader 5 Transmutation:______________________
Transmutation:______________________
Deception Mesmerism

ATTRIBUTES Alembic:____________________________
Anonymity
Persistent:____________________________
-2 modifier to find in crowd
Alembic:____________________________
Eros
Persistent:____________________________
3 succs on Persuasion to grant Swooning Condition
POWER Intelligence OOOOO
●● Strength OOOOO
●●● Presence OOOOO
●●●● First Distillation:________________________
Nameless (Pres + Stealth + Azoth) First Distillation:________________________
Lure (Man + Pers + Azoth vs. Comp + Azoth)
2 FINESSE Wits OOOOO
●● Dexterity OOOOO
● Manipulation ●
OOOOO
Second Distillation:______________________
Traceless (Wits + Stealth + Azoth) Second Distillation:______________________
Seduce (Man + Pers + Azoth vs. Resolve + Azoth)

Third Distillation:_______________________
Forgotten Third Distillation:_______________________
Inflame (Pres + Intim + Azoth vs. Resolve + Azoth)

RESISTANCE Resolve OOOOO

●●● Stamina OOOOO
●●●● Composure OOOOO
● Alembic:____________________________ Alembic:____________________________
Persistent:____________________________ Persistent:____________________________
First Distillation:________________________ First Distillation:________________________
SKILLS OTHER TRAITS Second Distillation:______________________ Second Distillation:______________________
3 MENTAL MERITS HEALTH Third Distillation:_______________________ Third Distillation:_______________________
(-3 unskilled) __________________ OOOOOOOOOOOO
●●●●●●●●●
Alembic:____________________________ Alembic:____________________________
Fleet of Foot OOOOO
●●● Persistent:____________________________ Persistent:____________________________
Academics __________ OOOOO
●●● 6 __________________
Sleepless OOOOO
●● 
First Distillation:________________________ First Distillation:________________________
Computer__________ OOOOO
●● __________________
Weatherproof OOOOO
● 7 WILLPOWER Second Distillation:______________________ Second Distillation:______________________
Crafts_____________OOOOO __________________
Resources OOOOO
●●●● Third Distillation:_______________________ Third Distillation:_______________________
Investigation _________
OOOOO __________________
OOOOO OOOOOOOOOO
●●●●
Medicine ___________OOOOO __________________  Alembic:____________________________ Alembic:____________________________
OOOOO Persistent:____________________________ Persistent:____________________________
Occult _____________OOOOO __________________
OOOOO AZOTH First Distillation:________________________ First Distillation:________________________
Politics____________ OOOOO __________________
OOOOO OOOOOOOOOO
● Second Distillation:______________________ Second Distillation:______________________
Science_____________ OOOOO
●● __________________
OOOOO Third Distillation:_______________________ Third Distillation:_______________________
__________________
OOOOO PYROS
__________________
PHYSICAL
OOOOO
__________________
OOOOO

■■■■■
 FIXED ALEMBICS MILESTONES
(-1 unskilled) __________________
OOOOO ____________________________________ ____________________________________
What sort of human do you want to be? “Someone that can protect anyone.”
Athletics____________
Carying OOOOO
●●● __________________
OOOOO PILGRIMAGE ____________________________________ ____________________________________
4 OOOOO
How have humans taught you to fear and hate? “They reject me, no matter what I do.”
Brawl______________ __________________ OOOOOOOOOO
Disable ●●●●
Drive_____________ OOOOO
●
OOOOO
____________________________________ 8 ____________________________________
How did you split with your creator? “I failed him, and he died.”

Firearms___________OOOOO REFINEMENT CONDITION CONDITIONS ____________________________________ ____________________________________

What keeps you on the Pilgrimage? “My friends and my guilt.”

Larceny____________OOOOO _______________________ _______________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________

What would you give up to become human? “The money Dr. Hikari left me.”

Stealth_____________OOOOO _______________________ _______________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________

Survival____________ _______________________ _______________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________
OOOOO
Weaponry_____________ _______________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________
OOOOO
●●●
_______________________ ASPIRATIONS ____________________________________ ____________________________________
_______________________ ____________________________________
MASTERED ROLES
Help someone in the throng reach a universal milestone

SOCIAL _______________________
Save someone’s life
____________________________________
(-1 unskilled) BESTOWMENT _______________________
Make a friend I can take care of
____________________________________
Animal Ken__________ _______________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________
Empathy___________OOOOO
OOOOO The Soul is in the Software
_______________________ 5 Size:_______
5 Speed:________
12
____________________________________ ____________________________________
Expression___________ _______________________ Defense:_____ Armor:_______
____________________________________ ____________________________________
OOOOO 5
Intimidation_________OOOOO _______________________ Initiative Mod:_____________
2
____________________________________ ____________________________________
●●●
Persuasion___________ _______________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________
Negotiation
Socialize_____________
4 OOOOO
●
_______________________
Beats:   
Experiences:______________
____________________________________ ____________________________________
OOOOO
Streetwise__________ OOOOO _______________________ Vitriol Beats:     
____________________________________ ____________________________________
Subterfuge__________ OOOOO _______________________ Vitriol Experiences:_________
____________________________________ ____________________________________

Attributes 5/4/3•Skills 11/7/4 (+3 Specialties)•Merits 10•Choose Lineage •Choose basic Refinement• Choose one Alembic from each of the Refinement's Transmutations•Choose Bestowment•Choose Role•Azoth 1•Piligrimage 1
Health= Stamina+ Size•Willpower = Resolve + Composure•Size = 5 for adult human-sized Prometheans•Defense = Lowest of Dexterity or Wits + Athletics•Initiative Mod = Dexterity+ Composure•Speed = Strength + Dexterity + 5
Record starting Pyros(half maximum rounded up).

104
 Waypoints: Elpis and Torment

Advancement A single Vitriol Experience is created when a character

accumulates five Vitriol Beats. These work the same way as
Promethean characters use two resources to track advancement Experiences and Beats, but have different criteria and are spent
in their chronicle: Beats and Experiences. Beats and Experiences are on different things. While they function under the same system,
used to track the character’s advancement in the story, while Vitriol they are not interchangeable; regular Beats can’t be converted into
Beats and Vitriol Experiences track the character’s advancement in Vitriol Beats and vice versa.
the Pilgrimage. They both work the same way: upon accumulating Characters accumulate Vitriol Beats when they do one of the
five Beats, those Beats are changed into a single Experience, which following:
can be used to buy additional dots in various traits.
• Getting an exceptional success on a Resist Torment roll (p.
Beats 172) grants one Vitriol Beat.
Characters acquire Beats when they do one of the following: • Completing a minor milestone grants one Vitriol Beat.
• Fulfilling an Aspiration. At the end of the game session, take
• Completing a major milestone grants one Vitriol Experience.
a Beat and choose a new Aspiration.
• Completing a superlative milestone gives a Vitriol Experience
• Turning any failed roll into a dramatic failure, which grants
and raises Pilgrimage by 1.
a Beat. This can only be done once per scene.

• Taking lethal damage in one of the character’s three right- Vitriol Costs
most Health boxes grants a Beat.
• Azoth: 4 Vitriol Experiences per dot*
• Risking Torment (see p. 171) grants a Beat.
• Pilgrimage: 3 Vitriol Experiences per dot
• Playing through the end of a game session gives a Beat.
• Calcify an Alembic: 2 Vitriol Experiences
Storytellers can award Beats for exceptional roleplaying, tactics,
or character development. If this involves more than one character, • Create an Athanor: 1 Vitriol Experience
all of them should get a Beat. *Azoth can be purchased with either normal Experiences or
Experience Costs Vitriol Experiences. The price is slight lower when using Vitriol
Experiences to reflect that these are more precious; if a character
• Attribute: 4 Experiences per dot uses them to raise Azoth, she’s not using them to raise Pilgrimage.

• Merit: 1 Experience per dot

Waypoints:
Elpis and Torment
• Skill Specialty: 1 Experience

• Skill: 2 Experiences per dot

Human morality is a difficult concept for Prometheans. Not
• Azoth: 5 Experiences per dot* understanding humanity very well sometimes makes it hard to grasp the
*Azoth can be purchased with either normal Experiences or idea of right and wrong. For others, it’s the fact that between Disquiet,
Vitriol Experiences. The price is slight lower when using Vitriol Torment, and the roles they find themselves in during a Refinement,
Experiences to reflect that these are more precious; if a character many Prometheans will have to do bad things. Instead of a moral compass,
uses them to raise Azoth, she’s not using them to raise Pilgrimage. Prometheans navigate through the world guided by the core of their
Elpis, the aspect of the human condition she adores most, and their
Vitriol Torment, the emotional and mental failing forced upon the Promethean
by her nature. The former gives hope, reminding her of what she strives
Vitriol is a substance created by refined Azoth as it transmutes
to become, while the latter is a bitter reminder of how far she has to go.
itself into a purer form. It can be used by a Promethean to guide her
The first aspect of Elpis and Torment is easy to accomplish, but
metaphysical transformation, and it is crucial to achieving the New
only grants a single point of Willpower. The other is much more
Dawn. When it takes a physical form, Vitriol appears as the acid it
difficult or dangerous but allows the Promethean to fully replenish
shares its name with: a bitter, caustic, fuming colorless substance. Only
her Willpower pool.
when it’s inside a Promethean, though, can it do its supernatural work.
Vitriol is meant to be used only by the Promethean that
brought it forth, but another Promethean who performs the grisly
Elpis
practice of lacuna can steal it. Lacuna is an abhorrent practice In this context, Elpis refers to the aspect of humanity that is the
that, while not necessarily inhuman, goes against the nature of the most appealing to the Promethean, the thing she most desperately
Pilgrimage. The practice is therefore usually the work of sublimati wishes she could experience instead of just awkwardly mimicking.
or Centimani. Seeing this in action or having a human express this towards you is one

105
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

of the few unbridled joys in a Promethean’s life. The moment when Witness: Someone fighting through fear to accomplish
she can truly express her Elpis towards someone, rather than a crude something.
pantomime of it…the feeling is overwhelmingly cathartic. Elpis is tied Act: The Promethean risking her life, her loved ones, or her
deeply to the visions it represents. They are what keeps a Promethean Pilgrimage to accomplish something.
going, what makes her truly believe the Pilgrimage is absolutely worth Drive
it, and that it absolutely will happen—that it must happen.
Someone with drive makes the impossible possible. When
When a Promethean witnesses someone expressing her Elpis,
she has a goal in mind, she never stops for anything short of
especially expressing it towards the Promethean herself, she’s filled
accomplishing her goals, crushing her enemies, or setting things
with hope and reminded what it’s all for. She regains a single point
right. The only thing she can’t do is fail.
of Willpower to represent this. When a Promethean truly feels her
Witness: Someone continuing onwards when all reason and
Elpis and can express it in a genuine way, rather than the soulless
common sense says she should stop.
mimicry she might otherwise try, the realization that she’s capable of
Act: Much the same as witnessing — the bar for “impossible” is
this at last is pure ecstasy, refilling her entire Willpower pool at once.
raised much higher for Prometheans though, and it’s encouraged
Torment that this be a suitably awesome moment if the player wants to
reach for it.
The foil to Elpis, Torment is the part of a Promethean’s
Empathy
personality that distances her from humanity. To those fully invested
in the Pilgrimage, this might feel as though it’s dragging them down, More than merely understanding that other people feel, having
a trait they must shed. For those less dedicated, embracing one’s Empathy as Elpis means one day being able to sympathize — to feel
inhumanity is just another part of life as a Promethean. For either, what someone feels, to know what it’s like. That’s something pretty
it’s a strangely purgative if not dangerous experience. far off for most Created.
Torment is part of the Promethean existence as much as Elpis Witness: A doctor consoling a terminal patient. Overhearing
is, and isn’t some sort of invasive force that threatens to tear two friends talking about something serious. An event that shows
down her very being. It’s just a strange trait they have that further these people have a connection.
distances them from humanity. If a Promethean’s Elpis is “Fury” Act: Not just saying “I feel for you” — that’s mimicry, not
— expressing hostility towards someone that did nothing to deserve empathy. To act on her Elpis, the Promethean must understand
it, her Torment might be “Logical” — she finds it hard to see the what the other person is going through, relate it to her own events,
world in anything other than cause-and-effect. It’s not necessarily and follow through.
a bad thing, but without emotion to balance it, it’s not a human Fear
trait and makes her Elpis harder to reach. Fear is a natural response to things — not just a human response,
When a Promethean causes a minor setback by expressing her but a living response all the same. The Created usually know their
chosen Torment, she regains one point of Willpower, but also a –1 limits, but that’s not the same as fear.
to her next Resist Torment pool. Falling into familiar bad habits can Witness: Being scared or startled doesn’t do the trick. Terror is
be comforting, but it’s not conducive to the Pilgrimage. Causing what really draws forth the fear response — dreadful anticipation.
a major setback as a result of expressing your Torment recovers all Act: Everyone gets scared. Prometheans in particular know about
spent Willpower points, but also forces a roll to resist falling into dread and anxiety. To truly master fear, a Promethean fear for her
Torment then and there. life, her Pilgrimage, or the life of another.

Example Elpides Fury

For too many people, anger comes easily, but someone with Fury
and Torments as her Elpis likely doesn’t know what it’s like to feel true hatred.
Following are a number of sample Elpides and their corresponding Luckily, Disquiet gives plenty of examples to learn from.
Torments. This is not an exhaustive list; players are encouraged to Witness: The Promethean sees someone lashing out in anger
come up with their own, but these examples ought to get the in a completely unrestrained fashion.
creative juices flowing. Each Elpis has a Witness trigger, which is an Act: The Promethean feels unrelenting fury at someone or
example of how they might be triggered, and an Act trigger, for how something, whether it is justified or not.
the Promethean might express it. Torments only have Acts. Players Inspiration
should feel free to come up with their own Elpides and Torments. Humans create. They see the natural state of the world and
they seek to alter it — for convenience, for utility, or for beauty.
Elpides Inspiration is seeing or experiencing something and being moved
Courage to action.
Witness: The Promethean might act as a muse, leading people
Courage isn’t lack of fear so much as the ability to act despite
to create stories, art, or to make some sort of change in their lives.
fear. Seeing weak and fragile humans put fear aside to stand up to
Act: The Promethean takes inspiration from her circumstances,
what terrifies them is inspiring, even to other humans.
from a human being, or from a throngmate and creates something.

106
 Waypoints: Elpis and Torment

Joy Act: The Promethean expresses discomfort at being in a group

The high point of the human condition, Joy is about making of people and causes a problem as a result.
what came before it worthwhile, giving things a reason, and being Awkward
able to look back on even her darkest hour and say “This was worth Even for Prometheans, someone with the Awkward torment is
it” because in that moment, everything is perfect. an oddball. She has trouble integrating into any conversation, even
Witness: Find someone having a great day and find out why. among her fellow Created, and her trains of thought often produce
This can quickly be spoiled by Disquiet, so it takes a light touch. strange or off-putting ideas.
Act: Unlike other Elpides, the act for this Elpis means bringing Act: Accomplishing some task in a strange or backwards fashion. This
someone else joy, true unadulterated happiness. If a Promethean does not mean the Awkward Promethean doesn’t complete whatever
acting on this Elpis only has ten minutes with someone, she’d better task she may have set out to do, just that she does it in a strange way.
make this the greatest ten minutes of their lives.
Dejection
Love What’s the point? Nothing you do is good enough. Everything
A connection deeper than any other, Love is regarded as a is mediocre at best.
remarkable power in nearly every human society for good reason. Act: Finding a way to accomplish something that doesn’t require
Witness: The Promethean has to look at two people that are your involvement. After all, if you got involved, it would only end in tears.
together, know they love each other, and most importantly, know why
— witnessing some act of affection that’s not phoned in or obligated.
Logical
Act: Building a connection to someone strong enough to be The Promethean doesn’t understand the unreasonable. She is
called “love” is almost impossible thanks to Disquiet, but there’s far from emotionless; she simply doesn’t understand anything that
nothing that says it has to be requited love. The Promethean just has isn’t rational and logical.
to have someone she cares about above all else, someone she’d die Act: Doing something logically sound that disregards the
for. Sometimes it comes to that. emotions of others.
Sorrow Merciless
Sorrow has no happy ending, or great meaning, or justification. Prometheans often have trouble with right and wrong. To them,
It’s something going wrong, and accepting that it’s gone wrong. mercy is an alien concept.
Reflecting on the thing that’s put one in such a sorry state, and Act: When opposed by someone, neutralize them with excessive
using it to move forward. force. The Promethean doesn’t necessarily have to kill or even fight.
Witness: Not just someone in despair, but someone reflecting It could be anything, from punching someone out for spilling a
on that turmoil and examining what went wrong and why. Since coffee, to screaming at the top of her lungs at someone who is five
this is usually an internal process, speaking with someone to learn minutes late to a meeting.
their story is usually a must. Methodical
Act: This most easily comes in the aftermath of Torment. For the Found most often in Prometheans that value plans and structure,
Promethean, it’s about self-awareness, understanding, and moving on. everything must be done her way with no deviations.
She must know why she’s so upset and how to avoid it in the future. Act: Insist that everyone involved in a plan follow the directions
Pain to the letter, with no room for improvisation or last-minute changes.
In some very specific cases, pain is good. It’s necessary to sacrifice Obsession
to achieve something, and sacrifice hurts. A lot of things hurt, but The dark mirror of Drive, Obsessed Prometheans are focused
they’re for the best. Understanding and accepting that pain isn’t on one thing, and one thing only. An accomplishment they bring
always a thing to be avoided is critical to these Prometheans. about, an enemy that must be destroyed. They hunt this goal with
Witness: Unfortunately, no small amount of humanity is willing no regard for anything, even their life.
to inflict pain on others, but this is about sacrifice — the party being Act: Do something that puts yourself or your Throng in danger,
hurt has to be willing to take that pain for some greater good. but furthers the goal you obsess over.
Act: A Promethean must know true agony and know it furthers
some cause that matters to her. Leaving a loved one to stave off Paranoia
Disquiet or withstanding torture to protect someone are both They’re all out to get you. Nobody’s on your side. When they
examples of fulfilling the Pain Elpis. Torment doesn’t count for the say you’re their friend? That’s a lie.
purposes of this Elpis, even if she intentionally induces it. Act: Withholding crucial information, hiding or covering up
something that would help the targets of your Paranoid delusions.
Torments Passion
Alienated The dark side of emotions like love, Passion is emotion
This Promethean feels like the eternal Other. No matter how overwhelming everything else. It usually leads to bad decisions.
much she’s learned or how close to the New Dawn she may be, she Act: Take an action that brings you closer to what you’re
always feels like she doesn’t belong with anyone. passionate about, even if it’s dangerous or doesn’t make sense.

107
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Naïve Spare Parts

A Naïve Promethean lacks simple concepts like “personal space” The Frankenstein with this Bestowment has the ability and
and “subtlety.” Despite her best efforts, she finds herself constantly knowledge necessary to graft foreign tissue into her own and fire
upsetting someone or falling for some trick. it to life with her Pyros. This allows her to replace damaged tissue
Act: The Promethean’s lack of understanding of human society lost to injury, as well as allowing her to reconfigure her body as she
causes a setback for her or the throng. sees fit. She cannot add limbs. Her brain still is only able to handle

Bestowments
what she was created with, but she can replace what already exists.
Spare Parts requires relatively fresh body parts. For these
purposes, “fresh” means not dead or separated from the source
Waking dead flesh and invigorating it with Divine Fire awakens body for more than six hours per dot of the Frankenstein’s Azoth.
diverse alchemical changes among the Promethean Lineages. These She must complete the installation within that time. She also needs
Bestowments occur as the Promethean rouses to life. Bestowments effective tools. She can make due with an automotive workshop or
come in two basic varieties: experiential and divergent. The division farmhouse shed, but medical tools are ideal. With makeshift tools,
is informal and descriptive, as only the most scientific Created the player suffers a –2 penalty to the installation rolls.
recognize the difference. Installation requires an extended Intelligence + Medicine
Experiential Bestowments reinforce one aspect of the Lineage’s roll. Each roll represents one half hour of work. The number of
normal capabilities. This allows the character to enhance those required successes depends on her intended reconfiguration. If a
normal abilities, and thus the Promethean grows and learns slightly Promethean uses Spare Parts to heal damage, then any amount of
faster than her peers in this area. In game terms, it allows the bashing damage adds one success to the requirement; every two
character to achieve exceptional successes more easily, which leads points of lethal damage adds one; and every point of aggravated
to Conditions (p. 305), which leads to Beats. damage adds two to the number of required successes. If she is
For this reason, Conditions assigned as result of a Bestowment- successful, she heals all damage.
provided exceptional success should reflect the Promethean’s If she’s attempting to increase an Attribute with an optimized
personal evolution. They don’t have to come as result of the action; limb, the number of required successes is equal to twice the level
they can be a reflection of the Promethean’s introspection. For of the desired Attribute. Cosmetic or other minor changes require
example, the Frankenstein Bestowment, Titan’s Strength, gives five successes. At the culmination of the surgery, she must spend a
exceptional successes on three successes instead of five when rolling point of Pyros to seal in the change and bring the new flesh to life.
Strength. If the Frankenstein achieves an exceptional success lifting Spare Parts does not allow a Promethean to exceed the number
a car off a young mother, he might receive the Guilty Condition as of Attribute dots she has; it merely lets her reallocate them. If she
he sees the shock, terror, and disgust in her child’s eyes. wishes to change an Attribute, for example, the dots to raise that
Divergent Bestowments allow the character to depart from score must come from her other Physical Attributes. If she wishes to
expectations and adds a whole new ability to the Promethean’s body. increase her Strength by 2 dots, she may decrease her Dexterity by 2
These Bestowments don’t necessarily help the Created along her dots, or her Stamina and Dexterity both by 1 dot. This Bestowment
Pilgrimage, but they may help her survive long enough to learn by cannot increase an Attribute beyond the Promethean’s maximum
giving her unexpected abilities. Where experiential Bestowments Attribute level, as determined by her Azoth (see p. 169).
help the Promethean focus on her personal advancement, divergent
Bestowments help her to adapt to and overcome her environment. Galateid Bestowments
When creating your Promethean, choose one of the two listed
The Bestowments of the Muses draw on their sanguine humour
Bestowments for her Lineage or work with your Storyteller to create
and ability to bewitch, fascinate, and seduce human beings.
a new one. While each Lineage has two listed Bestowments, others
can exist in your chronicles. Use these as a baseline. Unearthly Mien
Frankenstein Bestowments Galateid appear to be more than human; they seem to be the
platonic ideal of humankind. People cannot help but be drawn
The Wretched display Bestowments that amplify their physical to them. When creating a Galateid with this Bestowment, choose
strength, drawing upon their genesis in lightning along with their Presence or Manipulation. When taking any actions with the chosen
choleric humour. Attribute, you achieve an exceptional success on three successes
instead of five.
Titan’s Strength
A Frankenstein with this Bestowment carries more strength Symbiotic Muse
in her muscles than should be possible. Every fiber of her body A Galateid with this Bestowment has a guttural, primal
is optimized for maximum muscular efficiency. When taking connection with human souls. She inspires. She motivates. She
any actions with the Strength Attribute, your character achieves sparks activity in anyone who touches her Divine Fire. When taking
exceptional success on three successes instead of five. this Bestowment, choose a direct, intimate method of inspiration:
a kiss, a private dance, a poem, a cage match are all common ways
to inspire humanity to greatness.

108
 Bestowments

In game terms, the connection must constitute at least an instant When your character dies, you may activate Revivification.
action. When your character connects with a human through her Your character returns to life (see p. 169) and regains Health equal
method of inspiration, the human is inspired to greatness. When to her Azoth. She receives a Persistent Condition, though, from
he acts in accordance with that inspiration, he gains +3 to the roll, her voyage to the underworld. Choose or design this Condition
and your character regains a spent point of Willpower or Pyros (your with the Storyteller; it should be relevant to the method of her
choice), whether he succeeds or fails. death. In many cases, this takes the form of a physical change, such
as a limb that permanently takes on the mummified appearance
Osiran Bestowments of her disfigurement.
Osiran Bestowments are all about their unique relationship Corpse Tongue
with death. These Prometheans exist on a strange line between
the flesh and soul, between the physical and the Twilight. Their If your character speaks to a corpse, spend a Pyros and roll
Bestowments exploit this line and play where mortality ends and Manipulation + Occult. For each success, your character may
begins. It’s never about rending the barrier between life and death, ask the corpse one yes or no question. The corpse’s mouth
but about finding one little exception or forcing one aspect to moves, and it coughs up dust, blood, and bile sufficient to
manifest on the other side. croak the responses. If its jaw is not physically able to respond,
he’ll nod or jerk in a telling manner. The Storyteller must
Revivification answer the questions to the best of his ability; if the corpse
This Bestowment allows your character to cheat death and return could not answer, the question is not wasted and no response is
from that which would kill her. The energies of the Underworld given. This ability only works once on a given corpse, whether
stain her form permanently, however, as she wrests control and successful or not.
re-ignites her Pyros.

109
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Tammuz Bestowments If the entity hides, your character may still need to look for
him. Items she holds or wears cannot interact with entities in the
Tammuz Bestowments rely on the power of words animating the Twilight. While she can touch or strike an entity in Twilight with
inanimate. When creating a Tammuz Bestowment, consider how her bare hand, she could not shoot the same ghost or crack him
his body is made sacrosanct by the power of language. It cannot be across the face with a baseball bat.
defied or rejected, thanks to the animating word.

Heart of Clay
Unfleshed
With this Bestowment, your character stands immutable, stalwart, Bestowments
and uncompromising. When making a roll with Composure, Resolve, The Unfleshed are imitations of life made into actual life. Their
or Stamina, your character achieves exceptional success on three Bestowments emphasize their artificiality.
successes instead of five. Note that this Bestowment does not apply to
Surprise rolls as it reflects your character being sturdy and unshakable, Heart of Steel
not prescient. It does apply to Perception rolls, however. An Unfleshed with this Bestowment did not fully awaken when
the Divine Fire ignited within her metal chassis. She remains cold
Inscription and callous, perceiving anyone else as alien. Any time she receives
All Tammuz bear an inscription, a word, a symbol — some form a Condition from a Social action, be it from her own dramatic
of language that describes the Promethean’s function and her failures, exceptional successes, or extended actions against her, the
creator’s intent. Some Tammuz can draw upon that mark enabling player can choose the Condition. Often, this means turning an
feats of prowess and aptitude that other Created can only imagine. otherwise negative circumstance into a positive. For example, if a
At character creation, the player determines what the mark says human berates your character for being a monster, attempting to give
or means and chooses three Skills that resonate with the mark. her a Shamed Condition, your character may perceive that derision
When the character uses one of these Skills, the player can spend in a completely different light, giving her an Inspired Condition.
a point of Pyros to activate the Inscription Bestowment. It flares
with Divine Fire and adds three dice to the character’s dice pool. The Soul Is In The Software
The character can use this Bestowment once per chapter per Your character’s body is made up of malleable, modular bits
Skill, so if the player chooses Brawl, Academics, and Animal Ken for of technology. Maybe clockwork, or nanobots, or computerized
her Tammuz’ Inscription Skills, she can add the bonus one to one serpents form a greater whole. No matter the content, your character
Brawl roll, one Academics roll, and one Animal Ken roll per chapter. can instill her soul, her fire, into a fraction of her body and send
At the Storyteller’s discretion, the player might be allowed to it off separately.
change the Skills upon achieving a major or superlative milestone. Spend a Pyros to activate The Soul Is In The Software. Mark
off any number of Health from your character’s track as well, as if
Ulgan Bestowments it were aggravated damage. The Size of the new object is equal to
Whereas Osirans tease at the line between the living and the the number of Health points spent. The smaller portion, which
dead, Ulgan revel in the macabre. They’re death warmed over and now carries your character’s mind and sentience, can operate
maintain strong ties to the Underworld. Ghosts, the hungry dead, independently with Attributes one dot lower than the Promethean’s.
shades: these are all kin to the Ulgan. It has as many Health levels as were marked in its creation. It must
When creating Ulgan Bestowments, look to how your Ulgan be smaller than the core body and may feature different forms of
rips aside the barriers set upon the living. Consider how your Ulgan mobility such as flight, a nanobot swarm, or insect-like crawling.
benefits from not truly belonging in this world. These alternative forms of motion are limited to the Created’s
normal Speed.
Twilight Fluidity If the smaller body is inconsistent, as in the case of swarms, it
With this Bestowment, your character acts without distraction only takes one point of damage from any successful attack that would
or impairment in the same way that a ghost flows unnoticed harm an area. Large-scale effects, such as bonfires, cause damage
through Twilight. At character creation, choose a Finesse Attribute as normal. The smaller form keeps the Created’s Transmutations
(Dexterity, Manipulation, or Wits). When taking an action with and other abilities.
that Attribute, your character achieves exceptional success on three While the smaller form is active and detatched, the core body is
successes instead of five. not truly sentient; it has only an animalistic intelligence. Consider
all its Attributes one dot lower except for its Intelligence, which is
Ephemeral Flesh zero. It fulfills its basic needs and defends itself if attacked. It lacks
Your character’s flesh is attuned with the Twilight. As result, she any spark of identity, intelligence, or wit. Similarly, it cannot activate
may see, hear, and interact with the spiritual phenomenon across Transmutations and has no Pyros.
the shroud. To activate Ephemeral Flesh, spend a point of Pyros. If the bodies merge again, the Health levels return to the core
Your character may perceive and interact with ghosts and spirits in body. If the core body dies, the Created can reform from the smaller
Twilight as if they were material. body as if she were healing five aggravated damage. After that time,
her body returns completely to its original shape.

110
 Merits

Extempore over the course of a story. While Merits may represent temporary
facets of your character, however, Merit points continue to exist. At
Bestowments the end of any chapter where your character has lost some Merits,
you can replace them with another Merit of equal value.
Extempore Prometheans are not a proper Lineage, but instead When replacing a Merit, consider what makes sense in the story.
more of a “catch-all” for other strange Created. For this reason, Pursue the new Merit during the course of the chapter if possible,
their Bestowments are individual and unique as they are. To create making the new tie-in something less superficial than a dot or two
Extempore Bestowments, look to the defining features of your on a sheet. With Storyteller permission, you may “cash in” a Merit
particular character and emphasize them with a mechanical and voluntarily and replace it with Experiences. If a Merit has run its
dramatic effect. Take the examples for the various Lineages as a course and no longer makes sense for your character, you may use
jumping off point. You can choose to take one of the Bestowments those points elsewhere.
listed for the other Lineages if you wish, but if you do, try and give Some Merits cannot be cashed in or replaced except under
it a twist to reflect your unique character. extreme circumstances. For example, Double-Jointed is not likely
Nuada’s Bestowment: The Void to just go away. That said, the Created tend toward extreme
circumstances, so it’s not out of the question for some characters.
Nuada (introduced on p.39) has no heart, just an endless, Prometheans are sometimes uniquely capable of taking otherwise
hungry void. The player wants Nuada’s Bestowment to reflect this difficult-to-justify Merits as well, such as Giant.
emptiness, to allow Nuada to soak up energy thrown at him. Any
time an attack or an action is aimed at Nuada, including Social Acid Stomach (•)
actions meant to intimidate or persuade him, the void “eats” one Prerequisite: Promethean
success. If this causes the action to fail, Nuada’s player can spend Effect: A Promethean naturally has the ability to digest any
a point of Willpower and turn the failure into a dramatic failure. organic matter she can fit down her throat. This Merit gives her
Anthony’s Bestowment: the ability to digest any sort of inorganic matter she swallows, no
matter what it is; if she can fit it down her throat, it counts as food.
Big Brother Drawback: This does not give your character any special
Anthony (introduced on p. 40) rose up in response to a little ability to chew or enlarge her mouth. At Storyteller discretion,
boy’s desire for a strong, protective big brother. Anthony’s player particularly harsh objects may cause a small amount of damage to
decides that the Frankenstein Bestowment Titan’s Strength would the Promethean while chewing and swallowing.
suit Anthony, but asks the Storyteller if it can have a stronger
effect when Anthony is protecting someone. The Storyteller agrees: Allies (• to •••••)
Anthony’s Bestowment allows the player to achieve an exceptional Effect: Allies help your character. They might be friends,
success on three successes instead of five when rolling a Power employees, associates, or people your character has blackmailed.
Attribute in defense of a human being (Presence to scare away Each instance of this Merit represents one type of ally. This could
attackers, for example). be in an organization, a society, a clique, or an individual. Examples
include the police, a secret society, crime, unions, local politics,
Merits and the academic community. Each purchase has its own rating.
Your character might have Allies (Masons) ••, Allies (Carter Crime
The following Merits help to flesh out your character and provide Family) •••, Allies (Police) ••••, and Allies (Catholic Church) •.
diverse benefits. The dot rating reflects the number of points the Each dot represents a layer of influence in the group. One
Merit takes during step seven of character creation, or the number of dot would constitute small favors and passing influence. Three
Experiences after play begins. Some Merits come in multiple levels; could offer considerable influence, such as the overlooking of a
your character can progress through them over time, with each level misdemeanor charge by the police. Five dots stretches the limits of
offering greater advantages. Some Merits, called Style Merits, offer the organization’s influence as its leaders put their own influence on
different effects at each level. Your character has access to the effect the line for the character. This could include things such as massive
at her current dot level as well as all previous dot levels. insider training or fouling up a felony investigation. No matter the
If a Merit lists a prerequisite, your character must possess the noted traits. request, it has to be something that organization could accomplish.
Traits offered temporarily from special abilities, such as Transmutations, do The Storyteller assigns a rating between one and five to any favor
not count toward Merit prerequisites. Some Merits list “Promethean” as a asked. A character can ask for favors up to her combined Allies rating
prerequisite. Human characters cannot take these Merits. without penalty in one chapter. If she has three dots of Police Allies
and two dots of Criminal Allies, for example, she can access five dots’
Sanctity of Merits worth of favors per chapter. If she extends her influence beyond
While Merits represent things within the game and your that, her player must roll Manipulation + Persuasion + Allies, with a
character, they’re really an out-of-character resource, a function of penalty equal to the favor’s rating. If the roll is successful, the group
the character creation and advancement mechanics. These Merits does as requested. Whether the roll succeeds or fails, the character
often represent things that could theoretically be lost or taken away loses a dot of Allies per the Sanctity of Merits rule (see p. 111). On a

111
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

dramatic failure, the organization resents her and seeks retribution. Property Effect
On an exceptional success, she doesn’t lose the dot.
Equipment Bonus +1 die above normal equipment bonus (limit +5)
Alternate Identity (•, ••, or •••) Efficient 9-again for one dot, 8-again for two
Effect: Your character has established an alternate identity. Fortified +2 Durability
The level of this Merit determines the amount of scrutiny it can Battery Can store 1 Pyros, can access if touching
withstand. At one dot, the identity is superficial and unofficial. For
example, your character uses an alias with a simple costume and Your character is the only one who can access these benefits;
adopts an accent. She hasn’t established the necessary paperwork others are not attuned to the item.
to even approach a bureaucratic background check, let alone pass. While most of the time Azothic Objects come from a
At two dots, she’s supported her identity with paperwork and Promethean’s initial creation, an Object could result from any
identification. It’s not liable to stand up to extensive research, but sufficiently dramatic Azoth flare.
it’ll turn away private investigators and Internet hobbyists. At three Drawback: The item is bound to your character’s soul. If she
dots, the identity can pass thorough inspection. The identity has loses it, she suffers the Obsession Condition (see p. 311) in regards
been deeply entrenched in relevant databases, with subtle flourishes to finding it again. If it’s destroyed, her Azoth burns and she suffers
and details to make it seem real even to trained professionals. aggravated damage equal to the Merit dots spent.
The Merit also reflects time the character has spent honing the
persona. At one or two dots, she gains a +1 to all Subterfuge rolls Benign Festering (• to •••)
to defend the identity. At three dots, she gains +2. Prerequisite: Promethean
This Merit can be purchased multiple times, each time Effect: Your character’s Azoth is less prone to cause terrible
representing an additional identity. Wastelands than most Created. Subtract her Benign Festering dots
from her effective Azoth for determining the size and effects of a
Ambidextrous (•••) Wasteland (see p. 174) and Festering. When calculating Festering,
Effect: Your character does not suffer the –2 penalty for using use the lower of her effective Azoth or the Wasteland’s effective
his off-hand in combat or to perform other actions. Azoth. This cannot reduce her effective Azoth below a single dot
for this purpose.
Anonymity (• to •••••)
Effect: Your character lives off the grid. She may have been crafted Brute Force (• to •••••, Style)
of various dead parts or animate machinery, making new identification Prerequisite: Strength •••, Brawl ••, Size 5+
difficult. The bureau of motor vehicles is unlikely to accept “my mother Effect: Your character embraces the devastating monster within
was a morass of plant matter” when granting a license. This means herself and knows how to let it loose on the world around her. A
purchases must be made with cash or falsified credit cards. She avoids Promethean in Torment gains a bonus die on any roll using the
any official authoritative influence in her affairs. Any attempts to find Brute Force Style. Brute Force attacks may only be made with bare
her by paper trail suffer a –1 penalty per dot purchased in this Merit. hands or with fist-based weapons, such as bladed gloves or fist packs.
Drawback: Your character cannot purchase the Fame Merit. Each level of Brute Force unlocks an additional option.
Falling Pillar (•): Your character clenches both hands high
Area of Expertise (•) above her head, then brings them crushing down, throwing her
Prerequisite: Resolve •• and one Skill Specialty weight into the strike. Make an all-out attack (see p. 207) to use
Effect: Your character is uncommonly specialized in one area. Falling Pillar. In addition to the normal +2 dice bonus, your
Choose a Specialty to assign to this Merit. This Specialty provides character benefits from the 8-again quality on her roll. If the attack
a +2 bonus instead of the usual +1. causes damage equal to or greater than the opponent’s Stamina,
he suffers the Knocked Down Tilt (see p. 317).
Azothic Object (• to •••••) Crush and Bite (••): Your character clinches her opponent and
Prerequisite: Promethean bites off a chunk of flesh, which bleeds profusely. This maneuver
Effect: When your Promethean burst to life, the flare of Azoth becomes an option as part of a grapple (see p. 206), replacing the
arced outward and fused with an object nearby. This object is normal bite maneuver. Not only does your character cause lethal
attuned to her Azoth. It carries with it a bit of Divine Fire and she damage equal to the successes rolled on the grapple, but the wound
has an affinity for it. bleeds out, causing an additional level of lethal damage in the next
Your character always knows in which direction her Azothic turn. This effect does not apply to things that don’t bleed.
Object lies. She doesn’t necessarily know where it is, but if she follows Juggernaut (•••): With this ability, your character rushes her
this instinctual intimacy with the object, she will eventually find it. opponent, strikes, and knocks him away. If the character can charge
The character must first create the object to be in infused. Use an opponent (moving at least 10 feet to build up momentum), any
the equipment rules on p. 214 for examples, then use the following successful unarmed attack causes the Knocked Down Tilt.
chart to determine the object’s advantages. Each Merit dot can be Bone Cracker (••••): With this attack, your character grabs a
spent on one of the following benefits: limb and snaps the bone. To use Bone Cracker, make an all-out

112
 Merits

attack (see p. 207). However, targeting a limb negates the normal Danger Sense (••)
+2 bonus for an all-out attack. If the attack causes damage equal to
or greater than the victim’s Stamina, it causes an additional point Effect: The Created walk a dangerous path. Your character’s
of lethal damage and imposes the Arm Wrack or Leg Wrack Tilts reflexes are honed to the point where nothing’s shocking. You
(see p. 313 and 317, respectively). gain a +2 modifier on reflexive Wits + Composure rolls for your
Bone Cracker cannot be combined with Falling Pillar. character to detect an impending ambush, trap, or other surprise.
Colossus (•••••): Your character moves with such immense Demolisher (• to •••)
force that nothing can stop her. When she makes an all-out attack,
she gains 1/2 armor for the turn (cumulative with any other Prerequisite: Strength ••• or Intelligence •••
armor she wears) and cannot suffer Knockdown or similar Tilts. Effect: Your character has an innate sense of the weak points
Additionally, any attempt to grapple her or otherwise move her in objects. When damaging an object, she ignores one point of the
from her place against her will suffers her Strength as a dice penalty. object’s Durability per dot in this Merit.

Companion (• to •••••) Direction Sense (•)

Prerequisite: Ephemeral Flesh Bestowment Effect: Your character has an innate sense of direction and is always
Effect: Your character’s ability to interact with Twilight has aware of her location in space. She always knows which direction she
resulted in a spiritual companion that follows and supports her. faces and never suffers penalties to navigate or find her way.
This spirit is no guardian angel; the type of spirit that would follow Double Jointed (••)
the Created is something disgusting or unsettling.
Create the Companion using the spirit creation rules on p. 224. Prerequisite: Dexterity •••
The Companion is a Rank 1 spirit at one dot of the Companion Effect: Your character might have been a contortionist or spent
Merit. Each additional Merit dot can add one Attribute dot and time practicing yoga. She can dislodge joints when need be and
one Numina to the spirit’s repertoire. automatically escapes from any mundane bonds without a roll.
A Companion is generally a being in the Twilight. Some When grappled, subtract her Dexterity from any rolls to overpower
Companions can manifest into the physical world, though. By her, as long as she’s not taking any aggressive actions.
spending one of the Merit dots, the spirit can have a physical body.
A Companion’s physical body will usually look the part of an animal
Driven (• to •••••)
no bigger than a large dog. No matter the form, the Promethean Prerequisite: Promethean
can interact with the Companion. Others cannot unless they have Effect: Every single one of the Created carries a shred of
a special ability to interact with spirits. hope that things might someday be different. This hope drives
A Companion spirit has an unhealthy adoration for your Prometheans forward on their Pilgrimages and urges them toward
character. It works for her. It protects her. It generally obeys, complete humanity. Your character’s Elpis is the warm glow of
although it might not understand subtlety in times of duress. This wisdom that helps her find the right path.
could cause complications in your character’s life. Every game session, you have access to a number of free Conditions
equal to your character’s Driven dots. These Conditions reflect
Contacts (•) insights your character has received to help her along her path toward
Effect: Contacts provide your character with information. a Milestone. Informed and Inspired are common Driven Conditions,
This Merit can be taken multiple times; each instance represents but any appropriate Conditions could apply. Additionally, the
a sphere or organization with which the character can garner Storyteller may call on this Merit to give a Driven Condition if she
information. For example, a character with three dots of Contacts feels it’s fitting, or that it would help refocus your character.
might have Bloggers, Drug Dealers, and Doctors for connections.
Contacts do not provide services, only information. This may
Efficient Conductor (•)
be face-to-face, email, by telephone, or even by séance in some Prerequisite: Promethean
strange instances. Effect: Your character’s Azoth flares bright when exposed to
Garnering information via Contacts requires a Manipulation electricity. For every 2 points of damage healed by electroshock
+ Social Skill roll, depending on the method the character uses. therapy (see p. 170), your character heals a third of the same kind.
The Storyteller should give a bonus or penalty, dependent on how For every 2 Pyros she gains, she gains a third as well. If this additional
relevant the information is to that particular Contact, whether Pyros exceeds her Azoth in a single scene, she gains the Degaussed
accessing the information is dangerous, and if the character has Condition (see p. 307).
maintained good relations with or done favors for the Contact.
These modifiers should range from –3 to +3 in most cases. If
Eidetic Memory (••)
successful, the Contact provides the information. Effect: Your character recalls events and details with pinpoint
One use of a Contact is to dig dirt on another character. accuracy. You do not have to make rolls for your character
A Contact can find another character’s Social Merits and any to remember past experiences. When making Intelligence +
relevant Conditions. Composure (or relevant Skill) rolls to recall minute facts from swaths
of information, take a +2 bonus.

113
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Famous Face (• to •••) Fleet of Foot (• to •••)

Prerequisites: Promethean Prerequisite: Athletics ••
Effect: Your character’s face used to belong to someone else, Effect: Your character is remarkably quick and runs far faster
someone famous. To those unaware of the theft, she looks every bit than her frame suggests. She gains +1 Speed per dot in this Merit.
the celebrity. To those that do know, she looks either the spitting
image of that celebrity, or in the worst-case scenarios — for example, Giant (•••)
when her disfigurements show — she looks like somebody stole a Effect: Your character is massive. She’s well over six feet tall and
famous person’s face and attached it to herself. crowds part when she approaches. She’s Size 6 and therefore has
This Merit gives the 8-again quality and one bonus die per an additional dot of Health.
dot to any rolls where the face could influence interactions. For Drawback: While being huge offers its advantages, she stands
example, against those positively affected, this could mean a bonus out like a sore thumb. Remove two dice from any attempts to hide
to Persuasion or Socialize rolls. For those negatively affected, this or go unnoticed.
could mean a bonus to Intimidation rolls.
Drawback: If the character’s face belongs to someone known to be Good Brain (• to •••••)
dead, the character will draw excessive attention by anyone aware. If the Prerequisite: Promethean
character isn’t known to be dead, your character may draw attention Effect: Your character lucked upon a particularly good brain when
from people looking for his whereabouts. It’s also worth noting that she was created. Sometimes it takes over the body briefly in order
the face’s age might not match up with the last known sightings of the to accomplish something its former host was once proficient in. For
celebrity, which could add a whole other layer of complication. each dot in this Merit, choose a Skill. Your character does not need
to possess that Skill. Once per story, you may reroll one failed roll
Fast Reflexes (• to •••) made with any of those Skills. In essence, the brain takes over and
Prerequisite: Wits ••• or Dexterity ••• forces accomplishment where the Promethean herself might have
Effect: Your character’s reflexes impress and astound; she’s otherwise failed.
always fast to react. +1 Initiative per dot in this Merit.

114
 Merits

Hovel (• to •••••) When establishing a Mentor, determine what the Mentor wants
from your character. This should be personally important to him
Prerequisites: Promethean, Safe Place and should reflect on the dot rating chosen.
Effect: Your character has infused a safe place with a bit of her Choose three Skills the Mentor possesses. You can substitute
Azoth, forging it as a Hovel. While inside her Hovel, time passed Resources for one of these Skills. Once per session, the character
does not count toward creating or Festering a Wasteland (see p. 174). may ask her Mentor for a favor. The favor must involve one of those
Additionally, she may “store” a bit of her Azoth within the Hovel, Skills or be within the scope of his Resources. The Mentor commits
dampening her Divine Fire and muting some of its effects on the to the favor (often asking for a commensurate favor in return). If
world. She stores it in a jar, a sculpture, or anything appropriate to a roll is required, the Mentor is automatically considered to have
her Lineage. The storage place must contain the Lineage’s affinity successes equal to his dot rating. Alternatively, the player may ask the
element. For each dot of Hovel, you may choose to reduce your Storyteller to have the Mentor act on her character’s behalf without
character’s effective Azoth when she leaves the Hovel. This reduces her character knowing about or initiating the request.
the taint of Disquiet and the Wasteland in her wake.
Drawback: If your character stores her Azoth within her Hovel Moth to the Flame (•)
and it is destroyed, the Azoth is lost. The points return in accordance
Prerequisites: Stamina •••, Promethean
with the Sanctity of Merits rule.
Effect: Your character’s Azoth rouses from fire. Even though
Interdisciplinary Specialty (•) it destroys her flesh, it invigorates the Divine Fire within her. For
every point of aggravated damage your character suffers from fire,
Prerequisite: Skill at ••• or higher with a Specialty she gains a point of Pyros.
Effect: Choose a Specialty that your character possesses when
you purchase this Merit. You can apply the +1 from that Specialty Parkour (• to •••••, Style)
on any Skill with at least one dot, provided it’s justifiable within the
Prerequisites: Dexterity •••, Athletics ••
scope of the fiction. For example, a doctor with a Medicine Specialty
Your character is a trained and proficient free-runner. Free-
in Anatomy may be able to use it when targeting a specific body part
running is the art of moving fluidly through urban environments
with Weaponry, but could not with a general strike.
with complex leaps, bounds, running tricks, and vaulting. This is the
Iron Will (••) type of sport popularized in modern action films, where characters
are unhindered by fences, walls, construction equipment, cars, or
Prerequisite: Resolve •••• anything else the city puts in the way.
Effect: Your character’s resolve is unwavering. When spending Flow (•): Your character reacts instinctively to any obstacles
Willpower to contest or resist in a Social interaction, you may with leaps, jumps, and scaling techniques. When in a foot chase,
substitute your character’s Resolve for the usual Willpower bonus. subtract your Parkour rating from the successes needed to pursue
If the roll is contested, roll with 8-again. or evade. Ignore environmental penalties to Athletics rolls that are
Language (•) less than or equal to your Parkour rating.
Cat Leap (••): Your character falls with outstanding grace.
Effect: Your character is skilled with an additional language Normally, characters take 1 bashing damage for every ten feet fallen.
beyond her native tongue. Choose a language each time you buy this Every success on a Dexterity + Athletics roll reduces the effective height
Merit. Your character can speak, read, and write in that language. by ten feet. However, if the character would take lethal damage from the
Library (• to •••) fall, the Dexterity + Athletics roll does not reduce the damage. Parkour
removes this limitation. Additionally, add your Parkour rating to the
Effect: Your character has access to a plethora of information threshold of damage that can be removed through this roll. Parkour
about a given topic. When purchasing this Merit, choose a Mental will not mitigate damage from a terminal velocity fall.
Skill for your Library to apply to. On any extended roll involving Wall Run (•••): When climbing, your character can run upward
the Skill in question, add the dots in this Merit. for some distance before having to traditionally climb. Without
This Merit can be purchased multiple times to reflect different Skills. rolling, your character scales 10 feet + five feet per dot of Athletics
Its benefits can be shared among various characters with permission. as an instant action, rather than the normal 10 feet.
Mentor (• to •••••) Expert Traceur (••••): Parkour has become second nature for
your character. By spending a Willpower point, you may designate
Effect: This Merit gives your character a teacher to provide one Athletics roll to run, jump, or climb as a rote action (reroll all
advice and guidance. He acts on your character’s behalf, often in failed dice once). On any turn you use this ability, you may not
the background and sometimes without your character’s knowledge. apply your character’s Defense to oncoming attacks.
This may be a teacher, a guru, or other figure. While Mentors can be Freeflow (•••••): Your character’s Parkour is now muscle memory.
highly competent, they almost always want something in return for She can move in a zen-like state, without thought. The character
their services. The dot rating determines the Mentor’s capabilities must run for at least a full minute in order to establish Freeflow.
and to what extent he’ll aid your character. Once established, your character is capable of taking Athletics actions
reflexively once per turn. By spending a point of Willpower on an
Athletics roll in a foot chase, gain three successes instead of three dice.

115
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Repute (• to •••) should reflect a prominent part of the body’s past trauma seeping
through into your character’s personality.
Prerequisite: Promethean
Effect: The Created walk a lonely road. Stories of the Pilgrimage Safe Place (• to •••••)
help her maintain hope. Prometheans tell a story about your character’s
Effect: Safe places are rare among the Created, but highly valuable.
Pilgrimage, and that story spreads as the Created intersect in their travels.
Your character has such a place. While she may have enemies that could
Decide on at least one story about your character when taking
attack her there, she’s prepared and has the upper hand. The dot rating
this Merit. Your character receives her dots in Repute in any Social
reflects the security of the place. The actual location, the luxury, and the
actions with those who may have heard her tale. In addition, once
size are represented by equipment. A one-dot Safe Place might be equipped
each story you can call on a number of Allies Merit dots equal to
with basic security systems or a booby trap at the windows and door. A
her dots in Repute. These Allies depend on the situation at hand
five-dot could have a security crew, infrared scanners at every entrance, or
and whatever Created are sufficiently near that they might be called
trained dogs. Each place could be an apartment, a mansion or a hidey-hole.
upon for aid. They can be used as individual dots or combined for
Unlike most Merits, multiple characters can contribute dots to
a greater Allies level, as you see fit.
a single Safe Place, combining their points into something greater.
Drawback: Greatness comes at a price. If you’re accomplished,
A Safe Place gives an Initiative bonus equal to the Merit dots. This
people expect something out of you. In any story where your
only applies to a character with dots invested in the Safe Place.
character uses the Allies advantage granted by Repute, another
Any efforts to breach the Safe Place suffer a penalty equal to
Created will request a favor in kind.
the Merit dots invested. If the character desires, the Safe Place
Resources (• to •••••) can include traps that cause lethal damage to intruders equal to
a maximum of the Merit rating (player’s choice as to how much
Effect: This Merit reflects your character’s disposable income. damage a given trap inflicts). The traps may be avoided with a
She might live in an upscale condo, but if her income is tied up Dexterity + Larceny roll, penalized by the Safe Place dots.
in the mortgage and child support payments, she might have little If your character’s Safe Place is mobile, such as a yacht, mobile
money to throw around. Characters are assumed to have basic home, or caravan, the Safe Place costs one additional dot. This does
necessities without Resources. not remove the normal limitation of five dots. So, effectively, the
The dot rating determines the relative amount of disposable best Safe Place your character will ever have is effectively four dots
funding the character has available, depending on your particular (but costing five), if that location is mobile.
chronicle’s setting. The same amount of money means completely
different things in a game set in Silicon Valley compared to one set Sleepless (••)
in the Detroit slums. One dot is a little spending money here and
Prerequisite: Promethean
there. Two is a comfortable, middle-class wage. Three is a nicer,
Effect: All Prometheans tire only after extended periods without
upper-middle-class life. Four is moderately wealthy. Five is filthy rich.
rest. Yours, however, never needs sleep. She may sleep in order to
Every item has an Availability rating. Once per chapter, your
replenish Pyros around her Lineage’s element, but she never truly
character can procure an item at her Resources level or lower
needs sleep and never suffers fatigue penalties.
without issue. An item one Availability level above her Resources
reduces her effective Resources by one dot for a full month, since Sleight of Hand (••)
she has to rapidly liquidate funds. She can procure items two
Prerequisite: Larceny •••
Availability level below her Resources without limit (within reason).
Effect: Your character can pick locks and pockets without even
For example, a character with Resources •••• can procure as many
thinking about it. She can take one Larceny-based instant action
Availability •• disposable cellphones as she needs.
reflexively in a given turn. Her Larceny actions also go unnoticed
Residual Memory (• to •••••) unless someone is specifically trying to catch her.
Prerequisite: Promethean Small-Framed (••)
Effect: Your character’s component parts carry with them hints
Effect: Your character is diminutive. She’s not even five feet tall,
of their past lives. Sometimes your character can tap into these
and it’s easy to walk into her without noticing. She’s Size 4 and thus
residual memories. For each dot in Residual Memory, choose one
has one fewer Health box. She gains +2 to any rolls to hide or go
Skill. This can be a Skill your character has dots in, but it doesn’t
unnoticed. This bonus applies any time being smaller would be an
have to be.
advantage, such as crawling through smaller spaces.
For each dot of Residual Memory, your character gains two
Drawback: In addition to the lower Health, your character might
“memory dice.” These dice can be used at any time, once per
be overlooked or not taken seriously by some people.
game session, to add to any of the Skills you’ve chosen. They can
be divided up as you see fit or used all at once. These dice can Striking Looks (• or ••)
counteract but do not negate the penalties for untrained Skills.
Effect: Your character is stunning, alarming, commanding,
Drawback: If you use all the memory dice available in a game
repulsing, threatening, charming, or otherwise worthy of attention.
session, your character incurs a negative mental Condition.
Determine how your character looks and how people react to that.
Examples include but are not limited to Guilty and Spooked. This

116
 Transmutations

For one dot, your character gets a +1 bonus on any Social rolls truly trusting relationship that cannot be breached. Unless your
that would be influenced by his looks. For two dots, the benefit character does something egregious to cause it, her True Friend
increases to +2. Depending on the particulars, this might influence will not betray her. The Storyteller cannot kill a True Friend
Expression, Intimidation, Persuasion, Subterfuge, or other rolls. as part of a plot without your express permission. Any rolls to
Drawback: Attention is a double-edged sword. Any rolls to spot, influence a True Friend against your character suffer a five-die
notice, or remember your character gain the same die bonus. Sometimes penalty. In addition, once per story your character can regain
your character will draw unwanted attention in social situations. This one spent Willpower point by having a meaningful interaction
could cause further complications. As well, a Promethean currently with her True Friend.
showing her disfigurements cannot benefit from this Merit.
Vivid Dreams (• to •••••)
Terrible Disfigurement (•) Prerequisite: Wits •••, Promethean
Prerequisite: Promethean Effect: Your character’s dreams are far more vivid than most. A
Effect: Your character’s disfigurements are particularly number of times per story equal to this Merit, your character can
unsettling. Any time a human witnesses her disfigurements (see replenish two Willpower instead of one while sleeping. Additionally,
p. 171), all his Composure-based dice pools are reduced by two for add these Merit dots to the Azoth + Composure roll to regain Pyros
the scene. while sleeping near her Lineage’s element. Additionally, when
taking this Merit, declare an Elpis Aspiration. Create it like any
Trained Observer (• or •••) other Aspiration, but focused specifically on your character’s Elpis.
Prerequisite: Wits ••• or Composure ••• When fulfilling that Aspiration, your character undergoes an Elpis
Effect: Your character has spent years in the field, catching tiny details Vision (see p.187) instead of taking a Beat.
and digging for secrets. She might not have a better chance of finding
things, but she has a better chance of finding important things. Any time Weatherproof (•)
you make a Perception roll (usually Wits + Composure), you benefit from Prerequisite: Promethean
the 9-again quality. With the three-dot version, you get 8-again. Effect: Due to the specific components of her design, your
character is immune to extreme weather environments. She suffers
True Friend (•••) no penalties or damage from extreme environments (see p. 212).
Effect: Your character has a true friend. While that friend may Heat or cold does not cause her damage. She still takes damage from
have specific functions covered by other Merits (Allies, Contacts, fire and anything sufficiently extreme to cause aggravated damage.
Retainer, Mentor, et cetera), True Friend represents a deeper, This does not dampen the effects of a Wasteland, however.

TRANSMUTATIONS
Dead flesh to living is but the first transformation Prometheans Refinements cause physical changes in the Promethean’s
endure. Alchemy is change, philosophy and reagents combining alchemical makeup, transforming their humours and generating
to mutate base into refined. External alchemy, such as potions and supernatural powers called Transmutations. Each Refinement has a
burning braziers, tries to work a change in the world. Internal philosophical affinity for two Transmutations. Transmutations are
alchemy, swallowed herbs and transcendental meditation, seeks to not spells, but instinctual expressions of the Promethean’s Azoth
catalyze change in the practitioner. Yet a Promethean’s nature is refined by the metallic philosophies. Each Transmutation is further
alchemical, and Azoth — the ultimate catalyst — burns where their divided into four Alembics — concentrations of alchemical power,
soul should be. The Created body recognizes no difference between brought to roiling expression by the Divine Fire.
philosophy and working, and their internal alchemy becomes Unlike many traits, Transmutations aren’t measured in dots or
externally manifest. Doing so always reveals a Promethean titan’s learned by experience expenditure. Instead, each Alembic follows
feet of clay, however, either by rending the fragile physical alchemy a broad theme relating to the Refinement with a persistent effect
that hides her disfigurements, or by causing a potent supernatural emanating from the character’s Pyros-charged humours. Should the
Condition to dog her steps. Created reflexively expend more Pyros to charge the Alembic, that
Each Transmutation comes with an accompanying Condition, effect can be magnified and utilized in different simultaneous ways
complications of the Azothic emanations of the Alembics. Charging called Distillations. As the Promethean masters the Refinement’s
the Alembics of a Transmutation without revealing disfigurements Roles, their philosophical and spiritual growth allows them to
is always considered a possible source of the Condition, unless express new Alembics.
otherwise stated.

117
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Clash of Wills
Gaining
Sometimes, two supernatural powers clearly Transmutations
oppose one another. If the normal systems for When a Promethean adopts a new Refinement, the player selects
the powers fail to resolve this, such as when two
one Alembic from each Transmutation. These are the only Alembics
Prometheans attempt to use Rabid Rage on the
same animal, or when a vampire attempts to use the Promethean has access to upon first alignment. With each new
a memory-altering power on a person previously Role mastered within a Refinement, the player may select another
affected by a Distillation (such as Fog), a Clash of Alembic from each Transmutation; upon mastering the third Role,
Wills occurs. the entire Transmutation is available.
The Promethean has access to a Transmutation’s Alembics only
All involved supernatural effects enter a contested
so long as she retains the associated Refinement. Even a shift to a
action using a dice pool. Usually this is the wield-
er’s Supernatural Tolerance trait (Blood Potency for Refinement that shares a Transmutation requires the Promethean
vampires, for example) plus the dot rating of the to express different Alembics and abort her progression. Humans
power in question or dominant Attribute for powers may evince multiple cultural beliefs without dissonance, but
that don’t have dot ratings. Prometheans, however, Refinements are hotter mental fires, an attempt to catalyze a
add Azoth plus a Resistance Attribute valid for the spiritual reaction. An Originist and a Fury approach Disquietism
use of the Distillation in question (Physical, Social in fundamentally different ways, even if the expression is similar.
or Mental). Ties reroll until one player has accrued Vitriol expenditure allows a Promethean to calcify certain
more successes than all others. That player charac- internal changes that come with adopting a Refinement and thus
ter’s effect wins out and resolves as usual; all others retain access to an Alembic. She may expend Vitriol Experiences
fail. Victory of one power in a clash does not mean to retain an Alembic she has mastered, even when she’s changed
the immediate cancellation of the others, save in
Refinement. Calcified Alembics are locked into Role progression;
cases where only one power can possibly endure
(such as competing domination). they’re permanent parts of the Promethean now, no matter what
changes her philosophy brings.
Characters may spend Willpower to bolster the
Example: Chicago is an archetypal Fury, flirting with new Refine-
contested roll, but only if they are physically pres-
ent and aware that powers are clashing. Certain ments but constantly falling back to Tin when she needs to vent her rage.
powers, such as those with exceptionally long She spends a great deal of time in the Refinement, rapidly mastering
durations, are more enduring in a clash. Day-long all three Roles. This allows her to utilize all four Alembics of both
effects add one die to the clash roll, week-long Disquietism and Electrification so long as she’s in Tin. One of the new
effects add two, month-long three, and year-long Refinements she’s trying is Lead; when she shifts to that Refinement,
or longer (including effects that don’t have a dura- she may only use one Alembic of Disquietism (player’s choice), as well as
tion) add four. one Alembic of Saturninus. If she shifts back to Stannum, though, she
Example: Taking the example cited above, consid- regains all of the Alembics that she once knew.
er a vampire attempting to view or alter the memory
of a person previous afflicted by the Fog Distillation. As her Pilgrimage progresses, she finds Disquietism too useful to go
The vampire’s player rolls Blood Potency + the dot without. After progressing through the Pilgrimage more (and falling back into
rating of the power in question (three, in this case). Stannum), Chicago calcifies three Alembics of Disquietism — Externalize, Re-
The Promethean’s player rolls the Promethean’s direct, and Internalize — exempting them from Role progression. This allows
Azoth + Composure (the Social Resistance Attribute, her to utilize the Alembics no matter what Refinement she’s adopted; should
valid for Fog). Fog lasts for one day per success (and she adopt Plumbum, she will continue to exhibit these three. This also means
the Created’s player garnered three successes), so that she automatically expresses Weaponize, since she must express at least
the Promethean’s player adds one die to his roll. If one Disquietism Alembic, if possible, that has not been calcified.
the player had garnered seven successes, he would
add four dice to his roll (since an exceptional success
makes the effect Persistent). Systems
If the vampire’s player rolls more successes, the All Alembics have persistent effects. Most of these are ongoing
vampire breaks through the Distillation’s effects changes to the Promethean’s body or abilities, which last as long
and reads the victim’s memories (and probably as the character has access to the Alembic (so if the character
resolves the Amnesia Condition, restoring said spends Vitriol to calcify an Alembic, the persistent effect becomes
memories). If the Promethean’s player wins, the permanent). Some persistent effects require rolls, but most of them
Distillation holds until the effects wear off natural- do not, and none of them require Pyros expenditure.
ly, and the vampire cannot read the victim’s origi-
Using the Distillations of an Alembic requires charging that
nal memory until that time.
Alembic with Pyros. Charging an Alembic with Pyros is a reflexive
action; if the Promethean cannot spend enough Pyros per turn to

118
 Transmutations

charge the Alembic to the desired Distillation, she may do so over an object allows him to detect the relative amounts of a material
successive turns. She may charge as many Alembics as she has the compared to the others, as well as hidden substances within the object.
Pyros for. The charge grounds out after a scene. Once the Alembic Exceptional Success: If the player receives an exceptional success
is charged, she may use the Distillation (and any lesser Distillation bonus on the extended action roll, the Promethean receives a +2 bonus
of the Alembic) for the remainder of the scene without further on any Alchemicus Distillation he wishes to use upon the object.
Pyros expenditure, unless otherwise specified.
Some Transmutations rely on the Promethean’s mundane Skills Purification
and talent in shaping the Divine Fire (a roll of Attribute + Skill + At the least amount of charge, this Alembic doesn’t allow for
Azoth). Others merely require Pyros charging to find expression. physical strengthening or change, merely conceptual reinforcement.
Example: Agamemnon needs to ensure that wealthy art collector bidding By strengthening the conceptual bonds and function of an object or
on the Aboriginal piece — unbeknownst to him, the key link to a potent tool, the Promethean may cause it to work more efficiently.
Athanor — loses his nerve before he outbids the meager resources of the throng. Cost: 1 Pyros
Agamemnon spends 1 Pyros to charge the Penthos Alembic of Mesmerism, us- Action: Instant
ing Undermine on the wealthy bidder. It works, but even without the ability to Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult + Azoth
spend Willpower, the man’s still got cash enough to spend without upset — and The Promethean grasps or handles a tool or object in his
worse, his constant interest has attracted other bidders. The Mimic spends 2 ad- hands, turning it over and over and tapping it here and there to
ditional Pyros to fully charge the Alembic for the scene. Each round of bidding, improve it. Broken objects repair themselves slightly, restored to
he uses Undermine on the bidders, then Defeat the next turn, shattering their full functionality. Working objects find themselves operating at
wills completely. On the wealthy bidder who started this mess, he uses Depress. peak efficiency.
The bidding ends with a massive crowd of bitter, wealthy people in various Dramatic Failure: The object loses two Durability, as the
stages of Disquiet — but the Promethean won the auction! Promethean’s purification works about as well as any other
percussive maintenance.

Alchemicus
Failure: The object does not improve.
Success: Successes add to an equipment bonus on the object for
the scene, up to a maximum added bonus equal to the Promethean’s
All Prometheans are alchemical by nature, capable of Azoth score. If the object is damaged or destroyed, the Promethean
transforming themselves, but this is mostly instinctual. Alchemicus must first overcome a negative modifier.
Alembics, however, rely heavily on occult or scientific study of how Exceptional Success: The maximum bonus is equal to twice the
one state may transform into another. The Savant Refinement allows Promethean’s Azoth.
Prometheans to intimately understand the nature of transformation,
but mortal alchemists often seek to learn the powers of this Fortification
Transmutation above all others. This Distillation further purifies and strengthens the chemical
Charging an Alchemicus Distillation without f laring bonds of an object, greatly improving its Durability. Pyros infuses
disfigurements imposes the Flawed Vessel Condition (p. 309). the object, granting it extreme endurance.
The Alembics of Alchemicus are Stone (physical reinforcement Cost: 2 Pyros
and transformation), Aqua Regia (corrosion), Spagyria (temperature Action: Reflexive
manipulation), and Elixir (inanimate animation). Dice Pool: Stamina + Science + Azoth
This Transmutation works similarly to Purification, save that
Stone successes improve Durability and Structure for the scene and are
The Philosopher’s Stone is not a physical item, but the idea that not limited by the Promethean’s Azoth.
even the basest structure has worth to one who can alter matter Dramatic Failure: The Promethean weakens the Structure and
at will. The Stone Alembic follows suit, transforming the world Durability of the object by two.
according to the will of the alchemist. Failure: The object doesn’t strengthen.
Persistent: The Promethean may, with scrutiny, discern all the Success: Successes improve Durability, then Structure.
material substances and component elements of an object. The Exceptional Success: Successes apply to both the object’s
player makes a Wits + Science + Azoth as an extended action (5–15 Structure and Durability.
successes, one roll represents one turn). Transformation
Roll Results The Great Work of becoming human is referred to,
Dramatic Failure: The character mistakes the object for metaphorically, as turning lead into gold. Prometheans are capable
something it’s not. Wood fiber is mistaken for rich mahogany, pyrite of doing so literally, however, changing one physical substance into
for gold, acid for refreshing lemonade. another. The Created’s knowledge and the physical properties of
Failure: The Promethean cannot discern information on the the item are the only limits to this power. Water into wine, lead
object’s composition. into gold: the Promethean may shift the substance’s chemical and
Success: Simple objects require only five successes, while complex structural properties via direct exposure to Azoth.
materials or constructs require the full fifteen. Full scrutiny of Cost: 3 Pyros

119
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Action: Instant Success: Successes inflict an equipment penalty onto the

Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult + Azoth object, damaging its use, while weapons lose damage rating. If
This Promethean transforms one inorganic substance into another. the Promethean drops the object’s equipment bonus below zero,
She may affect inorganic substances with a Size and Availability no it ceases to function at all. Weapons can’t be used even as crude
greater than her Occult + Azoth total. Common elements like water, improvised clubs; they simply break.
rocks, or soil are one-dot Availability; two dots reflect most industrially- Exceptional Success: No additional effect.
processed substances; alloys such as steel are three dots; gold and other
precious metals are four dots; and diamonds, radioactive substances, Degradation
or highly-processed drugs are five dots. The Promethean secretes a powerful corrosive from her body,
Roll Results devastating the structure of physical objects with a single touch. Objects
touched with the Promethean variant of aqua regia become highly brittle.
Dramatic Failure: The object remains the same, but the
Cost: 2 Pyros
Promethean transforms part of her humours into the substance.
Action: Reflexive
She suffers 3 lethal damage and takes the Flawed Vessel Condition.
Dice Pool: Stamina + Occult + Azoth
Failure: The substance does not change.
This Transmutation requires touching the target to activate. It can
Success: The object changes composition from one inorganic
be activated reflexively any time the Promethean touches an object or
material to another. Successes allow the Promethean to step up or
if she attempts to break the object with brute strength. Degradation
down on the Availability value in the transformation. A steel door
does not affect living flesh and cannot be used offensively.
may be turned to glass, an aspirin into a designer drug, or lead into
Dramatic Failure: The aqua regia corrodes the flesh of the
gold. This transformation lasts for the scene. In the case of aspirin
Promethean, causing her to suffer three lethal damage.
turned into designer drugs, the addict comes crashing back into
Failure: The object does not degrade.
sobriety at the end of the scene, but transforming the aspirin into
Success: Successes remove Durability from the object until it
cyanide leaves the victim just as dead (yet, curiously, dead of cyanide
becomes zero. As an object loses Durability, it becomes more brittle
poisoning but without a trace of the drug).
and easier to break. Objects of a very large Size may still retain some
Exceptional Success: The object changes to a perfectly formed
Structure, allowing them to stand up to repeated blows.
example of the target substance. Add 2 to its Durability (if relevant),
Exceptional Success: Successes apply directly to the object’s
and 1 to its Availability value.
Structure, making even huge objects as fragile as eggshells.
Aqua Regia Dissolution
The “king’s water,” in classic alchemy, is a highly corrosive Controlling her production of the aqua regia, the Promethean
liquid. Used to reduce and refine elements, it degrades and destroys refines her corrosive acids further into an offensive weapon.
all it touches. Savants studying this Alembic secrete this powerful Cost: 3 Pyros
acid from their pores, rendering themselves immune to caustic Action: Reflexive
substances within their laboratories and allowing them to have Dice Pool: Stamina + Occult + Azoth
direct hands-on contact with their experiments. The Promethean exudes a powerful variant of her acid. As with
Persistent: The Promethean can handle the most caustic of the other Distillations, she may choose which pores to exude the
substances without fear. Acids, radioactive materials or other acid from, saving her clothing and possessions from destruction. The
substances cannot inflict bashing damage on him at all, and he acid visibly covers the skin, oil-shiny and vaguely greenish. Hurling
reduces damage from lethal sources of such harm by his Azoth. the acid requires a Dexterity + Athletics attack roll.
Alchemically- and magically-prepared substances and fire still cause Dramatic Failure: The aqua regia corrodes the flesh of the
normal damage to him. Promethean, causing her to suffer three lethal damage.
Failure: The corrosive fails to corrode anything.
Decay Success: On a punch or successful throw, the acid deals lethal
As the aqua regia seeps into equipment, it damages whatever damage equal to successes.
function that equipment once possessed. The Promethean may Exceptional Success: The attack adds a weapon bonus equal
sabotage electronics and other machines with a touch. the Promethean’s Azoth.
Cost: 1 Pyros
Action: Reflexive Spagyria
Dice Pool: Stamina + Occult + Azoth
Objects at rest have energy locked deep within their chemical
This Distillation is effectively the opposite of Purification,
bonds. Fire is an exceptional catalyst because it sunders and energizes
degrading the equipment bonus of an object and inflicting a penalty
bonds. How much more then can the Divine Fire do? Prometheans
to its use. The Promethean must touch the object she wishes to
who study this Alembic influence atomic bonds and how to unleash
affect.
the energy contained within
Dramatic Failure: The aqua regia corrodes the flesh of the
Persistent: The Promethean may expend an additional Pyros
Promethean, causing her to suffer three lethal damage.
on any Alchemicus Distillations to extend its duration to 24 hours.
Failure: The object does not degrade.

120
 Transmutations

Notable Temperatures
Absolute zero –273.15°C
Lowest recorded temperature on Earth –89.2°C (Vostok, Antarctica)
Car antifreeze freezes –37°C
Water freezes 0°C
Average room temperature 20°C
Average human body temperature 37°C
Mercury melts 38°C
Hottest recorded temperature on Earth 58°C (El Azizia, Libya)
Water boils 100°C
Water causes third degree burns 160°C
Tin melts 231°C
Flashpoint of paper 233°C
Lead melts 327°C
Most rocks melt 600–1000°C, depending on composition
Average crematorium 760–1000°C (2–3 hours to cremate human remains)

Temperature Modification Dice Pool: Strength + Crafts + Azoth

The Promethean touches a non-living object, rendering it
Temperature is merely the speed of atoms, how much energy malleable with his Pyros and shaping it into the desired form. If the
they contain that is released as heat. By influencing their speed, Promethean also possesses the Stone Alembic, he may reflexively
the Created may control the temperature of an object and cause it expend Pyros to simultaneously work a Transformation upon the
to melt, boil or freeze. object.
Cost: 1 Pyros Dramatic Failure: The Promethean accidentally cuts himself
Action: Instant on the shaped object, suffering one level of lethal damage. All
Dice Pool: Intelligence + Science + Azoth accumulated successes are lost.
The Promethean must touch an object (though not a living or Failure: The Promethean fails to change the object’s shape.
unliving creature) with a Size no larger than her Size + Azoth. The The player can either quit or accept a Condition (such as Flawed
object maintains its changed temperature until the end of the scene, Vessel) to continue.
at which time it begins to revert back to whatever temperature it Success: The object has the consistency of soft clay, allowing
was before the Promethean affected it. If an object has combusted, the Promethean to mold it into whatever shape he desires. He may
it continues to burn. split it apart, reshape it, or pack it more densely.
Dramatic Failure: The object’s temperature moves 100 degrees
Celsius in the opposite intended direction. Simple (a club) 5
Failure: The object’s temperature does not change.
Success: The object’s temperature changes up to 25 degrees Involved (a sphere) 7
Celsius in the intended direction per success. The Promethean Elaborate (a linked chain) 10
may choose where the temperature change stops, so long as it falls Daunting (a car jack) 15
within the successes.
Exceptional Success: The object’s temperature changes up to Intricate (a functioning gun) 20
45 degrees Celsius in the intended direction per success. He may Once the shaping is done, the object’s new form lasts for the
again choose the precise intended temperature within that range. remainder of the scene.
Alteration Exceptional Success: If the player chooses the exceptional
success bonus for this action, the object gains a +1 equipment bonus.
The Promethean calls upon the malleability of his Azoth,
channeling Pyros into an object. While keeping molecular and atomic Resize
bonds intact, the Promethean radically alters the shape of an object. Building upon her knowledge of altering chemical bonds, the
Cost: 2 Pyros Promethean may now enlarge and restructure an object entirely.
Action: Extended (5–20 successes; one roll represents one turn Cost: 3 Pyros
of work) Action: Instant

121
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Dice Pool: Manipulation + Occult + Azoth Cost: 1 Pyros

The Promethean must touch an object with a Size no larger Action: Instant
than her Size + Azoth. She may shrink or enlarge the object with Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult + Azoth
a successful roll. Investing her Pyros within a nearby object, the Promethean
Dramatic Failure: The object changes 2 Size categories in the temporarily transforms it into a vessel capable of holding Azoth.
opposite intended direction. Dramatic Failure: The object is destroyed; the Promethean
Failure: The object’s Size does not change. suffers a point of aggravated damage from her Azoth burning back
Success: The object’s Size changes by 1 per success. The player upon itself.
may choose to utilize a lesser number successes, if her role exceeds Failure: The object remains as it was.
the desired amount. Success: Each success grants a level of the Azothic Object Merit
Exceptional Success: Successes on the roll count doubly towards (see p. 112) to the object. The Promethean chooses which properties
altering the Size. the object holds. Unlike true Azothic Objects, the effects only last
for a scene, whereupon the Divine Fire burns the object to twisted
Elixir wreckage. The Promethean may forestall this effect by paying one
The ultimate goal of the ancient alchemists was the transformation Pyros per scene to “recharge” the object and keep the Alembic
of death into life. The unheralded among them became successful charged. The Promethean’s player may choose to permanently bind
demiurges, but many more stumbled across this Alembic. The the object by spending the requisite experience points to purchase
Savant gains limited power over Azoth’s ability to restore life, the Merit, allowing the Azoth to “settle” into the object.
transforming it into other substances and back again. Exceptional Success: No effects, other than a spectacular
Persistent: The Promethean only needs three successes on an Azothic Object.
Occult roll to achieve an exceptional success. Spark of Life
Apprentice’s Brooms Animated by Azoth and humours, Prometheans grow and
Technology can seem magical to those who have no understanding change. They are walking, thinking, living proof of alchemy’s greatest
of either. Prometheans with sufficient command of their Azoth can success. Scions of ultimate triumph, the Created may gift a portion
merge the two, allowing an object to carry a portion of the Divine Fire. of their titanic heritage back upon dead beings, granting them a
shambling temporary semblance of life.

122
 Transmutations

Cost: 2 Pyros
Action: Instant
Command
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Occult + Azoth He who serves his fellows is greatest of his fellows. For a
He must touch the corpse, which must have been dead for less Sentry, success in her goals means success in the throng’s goals. To
than a week. The creation gains an appearance of life as Prometheans succeed, she must control the entire reaction, carefully preparing
do, as well as a limited recollection of its previous life, but it has no the necessary elements with efficient teamwork and providing a
Willpower and no desire other than to quietly serve the Promethean. catalyst for the throng.
The creation has the same Physical Attributes as it did when Command Alembic Distillations only work within a branded throng.
living, but its Mental and Social Attributes are each rated at one Persistent: The Promethean adds a +1 bonus to any Teamwork
dot. It can answer limited questions about its life and who it was. roll that she participates in with the throng, above and beyond her
The creation has the same Physical Skills as its Promethean master, own contribution.
and it has 5 dots of the Residual Memory Merit; it has no Mental
or Social skills beyond those necessary to explain its former life. The Many Hands Make Light Work
animated creature speaks the native tongue of the living being. The Sentries are the very essence of a team player. Even if teamwork
effects of this Distillation last for the remainder of the scene; in the seems impossible, practitioners of Aes find a way to make it work.
end, the corpse dies once more. Cost: 1 Pyros
Dramatic Failure: The Promethean creates a Pandoran that Dice Pool: None
expires at the end of the scene. Action: Reflexive
Failure: Dead is dead. The corpse does not move. While this Distillation is charged, Prometheans in a throng
Success: The Promethean creates a temporary “pseudo- can assist each other by mere proximity, making any non-combat
Promethean,” which follows his every unspoken command. action a teamwork action (see p. 202). All members of the throng
Exceptional Success: The corpse is animated for 24 hours. If may participate and add a dice bonus; they needn’t make contact
it is ever the target of the generative act (p. 185), the roll receives a to utilize this Distillation.
+1 equipment bonus.
Able Worker
Flesh to Stone A true leader opens her charges’ minds to new possibilities, and
Once the unliving has been transformed back into the living, shows them what might be achieved through hard work and faith.
reversing it is an easy trick. However, driving the target to a liminal Cost: 2 Pyros
state is far harder. This Distillation alters the target’s flesh to base Dice Pool: None
matter, temporarily immobilizing him. Action: Reflexive
Cost: 3 Pyros The Sentry may designate one throngmate as the target of this
Dice Pool: Intelligence + Crafts – Stamina power. The recipient gains the Inspired Condition until they resolve
Action: Resisted it or until the scene ends. Once the recipient resolves the Condition,
Dramatic Failure: The Promethean suffers the Immobilized the Promethean may designate a new recipient.
Condition for two turns, as the Distillation forces a change in her
flesh instead. The Community of Power
Failure: The Promethean’s touch yields no effect. Prometheans share more than just a miserable existence. They
Success: Each success inflicts the Immobilized Condition on the share experiences, both joys and sorrows. They also share power:
target for one turn. The base material also grants the subject Durability 3. the brand allows the transfer of Pyros, but it may share the ability
Exceptional Success: The subject is transformed utterly, to express Transmutations. With this Distillation, the Sentry may
suffering the Immobilized Condition for a number of turns equal alloy her supernatural might to that of her throngmates.
to the successes rolled. The immobilized subject has Durability 5. Cost: 3 Pyros
Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult + Azoth
Benefice Action: Reflexive
Dramatic Failure: The Promethean suffers the Greedy Brand
Without a throng, the difficulty of achieving the Great Work Condition.
increases exponentially. Few lone Prometheans have achieved the Failure: Nothing happens.
Magnum Opus; working together, a throng has a much stronger Success: When one member of the throng activates a
chance of seeing the New Dawn individually. The Refinement Bestowment or Distillation requiring a roll, treat the activation as
of Bronze focuses on this unique phenomenon, believing that a teamwork action with the user as the primary actor. Any or all
aiding the throng aids the Great Work of all involved. Sentries members of the throng may contribute Pyros the help charge the
see themselves as first among equals, partly because they focus on Alembic and add successes to the final resultant roll.
helping their fellows and enhancing the efficacy of the throng itself. Exceptional Success: If a throngmate has a higher dice pool
Charging a Benefice Distillation without flaring disfigurements than the primary actor, the two “switch” their pools, allowing the
imposes the Greedy Brand Condition (p. 310). primary actor a more efficacious roll.

123
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Consortium Cost: 3 Pyros

Dice Pool: None
The alchemical brand magnifies the strengths of individual Action: Reflexive
Prometheans and nullifies their weaknesses. Sentries grow to rely on this When charged, this Distillation establishes a telepathic link
bond and try to encourage their throngmates to rely on it as well. The between members of the throng within (half-mile per dot of Azoth)
Consortium Alembic fosters this reliance amongst the entire throng. of the Sentry. Besides instant and perfect communication, the link
Consortium Alembic Distillations only work within a grants a +3 bonus to Initiative from the conjoined mental reactions
branded throng. of the throng. The throng also temporarily gains the Connected
Persistent: So long as one throngmate has this Alembic, any Condition (p. 307), though the Beat condition does not apply.
two members of the throng may switch their initiative ratings once
per turn. Control
The Fortified Compact It is the solemn duty of a leader to protect their followers from harm.
This does occasionally mean putting themselves in harm’s way, but more
The Pyros brand of the pact glows brightly while this Alembic is often this means effectively managing the defenses of the throng. This
charged. Tapping into the nature of the pact itself, the Promethean Alembic directly increases the throng’s defensive capabilities.
strengthens the innate nature of the brand. Persistent: When engaging in combat alongside another
Cost: 1 Pyros member of her throng (within Azoth in yards), the Promethean
Dice Pool: None receives +1 bonus to her Defense.
Action: Reflexive
When charged, all members of the throng within 200 yards Protective Boon
receive the following benefits for the scene:
When powered, this Distillation imbues a throngmate with the
• Each pactmate can transfer three points of Pyros per scene. flickering fire of the Pyros itself, directly increasing their ability to
avoid harm in a fight.
• All penalties for having a branded Promethean of the same Cost: 1 Pyros (per throngmate)
Lineage in the throng are nullified. Dice Pool: None
• The character’s Azoth incurs a –2 dice pool penalty for every Action: Reflexive
Promethean of different Lineage in his throng when rolling For every point of Pyros spent charging this level of the Alembic,
for Disquiet. the Sentry may designate a member of the throng to receive a +1
bonus to their Defense for the remainder of the scene. This Defense
• When rolling to resist Torment, the character gains a +2 may be used against ranged attacks.
bonus to his dice pool (see p. 172).
Inviolable Unity
• The Sentry may reflexively designate one throngmate per By channeling Pyros through his shared bond of camaraderie,
turn. While using a Distillation or Bestowment that requires the Sentry shields his friends in armor comprised of power itself.
a roll, the throngmate gains a +2 bonus to dice pools. Cost: 2 Pyros
Dice Pool: Presence + Occult + Azoth
Common Perception Action: Instant
The Sentry channels his perceptions and senses down the link Success on the roll grants the Promethean a pool of armor points
of the brand, allowing a throngmate to share in his experiences. that he may distribute amongst the throng. He cannot give himself
Cost: 2 Pyros a higher armor rating than any other one member of the throng.
Dice Pool: None Dramatic Failure: The Sentry suffers –1 to his Defense for the
Action: Reflexive scene, and gains the Unbranded Condition.
The Promethean may share one or all of her senses with one Failure: The power has no effect.
other throngmate, regardless of distance. The experience exists as Success: The throng blazes with alchemical fire, licking at their
a vague overlay in the mind of the recipient, who may choose to muscles and playing over their clothes. The fire does not burn, but
ignore or concentrate upon the sensory experience. If the recipient intercepts blows and incoming sources of damage. The Promethean
chooses to split his attention between both experiences, he suffers gains the ability to distribute points of general armor, as above.
a one-die penalty for each sense he borrows to any physical action Exceptional Success: As above, but every branded member of
he takes while dividing his focus. If the recipient possesses the the throng gains a free point of general armor.
Sensorium Transmutation, he can activate it and apply it to his Bulwark
throngmate’s perceptions.
The greatest gift a leader can give is empowerment to those he
Unspoken Words helps. This Distillation allows the Sentry to uplift her throngmate
At the apex of connection, the Promethean may join the with confidence in their abilities.
thoughts of his throngmates together. Cost: 3 Pyros

124
 contamination

Dice Pool: None branded throng within line of sight. The recipient receives the
Action: Reflexive Bestowment or Alembic as if it were his own and may freely charge
The Sentry may designate one throngmate as the target of this it as such for the remainder of the scene.
power. The recipient gains the Steadfast Condition until they resolve Dramatic Failure: The effort to gift a calcified Alembic or
it or until the scene ends. Once the recipient resolves the Condition, learned Bestowment fails miserably, temporarily suppressing the
the Promethean may designate a new recipient. humours within the Promethean and disallowing use of her own
supernatural power.
Community Failure: The Promethean fails to gift the Bestowment or
More than anything, Sentries wish to foster a sense of group Alembic.
well-being amongst the throng. This isn’t easy — Torment sunders Success: The power calcifies properly in the recipient, aligning
even what diffident personalities do not, and the humours of the his humours in a pattern capable of utilizing the Bestowment or
Prometheans leads them to grandiose behaviors and displays of Alembic as if it were his own.
emotion. Despite that, the best chance for the Great Work lies in Exceptional Success: The recipient successfully receives the
hanging together, which this Alembic tries to enable. use of the Bestowment or Alembic for the scene, taking so well to
Community Distillations may only be applied within a branded throng. the donor’s Pyros that he receives a “free” point of Pyros to charge
Persistent: The Sentr y can donate Pyros to other the Alembic.

Contamination
throngmates at a rate of one point per turn, rather than point
per scene.

Communal Font The Cathar focus on impurities, so that they may be purged. She
With this ability, the Sentry forces open the power of her changes so as to acquire a unique sense for weakness of the mind and
alchemical brand, allowing for free Pyros donation throughout the body. She can smell madness and other mental defects. When
the throng. she looks at a person, she can see the flaws in his personality, those
Cost: 1 Pyros (1 additional Pyros per point granted) traits which could destroy him if allowed to run unfettered. She can
Dice Pool: None feel the aches, pains, and sickness in another and in herself acutely.
Action: Instant This sensitivity allows her to manipulate others, to exploit their pain
The Promethean pushes her Pyros into her alchemical brand, and alleviate it. Often, this requires that the weakness be brought
removing impurities and allowing for free expenditure. Once to the surface and allowed to express itself before it can be purged.
charged, any member of the branded throng may transfer one Pyros The lesson of Contamination, of course, is a finer version of the
per turn, using the Sentry as a conduit. larger lesson of the Cobalus Refinement — perfection is impossible.
If Fortified Compact is also charged, any member of the throng Impurity cannot be purged from a human being the way it can from
may transfer Pyros up to the limit of what her Azoth allows per turn. metal; judging people by their flaws or disabilities is in itself a flaw.
Since humanity itself has difficulty with this lesson, though, it can
We Are As One take Cathars some time to internalize. This Transmutation allows
The alchemical brand that binds Prometheans together contains exploration of the notion.
an element of all of their humours. These humours retain a Charging a Contamination Distillation without flaring
connection to their original donor, and through that connection, disfigurements imposes the Fragile Condition (p. 309).
the Sentry may work wonders. Most Contamination Distillations require that the Cathar be
Cost: 2 Pyros in the same general area as the target (within 10 feet per dot of
Dice Pool: None Azoth) and is able to see him. Exceptions are noted in individual
Action: Reflexive descriptions.
While this Alembic is charged, the Promethean may target any Contamination is divided into four Alembics. Those Alembics
of his throngmates within line-of-sight with any Distillation that are: Indulgence (exploiting character weakness), Leverage (exploiting
requires touch. secrets), Madness (exploiting mental weakness), and Suffering
(exploiting physical weakness).
What’s Mine Is Yours
Being an effective leader means knowing when to delegate, and Indulgence
sometimes the best defense is a grand and spectacular offense. This Insanity isn’t the only weakness of the mind. Personality flaws
Distillation allows the Promethean to lend supernatural aspects and are as much an impurity as any mental illness. A Cathar can feel
Transmutations to another Promethean. the dark urges of a human’s soul as easily as she can feel the aches
Cost: 3 Pyros in his bones or the depression clouding his mind. She can bring
Dice Pool: Wits + Occult + Azoth these desires to the surface just as she can pain or madness, but the
Action: Instant effects can be unpredictable.
With successful activation, the Created may gift any known Persistent: A Cathar has a keen sense for human vices and can
Bestowment or calcified Alembic she knows to a member of her look into a person’s eyes to discover his dark desires. This insight

125
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

makes it easy for her to leverage the person by playing to his faults. Roll Results
She knows a person’s Vice and can improve her impression by two Dramatic Failure: The crowd immediately becomes distrustful
steps when appealing to it during Social maneuvering. of the Promethean, who becomes the focus of attention. Everyone
Encourage Impulse present is pushed into Disquiet or moves to the next stage.
Failure: The Cathar is unable to get a handle on the crowd.
The Cathar temporarily inflames the Vice of the target, causing Success: Everyone in the immediate vicinity whose Composure
his impulses to override his better judgment for an instant. When isn’t higher than the number of successes rolled loses their
timed correctly, even this minor manipulation can be ruinous for inhibitions. Rather than acting as individuals, those affected tend
its victim. If the target has already indulged his Vice during the to polarize around the strongest personalities (highest Presence).
scene, the player adds one die to her roll. Actions taken while under the influence of this Alembic can lead
Cost: 1 Pyros to breaking points if extreme enough.
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy + Azoth vs. Composure Exceptional Success: Only those with superhuman Composure
+ Azoth are able to resist.
Action: Instant and contested
Roll Results Leverage
Dramatic Failure: The Cathar does not get the desired result; A Cathar understands that individuals do not exist in a void.
instead the target is pushed into Disquiet or moves to the next stage. Every person is caught up in a web of relationships with the people
Failure: The Cathar is unable to influence the target. around him, and the weak points in these connections are secrets. A
Success: The target takes an immediate rash action in line man’s drug addiction doesn’t just threaten his physical and mental
with his Vice. If he’s in an argument and has a Vice relating to his well being, but can also cost him his job, his friends, and even his
temper, he might hit the other person. If his Vice is Spiteful, he family. The Cathar is adept at sensing those things that can destroy
might instead say something cruel. a person if brought to light.
Exceptional Success: The target doubles down and makes Persistent: If the Cathar’s goal is to learn a person’s secrets, the
another rash action to follow the first. number of Doors that must be opened during Social maneuvering
is reduced by one.
Remove Inhibitions
Feeding the Alembic causes the target to progress from a moment Confession
of weakness to a complete loss of inhibitions. His Vice takes over, The Cathar is able to urge the subject into revealing his
dictating his actions; any resistance erodes his will to the point when innermost thoughts by asking a leading question.
he no longer can resist. Cost: 1 Pyros
Cost: 2 Pyros Dice Pool: Manipulation + Persuasion + Azoth vs. Composure
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Persuasion + Azoth vs. Composure + Azoth
+ Azoth Action: Instant and contested
Action: Instant and contested
Roll Results
Roll Results Dramatic Failure: Her efforts are transparent and the subject’s
Dramatic Failure: The Cathar does not get the desired result; impression of her becomes hostile. Disquiet increases by one step.
instead the target is pushed into Disquiet or moves to the next stage. Failure: She fails to elicit any secrets.
Failure: The target successfully resists temptation. Success: The subject answers the question truthfully, regardless
Success: The target is overtaken by his Vice for the rest of of how embarrassing or even dangerous this may be.
the scene. He will indulge it at any opportunity unless he spends Exceptional Success: The subject continues to feel like he can
Willpower. He cannot regain Willpower from either his Vice or open up to the Promethean. Her impression for Social maneuvering
Virtue while under the influence of this Distillation. is improved by one step.
Exceptional Success: The target cannot spend Willpower to
resist his Vice. Guilt Trip
Plague of Desire This Distillation allows the Promethean to bypass social
interaction and learn the subject’s darkest secret with a single touch.
The Cathar causes the loss of inhibitions to spread like Disquiet Cost: 2 Pyros
in a Wasteland. Everyone in the immediate vicinity falls under the Dice Pool: Wits + Empathy + Azoth vs. Resolve + Azoth
sway of their desires, forming a howling mob devoted to indulgence. Action: Instant and contested
Depending on the predilections of the crowd, this can lead to an
Roll Results
orgy, a bloodbath, a lynch mob, or a vicious argument.
Cost: 3 Pyros Dramatic Failure: The subject recoils at the contact and enters
Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + Azoth the next stage of Disquiet.
Action: Instant Failure: She gets no information.

126
 contamination

Success: She has a brief vision of the single worst thing the
subject has done. She experiences this as a flashback and from
his point of view. She knows the generalities of the situation but
no specifics. For example, if she sees a vision of him cheating
Vision Quest
on his husband, she knows that they were in his office and the The vision quest takes place entirely in the mind of the
other party is his secretary, but wouldn’t know the address or the subject, with the Cathar along as his companion. She
secretary’s name. can choose to help him or to hinder him. The quest plays
Exceptional Success: She gets the details such as names, date out as a number of scenes that represent the nature and
and time, and addresses. origin of the Condition being addressed. For example,
if the subject suffers Amnesia acquired from witnessing
Scandal a murder, the quest may involve playing out the circum-
stances of that night leading up to the forgotten event.
Cathars can force a person’s dark secret out into the light by
making the vision of the previous Distillation contagious. The success or failure of the quest is determined through
Cost: 3 Pyros an extended action. The subject uses his Resolve +
Dice Pool: Resolve + Subterfuge + Azoth vs. Resolve + Azoth Composure. The required successes range from five (for a
Action: Instant and contested recently acquired Condition) to ten (for one he’s suffered
for a long time) or even twenty (for a congenital mental
Roll Results illness). If the Cathar who initiated the quest is helping him,
Dramatic Failure: The target is not affected and has a sense that the number of successes the player rolled for the Distillation
she tried to betray his secrets. His impression of her becomes hostile is subtracted from the amount needed, with a minimum of
for Social maneuvering and he enters the next stage of Disquiet. one. If she is hindering him, her successes are added to the
Failure: She fails to force his secrets to the surface. number required. The subject rolls once per scene.
Success: For the next day, anyone the target touches gains If the vision quest is a success, the Condition is resolved.
knowledge of his darkest secret. Unlike the previous Distillation, Otherwise, it worsens; the target suffers a –2 to Resolve
this isn’t experienced as a vision. Instead, they suddenly know with + Composure rolls to resist it until it is resolved. The actual
certainty what he has done (though not the specific details). If the time passing in the real world is minimal, usually a turn
Promethean has not used the Guilt Trip Distillation on the target, per scene.
she doesn’t know the secret unless she touches the target, too. Example: Freda initiates a vision quest with her friend
Exceptional Success: The effect lasts for two days. Arthur, who has been suffering from the Broken Condition
since a run-in with a Centimanus with the Penthos
Madness Alembic. The Storyteller rules that because this was re-
cently acquired, it will only take five successes to purge.
The follower of Cobalt instinctively grasps the frailties of the Freda’s player rolled three successes for the Catharsis
mind and how it can break. She knows how to find the cracks in Distillation, which means only two more are needed. The
a seemingly normal person and use Azoth to force them wide, Storyteller describes the two of them finding themselves
resulting in alchemy-induced madness. She also knows how to in a dark, dirty room. Arthur is curled up on a bed with
purge mental impurities, though the process brings the insanity a picture of his dead family clutched in his hand. Freda
bubbling to the surface on its way out, leaving the subject cured goes to him and helps him up, taking the picture from
but often traumatized. him gently and telling him that what happened wasn’t
Persistent: Cathars have an instinctive sense for mental illness his fault. Arthur’s player rolls his Resolve + Composure
and trauma. By looking into the eyes of another, she is able to see (–2 because of the Broken Condition) and gets a single
success. The scene around them changes; now a mob
the cracks in his psyche. She knows any Persistent Condition he
screams outside. Arthur’s family cowers in the corner as
suffers from relating to mental trauma or illness, such as Amnesia, the rioters try to break down the door. Freda tells him
Broken, Fugue, Madness, or Obsession. that she will get his family out if he can buy them time.
His player rolls Resolve + Composure again and gets
Psychotic Flash two successes. Arthur flings the door open and throws
The Promethean drives a wedge into a crack in the target’s mind, himself at the oncoming mob, sacrificing himself to save
causing him to have a sudden, traumatic psychotic break. Such a his family. The vision ends, his catharsis complete, and the
violent episode can cause lasting psychological damage but in the Broken Condition is resolved.
short term it renders him stunned.
Cost: 1 Pyros
Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation + Azoth vs. Resolve + Azoth
Failure: The Distillation has no effect.
Action: Instant and contested
Success: The target is afflicted by horrendous visions that stress
Roll Results his sanity. He gains the Stunned Tilt.
Dramatic Failure: The Promethean gains the Stunned Tilt as Exceptional Success: The target suffers –2 to Resolve +
she suffers a glimpse of the same visions she tried to inflict. Composure rolls to focus or resist the effects of the Distillation.

127
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Onset of Madness can be coaxed to the surface. This is never without some obvious
effect. The drugs or poison bleeds through his skin and bacteria
The Cathar can cause longer lasting and less immediately or virus-laden sweat similarly leaks from his pores. Regardless of
traumatic damage to the target’s mind, making him mentally unstable the source, the resulting liquid has a bluish tint and needs to be
for days. She finds this useful for discrediting those who speak against washed away to complete the purification.
her or to make someone pursuing her less effective over the long term. Cost: 1 Pyros
Cost: 2 Pyros Dice Pool: Resolve + Medicine + Azoth – Severity, Potency, or
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Subterfuge + Azoth vs. Composure Toxicity rating
+ Azoth Action: Instant
Action: Instant and contested
Roll Results
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The target’s condition is worsened. He suffers
Dramatic Failure: The Promethean is struck with the Insane the Sick Tilt (for a disease) or Poisoned Tilt (for poison or drugs).
Tilt from the backlash. Failure: She fails to have an effect.
Failure: She has no effect. Success: By laying on hands, the Promethean is able to draw
Success: The target gains the Disquieted Condition but without physical impurities out of the target: curing a disease, purging a
a focus on the Promethean. In all other respects, it resembles drug, or neutralizing a toxin.
Disquiet. It persists for one day per success rolled. Exceptional Success: The target regains one point of Health
Exceptional Success: The Condition lasts for a week. lost to bashing or lethal damage inflicted by the offending impurity.
Catharsis Affliction
A follower of Cobalus can force her target to face his weaknesses The Cathar is able to draw the pain of an injury, disability, or
and fears and either be destroyed by them or come out stronger for illness to the surface, making it more difficult to overcome. The
the experience. By making eye contact, the two enter a vision quest, conditions aren’t worsened, but the pain is harder to ignore and
with the Cathar taking on the role of tormentor or companion. thus more disabling. While under the effect of this Transmutation,
Cost: 3 Pyros each step taken with his bad leg causes agony and the nausea from
Dice Pool: Wits + Empathy + Azoth vs. Resolve + Azoth chemotherapy is so bad as to be debilitating.
Action: Instant and contested Cost: 2 Pyros
Roll Results Dice Pool: Intelligence + Medicine + Azoth vs. Stamina + Azoth
Dramatic Failure: A bit of the impurity leaks into the Cathar Action: Instant and contested
when she tries to draw it forth; she suffers the same Condition she Roll Results
was trying to purge for the next 24 hours. Dramatic Failure: The Promethean is wracked with physical
Failure: The attempt at catharsis fails. pain and gains the Insensate Tilt.
Success: The Cathar initiates a vision quest (see sidebar). Failure: She is unable to affect the target.
Exceptional Success: The vision is particularly powerful. If Success: The target’s physical ailments are worsened for the rest
successful, the catharsis grants the subject the Inspired Condition. of the scene. Wound penalties and penalties from physical Tilts or
If it fails, he suffers the Insensate tilt. Conditions are doubled.

Suffering Exceptional Success: The duration is extended to one day.

A Cathar has a deep understanding of the flaws of the physical Pain

form. It takes the form of heightened empathy, where she can look Her deep understanding of the weakness of the flesh allows her
at a person and feel the ache in a healing injury, experience the to target her attacks to those places where they will hurt the most.
roughness of his breathing, and taste the metallic tinge of a poison A bum knee, a femur riddled with osteoporosis, or a swollen spleen
coursing through his veins. This is even before she notices his limp is an easy way to overcome an opponent momentarily with intense
or hears him coughing. She can use this acute awareness of physical physical agony. It is also a way to bring the weakness to the surface
weakness to draw it forth, which initially results in additional pain so that it can be addressed.
and infirmity but eventually draws forth poison and disease like a Cost: 3 Pyros
leech, eliminating it. Dice Pool: None
Persistent: Cathars can smell the stink of illness or poison in Action: Reflexive
a person’s sweat and have a keen eye for any handicap or injury. Once this Distillation is charged, the Promethean can inflict
If the Cathar takes an instant action to study a target in combat, intense pain with any successful close-combat attack. The target
all her attacks against that target receive a 1 point weapon bonus. gains the Insensate Tilt in addition to any damage. If the Cathar
wishes, she can inflict the pain with a touch (requiring the player
Purge to make a touch attack; see p. 207).
While physical disabilities and injuries are beyond the Cathar’s
power to fix, impurities in the body such as germs, poison, or drugs

128
 corporeum

Corporeum deftly sunder the knots holding a throngmate to a burning pyre,

and her novice handling of a pistol rivals the skill of Olympians.
Cost: 2 Pyros (1 additional)
Followers of the Bronze and Iron Refinements both evince Dice Pool: None
physical perfection as part of their Transmutations, rendering their Action: Reflexive
bodies capable of feats of dexterity and endurance far beyond most For the rest of the scene, the character benefits from the 9-again
Prometheans, eclipsing that of humanity. The idea that mastery rule to all Dexterity rolls. Additionally, the Promethean’s player may
of the body allows for mastery of the soul is present within many reroll any Dexterity roll at the cost of an additional point of Pyros,
human cultures; Corporeum’s capabilities are some evidence of that. keeping the second result. She may opt to spend the point of Pyros
Titans and Sentries view and experience this Transmutation after the roll is made.
differently, though both acknowledge that it makes the Promethean
frame more graceful and able to withstand terrific damage. For Titans, Rarified Grace
it is the counterpart to Vitality, granting speed and endurance to raw The Promethean’s power perfects her, such that every action
strength — the hand of the warrior must be skilled and calloused as she makes is practiced and trained as if she’d spent years deeply
well as strong. The Alembic progression heightens the Promethean’s ingraining the techniques necessary for her current task.
tactical capabilities, freeing the mind to concentrate on strategic Cost: 3 Pyros, 1 Willpower (optional)
necessity. Sentries embrace this view as well, believing that they Dice Pool: None
must combat the trials of the throng, providing a shining example Action: Reflexive
by suffering so that their throng doesn’t have to. By enduring the The character may apply the rote action quality (see p. 202) to
difficulties of the world with grace, they comfort and inspire. any Dexterity-based roll. This also applies to any Dodge roll she
Charging a Corporeum Distillation without flaring disfigurements makes. Once charged, the Promethean may use this Distillation
imposes the Kinesthesia Condition (p. 310). for a number of actions equal to her Azoth rating without penalty.
The Alembics of Corporeum are: Charites (fine muscular More than that requires the player to reflexively spend a Willpower
control), Zephyrus (reaction time), Hygeius (control of pain and point, which allows an additional number of turns of use equal to
resilience), and Motus (speed and movement). her Azoth.

Charites Zephyrus
The Promethean establishes perfect control over her muscles, Titans and Sentries alike must be ever vigilant for threats, but the
allowing her to perform even the most rigorous and complex physical oft-overlooked aspect of the sentinel is reacting to threats when they’re
tasks with practiced ease. Every tendon and muscle group, even perceived. By means of this Alembic, the Promethean heightens her
normally unconscious ones, falls under her absolute command. reaction times to inhuman levels. Sentries keep watch for threats to
For Titans, this augments their capacity for physical challenge their throng, but Titans are more often out for themselves.
and personal training, as athletic physicality requires rigorous and Persistent: The Promethean always adds his Azoth to the Wits
repetitive movements, a methodical working of muscle groups to + Composure roll to avoid surprise. Even if surprised, he applies
understand how each part of the body interacts as a contiguous half of his Defense against incoming attacks.
whole. Sentries view it more as the unified body perfectly suborning
to the singular, commanding will of the Promethean, a very literal Swift Feet
case of mind-over-matter. The Promethean sends Pyros surging down her leg muscles,
Persistent: The player only needs three successes on Athletics achieving inhuman speed by efficient movement and grace rather
rolls in order to achieve an exceptional success. If he garners at least than raw muscular power. Her feet find the ground and maximize
three successes but less than five, he is treated as if he achieved five. their movement.
Athletic Grace Cost: 1 Pyros
Dice Pool: None
The Divine Fire explodes in every nerve ending of the Promethean’s Action: Reflexive
body; his movements resemble nothing so much as a flickering flame. The Promethean may move up to twice her Speed while still
Cost: 1 Pyros taking an instant action. This Distillation stacks with Exemplary
Dice Pool: None Athleticism (see p. 131), but the Created sees her Speed tripled,
Action: Reflexive not quadrupled.
While this Transmutation is charged, he adds one to his effective
Dexterity, altering static calculations and allowing him an extra die Serpent Strike
to all rolls involving the Attribute. This does not count against the The same energies that allowed him quick flight now suffuse the
character’s maximum score as dictated by Azoth. Promethean’s entire frame, allowing him to strike swiftly and surely.
Uncanny Dexterity Cost: 2 Pyros (plus an additional 1 Pyros)
Dice Pool: None
The Promethean’s muscles respond to her will and desires with Action: Reflexive
graceful surety. Her feet find perfect purchase on the wall, her hands

129
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

On the turn where this Distillation is fully charged, the Promethean Despite the Pyros sizzling about their humours, Prometheans
adds his Azoth to his Initiative score as a positive modifier. If the cannot physically perform when their muscles are torn apart or
Promethean spends an additional Pyros, he may nullify a weapon’s destroyed past functioning. This Transmutation keeps them viable
Initiative modifier for the next turn, allowing him to act more rapidly. past that point.
Cost: 2 Pyros
Perfected Reflexes Dice Pool: None
When the Alembic is fully charged, the Promethean is nigh Action: Reflexive
untouchable. She easily evades the weapons of her enemies, and When energized, the Promethean does not suffer from any Tilts
the Divine Flame allows her to dodge even bullets. that would inhibit him physically, as the Pyros suffusing his body
Cost: 3 Pyros allows full movement. The Promethean cannot suffer from Arm
Dice Pool: None Wrack, Leg Wrack or similarly crippling Tilts. Even if his arm bones
Action: Reflexive are covered in tattered scraps of burnt muscle, his grip remains
When this Distillation is powered, the character receives a strong; even if his eyes are gouged out, his vision remains clear. Even
+3 to her Defense and may use her full Defense against ranged sundering the limb or slicing out the eyeball doesn’t manifest the
attacks. Additionally, if she takes a Dodge action, she makes the Tilt (though once this Transmutation expires, the Condition likely
roll at 8-again. returns and is Persistent unless the Promethean has reattached or
regenerated the lost organ). Missing limbs or organs are replaced
Hygeius by ideal versions of themselves crafted from smokeless, cold flame.
Mortal yogis have mastered bodily control, allowing them absolute Resilient Flesh
authority over their human frames and incredible endurance of pain
and trauma. The Promethean who commands this Alembic similarly Attacks that would sunder the Promethean’s flesh still land, but
commands total control over his bodily frame. Pyros shimmers along the flesh does not quite part or crush as it should.
the sinews of his flesh, allowing elegant movement and fine control Cost: 3 Pyros
even when the flesh lies in tatters. Sentries regard this as yet another Dice Pool: None
example of how Pyros and will combine to find perfection within Action: Reflexive
the body, while Titans have an opposing view: the human body is far The Promethean subtracts two from all sources of damage, even
more resilient than mortals credit it. It is capable of great deeds so fire. The superficial signs of damage remain, cauterized by Pyros and
long as a Promethean is willing to push it to the limit. scar tissue that fades when the Distillation loses charge.
Persistent: Prometheans feel pain, but while they aren’t
debilitated by it like humans are, they’re often unable to interpret Motus
pain’s signals. Prometheans with the Hygeius Alembic can subtly Titans and Sentries alike are often imposing physical specimens,
account for the injuries inflicted by expertly assessing their pain. even without Corporeum. When one channels the Divine Fire
If the Promethean would suffer a wound penalty (if mortal) from through her limbs, she becomes exemplary. The Motus Alembic
their health boxes being filled, they instead receive a dice bonus guides and empowers her muscle for the purposes of running,
equivalent to the wound penalty they would suffer. jumping, and other movements that rely upon speed and power.
Titans consider it the most dramatic and elegant example of their
Human Flesh physical dominance, often daring one another to perform elaborate
The Promethean’s mastery of his body refined enough that he parkour challenges. Sentries, as always, are far more practical —
can control electrical impulses, his heartbeat, and even the flush Motus makes them faster and more agile than anyone.
of the sanguine humour such that it can mimic blood. With the Persistent: So long as his stride remains unceasing, the
Divine Fire energizing the Transmutation, the Promethean appears Promethean is tireless. While in motion, he gains the Sleepless
completely human. Merit (see p. 116). When he stands relatively still for longer than a
Cost: 1 Pyros minute, the Merit fades (and any fatigue penalties resume). If the
Dice Pool: None Promethean already possesses the Merit, then he needn’t eat, either
Action: Instant — his motion perpetually stokes the Divine Fire keeping him alive.
For the rest of the scene, the Promethean appears completely
human. To all medical evidence, he appears to be perfectly healthy. Uncanny Athleticism
Examinations indicate that he is living and breathing. Additionally, By channeling vital humours through her limbs, the Promethean
using Pyros do not cause his disfigurements to appear. Unlike with invigorates her body. Athletic endeavors such as running, jumping,
most Transmutation activations, the Promethean need not suppress or swimming become much easier for the Titan. She overcomes such
his disfigurements to charge Human Flesh. obstacles with ease. Sentries, by contrast, often use this to quickly
close any distance between themselves and their throngmates.
Impossible Flesh Cost: 1 Pyros
While all Prometheans enjoy immunity from wound penalties, Dice Pool: Strength + Athletics + Azoth
as pain matters less to them, they may still suffer crippling wounds. Action: Reflexive

130
 deception

Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The power fails to activate. The character’s
Strength is penalized by 2 (to a minimum of 1) as her vital humours
misfire within her musculature.
Failure: The power fails to activate.
Success: For each success rolled, the player may add one point
to either the character’s Strength or Stamina Attributes for the
purposes of athletic endeavors such as running, jumping, swimming,
or other activities that draw upon strength or endurance. These dots
may take the character above her normal maximum.
Exceptional Success: In addition, the character gains two
additional dots in the Parkour Merit (p. 115). If she already possesses
four or more dots in the Merit, this power has no additional effect.

Mighty Bound
A Promethean’s life is fraught with peril. Some dangers prove too
much even for a Titan or Sentry, and he must flee to fight another
day. This power increases the distance of his jumps, whether moving
to or from danger.
Cost: 2 Pyros
Dice Pool: None
Action: Reflexive
Mighty Bound increases the distance and effectiveness of the
Promethean’s legs, whether running or standing. When performing
a running jump, the maximum distance the character may leap is
effectively tripled. Convert feet to yards when calculating how far
she may jump.
If the character is performing a standing broad jump
(horizontally), her distance is tripled as with a running jump.
However, if the character is leaping vertically, her maximum height
is merely doubled.

Exemplary Athleticism
A Promethean who has come this far along the Motus path has
learned how to better infuse his muscles with his vital humours.
Every burst of strength, every marathon step, every minute spent
underwater — they all become easier for the Created to exhibit.
His body moves like a well-oiled machine, responding effortlessly
to his every whim.
Cost: 3 Pyros
Dice Pool: None
Action: Instant
Once activated, the Promethean’s Strength and Stamina both
increase by three and her Dexterity by one, even if this takes the
character over her usual maximums. In addition, any athletic (non-
combat) action that calls upon a roll utilizing Strength or Stamina
gains the rote quality. Finally, the character’s Speed is doubled.

Deception
The Refinement of Aurum is dedicated to humanity. It allows
a Mimic to move more easily among people, either as an unseen
observer or as an actor pretending to be what he is not. The
Transmutation comes about as the Promethean opens himself up to
humanity and allows himself to empathize with people as much as

131
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

his experience will allow. It is an emotional experience that can leave Roll Results
the character reeling. A side effect of this practice is a distancing Dramatic Failure: The power backfires. Attempts to find
from what he actually is and an attendant difficulty in interacting evidence of him add two extra dice.
with others of his kind. Failure: The power fails.
Charging a Deception Distillation without flaring disfigurements Success: For the rest of the scene, he leaves no evidence of his
imposes the Alienated Condition (p. 306). passage: no footprints, no physical evidence, and no fingerprints.
Deception is divided into four Alembics. Those Alembics are: Even cameras and other sensors tend not to notice his passage, such
Anonymity (being overlooked), Assimilation (blending into crowds), that he does not trigger alarms or show up on security footage. Any
Doppelganger (imitating another), and Watcher (remaining unseen). Larceny rolls to break into a place get extra dice equal to the number

Anonymity of successes rolled for this power, and Investigation rolls to find
traces of him later are penalized by an equal number.
The Promethean takes advantage of his outsider status to be a Exceptional Success: Investigation rolls to find evidence of his
nonperson, overlooked and leaving no trace of his passage. It is an passage are reduced to a chance die.
important first step, allowing him to join humanity in a way that
makes minimal demands of him and allows him to observe before Forgotten
partaking. With a sufficient expenditure of Pyros, this Alembic can be main-
Persistent: When acting normally and not drawing attention, tained indefinitely. The Mimic becomes a ghost moving through
attempts to pick the Promethean out of a crowd suffer a –2 modifier. human society, observing but never interacting with his subjects.
Those who have no reason to search for him overlook him entirely. Cost: 3 Pyros
Dice Pool: None
Nameless Action: Reflexive
With a little Pyros, the Mimic is able to be anonymous while The duration of the preceding effects is increased to 24 hours
being more active. He takes on the role of the sort of person who and can be extended indefinitely by spend another Pyros every day.
is regularly ignored. This allows him to move away from the crowd Living like this wears on a Promethean’s psyche, however. When
but still go mostly unnoticed through human society. the power ends, he must make a Torment roll, with a –1 modifier
Cost: 1 Pyros for every day the duration was extended past the first.
Dice Pool: Presence + Stealth + Azoth
Action: Instant Assimilation
Roll Results Mimics are adept at blending into crowds, but sometimes
Dramatic Failure: His Azoth flares, causing those around him they do so not to avoid notice but to take advantage of the group
to take immediate notice of him. For the rest of the scene, he has dynamic. Someone may not know him personally, but if he is a part
the Alienated Condition. of a group to which she belongs, she is inclined to trust him. The
Failure: He gains no benefits. Promethean opens himself up to a group of people and allows his
Success: He becomes a nobody for the rest of the scene, the mind and body to adjust to match them. Some followers of Aurum
sort of person others don’t even see. Like custodial staff, homeless find losing themselves in the group mind highly disconcerting, but
people, or servants, people don’t give him a second glance. Later, it does teach valuable lessons about humanity.
they are hard-pressed to remember any detail about him. Anyone Persistent: When he meets someone in a group setting, his
trying to remember details about him has her Intelligence + first impression is one step higher when using Social maneuvering
Composure roll penalized by the successes rolled. Failure indicates (p. 202).
the witnesses don’t remember him being there at all.
Exceptional Success: Rolls to remember the character are
Conformity
reduced to a chance die. The Promethean can adopt the dominant physical characteristics
of the society or group in which he finds himself. The changes speak
Traceless to the aggregate rather than any specific individual. They make him
With a little more effort, even physical signs of his passage fit in though he remains a distinct individual; he is just an individual
through the world vanish. The world itself denies his existence, who matches that group. The change is generally sufficient to throw
ignoring him and refusing to accept his imprint upon it. For this off those looking for him, so long as the group he is mimicking is
to be successful, though, the Promethean must limit his interaction dissimilar from his usual appearance.
with the world. Every object he manipulates or person he talks to Cost: 1 Pyros
encourages the world to acknowledge him and undermines his Dice Pool: Stamina + Subterfuge + Azoth
efforts at anonymity. Action: Instant
Cost: 2 Pyros Roll Results
Dice Pool: Wits + Stealth + Azoth Dramatic Failure: He fails to change his appearance and instead
Action: Instant reveals his disfigurements.

132
 deception

Failure: He is unable to mimic those around him. Incriminate

Success: His body changes so that his coloration and features
match the predominant characteristics of the people around him. The simplest application of this Alembic has the Promethean
Add the character’s Azoth to any attempts to hide in a crowd. taking on subtle characteristics of a human body (dead or alive) he’s
Exceptional Success: The effect lasts for one day. touched. His physical shape is unchanged but the signs of passage
he leaves on the world are hers.
Tongues Cost: 1 Pyros
Dice Pool: Wits + Empathy + Azoth vs. Stamina + Azoth (if alive)
The next step in belonging to a group is being able to
Action: Instant and contested
communicate with the members. A few moments of listening
to conversation allows the Mimic to tune into the language Roll Results
being spoken. Dramatic Failure: He gains the Sick Tilt as his body tries and
Cost: 2 Pyros fails to adjust.
Dice Pool: Intelligence + Academics + Azoth Failure: He fails to attune to the subject.
Action: Instant Success: For one day per success, any fingerprints or forensic
Roll Results evidence he leaves will resemble the subject rather than him.
Extraordinary Success: The effect lasts for one week.
Dramatic Failure: He is overwhelmed and is struck with the
Mute Condition for the rest of the scene. Impersonate
Failure: He is unable to tune into the local language.
Success: For the rest of the scene, he is able to understand and The Mimic takes on the full physical characteristics of a human
speak (but not read) the common language(s) of the group he is in. he has touched this scene. As with Incriminate, the subject can be
Exceptional Success: The effect lasts for one day. alive or dead.
Cost: 2 Pyros
Hive Mind Dice Pool: Manipulation + Subterfuge + Azoth vs. Resolve +
Azoth (if alive)
Finally, the Mimic can become so well-suited to the group that he
Action: Instant and contested
is able to interact with them at ease, instinctively grasping how to act
in order to fit in. He is fully accepted as a member of the group and Roll Results
interacts with other members as if they were friends. Prometheans Dramatic Failure: His attempt to attune to the human fails so
are often made giddy with this experience of belonging; some have utterly that he is forced to make a roll to resist Torment.
become mired in attempting to recapture it again and again. Failure: He fails to imitate the target.
Cost: 3 Pyros Success: The Promethean changes shape to perfectly resemble
Dice Pool: Wits + Empathy + Azoth the subject, even down to her voice. He gains no special knowledge
Action: Instant of her, however, and has to make the usual rolls to pass himself off
Roll Results to others.
Exceptional Success: His humours adjust to match the target’s
Dramatic Failure: He so utterly fails that he alienates the group,
temperament, making it easier to impersonate her. Willpower
gaining the Alienated Condition for the rest of the scene.
spent on rolls to impersonate the target gives four extra dice rather
Failure: He fails to get on the group’s wavelength.
than three.
Success: He successfully tunes into the group he is in, such that
he adopts their common mannerisms, lingo, and body language. Deep Cover
He can add his successes to any Social roll to interact with members
of the group; if he is using Social maneuvering, his impression is So long as Pyros is fed to the Alembic, the new shape can be
Excellent (p. 203). maintained. If the person being imitated is dead, he can step into
Exceptional Success: The effect lasts for one day. her life and live as her as long as he has the fuel. Aside from the
obvious threat of discovery, it becomes progressively harder for him
Doppelganger to remember that he isn’t the person he’s impersonating; when he
returns to his actual form, the shock of remembering can send him
The Mimic concentrates his heightened empathy on a single spiraling into Torment.
person, learning her mannerisms and appearance so completely that Cost: 3 Pyros
his body and mind changes to reflect the object of his obsession. He Dice Pool: None
can use this power to elude the authorities, but more often he uses Action: Reflexive
it as a tool to understand what it is like to be a human by becoming The duration of the Impersonate is increased to 24 hours and
one, even superficially, for a time. The difficulty is that his empathy can be extended indefinitely by spending another Pyros every day.
may be so complete that he starts to forget who he really is. The longer he keeps up the disguise, however, the greater the risk
Persistent: He has a good ear for voices and can perfectly imitate he will forget himself. When the power is over, he must succeed on
anyone he has heard speak for more than a minute. a Wits + Resolve roll penalized by one for each day the duration

133
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

was extended past the first, or suffer the Amnesia Condition for Dice Pool: Composure + Stealth + Azoth
24 hours. Once he regains his memory, he must then make a roll Action: Instant
to resist Torment. Roll Results
Stalker Dramatic Failure: He is instantly noticed and gains the
Alienated Condition.
Rather than mingling with humanity, some Mimics prefer a more Failure: He fails to attune to the others.
objective approach, taking on the role of observer. Unlike Anonymity, Success: He does not need to make Stealth rolls to move
he seeks to be unobserved rather than ignored. He does not change around the building unseen, due to his instinctive understanding
himself to blend in, but rather to be unseen. Like the other Alembics, of its rhythms. Only those whose Wits ratings are higher than the
this is based in a keen empathy with humanity. He knows precisely number of successes rolled will notice his presence. The effect lasts
where to stand to not be noticed and can predict the movements for one scene.
of someone he is tailing so as to do so discretely. The initial subject Exceptional Success: Only those with supernatural Wits will
of these Distillations must be within sight when they are activated. notice him. The duration is extended to one day.
Persistent: He adds his Azoth to Stealth rolls due to his natural
instinct for finding the blind spots where people don’t look.
Disquietism
Shadow
Those who follow the Refinements of Tin and Lead gain a
The character can focus his attention on a specific person and measure of control over Disquiet, such that they can temper it, direct
become adept at following her without being noticed. This allows it, or enflame it. Some who have these abilities use them defensively
him to move, but he still must not do anything to draw undue to deflect the perils of Disquiet long enough to get free of danger.
attention. Others may see him, but he has a knack for staying out Others, particularly Furies, use Disquiet as a weapon to punish
of sight of his quarry. those who have wronged them. Using Disquiet in this manner can
Cost: 1 Pyros be very dangerous, as losing control can make it stronger or send a
Dice Pool: Wits + Stealth + Azoth vs. Wits + Azoth Promethean into Torment. Those who manifest this Transmutation
Action: Instant and contested are both envied and feared.
Roll Results The way the Transformation works varies by Refinement. For
Dramatic Failure: The target instantly notices him and must Plumbum, it is a heightened self-awareness that allows her to sense
roll to resist Disquiet. the ebb and flow in her Azoth and regulate it through precise use of
Failure: He fails to attune to the target. Pyros. To Lead, it is like meditation: inwardly focused and requiring
Success: Add three dice to rolls to shadow, hide from, or ambush great concentration. Stannum, on the other hand, has a more
the target for the rest of the scene. instinctual grasp of his Disquiet. He rides it like a wave, feeling it
Exceptional Success: He gains the bonus for the rest of the day. under his feet and adjusting his footing with its shifts and surges.
For Tin, it is an ecstatic experience: he loses himself to the beat
Lurker of the drum and just dances. Both share an understanding that
He becomes so attuned to the person he is stalking that she is Disquiet is a part of them, intrinsic and undeniable.
unable to notice him at all, unless he draws attention to himself. Charging a Disquietism Distillation without flaring disfigurements
He can slip into her home behind her and follow her from room to imposes the Irritable Condition (p. 310).
room. She will never be the wiser, as he always stays just out of sight. Disquietism is divided into four Alembics. Those Alembics are:
Cost: 2 Pyros Externalize (manipulating Wastelands), Internalize (reducing Disquiet),
Dice Pool: Wits + Stealth + Azoth vs. Wits + Azoth Redirect (deflecting Disquiet), and Weaponize (utilizing Disquiet).

Externalize
Action: Instant and contested
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The target instantly notices the character and The Promethean uses his grasp of Disquiet to manipulate its
immediately enters Disquiet or advances to the next stage. external manifestations. While in a Wasteland, he can draw on the
Failure: He fails to attune to his target and knows it. chaotic energies at hand and use them for his own purposes. A Fury
Success: He no longer needs to make Stealth rolls to avoid his with this Alembic sometimes goes out of his way to cause Wastelands
target’s notice for the rest of the scene. wherever he goes, as if marking his territory. The practitioner of
Exceptional Success: The duration is extended to one day. Plumbum, on the other hand, is more likely to use these Distillations
to safely travel through Wastelands in his travels.
Phantom Persistent: The Promethean is immune to the effects of extreme
environments within a Wasteland.
He attunes to the inhabitants of a building so that he can move
among unnoticed. As with the other abilities, he cannot draw Safe Sojourn
attention to himself or the effects instantly end.
Cost: 3 Pyros The Promethean is able to deflect the wild energy of the
Wasteland, allowing safer passage for his allies.

134
 Disquietism

Cost: 1 Pyros precisely how much it has affected those around them.
Dice Pool: Stamina + Survival + Azoth – Wasteland’s category Persistent: The Promethean knows on sight what stage of
Action: Instant Disquiet a subject currently suffers.
Roll Results Temper
Dramatic Failure: His attempt to manipulate the Wasteland
The Promethean is able to take the edge off of Disquiet, making
causes a backlash, inflicting one point of lethal damage.
it a little easier to resist.
Failure: The Wasteland proves to be too powerful for him.
Cost: 1 Pyros
Success: He is able to spare one person per success rolled from
Dice Pool: Composure + Empathy + Azoth
the effects of the Wasteland’s extreme environment. If he belongs
Action: Reflexive
to a branded throng (p. 306), he can protect all of its members with
a single success. Roll Results
Extraordinary Success: The protection lasts for an entire day. Dramatic Failure: Every human she is interacting with must
immediately roll to resist Disquiet.
Maelstrom Failure: She is unable to temper her Disquiet.
The Promethean focuses the energy of the Wasteland to summon Success: Anyone rolling to resist her Disquiet gets one extra die.
a storm to hinder his enemies. This effect lasts for a scene.
Cost: 2 Pyros Exceptional Success: Anyone rolling to resist her Disquiet gets
Dice Pool: Strength + Occult + Azoth – Wasteland’s category two extra dice.
Action: Instant
Soothe
Roll Results
The Promethean is able to soothe Disquiet where it has already
Dramatic Failure: His attempt to manipulate the Wasteland
manifested.
causes a backlash and he takes two points of lethal damage.
Cost: 2 Pyros
Failure: He is unable to control the Wasteland.
Dice Pool: Presence + Empathy + Azoth
Success: He causes either the Heavy Rain or Heavy Winds
Action: Reflexive
Environmental Tilt. He is immune to the effects to the Tilt
summoned. Roll Results
Exceptional Success: He can apply both Tilts and is immune Dramatic Failure: Every human she is interacting with must
to both. immediately roll to resist Disquiet.
Failure: She is unable to control her Disquiet.
Assault Success: Anyone already suffering from the Disquieted
The Promethean can direct the destructive energies of the Condition ignores its effects and does not need to roll to resist ad-
Wasteland at a person. The range of this Distillation is five yards vancing to the next stage. This effect persists for one turn per success.
per point of Azoth. Exceptional Success: Anyone suffering from stage two of
Cost: 3 Pyros Disquiet is reduced to stage one.
Dice Pool: Dexterity + Athletics + Azoth – Defense
Action: Instant Quell
Roll Results The Promethean can attempt to overcome Disquiet entirely.
Cost: 3 Pyros
Dramatic Failure: The energy he hoped to unleash instead
Dice Pool: Presence + Socialize + Azoth
courses through him, causing three points of lethal damage.
Action: Instant
Failure: He is unable to tap the energy of the Wasteland.
Success: A bolt of Flux-tainted energy strikes his opponent, Roll Results
inflicting one point of lethal damage per success. This damage Dramatic Failure: Every human she is interacting with must
ignores artificial armor. immediately roll to resist Disquiet.
Exceptional Success: Nothing beyond increased damage. Failure: She is unable to overcome her Disquiet.
Success: For one scene, she does not invoke Disquiet in one
Internalize person per success rolled.
The Promethean has an enhanced sense of the effect her Disquiet Exceptional Success: She does not invoke Disquiet in anyone
has on others and has learned to temper its effects for short periods for the rest of the scene.
of time. Those not yet under the effects of Disquiet have an easier
time resisting it; for those already under its effects, its progression is Redirect
temporarily halted. For an Originist, this is simply an outgrowth of The Promethean gains control of her Disquiet and is able
the self-control her discipline brings. For a Fury, she is channeling to redirect its effects onto other people. This can be used as
the Disquiet in upon itself, like a cyclone, so it doesn’t touch those misdirection, allowing the Promethean to escape those hunting
around her. Both benefit from a keen awareness of Disquiet and know her, but Furies often purposefully enflame Disquiet in order

135
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

to redirect it onto their enemies, particularly those who have the source instead. The target, however, perceives the Promethean’s
persecuted them. For the follower of Stannum, her Disquiet Disquiet as normal and may try to convince others that she is the
is a storm within her that can lash out like lightning to harm true source (though they are not inclined to listen).
her enemies. For the student of Plumbum, Disquiet is a virus Exceptional Success: The target is also affected and believes that
that infects her and can be passed on to another. Even without he is the true source of the Disquiet.
expending Pyros, she is able to taint another with her Disquiet
in order to make others not trust him. Rabid Rage
Persistent: The player only needs three successes on Subterfuge The Promethean is able to use Disquiet to cause an animal to
rolls in order to get an exceptional success and impose a Condition. attack the scapegoat. This does not affect intelligent animals (like
shapeshifted werewolves or vampires) or those with a supernatural
Scapegoat bond to the target (like a familiar). The target animal must already
The Promethean is able to touch a person and make him the be suffering Disquiet.
focus of her Disquiet. She can only have one scapegoat at a time and Cost: 2 Pyros
having one is a prerequisite for the other abilities in this Alembic. Dice Pool: Manipulation + Animal Ken + Azoth vs. animal’s
Cost: 1 Pyros Resolve
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Persuasion + Azoth vs. Composure Action: Instant and contested
+ Azoth Roll Results
Action: Instant and contested
Dramatic Failure: The animal attacks the Promethean instead.
Roll Results Failure: She fails to sway the animal.
Dramatic Failure: She fails to transfer the effect of her Disquiet Success: The animal attacks the scapegoat for the rest of the
and must make a roll to resist Torment. scene or until killed or incapacitated. At the end of the scene, it
Failure: She fails to designate a scapegoat. advances to the next stage of Disquiet.
Success: For the rest of the scene, the Promethean triggers Exceptional Success: The animal is frenzied and ignores wound
Disquiet normally, but those afflicted behave as if the target were penalties.

136
 Electrification

Iago’s Whisper Cost: 2 Pyros

Dice Pool: None
The Promethean is able to influence an intelligent being to attack Action: Reflexive
the scapegoat. The target must already be suffering from Disquiet When the Promethean inflicts damage upon someone suffering
(thus other Prometheans are immune) and the effect is similar to from Disquiet, the subject gains the Beaten Down Tilt (p. 313).
how lynch mobs form in an advanced Wasteland. Those affected by
this power are usually tormented by what they have done under its Rampage
influence, particularly if the victim was someone known to them.
With every strike, the Promethean draws on the caustic energy
Cost: 3 Pyros
of Flux inherent with Disquiet to more easily break his opponents.
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Subterfuge + Azoth vs. Resolve + Azoth
The more touched by the Divine Fire they are, the more devastating
Action: Instant and contested
the effect. This use of Flux makes other Prometheans very nervous.
Roll Results Cost: 3 Pyros
Dramatic Failure: The attempt fails, and the Promethean must Dice Pool: None
attempt to resist Torment. Action: Reflexive
Failure: She fails to influence her target. The Promethean inflicts lethal damage with unarmed attacks
Success: The target attacks the scapegoat for the rest of the scene and inflicts one additional point of weapon damage for each stage
or until killed or incapacitated. After the scene ends, he comes to of Disquiet his opponent suffers.
his senses and automatically advances to the next stage of Disquiet.
He also suffers an appropriate breaking point for his actions.
Exceptional Success: The target is crazed and ignores wound
Electrification
penalties. Emotions agitate Pyros, and a Promethean in Torment turns
their Azoth into a roiling cauldron of power. Masters of the state of
Weaponize emotional wrack, Furies grasp the physical form of Pyros — electrical
While Disquiet is generally the bane of a Promethean’s existence, discharge — and bend it to their will. They describe this sensation
those with access to this Alembic have learned to wield it like a as literally boiling away their rage, raking their emotions that they
weapon, using the fear it generates to her advantage. For Furies, may bind an essential element of existence to their desires. The
this is instinctual. For Originists, it is calculated. most dramatic display of Electrification is, of course, the sight of
Persistent: If the Promethean has caused Disquiet during the lightning gamboling over a screaming, Disfigured Promethean,
last 24 hours, the player adds two dice to all Intimidation rolls. electrical arcs leaping from their outstretched hand. Yet in the last
century, Prometheans have discovered an entirely new element to
Tension one of the oldest Transmutations. Furies find an uncharacteristic
The Promethean feeds his Disquiet, intentionally provoking it irony in this — Torment is perhaps the oldest and most constant
in those around him to elicit fear and anxiety. state of Promethean existence, yet this Transmutation remains
Cost: 1 Pyros perpetually on the cutting edge of alchemical science.
Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation + Azoth Charging an Electrification Distillation without flaring
Action: Instant disfigurements imposes the Degaussed Condition (p. 307).
The Alembics of Electrification are: Machinus (control over
Roll Results fine electrical flow and influence over electronics), Arc (aggressive
Dramatic Failure: He accidentally starts the formation of a electrical discharge), Oscillatus (electromagnetic pulses), and
Wasteland (p. 174) or, if one is already present, pushes it to the Imperatus (control over gross electrical flow).
next category.
Failure: He is unable to capitalize on his Disquiet. Machinus
Success: Anyone in the same room or general area as the
The Machinus Alembic is a fairly new discovery, whose full
Promethean and whose Resolve is lower than the player’s successes
potential was only fully realized with the advent of personal
on the Distillation roll gains the Disquieted Condition. If they
computing devices in the 1980s. In the past, the Alembic’s only
already have it, it advances to the next stage. Additionally, they
real usage was in determining storm fronts and weather patterns,
suffer a penalty on all rolls equal to their stage of Disquiet for the
allowing Prometheans to congregate and draw power from nature’s
rest of the scene due to their heightened anxiety.
fury. Yet with mankind’s harnessing of electrical flows, Prometheans
Exceptional Success: Only those with supernatural Resolve
discovered that they may charge and alter flows themselves — and
can resist.
their control extends into the realm of computer programming.
Vanquish Even while remotely harnessing electronic and electrical machines,
many Furies tend to make subtle movements such as hand twitches
The Promethean capitalizes on the fear he provokes in order to swiftly
or subtle twists, as if they’re physically manipulating the device.
defeat opponents in combat. His attacks cause enemies to surrender or
Persistent: The Promethean gentles her humours, rendering
flee before his wrath. This is especially useful when he is outnumbered,
them sensitive to the electrical flow of the world around her. She
as it takes but a single strike to remove an opponent from the combat.

137
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

senses electrical energy and electronics (even unpowered ones) via Electroshock Therapy. The Promethean simply charges this
within 200 yards, along with their relative strength. At Storyteller’s Distillation and touches either the source or the Promethean
discretion, particularly powerful sources of electrical energy — siphoning power, and moderates the flow of electricity. No roll is
supercell storms or Frankenstein Wastelands, for example — can be required.
detected up to fifty miles away. The Promethean also instinctively
knows where natural lightning will likely strike within the next Ghost in the Machine
few minutes. At the apex of Machinus, the Promethean uses his control over
electricity to manipulate complex electronic devices. He may switch
Jolt television channels or dig through databases with the same ease
Running an electrical current through his body, the Promethean with which he moves his hands. He doesn’t have to physically see
may grasp a depowered machine and power it himself. the device to power it; if he senses the device via Feel the Spark,
Cost: 1 Pyros he may now power it using Generator. Prometheans who learn
Dice Pool: None computer skills find this power exceedingly useful, as they needn’t
Action: Reflexive be physically present to control the device.
The Promethean must remain close enough to touch the object Cost: 3 Pyros
he’s attempting to power, maintaining a constant flow of electricity. Action: Instant
He doesn’t have to remain in absolute contact — sitting in front of a Dice Pool: Manipulation + Crafts or Computer + Azoth
laptop will do — but he must be able to touch the machine without Roll Results
effort. Similarly, he may jump-start a car by sitting in the driver’s
Dramatic Failure: The power fails to work, and the device
seat. While within range of this power, batteries recharge in his
behaves erratically in the worst way possible. He cannot control the
presence as if being charged by an appropriate source.
device for the rest of the scene.
In general, a valid target of this power must not draw more
Failure: The power fails to work.
electricity than can be found from a standard wall socket —
Success: The Promethean can control the device for the
specialized electronics or high-powered computers cannot run at
remainder of the scene, as if he held it in her hand. Computers
their full capacity. Simple electrical devices such as power tools,
flare to life and may be manipulated as if the Promethean were
blenders or coffee makers can be controlled without need for
sitting at the console. If she requires a roll to operate the device,
physical manipulation, though this doesn’t function on complex
she gains a +3 bonus.
electronic devices.
Exceptional Success: He may cause the energies of the device
Generator to exceed safe limits, allowing the device to perform unexpectedly.
Blenders may leap off countertops as their motors spin wildly,
Electricity needn’t be confined to wires and sizzling arcs. It
televisions may rapidly flash through channels or tap into blocked
may be sent through the air, effortlessly transforming itself into
cable channels, and wifi antennas on cell phones find their rage
the appropriate energies wherever it’s received. By means of this
dramatically multiplied. The Promethean decides whether or not
Transmutation, a Promethean may remotely power a device, as if
this surge causes permanent damage to the device’s electronics.
she’s using Jolt while in contact with it.
Cost: 2 Pyros
Dice Pool: None
Arc
Action: Reflexive Perhaps the best-known Alembic of Electrification and certainly the
A Promethean may target any electrical device within sight most dramatic when charged, Arc allows the Promethean to apply her
range (to a maximum of 200 yards), powering it as per Jolt. She mastery of electromagnetic forces to offensive capability. Lighting arcs,
senses the rough capabilities of the device, and may alter it as such sizzles, and sparks harmlessly around her hands and skin, illuminating
(changing the speeds on a blender, or accelerating a car), though her skeleton and casting harsh, unnatural shadows. With a gesture, her
fine control eludes her (performing anything other than basic Pyros flares out, enveloping and searing any target she sees.
Drive actions, changing a television channel). If she chooses to Persistent: The Promethean may generate a small electrical flare
physically grasp the device, she may instantly charge its battery to full from her fingertips. While this doesn’t cause much damage outside
power, or fully power specialized functions. If she instead grasps a of prolonged exposure (equivalent to a wall socket for a turn’s worth
depowered generator, she may power any and all devices attached to of touching), it can be used to cut through plastics such as zipties. It
it, regardless of distance. A valid target of this power must not draw can also be used to trace burn marks on nearly any surface, allowing
more electricity than can be drawn from a large portable generator. her to inscribe pilgrim marks without tools or other implements.
Alternately, if the Promethean is capable of remotely sharing The flare can’t be used to charge or heal a Promethean.
Pyros (through the Vulcanus or Benefice Transmutations), grasping
a generator allows her to slowly fill her throng with Pyros or heal
Spark
them from afar. The only true Distillation of Arc, Spark allows the Promethean to
This Distillation has one other very useful application. The attack her foes with lightning charged with Torment. This electricity
Promethean can use it to prevent an electrical source from shorting is charged with Torment-laden Pyros; Prometheans may not derive
out while she or another character use it heal or replenish Pyros Pyros from the electrical blast, nor may they absorb it to heal. Any

138
 Electrification

living creature suffering more damage in a turn than its Stamina in contested rolls to defend against hostile electrical effects (such as
suffers from the Stunned Tilt. the rest of this Alembic or entirety of the Arc Alembic).
The Alembic’s dice roll represents the attack roll for Spark. The
attack can hit anything within the Created’s direct line of sight; if Insulation
using distance modifiers for combat, the range is 15/30/45. By introducing a foreign magnetic charge to a person or object
Cost: varies within (Azoth in yards), the Promethean renders it unable to
Action: Instant properly process electrical energies. The Promethean needn’t touch
Dice Pool: Dexterity + Athletics + Azoth the offending object or foe, merely point — a colorless, transparent
When powering this Alembic, each point of Pyros spent adds to shimmer plays over the victim, revealing this Distillation
the Shock attack’s direct damage rating; for example, three points Cost: 1 Pyros
of Pyros is a three-damage lethal weapon with a successful attack, Action: Contested
in addition to charging the other pseudo-Distillations. Each point Dice Pool: Intelligence + Science + Azoth vs. target’s Resolve
spent additionally allows the Shock to ignore one point of armor; as Roll Results
with all ranged attacks, Defense doesn’t normally apply.
Dramatic Failure: The Promethean accidentally introduces a
Roll Results damaging charge into the object. If there were any electronics in the
Dramatic Failure: The bolt fizzles. The Promethean cannot object, she blows them out, perhaps irreparably; if attempted on a
use Arc for the rest of the scene, and she suffers the Degaussed living being, the charge rebounds on her, inflicting the Degaussed
Condition. Condition.
Failure: The power fails. Failure: She fails to affect the target.
Success: The bolt strikes. It causes damage per its successes and Success: Success deprives the target of any special benefit from
damage rating. electricity for a number of turns equal to successes. For electronic
Exceptional Success: In addition to damage, the victim suffers devices such as laptops or smart phones, this deprives them of the
the Immobilized Tilt, their muscles refusing to move from sheer ability to garner a charge for a few moments; devices requiring a
electrical trauma. constant flow of electricity shut off immediately. Prometheans lose
the ability to benefit from their electrostatic recharge or Distillations
Shock such as Lightning Therapy.
Cost: 2 Pyros Exceptional Success: Besides being deprived of electrical benefits
The Promethean may use Spark as a suitably improved ranged for a long while, the target suffers the Degaussed Condition.
weapon. He may also make a Spark attack to everything within
(Azoth x yards) radius around himself, as the lightning leaps off Blackout
his skin to sizzle and sear his foes. Lightning shines brightly in the ultraviolet spectrum. As the
Transmutation reduces blazing Pyros to crude, bright plasma and
Divine Lightning magnetic fields, the Fury may blind even those who can’t normally
Cost: 3 Pyros (1 additional) perceive the Divine Fire. With a pulse of lightning, the Promethean
With a fully-charged Alembic, the Spark strike deals an fries any unshielded electrical lights in the area and wreaks havoc
additional point of electrical damage once per turn for six turns with the eyesight of onlookers.
above its strike damage. Even a single glancing blow will kill an Cost: 2 Pyros
average human, lightning cascading through nerves and cooking Action: Contested
organs from inside out. Repeated applications of this level of Spark Dice Pool: Manipulation + Science + Azoth vs. target’s Stamina
reset the turn limit. With the expenditure of an additional point Success creates an ultraviolet pulse emanating from the
of Pyros per strike, Spark’s damage rating becomes (3) aggravated, Promethean, ten feet in diameter, causing a –1 penalty to all
though successes on the strike roll still inflict lethal. sight-based actions for any affected by the initial pulse. Additional
successes each add five feet of diameter to the pulse or worsen the
Oscillitus effect, adding an additional –1 penalty to sight-based actions. Any
While the material form of Pyros takes on the appearance and unshielded lights blow out their bulbs or illuminating surface and
characteristics of lightning and electrical discharge, magnetism can’t be used until they’re repaired.
also plays a hugely important role in the pulse. While this Alembic Additional rolls can be made to increase the size and potency
saw more use than Machinus in centuries past, it too only saw its of the pulse.
potential realized with the advent of electronics. By oscillating and Roll Results
pulsing her internal magnetic field, the Promethean interferes with Dramatic Failure: The blackout pulse fails, and the Promethean
organic and electronic matter alike. cannot unleash it for the remainder of the scene. She suffers the
Persistent: The Promethean’s control over her electrical field Degaussed Condition.
allows her to temporarily overload and short out small electrical Failure: The blackout pulse fails.
devices such as smart phones or laptops (though nothing larger). Success: The Promethean creates the blackout pulse. Allocate
Her field also grants her two points of armor or two additional dice successes to size and penalty of the pulse.

139
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Exceptional Success: The pulse clouds one additional sense of Additionally, if she’s outside during a rainstorm, the Promethean
the Promethean’s choice. Ozone clogs the nostrils, the booming may be more likely to be struck by lightning, but the timing and
thunderclap deafens, pins and needles obscure the touch, and the circumstances are left to Storyteller’s discretion.
afflicted taste naught but ash.
Lightning Therapy
Azothic Detonation By arcing her energies to another Created, the Promethean
The specialized pulse of Blackout becomes a truly impressive may directly transfer the vital fluids of electrical current, healing
electrical wave. The Promethean explodes in a storm of her fellows in an argent stream of energy. This power has no effect
electromagnetism, destroying unshielded electronics and magnetic on beings who cannot benefit from electrical current other than
items within a huge radius. Once this pulse is discharged, the mild discomfort.
Alembic reverts to zero Pyros, as if the Promethean had let the Cost: 1 Pyros to charge (varies after that)
scene expire. Action: Instant
Cost: 3 Pyros (until discharged) Dice Pool: none
Action: Contested Any Promethean or Pandoran within line-of-sight is a viable
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Science + Azoth vs. target’s Stamina target for this power. Each point of Pyros spent heals the target of
The electromagnetic pulse has a spherical radius of fifteen yards three lethal damage. If the character is in a branded throng, she
for every dot of Azoth the character has. It’s indiscriminate: credit may transfer a point of Pyros along with the healing current (she
card strips are wiped, pacemakers reset, and computers are fried may also heal for zero damage, choosing to instead channel Pyros).
completely with data erased. Metal objects within the radius are
wrenched towards the Promethean: doors blow open, tools and Remote Absorption
cans fly across the room, and paper clips embed themselves in the The Promethean commands current to flow to him as if he were
ground nearby her. This can cause serious incidental injury for grasping a live wire. For the rest of the scene, the Promethean may
anyone within the radius. For delicate metal machinery with a great reflexively arc the energies outward from a source to his flesh if he is
number of moving parts, such as a printing press or paper bailer, within his Azoth in yards of a power source capable of electrocution.
this may also result in catastrophic failure. Cost: 2 Pyros
Roll Results Dice Pool: None
Action: Reflexive
Dramatic Failure: The electromagnetic pulse fails, and the
The energies sizzle out in thin arcs, covering the Fury. He only
Promethean cannot unleash for the remainder of the scene. She
receives a half benefit from the power source; drawing power from
suffers the Degaussed Condition; if she was attempting to rid
a main line or third rail, for example, grants him 5 bashing in
herself of it, she instead suffers the Immobilized Condition for
electrocution damage per turn. He may derive healing or Pyros
the rest of the scene.
from this stream according to the halved rate.
Failure: The pulse puts the Promethean’s hair on end and
makes about a second’s worth of blankness on recording media, Power Sink
but that’s it.
Success: The Promethean creates the electromagnetic pulse, All Prometheans may derive Pyros from sources of electricity.
emanating outward from her. Allocate successes to the size of the Furies may reinforce their mental and physical existence as well
pulse. People within three yards of the Promethean suffer from as the spiritual. This Distillation causes small, burnt abscesses to
one point of lethal damage and must make a Stamina + Resolve appear on the Promethean’s body, which glow and crackle when
roll, failure of which results in the Immobilized Condition (a filled with Pyros.
mild seizure), followed by unconsciousness. If she suffers from the Cost: 3 Pyros
Degaussed Condition, it resolves immediately. Action: Reflexive
Exceptional Success: Any Prometheans caught within the wave Dice Pool: Stamina + Survival + Azoth
immediately suffer the Degaussed Condition themselves. When the Promethean is electrocuted, it energizes her above
and beyond the normal benefits.
Imperatus Roll Results
The Created thrive on electricity. Despite the teeming masses Dramatic Failure: The Pyros doesn’t absorb properly. The
who await their Disquiet, many Prometheans are thankful that Promethean recoils from the power source and is denied the benefits
the modern world is an electric one, as ancient Athanors describe of Electrostatic Recharge for the rest of the scene.
thunderstorms as the only method by which a Promethean could Failure: The power fails. The Promethean may absorb Pyros
receive nature’s single gift to them. Electrification’s other Alembics as normal.
focus on the martial and controlling aspects of this gift, but Success: Pyros flares in the lacunae abscesses the Promethean
Imperatus focuses on mastery and the blessings of Pyros. prepared. She immediately gains four temporary Health boxes, as
Persistent: The Promethean has a constant flow of electricity well as two points of Willpower (even if this would take her above
trickling in from slight gradations of static electricity, providing her normal limit). Damage occupying the Promethean’s Health
a slight regenerative effect. The Created halves all healing times. boxes shifts leftward upon the power’s termination.

140
 Luciferus

Exceptional Success: The Promethean absorbs the Pyros from Tilt (p. 315), in addition to being blinding. Instead of penalties
the electrical current and channels it efficiently. She gains two increasing (and damage accumulating) every hour, they increase
additional Health and point of Willpower. every round. This environmental hazard follows her movements
and affects everyone in the area except herself.
Luciferus Volatile Corona
The philosophy of Phosphorum likens life to an ephemeral Like the phosphorus that gives this Transmutation’s Refinement
firework. The Light-Bringer lives as though every moment is his last, its name, the Promethean’s aura becomes extremely volatile and
because at any time the light may sputter and die, burning out with prone to igniting.
a final spark before oblivion. That spark is the key to the Luciferus Cost: 3 Pyros
Transmutation, the Transmutation of light. What could a being of Action: Reflexive
alchemy and metaphysical change achieve with such a momentous Dice Pool: None
blaze? This is what the Light-Bringers intend to find out. In addition to the effects of the previous two coronae, the
Charging a Luciferus Distillation without flaring disfigurements area around the Promethean gains the ability to burn unfortunate
imposes the Reckless Condition (p. 311). passers-by. All characters within the area at the start of their turns
Luciferus is divided into four Alembics. Those Alembics other than the Promethean herself must make a Stamina + Athletics
are: Solar Flare (releasing Pyros as searing light), Morning roll to traverse the area safely. Any character that fails immediately
Star (using light to beckon and beguile others), Blaze of Glory takes one point of fire damage, in addition to any damage from the
(unleashing reserves of Pyros), and Beacon of Helios (spiritual Extreme Heat Tilt already in effect.

Morning Star
enlightenment).

Solar Flare The Morning Star Alembic allows a Promethean to spread her
Pyros begs to be set loose, bringing light to a dark world. The Devil-may-care attitude and zeal for life to others, making her a
Light-Bringer can transform her Pyros into brilliance that can blind temping beacon of light, a will-o-wisp pulling witnesses into her
and sear. dangerous life. She assumes no control over (or responsibility for)
Persistent: The character may reflexively glow at any time, at a their actions, of course, and so Prometheans on other Refinements
light level of her choice up to the brightness of a lantern or desk lamp. might watch in horror (Aurum) or fascination (Cobalus) as she
cheerfully leads others into temptation.
Dazzling Corona Persistent: When the character suggests an ill-considered,
The Promethean’s glow becomes a blinding light that spills out reckless, or even simply spontaneous course of action, and at least
from under her skin, until looking at her is like staring directly one other character takes it, the Light-Bringer regains a point of
into the sun. Willpower. This effect can be used once a scene.
Cost: Pyros Ignis Fatuus
Action: Instant
Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation + Azoth “Fool’s Fire” is another name for the will-o-wisp, a strange light
that led travelers into danger. The Ignis Fatuus Distillation doesn’t
Roll Results create a literal light, but a metaphorical one, making the Promethean
Dramatic Failure: The character suffers the Stunned Tilt (p. seem trustworthy, interesting, and fascinating, thus leading others
318), as the light builds up inside her like an internal sunburn. to follow her. Unlike the Lure Distillation of Mesmerism (p. 144),
Failure: She is unable to brighten her usual glow beyond lantern level. Ignis Fatuus works on anyone who can see the character.
Success: Attackers must accept the Blinded Tilt (p. 313) as Cost: 1 Pyros
though blind in one eye in order to attack the character. Anyone Action: Reflexive
the Promethean attacks suffers the same Tilt. The Tilt may apply to Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + Azoth vs. Composure +
other characters in the scene at the Storyteller’s discretion. Supernatural Tolerance
Exceptional Success: The Blinded Tilt applies as though the
victim were blind in both eyes instead. Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The character draws attention, but not in
Searing Corona the way she’d hoped. Everyone present must check for Disquiet.
The Promethean’s blinding light heats up, creating a blistering Failure: The character does not draw attention.
aura around her. Success: The character seems bright, lively, and interesting. First
Cost: 2 Pyros impressions for purposes of Social maneuvering are considered good
Action: Reflexive (p. 203), and Social actions enjoy a +2 modifier for the remainder
Dice Pool: None of the scene.
The area surrounding the Promethean, out to a radius of Exceptional Success: As above, and witnesses are more agreeable
(Azoth) in yards, gains a modified version of the Extreme Heat to suggestions that seem, on their face, to be counterintuitive and
even dangerous, provided that they’re also fun and exciting. Asking

141
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

a security guard to let the character into a locked room probably at least pretend to agree with the Light-Bringer’s position or
won’t get a positive result, since it’s not an interesting activity on suggestion). If the player reaches the target number of successes,
its own. Asking the same guard to leave his post to sneak off with the targets follow the Light-Bringer’s lead. If the crowd had been
the Promethean for some kind of illicit activity, however, is a much threatening violence, the Promethean can defuse the situation or
more interesting proposition (though it does leave the Promethean change the target. She can cause the crowd to disperse or to follow
in a potentially awkward situation). her to a new location. The effects of this Distillation fade after she
gives the crowd instructions; if she wants to continue the effect, the
Beckon player must make another extended roll.
The character compels a witness to follow her, no matter The instructions that the Light-Bringer gives the crowd must
the danger or consequence. Used on a mortal, this Distillation make sense within the context of the situation. A group of people
inevitably causes Disquiet. deciding what movie to see aren’t suddenly going to decide to burn
Cost: 2 Pyros down a building, though they might decide to undertake a different
Action: Instant activity for the evening. A mob of Disquiet-influenced people might
Dice Pool: Presence + Empathy + Azoth vs. Resolve + decide to leave their target alone, but they probably aren’t going
Supernatural Tolerance to give him all their worldly possessions. Ringleader doesn’t allow
Roll Results the character to issue complicated, long-term commands, simply to
influence an existing dynamic.
Dramatic Failure: The subject immediately increases Disquiet If the crowd (or a majority of the targets) is suffering from
by one stage and becomes suspicious and frightened of the Disquiet, it increases by one stage at the end of the scene.
Promethean. The subject doesn’t follow her but attempts to get Exceptional Success: If the player chooses the exceptional
help or get away from the character. success option for this action, the character can influence the crowd
Failure: The subject takes note of the character as appropriate for the remainder of the scene, or the player can opt to delay an
for the situation, but the Distillation has no further effect. increase in Disquiet for 12 hours.
Success: The subject follows the character compulsively. If
appropriate to the situation, the target might alert others, but he
follows the character as long as he can see her. The effect ends if
Blaze of Glory
he catches up and touches her, but if the character can keep just Many Light-Bringers prefer a high-risk, high-reward lifestyle,
ahead of the target, she can lead him on forever. Once he catches living on the edge of a knife to see how long they can avoid bleeding.
up, Disquiet increases by one stage. This Alembic allows the Promethean to indulge this philosophy
Exceptional Success: The target follows the character to the to the hilt and give everything she has as often as possible. She
exclusion of all else. He does not speak to others, explain himself, blazes like a firework and regrets nothing when the light dies down,
call for assistance, or take any other action not related to catching laughing in the face of Wasteland’s lurking risk.
up with the character. Once he catches up, Disquiet increases by Persistent: Giving every problem her all invigorates the Light-
one stage. Bringer, urging her to do it again and again. She empties herself
to skirt death, and in so doing, feels more alive. Whenever the
Ringleader character spends her last point of Pyros, she gains one Willpower
Prometheans have difficulty with social dynamics, but this point, up to her maximum Willpower capacity.
Distillation helps illuminate them. For a short time, the Light-
Bringer becomes the alpha, the leader, the decision-maker of a
Outshining the Sun
group. This doesn’t allow the Promethean to send others into battle Some students of Luciferus are driven by the need to make the
or compel them to act against their interests, but it does mean that most of everything they do. These Light-Bringers stoke the embers
even a mob in the throes of late-stage Disquiet can be defused. of their Azoth to a raging bonfire, pushing the limits of their power.
Cost: 3 Pyros Cost: 1 Pyros
Dice Pool: Presence + Socialize + Azoth Action: Instant
Action: Extended (1 roll per turn, variable successes needed) Dice Pool: Resolve + Expression + Azoth
Roll Results Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The player loses all accumulated successes Dramatic Failure: The character destabilizes her Divine Fire,
and the crowd turns hostile, even violent, depending on the reducing the amount of Pyros needed to trigger a Wasteland by one
circumstances. Check for Disquiet for all present. for the scene. This may mean that the use of this power triggers a
Failure: The player does not gain any successes and can either Wasteland.
accept a Condition (including Disquieted, for the subjects) or quit Failure: She is unable to generate enough internal energy to
the attempt. start the Azothic reaction.
Success: The player gains successes. The Distillation needs Success: Treat the character’s Azoth rating as one higher for the
one success per target to be affected in order to be successful, purposes of Transmutation activation rolls and Supernatural Tolerance.
and it doesn’t function on fewer than three targets (though the Exceptional Success: Treat the character’s Azoth as two higher.
Promethean can count her throng among them, as long as they

142
 Luciferus

Roman Candle illumination — literal as well as metaphorical “enlightenment.”

Light-Bringers who study the more philosophical side of their
Every mark the Promethean makes on the world will be bright, Refinement can act as beacons to the frightened, lost or ignorant.
loud, and larger than life. This is the promise the Light-Bringer Persistent: The character’s Azoth exudes a spiritual warmth that
makes, and she refuses to be proven wrong. helps people stay grounded. Anyone who makes a roll for a breaking
Cost: 2 Pyros point or a step backwards on the Pilgrimage in the Promethean’s direct
Action: Reflexive vicinity gains +1 to that roll (the Promethean himself is not affected).
Dice Pool: None
The character adds three dice to the next contested roll she Daybreak
makes. She may continue to spend Pyros points on this Distillation
The Promethean’s Azoth burns with a reassuring glow that
to add to contested rolls, at a rate of two dice per Pyros spent.
makes the dark world around him seem just a bit brighter. He can
All or Nothing appeal to the better natures of others when most would resort to
base temptation. This power does not function while the character
Drawing on the knowledge that light and heat lend speed to suffers the Tormented Condition.
alchemical reactions, the Light-Bringer can shatter the dam that Cost: 1 Pyros
keeps her Pyros at bay. Action: Reflexive
Cost: 3 Pyros Dice Pool: None
Action: Reflexive Whenever the character engages in Social maneuvering (p. 202),
Dice Pool: None he may influence the interaction using his subject’s Virtue or Elpis
The Promethean is no longer bound by her Pyros expenditure in the same way that Vice can normally be used. If agreeing to the
limit. She may spend as much Pyros in a single turn as she likes. Promethean’s influence could allow the subject to gain Willpower
However, this Distillation does nothing to mitigate the formation through Virtue or Elpis, move his impression one step higher.
of a Wasteland.
Guidepost
Beacon of Helios The Light-Bringer is at the forefront of events, leading by
A lantern or campfire in a dark place can provide comfort. example. His Azoth’s compelling warmth naturally inspires others
In alchemical symbolism, light is depicted as a source of spiritual whenever he attempts to convince someone to join, follow, or

143
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

serve him using Persuasion or Expression. If the Promethean is that the target runs out of aggravated points to downgrade, remaining
suffering the Tormented Condition, this power can only be used successes can downgrade lethal points to bashing.
with Intimidation and only to force servitude. Exceptional Success: Additional successes downgrade more
Cost: 2 Pyros points of damage, as indicated above.

Mesmerism
Action: Reflexive
Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + Azoth – target’s Resolve
Roll Results A Mimic or Cathar who has dedicated himself to understanding
Dramatic Failure: The character’s Azoth flares too strongly. He human psychology can learn to use Azoth’s affinity for the humours
comes across as forceful, arrogant, or just plain crazy. The target to influence them. This causes effects similar to Disquiet but that
progresses one stage into Disquiet and, for Social maneuvering, are more subtle and easily controlled, though limited to influencing
adds one Door. emotions rather than controlling minds. Mesmerism is a brute force
Failure: The Promethean’s words have no supernatural effect. tool, affecting the target’s emotions rather than controlling their
Success: The character treats a number of appropriate Social mind. As such, it can have unpredictable results. The risk is that
rolls against the target equal to successes on the activation roll as such manipulation can provoke Disquiet; the more powerful the
rote actions. With Social maneuvering, his impression is one step effect, the more likely it is to harm the subject.
higher than it otherwise would have been (if applicable). The Refinements experience this Transmutation in different ways.
Exceptional Success: Whenever the Promethean succeeds at a For a Cathar, emotional imbalance represents a weakness. Pushing the
Social maneuvering roll that meets Guidepost’s criteria, he opens humours out of balance is a matter of introducing impurities, shorting
one extra Door. one ingredient or adding too much of another. His understanding is
Lighthouse for the Dead focused on dysfunction and disorder. He sees the final stage of each
Alembic as a means to purge the imbalance and return things to right.
A Light-Bringer can catch another Promethean at the very cusp A Mimic, on the other hand, experiences Mesmerism as a heightened
of death, using his own Azoth to rekindle the dying embers of empathy. She feels what her target feels and uses this sympathy to shift
another before it goes out forever. This Distillation can also allow the tides of his emotions. For a Mimic, the terminal stage of each
the branded throngmates of a Promethean who does die to follow Alembic is as traumatic for her as it is for the target.
her to the River and aid her on her journey back. Charging a Mesmerism Distillation without flaring disfigurements
Whenever a Promethean character’s last Health box fills with imposes the Callous Condition (p. 307).
aggravated damage, the Light-Bringer can attempt to fan the flames Mesmerism is divided into four Alembics. Those Alembics
of the target’s Divine Fire before she is completely dead. He must are: Phobos (invoking fear), Eros (creating devotion), Eris (causing
touch the target to use this power, confusion), and Penthos (eroding self-worth).
Cost: 3 Pyros
Action: Instant Phobos
Dice Pool: Stamina + Occult + Azoth
The Promethean saps the choleric humour of the target, making
Roll Results her more susceptible to fear and anxiety. Her passion, aggression,
Dramatic Failure: Not only does the Light-Bringer fail to and confidence are sapped and she becomes passive and skittish.
rekindle the target’s Divine Fire, but his proximity to the dying flame If enough of the humour is drained, the condition can become
nearly drags him along with it. He suffers one point of aggravated terminal. Even without the expenditure of Pyros, the Promethean
damage and gains the Shaken Condition (p. 311). The throng has has an instinctive understanding of how to cause fear in people and
no opportunity to follow their dead throngmate to the River; it’s force them to back down. The range of these Distillations is three
all the character can do just to save himself. yards per point of Azoth.
Failure: The Light-Bringer is too late to save his target from death, Persistent: The player only needs three successes on Intimidation
but if he shares a Pyros Brand with the target, he and other branded rolls in order to get an exceptional success and impose the Shaken
throngmates can follow her consciousness to the River of Death and Condition.
take the journey with her (p. 169), as long as they still have the option
to return, whether by Azoth flare or the Revivification Bestowment. Rattle
Any throngmate can choose to refuse the call. Those who accept it A slight adjustment of the humour merely makes the subject
experience the scene together and can help their dead companion nervous, which can serve to expedite social interactions as she wishes
through her ordeals, while their bodies seem to be comatose. to be rid of the object of her anxiety. This ability is best used against
Success: The Light-Bringer, the target and all other branded those the Promethean never intends to meet again, as it makes the
throngmates in the vicinity experience a joint Elpis vision in which the experience highly unpleasant. Even if the subject does not enter
throng coaxes the dying character back from the brink. At the culmination Disquiet, she will not remember him fondly.
of the vision, the Light-Bringer reignites the dying Promethean’s Azoth, Cost: 1 Pyros
downgrading a number of the target’s aggravated points of damage equal Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation + Azoth vs. Composure +
to the successes on the activation roll to lethal. If he rolls well enough Azoth

144
 Mesmerism

Action: Instant and contested at least one point of damage is recovered. She suffers a breaking
Roll Results point with a two-die penalty.
Exceptional Success: She instead takes lethal damage as the
Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or
shock causes a heart attack.
advances to the next stage if already suffering it. If the character is
attempting Social maneuvering, it immediately fails.
Failure: The target resists the effort.
Eros
Success: The target is afraid of the Promethean and prefers to By stoking the subject’s sanguine humour, the Promethean
limit their interaction. She doesn’t flee, but attempts to shorten the encourages her to become smitten and more easily manipulated.
time she has to interact with him and refuses to engage him unless Used sparingly, this can be a very useful social lubricant, but if
absolutely necessary. A guard might wave him through a checkpoint pushed too far it leads to obsession and madness. The stronger the
while only glancing at his papers, a cop might let him go with a humour, the more concerned she is with shallow estimations of
quick warning, or a secretary might give him the information he attractiveness and pursuit of pleasure. She becomes playful, friendly,
wants just to get him to leave. If using using Social maneuvering, and eager to make new acquaintances. She also grows flighty,
this removes one Door. forgetful, and overconfident. Even without Pyros, the Promethean
Exceptional Success: The target risks even dire consequences has a natural instinct for seduction. The bonus from the Striking
in order to be rid of the Promethean. The guard might let him Looks merit is applicable to their dice pool.
into a secured area with no identification, the cop might ignore Persistent: The player only needs three successes on Persuasion
the illegal weapon he is holding, or the secretary might give him rolls in order to get an exceptional success and impose the Swooning
her employer’s home address. If using Social maneuvering, this Condition.
removes two Doors.
Lure
Terrify The smallest change to the humour merely makes the subject
A sudden, severe adjustment to the humour inflicts the subject amiable and friendly. This makes all social interaction more pleasant
with unreasoning terror, causing her to flee from the Promethean’s and attempts to persuade significantly easier. As a bonus, unless
presence. Although this terror eventually fades, the subject will soured by Disquiet, the subject will continue to think fondly of
always be nervous around him and won’t associate with him will- the Promethean after the initial effects have worn off. Using Social
ingly. Using Social maneuvering, her impression of him is hostile. maneuvering later, her impression of him is still good.
Cost: 2 Pyros Cost: 1 Pyros
Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation + Azoth vs. Resolve + Azoth Dice Pool: Manipulation + Persuasion + Azoth vs. Composure
Action: Instant and contested + Azoth
Action: Instant and contested
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or Roll Results
advances to the next stage if already suffering it. Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or
Failure: The target resists the effort to adjust her humours. advances to the next stage if already suffering it. If attempting Social
Success: The target gains the Frightened Condition (p. 309) with maneuvering, it fails.
the Promethean as its focus for the rest of the scene. Failure: The target resists the effort.
Exceptional Success: The target cannot spend Willpower to Success: The target is taken with the Promethean and becomes
suppress the effects of the Condition. more easily persuaded for a scene. Small, easy to fulfill requests are
generally granted. She becomes friendly, talkative, and flirty. For
Swoon creatures used to hostility at every turn, this level of congeniality
The strongest use of this Alembic causes intense, physical terror is a relief. All Social rolls involving her are at +2. If using Social
that can threaten the life of the subject. At the very least, her terror maneuvering, he makes an excellent impression.
robs her of consciousness and puts a strain on her sanity. Exceptional Success: The target even fulfills difficult requests or
Cost: 3 Pyros those that entail small risks. If using Social maneuvering, he makes
Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation + Azoth – Stamina a perfect impression.
Action: Instant
Seduce
Roll Results
Greater adjustment causes a surge of infatuation so strong that
Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or the subject will do anything the Promethean asks to prove her de-
advances to the next stage if already suffering it. votion. Unlike with the subtle application, this Distillation causes
Failure: The target is unaffected. no long-term effects, as the rush of endorphins is so brain-addling
Success: The target suffers a moment of terror so intense that it that it may erase the memory of the experience much less leave a
causes physical distress. She takes one point of bashing damage per solid foundation for future friendship.
success and falls unconscious. She won’t regain consciousness until Cost: 2 Pyros

145
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Dice Pool: Manipulation + Persuasion +Azoth vs. Resolve + limited in range to three yards per point of Azoth.
Azoth Persistent: The Promethean only needs three successes on
Action: Instant and contested Subterfuge rolls in order to get an exceptional success and impose
Roll Results the Confused Condition.
Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or Misdirect
advances to the next stage if already suffering it.
The simplest changes cause the subject to lose track of what she
Failure: The target resists the effort.
was doing. This is most useful when the subject’s goal is obvious,
Success: The target is so overwhelmed by emotion that she obeys
such as a police officer actively searching for the Promethean or a
one request. She does exactly as she is told. The downside is that her
homeowner investigating a strange noise in her home.
intellect is suppressed so she cannot elaborate or creatively interpret.
Cost: 1 Pyros
She is very literal and won’t draw on her own knowledge to avoid
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Subterfuge + Azoth vs. Resolve +
complications. If he tells a guard to go into the security room and turn
Azoth
off a camera, she does precisely that. She doesn’t wait for the other
Action: Instant and contested
guard to leave or otherwise conceal her actions, nor does she mention
that doing so will trigger an alarm with the home company. Roll Results
Exceptional Success: The target won’t remember what she did Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or
once the scene is over. advances to the next stage if already suffering it, and gains the
Steadfast Condition.
Inflame Failure: The target resists the effort.
The most severe change in humours turns the subject into a Success: The target becomes confused and addled with regards
devoted thrall, willing to follow the Promethean anywhere and to whatever goal is foremost in her mind at the moment. She suffers
do anything he asks. However, her affection is now dangerously a –3 modifier to any Mental actions related to this goal.
obsessive and she defends him from even imagined slights with an Exceptional Success: The Promethean gets to choose what goal
insane fury. This always leaves the subject in Disquiet after it has to affect.
run its course and is often psychologically damaging, particularly
as she remembers what she did while in the grips of her mad love. Baffle
Cost: 3 Pyros More radical adjustments cause a general state of confusion
Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation + Azoth vs. Resolve + Azoth where the subject finds herself unable to focus or act. She is lost in
Action: Instant and contested her own muddled thoughts and just stares straight ahead.
Roll Results Cost: 2 Pyros
Dice Pool: Resolve + Subterfuge + Azoth – Resolve
Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or
Action: Instant
advances to the next stage if already suffering it.
Failure: The target is unaffected. Roll Results
Success: The target gains the Obsession Condition focused on the Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or
Promethean and will not leave his side, doing everything she can to advances to the next stage if already suffering it.
assist him for the scene. If he is attacked or otherwise threatened, she Failure: The target resists the effort.
immediately gains the Insane Tilt focused on murdering the offender. Success: The target is subject to the Stunned Tilt for one turn
This behavior will usually result in a breaking point. At the end of the per success rolled. Willpower spent to allow the target to act does
scene, she immediately enters Disquiet or advance to the next stage. not end the Tilt prematurely.
Exceptional Success: The target can resist gaining the Insane Exceptional Success: She is unable to clearly remember anything
Tilt with a successful Resolve + Composure roll, but still focuses on that occurred while stunned.
defending the Promethean at the expense of her own well-being,
even acting as a human shield. Fog
Drastic adjustment of the phlegmatic humour causes the subject
Eris to be completely lost in her mental fog, eroding her memory of what
The Promethean can manipulate the phlegmatic humour to occurred prior in the same scene. While not traumatic, the damage
cause the subject to turn inward, becoming easily confused and caused by the dissolution of memory has subtle long-term effects
unable to focus. Likewise, her physical movements become slow and on her sanity and inflicts Disquiet.
clumsy. The main benefit of this Alembic is that it usually leaves Cost: 3 Pyros
the subject unclear on what happened to her. Some consider it less Dice Pool: Presence + Subterfuge + Azoth – Resolve
damaging than the other Mesmerism Alembics, but those who have Action: Instant
used it extensively note that the side effects are just more subtle. Even Roll Results
without spending Pyros, he is adept at instilling confusion through Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or
convoluted reasoning, misdirection, and lies. Eris’ Distillations are advances to the next stage if already suffering it.

146
 Metamorphosis

Failure: The target is unaffected. Success: The target acquires the Beaten Down Tilt.
Success: The target immediately falls into a catatonic state. When Exceptional Success: The target cannot spend Willpower to
he wakes, he suffers from the Amnesia Condition about everything take violent actions.
that happened in the scene. This lasts for one day per success with the
memories slowly emerging as dreams and hallucinations. This causes Depress
a breaking point with a –2 on the roll, and the target immediately If the melancholia is pushed further, the subject is emotionally
enters Disquiet or advances to the next stage. shattered and enters full-fledged depression. She becomes extremely
Exceptional Success: The Condition is Persistent. malleable as her will is broken. It is not unknown for someone
subjected to this power to commit suicide.
Penthos Cost: 3 Pyros
Perhaps the cruelest of the Mesmerism Alembics, Penthos Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy + Azoth vs. Resolve +
reinforces the subject’s melancholic humour, causing her to become Supernatural Tolerance
withdrawn and pessimistic. Its use is an erosion of will and self-image Action: Instant
that can destroy the subject if pushed far enough. She loses the Roll Results
capacity to feel joy and becomes suspicious of everyone, including Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or
herself. Even without expending Pyros, he is able to easily find ways advances to the next stage if already suffering it.
to make a person feel guilty. Penthos has a range of three yards per Failure: The target is unaffected.
point of Azoth. Success: For the rest of the scene, the target cannot take actions
Persistent: The player only needs three successes on without first spending a point of Willpower. She also cannot use
Empathy rolls in order to get an exceptional success and impose Resolve as a resistance trait. In addition, she suffers from the Broken
the Guilty Condition. Condition (p. 307) for one day per success rolled.
Exceptional Success: The Broken Condition is persistent and
Undermine the target will engage in self-destructive and suicidal behavior.
Even the subtlest alteration causes the subject’s confidence to
be undermined so that she doubts herself. The early stages of de-
pression set in and she has difficulty feeling enthused or motivated Metamorphosis
while under the influence of the Alembic. Prometheans who follow the Refinement of Cuprum believe
Cost: 1 Pyros that their bodies are not unlike clay, waiting to be shaped into
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy + Azoth vs. Resolve + something more useful. They learn the secrets of Metamorphosis in
Supernatural Tolerance order to change their appearance or even bodily shape. Some make
Action: Reflexive and contested the attempt to shift in just the right manner to make the body fit
Roll Results what the world demands. Others simply relish the opportunity to
Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or learn tricks that make survival just that much easier.
advances to the next stage if already suffering it. Charging a Metamorphosis Distillation without flaring
Failure: The target resists the effort. disfigurements imposes the Atavistic Condition (p. 306).
Success: The target is unable to spend Willpower for the rest Metamorphosis is divided into four Alembics. Those Alembics
of the scene. are: Aptare (the ability to adapt to the environment), Bestiae Facies
Exceptional Success: The effect lasts a full day. (changing into animal-like forms), Tegere (the ability to create armor
due to shapeshifting), and Verto (the ability to change appearance).
Defeat
Feeding the subject’s melancholia leaves her feeling defeated. Aptare
She surrenders to any aggression, having lost any confidence that Pariahs often live in remote, inhospitable places. While the
she can win the conflict. She feels worthless and begins to suspect Promethean body can take far more punishment than a human, it
her life has no value. is neither invulnerable nor immune to the need for basic necessities
Cost: 2 Pyros such as food and water. With some practice, the Pariah forces her body
Dice Pool: Presence + Empathy + Azoth vs. Resolve + to adapt to go without or to function in ways it was never intended.
Supernatural Tolerance Persistent: The Pariah ignores the effects of one Environmental
Action: Reflexive and contested Tilt per scene. She chooses which Tilt to ignore, her body
Roll Results adapting to the circumstances. She may only ignore Tilts that have
Dramatic Failure: The target immediately enters Disquiet or environmental consequences — extremes of heat or cold, heavy rains,
advances to the next stage if already suffering it. flooding, earthquakes, and so on. The Pariah cannot breathe water
Failure: The target resists the effort. or survive in a vacuum without charging the Alembic, however.

147
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Blessing of Tethys Alternatively, the character may extend only one arm up to two feet
per success to reach something out of his reach, but suffers a –1
The Promethean changes her physiology to breathe water instead penalty to all actions while in combat.
of air. She suffers no outward signs of this alteration. Instead, the Long Legs: The character’s legs lengthen, lengthening her stride.
lining in her lungs changes to filter oxygen from water instead of air. She gains a +1 to Speed per success.
Cost: 1 Pyros Malleable Skeleton: The Pariah makes his bones like rubber,
Dice Pool: None enabling him to twist and squeeze his body through any opening at
Action: Instant least one foot in diameter. While moving through the opening, the
Once this power is activated, the character’s lungs change to character may move at half of her Speed, but loses Defense. If used
breathe water. This effect persists until the Promethean spends 1 in conjunction with Long Arms or Long Legs, the limbs are pliable,
Pyros to reverse the effect. During this exchange, any residual air or able to bend around corners and perform similar feats.
water in the character’s lungs is instantly and effortlessly expelled, Altered Body: The character’s body alters as desired. He can make
so the character is in no danger of drowning. his body rubbery and pliant, or harden it like rock. Regardless of the
Scuttling Spider method, the character gains armor equal to the activation successes
as his body simply absorbs or deflects impacts.
Sometimes a Promethean needs to scale a cliff, tree, or other
vertical surface. This could be to acquire food, to escape from
enemies, predators, or natural disasters, or to find shelter. Her
Bestiae Facies
hands and feet grow tiny hooks, suckers, or similar miniature Living in the wild as they do, Pariahs start to think and act like
adhesive adaptations. Her bones become hollow, enabling her to beasts in certain ways. It is no wonder they find it useful to take on
climb vertical surfaces without tearing pieces of that surface off. some of the qualities of the animal kingdom.
Cost: 2 Pyros Persistent: Animals rely heavily on their instincts. With this
Action: Reflexive power, so can a Promethean. The Promethean’s player calculates
Dice Pool: None Defense using the higher of Wits or Dexterity.
The Pariah adapts her body as described. For the remainder of Natural Weaponry
the scene, she may scale vertical obstructions effortlessly, moving as
her usual Speed. Particularly slick surfaces may require a Strength In the wild, a follower of Cuprum must be able to defend
+ Athletics roll to make headway (a Climbing Specialty certainly herself or hunt. Without tools, those tasks would be difficult
applies). Even slick surfaces are no barrier, as she may climb them if not impossible. This ability helps the Promethean survive in
as she would any other barrier. In addition, she may move upside- those conditions.
down across ceilings and similar surfaces with a successful Strength Cost: 1 Pyros
+ Athletics roll. Dice Pool: None
Action: Reflexive
Procrustean Shape The character grows claws on her hands or her canines elongate
With full control over her own body, the Promethean can adapt into fangs, which are treated as 1L weapons. Biting in combat
to any number of situations. This power allows her to change her requires a grapple, however.
own proportions for a variety of effects. Form of the Barghest
Cost: 3 Pyros
Dice Pool: Resolve + Medicine + Azoth Beyond simply growing claws or fangs, the Promethean can now
Action: Instant adopt a fully bestial form. This creature does not exactly resemble
any living creature. He might perhaps be mistaken for a large dog
Roll Results or wolf in poor light, but not by anyone with a good view.
Dramatic Failure: The Pariah attempts to alter some aspect of Cost: 2 Pyros
her body and fails utterly. She suffers from the Stunned Tilt, as the Dice Pool: None
pain makes her temporarily unable to act. Action: Instant
Failure: The Promethean fails to adapt her body. The Promethean shifts into the barghest form. While in this
Success: The Pariah successfully alters her body, adopting one shape, the character adds the following modifiers: +1 Size (which
facet from the list below. adds 1 Health box), +1 Strength, +2 to species factor (for a total
Exceptional Success: The character may select two alterations of +3 to Speed), and +1 to all Perception rolls. In addition, the
from the list below. barghest’s claws and teeth still act as 1L weapons, and increased
Alterations jaw size means a grapple is not required to bite.
The following list is provided to act as examples of alterations Chimera
possible with this Distillation. Similar abilities may be available at
the Storyteller’s discretion. The Promethean may now mimic normal creatures. By touching
Long Arms: The Promethean’s arms extend, gaining a +1 to an animal and activating this power, the Cuprum adds the beast
Defense while in close combat as his reach gives him an advantage. to his internal library. Afterward, the character may change shape

148
 Metamorphosis

into that animal. He may “remember” a number of animal shapes penalty to Defense while the Distillation is active. This power lasts
equal to his Azoth. for a number of turns equal the successes on the activation roll.
Cost: 3 Pyros Exceptional Success: The power lasts for a scene.
Dice Pool: Stamina + Animal Ken + Azoth
Action: Instant Retributive Protection
Roll Results At this level, it’s not enough that the Promethean simply protect
herself. Now, she needs to make her attackers feel pain in return.
Dramatic Failure: Not only does the Promethean fail to change
Cost: 2 Pyros
his shape, but the animal he intended to shift into is removed from
Dice Pool: Stamina + Weaponry + Azoth
his internal library. He may re-acquire it as normal, which may be
Action: Reflexive
difficult depending on circumstances.
Failure: The Promethean fails to change his shape. Roll Results
Success: The Promethean changes into the target animal. He can Dramatic Failure: The character takes one point of lethal
change into a creature with a much larger or smaller Size than him, damage as the alteration fails, tearing skin.
up to a difference limit equal to his Azoth. So, a Size 5 Promethean Failure: The character fails to generate the armor.
with Azoth 3 may shift into a creature ranging from Size 2 to Size Success: The Promethean’s skin alters to include some sort of
8. He gains any physical characteristics of the target animal, and sharp or jagged surface. Perhaps her skin is covered in knotty, thorny
thus that creature’s movement forms (swimming, flight, climbing vines, or consists of jagged rock. Regardless, anyone who makes an
and so on), or other special physical features such as the poison unarmed attack against her takes one point of lethal damage in return.
held by venomous animals. In the case of venomous creatures, the Weapons take this damage to their Durability. The Distillation lasts
Promethean is able to inflict the Poisoned Tilt on a successful attack. for a number of turns equal to the activation successes.
The change takes some time to take place. If used in combat, the Exceptional Success: Attackers take two points of lethal
Promethean does not complete the shift until his initiative count damage instead.
on the following turn and cannot use Defense until that point.
Exceptional Success: The change is instantaneous and the Quill Assault
Promethean can take another action in this turn. The Promethean goes beyond simple passive armor, adapting his
body’s defenses to work offensively as well. Nearby enemies have a
Tegere moment’s surprise before pieces of the Pariah’s armor come flying
The desolate places the Pariahs call home play host to any at them at lethal speed. Despite this Distillation’s name, the armor
number of dangerous creatures. The character learns how to change can take any natural form — scales, quills, or even rock-like plates.
her body for protection. Such alterations are visible to everyone and Cost: 3 Pyros
appear differently than the Promethean’s disfigurements. Dice Pool: None to activate; Dexterity + Athletics – Defense
Persistent: The Promethean changes her skin into a form of to attack
flexible, pliable armor. It may appear as a covering of scales or thin Action: Reflexive or instant
layer of blubber. Regardless of its appearance, the skin provides Roll Results
some protection against simple forms of attack. Against attacks Dramatic Failure: The Pariah’s body warps painfully as the
that inflict bashing damage, he has Armor rated 2/0. The armor armor tries to activate, inflicting three points of lethal damage.
does not penalize Defense or Speed, nor does it have a minimum Failure: The character does not grow armor and thus can’t fire
Strength requirement. Unlike most Persistent Alembic effects, this any parts of it at enemies.
one requires an instant action to activate, meaning that the character Success: Activating this power is a reflexive action that requires
is vulnerable to surprise. no roll. Once activated, the character benefits from an armor rating
Impermeable Shell of 4/4. Her Defense and Speed are both penalized by 2.
As an instant action, the character may fire portions of her
With some effort, the Pariah can harden her skin, protecting armor at everyone within range. Since doing so causes the armor
her from most sources of harm, even bullets. to rip away from the character’s body, the character suffers one
Cost: 1 Pyros point of lethal damage. Roll Dexterity + Athletics against everyone
Dice Pool: Stamina + Survival + Azoth within (Azoth x 10) feet away. Defense applies (subtract the highest
Action: Reflexive Defense present from the roll), but armor protects its wearer like
Roll Results normal. For purposes of this attack, the fragments count as a
Dramatic Failure: The Distillation backfires and restricts the weapon with a damage rating of 1L. Once fired, the armor provides
character’s movement. Until her next turn, the character cannot protection at the level described under Impermeable Shell, but
apply Defense to incoming attacks. the character can reactive the other levels without further Pyros
Failure: The Promethean does not gain armor. expenditure.
Success: The Pariah’s skin hardens to the equivalent toughness Exceptional Success: The fragments count as 2L weapons
of Kevlar, providing an armor rating of 2/4, and suffering a –1 instead.

149
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Verto Dice Pool: Dexterity + Medicine + Azoth

Action: Instant
The Promethean can alter his bodily features. Unlike illusory Roll Results
powers, these changes are physical, making it more difficult for
others to see past the alterations. Dramatic Failure: The Promethean loses control over how her
Persistent: The character can change minor physical details. He body shifts. The cosmetic details are left to the player and Storyteller
might change his hair color or length, eye color, or amount of body but whatever form they take, these alterations inflict a –2 penalty
hair. Many Prometheans use this ability to avoid scrutiny. to the character’s actions for the remainder of the scene.
Failure: The character is unable to make her body malleable.
Medusa’s Visage Success: The Pariah alters her body however she would like. She may
increase or decrease her Size by 1, shift facial features, hair/eye color,
With a snarl, the character’s face becomes hideous, capable of
skin tone, or gender. The Pariah has nearly complete control over the
frightening others.
appearance of her body. The Pariah can alter his features to mimic a
Cost: 1 Pyros
person of the same general build. She cannot mimic any supernatural
Dice Pool: Stamina + Intimidation + Azoth
abilities, but almost anything else is fair game. The change lasts for
Action: Instant
one turn per success. The player can extend it by making another roll
Roll Results when the duration ends; this requires no further Pyros expenditure.
Dramatic Failure: The Promethean frightens nobody. Instead, Exceptional Success: The change lasts for a full scene.
she is susceptible to fear herself. For the remainder of the scene, the
next roll intended to frighten or intimidate her gains a +2 bonus.
Failure: The Distillation does not take effect.
Saturninus
Success: The Pariah’s face becomes hideous. Any attempts to Unlike many Created, who keep their eyes on the prize, the
intimidate or unnerve others gain one bonus die per success on Originist finds enlightenment in exploring the Saturnine Night
this roll. Any Social rolls for anything else are penalized by the same itself. She may play mentor to other Created, become a steward
amount. This ability lasts for a scene or until the character chooses of Promethean culture (such as it is), or transform herself into an
to restore her features to normal with an instant action. exemplar of her kind. By altering the formula of her humours and
Exceptional Success: Once per turn, the character may inflict one of tapping into the raw power of her Azoth, she gains a measure of
the following Conditions on a target: Frightened, Shaken, or Spooked. confidence in what she is in order to bolster her courage for what’s
Everyman to come.
Charging a Saturninus Distillation without flaring disfigurements
By physically changing his face and body, the Promethean imposes the Regressive Condition (p. 311).
becomes just one more faceless person in the crowd. Drab and Saturninus is divided into four Alembics. Those Alembics are:
unassuming with no distinguishing features, he blends into the mass Heed the Call (mastery of Azothic radiance), Plumb the Fathoms
of humanity even as he recalls how detached from it he really is. (mastery of Azothic memory), Stoke the Furnace (becoming
Cost: 2 Pyros the platonic ideal of the Created), and Prime the Vessel (direct
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Subterfuge + Azoth manipulation of the Promethean body).
Action: Instant
Roll Results Heed the Call
Dramatic Failure: The character inadvertently makes herself A Promethean’s Divine Fire is too restless to be fully contained.
stand out. Any rolls to notice or identify the Promethean for the It spills out into the world, revealing faint traces of the metaphysical
rest of the scene gain a +2 bonus. changes its vessel has undergone for those who know how to see
Failure: The power fails to activate. them. Originists can become experts in reading and manipulating
Success: For the remainder of the scene, the Promethean is Azothic radiance.
difficult to notice. His features are just too normal, too uniform, to Persistent: The Promethean can detect a source of Azothic
pick out of a crowd. Mundane means of identifying the Promethean radiance as though the source were one Azoth rating higher than
fail outright, but the player also suffers a –3 modifier on Social actions. it is. He can also pinpoint the source’s general direction and
Exceptional Success: The Pariah’s features are so bland and rough distance away; this can manifest in a variety of ways, such
generic that remembering anything about him is difficult. Witnesses as a sound, a scent or simply a vague sense of “hot and cold.” A
have a –2 penalty to recall details about the character. This supposes successful Wits + Survival roll can lead him to the source, with
that the character didn’t do anything to draw attention to himself. modifiers at the Storyteller’s discretion based on distance, Flux
taint or other circumstances.
Body Like Clay
With this power, the Promethean’s body is his to command and Inscribed in Flame
shape. He may mold it however he wishes, changing its size and The Promethean can sense the presence of any pilgrim marks as
mass or altering facial features. though they were a source of Azoth with a rating equal to that of the
Cost: 3 Pyros scribe, suffering no penalty to find them even if they were deliberately

150
 Saturninus

hidden. He can also automatically tell if a Promethean whose radiance

he can detect is suffering the Tormented Condition. Finally, he can
take the Measure of any Azoth source he can detect even if it’s out of
sight, and can attempt to delve more deeply and discover its secrets.
Cost: 1 Pyros
Dice Pool: Wits + Empathy + Azoth
Action: Instant
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The character drastically misinterprets what
he senses and gleans false information, chosen by the Storyteller.
Failure: The character fails to interpret any meaning in
the thrashing brilliance beyond what he could read with a
normal Measure.
Success: Roll for each separate Measure taken. Each success
reveals one of the target’s traits, chosen from the following by
the Originist’s player: Elpis, Torment, current Refinement, Azoth
rating, Pilgrimage rating, one fixed Alembic, or total current Vitriol
Beats and Experiences. If used to examine an Athanor’s radiance
instead, successes can be spent to reveal the number of Vitriol
Experiences contained in the Athanor and the Refinement with
which it resonates. The Storyteller may also reveal other details
based on successes rolled.
Exceptional Success: The character gains the Inspired Condition
(p. 310) regarding the Azoth source he has read.

Controlled Burn
The Promethean can bring his Azothic radiance under fine
control, either fueling the fire to become a beacon or dampening
the flame to fly under the radar.
Cost: 2 Pyros
Dice Pool: Composure + Expression + Azoth
Action: Instant
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The character loses all control of his radiance,
prompting an immediate resist Disquiet roll from everyone who can
perceive him, and immediately waking all Pandorans within range.
Failure: The character cannot tame the wild Azoth inside him.
Success: Each success increases or decreases his effective Azoth
rating by one for purposes of detection by creatures that can
normally do so, such as Pandorans or other Prometheans. If this
would decrease his effective Azoth rating to 0, his radiance becomes
undetectable. This also has the effect of making him read as a normal
human being to other supernatural means of detection; successes
on this Distillation can be applied to any successes roll in a Clash
of Will (p. 118) to remain undetected.
Exceptional Success: The character may create a false Azoth
trail for trackers to follow. Anyone who could have detected his
unmodified radiance picks up the false trail and is thrown off the
scent. The character may instead make his exact location apparent
to anyone who can detect his newly modified radiance.

Sublimation by Fire
Scholars on the Refinement of Lead discover during their studies
that, given a particular connection, two Azothic radiances can
interfere with each other like waveforms, amplifying each other’s

151
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

effects or canceling them out. The Originist can provide the right Cost: 1 Pyros
kind of connection to calm the radiance of a Promethean suffering Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult + Azoth
the Tormented Condition, but he must be careful not to accidentally Action: Instant
tip the scales in the wrong direction. Roll Results
To attempt to end his companion’s Torment, the character and
Dramatic Failure: The character accidentally flares her Azoth,
his target must be within range of each other’s Azothic radiance;
beginning a Wasteland.
using this Alembic to detect the target’s radiance from farther away
Failure: This area has no footprint in Azothic Memory, and the
is not enough. Whether the target wishes to be in Torment or not,
character can’t learn anything from it.
the contested roll is reflexive and automatic.
Success: The character tunes in to the Azothic memory and can
This power does not function while the Originist himself suffers
learn information about the area. The player can ask one of the
the Tormented Condition.
following questions:
Cost: 3 Pyros
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Expression + Azoth vs. Resolve + • Have any still-living Prometheans been here?
Azoth
Action: Extended and contested (one roll per turn; [target’s • Can I achieve a milestone here?
Azoth x 3] successes required) • What is the greatest danger here?
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The whole attempt fails and the two Azothic • Is an Athanor near here?
radiances interact explosively, amplifying each other to extreme • Are any pilgrim marks near here?
effect. Both Prometheans take points of lethal damage equal to
the Originist’s Azoth rating, and a Wasteland begins immediately. Exceptional Success: The player can ask a follow-up question
Failure: If the character fails a roll, the whole attempt fails and after getting the answer to the first question.
the Originist’s Azothic radiance burns his target from the inside.
The target takes points of lethal damage equal to the Originist’s
Wisdom of Ages
Azoth rating and isn’t likely to react well, considering that he’s still The humours and Azoth that flow through the Promethean
Tormented. once flowed through countless others before her. She can tap into
Success: If the character accumulates the required successes the faint memories that linger on as alchemical fingerprints therein.
before he fails a roll, the two radiances interfere constructively Cost: 2 Pyros
and the target’s Tormented Condition resolves. The Originist also Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult + Azoth
gains a Beat. Action: Reflexive
Exceptional Success: If the player chooses the exceptional Roll Results
success option for this action, both Prometheans gain a Willpower Dramatic Failure: The character experiences sensory overload,
in addition to other rewards. unable to make sense of the jumbled visions that invade her

Plumb the Fathoms mind. She takes a –2 penalty to all Mental Skill rolls for the rest
of the scene.
No one can definitively explain why Azothic memory exists. Failure: The character’s link to her Azothic memory is too faint
Whether it’s because all Azoth really is one or because Azoth and to pick up anything useful.
humour passed from creator to child contain alchemical traces of Success: The character experiences vague sensations of events
those who came before, some Originists can delve more deeply into that never happened to her, and gleans knowledge that is not her
the ocean of collective Promethean memory and dig up secrets like own. For each success, the player chooses one Mental Skill. Rolls
long-lost skeletons. made with these Skills become rote actions, and the Storyteller
Persistent: The Promethean can inscribe the details of any Ramble may reveal information that the Promethean doesn’t have the
she hears indelibly into her mind until she has the opportunity to appropriate background to know.
pass it on to a more permanent medium, at which point her memory Exceptional Success: Additional successes apply to additional
submits normally to the ravages of time. Her connection to the Mental Skills as indicated above.
breadth of experience from previous generations grants +1 to rolls
to resist supernatural Mental or Social effects, and to effective Azoth Glimpsing the Crasis
when used as a passive resistance trait against the same. No Promethean can see the road of her Pilgrimage laid out
before her like a map. However, in the twin crucibles of pain and
Pilgrim’s Landmarks vulnerability, she can view her experiences through the lens of
The Created are rare, but they have walked the Earth for Azothic memory and glean insights from the commonalities she
centuries or more. Their footsteps may be long buried, but they are shares with brethren long gone. As long as the character has suffered
present; a patient Originist can benefit from the wisdom of those at least one point of lethal damage in the scene, self-inflicted or
who came before. The character can draw upon Azothic memory otherwise, she may activate this Distillation.
for information. Cost: 3 Pyros

152
 Saturninus

Cost: None
Dice Pool: None
Memory and the Matchless Action: Reflexive
Whenever the character takes a Beat that affirms the current
The collective consciousness of Azothic memory is Role he inhabits, the player chooses one Attribute to boost by one
passed on naturally through humours, Azoth, and rit- for free for the rest of the chapter. For instance, an Originist in the
ual to Prometheans made deliberately by a genitor’s Chronicler Role might receive the boost by achieving an Aspiration
hands. But what about the Extempore?
to tell a Ramble to another Promethean, while one in the Pilgrim
Most of the Matchless are forced to wander the Role might receive it by resolving a Steadfast Condition to convince
world without that safety net. They have no access a throngmate to stick around.
to Azothic memory unless they belong to a branded
throng (see p. 306), and even then their insight is Chasing Hope
second-hand, filtered through the pact they share with A Promethean’s Elpis is his compass, a precious bright spot
their throngmates. As a result, an Extempore charac-
ter must have the Branded Throng Condition in order that motivates him to keep plodding along his Pilgrimage despite
to use any power that relies on Azothic memory to overwhelming setbacks. Originists can adjust their humours to spark
function. This includes the entire Plumb the Fathoms more intense bouts of inspiration, bolstering their Divine Fire as
Alembic, as well as several individual Distillations in well as their determination.
other Transmutations. Cost: None
Dice Pool: None
Action: Reflexive
Whenever the character recovers a single point of Willpower
Dice Pool: None through his Elpis, he also recovers one point of Pyros. Whenever he
Action: Reflexive recovers his full Willpower through Elpis, he also recovers half his
The character infuses her humour with impressions from Azothic maximum Pyros, rounded up. If the character suffers the Tormented
memory and her own past, merged as one. She may choose a memory Condition, this Distillation works when recovering Willpower
to explore or leave it up to Elpis to decide. Anyone, including herself, through his Torment instead.
who consumes her humour during the scene experiences a fleeting
vision, reliving one of her memories. For a Promethean, this vision
Transhuman Adaptation
imparts hints about a related impending milestone, including its The Created understand better than most the power of
type and importance. For others, the vision may prompt a resist adaptability to achieve great works. Some can take their Transhuman
Disquiet roll at the Storyteller’s discretion, but also imparts a hazy Potential to new heights, adapting to any situation.
understanding of something the Promethean must do, for reasons the Cost: Varies
drinker doesn’t comprehend. The Originist must be careful, however, Dice Pool: None
as laying bare her memories for others to see may give them leverage Action: Reflexive
against her. Any given character may only benefit from this power The character may use his Transhuman Potential to temporarily
once per scene, but those who do gain +2 on any roll they make for purchase one dot per Pyros spent of an eligible Merit for which he
the next 24 hours to interpret or force Elpis visions. qualifies. Eligible Merits include: Acid Stomach, Ambidextrous,
Demolisher, Double Jointed, Eidetic Memory, Fast Reflexes, Iron
Stoke the Furnace Will, Striking Looks, and Weatherproof. The Storyteller may
designate other eligible Merits, but should keep in mind that
The Originist can take his Transhuman Potential (p. 171) to the
Transhuman Potential can only alter the alchemical makeup of the
next level, dwelling on reaching the pinnacle of what a monster can
Promethean’s body, not external circumstances. The Promethean
be before it’s something else entirely. This Alembic differs from others
may mix and match between Attribute boosts and Merit dots, and
in that it changes the way the Promethean functions; the Distillations
may even use this to briefly qualify for a Merit that would normally
are alterations to the character’s basic makeup, rather than separate
be out of reach. These Merits last for one scene.
powers. As such, Stoke the Furnace Distillations do not cost Pyros to
activate, though Transhuman Adaptation costs Pyros to use.
Persistent: The Attribute boost from Transhuman Potential
Prime the Vessel
lasts two turns instead of one. The Originist studies every aspect of the vessel that will one day
birth a soul. She can protect valuable resources, turn her humour
Catalytic Affirmation into a deadly poison, and even join Prometheans together in a
The Created find inspiration in the revelations of human binding pact.
endeavor. The Originist can process that inspiration into an Persistent: The character knows how to pay keen attention to her
internal reaction that lets him exceed his limitations for a time. body’s residual instincts and muscle memory. She reduces untrained
This power does not function while the character suffers the penalties for all Skills in one category (player’s choice) by one.
Tormented Condition.

153
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Shielding Pod Action: Instant

The character initiates an alchemical reaction inside her body Roll Results
that creates a hard-shelled pod to house her stores of Vitriol, located Dramatic Failure: The process is interrupted explosively, either
anywhere she likes. by distractions or the character’s inability to finalize the pact. The
Cost: 1 Pyros character and throngmates take one point of lethal damage each.
Dice Pool: Stamina + Occult + Azoth Failure: The complex process of fusing the Pyros fails.
Action: Instant Success: Each throngmate gains the Branded Throng Condition
with respect to the others.
Roll Results
Exceptional Success: The character and throngmates also
Dramatic Failure: The character misaligns her internal organs gain a point of Willpower each, bolstered by the affirmation of
and suffers from the Drugged Tilt (p. 314). companionship.
Failure: The reaction is unsuccessful, and no pod forms.
Success: The Vitriol pod is Size 1 and has Durability equal to the
successes on the activation roll. Pandorans and anyone attempting Sensorium
a lacuna must physically break through the pod before they can
access the Vitriol, buying the Promethean a brief respite to escape Prometheans aren’t restricted to the same senses as humanity,
or fight back. Pandorans must also succeed at a called shot with a but they still view the world through the same lens humans do —
–2 penalty to find the pod when they attack. often literally, since most of them look through once-human eyes.
Exceptional Success: Additional successes make the pod more Sensorium heightens their inhuman powers of perception, granting
durable, as indicated above. the Created a greater awareness of the world around them.
Like all shared Transmutations, the Refinements approach
Humour Electrolysis Sensorium in different ways. Mystics of Argentum and Pariahs
of Cuprum both view Sensorium as allowing a Promethean to
Faced with creatures even more monstrous than herself, the
reflect the world and mystically evolve by outward observation.
character sends a jolt of Pyros through her humour, working an
The difference is that Mystics view Sensorium as their key to
alchemical change that makes her entire body far less appetizing to
understanding a wider, more mysterious world and their place in the
would-be predators.
supernatural cornucopia surrounding humanity, while Pariahs view
Cost: 2 Pyros
it as the irony of achieving inhuman insight and observational skills
Dice Pool: None
that they may discover how to become human. Blind Prometheans
Action: Instant
with this Transmutation generally perceive their surroundings as a
The Promethean’s humour becomes a toxic substance that
kind of highly advanced echolocation; the Distillations alter their
poisons those who consume it. Anyone — or anything — that bites
senses, but provide the same information.
or physically feeds on her takes one point of bashing damage per
Charging a Sensorium Distillation without flaring disfigurements
point of any kind of damage she takes from the attack, becoming
imposes the Synesthesia Condition (p. 312).
ill. Even consuming her humour-infused flesh or other bodily fluids
The Alembics of Sensorium are: Vitreous Humour (discerning
causes this poisoning.
visual frequencies beyond human sight), Receptive Humour
The character may inflict points of bashing damage on herself to
(expanding the ability to process sensory information), Stereo
extract as much of her humour as she desires. This extracted fluid
Humour (perceiving the wavelengths of thought and mind), and
can be mixed into a drink or even injected via syringe to inflict an
Somatic Humour (improving mundane senses to superhuman levels).
amount of lethal damage equal to the damage she caused herself, but
she must be swift; the humour reverts to its usual chemical makeup
at the end of the scene unless it has been ingested or otherwise Vitreous Humour
inflicted on a victim. The caves at Lascaux, site of an ancient and dead Athanor, have
cave art depicting dead men staring at the embers of a fire long
Pyros Branding after the living have left. The Vitreous Humour Alembic tunes
Originists can initiate an alchemical pact between Created that the Promethean eye to wavelengths beyond human sight. Mystics
forms a branded throng (see p. 306). She may include herself in the prize the Vitreous Humour because eyes can see things humans
binding or not. This power creates a Pyros Brand, shared by each of miss, while Pariahs regard it as an essential tool for observing an
the throngmates. The design of the Brand may be designated by the oft-capricious humanity.
Originist or left up to Elpis, but either way it takes a shape that’s Persistent: The Promethean benefits from nightsight, the
meaningful to the throng. To perform the binding, the character ability to perceive images perfectly even in pitch darkness. This
must touch each throngmate, and each must spend one Pyros. This vision is essentially colorless without a faint source of light, but the
extra Pyros cost is waived for the Originist if she’s included. Promethean can see clearly enough to read. The Promethean doesn’t
Cost: 3 Pyros suffer even temporary blindness when faced with bright light, and
Dice Pool: Presence + Occult + Azoth may reflexively ignore penalties from debilitating visual stimuli.

154
 Sensorium

Fire Sight Success: For the rest of the scene, the Promethean can perceive
spirits and ghosts existing in a state of Twilight, seeing them as
By altering the humours of his eye, the Created is able to perceive shining, translucent forms with Essence moving through their
the infrared frequency of light, seeing the heat signature of objects spiritual innards. He may also see dematerialized qashmallim, blazing
around him. The cooling footprints of a fleeing man stand out and writhing with Pyros in their veins.
brightly against the dark floor, while the bright white of a coffee Exceptional Success: The Promethean can perceive
cup and the cooling green and purple imprint on the sofa means dematerialized angels as well, seeing them as phantoms burning
someone’s still in the apartment. Essence deep within their bodies (as opposed to spirits, who seem
Cost: 1 Pyros to digest it). Without an Occult roll or prior experience, he doesn’t
Dice Pool: None know the difference between angels and spirits, however.
Action: Instant
Fire Sight doesn’t replace normal sight; it is visual information
that the Promethean’s mind effortlessly processes. Unexpected lights
Receptive Humour
or very hot objects don’t trouble him if they wouldn’t normally, The interplay of humours within the human eye is extremely
and Fire Sight functions with eyes closed, albeit only perceiving complex, but vitally important — sight is perhaps the most important
red-and-yellow shapes against a black background. Without another sense, being the primary means by which humans view and interact
visual aid, however, the Promethean likely has trouble telling room- with the world. Understanding sight and text is therefore important
temperature furniture (or Pandorans) apart from the background. to Prometheans, even though they’re not yet human. Mystics scour
the Azothic memory to uncover vast amounts of information about
Piercing Sight their obsessions; Pariahs are keen on observing the entirety of the
Like Fire Sight, this Transmutation involves shifting the eyes world around them, subtext and all.
of the Promethean to visualize spectra humans cannot perceive Persistent: The Promethean adds his Azoth to all Perception rolls.
unaided — in this case, the shifting of ultraviolet and X-ray light. Translator’s Memory
All bonuses for cover that her targets receive are reduced by her
Azoth, while impediments to her vision such as fog or rain are Prometheans are able to discern the meaning of pilgrim marks and
completely ignored. certain universal symbols through Azothic memory, yet deeper meaning
Cost: 2 Pyros of language eludes them. Deprived of cultural and learned context, they
Dice Pool: Wits + Composure + Azoth grasp complex ideas and concepts as a child would. This Distillation
Action: Instant allows the Created to probe their Azothic memory, gleaning meaning
Dramatic Failure: The Promethean’s shifting of her eyes renders from written text by calling upon the experiences of her antecedents.
them too sensitive to X-rays and ultraviolet light, searing the orbs Cost: 1 Pyros
from the inside out. She suffers two bashing damage and the Blind Dice Pool: Intelligence + Academics + Azoth
Condition, which resolves when she heals the damage. Action: Extended (5 – 20 successes; one roll represents one turn
Failure: She cannot perceive objects or persons in other rooms, for symbols and one hour for text)
but may still ignore a number of penalities for concealment and Dramatic Failure: The Promethean dangerously misunderstands
cover equal to her Azoth. the meaning of the text or symbols.
Success: Each success on the roll grants the Promethean ten yards Failure: The player accumulates no successes; she can accept a
of sight through solid matter, allowing her to scrutinize objects and Condition for the character or break off the attempt.
make further rolls to find hidden objects. She enjoys a bonus on Success: The Promethean successfully interprets the symbols
such rolls equal to her Azoth. or text she’s read, circumventing language and cultural barriers.
Exceptional Success: Besides negating concealment and cover As an extended action, the number of required successes
penalties, the Promethean enjoys a 2-die bonus to her attacks, as depends upon the complexity of the deciphered text:
she instinctively targets the weak points of her opponents.
Simple (a short phrase) 3
Ephemeral Sight
Involved (a paragraph) 7
At the apex of adjustment, the Alembic allows the Promethean
to push her senses beyond the physical and into the mystical. Similar Elaborate (page or so of material) 10
to the Ephemeral Flesh Bestowment, the Promethean may perceive Daunting (scientific formula) 15
certain beings while they’re in a state of Twilight. Intricate (encrypted code) 20
Cost: 3 Pyros
Dice Pool: Wits + Composure + Azoth Exceptional Success: If the player chooses the exceptional success
Action: Instant effect, the Promethean gains keen insight into the meaning of the
Dramatic Failure: All nearby spirits and ghosts instantly become symbols or text, gleaning any and all hidden subtext to the message.
aware of the Promethean. He suffers the Reaching Condition (p. The character gains the Informed Condition relating to this text.
229), allowing himself to be used as a conduit for spiritual power. The Storyteller might also allow her to purchase the Language Merit
Failure: He gains no benefits. suitable to the text, “downloading it” from the Azoth.

155
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Rarified Senses A side effect of the Promethean condition means that often
they’re exposed to complex emotions without a true understanding
The Promethean charges his brain’s humours with Pyros, of what they’re seeing; the Storyteller may rule that a Promethean
allowing him to process sensory information faster and more new to their Pilgrimage has never experienced a given emotion and
completely. Combined with other Sensorium powers, the can’t subsequently recognize it in another. The Galateid created as
Promethean’s powers of perception become truly extraordinary. the perfect lover for his demiurge has never experienced the white
Cost: 2 Pyros purity of innocence, while the golden yellow of idealism may be
Dice Pool: None (modifies Perception rolls) foreign to a cynical Frankenstein.
Action: Reflexive Cost: 1 Pyros
While active, all of the Promethean’s Perception rolls become Dice Pool: Wits + Empathy + Azoth – Composure
rote actions. The Promethean may benefit from this on any Action: Instant
Perception roll she cares to make, but if she suffers a dramatic failure, Dramatic Failure: The scrutinized target becomes aware that the
she immediately gains the Synesthesia Condition. Promethean is watching her, and moreover that he’s not human.
Circle of Perception Her level of Disquiet immediately worsens by one degree, and she
gets the briefest glimpse of the Promethean’s disfigurements.
By mutating certain body parts with light- and sound-sensitive Failure: He gains no benefits.
patches and supercharging his sensory-processing capabilities, the Success: For each success, the player may ask the Storyteller a
Promethean may perfectly perceive sensory information from every single question to gain information about the target’s emotional or
direction around him. supernatural state. This information is usually revealed both visually
Cost: 3 Pyros and as empathic flashes of insight; any described answers should
Dice Pool: Wits + Composure + Azoth adhere to that format.
Action: Reflexive Exceptional Success: No additional effect beyond asking more
Dramatic Failure: The Created suffers from a sensory overload; questions.
in addition to the Synesthesia Condition, he suffers -2 to all
Perception rolls. • What’s the target’s most prominent emotion? The mottled
Failure: The Transmutation fails. shifting rainbow of confusion while viewing an overly-cerebral
Success: The Promethean’s senses (primarily vision and movie. The bright violet of excitement when lovers first kiss. The
hearing) extend in every direction around him. As long as he vivid orange of fear during a mugging.
can see or hear at all, he can perceive in 360 degrees. It is almost • What is the target’s attention most focused on right now?
impossible to surprise the Created (as this Distillation may He’s not watching the jockeys or even the position of the horses,
be charged reflexively), and he may use his Defense normally he’s watching the beautiful rippling movement of equine flesh. She’s
against surprise or attacks from the rear. His Defense increases more interested in the notebook of equations in her bookbag than
by two. his fumbling attempts at seduction. They should be writing, but
Exceptional Success: The Promethean gains +2 to all sight-based their eyes keep stealing glances at the video game controller.
Perception rolls for the duration of the scene; his Defense gains an
additional +1. • Is the target going to attack? Bright red tones and the sound of
sharpening knives. The loud click of a gun’s safety being taken off.
Stereo Humour The heavy outline of a pair of brass knuckles in a coat pocket.
All things are visible from the right angle. By means of this
• What stage and manner of Disquiet, if any, is the target
Alembic, the Promethean may mystically shift their perceptions
suffering under? The earthy tones and scent of the Tammuz,
from the physical to the spiritual, allowing the Created to scrutinize
slight and mild as of yet. The flickering, sparking flames and ozone
elements of the hidden world and directly touch upon the core of
stench of the Frankensteins, blazing into an all-consuming fury.
emotion that fascinates them so. Mystics prize this Alembic for the
ability to identify other supernatural beings, while Pariahs simply • What emotion is the target trying most to hide? Vermilion
want to observe the complexities of human interactions without joy from a coach on seeing a small child bullied in a schoolyard.
having to play a guessing game. Bright blue lovestruck from a young man towards another in the
Persistent: When attempting to scrutinize emotions or read a same all-boys preparatory school. Light blue calm from the MMA
person (such as ferreting out their Vice), the Promethean gains a fighter screaming at this opponent.
two-die bonus.
• Is the target a supernatural creature? Pale colors and blood
Aura Sight pooling between long white teeth. The shifting stillness and blank,
The Promethean opens her senses to the psychic auras that hungry aura of a dormant Pandoran. Circuit lines sitting between
surround all sentient beings. Comprised of ever-shifting hues and emotions, ruled by an alien will behind a person-puppet. If the
patterns, these auras give a Promethean deep insight into the target’s creature is disguising their state by some supernatural means,
mind and emotions. this usage provokes a Clash of Wills.

156
 Sensorium

Hearing the Inner Voice Exceptional Success: The Promethean’s senses extend to an area
with a radius of five yards around the target; inanimate locations
Shifting her perceptions from sight to hearing, the Promethean are extended to an area of ten yards.
attempts to listen to the mystic wavelengths upon which all thought
resides. Scrutinizing a target, she can hear what can’t be heard: the
thoughts within someone’s mind.
Somatic Humour
Cost: 2 Pyros Besides extending her senses into mystical or theoretical realms
Dice Pool: Wits + Composure + Azoth vs. Composure + Azoth of perception, the Sensorium Transmutation allows a Promethean to
Action: Instant and contested increase her mundane, human senses to inhuman levels. Pariahs utilize
Dramatic Failure: The Promethean opens herself up to the full these to maintain a constant awareness of the world around them, while
magnitude of the world’s speech. The painful cacophony causes her Mystics find the Somatic Humour Alembic makes them excellent trackers.
to suffer the Deafened Condition in both ears. Persistent: The Promethean only needs three successes on
Failure: He hears nothing. Survival rolls to gain an exceptional success.
Success: For one turn, the Promethean can hear the subject’s Charging the Alembic with Pyros allows the Promethean to
most prominent thought. choose one sense (smell, taste, hearing) per point spent. That sense
Exceptional Success: For the next three turns, the Promethean is magnified to animalistic levels beyond human perception.
hears the subject’s most prominent thoughts, but she may also Bloodhound’s Nose: The Promethean can discern scents better
hear the echoes of related thoughts. The player may ask a related, than most dogs, able to track prey by sense of smell alone. She gains
qualifying question regarding the subject’s most prominent thought a two-die bonus to all extended rolls to track someone or recognize a
(i.e., if the target thinks, “I shouldn’t have killed her,” a valid disguised individual by scent. However, attacks such as pepper spray
question is, “Whom did she kill?”). receive a commensurate bonus against the Promethean.
Discriminating Tongue: A tiny taste allows the Promethean to
Clairvoyance detect the presence of known substances or unrecognized dangerous
All things are connected to one another. Prometheans are tied ones (with a successful Intelligence + Survival or Science roll;
to one another, by Azoth or Lineage, but more material perceptual exceptional successes reveals all component parts of the substance).
connections exist. This Distillation allows Prometheans to trace that She may even avoid ingesting poisons by sensing them before they
mystic thread through the world, so long as they have an anchor. can do lasting harm.
Mystics often extend their senses to see view supernatural beings Sensitive Ears: The Promethean increases the range of her
amongst a society of fellows, while Pariahs use it to ensure their hearing into the frequencies above and below that of humanity.
lairs remain undisturbed. Dog whistles, sonar and sub-sonic vibrations all become audible to
Cost: 3 Pyros the character. A successful Wits + Survival roll allows her to focus
Dice Pool: Wits + Investigation + Azoth vs. Composure + Azoth or selectively block out certain sounds with each success; she may
(if applicable) even narrow her hearing down to a conversation in a booth on the
Action: Contested other side of a crowded, noisy theatre. She also does not lose her
The Promethean must have some physical element of the Defense if she suffers the Blinded Tilt.
subject’s substance — nail clippings, hair, blood or other body fluid. Cost: 1 Pyros
For inanimate objects, this can be a specific patch of dirt, seeds, Dice Pool: None
leaf clippings, or another sliver of material. If the Promethean has Action: Reflexive
a Created genitor, she is always assumed to have a physical element Each additional point of Pyros spent beyond the first Distillation
of her creator in the form of the humours within. also grants a one-die bonus towards all rolls involving the Alembic’s
Dramatic Failure: The Promethean’s Pyros burns the material, Distillations, to a maximum of three.
destroying it. The Pyros cascades down the sympathetic connection, Cost: 2 Pyros
making the subject feels as though someone is watching her. If she The Promethean may maintain two of her increased senses at once.
later meets the Promethean, a reflexive Wits + Composure roll Cost: 3 Pyros
reveals him as the distant observer. The Promethean may maintain all three of her increased senses.
Failure: He fails to trace the threads of sympathy. Example: Niccolai, a Galateid, needs to find his friend. If she’s run
Success: For the remainder of the scene, the Promethean can off, that’s one thing, but if she was taken by a Pandoran…he charges the
sense her target (and only the target) with all of his senses, regardless Somatic Humour Alembic with one point of Pyros, and chooses to bolster
of distance. He may watch and listen to the target, but the target his sense of scent with Bloodhound’s Nose. He gains two dice to his
remains unaware unless she mystical means of alerting herself. Wits + Survival rolls to track her perfume. Along the way, he sees a wet,
The Promethean sees an area of about one yard around the target; dark splotch on the ground. Spending an additional point of Pyros, he
if a target is conducting a conversation with someone outside activates Discriminating Tongue. He receives two dice to the Intelligence
this range, the Promethean only hears the target. For inanimate + Survival roll to identify the splotch. Not only is it her blood, she was
objects or locations, she may scry a location of five yards around poisoned when it was spilled. When he resumes his tracking by scent, his
the material’s origin point. Wits + Survival rolls enjoy a three-die bonus.

157
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Spiritus The Mystic selects one particular supernatural opponent as his

target. For a number of turns equal to his Azoth, any penalties he
would suffer from called shots are reduced by two. This may only
Prometheans share the Chronicles of Darkness with a plethora mitigate a penalty, not provide a bonus.
of other supernatural creatures. The Mystics delve deeply into these
powers, as they search out their fellow monsters. Their subjects do Biting Aura
not welcome this curiosity, however. Practitioners of the Refinement A Promethean’s Azothic Radiance extends outward around her.
of Silver found ways to change their Azoth in order to observe the With this power, she may make that aura painful to a specific type
remainder of the hidden world up close. of supernatural creature.
It’s worth mentioning that, unless otherwise noted, the Spiritus Cost: 2 Pyros
Transmutation does not change a Promethean physically. Instead, Dice Pool: Presence + Azoth
Spiritus molds the Mystic’s Azothic Radiance into something else Action: Instant
(what that thing is changes, depending with which supernatural
creature the Promethean is currently associating). Roll Results
Charging a Spiritus Distillation without flaring disfigurements Dramatic Failure: The Promethean directs the pain to herself
imposes the Ephemeral Anchor Condition (p. 309). instead. For a number of turns equal to her Azoth, she takes one
The four Alembics within the Spiritus Transmutation are: point of bashing damage.
Clades (injuring other supernatural creatures by mimicking their Failure: Nothing happens as the Distillation fails to take affect.
banes), Clupeum (protecting against other supernatural powers), Success: The character infuses her Azothic Radiance with a
Laruae (impersonating other supernatural creatures), and Veritas small amount of the creature’s bane. Any supernatural creature
(searching out other supernatural creatures). of the appropriate type within the Promethean’s reach suffers one
In order to use any Distillation in regards to another supernatural point of lethal damage per turn. This effect lasts for the remainder
being, the Mystic must first have some understanding of that of the scene.
creature. At minimum, three turns of combat or three minutes of Exceptional Success: The damage is upgraded to two points of
conversation is sufficient for the purposes of this Transmutation. lethal damage per turn.
Note that the Promethean must be aware that he is dealing with a
supernatural creature. If he believes he is in contact with a human,
Burning Strike
even a particularly skilled or strong person, it is insufficient for Contact with a given bane inflicts terrible harm on a creature.
Spiritus. Twisting her Azoth Radiance, the Mystic becomes like that
substance.
Clades Cost: 3 Pyros
Dice Pool: Presence + Azoth
By learning about the other monsters of the Chronicles of
Action: Reflexive
Darkness, a Mystic also learns how to hurt them. Most supernatural
creatures have an Achilles’ heel of some kind. By aligning his Azothic Roll Results
Radiance with this anathema, the Mystic may defend himself should Dramatic Failure: The Promethean becomes temporarily more
an encounter turn violent. Not all supernatural creatures have vulnerable to attacks. For a number of turns equal to her Azoth, she
built-in weaknesses. For all their power, mages are still human, for takes an additional point of damage from every successful attack
example. In these instances, Clades makes a weakness of some sort. on her. This extra point of damage is aggravated.
The potential for curses or appropriate weaknesses (Paradox flaws Failure: No effect.
for a mage, perhaps) is still there. Success: For a number of turns equal to the successes rolled,
Persistent: The Mystic taints her Azothic Radiance with a touch the Promethean inflicts aggravated damage to a given supernatural
of a creature’s Bane. Vampires perceive a faint heat shimmer or a creature. This applies only to attacks the character makes with her
small glimmer of daylight around the Promethean. Werewolves bare hands. It does not transfer to weapons of any kind.
smell silver. This makes the opponent cautious, unwilling to go in Exceptional Success: No extra effect other than a longer duration.
for the kill. Against creatures of that type, the character gains a +2
bonus to her Defense. The character can change the type of creature Clupeum
with an instant action.
Sometimes a plan simply goes awry. When that happens, a
Strike the Heart survivor finds a way to retreat and live another day. This Alembic
helps a Promethean do just that, interfering with other supernatural
Supernatural creatures have specific defenses to help them creatures’ powers and making it harder for them to affect the character.
stay upright and mobile. With this Distillation, the Promethean Persistent: This power doesn’t make the Promethean invisible, but it
concentrates her efforts on those defenses’ weak points. She finds does make him harder to focus on. Any supernatural ability or power used
that otherwise difficult attacks become just that much easier. to detect others suffers a -2 penalty when used against the Promethean.
Cost: 1 Pyros If such an ability does not normally require a roll, the creature must
Dice Pool: None succeed on a Clash of Wills roll (with the penalty) to detect the Mystic.
Action: Instant

158
 Spiritus

Personal Shield Success: Interposing Shield affects a number of individuals equal

to the number of successes on the activation roll. To be affected by
Sometimes a Mystic can’t avoid being on the receiving end of this Distillation, a character must be within (Azoth) in yards of the
a supernatural power. If he can’t avoid it, it’s possible that he can Mystic. Each protected target gains a bonus to contested rolls equal
mitigate it. He bolsters his Azothic Radiance, letting it take the to the Mystic’s Azoth, and a bonus to any resistance Attribute equal
brunt of the attack. to the Mystic’s Azoth divided by 2 (round up).
Cost: 1 Pyros Exceptional Success: Each target’s bonus is increased by one.
Dice Pool: None So, a contested roll bonus is equal to the Promethean’s Azoth +
Action: Reflexive 1, and the resistance bonus is increased by 1 once it is calculated.
This Distillation doubles the Promethean’s Azoth for the
purposes of resisting other supernatural powers that target him. Mystic Fortress
Interposing Shield The Promethean expands her Azothic Radiance outward,
warding an entire area against supernatural powers.
With a bit of effort, a Mystic can protect others rather than only Cost: 3 Pyros
herself. This is easier to do for throngmates, but anyone can find Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult + Azoth
shelter behind a Promethean using this ability. Action: Instant
Cost: 2 Pyros
Dice Pool: Stamina + Survival + Azoth Roll Results
Action: Reflexive Dramatic Failure: The Mystic taints the area instead of
protecting it, generating a Category 1 Wasteland, or worsening an
Roll Results
existing Wasteland by one Category.
Dramatic Failure: The Mystic may not apply her Azoth to the Failure: No effect on the local area.
next resisted or contested roll turned against her. Success: The Promethean wards an area of 30 square feet. Within
Failure: No effect. that area, hostile supernatural powers are penalized by the activation

159
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

successes. In addition, the Mystic and any allies gain a similar bonus Roll Results
to detect illusions or invisible creatures within the area. If the Dramatic Failure: The Mystic loses control of the power and
character does nothing on subsequent turns but channel Pyros, she dives through the darkest recesses of the target’s mind. The player
may expand the warded area by 10 square feet per point of Pyros. must choose one of the following Conditions: Fugue, Madness,
This power ordinarily lasts for a scene, but the player may spend or Obsession.
a Willpower point to extend that duration to an entire day. Failure: The power fails.
Exceptional Success: The Mystic may opt to make the Success: The Mystic accesses the subject’s memories. She might
Distillation last for a day without expending Willpower. see a vampire feeding from her herd, a changeling making a pledge,

Veritas or a Promethean hard at work alongside humans before Disquiet sets

in. The character gains insight in different ways to deal with humans;
All supernatural creatures, regardless of species, conceal their she might gain Willpower through her Elpis (or her Torment,
activities from humanity, and from each other. With determined effort, depending on what she sees). At the Storyteller’s discretion, the
a Practitioner of Argentum can pierce those veils and see the truth. player gains one of the following benefits: a Vitriol Beat, a +2
Persistent: Before a Mystic can focus on a particular supernatural modifier to an upcoming task, a specific clue or piece of information
creature, first he must discover if any are nearby. Any supernatural surrounding the subject of the vision. If the Promethean sees a
power that garners a number of successes equal to or greater than particularly brutal vision, she might need to roll to resist Torment.
the Promethean’s Azoth used within (Azoth x 5) yards of the Exceptional Success: The Promethean gains more information
character alerts the Promethean. This doesn’t give the Promethean on the scene, learning names and relationship with the target
any particular insight into what the power is or precisely where the instinctively. It may be possible for the character to seek these people
usage occurred, it just gives the character a way to start looking. out in order to aid or hinder them (and perhaps satisfy a milestone).

Finding the Wellspring Disrupting the Vital Humours

This Distillation allows the Mystic to zero in on a particular Almost all supernatural creatures have some sort of energy
creature. source they call upon to power their abilities. To a Promethean with
Cost: 1 Pyros this Distillation, those energies equate to humours, which can be
Dice Pool: Wits + Occult + Azoth vs. Composure + Supernatural manipulated in very basic ways. In order to protect herself against
Tolerance other supernatural creatures, the Mystic interferes with their energy
Action: Instant and contested sources, disrupting them long enough to make an escape.
Cost: 3 Pyros
Roll Results
Dice Pool: Presence + Occult + Azoth vs. Resolve +
Dramatic Failure: The Promethean incorrectly identifies Supernatural Tolerance
something else in the area as originating from a supernatural source. Action: Contested
Failure: The Distillation doesn’t pinpoint the source of the
supernatural activity. Roll Results
Success: If the Mystic wins the contested roll, he determines the Dramatic Failure: The Promethean’s own humours are
origin of one supernatural power in the area. If he has encountered disrupted. She falls into Torment, suffering the Tormented
the target’s supernatural type before, he immediately recognizes it. Condition (p.312).
Unless the creature has a power active that detects supernatural Failure: The Distillation fails to take affect.
observation, he is unaware of this scrutiny. Success: The Mystic succeeds at disrupting the target’s
Exceptional Success: The Promethean identifies the type of humour. A number of targets equal to the successes rolled
supernatural being even if he hasn’t encountered it before. Azothic may not spend their specific energy source for any purpose. A
Memory fills in his lack of experience with that basic knowledge. vampire couldn’t spend Vitae to heal, boost Physical Attributes,
or power Disciplines. A werewolf couldn’t spend Essence to
Walking the Path of Memory increase his healing capabilities or power Facets. Any ability or
Supernatural creatures, whether or not they were ever human power the creature has that doesn’t require the expenditure of a
live in the human world and must, of necessity, have contact supernatural energy source (such as a demon’s Embeds) functions
with humanity. Many of them are much more skilled at dealing normally. This Distillation only interferes with the conduits of
with humans than Prometheans are. With this Distillation, the the energy sources; it does not make the target mortal again. This
Promethean can draw out memories of this contact, hopefully effect lasts for a number of turns equal to the Mystic’s Azoth.
learning something to further her Pilgrimage. Exceptional Success: No additional effect other than
Cost: 2 Pyros increased targets.
Dice Pool: Wits + Manipulation + Azoth vs. Resolve +
Supernatural Trait Laruae
Action: Instant and contested To get in close, a Mystic must be able to hide his outsider
The character must touch the target to use this power. If the nature. The Azothic Radiance shifts, hiding the Promethean’s
subject is unwilling, this requires a touch attack (p. 207).

160
 Vitality

true self. He is able to keep himself hidden within a crowd and salons of the undead, the Mystic fits in. The character adds his
eventually fool other supernatural creatures into thinking he’s Azoth to any rolls toward fitting in or passing himself off as a fellow
one of them. supernatural creature of the appropriate type. Further, his Azoth
The Promethean must declare which supernatural type he is acts as a penalty to any attempts to discern his true nature.
hiding himself from or mimicking, keeping in mind the contact Exceptional Success: Any supernatural effort to discover the
requirement for the Transmutation. These abilities only fool Promethean’s true nature requires the expenditure of a Willpower
members of the targeted type; all others see and react to the point before the attempt is made. This does not add the usual
Promethean normally. bonus to the roll.
Persistent: Nothing except achieving the New Dawn can make
a Promethean mortal. This power can dim her Azothic Radiance Pyros Decoy
however, helping her avoid supernatural notice. Attempts to When a Promethean’s ruse is discovered, as it inevitably is if he
identify her as a supernatural creature suffer a –2 penalty. If the lets it go on too long, he needs a quick getaway. This Distillation
identification roll fails, the Mystic registers as a normal human. provides it, infusing a small object with Pyros to detonate when
Depending on the situation, this could still be problematic, as needed.
most supernatural societies do not like people getting involved Cost: 3 Pyros
with their business. Still, most supernatural beings underestimate Dice Pool: Intelligence + Crafts
humans, which may give the Mystic time to retreat. Action: Instant
Plumb Azothic Memory Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The decoy shatters when infused, forcing the
Azothic memory usually focuses exclusively on the Pilgrimage.
Promethean to remake or reacquire an appropriate item.
Some Mystics find ways to access other, more specific memories to
Failure: Pyros fails to enter the vessel.
learn about the other supernatural creatures that share the world
Success: The Mystic creates a small (no larger than Size 2) object
with them.
designed to hold Pyros. When thrown, the decoy explodes in a
Cost: 1 Pyros
wave of energy. This wave is not physical, is invisible, and does no
Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult + Azoth
damage. Instead, supernatural creatures with the appropriate senses
Action: Instant
can detect it (through a mage’s senses, a vampire using Auspex, and
Roll Results so on). Any investigators are so focused on the decoy that they suffer
Dramatic Failure: A flood of irrelevant information overwhelms a penalty equal to the successes rolled to notice the Promethean.
the character. She takes the Confused Condition (p. 307). Exceptional Success: No benefit other than additional successes.
Failure: The character gains no useful information.
Success: The Promethean delves deeply into the Azothic Memory.
In regards to a specific supernatural creature or a narrow situation
Vitality
involving the supernatural, the Mystic gains the Informed Condition. The Titans continually test themselves. Not just in feats of
Exceptional Success: In addition to the Informed Condition, physical strength, but in terms of their fortitude and resolve as
the character gains some insight into how to present herself as a well. The Vitality Transmutation helps the Titan impose his will
different supernatural being. Add two dice to the next Social roll on the world, whether to rebuke deterrents or to unleash his rage.
against a supernatural being of the type being researched. Further, through use of Vitality, the Titan proves that he overcomes
One of the Tribe any obstacle, any deterrent, and achieves his goals no matter what
they may be.
Humans are wired to accept only so many other individuals Charging a Vitality Distillation without flaring disfigurements
as people. This is measured by a person’s Dunbar number — the imposes the Hyperextended Condition (p. 310).
suggested cognitive limit humans can maintain social relationships The four Alembics in the Vitality Transmutation are Unbowed
with one another. This power plays on that notion on a supernatural (shrugging off attempts of control), Unbroken (resilience),
level, imparting a sense of belonging. Authority figures and Unconquered (feats of strength), and Unfettered (breaking free of
inquisitive onlookers alike find it hard to see the Promethean as restraints).
anything other than one of them.
Cost: 2 Pyros Unbowed
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Socialize + Azoth
Action: Instant For a Titan, physical perfection is the end goal. They do not
accomplish this goal without discipline or without the drive to
Roll Results succeed regardless of the obstacles set before them. With this
Dramatic Failure: The Promethean appears to not belong in Alembic, the Created who follow the Refinement of Iron bow to
the group, pinging the creatures’ radar immediately. no other master.
Failure: The Distillation fails. Persistent: A Titan who deviates from her chosen goal or worse,
Success: For the rest of the scene, the Promethean belongs. allows an outsider to sway her from the path, is a poor practitioner
Whether part of a bloody werewolf ritual or gliding among the of Ferrum indeed. With this Distillation, the Created see their

161
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

purposes more clearly. The Titan adds her Azoth to her Resolve
total. This affects derived traits, but Willpower is limited to ten dots.
Unbroken
Each day on the Refinement of Iron is a test — a test the
Resolution of Steel Promethean aims to pass. These tests are harsh, pushing even the
The Titan is undeterred in pushing toward his goals. Outside Created’s resilience to its limits. By proper channeling of the Divine
influence does little to stop him, if he even notices. A practitioner Fire, the Titan becomes even tougher than she once was.
of Ferrum is single-minded in achieving everything he sets out to Persistent: A Titan quickly learns that if she wants to progress
do. By channeling his humours, the Promethean creates within his on her Pilgrimage, she must continually test her body, pushing it
mind a resolution to see things through regardless of impediment. to its limits and beyond. Survivability is the name of the game, and
Cost: 1 Pyros the average Titan is more than capable of withstanding punishment
Dice Pool: None that would fell even other less worthy Prometheans. Add the Titan’s
Action: Instant Azoth directly to his Stamina. This affects Health as well.
For a number of turns equal to his Azoth, the Promethean
gains the Steadfast Condition. If the Condition is not resolved by
Armor of Will
the end of that time period the character may spend another Pyros A Titan’s physique is a testament to her dedication. Tied
to reset the time limit. Otherwise, the Condition fades without together with her will to succeed, she is unstoppable. Efforts to
offering any benefit. put her down meet with a heightened resistance and glance off.
Cost: 1 Pyros
Crucible of Will Dice Pool: None
The act of failing is familiar to followers of Ferrum. By pushing Action: Reflexive
himself to the utmost, the Titan finds his limits, and thus fails. The The character activates this Distillation in response to an assault
Divine Fire provides the jumpstart needed to push the Promethean upon her person. When using this ability, spending Willpower is
over the edge, setting his limit ever higher. more effective. When spending Willpower on a Stamina-related
Cost: 2 Pyros resistance roll, or to bolster Defense, double the usual bonus.
Dice Pool: None
Action: Reflexive
Drive On
By channeling Pyros into an internal crucible, the Promethean Debilitating injuries are an unfortunate side effect of a Titan’s
replenishes his inner drive. Each use of this Distillation regains life. With this Distillation, he can shrug those off for a time,
one spent Willpower point. In addition, for the rest of the scene, although when that time expires, the consequences are more severe.
whenever the player fails a roll the character regains one point of Cost: 2 Pyros
Willpower, up to the character’s normal maximum. Dice Pool: Stamina + Athletics + Azoth
Action: Reflexive
Roar of the Defiant
Roll Results
The supernatural beings of the Chronicles of Darkness have Dramatic Failure: The character gains no benefit from the
a number of ways to control another’s mind, ranging from base Distillation and suffers the full effects of the Tilt or Condition.
hypnotism to more insidious magics. A Titan’s mind is her own, Failure: No effect.
and only she chooses the path by which she hones it. With this Success: For the remainder of the scene, the character may
Distillation, she shrugs off attempts to influence her against her will. ignore one physical Condition or Tilt per success on the activation
Cost: 3 Pyros roll. Examples include the Arm Wrack and Leg Wrack Tilts, or the
Dice Pool: Resolve + Composure + Azoth Blind Condition. In the case of sensory Conditions or Tilts (such
Action: Reflexive as Blinded), the Titan does not regain the use of the affected organ,
Roll Results but instead uses what is available to her and focuses that much
Dramatic Failure: Something snaps temporarily in the Created’s harder, acting as though she were physically whole.
mind. For a number of turns equal to her Azoth, she suffers from Exceptional Success: No further effect other than the higher
the Broken Condition. number of Conditions or Tilts affected.
Failure: Nothing happens as the Distillation fails to take effect.
Success: When the Promethean is the target of a mind-
Rebuke the Shroud
controlling ability or supernatural power, roll this Distillation Practitioners of Iron put themselves into situations that push
instead of the normal resistance (if any). Success indicates that the their bodies to their absolute limits. Sometimes, their bodies break
mind-control power fails. The Promethean simply shrugs off the irreparably. Still, the Titan will not be bowed or broken, even in the
effect with a small amount of effort. face of incipient death. Instead, she pushes through the pain and
Exceptional Success: The Titan throws off her would-be controller’s the damage for a short time in a last-ditch effort to achieve her goals.
shackles forcefully. The mind-controller suffers bashing damage equal This Distillation can only be activated when the character’s
to the Promethean’s Azoth as her power “snaps” back at her. rightmost Health box is filled with aggravated damage.
Cost: 3 Pyros

162
 Vitality

Dice Pool: None • Gain the 9-again quality on the throw.

Action: Reflexive Exceptional Success: No additional effect, other than selecting
The character does not die until the end of the scene, no matter more benefits.
how much punishment her body suffers. She will finish the fight,
reach her goal, or otherwise finish what was started. When the scene Wrath of the Gods
ends, she dies unless she finds a source of electricity with a strong,
At the height of her power, a Titan is almost indistinguishable
constant current (such as a subway rail or an exposed power line).
from her mythological namesake. Her strength makes even the
In this case, she slowly regenerates her Health.
earth itself tremble in shockwaves, knocking down onlookers and
Unconquered shattering buildings.
Cost: 3 Pyros
The Titans of old were noted for their immense strength. A Dice Pool: Strength + Athletics + Azoth
practitioner of Iron also possesses such puissance, breaking her Action: Instant
enemies before her. A rampaging Titan is a terrifying thing, breaking Roll Results
items and people in her wake. Running from the Promethean is no
Dramatic Failure: Not only does the power fail to take effect,
safe haven, as she simply throws unlikely items at the fleeing enemy.
but the character injures herself in the process. She takes lethal
Persistent: In Greek myth, the titan Atlas was punished by
damage equal to her modified Strength.
holding up the sky for all eternity. While the Promethean isn’t
Failure: The Distillation fails to take effect.
capable of such a feat, his strength is increased significantly. The
Success: The Titan’s rage is directed at the ground beneath her
Titan adds his Azoth to his Strength score. This also affects Speed.
feet. Everyone and everything within (Azoth x 100) yards suffers from
Cyclopean Might the Earthquake Tilt (p. 315). The catastrophe lasts for a number of
turns equal to the successes on the activation roll.
A Titan’s fists hurt people and objects equally, pulverizing flesh
Exceptional Success: The earthquake persists longer than usual.
and cracking stone. His assault is unforgiving and unapologetic.
Add the character’s Azoth to the activation successes to determine
Anyone or anything that stands in the Promethean’s way is
the duration.
simply broken.
Cost: 1 Pyros
Dice Pool: None
Unfettered
Action: Reflexive No chains may hold a Titan for long. Restraining a practitioner
For the remainder of the scene, the character inflicts lethal of Iron is an affront that he will not allow to pass. Woe betide the
damage with any unarmed strikes. Further, he gains the effects of aggressor who thinks that he can hold down a Titan or otherwise
the Demolisher Merit at one dot, or, if he already has that Merit, keep him from his goals. Grasping hands and chains alike are broken
improves it by 1 to a maximum of three dots. or brushed aside as the Promethean exerts his will.
Persistent: Often the best way to diffuse a fight in progress is to
Titan’s Throw grapple and hold one or more of the assailants. A rampaging Titan
Fleeing a Titan’s rage is fruitless. The Promethean can and will is not so easily held, however. Add the character’s Azoth to his
find the nearest object and fling it at the retreating enemy. The Strength for the purposes of breaking free of grapples or restraints.
object’s size, weight, or aerodynamic qualities are of no consequence.
Cost: 2 Pyros
Close Combat Defense
Dice Pool: Strength + Athletics + Azoth Even the most powerful Titan can sometimes be restrained, at
Action: Reflexive least temporarily. Confinement creates vulnerability, particularly to
outside attack. The Promethean’s strength and skill are such that
Roll Results
he can still move just enough to have some defense against assault,
Dramatic Failure: The character fails to pick up the desired until he can break free.
object. She takes bashing damage equal to the difference between Cost: 1 Pyros
the object’s Size and hers, or 2, whichever is greater. Dice Pool: Strength + Athletics + Azoth
Failure: The Promethean fails to pick up and throw the object. Action: Reflexive
Success: For each success, the character may select one of the
following options. Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The Titan wriggles into a poor position. The
• Increase her Strength multiplicatively. This benefit may be se-
opponent may apply one grapple move as a reflexive action.
lected multiple times. First, it doubles the character’s Strength
Failure: The character fails to free up enough space to move.
for the purposes of lifting and throwing. Second, her Strength
Success: By sheer strength and determination, the Titan can
is tripled, and finally, her Strength is quadrupled.
wriggle free from an immobilizing grapple. She can automatically
• Reduce penalties from an object’s shape or bulk by 1. This escape a grapple (p. 206).
may be selected multiple times. Exceptional Success: The Titan can apply move to her opponent
instead of escaping.

163
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Shattered Chains Promethean eventually learns how to sense and manipulate Flux
— the fuel that powers Pandorans. Savants study and master this
Equipment designed expressly to hold a prisoner is more reliable useful Transmutation to assist in their studies of the Divine Fire. In
way to restrain someone. Through the ages, manacles, handcuffs, addition to observing the changes in their own clay, they study the
zip ties, rope, and chain have all been used to confine a beaten fire hardening that clay into something more permanent.
opponent in order to make them compliant. For the Titans, such Charging a Vulcanus Transmutation without revealing
restraints are nothing more than annoyances. disfigurements imposes the Burnout Condition (p.307).
Cost: 2 Pyros The four Alembics in the Vulcanus Transmutation are as
Dice Pool: Strength + Crafts + Azoth follows: Cauterio (branding and manipulating the Divine Fire’s
Action: Reflexive transformative abilities), Ignus Aspiratus (the manipulation and use
Roll Results of fire), Mutatus Aspiratus (the sensing and manipulation of Flux),
Dramatic Failure: The Titan is unable to break free, and takes and Sanctus Aspiratus (the manipulation and exchange of Pyros).
bashing damage equal to the Durability of the restraint.
Failure: The object refuses to break. Cauterio
Success: Use of this Distillation aids in breaking free from The Divine Fire can be used for many things — a catalyst, an
restraints (see the Immobilized Tilt, p. 316). Each success reduces agent of change, an animating force, and more. By spreading Pyros
the penalty from Durability to the Strength + Athletics roll. Further, into the world around herself, a Savant extends the possibility of
the penalties for the Titan’s legs and arms being restrained, or being change into her environment.
hog-tied, are reduced to – 1 and – 2, respectively. Persistent: The Promethean creates a firebrand that is used to
Exceptional Success: In addition to the benefits from a normal set up the remainder of the Alembic. A touch is enough to scorch
success, the character may break free easily and painlessly, taking a brand (either physically or mystically) onto a target. Whether to
no damage whatsoever. mark a person or object or to inscribe a pilgrim mark, the Created
No Walls May Hold Me uses this as the next step in learning the Divine Fire’s transformative
process. The Savant may etch a symbol physically onto a target or
A caged Titan is a dangerous Titan. The Promethean is resolute in brand a mystical sign invisible to all except a rare few. In all cases,
her will to escape. This Distillation may be used any time the character the Promethean must be able to touch the person or object he
is held within a building or container against her will. Prison cells, wishes to brand. Once marked, the Promethean continually knows
coffins, shipping containers, and the like are all valid circumstances. in what direction the target lies, if it is out of sight. If the subject is
Cost: 3 Pyros within sight, the character can easily identify the source. The mark
Dice Pool: Strength + Crafts + Azoth can only be seen by the creator or someone using a supernatural
Action: Instant power to reveal concealment.
Roll Results
Alter Firetouched
Dramatic Failure: The character pounds on the walls to her
prison, inflicting more damage on herself than the object. She takes The Divine Fire carries change within it. With this power,
bashing damage equal to her Strength plus the item’s Durability. the Promethean releases that potential into the world through a
Failure: The Titan fails to escape her prison. branded item.
Success: The Promethean’s fists and feet are strengthened to aid Cost: 1 Pyros
escape, and she gains the Demolisher Merit at 3 dots. If she already Dice Pool: None
has the Merit at that level, the Titan gains a +2 to dice pools to break Action: Instant
free. In addition, she takes no damage from punching and striking Once an object or person is branded, the Promethean can
the object’s surface, no matter what substance it is made from. change one relatively small facet. This includes changing an
Exceptional Success: The Titan suffers no ill effects from the object’s color (skin/hair/eyes for a person), texture, or temperature
results of breaking through walls, earth, and so on while escaping. (only slightly but noticeably warmer or cooler to the touch). Each
So long as the amount of falling material does not exceed her Size, change requires a new use of this power. All alternations last for
the character suffers no damage. So, a Promethean buried alive the remainder of the scene, at which point the target reverts to its
could, assuming Size 5, break free and claw her way to the surface original form.
through roughly six feet of earth without worrying about suffocation Animate Firetouched
or the crushing pressure of so much dirt.
After branding an object, a Savant may call upon the Divine

Vulcanus Fire’s animating force to give an object life of sorts. The target
lurches to movement in fits and starts before moving as smoothly
as its form allows.
The Divine Fire burns in the heart of every Promethean.
Cost: 2 Pyros
With time, the Created can learn to manipulate not only her own
Dice Pool: None; the object’s actions may require rolls, however.
Fire, but other fires and related phenomena. In addition, a savvy

164
 Vulcanus

Action: Instant Dice Pool: None

The object comes to life, slowly at first but quickly warming up. Action: Instant
The Promethean must touch the target to animate it; the item’s Size The Promethean animates the object, as in Animate Firetouched.
cannot exceed the character’s Azoth. Once animated, the Savant In this case, the item has enough intelligence to respond to simple
controls the object for the remainder of the scene so long as it commands. These orders can be no longer than a word. “Attack,”
remains within sight. On the Promethean’s count in the Initiative “defend,” and “hold” are all acceptable commands, but “retrieve
roster, he may select to act or control the object and have it act, but this Athanor” is not.
not both. If the character acts, the branded object sits inert until Further, the animate reacts to appropriate stimuli. It moves away
it receives new orders. from injury, attacks someone threatening a charge, and so on. This
The object may perform actions that require their own rolls as power last for a scene or until the animated object is destroyed.
appropriate for the particular activity. Attacking with the object is
Strength + Weaponry, unless the animated object is a gun, at which Ignus Aspiratus
point the action requires Dexterity + Firearms. Like a moth to a bright light, the Divine Fire calls to other lesser
This power lasts until the end of the scene (although it may be forms of flame. With the proper expertise in this Alembic, a Savant
reactivated at that time) or until the object is broken, whichever might seek out or manipulate fire as she likes.
comes first. The animating force of Pyros makes the object slightly Persistent: Given a small amount of kindling — paper or wood
more durable, adding two points to the item’s Durability. chips — the Promethean can nurse a small fire to life. He cannot
Evolve Firetouched generate fire from nothing, but this Distillation is highly useful for
other abilities in this Alembic.
With the capstone of Cauterio, the Promethean gives an
animated object some degree of autonomy. While it doesn’t bestow Direct Fire
true life, Evolve Firetouched allows the item to possess a limited With this ability, a Promethean’s Pyros calls out to an existing
intelligence, roughly the same as a dog. The animated object can flame, directing it as the Savant desires.
then act independently of the Promethean. Cost: 1 Pyros
Cost: 3 Pyros Dice Pool: None

165
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Action: Instant Dice Pool: Wits + Azoth

When in the presence of an extant fire, the Promethean may Action: Instant
control the flames. Controlling fire requires the character’s action With at least one success, the Promethean discerns any instances
each turn; the blaze must be within (Azoth x 10) yards. During each of Flux within (Azoth x 10) yards. This includes active Pandorans,
action, she may adjust the flame’s intensity or Size by one step, or but not dormant ones.
she may attack with it. Each attack uses a Dexterity + Occult roll
and is penalized by the target’s Defense as normal. Regardless of Contain Flux
the fire’s Size, treat it as a 1L weapon. Instead of merely sensing Flux, the Promethean can protect
himself from its servants. He uses his Azothic Radiance as a buffer,
Fire Grasp becoming resistant to Pandoran attacks.
Going further than simply directing fire, the Savant pulls flame Cost: 1 Pyros
from an existing source to use as a weapon. Dice Pool: Presence + Athletics + Azoth
Cost: 2 Pyros Action: Instant
Dice Pool: None Roll Results
Action: Instant
Dramatic Failure: The character becomes more susceptible to
After spending the requisite Pyros, the character’s hand is
Pandoran attacks, lowering his Defense by 2 against them.
wreathed in fire. Simply touching a target spreads the flames. The
Failure: The Distillation fails to protect the character.
player must roll Dexterity + Brawl as normal against living targets
Success: For the remainder of the scene, the character has armor
attempting to avoid contact in order to touch the victim. Success
equal to successes rolled against Pandorans or other sources of Flux,
means that the flame manages to spread along the target, inflicting
including the Flux Transmutation.
two points of lethal damage.
Exceptional Success: No benefit other than additional armor.
Against flammable objects, the Storyteller decides if the object
catches fire. The flame does not injure the Promethean while it Drawing Flux
wreathes his hand. The character is not protected from any blazes
set as a result of this power. Pandorans attacking a Promethean with this power find it
harder to draw on their stolen reserves of Pyros. Like a wick, the
Divine Guidance Promethean’s Azothic Radiance pulls at the Pandoran’s Pyros,
expelling any extra into the air.
With such an in-depth study of the Divine Fire, a Savant learns how
Cost: 2 Pyros
to allow it to guide his actions. It flows through his limbs, providing
Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation + Azoth vs. Composure
just enough extra strength, reaction time, or dexterity. It helps fire his
+ Rank
synapses, allowing him to solve puzzles faster or act more wittily.
Action: Instant and contested
Cost: 3 Pyros
Dice Pool: Stamina + Occult + Azoth Roll Results
Action: Instant Dramatic Failure: The Promethean loses an additional 2 Pyros
Roll Results as it leaks out of him.
Failure: The target Pandoran is not affected.
Dramatic Failure: Fire consumes as well as transmutes. For the
Success: One Pandoran within 20 yards finds it more difficult
remainder of the scene, all Pyros expenditures require one Pyros
to draw upon Pyros, spending two points for every one it uses. For
more than normal.
example, if a Pandoran uses a power that requires one Pyros, it must
Failure: The power fails to take effect.
spend two points instead. In addition, Flux Alembics cost double
Success: The character channels the fire’s energy and takes it
the usual amount of Pyros.
into her internal forge. She may automatically succeed (with the
equivalent of one success) in a number of actions equal to the Expel Pyros
successes rolled on the power’s activation.
Exceptional Success: The character gains two successes per By flaring her Azothic Radiance and the Pyros it carries, the
action instead of one. Savant creates a temporary dead zone. Pandorans caught in this
This power lasts for the duration of the scene or until the area fall into Dormancy, at least for a few moments — which may
accumulated successes are used, whichever comes first. be enough time for the Serpent to make her escape (or restrain
them for study).
Mutatus Aspiratus Cost: 3 Pyros
Dice Pool: None
In order to understand a thing, one must examine all aspects Action: Instant
of that thing. The Savants know this and thus examine the Divine The Savant’s Pyros explodes outward in a momentary flash of
Fire in both its positive and negative aspects. Some Prometheans light. Pandorans within (Azoth x 10) feet of the Promethean must
go too far, though, and become the Hundred-Handed. immediately make a reflexive Stamina roll. If this roll fails, the
Persistent: To better examine Flux, fthe Promethean must learn Pandoran suffers Dormancy for a number of turns equal to the
how to sense it. Promethean’s Azoth.

166
 Promethean Traits

Sanctus Aspiratus Failure: The character does not steal Pyros.

Success: The Promethean may steal one point of Pyros per
While other Alembics concern themselves with what Pyros can success on the activation roll. If the target has a Pyros pool, the
do or what it represents, Sanctus Aspiratus deals with the Divine Savant steals Pyros directly. If not, the Promethean inflicts one
Fire itself. Savants who delve into this Alembic seek to understand point of lethal damage per success and absorbs one point of Pyros
Pyros at the source — or as close to it as they can get. for every two points of lethal damage inflict (so if the player rolls four
Persistent: The Promethean can seek out other sources of Pyros successes, the character gains two Pyros and the target suffers four
in her vicinity. Like calls to like, and her inner fire reaches out to lethal damage). This Distillation has no effect on undead targets.
kindred origins. The Promethean may continue to steal Pyros from turn to turn
Dice Pool: Wits + Occult so long as the Promethean maintains physical contact and keeps
Action: Instant succeeding on his activation rolls. This may require a grapple or a
The Savant senses the closest source of Pyros other than herself touch attack, depending on circumstances.
within (Azoth x 10) yards. This power does not provide any other Exceptional Success: No effect except for the increased damage.
information on that source or whether there are any dangers near
its location. Drain Pyros
No longer restricted by touch, the Promethean may pull Pyros
Refine Pyros from a target and redistribute it as she pleases. The Savant might
Once the Divine Fire is studied, both in and of itself as well transfer it all to herself, or she may spread it to a number of other
as its qualities, it can be used more efficiently for a time. Once a individuals so long as they are all part of her branded throng.
Savant has spent an amount of Pyros to “prime the pump,” so to Cost: 3 Pyros
speak, Pyros is temporarily more amenable to his will. Dice Pool: Dexterity + Occult + Azoth – Stamina
Cost: 1 Pyros Action: Instant and contested
Dice Pool: None Roll Results
Action: Instant
For a number of turns equal to his Azoth, each point of Pyros Dramatic Failure: The character loses control of her own
the Savant spends counts as two. Pyros, expelling all of her stored points. This generates a Category
1 Wasteland or makes an existing Wasteland one Category worse.
Steal Pyros Failure: The power fails to activate.
Success: For each success, the Promethean draws one point of
Every living thing carries a spark of the Divine Fire, and a
Pyros from her target. If members of her throng are present, she
Promethean using this Distillation can steal it.
may distribute the points as she desires among them. Otherwise
Cost: 2 Pyros
the stolen Pyros goes directly to the Promethean. Any excess points
Dice Pool: Strength + Occult + Azoth – Resolve
over a subject’s stored maximum are simply lost, regardless of target.
Action: Reflexive and contested
If the target doesn’t have a Pyros pool, the Promethean can
Roll Results convert Health at the same rate described under Steal Pyros.
Dramatic Failure: The Promethean loses a point of Pyros, which Exceptional Success: No additional effect beyond more damage
is given to the target instead. inflicted or Pyros drained.

PROMETHEAN TRAITS
While Prometheans emulate humanity, they are not quite Change comes as result of complex alchemical processes. Each
human and play by different rules. The following rules add to and, of the procedures and rituals for awakening the Created brings
where applicable, supersede any of the general rules in Chapter Four. massive amounts of Pyros together and crystalizes it into Azoth.
Each procedure has the same end result, but gets there through
Azoth divergent and incompatible fashions.
Every Promethean begins play with a single dot of Azoth. At
Within every Promethean lies Azoth, a condensed, palpable character creation, five Merit dots may be spent for an additional
form of Pyros — the Divine Fire. Pyros by itself cannot animate the dot, or ten may be spent for a total of three dots.

Effects of Azoth
unliving; it must be filtered, refined, and idealized. Azoth animates
the inanimate. It makes hearts beat, lungs expand, and tempers flare.
Azoth isn’t life, but it’s a passable facsimile. Azoth is imperfect and Azoth is rated from 1 to 10 dots. It causes the following effects.
corrupt, like life through weathered glass. The urge and drive to Their specific numerical effects are reflected on the Azoth chart.
become human, to achieve perfection and true life, is Elpis.

167
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

• Maximum Pyros/Pyros Per Turn: Azoth determines how using Vitriol, but that also means that character isn’t putting Vitriol
much Pyros your character can store in her body at a given toward the Pilgrimage.
time and how many points she may spend in a turn. If an In story terms, Azoth improves as the Promethean expends vast
effect would require her to spend more Pyros than she can amounts of Pyros. Consider Azoth a muscle; it strengthens as it’s
spend in a turn, the effect takes multiple turns to activate. used and fed. Of course, Azoth is a double-edged sword. While it
improves a Promethean’s abilities, it also draws in Pandorans and
• Trait Maximums: At higher levels of Azoth, your character guarantees she’ll never go unnoticed for long.
may increase her Attributes and Skills beyond five dots. A
greater level of Azoth permits her capabilities beyond mun-
dane limitations. Pyros
• Radiance: Azoth concentrates Pyros in such a dense fashion Pyros is the Divine Fire, the sharp breath that separates a corpse
that it radiates outward. Azoth calls to Azoth; for this reason, from a living thing. Pyros transforms, changing whatever it touches.
Prometheans can identify one another with any of their sens- It is powerful and potentially destructive, but Promethean can
es. With a Wits + Azoth roll, a Promethean can identify the expend and direct it, using it to become human.

Spending Pyros
presence of other Azoth within a certain range (dictated by
the chart). This radiance also draws malice from Pandorans.
Note that if two Prometheans try to identify each other by A Promethean may spend a number of Pyros in a turn dictated
Azothic radiance, the range is based on the witnessed, not by her Azoth (see p. 169). If a Distillation or effect requires more
the witness. If a Promethean with Azoth 1 and Azoth 6 come Pyros than she can spend in a turn, it takes multiple turns to use.
in the same city block, the Azoth 1 Promethean might notice Pyros can be expended reflexively for the following effects.
the Azoth 6 Promethean, but the Azoth 6 Promethean would
• Transhuman Potential: By spending a point of Pyros, the player
not notice the Azoth 1 Promethean.
can increase an Attribute by a single dot for an action. If used
• Dampening the Fire: A Promethean can intentionally to booth the Attribute for purposes of an extended action, it
repress her Azothic radiance. This could be used to lasts until the character completes or abandons the task.
stay out of Pandoran attention or away from the eyes of
• Shock Absorption: By spending a point of Pyros when taking
other Prometheans. Choose a lower level of Azoth; the
damage, the player may ignore one point of lethal damage
Promethean’s Azoth score falls to that level for at least 24
or two points of bashing damage. If she can spend three or
hours. During this time, all Azoth-related effects are damp-
more Pyros in a turn, the player can spend three to ignore
ened, including dice pools using the trait and Azoth’s use
one point of aggravated damage. This must be done at the
as a Supernatural Tolerance trait. As well, levy a –3 penalty
time the effect or attack occurs; the Promethean’s Divine
to any efforts to identify her by her Azoth. The dampening
Fire simply denies that which would destroy her body.
lasts at least 24 hours, but can be raised back to its normal
level at any time afterward. • Transmutations: Activating Distillations of the various
Transmutations a Promethean learns from her Refinement
• Disquiet: Azoth unsettles humans around a Promethean.
requires Pyros expenditure. Rules for charging these powers
Rules for the Disquiet are found on p. 172.
are found on p.118.
• Measure: Torment stains a Promethean’s Azothic radiance.
When the Created sense each other’s Azoth, they can sense Replenishing Pyros
a subtle presence of past Torment that deeply influences first
Each Promethean Lineage generates Pyros under different
impressions. Particularly Tormented Prometheans will find
circumstances. The following conditions cause the Azoth to generate
that other Created stay away from them whenever possible,
Pyros the Created may store and use.
for fear of drawing down that storm upon themselves.
• Every day at sunrise, a Promethean gains one Pyros. This is
• Wasteland: All Prometheans are capable of scorching the due to the Promethean’s alchemical relationship with the
world with their Divine Fire, but Created with higher Azoth sun — a sign of purest gold. While the sun needn’t be present,
ratings do more damage faster. Rules of Wastelands can be its rise causes the Azoth to flare.
found on p. 174.
• A Promethean witnessing a thunderstorm creates Pyros. The
Increasing Azoth first time in a day the Promethean hears a crack of thunder,
her Azoth rouses and generates one Pyros.
In game terms, a Promethean’s Azoth increases when his player
spends either Experiences or Vitriol Experiences. Five Experiences or • When a Promethean sleeps in or near her key element (see
four Vitriol Experiences buys a dot of Azoth. These can’t be mixed; sidebar), she dreams and gains Pyros. This requires the
the player must pay the full price of whatever type of Experience Promethean sleep for at least four hours. After four hours,
in order to raise Azoth. It’s slightly less “expensive” to raise Azoth roll Azoth + Composure. Each success generates one Pyros.

168
 Promethean Advantages

Azoth Effects
Azoth Trait Maximum Max Pyros Pyros/Turn Radiance
1 5 10 1 Same Building
2 5 11 2 City Block
3 5 12 3 Several City Blocks
4 5 13 4 City Neighborhood
5 5 15 5 City Quadrant, Borough
6 6 20 6 Half of City
7 7 30 7 Entire City
8 8 40 8 Entire City
9 9 50 9 Entire City
10 10 100 10 Entire City

These Pyros-generating dreams are vivid and powerful. They are last Health box is filled with bashing or lethal damage. Indeed, the
not normally Elpis visions (p. 187); they only exist to rouse the Azoth. Created only stop when destroyed, when their final Health box is
• Once per day, a Promethean regains a point of Pyros if she filled with aggravated damage.
spends an hour or more around humans. Note that this doesn’t mean the Promethean does not suffer
the damage; she simply shrugs it off. A sword still chops open her
• Azoth invigorates when exposed to electricity. When exposed flesh; she just doesn’t slow for the injury.
to a current that would cause electricity damage to a mortal, Finally, aggravated damage always causes a Promethean to suffer
a Promethean heals damage (p. 170) and regains Pyros. a Tilt. Each attack that causes aggravated damage inflicts one Tilt
appropriate to the injury. See the appendix for a list of sample Tilts.
• At Storyteller discretion, life-affirming events in the Created’s
Pilgrimage may award Pyros. The Journey to the River
Once in a Promethean’s existence, she may die, truly die, and
• Certain Distillations allow a Promethean to generate further
return. When she’s fully dead, with her last Health box filled with
Pyros.
aggravated damage, she may revivify. Some representation of her —
her nascent soul, her Azoth, or simply a ghost-like reflection of her
Promethean personality — journeys to a River of Death and returns (see p. 301).
Her body recovers a number of Health levels equal to her Azoth
Advantages and rises. This can occur at any time within a number of days equal
to her Azoth. She cannot recover from true obliteration, such as
Every Promethean possesses certain advantages as result of his cremation, but can reform so long as the majority of her heart — the
inhuman genesis. seat of Divine Fire — remains.
The body does not recover during the waiting period; the resurrection
Superlative Endurance is all-or-nothing, all at once. So if a Frankenstein loses an arm and a leg to
a wood chipper during his death, those limbs stay gone until she revivifies
Promethean bodies don’t suffer fatigue like a human. Left a few days later. Then, all at once, it’s as if he’s born again. The limbs
unchecked, they only need sleep after 48 hours have passed. After return, the heart fires, and he becomes alive once more. While he does
that time, they suffer a cumulative –1 penalty to all dice pools every six not recover, he also does not decompose. He remains identical to the
hours. When they finally rest, four hours of sleep fully replenishes them. moment of death without any outside intervention. His body may lose
Durability blood or other fluids, but does not decay if it will return.

A Promethean has a sense of touch and feels pain. However, it Constitution

registers differently that it does for humans. Instead of registering as As side effect of their superlative endurance and preternatural
an instinctive warning, it registers academically. “My arm is missing” durability, Prometheans do not require the same sustenance as
is a reasonable Promethean response to a terrible wound that would humans. Azoth keeps the Created body moving and needs only
leave a human screaming or dying in shock. minimal nourishment. Azoth can consume any organic matter
Functionally, Prometheans suffer no wound penalties. Also, the Promethean swallows; it atomizes the consumed material
bashing and lethal wounds alone will not stop the Created. completely, creating Pyros. The Promethean does not need to expel
Prometheans do not have to resist unconsciousness when their waste matter from her body after eating.

169
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Electroshock Therapy
Lineages and Their Elements Electricity flows through wires, Pyros flows through electricity.
Electricity acts as a vehicle, a conduit for the Divine Fire. For this reason, a
Frankenstein characters must sleep near massive Promethean exposed to massive amounts of electricity generates Pyros and
amounts of electricity or by fire. An open electrical rapidly heals. This process never looks boring or benign; the Promethean’s
transformer strong enough to shock those who get body conducts chaotically, with sparks and arcs flying off in every which
close enough is sufficient, as is a camp fire. direction. Stronger power sources will look more dramatic. But to the
Galateid characters must sleep among human untrained eye, this is always alarming or frightening.
voices. These voices cannot be recorded; they must Every turn in which a Promethean is exposed to sufficient
be heard directly from the speaker’s mouth. For this electricity to cause damage to a human being, she generates a single
reason, Galatea prefer to sleep just out of the way in point of Pyros and heals damage. Electricity, as described on p. 212,
crowded places. inflicts a set amount of bashing damage per turn. A Promethean
Osiran Prometheans replenish Pyros by sleeping in heals this amount of damage rather than suffering it. It takes two
or partially submerged in water. points of electricity “damage” to heal a lethal wound, and three to
heal an aggravated wound. If the Promethean holds on long enough,
Tammuz characters must sleep buried or partially she can regenerate lost limbs or organs.
buried within the earth to regain Pyros. A Promethean not only conducts electricity in this fashion, she acts
Ulgan characters must sleep in spiritually charged as a powerful conduit, rapidly overloading electrical systems. After a
areas to replenish Pyros. Actual haunted houses work number of turns equal to half the power source’s damage rating (see p.
as well as loci of spiritual energy, such as dragon 212), the power source might short. The Storyteller should roll a dice
lines, fairy trods, or places attuned to feng shui. pool based on the size and power of the electricity source, modified
Unfleshed characters must sleep near a power by how old and well maintained it is. A subway line is fairly stable (six
source relevant to their original form. Mechanical dice), but it the city infrastructure is crumbling, the Storyteller might
Unfleshed must sleep near batteries or generators, apply a –2 modifier. A private residence might be up to code, but it
for example. Steam-powered Unfleshed might sleep doesn’t draw too much power to begin with (starting pool of two dice,
near fires or rushing water. A clockwork Unfleshed +1 for being well-maintained). If the roll fails, the power supply shorts
might need to sleep to a rhythmic sound, such as a out. Multiple Created can absorb from the same source, but this hastens
metronome. the short; apply a –1 modifier to the roll for every Promethean after the
Extempore have one specific element they must first who draws power. A Promethean using the Generator Distillation
sleep near to regain Pyros, which is unique to each (p. 138) can prevent this from happening.
character. Additionally, Extempore may sleep near While healing from electrical exposure, the Promethean can also
another Promethean regaining Pyros during his slum- spend Pyros to heal. This healing is reflexive. One Pyros heals one
ber. This vague kinship recovers Pyros as if she were lethal damage or two bashing damage. Three Pyros heals one point
near her own element. of aggravated damage. The Promethean is limited by her normal
per-turn Pyros expenditure as determined by her Azoth (see p. 169).
Further, she’s limited by the time she’s able to absorb electricity.
While the Promethean can atomize any organic matter, this does When experiencing an immediate and massive jolt, such as
not make her especially able to chew and swallow such matter. At through a lightning bolt, the entire process begins and concludes
Storyteller discretion, eating particularly challenging materials can cause immediately. This confers all Pyros and healing effects instantaneously.
the Promethean bashing or even lethal damage. Once she swallows, Example: A Promethean touches the live rail on a subway. She’s
though, the material is no longer a concern. Any rolls to resist toxins just been in a fight with a Centimanus and, although she escapes victori-
or poisons receive the Promethean’s Azoth as a dice bonus. ous, she also suffered four lethal damage and three bashing damage. The
Hunger only mounts after a number of days equal to the rail would normally cause 6 bashing damage per turn, which means she
Promethean’s Resolve. After the next day, she suffers increasing can touch it for six turns before it shorts. On the first turn, she heals all
Torment (see p. 171 for Torment). three of her bashing damage, and one point of lethal damage. One point
Unaging of “damage” is left over, and carries into the next turn. She also gains a
point of Pyros.
Prometheans do not keep the fire burning forever. After about a
century in her condition, the fire quenches and she ceases to be if she has On the second turn, she heals the three remaining points of lethal
yet to attain true mortality. Additionally, this clock resets if she Returns damage (each of them requires two “damage” from electricity to heal
(see p. 169). This could add another theoretical century to her life. from the six she has incoming) and gains a second point of Pyros. She
During the Pilgrimage, the Promethean does not age. His mus- holds on for one more turn, gaining a third point of Pyros, and then lets
cles remain strong. His senses remain sharp. If he attains mortality, go; she doesn’t want to short the rail.
he begins his new life at an age appropriate to his body.

170
 The Drawbacks

Transhuman Potential damage is internalized, and the overflowing humour forces the
Created into a state of unimaginable emotional and physical
Every Promethean can strain her Azoth to great intensity, distress. This distress is called Torment.
pushing her body beyond what it might otherwise be able to do. By A Tormented Promethean may feel as though she isn’t in control
spending a point of Pyros, the player can increase an Attribute by a of her actions, but it’s more complicated than that. The feeling is
single dot for one action (limited only by her per-turn expenditure more that she’s entirely aware of what she’s doing, the damage
limits). If the character is undertaking an extended action, the she’s causing, and how much this will blow up in her face when
increased Attribute lasts for the entire action, not just a turn; if she she comes to her senses. She knows this isn’t how she would act
abandons the action partway through, the increase fades as well. normally. She can’t stop herself. Her mind resists all attempts to
This only increases raw ability, not practiced skill. An increase in analyze the situation or to try and prevent the obvious outcome. A
Intelligence, for example, does not impart new knowledge, it simply Tormented Promethean is a man strapped into a car with a cinder
increases raw cognitive ability. block on the accelerator: he can do nothing but continue his self-
destructive path until it comes to a painful end.
The Drawbacks Each Lineage has its own Torment, a reflection of the humour
that, left unchecked, can run roughshod over her Elpis. The exact
While Prometheans have some advantages over humans, mostly nature of the pain, madness, or both she’s overtaken by is specified
physically, they suffer a number of drawbacks as part of their in each Lineage’s description in Chapter One and summarized
condition. The Divine Fire that animates them scorches the world below. These are only guidelines, however. Players may work with
and burns too hot for humans to be comfortable in its presence. Their the Storyteller to customize the details of their Torment for each
alchemical physiologies react strangely to other phenomena, too. occasion. The effects of a given Promethean’s Torment might all
be variations on a single theme, but the causes are not. Torment
Fire can come from anything that drives a Promethean to exceptional
stress, from pushing away loved ones with Disquiet, to intense pain,
While the Divine Fire burns within every Promethean and to simply failing to accomplish something. Whatever the cause, he
electricity bolsters it, physical fire is anathema to the Created. The can try resisting it, of course, maintaining control over himself. If he
Divine Fire reacts with natural fire, causing Prometheans grievous fails, however, he can’t hold back the flood, and Torment takes hold.
injuries from flame. The Created suffer the same amount of damage
from fire as a human would (see p. 213), but the injuries caused are What Torment Is Like
considered aggravated.
When a Promethean succumbs to Torment, she gives in to a dark
Disfigurements reflection of all her doubts, fears, and self-loathing. A Tormented
Promethean is fed up with this world, and it is tearing him apart. She
Every Promethean comes from unnatural means. Some sees her Pilgrimage as worthless, and the New Dawn as impossible.
come from animated clay. Some come from human parts sewn The only thing on her mind is punishing herself for ever believing
together. Each Lineage comes from different stock. This leads to in something so ridiculous. Until she snaps herself out of it, her
the Created looking generally inhuman, each Lineage doing so in Elpis no longer matters. The only thing of any importance is her
a different way. To the naked eye, Prometheans frighten, alarm, pain and bringing that pain upon herself and everyone around her.
and dismay. However, the Azoth masks this fact, hiding these How this pained state expresses itself varies. It usually involves
disfigurements. Flesh moves, seams blur, and the illusion persists a combination of the character’s primary humour (see Chapter
that the Promethean is not inhuman. The façade of humanity One) and her personal Torment (see p. 106). Broad generalizations
peels back, however, each time a Created channels her Pyros. are possible, as are distressing similarities to Disquiet. The actual
When charging Alembics, accessing Transhuman Potential, expression, as stated previously, can vary a great deal. If the player
or otherwise using Pyros, the illusion briefly — but meaningfully has an interesting idea for Torment, she is encouraged to run with it.
— breaks down, revealing the truth below. This isn’t a full, Frankensteins, ruled by the choleric humour, are the most
conscious revelation, but more like something horrible revealed blatantly angry. Their lashing out comes in the form of unchecked
in a flash of lightning. The witness can’t necessarily explain what violence and destruction of the things they love, only to lead to
he’s seen, but he’s unsettled and knows he’s seen something. immense sorrow when they realize what they’ve done.
Prometheans always see through each other’s Azothic deception. The sanguine humour of the Galateids expresses as passion
They see one another for what they truly are. They can still see and burning with the uncontrollable heat of their Azoth, emotions
understand the illusion, however, so they can engage in public with running out of control. The emotion varies, even from Torment
the proper context if they wish. If a Promethean dies, her Azoth to Torment, and can be compared to the highs and lows of bipolar
ceases to protect her image. She shows the world her true form. disorder and anxiety disorders.
Tammuz of the melancholic humour are consumed by their
Torment failures. If something goes wrong, it’s their fault. If something
When Azothic imbalance is caused by emotional or physical needs to be done, they’re bound to foul it up. It’s been known to
stress, the Promethean’s primary humour overf lows. The express both as laziness and as deep depression, depending on the
personal Torment.

171
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Torment Triggers
The following events can cause a Promethean to enter Torment:
The Prometheus Question • Knowingly triggering stage-three Disquiet.
A common belief is that Torment and Disquiet are
• Recovering all Willpower from the character’s Torment trait
not simply a function of Azoth, but rather a punish-
ment from on high. In Greek mythology, the titan • Taking aggravated damage from fire
Prometheus stole the Divine Fire from the gods to give
to man. To punish Prometheus, the gods chained him • Any major failure related to the Pilgrimage, including step-
to a rock and created the Caucasian Eagle, a bird ping backwards.
that would peck out and devour Prometheus’ liver ev-
ery day, only for it to grow back and be pecked out • Dramatic failures on certain Distillations can cause Torment
once again the next day.
If any of the above Torment triggers occur, the player rolls to
Given their names, comparing Prometheans to this ignore the imbalance and resist Torment. If the character is in a
titan’s story is obvious, but the parallels don’t read- Wasteland at the time of the trigger, the player receives a negative
ily appear. Demiurges and alchemists sometimes
argue that the Disquiet they suffer as they spend modifier (see p. 176).
time with their masterpieces is the representation Dice Pool: Resolve + Composure – Azoth
of Prometheus’s torment. Are they not, after all, the Dramatic Failure: The Promethean falls into Torment more
ones that suffer for the crime of bringing down fire deeply than usual. Gain the Tormented Condition (p.312). When
from the gods? attempting to resolve it, the player rolls Azoth. If this roll fails, the
character remains in Torment (but gains a Vitriol Beat).
Philosophically minded Prometheans suggest a more
elaborate interpretation of the myth. While their Failure: The Promethean can’t resist the agony inside and gains
creators committed the sin of stealing fire, many the Tormented Condition.
Prometheans believe they must inevitably create an- Success: The Promethean will not be defeated. Gain one point
other of their kind as a step on the Pilgrimage; thus of Willpower.
they are equally guilty of stealing fire. The fact that Exceptional Success: The Promethean utterly shuts down her
they are punished “in advance” may mean that all Torment and forces herself into order. Take a Vitriol Beat.
Prometheans are meant to follow the Pilgrimage,
whether they like it or not. Escaping Torment
Breaking free from the bonds of Torment is troublesome, but
not even close to impossible. Any act that causes the humours to
resume their normal balance can free the Promethean. The easiest
Phlegmatic Osirans become the ultimate chessmasters. way is to witness someone act in accordance with the Promethean’s
They shed all attachments, all friendships, all alliances, seeking Elpis, or to resist the draw to self-destruct and fulfill her Elpis
absolute control in order to carry out their whims. The desires herself, showing the kindness — or cruelty — that she feels is most
they enact so ruthlessly are always grand-scale, and always bad human. Another more destructive option is to let loose the Pyros
news for everyone that isn’t the Osiran and is foolish enough churning deep inside, though this inevitably results in a Wasteland
to stand in their way. and is thus not a favorable option. Changing one’s Refinement
Ulgan Ectoplasm brings out the bizarre and otherworldly, (except when changing to Stannum) or retreating from all contact
making them more like the spirits they are so connected to. with humanity or other Prometheans for a month also balances
Immediate concerns are temporal and not worth paying attention the Tormented Created.
to. Mundane affairs are paltry and worthless compared to the
supernatural, and the Ulgan will happily ignore the former for Disquiet
the latter. He sees nothing but the big picture, and will ignore
anything without long-term ramifications. A Promethean isn’t human — yet. She acts strangely and seems
The Unfleshed and their oily humour result in an embrace out of touch with humanity because she is. She lacks the basic
of their artificial nature. They question their right to even go on building blocks of personality and empathy that even the most socially
the Pilgrimage. An Unfleshed is just another machine, no more maladjusted human has at his disposal, and has to learn them in a
a viable person than a toaster. Why bother grasping at humanity way that no human has to. These aren’t just the visible or verbal
when humanity is something you clearly are not? cues, like the wrong facial reactions or laughing at an inappropriate
Extempore Torment is a painful, constant reminder that its time. All too often, the Divine Fire within the Created burns too
victim has no place in the world. He is a mistake, an accident, bright, spilling out and warping the minds of those around them.
and is of no value to anyone. His identity is burnt away by the Prometheans have no control over when this may happen, and many
Azoth. All the Matchless can do until it subsides is pick up are socially maladjusted on top of this primal unease.
fragments of a personality from others, becoming the ultimate When a Promethean slips up, as she inevitably does, her facade
patchwork person. of normalcy cracks, the Divine Fire bleeds through, and the person

172
 The Drawbacks

on the receiving end is infected with a supernatural malady that the influence. In this roll, failure is advantageous for the Promethean.
Azothic memory calls Disquiet. The affliction worms its way into As such, she cannot voluntarily acquire a dramatic failure for a Beat.
the victim’s mind — and the victim doesn’t necessarily have to be Instead, she can voluntarily take an exceptional success.
mortal. Anything not animated by Azoth is susceptible, including Action: Instant and contested
most other supernatural beings and animals. The only entities that Dice Pool: Azoth vs. Resolve + Composure
don’t have to worry about it are other Prometheans, Pandorans, Roll Results
and the enigmatic qashmallim.
Dramatic Failure: No additional effect if the player dramatically
Symptoms start as confusion and annoyance, but can advance
fails. If the Storyteller rolls a dramatic failure, the player gains the
to paranoia, confusion, and eventually a contagious stage, where
Disquieted Condition at one stage higher than she would normally.
the victim forms an angry mob to hunt the Promethean down like
Failure: If both the player and the Storyteller fail the roll,
an animal. Thankfully, it’s exceedingly rare to reach the contagious
nothing happens.
stage unless in a Wasteland.
Success: If the player rolls successes equal or exceeding the
In addition to the increasing obsessive hatred of the Promethean
Storyteller, the victim gains the Disquieted Condition or advances
that started Disquiet, the Lineage a Promethean descends from
to stage two, if he already has it. If the Storyteller rolls more successes
adds another effect to their Disquiet experience. A Frankenstein
than the Promethean’s player, the subject resists Disquiet.
must watch as those afflicted build him up as the source of all the
Exceptional Success: If the player rolls more successes than the
ills in their lives, while Disquieted victims expect an Unfleshed to
Storyteller and gains an exceptional success, the victim gains the
toil ceaselessly for their benefit.
Disquieted Condition or advances by a single stage even if the victim
Disquiet Triggers would advance to stage three without a Wasteland present. If the
Storyteller rolls more successes than the player and gains an exceptional
Any extended social contact with a susceptible target can trigger
success, the victim is immune to all further Disquiet risks for that chapter.
Disquiet, but the Storyteller has some latitude as to when to call for
a Disquiet roll. Note that not every character who causes a Disquiet The Disquieted Condition
trigger necessarily needs this roll. If the Storyteller character is one
A victim who fails to resist Disquiet gains the Disquieted
that players are likely to come into extended or significant contact
Condition (p. 308). It is a four-stage condition that warps the
with, or who could easily cause further complications, it’s worth
victim’s mind and turns him against the Promethean that caused the
rolling. The Storyteller can waive rolls for unimportant characters
and adjudicate the result. The intent of Disquiet isn’t to bog down
the game or restrict all contact with humanity, but to underscore
the isolation and difficulty of the Promethean Condition. The
Storyteller should use Disquiet to separate Prometheans from Disquiet and the Supernatural
humanity, to drive them together, to help nudge them towards
milestones, and to prevent the Pilgrimage from stalling. Most other supernatural beings are susceptible to
The following is a list of situations that can cause a
Disquiet in some way. While an in-depth examination
of which creatures suffer Disquiet and in what manner
Disquiet trigger: is beyond the scope of this book, below are some
• A mortal spends a full scene in superficial social contact with suggestions:
the Promethean. Additional scenes in the same chapter do Vampires and werewolves in Disquiet perceive
not count as another trigger. the Promethean as a threat. The Divine Fire burns too
hot and triggers their instinct for blind rage. Disquiet
• A Promethean attempts to seduce, persuade, intimidate, or imposes penalties to resist frenzy and Death Rage.
otherwise manipulate the mortal, whether through using
Skill rolls or Social maneuvering (see p. 202). Mages, changelings, hunters, and Sin-Eaters
are human enough that they respond to Disquiet like
• A character uses supernatural senses on a Promethean, such human beings. Many such creatures have ways to mit-
as the Unseen Sense Merit or the various detection and igate or resist Disquiet, if they know to do so.
scrutiny-related powers of supernatural beings. Demons and mummies respond strangely to
Disquiet; demons are affected by it, but as they main-
• A mortal witnesses a Promethean’s disfigurements (see p. tain ironclad control over their responses, they can
171). choose whether or not to act on it and in what capac-
ity. Mummies seem to respond to Disquiet if their cults
• The mortal and the Promethean engage in a conversation have been afflicted, but data is scarce given the rarity
lasting more than a few minutes, or exchange personal of both the Arisen and the Created.
information (even falsified).
Finally, Beasts are completely unaffected by
When one of these triggers occurs, the subject must attempt Disquiet.
to resist Disquiet. This represents the Promethean’s Azoth trying
to overwhelm the victim’s ability to think rationally and resist its

173
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Condition. Disquiet can advance to stage two by simple contact with a

Promethean, but unless a Promethean’s player manages an exceptional
success against a victim with Disquieted (Stage Two), Disquiet cannot
advance to stage three unless the trigger takes place in a Wasteland.
Non-Promethean Players
Lineage Effects
and Disquiet
In addition to a general disgust and hatred of the Promethean, These rules are written under the assumption that the
each Lineage has its own Disquiet effect that increases in intensity
players in a Promethean chronicle are all playing
the Created, and the only characters susceptible to
in each stage. Disquiet are controlled by the Storyteller.
Frankenstein: Frankensteins become their victims’ scapegoats.
Any negative thought turns to the Promethean. Ever trivial, unrelated If players are controlling other characters, such as
annoyances become the Promethean’s fault in the victim’s eyes as mortals, vampires, demons, etc., the rules apply the
Disquiet worsens. The victim eventually sees this obsession as revenge same way, with one exception: If the victim isn’t a
— if the abomination is behind all their woes, it deserves anything it gets.
Storyteller Character, the victim can also take a Beat
whenever the Disquieted condition generates a Beat
Galateid: Galateid Disquiet results in dark, lustful obsession. for the Promethean.
This isn’t a crush; Galateid Disquiet is stalking, shrines, and feigning
disgust because he can’t come to terms with the cognitive dissonance
of hating and desiring someone at the same time. Eventually, the
victim decides that he has no choice but to make the Promethean
his, and only his, by any means necessary. it’s the Promethean’s fault somehow. Is she the girl that works at the
Osiran: The Nepri are the masters of secrets and lies. Their library? Or his annoying boss? His estranged sister? The victim can’t
Disquiet brings this trait forth in its victims. The victim becomes identify the Promethean unless in a scene with her. As Disquiet
filled with unstoppable scientific curiosity towards the Promethean intensifies, the people he’ll confuse her with grow more sinister,
— she’s clearly not human, so what is she? The victim finds himself culminating in confusing her for some great criminal — a terrorist, a
compelled to find answers to that question, whether through pedophile, a serial killer — someone that must be put away, or worse.
stalking, obsessive research, or, in the final stages, kidnapping the
Promethean to dissect him and learn what he is directly.
Tammuz: Tammuz have an odd relationship with language. It
Wasteland
animates them, gives them life and purpose, but when their Disquiet The Promethean condition carries with it a terrible side effect
infects people, language fails them. Everything a Tammuz says to called the Wasting of the Peaceful Range, or Wasteland. Like
someone inflicted with his Disquiet is the wrong word choice, the Disquiet, it is born of Azoth. Unlike Disquiet, this phenomenon
wrong tone, the wrong body language. Everything is misinterpreted takes its toll on the environment, instead of directly affecting people.
— a joke is a threat, an offer of help a promise of violence. Eventually, The Wasteland is a force of entropy: it breaks down structure,
the mob forms and brings the Tammuz to “justice,” believing his life, and patterns in its midst. This isn’t a palpable sickness or a
cries for mercy to be a confession. plague that can be cured. Wasteland is the universe balancing out
Ulgan: Monsters exist, unnatural creatures that stalk the night the Promethean’s theft of life.
wearing human form; none know this truth better than the victims This phenomenon encourages Prometheans to stay on the move.
of Ulgan Disquiet. These poor souls grow intensely paranoid about Ethical, human Created understand that their presence has a terrible
the Promethean’s otherworldly nature, whether that nature is real or gravity. More academically minded Created simply recognize that
imagined — either way, in the victim’s eye, the Ulgan is an unnatural unchecked Wasteland grows and ultimately draws attention to the
hunter, something beyond humanity. As the Condition advances, strange, as well as the fact that Disquiet triggered within Wastelands
they see the Promethean as a true monster — a creature not of this becomes contagious and intense.
world that exists only to hunt in the guise of a man as it stalks its A careful Promethean can stay in one area. The Wasteland
prey. Ironically, the victim becomes much the same, insisting that phenomenon does not occur automatically when a Promethean
he must destroy this hunter for the sake of all mankind. enters an area. Wasteland gradually progresses, and these progressions
Unfleshed: The Unfleshed is not human. It’s something that’s are tied to the rapid flow of Pyros. This can occur through many
well-understood even in stage one: the Promethean is a thing, methods. If an area is not currently tainted with Wasteland, any of
nothing more. The idea that it should be recognized as human is the following methods starts it along its track. If the area is already
as ridiculous as one’s blender or smartphone one day deciding it tainted, the Wasteland runs the risk of Festering (see Festering, below).
is human. The victim denies the Promethean the humanity it so Causes for Wastelands
desperately craves in the most cruel ways possible to teach it its place.
If it continues to toil under such an obviously false premise, the The following occurrences can lead to a Wasteland or can
victim may decide to fix the Promethean, to correct the malfunction. cause a Wasteland to Fester.
It’s not murder, don’t worry. You can’t “murder” a machine. • A single Promethean spends a great deal of Pyros in a scene.
Extempore: Extempore Disquiet victims are confused. They can’t The amount required depends on the Promethean’s Azoth
seem to keep the Promethean’s identity straight, though they act like dots. Greater Azoth burns brighter and hotter than the

174
 The Drawbacks

Pyros of a less potent Created. The amount required is (11 – after six months in an area. At mid levels (3–5), this occurs
Azoth). The most powerful Prometheans cause a Wasteland after a single month. At higher levels (6–7), only a week
with even the slightest usage of Pyros. The weakest must must pass. The most powerful Created (8–10) must evolve
expend themselves fully to cause such a blight. quickly — indeed, daily — and either move along, dampen
their Azoth, or cause a Wasteland.
• Attempting to force an Elpis vision (p. 187) can create a
Wasteland. • Relatedly, a Promethean who becomes stuck in a Role auto-
matically creates a Tainted Wasteland when she breaks out
• When a character attempts to create a Promethean — success- of that rut (p. 179).
ful or not — the coalescence of Pyros that accompanies the
practice creates or exacerbates Wastelands. Use the creator’s • When Pandorans awake, they can shake an area into
Azoth + 1, or 6, whichever is higher, to reflect the effects. a Wasteland. When four or more Ranks’ worth of
Pandorans awaken in a single scene, they create a
• Prometheans can return to life when destroyed (see p. 169). Wasteland. Consider their Azoth to be (total Ranks – 3)
This causes an enormous rush of Pyros, not dissimilar to a for this purpose.
new Promethean’s creation.
• Any suitably dramatic event culminating in a massive influx
• When a greater qashmal manifests, a Wasteland can occur. of Pyros can spawn or grow a Wasteland, at Storyteller
Use the creature’s effective Azoth in this case. discretion.
• When a Promethean attains a universal milestone, the influx
of Pyros can cause a Wasteland.
Affected Areas
A Wasteland generally starts small and increases in size with time.
• If a Promethean goes too long without a Refinement shift or Prometheans with greater Azoth cause more massive Wastelands.
without a milestone, the buildup of excess Pyros can taint the When a Wasteland comes into existence, compare the creator’s
area around her. At lower levels of Azoth (1–2), this occurs Azoth to the chart below. It starts at that level. Whenever a

175
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Wasteland Festers (see below), it spreads outward. As Wastelands Wastelands cause objects and people within to suffer weakness,
fade, this occurs in reverse, and the Wasteland shrinks. frailty, and brittleness. Each category lists penalties to Health and
Durability. Structure and Durability losses reflect on all objects
Progression of Affected Areas in the area, and are imposed over the first day an object is within.
Azoth Basic Affected Area Objects reduced to 0 Structure fall to worthlessness after that time.
Health penalties act as bashing damage applied to humans within.
1–2 Single Room
They may not heal that damage while within the Wasteland. Note
3–4 Small Home that this applies only to humans; Prometheans are immune to these
5–6 Full Building Wasteland effects.
7 City Block As a Wasteland Festers, it becomes an extreme environment (see
p. 212) and the area becomes all but uninhabitable. The danger in
8 Neighborhood Wastelands reflects the humour of the Promethean that created it.
9 City A Frankenstein creates Wastelands where fires catch randomly,
10 Region and intense temperatures are the norm.
Galateids cause manic, fierce obsession in everyone around while
Festering sand storms weather and polish everything into brittle nothingness.
Osirans cause great overconfidence and hubris, turning
With time, or with further flow of Pyros, a Wasteland Festers everyone against each other while majestic thunderclouds storm
into something greater. At the amount of time listed in the relentlessly on the area.
chart or when an activity occurs that would normally cause a Tammuz cause apathy, with heavy rains and earthquakes that
Wasteland, the Wasteland risks Festering and growing in size result in flooding and mudslides.
and category. Ulgan cause depression and melancholy, empowering spirits
Roll the creator’s or the Wasteland’s effective Azoth, whichever is and ghosts to reach across the Gauntlet.
higher. If the roll fails, the Wasteland remains at the same level. If it Unfleshed Wastelands make surfaces become slick and
succeeds, the Wasteland increases in category and size. On an exceptional treacherous. People become listless, methodical, and repetitive,
success, the Wasteland immediately becomes a Firestorm. talking to each other only as much as is necessary and performing
At lower levels of Azoth (1–2), Festering occurs after six months their jobs in a perfunctory manner.
in an area. At mid levels (3–5), this occurs after a single month. Extempore create Wastelands as varied as they are themselves.
At higher levels (6–7), only a week must pass. At the highest levels One Matchless might create a Wasteland in which stone crumbles and
(8+), this occurs each day. the air tastes of salt, while another creates one in which everything
If multiple Prometheans are in an area, count only the highest moves more slowly, as though all the energy is being sapped.
present Azoth for the purpose of Wasteland Festering. Note, too,
that a branded throng can decrease or increase the effective Azoth The Fade
used for a Wasteland, depending on the Lineages of the members. A Wasteland fades over time without Azoth to sustain it.
Effects of a Wasteland Without its creator present, a Wasteland fades by one level at the
given interval on the chart.
A Wasteland starts small and increases in size and potency over For example, a Blight caused by a Promethean with four dots
time. The size is tracked on the chart above, and the five categories of Azoth becomes Tainted after eight days. After eight more
track the potency. Each category also imposes a penalty to all rolls days, it becomes Touched. After four more days, it ceases to be a
to resist Torment within the threshold. Wasteland at all.

Wasteland Categories
Effective
Category Name Azoth Fade Torment Environment Effects
1 Touched 1 Creator’s Azoth in Days –1 0 –1 Durability
2 Tainted 2 Creator’s Azoth in Days x 2 –2 Level 1 –1 Structure, –1
Durability
3 Blighted 3 Creator’s Azoth in Days x 2 –3 Level 2 –1 Structure, –2
Durability
4 Wasteland 4 Creator’s Azoth in Weeks –4 Level 3 –2 Structure, –3
Durability
5 Firestorm 5 Special –5 Special, see p. 264 for
Firestorms

176
 Pilgramage

Additionally, a Promethean can trigger a Firestorm at her Wasteland), the Promethean would need to cause three Festering
discretion, which washes away the Wasteland entirely. To trigger triggers to bring about a Firestorm. Usually, this means a massive
a Firestorm, a Promethean must cause enough Festering triggers expenditure of Pyros. Triggering a Firestorm is a dangerous prospect,
to bridge the gap between the current level of Wasteland and as the character has absolutely no control over the Firestorm once
the Firestorm. For example, if an area is Tainted (a Category 2 started. The full rules for Firestorms are on p. 264.

PILGRIMAGE
Prometheans are not human, but they long to be — and they means both physical and mystical to become part of humanity
have the chance to achieve their desire. A Promethean has a path rather than an outsider. Another player may decide that her
in front of her, a series of alchemical transformations that slowly character should follow all ten Refinements, in an occult journey
burn away the impurities of the Promethean condition and make that examines every aspect of human and Promethean existence
her more person than monster. The Pilgrimage trait measures her that follows a planned progression.
steps on this journey. Though it may seem easier to complete a Pilgrimage based on few
If she has low Pilgrimage, she may have much to learn about Refinements rather than all ten, that’s not the case. The Promethean
being human, or she might have consciously chosen to ignore has to complete the same number of Roles either way. Taking in
the lessons that the universe put in front of her. If she has high eight or ten Refinements means changing between disparate Roles,
Pilgrimage, she’s learned what it means to be human — the highs and going from a Hermit to a Leader to an Ascetic, which means greater
the lows that affect both the people around her and her own desires. changes in the character’s outlook and facets of her personality.
Each character starts with one dot of Pilgrimage — she is alive Fewer Refinements means the character must take on more Roles
and can learn and think and feel. She has nine dots to go before she from them, giving the character greater consistency at the expense
is fully prepared to undergo the Great Work, the final alchemical of mystical experience. Each Role provides internal alchemical
transformation that makes her human. Some of the Created try this components for the Magnum Opus, thus its success is based on
final transformation before they are fully prepared, but in doing the number of Roles completed, not the number of Refinements
so they fall foul of their own hubris. An alchemical transformation that the Created studied. Studying more Refinements does give
requires all the components and reagents to be in place before it will her a broader choice when she undergoes the New Dawn (p. 303).
work. That the reaction fails doesn’t mean that nothing happens, A character’s starting Refinement is automatically part of her
however. In any alchemical process the reagents combine into Pilgrimage. The player should then note down the remaining
something; especially in the case of the Magnum Opus, the result Refinements and Roles of his character’s Pilgrimage. A Pilgrimage
of a botched transformation is never pretty. Sheet is a handy way to track both Refinements and Roles, and to
visualize how far a Created is through her journey.
Defining the Path She must go through at least two basic and two complex
Refinements, and must always go through at least as many basic
Every Created has a different Pilgrimage in front of her. The Refinements as complex. She could not, for example, go through Aes,
Pilgrimage answers questions and defines what kind of human Argentum, Ferrum, Mercurius, and Stannum, as that would mean
being the Promethean wants to become. As a result, each character’s studying more complex Refinements than basic ones. The Refinement
Pilgrimage comes with its own choices. Though she may reach of Flux cannot be part of a character’s journey, as it involves stepping
ten dots of Pilgrimage, that doesn’t mean she’s ready to complete away from the Pilgrimage entirely. The Storyteller should make notes of
her Great Work. A Pilgrimage involves progressing through the each character’s Pilgrimage, and offer chances to adopt the appropriate
Refinements as well as the world. Refinements — and challenges appropriate to them.
Each Promethean has a specific path through the Refinements, The player then notes down ten Roles that are part of the
though the character doesn’t know what it is. The player, Refinements on his character’s Pilgrimage. The Promethean must
however, is well aware of his character’s path. He can drive her pass through most of these Roles to get to the point of the New
to greater success — or show her greater challenges. In order to Dawn. As long as she has completed at least one Role in each
complete the Great Work, a character has to internalize lessons Refinement on her Pilgrimage, and at least eight Roles in total, she
from at least four Refinements — two basic Refinements and two can attempt the New Dawn. She will, however, have a much better
complex Refinements. Part of internalizing the lesson involves chance if she completes all ten Roles. More details on creating a
completing a Role in those Refinements (the character must Pilgrimage from both a player and Storyteller’s viewpoint is provided
master eight Roles in all, divided among the Refinements in in Chapter Seven.
her Pilgrimage in any arrangement). One player may want his The Created can — and frequently do — take on Refinements
character to focus on Aurum and Ferrum, Aes, and Mercurius, that aren’t part of their Pilgrimage. Almost every Promethean falls
a path that focuses on refinement and self-improvement through to Stannum for a time, delving into the darker side of the human

177
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

experience to bleed off angst and Torment. The Centimani are Refinement involves stepping off the Pilgrimage entirely. While she
another example, as they step off the Pilgrimage entirely, while studies the Refinement of Flux, she cannot achieve any milestones
other Prometheans take on new Refinements based on their towards her Pilgrimage and cannot generate or spend Vitriol (except
evolving interests. If a character spends a lot of time reflecting on on certain applications of the Flux Transmutation). She does not
her current state, she may choose to follow Plumbum whether it’s have to worry about additional breaking points — she is no longer
on her Pilgrimage or not. A Promethean can change Refinements following the path of her Pilgrimage, so it doesn’t matter if she
and Roles as needed, though she must be careful. If she is currently makes mistakes along the way.
following a Role of one of her Pilgrimage’s Refinements, she must Some breaking points refer to “supernatural means.” This does not
either complete the Role — hitting the related milestone — or risk just include Transmutations, but any abilities or powers a Promethean
stepping backward on her Pilgrimage. possesses that go above and beyond human potential: a Galateid’s
supernatural Social prowess or an Unfleshed’s internal mechanics
Walking the Path both count. The Promethean has to be responsible for the act, but
The Storyteller designs the details of each characters’ she does not need to perform it herself — it’s enough to know that her
Pilgrimage based on the player’s input — their answers to the spark of inhumanity caused the result. As such, spurring a werewolf
five questions (p. 101) and the Roles they must take in each into a murderous rage or deliberately allowing a Pandoran to feast on
Refinement. These details take the form of milestones, specific an enemy both count as killing through supernatural means.
events that reflect both a Promethean’s ongoing search for the As she starts her Pilgrimage, a Promethean finds it easier to
knowledge to perform the Great Work and their understanding recover from her occasional stumble. She is still learning, but
part of what it means to be human. she can bounce back quite easily. As she progresses, she comes to
Characters step forward when they gain a dot of Pilgrimage. The understand both herself and her place in the world around her.
easy way to step forward involves completing a superlative milestone Faltering at that point makes it harder to continue; she must work
— doing so immediately grants the character a dot of Pilgrimage. out why she fell and compensate for it. As she prepares for the Great
The harder way is to spend the Vitriol Experiences gained from Work, she has all the metaphysical ingredients in place for her final
milestones. Stepping forward is slow going; a character can only transformation and the slightest disruption threatens the entire
spend Vitriol Experiences to buy a dot of Pilgrimage when she process. This requirement for greater focus as she steps forward
completes a minor or major milestone. A superlative milestone has is represented in her dice pool when facing a breaking point. To
its learning experience baked in as part of the reward; the character determine whether a character steps backwards or not, she rolls a
can’t learn more from the same event. dice pool based on her Pilgrimage so far.
Though most Prometheans desperately want to step forward
on the path of the Pilgrimage, almost all stumble at one point or Pilgrimage Dice Pool
another. These moments can cause her to step backwards on the 10 Chance die
path, needing to find more milestones to guide her to her Magnum 9 1
Opus. These stumbling blocks come in the form of breaking points;
8–7 2
specific factors that remind a character that she is not human and
that she does not understand the human condition as well as she 6–5 3
otherwise might. Each of the Roles that make up a given Refinement 3–4 4
has its own breaking point — a moment where the Promethean
2 5
demonstrates that she hasn’t learned the lesson of a Role.

Sample Breaking Points She cannot spend Willpower on this roll. Whether she succeeds
or fails, the player takes a Vitriol Beat.
• Taking on a new Refinement before completing a Role Roll Results
related to your Pilgrimage Dramatic Failure: The character falls hard. She’s reminded that
she is not human, just a collection of inert parts given action by an
• Making it impossible to fulfill a milestone
outside force, chasing an impossible dream. She loses a point of
• Using supernatural means to intentionally murder a human Pilgrimage and falls into Torment with no roll to resist. Take a Beat.
Failure: The Promethean steps backward along her path. She
• Injuring or killing multiple people with supernatural abilities loses a dot of Pilgrimage and gains the Disconnected Condition.
Success: The character catches herself as she stumbles. She does
• Creating a Pandoran not lose any Pilgrimage but gains the Disconnected Condition.
Exceptional Success: Not only does the character not lose any
• Becoming a Centimanus*
Pilgrimage, the thought of how she nearly slipped revitalizes her. She gains
• Performing the lacuna the Inspired Condition, driving her to push toward her next milestone.
No matter how many times she steps backward, no outside
Becoming a Centimanus is a special case. In addition to the
events can force a Promethean to step off the path of her Pilgrimage
breaking point (and associated risk of stepping backward), this
altogether. Returning to the start of her journey would return her

178
 roles

animating spark to the Divine Fire and her body to its component doing so, he learns both what others value in the Role and how he
parts. She can never lose her last dot of Pilgrimage; if she otherwise chooses to interpret it. These lessons are very valuable to a Created
would, she instead falls into Torment. wanting to define the end-point of his Pilgrimage.
Each of the Roles below presents two examples of milestones
Roles that might show that the character has learned his lesson, as well
as a breaking point for turning away from the Role. While he’s on
As part of his ongoing attempts to learn more about the human the Role, add this breaking point to the list of things that can cause
condition, a Promethean studies a number of Refinements. While a a step backward (p. 178).

Stuck in a Rut
Refinement may be partly philosophical in nature, looking at what
humans do and why, they focus on different areas of knowledge.
Each Refinement has a set of Roles, specific human archetypes Some Prometheans become too comfortable in a Role. Having
that reflect the Refinement’s philosophy. The Created takes on learned his lesson, a Created should carry on to a new Refinement
one of these Roles, fitting in to what humanity in general accepts or a new Role in the same Refinement. By carrying on with the
as reasonable behavior for that Role. same Role, he doesn’t learn anything new. He actively holds back his
What is reasonable behavior in the context of a Role is not progress on the Pilgrimage in order to embody a facet of humanity
necessarily what people think of as “good” behavior. If he is a that he feels comfortable in. Some make the conscious choice to
Soldier, should he follow orders to the letter (or spirit), or should he not change Roles, while others get stuck naturally and do not realize
disregard orders in order to save his fellow soldiers’ lives? Humanity that they should change.
as a whole accepts both options as reasonable for soldiers. Both can A Created who does not change Roles after achieving the
lead to great rewards — or to court martial. A Promethean who takes milestone associated with it becomes limited in her actions. She has to
the Role of the Soldier doesn’t have a right answer. He has to work keep embodying the Role in order to stave off negative consequences.
that out himself. Likewise, a Leader could be an inspiring figure, a A Soldier has to keep acting as a soldier — he can’t go back to his family
big brother who his siblings look up to, the leader of an organized or friends and act as a normal person. He is a Soldier and that’s all
criminal organization, or a vicious lunatic who commands through the world will accept him as. As long as he only acts in accordance
fear. Whatever the case, the Promethean is learning about what it with the Role, people he meets in that capacity think he is a normal
means to take responsibility for a group. person — he does not cause Disquiet. When he drops the façade,
Often, making a decision like that acts as a pivotal moment as proving himself more than the Role, all hell breaks loose.
the Promethean decides what kind of person he wants to be — and Breaking from the Role involves taking any action that people do
fixes his idea of what makes that Role special in the eyes of humanity. not associate with that Role. Taking time to pursue other avenues,
This realization is often but not always the point where he learns either meeting people not related to the Role or even just spending too
the lesson of the Role and achieves the milestone associated with long alone both count, as does spending more than a scene without
it. As it’s a superlative milestone to complete a Role, the realization taking a significant action involving the Role. The Created can impart
is always a step forward along his Pilgrimage. Other Created don’t knowledge of the Role to other Prometheans, but only if no humans
internalize the lessons of a Role by resolving a pivotal question, but are present. Even then, he casts the knowledge through the lens of his
come to a gradual understanding of their place in humanity over Role. Using any kind of supernatural ability — using the same standards
time. Whatever the case, a Role’s milestone often only comes up for breaking points — knocks the Promethean out of character.
weeks or months after she first takes on the Role. Dropping character is not a good thing. The character has to
fall back to a new Role in a basic Refinement — often Stannum.
Turning Away The area around her immediately becomes a Tainted Wasteland.
The problem with taking up an identifiable archetype in human In addition to the effects of the Wasteland, humans who interact
society is just that: it’s an identifiable archetype. An Outcast who with the Promethean in the resultant Wasteland have their rolls to
maintains contact with the social groups he was a part of before resist Disquiet reduced to a chance die.

Taking a Role
taking up the Role, a Confessor who cuts people off or otherwise
ignores a chance to learn about people: these are cases of a
Promethean going against her Role. He deliberately ignores the parts The following descriptions of each Role include milestones and
of human nature that he should internalize, for whatever reason. breaking points as illustrations; the Storyteller is encouraged to use
Perhaps he needs to betray his learning in order to save his throng, these as inspiration, tailoring each Role to the characters that take it.
or perhaps he simply cannot understand what makes people choose
to be a Companion, an Observer, or a Watcher. Whatever the case, Aes
turning his back on his Role means ignoring the milestone in front The Roles of the Refinement of Bronze focus on the values of
of him. This is not in and of itself a problem, but if the Role is service, loyalty, duty, and self-sacrifice.
related to his Pilgrimage, it gives him a real chance of stepping back
along his Pilgrimage.
Bodyguard
A Promethean has to actively ignore his Role in order to risk A Bodyguard’s duty is to protect her charge, whether her charge
stepping backward. Being bad at his chosen Role isn’t enough — by wants protecting or not. A few choose their entire throng as a charge,

179
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

but most focus on a single individual. Have the right weapon or tool to hand to exploit their weaknesses
Milestones: Take a serious injury — a gunshot or similar— for when supernatural creatures attack your throng.
your charge when you are not in danger. Follow your charge into Breaking point: Go unprepared for supernatural attack because
a dangerous situation that you have warned against and protect you are convinced they are not a threat.
him anyway.
Breaking point: Do significant physical harm (more than a Aurum
point of lethal damage) to your charge. Gold’s Roles, along with the rest of the Refinement, focus on
Servant integrating with humanity so that the Promethean can live among
humans and develop an understanding of human nature.
The servant takes on tasks that his throng find trivial, prosaic, or
otherwise distracting from their Pilgrimage. He must adapt to their Companion
changing needs and the obstacles that the world sets against them. The Companion wants to belong. She might focus on a single
Milestones: Spend several days or weeks serving another person, trying to become her friend or lover, or she might try to
character while she achieves a major or superlative milestone. integrate with a group so that they accept her as an equal.
Remove an obstacle from your throng’s path without them noticing. Milestones: Develop an intimate relationship with your chosen
Breaking point: Make it impossible for another character in partner, or have nobody in the group challenge your inclusion. Be
your throng to complete a milestone. shunned by your partner/group for entirely human reasons (abuse,
Seeker infidelity, or breaking the group’s social norms).
Breaking point: Leave your partner or group, vanishing without
The seeker acts as counselor and spiritual guide to hir throng.
a trace.
Sie shares their stresses and troubles, helping them focus on the
road ahead. Follower
Milestones: Provide counseling to your throng, helping at least By putting hir fate in the hands of others, the Follower learns
one of your charges to step forward. Help a member of your throng to trust others. Sie may find a regular human to act as a surrogate
escape Torment. parent or mentor, or copy another person’s looks, mannerisms,
Breaking point: Drive a member of your throng into Torment. and decisions.
Milestones: Be at risk of physical or emotional trauma and
Argentum survive by following your patron’s instructions. Experience a
The Refinement of Silver studies the spaces around the significant misfortune by disobeying your patron.
edges of humanity; as such, its Roles focus on dealing with other Breaking point: Put yourself into a position of leadership over
supernatural creatures. your patron, and have him follow your instructions.
Envoy Leader
The most pro-active Role of Argentum makes direct contact In contrast to the follower, the leader must earn the trust
with the supernatural. He may act as a medium or speaker with the of others. He may position himself as a “big brother” to a
dead, or have the unenviable task of brokering co-existence with an younger person, start a self-help group, or act as a leader
angry pack of werewolves. among her community.
Milestones: Broker peace with a group of supernatural creatures. Milestones: Have a group or community formally accept you
Help a ghost resolve its anchors and move on. as their spokesperson. Have someone under your care avoid harm
Breaking point: Attack a supernatural creature without because of your instructions.
provocation Breaking point: By your actions, cause your group to reject or
Observer shun you as an outsider.
The Observer watches the supernatural from far away. Sie draws Cobalus
her own conclusions on the supernatural by studying their actions
The Refinement of Cobalt’s focus on burning out the impurities
from afar, without involving hirself directly.
of the Promethean condition leads to Roles that study selfishness
Milestones: Discover a well-guarded secret — observing a mage’s
and vice. That way, a practitioner can identify them and discover
ritual or a demon’s true form. Make a lasting friend of someone
how to overcome them.
touched by the supernatural.
Breaking point: Directly intercede in the actions of a Confessor
supernatural creature. The Confessor hunts out other people’s unsavory activities. Sie
Warden wants insight into the criminal mind so sie goes out and finds it,
whether as an accomplice to a crime or as a bartender who hears
The Warden is concerned with her throng’s safety above all else.
everything but keeps hir mouth shut.
Too many supernatural creatures see humanity as prey, so they focus
Milestones: Be an accomplice to a major crime (grand theft,
on being ready — learning their strengths and weaknesses before
first-degree arson, or murder). Hear confessions to heinous and
the worst happens.
sickening crimes, but keep your council.
Milestones: Become friends with a human monster hunter.
Breaking point: Expose the crimes of someone who has

180
 roles

confided in you. Ferrum

Deviant The Refinement of Iron focuses on purifying the body. Its Roles
The Deviant throws himself headlong into a life of vice, getting enable that by driving adherents to a life of self-improvement and
a first-hand taste of what it’s like for a human to experience sin and self-sacrifice.
transgress against social norms. Whether he checks in to a psych ward
Exemplar
or joins a hate group, his personal experience is second to none.
Milestones: Indulge in your chosen sin for a significant Always willing to show off, an Exemplar’s prowess in her chosen
period of time. Perform a significant act of debasement that field is second only to her competitive nature. She wants people
leaves you enlightened. around her to be better than they are, and so she tests them against
Breaking point: Refuse an opportunity to indulge your chosen sins. her full ability.
Milestones: Be bested in a fair contest by someone you have
Provocateur trained. Become acknowledged as a world-class talent in your
A Provocateur doesn’t do bad things herself, but she’s happy chosen field.
to treat other people like experiments, spurring her target to Breaking point: Back down from a challenge in your chosen
greater excesses that indulge his dark side and push him out of field where your victory is uncertain.
his comfort zone.
Martyr
Milestones: Push your target into a physical confrontation that
destroys one of his relationships. Stir a community up into a fervor The Martyr focuses on endurance rather than prowess. He wants
towards a target of your choice. to take on endure and survive impossible physical odds, pushing
Breaking point: Talk your target down from committing a his body to greater and greater lengths to prove that the world has
sinful act. not conquered him.
Milestones: Survive physical injuries that would kill a normal
Cuprum human. Endure ongoing hardship (extreme environments, ongoing
torture) for longer than a normal human could.
The Roles of the Refinement of Copper focus on specific actions
Breaking point: Require someone else’s help to survive
that allow a Created to turn within herself, examining how the
physical hardship.
world reacts to her and how she can improve to better fit in with
the world around her. Soldier
Hermit The Soldier wants to protect hirself and others. Sie wants a
Pilgrimage that doesn’t just enrich hir, but that makes everyone
The Hermit stays away from people not because he fears them,
around hir that little bit safer. To that end, sie studies combat in
but because he needs to control his interactions. When he does
all its forms and stands ready to do her duty.
interact with people, it’s strictly on his own terms.
Milestones: Face a superior foe in single combat and win. Defeat
Milestones: Have a normal person approach you for your help.
a superior foe through strategy and positioning rather than direct
Return to a group of people you had walked away from, ready to
physical confrontation.
reintegrate.
Breaking point: Surrender to an enemy, allowing them to harm
Breaking point: Give in to the fear of other people, spending
your companions without challenge.
a week or more without social interaction.
Sage Mercurius
The Sage knows that the true worth of knowledge is what a These Roles are related to the Refinement of Quicksilver. They
seeker must overcome to find it. She sets herself apart and creates focus on exploring the internal and external alchemies of the
challenges for other people to overcome before they can reach Promethean condition, the nature of the Divine Fire, and strange
her — challenges that teach more than the Sage herself can impart. creatures and philosophies.
Milestones: Seek the assistance of another Sage and complete
Craftsman
her challenges. Teach another to take your place.
Breaking point: Dispense your secrets freely to anyone who asks. A Craftsman wants to mold the world in hir own image. Sie
might be a carpenter, a mechanic, or an architect — anything that
Watcher requires using hir knowledge and skills to make things. Sie studies
The Watcher is in the world, but not of it. Sie remains hidden, the way things connect together to understand the inherent alchemy
tracking and following people to observe how they act when zhe is in all things.
not around, to determine if sie makes a positive impact on the world. Milestones: Complete a significant project (design or build a
Milestones: Observe a social situation that would have gone house, rebuild a car from scratch) and give it away. Become known
better had you interceded. Shadow a person for a significant period among a group of humans as the person to go to for fixes and repairs.
without being noticed. Breaking point: Destroy something that you have built because
Breaking point: Reveal your presence to someone you you cannot bear to have anyone else use it.
are following.

181
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Explorer
The Explorer moves through the world, tracking down
manifestations of the Divine Fire. She looks for signs of Firestorms,
follows stories of qashmallim and Sublimati, and experiences the
Wasteland in order to harden herself against future manifestations.
Milestones: Experience a Firestorm and survive. Follow clues
to a series of Athanors that grant Elpis visions.
Breaking point: Deliberately avoid a chance to investigate the
Divine Fire’s work in order to deal with mundane concerns.
Scientist
The Scientist experiments with Pyros and the Divine Fire.
Perhaps the archetypal Mercurius Role, he often works out of an
alchemical workshop, trying to master both human and Promethean
alchemy.
Milestones: Successfully replicate a work of human alchemy.
Replicate an Athanor (except Jovian Athanors).
Breaking point: Refuse to perform an experiment on ethical grounds.

Phosphorum
Death is a part of life, and the Roles of the Refinement of
Phosphorus study human attitudes and reactions to death.
Daredevil
Pushing hirself beyond hir limits, a Daredevil takes joy in risk
and the proximity of death. Sie is deliberately reckless, throwing
hirself into foolhardy stunts in order to understand the thrill
humans get from the proximity of death.
Milestones: Take a risk with a significant (but not overwhelming)
chance of death and survive. Take a series of non-fatal but generally
self-destructive risks and don’t fail.
Breaking point: Back down from a challenge with a significant
chance of death because you are scared.
Psychopomp
A Psychopomp watches those intimate moments around death,
looking at the moment when the soul escapes. She also studies the
people who try to prevent — or cause — death, including surgeons,
EMTs, and assassins.
Milestones: Watch someone you have a relationship with die
when you could have done something. Pull someone back from
the brink of death.
Breaking point: Ignore someone who is close to death in favor
of dealing with the living.
Whip
The Whip sees what others could do if they only let go of their
inhibitions. He pushes other people to take that chance — quit
their job, marry their partner, or move halfway across the world.
By understanding how to convince humans to accept risk, he
understands risk itself.
Milestones: Have someone take a life-changing physical,
financial, or social risk, whether it pays off or not. Help many people
take smaller risks that may improve their lives.
Breaking point: Talk someone out of taking a risk that may
significantly change their life for the better.

182
 milestones

Plumbum Milestones: Injure or permanently drive off a close friend or

loved one. Terrorize a community.
The Refinement of Lead studies the Created state itself. Its Roles Breaking point: Offer non-violent help to people without
focus on what the Promethean is, and what she could become. expecting any reward.
Ascetic Vigilante
An Ascetic sequesters hirself from humanity, reflecting on what She may understand the desire to destroy, but the Vigilante can
sie can do and what that says about hirself. Sie is often happy to hold it together — just. She might have a specific location or group
share that information, but knows that any answers must come of people that she protects, or maybe she likes finding bad people
from within. and breaking heads. As long as she sticks to bad people, where’s
Milestones: Have another Promethean who has studied with the problem?
you take up this Role. Observe other Prometheans and understand Milestones: Kill or drive off a criminal element threatening your
how they differ from humans on a fundamental level. throng or community. Strike out against something you believe in
Breaking point: Reconnect with human society before because “justice” demands it.
understanding yourself. Breaking point: Let your target go because you cannot bring
Chronicler yourself to hurt them.

Milestones
A Chronicler talks to other Prometheans, learning whatever they
will tell him about their path towards the Great Work. In doing so,
he often must travel and stands a good chance of discovering clues
to Athanors and new impressions in the Azothic memory. The key points on a Created’s journey from her genesis to her
Milestones: Discover a hidden or lost Athanor. Discover final transformation come in the form of milestones. While the
enough of other Created’s Pilgrimages to discover underlying Pilgrimage trait measures how close she is to having the metaphysical
commonalities. reagents in place to undergo the New Dawn, a milestone is a specific
Breaking point: Discard the information you have gathered as moment when she learns something about the human condition.
inapplicable to your Pilgrimage. That momentary rush of understanding also brings with it an
Pilgrim element of supernatural power called Vitriol.
Milestones come in three distinct kinds. Universal milestones
The Pilgrim focuses on the road in front of him — not physical
are, as their name implies, milestones that all of the Created
travel, but the alchemical journey between Created and human.
must go through before performing the Great Work. Prescribed
She can’t directly influence or predict much of another Created’s
milestones reflect the Role that the Promethean has taken, as
journey, but if she can help, she will.
well as specific moments unique to her ongoing story. Instinctive
Milestones: Assist another Promethean in achieving a major
milestones are those that come about soon after the Promethean’s
or superlative milestone. Share stories with other Created of the
creation, moments that answer questions or otherwise define the
milestones your throng has encountered.
Promethean’s basic nature.
Breaking point: Steer another Promethean away from
completing a milestone.
Universal Milestones
Stannum Every Promethean has to complete the universal milestones
Each of the Refinement of Tin’s Roles focuses on a way that before she can complete the Great Work. If her Roles and
a Promethean can work through her built-up angst and Torment. knowledge of the Refinements are the alchemical reagents and
herself the crucible of the reaction, the universal milestones provide
Outcast
the necessary background and apparatus for the transmutation
The Outcast tries to find the diamonds among the shit of his to happen. Without completing all of the universal milestones,
life. Surrounding herself with people that society has discarded, she she cannot experience the New Dawn. The universal milestones
tries to work out her issues by understanding why humans choose correspond to the later operations of the Saturnine Night. Each
to ignore some of their own. Pilgrimage is unique, and characters can hit these milestones in
Milestones: Make a tangible improvement in the lives of those any order.
dispossessed around you. Lash out at those who offer acceptance A Promethean’s knowledge of these milestones (as with the other
and be accepted anyway. operations of the great work) comes from her connection to the
Breaking point: Become firm friends with a number of humans. Azothic memory. As such, this knowledge is as much instinct as it is
Savage conscious awareness. As they have no link to the Azothic memory,
The Savage lashes out at everything around hir. Being nice, Extempore do not know of these milestones, and may not be able
fitting in, all of that shit is too much work. The world hates hir, to achieve them even if they discover their existence. Most notably,
wants hir to be a monster? Bring it on. Sie revels in breaking things no known Extempore has so far come back from the River of Death.
for the sake of hearing them snap.

183
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

• Sublimato, sublimation — A Created may not know her resurrection, or the Milestone of Dust. The Promethean must
Pilgrimage to begin with, but she knows that it involves die and drink from one of the Rivers of Death, as dying is part
passing through a number of Refinements, and that each of what it is to live. Despite many Created leaving it until last,
has something to say about what it means to be Created and it is like the other universal milestones in that it can take part
what it means to be human. One Promethean encounters at any point during the Pilgrimage.
this milestone on completing her first Role. Another real-
izes the truth after completing her first Role in a complex
Refinement. Yet another only gains enlightenment after
Instinctive and
creating an Athanor. This milestone is separate from that Prescribed Milestones
involved in completing any given Refinement, as it focuses
The Storyteller creates the prescribed and instinctive milestones that
on the need for Refinements and Roles in general.
each character faces. She bases the instinctive milestones on the answers
• Separatio, division — The Promethean must understand the to the five questions asked during character creation (p. 101), and may ask
parts of herself that sets her apart from others, the effects more questions to draw out enough to make the milestones. Prescribed
of Disquiet and Torment. The precise expression of this milestones mostly come about through a character’s Role. While she
milestone varies. Some Prometheans must complete a Role might pick a milestone from the examples listed for each Role, the
in the Cuprum or Stannum Refinement; this is often the Storyteller is encouraged to come up with the exact milestone based on
case if one of those Refinements is already on her Pilgrimage. each character’s personality and circumstances. She will also come up
Alternatively, she may come to the understanding of this with further prescribed milestones based on the characters’ outlook and
milestone after falling into Torment or through causing actions, and the lessons that each individual Promethean learns. Further
significant Disquiet and a Wasteland. advice on creating milestones is available in Chapter Seven.
A player won’t typically know his characters’ instinctive or
• Ceratio, tentatively affixed — A Promethean must affix herself prescribed milestones, though he can likely get an idea of the
to the world by connecting to others of her own kind within instinctive milestones as they’re based on his input. As the story
it. Sometimes, this comes in the form of meeting another progresses, a Created receives Elpis visions and other signs that a
Created and taking her Measure (p. 84). Another encounters milestone is close. If the Promethean refuses to engage with these
this milestone when she joins a throng, or when that throng signs, and goes out of her way to ignore things that might propel
binds through the alchemical pact. Some others only achieve her along her Pilgrimage, she runs the risk of stepping backward.
this milestone when they use an Athanor that another
Created left to educate others — or when they themselves Magnitude
create an Athanor to benefit others. When a character achieves a milestone, she reaps the reward
• Fermentatio, fermentation — The Created are both reagent in the form of Vitriol. How much Vitriol she gains depends on
and crucible in their alchemical workings, and this milestone the magnitude of the milestone — whether it is minor, major, or
reflects that fact. Each Promethean is a reactor that ferments superlative. The type of a milestone has nothing to do with whether
Azoth into Vitriol. It might hit the first time the character it is instinctive, prescribed, or universal. One Promethean may
earns Vitriol Experience, or when she first spends Vitriol experience a moment of superlative understanding from a relatively
Experience. A few Prometheans only come to understanding brief instinctive milestone early in his Pilgrimage, while another
when they spend Vitriol to fix a specific Transmutation that finds great understanding comes from understanding her place in
speaks to their nature, or when they build up knowledge of the broader world, uncovering prescribed milestones.
the Pilgrimage from a number of lesser milestones. • A minor milestone gives between 1 and 3 Vitriol Beats.

• Multiplicatio, multiplication — Humans have a need to create, as • A major milestone gives a Vitriol Experience.
do those who would be human. This stage of the Great Work
requires the Promethean to pass on what she knows, to leave a • A superlative milestone gives a Vitriol Experience and a step
piece of her that will remain in the world after she undergoes the forward on the Pilgrimage.
New Dawn. Many choose to propagate their existence by sharing Completing a Role is never a minor milestone. If the related
knowledge, mentoring another Created and inducting him into Refinement is on the character’s Pilgrimage, it is a superlative
a complex Refinement, and generally passing on knowledge. milestone; otherwise, it’s a major milestone. Likewise, the anastasis
Others create a new Promethean, either out of a desire to expe- milestone is always superlative. Beyond that, the Storyteller
rience parenthood, or the belief that only by creating something determines which milestones are of what magnitude when working
to take her place can she ever transcend to a new state. out the milestones, as noted in Chapter Seven.
• Projectio, projection — As an operation, projectio involves passing Double Dipping
from dead stuff animated by Divine Fire into an actual living What happens when a character hits two milestones in one? Often,
human. It is the culmination of the Great Work, the moment of this comes when an instinctive milestone coincides with a prescribed
the New Dawn. As a milestone, scholars call it anastasis, meaning milestone related to the character’s Role. Often, this won’t be much

184
 creation

of a problem — the Storyteller can work around it when placing She then uses herself as a crucible and her Pyros as a solvent to
milestones for the character to hit. Sometimes, he can’t avoid it. dissolve a fragment of her own essence, creating a core of Azoth
A Promethean can complete multiple milestones as long as that passes to the new Promethean.
they’re not of the same magnitude. She cannot complete two In game terms, every two points of Pyros she spends grants her
superlative milestones at once, no matter how significant — the one die in her pool, up to a maximum dice pool of her Azoth (not
lesson of one overwhelms the lesson of the other. Otherwise, she subject to the usual per-turn limits for Pyros expenditure). She then
completes both and takes the rewards for both. applies the appropriate modifiers to the dice pool for her situation,
Other times, completing one milestone means being unable and rolls the resulting pool.
to complete another. If the completed milestone is the same or Roll Results
higher magnitude than the one she cannot complete, she suffers no
Dramatic Failure: The corpse shudders and jerks, splitting into a
consequences. If she gives up the chance to complete a milestone
writhing mass of Pandorans. Roll for Pandoran creation as a rote action.
of greater magnitude, she faces a breaking point.
Failure: The corpse twists, flesh twisting and tearing into a
Every step forward on the Pilgrimage is based on the lessons
number of Pandorans. Roll for Pandoran creation.
involved in completing one or more milestones. While a Created
Success: The creator is successful; her creation comes to life as a
can use the Vitriol that she gains from completing milestones to buy
new Promethean. It does not gain full consciousness for several days.
dots of Pilgrimage, she can only gain one dot of Pilgrimage from any
Exceptional Success: The new Promethean comes to full
source at any given milestone. If she gains enough Vitriol Experiences
awareness and capability by the end of the scene.
to buy a dot of Pilgrimage from a superlative milestone, she must wait
to spend it until she completes a major or minor milestone. Creation Modifiers

Creation –1 Per previous attempt at the generative act since her last
superlative milestone.
Many Created make more of their fellows, often in order to –1 Attempting the generative act over a period of hours rather
complete the multiplicato operation of the Great Work. Others than days.
honestly believe that it is their duty to bring new Prometheans –1 Per week the body has been dead.
into the world, for whatever reason. One believes that creating new –1 The Promethean is coerced into the generative act.
Prometheans siphons off portions of the Divine Fire, preventing
it from becoming all-consuming. Another believes that those –1 The creator is a Centimanus.
who undergo the New Dawn become better humans as they have –1 Generative act takes place in a Wasteland.
already strived to earn their state, and making more Prometheans –1 Per point of unspent Vitriol in the genitor’s body.
will improve humanity over time. A third is stuck in a Role of the
Mercurius Refinement; he’s long completed the Role but makes new –2 A human witness suffering Disquiet is present during the
generative act.
Prometheans to test new theories about the character’s condition.
The process of creation follows the operations of the Saturnine –2 The corpse is that of a Promethean who has undergone
Night. Some creators follow the progression of the human shell from the New Dawn.
birth to death — though most do not take a direct Role in shaping Whether she creates a Promethean or a clutch of Pandorans, the
the shell, for fear of alchemical contamination. Others act as hidden generative act leaks Pyros into the world, triggering a Wasteland
“guardian angels,” and still others take an active part in the shell-to- (p. 174).
be’s upbringing, as a mentor or companion. As such, they can help
the human progress through congelation and fixatio far faster than most Pandoran Creation
humans would manage. While the Created who do guide their charges
see themselves as helpers on a path, others find the obsession with Whenever a Promethean fails the roll to create another of her
driving a human to reach the point of fixatio so she can die and be kind, she creates Pandorans. When this happens, the Storyteller rolls
reborn as a creepy, morbid obsession that can end with the Promethean the creator’s Azoth as an unmodified dice pool. The Promethean’s
committing murder out of a twisted sense of love. Frankensteins who player cannot accept a dramatic failure on the result, though a
intervene in a potential shell’s life must divide their time between particularly twisted Centimani can choose to spend Willpower
many, as their host is a patchwork of body parts from different donors. to increase her dice pool. As the pool always has at least one die,
Once the human body dies, the creator must perform the Pandoran creation can never result in a dramatic failure.
operations of digestio and distillatio in order to prepare the body. Roll Results
The exact method used depends on the character’s Lineage; these Failure: The corpse tears itself apart, creating a single Pandoran.
are discussed in more detail in Chapter One. Success: One Pandoran is created per point of Pyros spent on

The Generative Act the creation roll.

Exceptional Success: Every five points of Pyros spent on
As she prepares the body to receive the Divine Fire, the creator the generative act creates a Sublimatus. Remaining Pyros creates
must spend a point of Pyros to ready the shell to receive her Azoth. Pandorans per a success.

185
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Pandorans created in this manner either slink away, finding in the wrong fashion. She cannot attempt the New Dawn until she
a place to undergo chrysalis, or enter a feeding frenzy. Frenzied has completed at least five more milestones, at least two of which
Pandorans expend all their energy and must consume Pyros by the must be superlative.
end of the scene or fall dormant; those with the instinct to run do
not have that limitation. Failure
The transformative reaction fizzles out. She has come to the
New Dawn perfect moment, ascended to the mountaintop…but something
goes wrong, and the reaction comes to a premature halt. Her Pyros
A Promethean’s Pilgrimage trait represents her gathering of the burns cold within her, and for a time everything reminds her that
knowledge that will allow her to attempt the Magnum Opus. If she she is a constructed creature, not a human being at all. She loses
succeeds, she undergoes the New Dawn and becomes truly human. If two dots of Pilgrimage and falls into Torment. She cannot attempt
she fails, it was not the right time; she must gather more knowledge the New Dawn until she has completed at least two milestones, one
to understand why she did not initially succeed. of which must be superlative.
In order to attempt the Magnum Opus, a Promethean must
complete at least eight Roles, including at least one Role in every
Success
Refinement that is on her Pilgrimage. Any Roles not related to her In a blaze of Divine Fire, the Promethean’s body burns away,
Pilgrimage do not count towards this transformation. She must replaced by the living flesh and blood of a normal person. Until the
also have completed all of the universal milestones. Centimani end of the scene, she remembers everything of her life as one of the
cannot attempt the Great Work. They have deliberately stepped Created. At the end of the scene, she falls asleep as a human being for
away from the Pilgrimage and must return to it before attempting the first time. She may remember everything or even have a measure
to find mortality. of access to the Divine Fire that once powered her every action. She
Attempting the Great Work before meeting these conditions may awake with no memory or close ties to the world around her.
automatically fails and affects her as though she had rolled a The player determines his character’s final fate based on the
dramatic failure, though the player does not take a Beat. If she Roles she has completed along her Pilgrimage. While she might have
meets these conditions, the player rolls Pilgrimage as a dice pool, completed additional Roles, they do not feed in to the result of the
subject to the following modifiers: Great Work. Her life is a synthesis of all of these portions of the human
experience, stitched together into a tapestry of flesh and memory.
New Dawn Modifiers
Her history as a human might match the path she took through
+1 The character has met her creator and understands her those Roles, with each one contributing a phase of her life. The
condition. Savage Role might translate to a period as a violent junkie, while
+1 The character has an Azoth of 6+. time as an Ascetic might become a period in the seminary.
+2 The character has a relationship with a normal, non- Alternatively, her history might reflect a synthesis of Roles, or
supernatural human being. she may have personality traits based upon them. A Promethean
who went through both the Savage and Ascetic Roles might be an
0 The character has completed ten Roles related to her
Pilgrimage. introvert who becomes belligerent and violent when people don’t
leave him alone, or might have spent time in solitary confinement
–1 The character has caused a Wasteland since her last for assaulting other prisoners.
superlative milestone.
Whatever the case, the player writes his character’s human
–1 The character has completed nine Roles related to her history based on her experiences on her Pilgrimage. This is the
Pilgrimage. place that the Great Work has created for her in the world. Even if
–2 The character has entered Torment since her last superlative she remembers her time among the Created, the world has changed
milestone. to reflect who she was. She may have a passport — or a criminal
–2 The character has completed eight Roles related to her record — for her human identity and have to fake amnesia until she
Pilgrimage. can piece it all together.
–5 The character has performed the lacuna in the last year. In game terms, the exact results depend on the number of
Refinements that the character has completed. If the character has
completed six or more Refinements, the player can choose whether
Dramatic Failure her character remembers her experiences, or remembers her human
On a dramatic failure, the Promethean loses control of the life. The character retains all of her Attributes and Skills as a human
transformation in a huge and dangerous way, with explosive results. being and has an Integrity trait equal to the number of Refinements
She creates a Blighted Wasteland around her, falls into Torment, and she has completed. She loses all Promethean-specific traits, including
loses three dots of Pilgrimage. It’s a huge shock, a sign that either her Refinement and Lineage, Pilgrimage, Bestowment, Azoth, Pyros,
the time was not right or she performed the alchemical operations and Transmutations.

186
 elpis visions

Refinements Effects such, while Elpis visions can provide hope that a small part of
the universe wants the Created to succeed, they also provoke a
4–5 The character’s memory is a jumbled and
patchy mess. She is missing large sections sense of dread — especially among those Prometheans who have
of who she was, or may even be entirely become stuck in a Role that they feel defines them.
amnesiac. She suffers constant nightmares of A few Created don’t wait for Elpis visions to find them,
her previous existence and gains the Broken instead searching the depths of Azothic memory or seeking
Condition. If she completed five Refinements, out Athanors to force themselves into Elpis visions. This is a
she loses the Broken Condition after a month
if she has not already resolved it. risky proposal. Spending too long in the Azothic memory can
kindle a Wasteland, while a Created can never be certain just
6–7 The character either remembers names, what kind of Athanor she will find. While some can spark Elpis
faces, and significant events from her past
life, or awakens with vague memories of a visions, others contain the pain and hatred of the creator — or
mundane human life at the player’s discretion. spark Firestorms.
She awakes with her clothes and possessions Most Elpis visions come in the form of a dream or
appropriate to her place in the world in the hallucination that reveals itself to the Promethean over time. He
same place she fell asleep. If she completed may feel like only minutes have passed, or that he has spent days
seven Refinements, the player can spend one
free dot on Social Merits to represent her in the vision, but most last for around an hour. In game terms,
place in the world. an Elpis vision gives the player a chance to ask the Storyteller
about her character’s Pilgrimage. Rather than playing out the
8–9 The character either remembers everything
of her previous life, or has specific memories whole vision, the Storyteller instead relates the key points that
of her human life. Whether she remembers or the player (and character) must interpret.
forgets, she awakes in a place appropriate Dice Pool: Wits + Azoth
to her new life; the player can spend two Action: Instant
dots on Social Merits to represent her new
connections to the world. If she completed Roll Results
nine Refinements, she either gains Unseen Dramatic Failure: The player asks a question as per a success;
Sense: Prometheans or an additional two the Storyteller should either give false information or a twisted
dots of mundane Social Merits, depending
on whether she remembers or forgets. version of the truth.
Failure: The vision holds no meaning.
10 The character gains ties to the mundane world
as though she had completed nine Refinements. Success: The player can ask the Storyteller one question from
If the character remembers everything, she can the list below. The Storyteller must frame the answer using the
use an Alembic of one Transmutation that she imagery of the vision, but it should be fairly straightforward for the
fixed in her previous life, substituting Willpower player — and character — to interpret. Where the question has more
for Pyros and Resolve, Composure, or Stamina than one answer (such as in the case of Roles and Refinements),
for Azoth (player’s choice). If she remembers
a mundane existence, the player can spend a the Storyteller should pick one.
further three dots on Social Merits to represent Exceptional Success: The player can ask two questions instead
it. The first time she succeeds at a breaking point of just one.
roll within the following month, she can reverse
her choice instead of gaining a Condition Elpis Questions
— regaining her memories and supernatural • What major or superlative milestone will I face soon?
power, or surrendering it for a normal life.
• How will I know I have completed my Role?

Exceptional Success • Who will play a significant part in the next steps of my
Pilgrimage?
Even in the brief moment before the New Dawn, the Promethean
can discover more about what it means to be human — and about • Which Role must I take on soon?
the alchemical transformation currently affecting her. She becomes
human as though she had completed one extra Refinement. • Which Refinement must my Pilgrimage still go through?

Elpis Visions • Which universal milestone am I closest to?

All of the Created can call upon the last aspect of Pyros Forcing a Vision
left in Pandora’s box. Called Elpis, or Hope, this power urges The Storyteller normally starts Elpis visions (see Chapter Seven
a Promethean along her Pilgrimage. Elpis is not, however, a for more information). A Promethean can meditate on the Azothic
benevolent force. It urges a Created towards humanity, forcing memory to try to spark a vision. She must spend at least an hour
him onward even when he would rather take a moment to breathe in a meditation, lucid dreaming, or in a hallucinogenic vision to
and more fully understand what he has encountered so far. As start the search.

187
 CHAPTER THREE: ALCHEMY

Each character can only try to force an Elpis vision in this way Action: Instant and contested
once per story. Doing it more often always results in a Wasteland. Dice Pool: Strength + Occult (Prometheans) or Brawl
He can still receive Elpis visions from some Athanors or have them (Pandorans) vs. Stamina + Resolve
instigated by the Storyteller without ill effects. Searching Azothic Roll Results
memory is the dangerous part, not the vision itself — not normally,
Dramatic Failure: The admixture of alchemical substances and
anyway.
mystic reagents throws the attacker’s humours out of balance. She
Dice Pool: Composure + Azoth
suffers a –2 penalty to all actions for the rest of the scene.
Action: Instant
Failure: The reaper does not extract any Vitriol from the victim.
Roll Results Success: The reaper extracts one unspent Vitriol Beat from the
Dramatic Failure: The search flares Pyros into the environment, victim per success rolled and takes it into herself. Vitriol Experiences
beginning or Festering a Wasteland. break down into five Beats for the purpose of the lacuna. She can roll
Failure: The Promethean may come up with odd facts and trivia again next turn to extract more without prompting further breaking
from his meditation, but does not find anything of relevance to his points. She can only take as many Vitriol Beats as the victim has
Pilgrimage or spark an Elpis vision. available; once Vitriol is spent, the lacuna cannot extract it.
Success: The character falls into an Elpis vision. Exceptional Success: In addition to stealing Vitriol, the lacuna
Exceptional Success: The character falls into an Elpis vision and saps some of the victim’s will. He suffers the Broken Condition.
recalls things from the Azothic memory that help him interpret the Pandorans who successfully perform the lacuna can transform
vision; the interpretation roll receives a 2-die bonus. Vitriol Beats into Pyros on a one-for-one basis. Alternatively
a Pandoran can combine five stole Vitriol Beats into a Vitriol
Lacuna Experience. If it does so, it grows into a sublimatus.
If the victim of a lacuna is able to retrieve the Vitriol and ingest
For some Prometheans, Vitriol is a thing to steal, not to earn. it before it has been consumed, the memories and milestones are
These disturbed Created are mostly Centimani, who cannot restored. This is a rare occurrence, however, and is unlikely to occur
generate Vitriol of their own as they have stepped aside from their in the normal scheme of things.

Athanors
Pilgrimage. Some are not; Prometheans on their Pilgrimage who
enjoy the rush of using Vitriol to cement their Transmutations and
cannot wait for their internal alchemies to produce more may tear
it from their fellows. Pandorans, too, reap Vitriol from the Created, A Promethean can create an Athanor when she is ready to leave
using it to fuel their transformation into sublimati. Those Pandoran something for future Created. She must have completed three Roles
monsters can use more stolen Vitriol to develop Transmutations. of the same Refinement. She can then embed everything she has
The process of stealing Vitriol — of stealing away the evidence of learned into a physical symbol — an item, a marking, or a shrine —
a Promethean’s progress upon her Pilgrimage — is called the lacuna. that acts as a key into the Azothic memory, passing on a fragment
Tearing into a Promethean and pulling out the viscous, acidic of what she has learned. Doing so lights a furnace within her that
fluid is not the worst part of the experience. That substance is the consumes everything she has passed into the Athanor, burning the
alchemical distillation of the knowledge the victim has accrued on Refinement’s lessons and philosophy into herself.
her Pilgrimage. Some victims experience blank spots; a complete loss To create an Athanor, the Promethean spends a Vitriol
of memory around a milestone. Others can remember the milestone Experience and rolls Azoth. The first time she successfully creates
but in a detached way, without the emotional or spiritual link that an Athanor is a superlative milestone and may, at the Storyteller’s
sparked her discovery. The sudden loss of memory is a violation of discretion, fulfill the ceratio universal milestone. Further Athanors
his very self, and leaves the Created worrying what else he might are a major milestone.
lose were another to perform the lacuna upon her again. Dice Pool: Azoth
The creature performing the lacuna gains none of the victim’s Action: Instant
memories. Vitriol is both a catalyst and a byproduct of a milestone, a Roll Results
fungible substance that doesn’t carry the memory of a specific event.
Dramatic Failure: Something goes wrong. The Promethean does
Even if the victim were to perform lacunae against his attackers, he
not empty herself of her understanding but of her darkest emotions,
would not get the lost memory back.
pouring her despair into the Jovian Athanor.
A Promethean performing a lacuna upon another of her kind
Failure: The Promethean cannot internalize the necessary
must restrain her victim, or otherwise leave him unable to resist.
lessons; as such, she does not create the Athanor.
She grabs and squeezes her victim’s body, and may even plunge her
Success: The Promethean creates the Athanor she desires.
hands deep into his chest to coax the Vitriol out. It takes about
Exceptional Success: The Promethean creates any Athanor she
ten minutes for the Vitriol to bubble up to the surface, when the
desires, in addition to a Refinement Furnace. If she had intended
attacker can consume it herself. Performing a lacuna is always a step
to create a Refinement Furnace, she creates a Refinement Mentor
backwards. Should the attacker succeed, her roll to resist stepping
as well.
backward is reduced to a chance die.

188
 athanors

Types of Athanors Sanctuary

A Promethean can create all manner of Athanors, which have a When around a Sanctuary Athanor, the Promethean’s dice
variety of effects depending on the portion of the Azothic memory pool for causing Disquiet is reduced to a chance die; rolls to resist
that the key unlocks. The Refinement that she has completed must Torment do not suffer the Promethean’s Azoth as a penalty. It also
relate to the function of the Athanor, but that depends as much prevents Pandorans from discovering anyone near. A Sanctuary’s
on the Promethean’s attitudes to the Roles she has completed as effects extend out two yards per dot of the creator’s Pilgrimage.
to the Refinement itself. Vitriol Fount
Firestorm Catalyst A Vitriol Fount produces the viscous, black liquid form of
Firestorm Catalysts are highly dangerous Athanors that only a Vitriol, which it exudes when accessed by a Promethean touches
few Savants ever create. By touching the Athanor and spending a it and spends a point of Pyros. This Athanor possesses Vitriol
point of Pyros, the Athanor creates a widespread Azothic Firestorm. Experiences equal to half the creator’s Pilgrimage. Once depleted,
Determine the Firestorm’s Aspects and consequences when creating they can take decades to recover.
the Athanor; its Strength and duration is equal to half the successes Jovian Athanor
rolled at creation (round up).
A Jovian Athanor is the result of a Promethean pouring out
Pilgrimage Marker her negative experiences into an Athanor. When she creates
A Pilgrimage Marker is a tool for teaching other Created the Athanor, she immediately resolves any negative Persistent
about the journey from monster to human. Meditating upon the Conditions, as they are moved into the Athanor.
Pilgrimage Marker sparks an Elpis vision. After the vision, the The effects of each Jovian Athanor are different, but can include:
Storyteller informs the player of an upcoming milestone. A Created • The Athanor attracts any Pandorans within (100 x creator’s
can only use a given Pilgrimage Marker once. Azoth) yards.
Refinement Furnace • The creator loses a point of Azoth, which only returns once
The Refinement Furnace links the Promethean with the the Jovian Athanor is destroyed.
understanding that she gained from her Refinement. While she
• Anyone touching the Athanor falls into Torment.
carries it with her — as a tattoo, brand, or a physical token — she can
use the Transmutations of the Refinement she completed without • Any Promethean within 100 yards of the Athanor causes
fixing them with Vitriol. If she has already fixed a Transmutation, Disquiet without a roll.
she gets the spent Vitriol back. Only the creator can use a
Refinement Furnace. • The Athanor places the creator’s mark on the area, creating a
Wasteland. The Athanor Festers the Wasteland by remaining in
Refinement Mentor the area.
One of the most common Athanors along with the Pilgrimage Any Promethean can attempt to destroy a Jovian Athanor, but
Marker, a Refinement Mentor can teach a complex Refinement. it is dangerous. He must work through whatever emotional trauma
The user must meditate upon its secrets for a period of hours, but inspired the Jovian Athanor’s creation, which is a breaking point.
is then able to take a Role in that Refinement. He also takes on any Conditions in the Athanor. Once he has
resolved the Conditions and worked through the emotional trauma,
he destroys the Jovian Athanor.

189
 THE GREAT WORK:
PART IV
Imam prayed under his breath. He prayed in every tongue there was in The New Word, shifting language without pause.
The subject would change often: the throng, the field, humanity, but most of all, Wisher. He would look back across the
field every so often, where he could see Wisher and Roark sitting and talking just out of earshot.
The clouds were gathering. A cold wind blew through the field and made him shiver. It was getting to Clay’s Girl,
too. He saw her pull her hood up and dig her hands deep into the pockets of her jacket. He tried to do the same, but the
pockets on his dress pants were too shallow for his large hands. He looked at the grass stains on the cuffs and tried to
pull them off the ground as he walked.
Clay’s Girl scoffed. “No sense in worrying about that. We’ll be done here soon.” She scattered the undergrowth and
examined the branches of trees. Her observations were careful and deliberate. Imam had seen this kind of attention to
detail before, when she would get nervous. She had acted like this during the trip, always looking around to search for
things that were not there. Then she stopped and whispered to him, “I think I saw something in that brush over there.”
Imam looked. It was as dark and empty as the rest of the forest around them. Wisher claimed that it had to be this
field, in this clearing of a forest, but nothing struck him as significant about it. No saints had died here, for example, and
there was no deeper meaning to the clearing’s shape. The Principle and its will were as confusing as ever.
The two combed through the bushes and looked around every dark spot, but there was nothing to be found. Clay’s
Girl stood still and tried to listen to the forest, but the wind covered any noise she could have heard. She groaned and
kicked a bush. “I can’t find a damn thing!” she cried.
A thought came to Imam, and he spoke it aloud. “If you didn’t want to be here, you didn’t have to come.”
She glared at him. “Is that what you think this is about?”
“I don’t want to see her go either,” he said, “I don’t think it’s her time.”
“Screw you, Imam. I’m trying to keep us safe.”
“Because of what happened to you?”
He saw her make a fist and then open it. She took a deep breath. “I’m not worried about that,” she said. “Not the part
that involves me. That’s done.”
Imam wanted to say something to her, but before he could find the words, he saw her eyes grow wide.
She rushed over to a group of trees, and pointed at one of them. “I knew it!”
Imam looked and saw that the bark on the tree had multiple slits made into it. The slits were packed
together in fours.
“I saw these around our apartment last week,” she said. “Saw them at the rest stop too, before we got here.”
He already knew what it was, and he felt his hands shake. The slices were too clean and deep to be
anything else.
Clay’s Girl grimaced. “We were followed.”
“Yes,” said a voice from the forest canopy. “Yes, you were.”
 Dear Cleo,
I learned something important today, and I wanted to hear what you thought about it.
Anthony and Paul — those two men I wrote you about last week — cornered me on my way home from work. I could
read the rage in their body language, both of them tense and shaking. I’d been playing with both of them off and on. I
hadn’t bothered to tell them about each other. Apparently they’d beaten me to it.
They were talking all sorts of nonsense, each of them saying that I was “his.” I don’t get it. Eliza taught me that it
was just a game: you bow your head, you submit, you say and do what you’re told. She made me, and I thought that she
was the only person I’d ever really belong to.
I probably should have tried to calm them down, but you know how it is. The fire makes them crazy — the fire makes
us crazy. I said something cruel and entirely fair about the both of them. And then suddenly they were both on top of me,
driving me down, pounding me with fists and elbows.
They didn’t get it. Months of playing with me, and they didn’t understand that I am built to endure. My body is
slender and my skin is pale. My eyes are large and dark and my eyelashes are almost too long to be a boy’s. That’s true.
But Eliza made me to stand up to all the things she wanted to do, but couldn’t do to a human without killing him. I am
made of iron and concrete, and I know how to deal with pain. The things I do for fun hurt worse than what they were
trying to do to me.
When I’d had enough, I got my feet under me and stood with so much force that they flew apart, smashing into the
brick walls on either side of the alley. That’s when the world went red for a little while, and the fire had me completely. I
don’t remember what happened next.
The next thing I remember was kneeling over Tony, hitting him again and again. My knuckles were wet with blood,
and there were places where his face and body had split open from blunt trauma. He was still alive and conscious, trying
to get his bruised hands between my fists and his face and begging me to stop.
I did stop. He didn’t look like he was a threat anymore, so I stood up. I could see Paul in my peripheral vision, lying
in a heap — not moving, but still breathing. I hadn’t killed anyone this time, which was good.
The fire still twisted inside me, wanting more pain and not caring who it came from. Remember what I told you Eliza
had always said? That I should listen to the fire — that it knows the way. Why was it so angry? What did the fire
know that I didn’t? When I spoke, the words just came out of me, and I knew they were true as I said them.
This is what I said:
“I don’t belong to you, and I don’t belong to Paul, either. I don’t belong to Eliza. I’m not anyone’s thing. I’m mine.”
Then I left them there, bleeding in the alleyway.
I think I’ll have to move on soon. How are things in Seattle?
Love,
Nicci
 This section contains the basic rules for playing Promethean: The Created. More
information, system variants, and examples can be found in the Chronicles of Darkness
Rulebook.

Traits
In addition to the supernatural traits of the Created, Chronicles of Darkness characters
have mundane traits common to mortals and 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. Willpower is also used for So many pretty parts
some supernatural powers.
Finally, most human characters possess a personal Virtue and Vice from which they can
and no pretty wholes.
draw strength and refill Willpower, much the same way a Promethean derives Willpower
from her Elpis and Torment. —May Canaday, May

Attributes
Attributes represent essential traits that every character possesses by default. These serve
as the foundation for most rolls in Promethean: The Created. 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.
All Attributes receive one free dot. This reflects a below-average capacity. Two dots are
about human average. Three and four reflect a high level of competency, while five reflects
the height of human potential in that field. When creating your character, prioritize each
category. The primary category receives five dots, the secondary four, and the tertiary three.

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: Memorization (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 + Composure, reflexive action)
 CHAPTER FOUR: RULES

Physical Attributes represents a high level of competency. Four is outstanding, and five
is absolute mastery of the discipline.
Physical Attributes reflect your character’s bodily fitness When creating your character, prioritize categories. The primary category
and acumen. receives eleven dots, the secondary receives seven, and the tertiary four.
We’ve listed sample actions for each Skill; these lists are just
Strength common actions and should not be taken as comprehensive guides
Strength is your character’s muscular definition and capacity to to Skill usage. We also suggest dice pools, but it’s important to
deliver force. It affects many physical tasks, including most actions look at the context of the scene and apply the best Attribute + Skill
in a fight. combination for the events at hand. Also remember that equipment
Attribute Tasks: Breaking a barrier (Strength + Stamina, instant and environmental modifiers can shift a dice pool. We’ve listed
action), lifting objects (Strength + Stamina, instant action) some sample equipment and factors that could enhance Skill
usage. You can find deeper rules for equipment in the Chronicles
Dexterity of Darkness Rulebook.
Dexterity is your character’s speed, agility, and coordination. It Using a Skill with no dots incurs a penalty. For Physical and
provides balance, reactions, and aim. Social Skills, it levies a –1 die penalty to the roll. For a Mental Skill,
Attribute Tasks: Keeping balance (Dexterity + Composure, it’s a –3 die penalty.
reflexive action)

Stamina
Mental Skills
Mental Skills are largely learned as opposed to practiced. They
Stamina is your character’s general health and sturdiness. It reflect knowledge and procedure, lore and understanding.
determines how much punishment your character’s body can handle
before it gives up. Academics
Attribute Tasks: Staying awake (Stamina + Resolve, instant action) Academics is a broad Skill representing your character’s higher

Social Attributes education and knowledge of the arts and humanities. It covers
language, history, law, economics, and related fields. The Created
Social Attributes reflect your character’s ability to deal often study history, literature, and philosophy looking for a way to
with others. relate to the world.
Sample actions: Recall trivia (Intelligence + Academics, instant
Presence action), Research (Intelligence + Academics, extended action),
Presence is your character’s assertiveness, gravitas, and raw Translation (Intelligence + Academics, extended action)
appeal. It gives your character a strong bearing that changes moods Suggested equipment: Internet access (+1), Library (+1 to +3),
and minds. Professional consultant (+2)
Attribute Tasks: Good first impressions (Presence + Composure, Specialties: Anthropology, Art History, English, History, Law,
instant action) Literature, Religion, Research, Translation

Manipulation Computer
Manipulation is your character’s ability to make others Computer is your character’s advanced ability with computing.
cooperate. It’s how smoothly she speaks, and how much people While most characters in the Chronicles of Darkness are expected
can read into her intentions. to know the basics, the Computer Skill allows your character to
Attribute Tasks: Poker face (Manipulation + Composure) program computers, crack into systems, diagnose major problems,
and investigate data. This Skill reflects advanced techniques and
Composure tricks; almost everyone can operate a computer for email and basic
Composure is your character’s poise and grace under fire. It’s Internet searches.
his dignity and ability to remain unfazed when harrowed. Sample actions: Hacking a system (Intelligence + Computer,
Attribute Tasks: Meditation (Resolve + Composure, extended action, contested if against a security administrator or
extended action) other hacker), Internet search (Wits + Computer, instant action),
Programming (Intelligence + Computer, extended action)
Skills Suggested equipment: Computer system (+0 to +3, by performance),
Custom software (+2), Passwords (+2)
Whereas Attributes represent innate ability, Skills reflect Specialties: Data Retrieval, Graphics, Hacking, Internet,
behaviors learned and honed over a lifetime. These are things that Programming, Security, Social Media
could be practiced or learned from a book. Similarly to Attributes,
Skills are divided into Mental, Physical, and Social categories. Crafts
Skills do not receive free dots at character creation. Skills without
Crafts reflects your character’s knack with creating and repairing
dots are deficient or barely capable. Skills with a single dot reflect a
things. From creating works of art to fixing an automobile, Crafts
cursory training. Two dots are sufficient for professional use. Three

194
 traits

is the Skill to use. Prometheans use Crafts to build shelters and she intends. With Politics, she knows the right person to ask to
repair vehicles, as well to create art that expresses the vagaries of get something done.
the Pilgrimage. Sample actions: Cut red tape (Manipulation + Politics, extended
Sample actions: Appraisal (Wits + Crafts, instant action), action), Identify authority (Wits + Politics, instant action), Sully
Counterfeit item (Intelligence + Crafts, extended action), Create reputations (Manipulation + Politics, extended action)
art (Intelligence + Crafts, extended action), Repair item (Wits + Suggested equipment: Official position (+1 to +5, by Status)
Crafts, extended action) Specialties: Bureaucracy, Church, Democratic, Invictus, Local,
Suggested equipment: Point of reference (+1), Quality materials Organized Crime, Scandals
(+2), Tools (+1 to +3, depending on utility and specialty), Well-
equipped workplace (+2) Science
Specialties: Automotive, Cosmetics, Fashion, Forging, Graffiti, Science is your character’s knowledge and understanding of the
Jury-Rigging, Painting, Perfumery, Repair, Sculpting physical and natural sciences, such as biology, chemistry, geology,
meteorology, and physics.
Investigation Sample actions: Assess variables (Intelligence + Science, instant
Investigation is your character’s skill with solving mysteries and or extended action), Formulate solution (Intelligence + Science,
putting together puzzles. It reflects the ability to draw conclusions, extended action)
find meaning out of confusion, and use lateral thinking to find Suggested equipment: Reference library (+1 to +3), Well-stocked
information where others could not. laboratory (+2)
Sample actions: Examining a crime scene (Wits + Investigation, Specialties: Physics, Chemistry, Neuroscience, Virology, Alchemy,
extended action), Solving riddles (Intelligence + Investigation, Genetics, Hematology
instant or extended action)
Suggested equipment: Forensic kit (+1), Unrestricted access (+2), Physical Skills
Reference library (+2) Physical Skills are those practiced, trained, and learned through action.
Specialties: Artifacts, Autopsy, Body Language, Crime Scenes,
Cryptography, Dreams, Lab Work, Riddles Athletics
Medicine Athletics reflects a broad category of physical training and ability.
It covers sports and basic physical tasks such as running, jumping,
Medicine reflects your character’s knowledge of the human dodging threats, and climbing. It also determines a character’s ability
body and how to fix it and keep it in working order. Characters with thrown weapons. Over time, most Prometheans will develop at
with Medicine can make efforts to stem life-threatening wounds and least the rudiments of Athletics; when Disquiet builds, sometimes
illnesses. While Prometheans don’t generally benefit from Medicine, running is the only answer.
the humans they love (or hate) do, making this Skill useful. Sample actions: Acrobatics (Dexterity + Athletics, instant
Sample actions: Diagnosis (Wits + Medicine, instant action), action), Climbing (Strength + Athletics, extended action), Foot
Treating wounds (Intelligence + Medicine, extended action) chase (Stamina + Athletics, contested action), Jumping (Strength +
Suggested equipment: Medical tools (+1 to +3), Trained assistance Athletics, instant action, one foot vertically per success)
(+1), Well-stocked facilities (+2) Suggested equipment: Athletic Shoes (+1), Rope (+1)
Specialties: First Aid, Pathology, Pharmaceuticals, Physical Specialties: Acrobatics, Archery, Climbing, Jumping, Parkour,
Therapy, Surgery Swimming, Throwing
Occult Brawl
The Occult Skill is your character’s knowledge of things Brawl reflects your character’s ability to tussle and fight without
hidden in the dark, legends and lore. While the supernatural weapons. This includes old-fashioned bar brawls as well as complex
is unpredictable and often unique, the Occult Skill allows your martial arts (Chapter Three of this book and Chronicles of
character to pick out facts from rumor. Darkness Rulebook offer Merits to complement unarmed fighters).
Sample actions: Identify the sliver of truth (Wits + Occult, instant Most of the Created have at least a basic ability to defend themselves
action), Relate two similar myths (Intelligence + Occult, instant or — sooner or later, it becomes necessary.
extended action) Sample actions: Breaking boards (Strength + Brawl, instant action),
Suggested equipment: Well-Stocked Library (+2) Hand-to-hand combat (covered in the combat section, p.204)
Specialties: Angels, Alchemy, Mystic Places, Casting Suggested equipment: Brass Knuckles (+1)
Lots, Phrenology, Sorcery, Supernatural Being (specify), Specialties: Biting, Boxing, Dirty Fighting, Grappling, Martial
Superstition, Witchcraft Arts, Threats, Throws
Politics Drive
Politics reflects a general knowledge of political structures Drive is the skill to control and maneuver automobiles,
and methodologies, but more practically shows your character’s motorcycles, boats, and even airplanes. A character can drive a car
ability to navigate those systems and make them work the way

195
 CHAPTER FOUR: RULES

without Drive dots; the Skill relates to moments of high stress, such magicians and other entertainers learn these skills as part of their
as a high-speed chase or trying to elude a tail. It’s assumed that most repertoire.
modern characters have a basic ability to drive. As well, Drive can Sample actions: Bypass security systems (Dexterity + Larceny,
reflect your character’s skill with horseback riding, if appropriate extended action), Lockpicking (Dexterity + Larceny, extended
to her background. action), Pickpocketing (Dexterity + Larceny, contested action)
Sample actions: Impressive maneuvering (Dexterity + Drive, Suggested equipment: Crowbar (+1), Crowded area (+2), Lockpicks
instant action), Pursuit (Dexterity + Drive, contested action), Tailing (+2), Partner in crime (+1)
(Wits + Drive, contested action) Specialties: Breaking and Entering, Concealment, Lockpicking,
Suggested equipment: Performance vehicle (+1 to +3) Pickpocketing, Safecracking, Security Systems, Sleight of Hand
Specialties: Defensive Driving, Evasion, Off-Road Driving,
Motorcycles, Pursuit, Stunts Stealth
Stealth reflects your character’s ability to move unnoticed and
Firearms unheard or blend into a crowd. Every character approaches Stealth
Firearms reflects your character’s ability to identify, maintain, differently; some use distraction, some disguise, while some are
and otherwise use guns. This Skill covers everything from small just hard to keep an eye on. Pariahs find this Skill indispensable,
pistols, to shotguns, to assault rifles, and anything else related. (You of course, but all Prometheans eventually need to sneak away or
can find numerous Merits and further rules for firearms combat in watch someone unnoticed.
the Chronicles of Darkness Rulebook.) Sample actions: Losing a tail (Wits + Stealth, contested action),
Sample actions: Firearms combat (see p. 207 for more on how Shadowing (Dexterity + Stealth, contested action)
firearms combat works) Suggested equipment: Binoculars (+1), Dark Clothing (+1),
Suggested equipment: See p. 208 for a full list of firearms Smokescreen (+2), Spotters (+1)
Specialties: Handguns, Rifles, Shotguns, Trick Shots Specialties: Camouflage, Crowds, In Plain Sight, Rural,
Shadowing, Stakeout, Staying Motionless
Larceny
Larceny covers intrusion, lockpicking, theft, pickpocketing, and Survival
other (generally considered) criminal activities. This Skill is typically Survival represents your character’s ability to “live off the land.”
learned on the streets, outside of formal methods. However, stage This means finding shelter, finding food, and otherwise procuring

196
 traits

the necessities for existence. This could be in either a rural or urban Intimidation
environment. This skill also covers the ability to hunt for animals
or, under the right circumstances, people. Intimidation reflects your character’s ability to influence others’
Sample actions: Foraging (Wits + Survival, extended action), behavior through threats and fear. It could mean direct physical
Hunting (for animals, Wits + Survival, extended action) threats, interrogation, or veiled implications of things to come.
Suggested equipment: Survival Guide (+1), Survival Knife (+1) Sample actions: Interrogation (Wits + Intimidation, contested
Specialties: Foraging, Hunting, Navigation, Shelter, Weather action), Staredown (Presence + Intimidation, contested action)
Suggested equipment: Fearsome tools (+2), Gang colors (+2),
Weaponry Isolated room (+1)
Specialties: Direct Threats, Interrogation, Stare Down, Torture,
Weaponry is the ability to fight with hand-to-hand weapons:
Veiled Threats
from swords, to knives, to baseball bats, to chainsaws. If the intent
is to strike another and harm him, Weaponry is the right Skill. Persuasion
(You can find numerous Merits for Weaponry-based fighting in the
Chronicles of Darkness Rulebook.) Persuasion is your character’s ability to change minds and
Sample actions: Attacking another (see p. 208 for more on influence behaviors through logic, fast-talking, or appealing to
Weaponry combat) desire. It relies on the force of your character’s personality to sway
Suggested equipment: See p. 209 for a full list of weapons the listener. Prometheans find this Skill important for talking their
Specialties: Chains, Clubs, Improvised Weapons, Spears, Swords way out of trouble.
Sample actions: Fast Talk (Manipulation + Persuasion, extended
Social Skills action), Firebranding (Presence + Persuasion, instant action),
Seduction (Manipulation + Persuasion, extended action)
Animal Ken Suggested equipment: Designer Clothing (+1 to +3), Reputation (+2)
Specialties: Confidence Scam, Fast Talking, Inspiring, Sales Pitch,
Animal Ken reflects your character’s ability to train and Seduction, Sermon
understand animals. With Animal Ken, your character can cow
beasts or rile them to violence under the right circumstances. Socialize
Sample actions: Animal training (Manipulation + Animal Ken, Socialize reflects your character’s ability to present herself well
extended action), Cowing an animal (Presence + Animal Ken, and interact with groups of people (alive or dead). It reflects proper
contested action) (and setting-appropriate) etiquette, customs, sensitivity, and warmth.
Suggested equipment: Treats (+1), Whip (+1) A character with a high Socialize is the life of the party. Socialize is a
Specialties: Animalism, Canines, Felines, Reptiles, Threatening, survival tool among humanity, especially once Disquiet starts to build.
Training Sample actions: Carousing (Manipulation + Socialize, instant
Empathy action), Fitting in (Wits + Socialize, instant action), Getting
attention (Presence + Socialize, instant action)
Empathy represents your character’s ability to read and Suggested equipment: Drugs (+1), Knowing People (+1), Money
understand others’ feelings and motivations. This helps discern (+1 to +5)
moods or read deceptive behavior in discussion. It is not inherently Specialties: Bar Hopping, Church Lock-in, Dress Balls, Formal
sympathetic; one can understand another’s positions without Events, Frat Parties, Political Fundraisers, the Club
agreeing with them. Developing Empathy is difficult but ultimately
necessary for the Created. Streetwise
Sample actions: Finding someone’s pain (Wits + Empathy, The Streetwise Skill is your character’s knowledge of life on the
contested action), Sense deception (Wits + Empathy, contested streets. It tells her how to navigate the city, how to get information
action), Soothing nerves (Manipulation + Empathy, instant action) from unlikely sources, and where she’ll be (relatively) safe. If she
Suggested equipment: Muted clothing (+1), Relaxing environment (+2) wants to get something on the black market, Streetwise is how she’ll
Specialties: Calming, Emotion, Lies, Motives, Personalities know what to do.
Expression Sample actions: Finding a shortcut (Wits + Streetwise, instant
action), Working the black market (Manipulation + Streetwise,
The Expression Skill reflects your character’s ability to instant action)
communicate. This Skill covers written and spoken forms of Suggested equipment: Burner phone (+1), Known nickname (+2),
communication, journalism, acting, music, and dance. Prometheans Valuable contraband (+1 to +3)
find that humans are often willing to tolerate eccentricity from artists. Specialties: Black Market, Gangs, Navigation, Rumors, Undercover
Sample actions: Composing (Intelligence + Expression, extended
action), Performance (Presence + Expression, instant action) Subterfuge
Suggested equipment: Quality instrument (+1 to +3) Subterfuge is the ability to deceive. With Subterfuge, your
Specialties: Dance, Drama, Journalism, Musical Instrument, character can lie convincingly, project hidden messages in what she
Performance Art, Singing, Speeches says, hide motivations, and notice deception in others. Lying comes

197
 CHAPTER FOUR: RULES

easier to some Prometheans than others; sometimes it’s natural,

sometimes it follows a hard lesson.
Speed
Sample actions: Disguise (Wits + Subterfuge, instant action), Lying Your character’s Speed is the number of yards or meters she can
(Manipulation + Subterfuge, contested action) travel in a single turn. This trait is a combination of her Strength,
Suggested equipment: Costume Supplies (+2), Fake ID (+1) Dexterity, and a species factor that reflects her age, physical
Specialties: Detecting Lies, Doublespeak, Hiding Emotion, Little configuration, Size and other considerations.
White Lies, Misdirection Other species, such as horses and cheetahs, have physical
configurations that lend themselves to high travel rates.
Skill Specialties
In addition to Skills, your character possesses Skill Specialties. Factor Species
These are refinements of broader Skills: narrower than the main
Skill, and defining your character’s particular expertise. For example, 1 Turtle
your character might have three dots in Firearms but a Specialty in 3 Human toddler
Rifles. This means he’s capable with all guns, but particularly good 5 Human adult
with rifles. If you look to the Skill descriptions, you’ll see example
8 Wolf
Specialties. The Storyteller is the ultimate arbiter of what constitutes
a Specialty and what doesn’t; Specialties that are too broad or too 10 Caribou
narrow can hurt the story or never come into play. 12 Horse
If a Specialty applies to your roll, add a die. Multiple Specialties
15 Cheetah
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 Rolling Dice
choice guide his development. For example, there’s a huge difference
When your character is trying to accomplish something and the
between a character with Brawl 4 (Bar Fights) and Brawl 4 (Aikido).
outcome is in doubt, you roll a pool of ten-sided dice based on his
Virtues and Vices relevant traits and read the results to determine success. Most of the
time, you roll a number of dice equal to an Attribute plus a Skill.
Virtue and Vice are traits that human characters possess instead of For example, to get the cop off your back, you use your character’s
Elpis and Torment. Virtue is a point of strength and integrity in the Manipulation Attribute of 4 and Subterfuge Skill of 3, so you roll
character’s life, while Vice is a place of weakness. This is just a brief touch seven dice. If you have a Specialty (p. 100) that’s relevant to the roll,
on the topic; for more, look to the Chronicles of Darkness Rulebook. add an extra die to your pool.
When choosing Virtues and Vices, use the following guidelines: Each die that shows an 8, 9, or 10 is a success. Normally, you
• Both should be adjectives that describe dominant personality only need one success to achieve your goal. It’s always better to get
traits. Don’t use physical descriptions. more successes — especially if you want to hurt someone, since your
successes add to your damage in combat.
• Traits that describe existing Advantages, Attributes, or Every die that comes up 10 also gets rolled again, potentially
Skills similarly do not apply. For example, “Strong,” and scoring another success. If this second roll comes up as another
“Composed,” would not work as Virtues. 10, count the success and roll it again, on until you roll a number
other than 10.
• Virtue should be a point of self-confidence and self-actual- Many rolls have modifiers, either from equipment, circumstance,
ization, but something easy and tempting to ignore. It’s a or someone working against your character. Most modifiers are
higher calling if she chooses to walk the talk. within the range of +3 to –3, though they can range as low as –5
or as high as +5. Apply the modifiers to your dice pool before you
• Vice should contrast Virtue as a short-term, quick source of
roll. Add all the bonuses first, then apply penalties.
distraction from the world. It should be a hiding place when
If your pool drops below one die, you instead roll a single
you’re weak.
chance die. The chance die only counts as a success if you roll a 10.
• Virtue and Vice must be different. The same adjective could Any other result is a failure. If you roll a 1 on the chance die, your
work as both a Virtue and Vice in some cases, but a character character suffers a dramatic failure.
must have two different ones.
Whenever a character acts in accordance with her Vice, she
Roll Results
regains one spent Willpower. When she takes meaningful actions Your roll can succeed and fail in a few different ways:
in accordance to her Virtue, she regains all spent Willpower. She Success: Your character’s action goes off as planned. Achieved
can only recover Willpower from her Vice once per scene, and her by having at least one success (a die showing 8, 9, or 10; or a chance
Virtue once per chapter. die showing 10).

198
 rolling dice

Failure: Your character’s action fails. This doesn’t mean “nothing

happens,” just that she doesn’t get what she wants and complications
Attribute Tasks
are headed her way. Occurs when you roll no successes. Some actions require no special expertise to perform. Mostly,
Exceptional Success: Your character’s action succeeds beyond these come in the form of Wits + Composure rolls to notice
her expectations. Achieved by rolling five or more successes. Your something that doesn’t seem right, or using Strength + Stamina rolls
character gains a beneficial Condition. (See “Conditions,” p. 305.) to lift something. In these rolls, you add two different Attributes
Usually, the Inspired Condition is the most appropriate. You can together to make your dice pool. If an action doesn’t seem to involve
give this Condition to another character when it’s appropriate to any particular Skill, an Attribute Task can handle it.
the story.
Dramatic Failure: Your character fails badly, and things are Unskilled Penalties
about to get a whole lot worse. Suffered when you roll a 1 on a If your character has no dots in an applicable Skill, the Storyteller
chance die. Once per scene, you can take a Beat in exchange for may allow you to roll your Attribute as a dice pool. Your character’s
turning a normal failure into a dramatic failure. dice pool suffers a penalty for being untrained: if the roll would

When to Roll Dice involve a Mental Skill, you take a –3 die penalty, while a Physical
or Social Skill applies a –1 die penalty.
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 Actions
open or demolish the building as he works — you don’t need to roll. The majority of actions in the game are instant actions. They
When the dice hit the table, the Storyteller should have some idea of represent acts that only take a couple of seconds. In combat, an
what will happen if the roll fails, as well as if it succeeds. Sometimes instant action takes up your turn.
that’s coded in the rules. If you fail on an attack roll, for example, A reflexive action is the sort of thing you don’t even need to
you don’t deal any damage. Other times, it’s up to the Storyteller. If think about doing. Most rolls to resist supernatural powers are
you fail a roll to jump between buildings with a group of Disquieted reflexive. You can take a reflexive action at any time, and it doesn’t
cops on your tail, do you make it but fall on the other side, grab take your turn in combat.
the next building by your fingertips, or plummet to the alley below? When two people fight over a specific goal, they engage in a
Circumstance and Equipment contested action. You roll your dice pool and the Storyteller (or other
player) rolls the dice pool for the other party. Whoever rolls the
Sometimes, fortune favors your character. Other times your most successes is the victor. Note that you count the total number
character gives it a helping hand by packing the right tools for of successes rolled when working out if you scored an exceptional
the job. The Storyteller should weight how circumstances affect a success — don’t subtract the other party’s successes from yours. A
character’s chance of success. A slight advantage — picking an old contested action takes up the action of the person initiating the
and damaged lock — might be worth a bonus die, while a stressful action; resisting it is a reflexive action.
situation — trying to pick a lock while people are shooting at you
— might subtract three dice from your pool. Most of the time, the Extended Actions
modifier from circumstances will be between +3 and –3, though An extended action is an attempt to complete a complex task.
in very rare cases — picking a lock while the room is on fire — it can You roll your dice pool multiple times. Each roll takes a certain
range from +5 to –5. amount of time, and represents a step in the process — your
Bringing the right equipment for a task also gives you extra dice character either makes significant progress or faces a setback. You
to roll. A sharp suit might give bonus dice when trying to convince determine your dice pool for the action as normal — Attribute +
the CEO that your character knows the best plan, while a good pair Skill + Modifiers. Make a note of your Attribute + Skill + Specialty
of running shoes will help her escape from the things lurking in (if any); that’s the maximum number of times you can roll before
the shadows. Most equipment offers a +1 to +3 die bonus. A top-of- the action fails.
the-line or custom item might give a +4 or +5 die bonus, but such When you take an extended action, the Storyteller determines
items often cost more than just money. When a task is impossible how many successes you require. Most actions require between
without some kind of equipment — hacking a computer, or driving five and twenty successes. Five reflects a reasonable action
a car — equipment bonuses indicate how far your tools are above the that competent characters can achieve with the right tools and
baseline. A beat-up old station wagon might not add any dice to a knowledge. Ten represents a difficult action that’s still realistic
Drive roll, but a top-of-the-line sports car may add +4 or even +5 dice. for a professional in a field. Twenty represents a very difficult

Willpower action that even a particularly skilled character will have trouble
pulling off.
A character’s Willpower represents her determination and her The Storyteller also determines the interval between rolls. If an
ability to go above and beyond what should be possible to achieve action would take weeks to complete, she might consider one roll
her goals. Spending a point of Willpower adds a +3 die bonus to per week. If it’s likely to take a day’s work, one roll per hour makes
most dice pools, or +2 to a Resistance trait. You can only spend for a solid timeframe.
one point of Willpower per action.

199
 CHAPTER FOUR: RULES

Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Lose all accumulated successes. In addition, CAROUSING
the first roll on a subsequent attempt suffers a –2 die penalty. (PRESENCE + SOCIALIZE OR STREETWISE)
Failure: You face a setback. The Storyteller will offer you a
You mix with a group, bringing high spirits with you and using
choice: take a Condition of her choice or abandon the action. You
them to loosen tongues.
can offer a different Condition if you think it makes sense. If you
refuse or cannot agree on a Condition, you lose all accumulated • Dramatic Failure: A faux pas reveals that you don’t belong…
successes (see “Conditions,” p. 305). and maybe even hints at your supernatural nature.
Success: Add the successes scored on the roll to your running
total. Work with the Storyteller to determine what steps your • Failure: You end up a wallflower, with a drink in your hand
character has taken towards his goal. that you don’t even want.
Exceptional Success: Choose one: reduce the number of • Success: You make a single-serving friend who might be
successes required by your character’s Skill dots, reduce the time willing to pass secrets or go with you somewhere private.
on each following roll by a quarter, or apply the exceptional success
result of the action when you complete your goal. • Exceptional Success: You make a friend you can contact
again.
Resistance
FAST-TALK
Sometimes, an action is resisted. You roll your Attribute + Skill,
but apply a modifier of one of your opponent’s Resistance Attributes
(Resolve, Stamina, or Composure), or your opponent’s Defense. (MANIPULATION + SUBTERFUGE
This resistance is over and above any other modifiers applied to – VICTIM’S COMPOSURE)
the dice pool.
If you’re not sure whether to use resistance or a contested action, You may not be able to win the argument with facts, but you
use this guideline: Resistance applies in situations where the number of can try to get out of trouble with a little judicious spin.
successes on the roll is an important factor. If what matters is just whether • Dramatic Failure: The other party has a good idea what the
the roll succeeds or not, use a contested action. For example, combat truth is.
applies Defense as a resistance because the number of successes on the roll
determines how badly the attacker messes up his victim. A supernatural • Failure: The other party doesn’t believe you.
power that puts a victim in your thrall uses a contested action, because
the number of successes you roll doesn’t matter to the power. • Success: The other party swallows your story.
When uncanny powers are involved, supernatural creatures can • Exceptional Success: The other party believes you so thor-
sometimes add an additional trait called Supernatural Tolerance. oughly that they’re even willing to offer a little aid…though
The Supernatural Tolerance trait for Prometheans is Azoth. they won’t put themselves at any kind of risk.
Common Actions
Here are some sample ways you can apply your Skills. Remember, INTERROGATION
you can invent your own at any time. (MANIPULATION + EMPATHY OR
INTIMIDATION – VICTIM’S RESOLVE)
ARGUMENT You try to dig secrets out of a reluctant informant. (See also
(INTELLIGENCE + EXPRESSION Social Maneuvering, p. 202.)
– VICTIM’S RESOLVE)
• Dramatic Failure: The informant is so alienated or injured
You try to sway someone with a rational argument. (If arguing that he will no longer reveal information.
with a crowd, use the highest Resolve in the crowd.) (See also Social
Maneuvering, p. 202.) • Failure: The informant blabs a mix of truth and falsehood
— even he may not know the difference.
• Dramatic Failure: You convince them of quite the opposite.
• Success: You get the information you were looking for.
• Failure: They listen but are ultimately unaffected.
• Exceptional Success: You get the information you were look-
• Success: They accept the truth (or apparent truth) of your
ing for, and the informant is willing to continue cooperating.
words.

• Exceptional Success: They’re convinced and become recruits

to your point of view, though they might change their minds
if they find themselves at risk.

200
 actions

INTIMIDATION REPAIR
(STRENGTH OR MANIPULATION (INTELLIGENCE + CRAFTS)
+ INTIMIDATION – VICTIM’S COMPOSURE)
You try to fix something that’s broken down.
You try to get someone to do what you want by making him • Dramatic Failure: The broken object’s a lost cause. It’ll never
afraid of you. work again.
• Dramatic Failure: They don’t take you seriously, even if you
knock them around a bit. They won’t be doing what you • Failure: You’re stymied by the problem, but you could come
want. back to it in another scene.

• Failure: They’re unimpressed with your threats. • Success: You get the thing working…for now.

• Success: They’re coerced into helping you. • Exceptional Success: The object works better than before.
It won’t break again anytime soon.
• Exceptional Success: They develop a lasting fear of you,

RESEARCH
which could make them easier to coerce in the future.

(INTELLIGENCE + ACADEMICS OR OCCULT)

INVESTIGATING A SCENE
(INTELLIGENCE + INVESTIGATION) Using your existing knowledge, you look for information on a
current mystery.
You look for clues to what’s happened in the recent past…or • Dramatic Failure: You learn something, but it doesn’t help.
tidy up so that no one else can find them. In fact, it sets you back. If using Occult, this could mean
• Dramatic Failure: You find clues but you contaminate them, dangerously false assumptions.
or you leave evidence of your presence.
• Failure: You turn up a lot of promising leads, but they’re all
• Failure: You find evidence, but it’s damaged and hard to dead ends.
interpret. Or you miss a spot in your cleanup that you won’t
find out about until later. • Success: You find the basic facts you were looking for.

• Success: You find a clue of exactly the sort you need or • Exceptional Success: You find what you were looking for,
manage to significantly confuse future investigators. which leads towards a much bigger score of information.

• Exceptional Success: You find a clue, and know exactly how

it fits in, or you leave the scene immaculate and impossible SHADOWING A MARK
to decipher. (WITS + STEALTH OR DRIVE VS. WITS + COMPOSURE)
You follow someone, perhaps in the hopes of ambushing them,
JUMPING or of finding out their destination.
(STRENGTH + ATHLETICS) • Dramatic Failure: You’re caught, either by the mark or some
observer that’s become suspicious of you.
To get past an obstacle or out of danger, you leap into the air.
• Dramatic Failure: The task not only fails, but your • Failure: The mark senses he’s being followed and manages
character loses her balance. to lose you.
• Failure: Your character doesn’t achieve any significant dis-
• Success: You follow the mark to his destination.
tance at all — she jumps too early, has a false start, or loses
her nerve. • Exceptional Success: You find some means by which you can
continue following the mark, such as an unlocked entrance
• Success: Your character leaps a number of feet equal to the
into the building he arrived at.
successes rolled, or a number of meters equal to the successes
rolled divided by three.

• Exceptional Success: Your character leaps an impressive

SNEAKING
distance. If successes gained exceed the amount required to (DEXTERITY + STEALTH VS. WITS + COMPOSURE)
make the jump, your character may attempt another instant
You’re trying to avoid notice by someone…or multiple someones. Maybe
action in the air (say, firing a shot) or upon landing (maybe
you want to get into a place undetected. Maybe you’re trying to break out.
running up to her Speed), at the Storyteller’s discretion.

201
 CHAPTER FOUR: RULES

• Dramatic Failure: You attract a lot of attention…enough In addition to years, nights, and hours, Promethean also uses
that now it’s going to be hard to get out. six units of dramatic time. These build upon one another, from
shortest to longest.
• Failure: You’re noticed but still have the chance to slip away.
• Turn — The smallest increment of time, a turn lasts for about
• Success: You avoid notice and get closer to your goal. three seconds. A character can perform a single instant action
in a turn. Turns normally only matter in combat or other
• Exceptional Success: You avoid notice and get away before dramatic and stressful situations.
anyone has another chance to catch you.
• Scene — Much like a scene in a play, a scene in a roleplaying
Permutations game is the time spent dealing with a single, specific event.
The Storyteller frames the scene, describing what’s going on,
The Storytelling System has a few variations in how dice rolls
and it’s up to the players to resolve the event or conflict. A
work.
scene might be played out in turns, progress in real-time, or
• 9-Again: You re-roll dice that show 9 or 10, as opposed to just skip forward depending on dramatic necessity.
10. Keep rolling until you get a result that isn’t a 9 or 10.
• Chapter — A chapter is the collection of scenes that happen
• 8-Again: You re-roll dice that show 8, 9, or 10 — any successful during one game session. From the moment you sit down
die — and keep rolling as long as your dice show successes. and start playing to the point where you pack up your dice,
you’re playing out a chapter of your story.
• Extra Successes: Assuming your roll is successful, you get a
number of extra successes added to your total. This permu- • Story — A story tells an entire tale, following the dramatic
tation mostly applies to weapons, which add their damage arc of a related series of events. It might comprise several
bonus as extra successes on your attack roll. chapters or be completed in just one. It has an introduction,
rising tension, a number of twists, and a climax that brings
• Rote Actions: When you’ve got plenty of training and the things to a conclusion.
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, • Chronicle — The big picture, a chronicle is the collection of
you can re-roll any dice that do not show an 8, 9, or 10. If interlinked stories that involve your characters. They might
you’re reduced to a chance die on a rote action, don’t re-roll be linked by a common theme or overarching plotline, or
a dramatic failure. You may only re-roll each die once. they may only share characters and locations. As your story
progresses, the players and Storyteller work together to create
• Successive Attempts: When you fail a roll, you may be able to an ongoing chronicle.
try again. If time is not an issue and your character is under

Social Maneuvering
no pressure to perform, you may make successive attempts
with your full dice pool. In the far more likely situation that
time is short and the situation is tense, each subsequent
attempt has a cumulative –1 die penalty — so the third time These rules for Social actions assume your character is making
a character tries to break down the door that’s keeping her effort toward getting another character or a group of characters to
inside a burning building, her roll has a –2 die penalty. do what she wants. Social actions within this system may be direct
Successive attempts do not apply to extended actions. or subtle, complex or simple. For example, your character may shout
at another and demand he gets out of the way, or your character
• Teamwork: When two or more people work together, one may subtly offer clues suggesting someone needs to vote for her.
person takes the lead. He’s the primary actor, and his player It is not always possible to get someone to do what you want. For
assembles his dice pool as normal. Anyone assisting rolls instance, no amount of Social Maneuvering is going to convince the
the same pool before the primary actor. Each success from chief of police in a large city to hold a press conference and admit to
a secondary actor gives the primary actor a bonus die. If one murder, even if the player has a dice pool impressive enough to make
of the secondary actors rolls a dramatic failure, the primary it happen. This system is designed to allow characters to manipulate or
actor gets a –4 die penalty. convince other characters to perform favors or undertake actions, but
it does raise the question: is one character dictating another’s actions,
Time and how much of that should be allowed in a role-playing game? Or,
put a different way, can one character seduce another with this system?
When you’re playing Promethean: The Created, time in the
Under a strict read of the rules, the answer is yes. The goal
story can speed past or slow to a crawl compared to time in the real
is “get that character to sleep with my character,” the number of
world. Weeks or months might pass in the space of few words, while
Doors is decided as explained below, and impressions and other
a tense negotiation plays out in real-time — or takes even longer.
factors play into the final result. This is not too different from

202
 social maneuvering

how seduction and other less carnal forms of persuasion actually “Average impressions” call for weekly rolls, which make the
work — the persuader tries to make the offer as enticing as possible. process very slow. Through play, your character may influence
But because it’s the persuader’s player making the rolls, the the interaction for a “good impression.” This may mean meeting
target is left without a way to say “no.” As such, we recommend in a pleasant environment, wearing appealing clothing, playing
reserving this system for use by player-controlled characters on appropriate music, or otherwise making the situation more
Storyteller characters rather than on other players’ characters. If one comfortable. This should not require a roll during a first impression
player’s character wants to seduce, persuade, convince, or intimidate but requires one if attempted later. An excellent impression requires
another, leave it up to roleplaying and let players make their own a roll to influence the situation.
decisions about what their characters do. For example, you may use a Wits + Socialize to find the right
people to invite to a party. Perfect impressions require further
Goals factors. It may involve leverage or playing to a character’s Vice
When using a Social action with this system, the first step (see below).
is to declare your character’s intended goal. This is as simple as Hostile impressions come from tense first impressions or
stating what you want the subject to do and how your character threatening pitches. These interactions require you manipulate the
is going about making it happen. You need only announce the impression or to force the Doors (see below).
initial stages, as the effort will likely occur over multiple rolls,
reflecting different actions. Impression Time per Roll
At this point, the Storyteller determines whether the goal
is reasonable. A character might, with time and proper tactics, Perfect 1 Turn
convince a rich person to give him a large sum of money. He Excellent 1 Hour
probably isn’t going to convince the wealthy individual to abandon Good 1 Day
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 Average 1 Week
set about speeding up the inheritance process). Hostile Cannot roll

Doors Vices
Once you’ve declared your character’s goal, the next step is If your character knows her subject’s Vice, she can use it to
to determine the scope of the challenge. We represent this with influence the interaction. With an offer that tempts that Vice,
“Doors,” which reflect a character’s resistance to coercion: her social move the interaction one step up on the chart. As a rule of thumb,
walls, his skepticism, mistrust, or just a hesitance toward intimacy. if by agreeing to the temptation the target were to gain Willpower,
It’s abstract and means different things in every given case. it’s a valid temptation. If using Social Maneuvering on a character
The base number of Doors is equal to the lower of the character’s that doesn’t have a Vice (like a Promethean), a temptation that
Resolve or Composure. If the goal would be a breaking point for the plays to a similar trait, like Torment, can have the same effect at
character, add two Doors. If accomplishing the goal would prevent the Storyteller’s discretion.
a character from resolving an Aspiration, add a Door. Acting in
opposition to a Virtue also adds a Door. Doors may increase as the Soft Leverage
effort continues and the circumstances change. For example, if the (Gifts and Bribes)
goal seems mundane at first but the situation makes it reprehensible,
it may increase the number of Doors required. If your character Soft Leverage represents offers of services or payments in order
gives up on the goal and shifts to another, any Doors currently open to lubricate social interaction. Make the offer. If the recipient agrees,
remain so, but assess Aspirations, Virtues, and Integrity in case of move the impression up once on the chart.
a potential increase. Mechanically, this can be represented in certain Merit dots. For
Doors must be opened one by one. Each successful roll — not each example, a bribe may be represented by a Resources 3 offer, or an
success — opens one. Exceptional successes open two. Also, Doors offer of service may be reflected by Retainer 3. By default, these
are specifically a one-way relationship between two characters. They bribes give the recipient use of the Merit for a designated amount
may each have Doors to one another or Doors to other characters. of time.

First Impressions Opening Doors

First (and later) impressions determine the time required At each interval, you may make a roll to open Doors and
between rolls. The Storyteller sets the first impression based on move closer to your character’s goal. The roll might be different
any past history between the characters, the circumstances of their each time, depending on the character’s tactics. Some of the rolls
meeting, the nature of the favor being asked (if the acting character might not even be Social. For example, if your character is trying
is asking right up front — sometimes it’s a better idea not to lead off to win someone’s favor, fixing his computer with an Intelligence +
with what you want!) and any other relevant factors. Computer roll could open a Door.

203
 CHAPTER FOUR: RULES

As Storyteller, be creative in selecting dice pools. Change them p. 305) on his character. This offer exists between players; it does
up with each step to keep the interactions dynamic. Similarly, not need to occur within the fiction of the game (though it can).
consider contested and resisted rolls. Most resisted actions or The alternative must be beneficial and not a twist of intent. The
contested rolls use either Resolve or Composure or a combination Storyteller adjudicates.
of the two, but don’t let that stand as a limit. Contested rolls don’t The initiator’s player chooses a Condition to impose on the
require a resistance trait. For example, Wits might be used to notice subject. It must make sense within the context of the scenario.
a lie, Strength to help a character stand up to threats, or Presence
to protect and maintain one’s reputation at a soiree.
Failed rolls impose a cumulative –1 on further rolls. These
Combat
penalties do not go away with successful rolls. When the player Prometheans inevitably find themselves confronted with
fails a roll, the Storyteller may choose to worsen the impression violence. Disquiet pushes people to brutality, Pandorans hunger for
level by one. If she does so, the player takes a Beat. If this takes Created flesh, and practitioners of the Refinement of Iron spoil for
the impression level to hostile, the attempt cannot move forward a good scrap. Eventually, a fight is going to break out.
until it improves. Combat is a catch-all term for what happens when two people
Aspirations find that they cannot reach agreement like rational individuals and
instead beat, claw, and bite the living shit out of one another until
Aspirations are quick routes to influence. Find a character’s one of them gets what she wants.
goals, wants, and needs, and they can help move interactions Everybody wants something out of a fight. The very first thing
forward. If your character presents a clear path and reasoning for you need to do — before worrying about who attacks first or anything
how they’ll help a character achieve an Aspiration, remove a Door. like that — is to determine what each character wants to get out of the
This doesn’t require follow-through, but it does require a certain fight. Boil it down into a simple sentence that starts with the words
amount of assurance. If the opportunity presents itself and your “I want:” “I want to kill Johnny,” “I want the book that Frances is
character pulls out of an offer, two Doors close. holding,” or “I want what’s in Larry’s wallet.”
Failure A character’s intent has to be something she could achieve
through an act of violence in the current scene — even a gunman
A Social Maneuvering attempt can fail utterly under the on the White House lawn couldn’t get away with “I want to be
following circumstances: President of the United States.”
• The player rolls a dramatic failure on an attempt to open a By stating her character’s intent, a player is setting out how
Door (the player takes a Beat as usual). much her character is willing to hurt — even kill — someone else in
order to get what she wants. If your intent has nothing to do with
• The target realizes that he is being lied to or manipulated. hurting people and you end up killing someone, you lose a point
This does not apply if the target is aware that the character of Willpower.
is trying to talk him into something, only if the target feels
betrayed or conned. Optional Rule: Beaten
• The impression level reaches “hostile” and remains so for a Down & Surrender
week of game time. The character can try again during the A character who takes more than his Stamina in bashing damage
next story. or any amount of lethal damage is Beaten Down: he’s had the fight
knocked out of him. He must spend a point of Willpower every time
Resolution he wants to take a violent action until the end of the fight. He can
still apply Defense against incoming attacks, can Dodge, and can run
Once your character opens the final Door, the subject must
like hell, but it takes a point of Willpower to swing or shoot back.
act. Storyteller characters abide by the intended goal and follow
Before that happens, he can surrender, giving his attacker what
through as stated.
she wants according to her declared intent. If you give in, you gain
If you allow players’ characters to be the targets of Social
a point of Willpower and take a Beat but you take no more part in
Maneuvering, resolve this stage as a negotiation with two possible
the fight. If the other side wants to attack you, they’ve got to spend
outcomes. The subject chooses to abide by the desired goal or offers
a point of Willpower to do so and probably suffer a breaking point.
a beneficial alternative.
If everyone on one side has surrendered, the fight’s over and the
Go With the Flow other side gets what they want.
If one side’s intent involves violence, the other side can’t
If the character does as requested and abides by the intended
surrender — not without being killed. If that’s the case, their
goal, his player takes a Beat (see p. 105).
intended victims don’t get Beaten Down and gain no benefit from
Offer an Alternative surrendering. 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
If the subject’s player chooses, he may offer a beneficial
shotgun at her.
alternative and the initiator’s player can impose a Condition (see

204
 combat

These rules only apply to people (or supernatural beings) who Dice Pool: Combat pool (Dexterity + Firearms, Strength + Brawl,
would incur a breaking point for committing (or attempting) or Strength + Weaponry) versus either the opponent’s combat pool
“murder.” Creatures that don’t have a problem killing people in (as above) or an attempt to escape (Strength or Dexterity + Athletics).
general — like Centimani — can ignore surrender without penalty Ignore Defense on this roll.
and don’t have the fight beaten out of them like normal folks. Roll Results
Prometheans, due to their superior resilience, cannot be Beaten
Dramatic Failure: The character’s opponent gets the upper
Down unless a supernatural effect forces it on them.
hand. This usually includes the opposite of the character’s intent
Down and — if she wanted to disable the guards so she could escape, she is
stunned instead.
Dirty Combat Failure: The opponent wins the contest. If the opponent used
a combat pool, deal damage equal to the difference in successes
The Storyteller might decide that your character can get what
plus weapon modifier. Also, the opponent escapes unless he wants
she wants without focusing on the details of the fight. Maybe she’s
to press the combat.
picking on people weaker than her. Maybe she’s internalized the
Success: The character wins the contest. She deals damage
mechanics of violence. Or maybe the fight’s not the important
equal to the difference in successes plus her weapon modifier and
thing going on with regards to the character’s intent. If that’s the
achieves her intent — if her intent includes killing her opponents,
case, the Storyteller can opt to use Down and Dirty Combat. This
then she does so.
system resolves the entire fight in a single roll. Storyteller characters
Exceptional Success: As a success, plus the character also gains
might deal some damage, but they’re never able to initiate a Down
a point of Willpower from the rush of inflicting violence on an
and Dirty Combat.
inferior opponent.
Action: Contested; resistance is reflexive

205
 CHAPTER FOUR: RULES

Initiative Against multiple opponents, reduce Defense by one for each

opponent before doubling it to determine your dice pool. If your
When a fight’s inevitable, it helps to know who acts first. Time in Defense is reduced to 0, you roll a chance die. A dramatic failure
combat is always tracked in turns. At the start of combat, determine your when Dodging leaves your character off-balance; reduce her Defense
character’s Initiative by rolling one die and adding her Initiative Modifier. by one for her next turn.
When your character is using a weapon, apply its Initiative
penalty for as long as she’s got the weapon ready. The only way to Unarmed Combat
avoid this modifier is to sling it or drop it. Dropping a weapon is
These rules present special cases that come up when fighting
a reflexive action, but picking it back up takes an instant action.
without weapons.
A character wielding two weapons subtracts the largest Initiative
penalty from her score, and then reduces it by a further one. Bite
Wielding a baton (Initiative penalty –2) and a riot shield (Initiative
A human’s teeth do –1 bashing damage. Other creatures
penalty –4) thus applies a –5 penalty to Initiative.
treat their teeth like weapons, dealing lethal damage to mortals
Surprise (see “Weapons,” below). Most Prometheans don’t do any
extra damage with their teeth, though the Metamorphosis
Characters who don’t realize that they’re about to be on the
Transmutation can alter this. Animals have a weapon bonus
receiving end of bloody violence have a chance to notice the ambush
depending on the kind of creature: a wolf applies +1, while a
by rolling Wits + Composure, contested by the attacker’s Dexterity
great white shark gets +4.
+ Stealth. Any character who fails the roll cannot take an action
Humans and Prometheans (usually) can only bite as part of a
in the first turn of combat and can’t apply Defense for that turn.
grapple, using the Damage move.
Determine Initiative in the second turn as normal.
Grapple
Attack To grab your opponent, roll Strength + Brawl – Defense. On a
On your turn, your character can attack using one of the success, both of you are grappling. If you roll an exceptional success,
following dice pools: pick a move from the list below.
• Unarmed Combat: Strength + Brawl – Defense Each turn, both grappling characters make a contested Strength
+ Brawl versus Strength + Brawl action on the higher of the two
• Melee Combat: Strength + Weaponry – Defense characters’ Initiatives. The winner picks a move from the list below,
or two moves on an exceptional success.
• Ranged Combat: Dexterity + Firearms
• Break Free from the grapple. You throw off your oppo-
• Thrown Weapons: Dexterity + Athletics – Defense nent; you’re both no longer grappling. Succeeding at this
move is a reflexive action, so you can take another action
Resolve the attack roll like any other action. Determine damage by
immediately afterwards.
adding the successes rolled to any weapon bonus. See “Injury and Healing.”
• Control Weapon, either by drawing a weapon that you have
Defense holstered or turning your opponent’s weapon against him. You
Subtract your character’s Defense from any unarmed, melee, keep control until your opponent makes a Control Weapon move.
or thrown attacks that the character is aware of. Every time your
character applies his Defense against an attack, reduce his Defense by • Damage your opponent by dealing bashing damage equal to
one until the start of the next turn. Spending a point of Willpower your rolled successes. If you previously succeeded at a Control
increases his Defense by two, but only against one attacker. Weapon action, add the weapon bonus to your successes.
You can choose not to apply your character’s Defense against some • Disarm your opponent, removing a weapon from the grapple
attacks. If two Pandorans attack before a Centimanus wielding an ax, entirely. You must have first succeeded at a Control Weapon move.
you might want to let the Pandorans get their blows in and apply your
full Defense against the Hundred-Handed trying to take your head off. • Drop Prone, throwing both of you to the ground (see “Going
You cannot apply your character’s Defense against firearms attacks. Prone,” p. 207). You must Break Free before rising.

Dodge • Hold your opponent in place. Neither of you can apply

Defense against incoming attacks.
At any point before your action, your character can choose
to Dodge. Doing so gives up her normal action. When Dodging, • Restrain your opponent with duct tape, zip ties, or a painful
double your character’s Defense but do not subtract it from attack joint lock. Your opponent is immobilized. You can only
rolls. Instead, roll Defense as a dice pool and subtract each success use this move if you’ve already succeeded in a Hold move.
from the attacker’s successes. If this reduces the attacker’s successes If you use equipment to Restrain your opponent, you can
to 0, the attack does no damage. Apply successes from Dodging leave the grapple.
before adding any weapon bonus.

206
 combat

• Take Cover using your opponent’s body. Any ranged attacks afforded by the character’s protection — so if he’s substantially
made until the end of the turn automatically hit him (see concealed, he can fire back with a –2 die penalty.
“Human Shields,” below). If a target’s entirely hidden by something substantial, he’s in
cover. If the cover’s Durability is greater than the weapon modifier,
Touching an Opponent the bullets can’t penetrate the cover. Otherwise, subtract the cover’s
Sometimes a combatant doesn’t want to do damage. Maybe Durability from the attacker’s damage roll. If the cover is transparent
she wants to plant a bug or use a Contamination Distillation. Roll (bulletproof glass, for example), subtract half the cover’s Durability,
Dexterity + Brawl to touch, or Dexterity + Weaponry to tap an rounding down. Both the object and the target take any remaining
opponent with a weapon. A successful roll deals no damage. damage. Durability is explained on p. 211.

Human Shields
Ranged Combat Sometimes, the only available cover is another person — be they
These rules present special cases that come up when shooting at people. a terrified member of the public or a life-long friend. Characters
Autofire who use human shields treat them as cover, with Durability equal to
the victim’s Stamina + any armor. Unlike normal cover, the victim
Automatic weapons can fire a short, medium, or long burst in takes all of the damage from the attack.
place of a single shot. Using a human shield is a possible step backwards on the
• Short Burst: Three bullets fired at the same target. Add a Pilgrimage.
+1 die bonus to the shooter’s dice pool.
Reloading
• Medium Burst: Ten bullets, which can hit one to three
Reloading a firearm is an instant action. If you need to load
targets standing close together. Add a +2 die bonus to the
bullets separately, you cannot apply your Defense on the same turn.
shooter’s dice pool. If firing at more than one target, subtract
If you have a magazine or speed-loader, you don’t lose your Defense.
the total number of targets from the shooter’s pool, then
make one attack roll per target.
General Combat Factors
• Long Burst: Twenty bullets at as many targets as the shooter Some conditions apply to all kinds of fights.
wants. Increase the shooter’s dice pool by +3. If firing at more
than one target, subtract the total number of targets from All-Out Attack
the shooter’s pool, then make one attack roll per target.
A character can throw everything he has into a Brawl or Weaponry
attack. Sacrifice Defense for the turn, but add two dice to the attack.
Range
The firearms chart (below) lists the short, medium, and long Movement
ranges of some sample firearms. Shooting a target at medium range A character can move his Speed in a single turn and still take
imposes a –1 die penalty, while shooting a target at long range an instant action. He can forsake his action to move at double his
increases that to –2. Shooting at targets beyond long range reduces normal pace.
the attack dice pool to a chance die.
Thrown weapons have a short range of (Strength + Dexterity + Going Prone
Athletics – object’s Size), doubled for medium range, and doubled When a character can’t find cover, the next best thing when
again for long range. Aerodynamic objects double each range — so bullets are flying is to drop flat to the ground. Ranged attacks
an aerodynamic object’s long range is {(Strength + Dexterity + against him suffer a –2 die penalty. A standing attacker using Brawl
Athletics) * 8}. Characters can only throw objects with a Size less or Weaponry to attack instead gains a +2 die bonus.
than their Strength. A character can drop prone at any point before his action.
Cover and Concealment Dropping to the ground costs his action for the turn. Getting up
from being prone also takes your character’s action.
Hiding behind something is a good way to not get shot.
How effective the tactic is depends how much the cover hides. Specified Targets
Concealment penalties apply to a shooter’s dice pool. Attacking specific body parts has its benefits. In addition to
• Barely Concealed: –1 (hiding behind an office chair) ignoring armor (see “Armor,” p. 210), strikes to limbs and the head
can have added effects called Tilts. Tilts are explained in detail in
• Partially Concealed: –2 (hiding behind the hood of a car, the Appendix (p. 312).
with upper body exposed)
• Arm (–2): A damaging hit can Arm Wrack the victim if it
• Substantially Concealed: –3 (crouching behind a car). deals more damage than the target’s Stamina.

A character who is concealed and wants to fire at someone else • Leg (–2): A damaging hit can Leg Wrack the victim if it deals
takes a penalty to his Firearms attack that’s one less than the penalty more damage than the target’s Stamina.

207
 CHAPTER FOUR: RULES

• Head (–3): A damaging attack can Stun the victim if it deals

at least as much damage as the target’s Size.
Weapons and Armor
Weapons are one of the fastest ways to turn a fight into a murder.
• Heart (–3): If the attacker does at least five points of damage, Sometimes, that’s what you want; pulling a gun shows you’re serious
the weapon pierces the opponent’s heart. about killing people.
A weapon’s damage rating adds bonus successes to a successful
• Hand (–4): On a damaging hit, the victim suffers Arm Wrack.
attack roll. When a weapon might help out in other ways — using
• Eye (–5): On a damaging hit, the victim is Blinded. a chain to grapple someone or a gun to intimidate her — add the
weapon’s damage rating as an equipment modifier.
Killing Blow Every weapon deals lethal damage to mortals. A baseball bat,
club, or mace does just as much serious trauma to the human body
When performing a killing blow, you deal damage equal to your as an edged weapon or a bullet.
full dice pool plus your weapon modifier. You’ve time enough to The full traits of a range of weapons are presented in the Ranged
line up your attack so it avoids your victim’s armor. and Melee Weapons Charts.
While people who kill in combat can justify their actions Rating: Armor provides protection against normal attacks and
based on the heat of the moment, performing a killing blow is Firearms attacks. The number before the slash is for general armor,
a premeditated attempt to end a sentient life without the target while the number after the slash is for ballistic armor.
having a chance to do anything about it. Going through with a Strength: If your character’s Strength is lower than that required
killing blow is a breaking point, whether the victim survives or not. for her armor, reduce her Brawl and Weaponry dice pools by –1.

Ranged Weapons Chart

Type Dmg Ranges Clip Initiative Str Size Availability Example
Revolver, lt 1 20/40/80 6 0 2 1 •• SW M640 (.38 Special)
Revolver, hvy 2 35/70/140 6 −2 3 1 •• SW M29 (.44 Magnum)
Pistol, lt 1 20/40/80 17+1 0 2 1 ••• Glock 17 (9mm)
Pistol, hvy 2 30/60/120 7+1 −2 3 1 ••• Colt M1911A1 (.45 ACP)
SMG, small* 1 25/50/100 30+1 −2 2 1 ••• Ingram Mac-10 (9mm)
SMG, large* 2 50/100/200 30+1 −3 3 2 ••• HK MP-5 (9mm)
Rifle 4 200/400/800 5+1 −5 2 3 •• Remington M-700 (30.06)
Assault Rifle* 3 150/300/600 42+1 −3 3 3 ••• Steyr-AUG (5.56mm)
Shotgun** 3 20/40/80 5+1 −4 3 2 •• Remington M870 (12-gauge)
Crossbow*** 2 40/80/160 1 −5 3 3 •••

Damage: Indicates the number of bonus successes added to a successful attack. Firearms deal lethal damage against ordinary people.
The type of damage may vary against supernatural opponents.
Ranges: The listed numbers a short/medium/long ranges in yards. Attacks at medium range suffer a −1 penalty. Attacks at long range
suffer a −2 penalty.
Clip: The number of rounds a gun can hold. A “+1” indicates that a bullet can be held in the chamber, ready to fire.
Initiative: The penalty taken to Initiative when wielding the gun.
Strength: The minimum Strength needed to use a weapon effectively. A wielder with a lower Strength suffers a −1 penalty on attack
rolls.
Size: 1 = Can be fired one-handed; 2 = Must be fired two-handed and can be hidden in a coat; 3 = Can be fired two-handed but not
hidden on one’s person
Availability: The cost in Resources dots or level of Social Merit needed to acquire the weapon.
* The weapon is capable of autofire, including short bursts, medium bursts, and long bursts.
** Attack rolls gain the 9-again quality
*** Crossbows take three turns to reload between shots. A crossbow can be used to deliver a stake through the heart (–3 penalty to
attack rolls; must deal at least 5 damage in one attack)

208
 combat

Melee Weapons Chart

Type Damage Initiative Strength Size Availability Special
Sap 0 −1 1 1 • Stun
Brass Knuckles 0 0 1 1 • Uses Brawl to attack
Baton 1 −1 2 2 n/a
Crowbar 2 −2 2 2 •
Tire Iron 1 −3 2 2 •• +1 Defense
Chain 1 −3 2 2 • Grapple
Shield (small) 0 −2 2 2 •• Concealed
Shield (large) 2 −4 3 3 •• Concealed
Knife 0 −1 1 1 •
Rapier 1 −2 1 2 •• Armor piercing 1
Machete 2 −2 2 2 ••
Hatchet 1 −2 1 1 •
Fire Axe 3 −4 3 3 •• 9-again, two-handed
Chainsaw 5 −6 4 3 ••• 9-again, two-handed
Stake* 0 −4 1 1 n/a
Spear** 2 −2 2 4 • +1 Defense, two-handed
Stun gun (melee) 1 -1 1 1 • Stun; bonus successes don't add to
modifier for damage

Type: A weapon’s type is a general classification that can apply to anything your character picks up. A baton might be an antique
mace, a metal baseball bat, or a hammer, while a hatchet might be a meat cleaver or an antique handaxe.
Damage: Indicates the number of bonus successes added to a successful attack. Weapons always deal lethal damage.
Initiative: The penalty taken to Initiative when wielding the weapon. If using more than one weapon, take the higher penalty and
increase by 1.
Strength: The minimum Strength needed to use a weapon effectively. A wielder with a lower Strength suffers a −1 penalty on attack rolls.
Size: 1 = Can be hidden in a hand; 2 = Can be hidden in a coat; 3+ = Cannot be hidden.
Availability: The cost in Resources dots or level of Social Merit needed to acquire the weapon.
Concealed: A character who wields a shield but doesn’t use it to attack can add its Size to his Defense, and uses its Size as a
concealment modifier against ranged attacks.
Grapple: Add the chain’s weapon bonus to your dice pool when grappling.
Stun: Halve the victim’s Size when aiming for the head with intent to stun.
Two-handed: This weapon requires two hands. It can be used one-handed, but doing so increases the Strength requirement by 1.
* A stake must target the heart (–3 penalty to attack rolls) and must deal at least 5 damage in one attack.
** The reach of a spear gives a +1 Defense bonus against opponents who are unarmed or wield weapons of Size 1

Defense: The penalty imposed on your character’s Defense Improvised Weapons

when wearing the armor.
Speed: The penalty to your character’s Speed when wearing The weapons charts can only go so far. Characters who grab
the armor. improvised weapons still stand a chance of doing serious damage.
Availability: The cost in Resources dots or level of Social Merit If your improvised weapon is close enough to one of the weapons
needed to acquire the armor. above, use the associated weapon profile. Otherwise, an improvised
Coverage: The areas of a character protected by the armor. weapon does (Durability – 1) damage, with an initiative penalty and
Wearing a helmet increases the armor’s coverage to include a Strength requirement equal to the weapon’s Size.
character’s head. Using an improvised weapon reduces your attack pool by one
die. On a successful attack, the weapon takes the same amount of

209
 CHAPTER FOUR: RULES

Armor Chart
Type Rating Strength Defense Speed Availability Coverage

MODERN
Reinforced clothing* 1/0 1 0 0 • Torso, arms, legs
Kevlar vest* 1/3 1 0 0 • Torso
Flak Jacket 2/4 1 −1 0 •• Torso, arms
Full Riot Gear 3/5 2 −2 −1 ••• Torso, arms, legs
ARCHAIC
Leather (hard) 2/0 2 −1 0 • Torso, arms
Chainmail 3/1 3 −2 −2 •• Torso, arms
Plate 4/2 3 −2 −3 •••• Torso, arms, legs

Rating: Armor provides protection against normal attacks and Firearms attacks. The number before the slash is for general armor, while
the number after the slash is for ballistic armor.
Strength: If your character’s Strength is lower than that required for her armor, reduce her Brawl and Weaponry dice pools by 1.
Defense: The penalty imposed on your character’s Defense when wearing the armor.
Speed: The penalty to your character’s Speed for the armor worn.
Availability: The cost in Resources dots or level of Social Merit needed to acquire the armor.
Coverage: The areas of a character protected by the armor. Unless an attacker targets a specific unarmored location (“Specified
Targets”, above), the armor’s protection applies. Wearing a helmet increases the armor’s coverage to include a character’s head.
* This armor is concealed, either as normal clothing (e.g. biker leathers) or being worn under a jacket or baggy shirt. Attackers have no
idea the target is wearing armor until after they land a successful hit.

damage as it inflicts; Durability reduces this damage as normal. armor first, then general armor. Armor-piercing attacks in close
Once the weapon’s Structure is reduced to 0, the object is wrecked. combat subtract from general armor only.
When shooting at an object — or a person in cover — subtract
Armor the piercing quality from the object’s Durability.
Armor provides protection against attacks, including bullets and
knives. Though it’s rare to find Prometheans wearing armor, police Injury and Healing
officers and other law enforcement agencies rely on it. Characters can suffer three types of damage. Fists and feet, along
• Ballistic armor applies to incoming firearms attacks. Each with other kinds of low-impact trauma, deal bashing damage. Brass
point of ballistic armor downgrades one point of damage knuckles, knives, and speeding trucks deal lethal damage. Some
from lethal to bashing. horrifying powers deal aggravated damage. When something deals
aggravated damage directly, it’s quite obvious. Flesh bubbles and
• General armor applies to all attacks. Each point of general sloughs away. Foaming pustules taint the victim’s flesh. Blackened
armor reduces the total damage taken by one point, starting veins streak out from the site of the injury.
with the most severe type of damage. When a character’s health track is filled with bashing damage,
If armor has both ballistic and general ratings, apply the ballistic his player must make a reflexive Stamina roll each turn for him to
armor first. remain conscious. If it fills with lethal damage, then each minute
When applying armor to an attack dealing lethal damage, you thereafter in which the character receives no medical attention
always take at least one point of bashing damage from the shock — mundane or supernatural — he suffers one more injury. One
of the blow. health box currently marked with an X is upgraded to an asterisk
for aggravated damage, from left to right on the character’s Health
Armor-Piercing chart. Once all boxes are filled with asterisks, he’s dead.
Some weapons have an armor piercing quality, usually between Supernatural characters often have different reactions to their health
1 and 3. When attacking someone wearing armor, subtract the track filling up. Prometheans, for instance, don’t risk unconsciousness
piercing quality from the target’s armor. Subtract from ballistic or start to bleed out, nor do they suffer wound penalties.

210
 combat

Marking Damage aggravated) until she receives medical attention. Neither of these
eventualities apply to the Created.
When a character suffers bashing damage, mark it with a slash
(/) in the leftmost empty box of his health track.
When a character suffers lethal damage, mark it with a cross (X)
Mortal Healing
in the leftmost box of his health track that doesn’t contain lethal Characters need time to heal once they’ve been beaten to a pulp.
or aggravated damage. If you mark over a point of bashing damage, Mortal characters heal their rightmost health box at the following rate.
it moves one box to the right. The healing time is enough for the wound to fully recover — lethal damage
When a character suffers aggravated damage, mark it with a doesn’t “downgrade” into bashing. Normally, a character can heal without
large asterisk (*) in the leftmost box that doesn’t already contain medical attention, though use of the Medicine Skill will doubtless help
aggravated damage. If you mark over a point of bashing or lethal him recover. The only exception is if a mortal character has all her Health
damage, it all moves one box to the right. boxes full of lethal damage — she’s bleeding out. She can’t recover from
Always mark the most severe injuries at the left of a character’s that without urgent medical attention and emergency surgery.
health track, and push any less severe injuries to the right. Characters Wounds recover at the following rates:
heal their rightmost health boxes first and progress left. Bashing: One point per 15 minutes
Example: Enoch has seven dots of Health. He’s just taken two Lethal: One point per two days
points of bashing damage. His Health boxes look like this: Aggravated: One point per week
Example: A Promethean’s mortal companion gets between her
and a Pandoran and pays the price. Her health track looks like this
at the end of the fight.
If he’s later stabbed and takes a point of lethal damage, his
Health track would be:

Her rightmost wounds heal first. Each point of bashing damage

takes 15 minutes to heal. Her lethal damage then heals over the
If Enoch next suffered a point of aggravated damage, his Health course of the next two days. Finally, her aggravated wound heals over
boxes would look like this: 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, barring magical healing.

Objects
Wound Penalties Objects such as lead pipes, walls, or cars have three traits in the
Storytelling System: Durability, Size, and Structure. Mostly, these
As a character takes damage, it impairs her ability to act. When one
relate to how easy the object is to destroy.
of her three rightmost Health boxes has damage marked, she suffers a
Durability: How hard the object is to damage. Subtract
penalty accordingly. Subtract this penalty from every action she performs,
Durability from any damage dealt to the object. Durability has no
including rolling for Initiative but not including Stamina rolls to stay
effect against attacks that deal aggravated damage.
conscious. Prometheans do not suffer wound penalties, but mortals do.
Durability Material
Health Boxes Marked Penalty
1 Wood, hard plastic, thick glass
Third-to-last –1
2 Stone, aluminum
Second-to-last –2
3 Steel, iron
Last –3
+1 per reinforced layer

Upgrading Damage Size: How large the object is. Objects smaller than Size 1 can fit
entirely in a person’s palm.
If your character’s Health track is already full of bashing damage,
any further bashing or lethal damage upgrades the leftmost point Size Object
of bashing damage to lethal — turn one of the slashes into a cross.
If your character’s health track is full of lethal damage, any 1 Pistol
further damage upgrades an existing point of lethal damage to 2 Crowbar, sawn-off shotgun
aggravated damage. Turn the leftmost X into an asterisk. 3 Assault rifle
When a mortal character’s rightmost Health box has bashing
damage marked in it, she has to make a Stamina roll each turn 5 Door
or fall unconscious. If it has lethal damage, she takes another 10 Sports car
point of damage each minute (upgrading existing lethal damage to 15 SUV

211
 CHAPTER FOUR: RULES

Structure: An object’s Structure is equivalent to its Health and Source Damage

equals its Durability + Size. Each point of damage removes a point
Minor wall socket 4 (B)
of Structure. Once it’s taken more damage than it has Durability,
anyone using the object suffers a –1 die penalty. When its Structure Major protective fence 6 (B)
hits 0, the object is destroyed. Objects do not differentiate between Severe junction box 8 (B)
bashing and lethal damage and can be repaired with an appropriate
Fatal main line feed/subway rail 10 (B)
Craft roll.

Disease
Worn armor provides no protection against electrocution.

Outside of combat, a character who suffers from a disease suffers

Extreme
damage over a period of time. Resisting the damage inflicted by a
disease requires a reflexive Stamina + Resolve roll. This roll is not Environments
contested but it is modified by the severity of the disease. Only one The human body is not built to withstand extreme heat, cold, air
success is necessary to avoid damage each time. pressure, and other harsh weather. These harsh conditions hinder
Some diseases are the kinds that don’t heal. A character’s and endanger unprepared characters. When exposed to an extreme
cancer could go into remission, or he can hold his HIV back with environment, the Storyteller assigns a level to the environment
medication, but time alone won’t cure him. The Storyteller should using the associated chart as a guideline. Survival gear can reduce
set a benchmark of how many rolls the character has to succeed at the effective environment level. Wastelands (p. 174) left to Fester
in a row for the disease to go into remission. Medical treatment become extreme environments.
can offset any penalties to the Stamina + Resolve roll applied by the While characters are exposed to these conditions, they suffer the
disease — but might inflict penalties on other rolls, as sometimes level of the environment as a penalty to all actions. After a number
the cure is almost as bad as the disease. of hours equal to the character’s Stamina, he takes bashing damage

Drugs
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
A character who has taken drugs, willingly or not, must fight equal to the character’s Stamina.
off the effects of the drug. Resisting the effects requires a reflexive Any damage caused by levels 2–4 exposure leaves lasting marks,
Stamina + Resolve roll. This roll is not contested, but it is modified scars, and tissue damage. Damage caused by extreme environments
by the potency of the drug ingested. Only one success is necessary cannot be healed until the character is back in a safe environment.
for a character to regain her senses. In the case of some drugs, this
roll must be made once per hour, once per scene — or even once Environment Levels
per turn, in the case of strong hallucinogens or narcotics. Level Example Environs
Overdose 0 Safe environment

Characters who overdose on drugs treat the drug like a poison, 1 Light snow, heavy storms; too cold to sleep safely; air
pressure causes shortness of breath; sweltering sun
with a Toxicity somewhere between 3 and 7. The overdose deals can cause first-degree burns
damage once per hour until the drug has run its course — if a
character’s spent 8 hours drinking, then the poison takes another 2 Heavy snow; cold causes physical pain and potential
hypothermia; sun quickly causes first-degree burns,
8 hours to fade, with Toxicity from 3 (beer or wine) to 5 (rubbing can cause second-degree burns with time; minor
alcohol). A character who injects stronger heroin than expected radiation poisoning
takes damage for (8 – Stamina) hours, with Toxicity 7. 3 Desert exposure; heat rapidly causing second-degree

Electricity
burns; moderate radiation exposure
4 Desert sandstorm, severe hurricane, tornado, tsunami

Electricity is panacea to Prometheans, but deadly to mortals. If

harm from electricity is more than just instantaneous — if there’s Falling
a constant flow such as through power cables — a victim may not Your character tries to jump between buildings but doesn’t make
be able to escape. His muscles contract, which can prevent him it. He tries to scale a ladder but someone above pushes it away from
from pulling away. Roll Strength as a reflexive action in each the wall. Perhaps your character is simply thrown from a height
turn of contact. Failure means your character is still connected by a powerful opponent. Regardless of the reason, your character
to the source and suffers its damage each turn until a successful plummets and may be hurt on impact.
roll is made.

212
 fire

Falling damage is bashing, unless your character lands on a fence

spike, or broken glass, or hits the ground at terminal velocity. A Fire
person suffers one point of bashing damage for every three yards
fallen. Terminal velocity is achieved in a fall of 30 yards or more; Fire automatically inflicts lethal damage per turn of exposure
damage is lethal at that point. If your character falls 30 yards, he (no attack roll is required). The damage inflicted depends on both
loses 10 Health points to lethal damage. the size and intensity of the flames.
Once your character reaches terminal velocity, the damage he
suffers remains 10 Health no matter how far he actually falls. Thus,
Size of Fire Damage
falls from 30 yards and 100 yards both inflict 10 lethal damage.
The Storyteller may allow armor to be subtracted automatically Torch 1
from damage taken, assuming it can absorb the kind of damage Bonfire 2
incurred, and if it makes sense. Generally speaking, no protective
Inferno 3
clothing helps once someone reaches terminal velocity.
The Storyteller may allow your character to try to break his fall by Heat of Fire Damage Modifier
some means, perhaps by grabbing for awnings or twisting to strike soil Candle (first-degree burns) —
rather than concrete. A single Dexterity + Athletics roll may be called for, Torch (second-degree burns) +1
with each success diminishing the damage. There may be a limit to how
much damage can be shaved, though. There’s only so much that desperate Bunsen burner (third-degree burns) +2
flailing and grabbing can do when someone falls from a significant height. Chemical fire/molten metal +3
Efforts to slow one’s fall are usually useless at terminal velocity.
Falling into deep water, snow, or a pile of pillows might diminish So, a fire the size of a bonfire (2) and with the intensity of a
damage taken automatically, if the Storyteller allows it. No such torch (+1) inflicts three damage per turn of contact.
“soft” landing is possible once terminal velocity is achieved. At that In general, if exposure to fire persists for more than a turn,
speed, hitting water is like hitting concrete. it catches anything combustible. A burning character continues
to take full damage even if he escapes the original source of the
flame. Depending on the accelerator involved, the size of a fire

213
 CHAPTER FOUR: RULES

can be reduced by one point per turn by such means as a hose

or extinguisher. The Storyteller may rule that a fire goes out
Dice Bonuses
immediately under some circumstances (local oxygen is removed Most equipment offers a bonus to dice rolls pertaining to its
with a controlled explosion or your character is completely immersed use. Multiple items can influence a given roll, but a roll should not
in water). Or, a fire could continue to burn despite efforts to put it receive more than a +5 bonus.
out, such as with a grease fire when water is poured on it.
Most armor can block its general rating in fire damage Game Effect
automatically for a number of turns equal to that rating. A character with the item can use these Effects. Any restrictions,
Fire causes aggravated damage to Prometheans, not lethal. costs, or parameters are listed individually.

Poison Services
In addition to the equipment in this chapter, characters may
Outside of combat, the victim of a poison or toxin suffers lethal
look for services from other characters. Below is a list of some things
damage over a period of time equal to the poison’s Toxicity. Some
characters may pursue. Each has an Availability rating that works
substances deal this damage only once. Others deal this damage
identically to other equipment. This can act as a foundation for
once per turn or once per hour until purged — or until the poison
what certain levels of Allies, Status, and other Social Merits might
has run its course. To resist the damage, make a reflexive Stamina
accomplish. Most are sorted by Skills to reflect their general uses.
+ Resolve – Toxicity roll. Each success reduces the damage taken
Many include a die bonus as well. Assume most services take a week
by 1. This roll must be made every time the poison deals damage
to procure at the listed Availability levels. Raise Availability by one
unless the character stops fighting and gives in.
to make that a day instead.

Equipment
Note that some services listed could be highly illegal and should
be limited in access to appropriate Merits. In many cases, illegal ser-
vices only offer negligible die bonuses. Their real advantage comes
Here are some examples of the equipment you can buy with from a layer of separation from legal authorities.
Resources.
Equipment, tools, and technology help to solve problems. Having Mental Equipment
the right tool for the job can mean the difference between life and
Mental equipment is all but essential for many character types.
death — or in the Chronicles of Darkness, the difference between life
Mental Skills without the proper tools are almost useless in most
and a fate worse than death. This list is not all-inclusive, but features
cases. A doctor without medicine is hardly capable of healing, and
many of the tools that characters might have at their disposal.
an auto mechanic without a toolbox couldn’t change even some
Equipment is divided up by the Skills they typically assist with.
minor belts on a car.
Mental Equipment typically assists with Mental Skills, for example.
Automotive Tools
Availability Basic (Kit): Die Bonus +1, Durability 2, Size 2, Structure 3,
and Procurement Availability •
Advanced (Garage): Die Bonus +2, Availability •
The dot cost of a piece of equipment reflects directly on the
Effect: Automotive tools are a necessity for all but the simplest
Resources cost if your character wishes to purchase it (or the compo-
automobile repairs. Even then, a fully stocked garage with heavy
nents, for some things). It also reflects the level of Allies or other Social
equipment is required for more involved tasks such as engine
Merit required in order to find the item and the Skill level required
or transmission replacement. If time is not a factor, any trained
to procure it with a single dice roll. For example, if a Party Invitation
character with a Crafts Automotive Specialty can repair a vehicle’s
has Cost •••, a character with Larceny •• should not be able to find
mundane issues without rolls. Complex modifications and en-
and steal the item without a roll, but a character with Politics ••••
hancements or massive damage always requires a greater effort (an
might be able to get one by virtue of saying the right words to the right
extended Intelligence + Crafts roll) to work out.
organization. If your character wishes to obtain higher Availability
items with their Skills, doing so requires a deeper effort. Cache
Size, Durability, Die Bonus +1 to +3, Durability 2, Size 1–5, Structure 5,
Availability • to •••
and Structure Effect: A cache is a hidden and defensible place for items, usually
weapons. It keeps important items from prying eyes. A cache can never
These are guidelines that represent common, standard examples
be more than half the Size of its parent object. For example, a Size 6
of the items in question. For most items, characters could procure
car can support nothing larger than a Size 3 cache. A given cache can
better examples at a higher Availability rating.

214
 equipment

Services
Die Die
Service Availability Bonus Service Availability Bonus
ACADEMICS BRAWL
Historical specialist ••• +3 Arrange underground ••• +2
consulting boxing ring
Research assistance from grad •• +2 Bodyguard service ••• +3
students Self-defense classes • +1
Translation of a dead ••• +2 DRIVE
language
Chauffer •• +2
COMPUTER
Stunt performance/ ••• +3
Custom phone application ••• +2 mock crash
Digital image enhancement •• +3 Tour bus rental •••• +2
Graphic design/forgery •• +2 FIREARMS
CRAFTS Antique gun repair ••• +2
Antiquities restoration ••• +2 Cover fire from gangs ••• +3
Auto repair •• +3 Procuring smuggled •••• +2
Custom equipment ••• +2 military arms
modifications LARCENY
INVESTIGATION Breaking and entering ••• +2
Consultation on evidence ••• +3 Security consulting ••• +2
Investigative photography ••• +2 Stealing a protected relic •••• +3
Private investigation/ •• +2 STEALTH
background check
Strategic distraction ••• +3
MEDICINE
Tailing a suspect ••• +2
Black market surgeon •••• +3
Targeted vandalism •• +2
Expert medical witness •••• +2
SURVIVAL
Rush plastic surgery •••• +2
Field dress and preserve an animal ••• +1
OCCULT
Trail guide •• +3
Esoteric consultant/sage •••• +3
Weatherproof a shelter •• +2
Exorcist ••• +2
WEAPONRY
Protective amulets or wards •••• +1
Properly forged sword ••• +2
POLITICS
Identify wound from ••• +2
Campaign assistant ••• +3 obscure weapon
Cutting red tape (read: bribe) ••• +2 Training in archaic warfare ••• +2
Spin doctor ••• +2 ANIMAL KEN
SCIENCE Buy a trained animal ••• +2
Fact-checking •• +3 Identify animal droppings •• +1
Falsifying research/coverup ••• +2 Rule out natural causes of death ••• +2
Lab access •• +2
ATHLETICS EMPATHY
Meditative assistance ••• +2 “Good cop” interrogator ••• +2
Personal trainer ••• +3 Neutral arbitrator ••• +2
Throwing an athletic competition •••• +4 Therapy session •• +1

215
 CHAPTER FOUR: RULES

Services (Continued)
Die Die
Service Availability Bonus Service Availability Bonus

EXPRESSION SOCIALIZE
Document forgery ••• +3 Catering ••• or •••• +1 or +2
Ghostwriting •• +2 Elocution consulting ••• +1
Motivational speech ••• +1 Escort ••• +2
INTIMIDATION STREETWISE
Anti-interrogation training •••• +3 Arrange a rave or block party ••• +2
“Bad cop” interrogator ••• +2 Black market access •• +2
Deprogramming therapy ••• +2 Find crash space •• +1
PERSUASION Smuggling contraband ••• +1
Defense attorney ••• +3 SUBTERFUGE
Hostage negotiator •••• +3 Amateur Actor/Actress •• +2
Pickup artist ••• +2 Con artistry ••• +2
Gambling ringer ••• +2

hold two items of its Size and any reasonable number of smaller-sized example is a book code, where a page, paragraph, and word from
items. Its Availability determines its die bonus, which both adds to a certain book are used as the foundation for a cypher. This keeps
concealment rolls and subtracts from rolls to find the items within. any uninformed eyes off the intended message. In the case of a
book code, a book is often chosen that all message recipients can
Communications Headset access easily. This guarantees that the code never has to travel with
Die Bonus +2, Durability 0, Size 1, Structure 1, Availability •• the code key.
Effect: Communications headsets keep characters in constant A successfully designed cypher is difficult to break. The die
contact. Different varieties work over different distances, but most bonus acts as a penalty to any rolls to crack the code without the
commercial models work over about 200 feet. A common alternative necessary reference key.
is a conference call between cellular phones and Bluetooth headsets.
If the users have practiced using their headsets together, they gain Cracking Software
the die bonus on any coordinated efforts. In the case of a teamwork Die Bonus +2, Durability N/A, Size N/A, Structure N/A,
action, the die bonus only applies to the final roll. If the users are Availability •••
unpracticed, the bonus falls to +1 and actors must make reflexive Effect: Crappy software’s a dime a dozen. Good, reliable
Wits + Composure rolls to participate successfully. cracking software is hard to come by. With solid software, a
Any heavy objects can obstruct a headset’s signal. Anything hacker can force passwords, breach firewalls, and otherwise be
obstructing with Durability higher than 3 requires listeners to make a nuisance in computer systems. Beyond the dice pool modifica-
a Wits + Composure roll to understand shared messages. Levy a –1 tion, the benefit such software offers is a sort of buffer between
penalty for each point of Durability over 4. the hacker and security. Any effort to track the hacker takes two
steps: one to identify the software, then one to trace it back to
Crime Scene Kit the source. Functionally this means two rolls on behalf of the
Die Bonus +2, Durability 2, Size 3, Structure 2, Availability •• security personnel, with an opportunity for the hacker to with-
Effect: A crime scene (or CSI) kit is a toolbox full of investigative aids draw before detection.
such as magnifiers, fingerprinting dust, cameras, tape, testing chemicals,
and sample bags. While the kits offer a die bonus to Investigation rolls, Digital Recorder
the more important benefit of the CSI kit is that it allows evidence to be Die Bonus +1 or +2, Durability 1, Size 1, Structure 2, Availability
moved and digested elsewhere. Properly applied, it allows investigators • or ••
to do the bulk of their work off-site and at their own pace. Effect: In the last decade, digital audio recorders have gotten
smaller, more effective, and more affordable. Now, any student can
Code Kit carry a coin-sized device that would have put intelligence agencies
Die Bonus +5, Durability 1, Size 2, Structure 1, Availability • of the 1980s to shame. The cheaper model of recorder gives its +1
Effect: A code kit is a series of tools created for the purpose of bonus to any rolls to catch words or sounds. The bonus also applies
making and interpreting a code for a specific audience. A common to concealment rolls. The more expensive model gives +2. With an

216
 equipment

Intelligence + Computer (with die bonus), a character can contest given time. With a bit of know-how and access to someone’s phone,
any rolls to obscure discussion or mask noises. your character can track their every move (provided those moves are
not in caves, tunnels, or sewer systems). Some characters will trade
Duct Tape GPS data in case one of the group becomes lost or if they have to
Die Bonus +1, Durability 1, Size 1, Structure 2, Availability • follow someone without notice. Planting a phone on an unwitting
Effect: Duct tape has as many uses as one can think of, and just as subject can serve as a highly effective tracking device.
many you never would. It can reinforce barricades, stabilize weapon
handles, bind prisoners, repair broken pipes, and so much more. Keylogging Software
In most cases, duct tape can offer a +1 bonus to Crafts-related rolls. Die Bonus +2, Durability N/A, Size N/A, Structure N/A,
Alternatively, it can add a point of Durability to almost anything. If Availability ••
used as a restraint, rolls to break free suffer a –3 penalty, and must Effect: Keylogging software does exactly one thing: it logs key-
overcome the duct tape’s Structure. strokes on a computer. This is usually done to record incriminating
data or passwords. Usually, keylogging software is coupled with
First-Aid Kit software to transmit the data once captured. The challenge for the
Die Bonus 0 or +1, Durability 1, Size 2, Structure 3, Availability would-be intruder is installing the software. Email scams are an
• or •• unreliable way to get onto a specific computer, but could fool one
Effect: A first-aid kit contains all the necessary supplies to stabi- member of a large organization. A thumb drive is very effective,
lize an injury and stop wounds from getting worse until the victim but requires direct, physical access to the recipient computer. The
can find proper treatment. The one-dot version of the first-aid kit software’s die bonus offers an advantage to breach a network or to
does not offer a die bonus; it simply allows for treatment. The two- find important data.
dot version offers a +1 to treatment rolls due to superior supplies.
Luminol
Flashlight Die Bonus +2, Durability 0, Size 1, Structure 1, Availability •
Die Bonus +1, Durability 2, Size 1, Structure 3, Availability • Effect: Luminol is a chemical that reacts to certain metals in
Effect: In a world full of darkness, a flashlight can be a person’s human blood and other bodily fluids. The reaction causes a faint
best friend. It generally does what it’s supposed to; it helps cut a neon glow for about thirty seconds, visible in the dark. It comes in
path through the unknown. Its die bonus subtracts from any pen- an aerosol can and will seek out faint traces, even after a thorough
alties due to darkness, and adds to any rolls to search in the dark. cleaning. In addition to showing the exact locations of violent
A good flashlight can serve as a club in a pinch. It can also blind crimes, luminol can assist in tracking wounded people and animals.
an unfortunate subject. A Dexterity + Athletics roll, subtracting an Luminol’s die bonus applies to any roll to track by the fluid traces,
informed opponent’s Defense, will put the beam where it needs to or to piece together the details of a crime scene.
be. The victim’s player may make a contested Stamina roll. If your
character scores more successes than the subject, they’re blinded Multi-Tool
for one turn. Victims with especially acute senses are blinded for Die Bonus +1, Durability 3, Size 1, Structure 4, Availability •
two turns. Effect: Sometimes, the need for mobility doesn’t allow for your
character to carry around a full tool kit. In these cases, a multi-tool
Glowstick can be a lifesaver. From sawing to stripping wires, to opening bottles,
Die Bonus +2, Durability 1, Size 1, Structure 1, Availability • to filing off serial numbers, a multi-tool can do the job in a pinch.
Effect: Glowsticks use a chemical mixture to summon forth The multi-tool offers a negligible die bonus on numerous Crafts and
enough light to see in a small area. Most commercial glowsticks last other assorted tasks, and most importantly, allows for rolls when
a couple of hours; police and other professional varieties can last sometimes they couldn’t be made for lack of proper equipment.
twelve. Because they’re small, airtight containers, they serve the add- While not made for use as a weapon, it can serve as one, causing 0
ed benefit of being useful underwater or in the rain. Functionally, lethal but suffering a –1 penalty to hit.
they work the same as a flashlight. They cannot be used to blind
a target, however, since their soft glow is far less obtrusive than a Personal Computer
flashlight’s beam. They’re also very conveniently worn, which can Die Bonus +1 to +4, Durability 2, Size 3, Structure 2, Availability
serve strategic purposes for a group operating in low-light conditions. • to ••••
A member will not go missing without being noticed so long as they Effect: In the developed world, almost every household has
have a glowing neon bar on their belt. access to a personal computer. They can vary in size, functionality,
and price, from decade-old models that barely surf the web to high-
GPS Tracker end machines that process gigabytes of data per second. In today’s
Die Bonus +3, Durability 2, Size 2, Structure 2, Availability •• world, many lives revolve around computers. For some people,
Effect: With the advent of the modern cellular phone, most their entire careers and personal lives exist within digital space.
modern people have a GPS-enabled device on their person at any The Availability rating of the computer determines its die bonus.

217
 CHAPTER FOUR: RULES

Smartphones the world outside their cushy homes. They come in two levels:
a basic level and an advanced level. The basic level offers +1 and
Die Bonus +1 to +2, Durability 2, Size 1, Structure 1, Availability subtracts one from the effective level of environment (see Extreme
• to ••• Environments, p. 212), while the advanced offers +2 and subtracts
Effect: By themselves, smartphones can make calls, send text two from the effective environment level. This does not help with
messages and emails, take pictures, maintain an agenda, and search a Level 4 environment. A resourceful character can rig or scavenge
the web. With a bit of software, the Smartphone becomes the the necessary supplies for basic survival gear, but an advanced set
multi-tool of the electronic age. While it cannot accomplish the of gear requires very specialized equipment. Basic survival gear can
raw computing power of a full-sized personal computer, higher-end assist with most any environment, but advanced survival gear must
smartphones can manage almost all the same tasks with ease. target one particular type of environment.
Most major gadgets have been successfully replicated with smart-
phone applications. GPS scanning and tracking are staples of the Talcum Powder
amateur investigator. Facial recognition software finds a face in a
Die Bonus +2, Durability N/A, Size 1, Structure N/A,
crowd with relative accuracy. They can photograph and transcribe
Availability •
text, then translate ancient tomes. They can store a library’s worth
Effect: Talcum powder can keep a baby’s bottom from getting
of text and allow for automated searches. They offer directions with
diaper rash, but it can also show the presence of the unseen or
photographic assistance. Even the value of a mindless video game
evidence of intrusion if placed at a portal of entry. If an entrance
on a stakeout is often underestimated.
is dusted with talcum powder, a character must achieve five suc-
Special Effects cesses on a Dexterity + Stealth roll to enter without a trace. Fewer
successes will only obscure the specifics of their feet and hands.
Die Bonus +2, Durability 2, Size 5, Structure 3, Availability ••• Some paranormal investigators use talcum powder as a way to give
Effect: Special effects is a catch-all term for the tricks and chica- ghosts and other invisible entities a method for communication.
nery used by amusement parks and stage magicians to fool witnesses.
A character may use these as a distraction or a defense. For example, Ultraviolet Ink
the Pepper’s Ghost illusion is relatively easy to set up with the right
Die Bonus +2, Durability 1, Size 1, Structure 2, Availability •
tools. It uses a large mirror and a sheet of glass, along with a model
Effect: Ultraviolet Ink, or invisible ink as it’s commonly called,
and a light source. It projects an illusion of the model’s reflection
is an outstanding way to relay messages in plain sight. Since the
and makes witnesses see a “ghost.”
naked eye cannot perceive the ink without an ultraviolet light, a
In addition to the die bonus, special effects generally fool their
character can scrawl messages for other recipients in the know. It
audience at first. A witness will fall for the trick unless given good
also allows for secretive information to be passed around through
reason to be suspicious. This can waste valuable time or lead the
mundane channels. If nefarious forces are surveying someone, an
witness into a trap.
ultraviolet message scribbled on a throwaway magazine is much
Surveillance Equipment easier to get into their home unmolested than, say, a suspicious
letter slid through their doorframe. If you need to mark a path to
Die Bonus +2, Durability 2, Size 2, Structure 2, Availability ••• a secret hiding place, what better way to conceal the guiding marks?
Effect: Standard surveillance equipment usually consists of
motion detectors, cameras, and monitors. High-end versions may
include infrared heat sensors, barometric scanners, or even more
Physical Equipment
complex gear. Either way, the point of surveillance equipment is to Physical equipment enhances the use of Physical Skills. This
survey, detect, and otherwise track who enters or leaves a location. often means the use of simple and complex machines to make
Often, this also means locking down breached zones. Unless some- things easier, or tricks to heighten the effectiveness of a character’s
one knows surveillance equipment exists and actively avoids it, his inherent talents.
presence is noticed and recorded. If he tries to avoid it, contest his
Dexterity + Stealth against the installing technician’s Intelligence +
Battering Ram
Computer or Intelligence + Crafts (for digital and analog systems, Die Bonus +4, Durability 3, Size 4, Structure 8, Availability ••
respectively). The technician may add the equipment’s die bonus. Effect: The purpose of the battering ram is to bring down doors
If the intruder scores more successes, he remains unnoticed. and other barricades with direct, focused force. A battering ram uses
Otherwise, he goes on record. a Teamwork action (see p. 202), allowing up to four participants. The
primary actor adds the ram’s die bonus to her roll. A ram ignores
Survival Gear two points of Durability.
Die Bonus +1 or +2, Durability 2, Size 2 or 3, Structure 3,
Availability • or •••
Bear Trap
Effect: Survival gear is the catch-all term for the various kits of Die Bonus +2, Durability 3, Size 2, Structure 5, Availability ••
equipment needed to survive in harsh environments. This could Effect: A bear trap is a large metal contraption that looks some-
encompass tents, canned foodstuff, raingear, sleeping bags, sterile thing like a set of deadly jaws. For this reason, they’re also commonly
water, or any of the various things a person can use to survive called jaw traps. When a human or large animal steps into the bear

218
 equipment

trap, it snaps shut on their leg. Due to the serrated edges on the character to ignore two points of Durability on the lock or barricade.
trap, this can cause massive bleeding or even broken bones. A crowbar can also be used as a weapon (see p. 209).
The jaw trap causes 3L damage and ignores two points of armor
or Durability. A character trapped in the jaws can attempt to escape Firearm Suppressor
as an instant action. Doing so requires a Strength + Stamina roll, Die Bonus +2, Durability 2, Size 1, Structure 2, Availability ••
with the trap’s die bonus as a penalty due to the distracting pain and Effect: A firearm suppressor is popularly and misleadingly
the strength of the jaws. Failure on this roll causes another point of referred to as a silencer in cinema and other media. It’s a cylin-
lethal damage as the jaw digs in further. Creatures without oppos- der placed on the end of a gun barrel that changes and lightens
able thumbs cannot escape this way and must rip themselves free. the sound of a shot. A suppressor delivers many minor benefits,
Any rolls to hide a bear trap suffer its die bonus as a penalty. but offers two noteworthy advantages: short-range accuracy and
They’re difficult to hide due to their awkward shape and weight. concealment.
Increased Accuracy: A suppressed firearm travels through a longer
Caltrops barrel and the muzzle crown evens the expulsion of hot gasses that
Die Bonus +2, Durability 2, Size 2, Structure 3, Availability •• can slightly affect trajectory. In game terms, reduce a suppressed
Effect: Caltrops are small, pointed pieces of metal, arranged gun’s damage rating by 1 due to the bullet’s subsonic flight, but
in such a way that one point is always facing upward. This makes increase the attack dice pool by 2 when firing at short range.
walking (or driving) through a patch of caltrops inconvenient and Position Concealer: The sound changes dramatically, to the point
painful. These traits assume enough caltrops to fill a doorway or where many people do not recognize the sound as that of a gunshot
other narrow corridor. and are often unable to place where the lower tone came from. The
Moving through caltrops causes one point of lethal damage. muzzle flash is also reduced dramatically with a suppressor, helping
Caltrops ignore a point of armor or Durability. To move through to conceal a shooter’s position. A character trying to identify a sup-
safely, a Dexterity + Athletics roll is required with the caltrops’ die pressed shot must roll Wits + Firearms – 2. Any character searching
bonus applied as a penalty to the roll. A character may only move for the shooter using the gun’s tells suffers a –2 penalty.
half Speed (rounded down) while moving safely through caltrops.
A character may hide caltrops, although it is difficult. A Wits + Gas Mask
Larceny – 3 roll is required; the caltrops’ die bonus does not apply Die Bonus +5, Durability 1, Size 2, Structure 3, Availability ••
to this roll. Effect: A gas mask is a filtration device placed over the face that
defends against noxious chemicals in the air. With a working gas
Camouflage Clothing mask, a character can stand minor toxins for as long as he needs,
Die Bonus +2, Durability 1, Size 2, Structure 3, Availability •• whereas other characters might take damage over time or require
Effect: Camouflage clothing allows its wearer to blend in rolls to remain conscious. Powerful toxins may still require rolls. A
sufficiently with her surroundings that for the untrained eye to gas mask adds five dice to these rolls.
pass over her completely. Effective camouflage must be catered to
the environment; greens and browns in the woodlands, shades of Handcuffs
grey in an urban area. Proper camouflage adds its bonus to rolls to Die Bonus +2, Durability 4, Size 1, Structure 4, Availability •
remain unnoticed. Effect: A solid pair of steel handcuffs is made to restrain even
a remarkably strong person. Applying handcuffs to an unwilling
Climbing Gear combatant is an additional option in a grapple. Roll Strength +
Die Bonus +2, Durability 3, Size 2, Structure 2, Availability •• Brawl – the opponent’s Strength. Success means the handcuffs are
Effect: Climbing gear includes ropes, pulleys, handles, carabin- where they need to be.
ers, hooks, and other assorted tools for scaling things. They serve Breaking out of successfully applied handcuffs requires a
a twofold purpose. First, they add their die bonus to the normal Strength + Stamina – 4 roll. Each success on the roll reduces the
Strength + Athletics rolls for climbing. Second, if properly applied Structure of the cuffs by 1. Cuffs reduced to 0 Structure snap open.
(with a Wits + Athletics roll), they prevent a character from falling Each attempt to escape causes 1 point of bashing damage.
more than ten feet at a time. A character may also try to finagle their hands out of the cuffs.
This requires a Dexterity + Athletics – 4 roll. Success allows for an
Crowbar escape, and causes one point of bashing damage. Failure on this roll
Die Bonus +2, Durability 3, Size 2, Structure 4, Availability • causes one point of lethal damage, as the thumb jerks out of socket.
Effect: A crowbar is a curved piece of steel used to pry open Attempting to do anything requiring manual dexterity while
shipping pallets, jammed doors, and other things a normal person cuffed incurs a –4 penalty, or –2 if the hands are cuffed in front.
would be incapable of doing by hand. It adds to any dice rolls used Witnesses are unlikely to behave favorably around a cuffed character,
to establish leverage. When prying things open, it allows your Social rolls against strangers incur a –3 penalty.

219
 CHAPTER FOUR: RULES

Many police forces and security companies now prefer heavy-du- Stun Gun
ty plastic zip ties in place of handcuffs. While they’re slightly less
durable (Durability 3), they incur a –5 penalty from behind or –3 Die Bonus +1 to +3, Durability 2, Size 1, Structure 2, Availability
from the front, because they can be far tighter on the wrists. They •, ••, or •••
can also be cut free. Effect: A stun gun is designed to deliver an overwhelming
amount of electricity to an assailant in order to shut down her
Lockpicking Kit muscles and send her to the ground. As a defensive item, this gives
the would-be victim time to run or get help. As an offensive item,
Die Bonus +2, Durability 2, Size 2, Structure 2, Availability ••
it leaves the victim ready for restraint or worse.
Effect: A lockpicking kit consists of picks, tools, and rods for
These devices come in two varieties (hand-held and ranged) and
manipulating tumblers and opening locks. A good kit contains a
three intensities (1–3, corresponding to their Availabilities). The
wide array of tools to all but guarantee intrusion of an analog lock.
hand-held model has live leads on the edge of a handle and can be
With such a kit and at least a dot of Larceny, a character can pick
used as many as fifty times on one battery charge. The ranged model
a lock without a roll if time is not an issue. If time is an issue, the
fires small wired darts up to fifteen feet away. While the ranged
die bonus applies to the Dexterity + Larceny rolls. At Availability •,
model has similar battery life, it uses a compressed air cartridge
a character may procure a portable lockpick. It has Size 1, Structure
that must be replaced after each shot.
1, and is far more concealable. However, it only offers a +1 bonus
Use of a handheld stun gun requires a Dexterity + Weaponry roll,
and doesn’t allow for picking without rolls since the kit realistically
penalized by the victim’s Defense. The ranged model uses Dexterity +
may not have the right tools for a given job.
Firearms, also penalized by the victim’s Defense. On a successful hit
A lockpicking kit only works on mechanical locks. Digital locks
with either, the victim takes one point of lethal damage. The successes
require more specific hacking and code prediction. A character
subtract from the victim’s next dice pool. With the ranged version,
may procure a digital lockpick at Availability •••, but typically only
the darts remain in the victim’s body, adding three successes automat-
works on one type of lock, such as the keycard locks used in hotels.
ically each turn. They can be removed with a Strength + Stamina roll,
Digital lockpicks can be Size 2, or Size 1 if crafted as an extension
with the initial successes penalizing the action. With the hand-held
of a laptop computer or smartphone.
version, the attacker can attempt to maintain the shock, which takes
Mace (Pepper Spray) a Strength + Weaponry, penalized by the greater of the opponent’s
Strength or Defense. Once the accumulated successes exceed the
Die Bonus +1, Durability 2, Size 1, Structure 1, Availability •
victim’s Size, the victim collapses in neuro-muscular incapacitation.
Effect: Pepper spray, or “mace” as it’s commonly called, is a
Once the shock ends, this lasts for (10 – victim’s Stamina) in turns.
blend of chemicals (mostly capsaicin, the “hot” part of a chile pep-
per) in a small spray can, designed to debilitate threats. Civilians
use these devices in self-defense; police use them to subdue unruly
Social Equipment
criminals. Use of pepper spray requires a Dexterity + Athletics, or Social actions deal with people. Social Equipment offers tools
Dexterity + Firearms roll. Each yard is a range category, so one yard for leverage, influence, and manipulation.
is short range, two yards is medium, three yards is long range. An
opponent’s Defense applies, but in normal wind conditions, the Cash
die bonus applies to the roll. Die Bonus +1 to +5, Durability 1, Size 2, Structure 1, Availability
Upon the first attack, the victim suffers the Stunned Tilt (see • to •••••
p. 318). Someone affected by the spray suffers a –5 penalty to all Effect: This represents a wad of cash, a briefcase of money, an
actions. This penalty can be reduced by 1 for every turn spent rinsing offshore bank account number, or some other lump sum. It can’t
the eyes with water. Commercial chemicals designed to cleanse the be reflected in the Resources Merit since it’s not a regular income.
eyes will fully remove the penalty after a turn. However, it can be expended to offer a bonus equivalent to its
Availability on any social roll where a bribe could benefit. It can
Rope also be expended to purchase one item of equal Availability. For
Die Bonus +1, Durability 2, Size 3, Structure 2, Availability • more complex uses, consider it a single month’s allotment of the
Effect: Rope is one of the oldest tools known to humankind. same Resources.
It’s never left prominent use because of its simple, efficient utility.
A good rope adds its die bonus to relevant Crafts rolls and any- Disguise
where else it would assist. As a binding agent, it resists breaking Die Bonus +1 to +3, Durability 1, Size 3, Structure 2, Availability
with Durability (or effective Strength) equal to its user’s Crafts • to •••
score, due to the multiplicative effect of solid knots. An applicable Effect: A good disguise goes a long way to help fit in with a
Specialty adds one to the user’s Crafts score for this purpose. Some strange group or go unnoticed in a crowd where one doesn’t belong.
interrogators, shibari fetishists, and boy scouts alike specialize in Properly costumed for a situation, no rolls are required to blend into
remarkable knot-tying, potentially rendering subjects completely the crowd. Any rolls to actively detect the outsider suffer a penalty
and hopelessly immobile. equal to the die bonus of the disguise; the disguised character also
gains the bonus to remain hidden.

220
 Ephemeral Beings: Ghosts, Spirits, and Angels

With a disguise, a character can emulate the first dot of a single or forced to cross over to complete a mission by the God-Machine, most
Social Merit that would make sense within the scope of the scene. encounters between characters and ephemeral beings take place in the
For example, it doesn’t make money appear from thin air, but it physical world, where characters have the home-ground advantage.
would allow a character to get their drinks on a nonexistent tab,
reflecting Resources •. This requires a Composure + Subterfuge Manifestation
to maintain in the face of anyone in the know, contested by the
witness’s Wits + Subterfuge. The die bonus of the disguise applies and Possession
to the liar, but does not affect the witness. Instead of bodies formed of flesh and bone, ephemeral beings
are made up of spiritual matter called ephemera, which comes in
Fashion several varieties. These substances are both invisible and intangible
Die Bonus +1 to +3, Durability 1, Size 2, Structure 1, Availability to anything not comprised of the same sort of ephemera — ghosts
• to ••••• can see and touch one another, but are invisible to most living
Effect: Never underestimate the value of high fashion. Like a people and don’t interact with solid objects or even other ephemeral
disguise, fashionable clothing allows a character to fit in. However, beings that aren’t ghosts. Spirits happily float through walls and
the point of fashion is to draw attention, not to fade into the crowd. pass through ghosts without even noticing them, and are incapable
As opposed to anonymity, fashion means being noticed. Note that of interacting with people without help.
the clothing chosen must be appropriate to the setting. Punk chic Almost every ephemeral being has the ability to Manifest —
will not work at a Senator’s fundraiser, for example. When improp- to make its presence known and to affect the physical world,
erly dressed, the die bonus applies as a penalty to all Social Skill ranging from remaining invisible but using powers, appearing as
rolls. The die bonus for Fashion is equal to half the Availability insubstantial but visible images, or even possessing a victim, sending
rating, rounded up. his soul into hibernation and warping the commandeered body to
suit their own uses. Some are more skilled at it than others (those
Ephemeral Beings: so weak they can’t Manifest at all are essentially impotent in the
physical world and don’t interact with humans), but all require

Ghosts, Spirits, certain appropriate conditions before they can use these powers.
An ephemeral being that wants to shift into physical form or

and Angels to inhabit an object, animal, or person requires the specified area,
item, or character to be prepared for it to successfully Manifest.
Ghosts require Anchors — places, objects and people that are linked
Humanity isn’t alone. It shares the Chronicles of Darkness with to their living days and reinforce their failing identities. Angels can
innumerable entities that are lurking invisible and intangible in a only appear in the world when enough Infrastructure has been laid
Twilight state, waiting for the right conditions to arise. When an out by the God-Machine. Spirits need the emotional resonance of
area becomes tainted by the touch of death; when the wall between the area or victim-host to match their own.
the world and the terrible, hungry Shadow of animist spirits grows The more powerful the Manifestation, the stronger the Condition
thin; when people begin to see the gears of the God-Machine: these needed is. The most powerful physical forms and tightly-held victims are
are the times when the ghosts, spirits and angels around us can the result of careful husbandry by the Manifesting being, slowly building
manifest, interact, and further their alien goals. All of them want up the necessary Condition by leveraging whatever Manifestation they
something from humanity ­— memories, obedience, emotion…even can produce at first. Unless Conditions are very strong or the possessing
bodies. Sometimes, humanity fights back. entity extremely powerful, a human being falling victim to a possession
Invisible Incursions is first urged to follow the entity’s wishes instead of his own, then later
forced to do its bidding, and only then physically mutated into a bizarre
The physical world of the Chronicles of Darkness borders on amalgamation of nature and supernatural power.
multiple realms, each with its own peculiar laws. The inhabitants of Summoning or exorcising entities from locations or Possession,
those realms aren’t material beings. Although many are intelligent then, is a matter of creating or destroying the appropriate setting
and self-aware, their thoughts are alien to humans. Mortal for the creature, preferably near to a place it can cross over from
investigators almost never see the worlds these beings come from or to its native realm. Most entities waste away as though starving
with their own eyes, for which they should be grateful. Everything outside of the needed Conditions, so breaking those Conditions
occultists have been able to learn about the animistic Shadow World is a sure-fire way of forcing the being to abandon its attempt at
and the chthonian deep of the Underworld paints both realms as Manifestation and send it fleeing toward either a way “home” or
deadly and teeming with “natives.” The enigmatic servant-angels another appropriate vessel. Cultists wanting to summon entities
of the God-Machine might come from such a realm, or might be attempt to ritually create appropriate Conditions near to a crossing-
created within the world by the processes and Infrastructure they point, or offer up a suitable vessel in the hope that the right sort
serve. No one knows for sure. of ephemeral being will accept the gift. In the case of angels, most
Whether the beings are fleeing the dangers of their home realm, participants in a “summoning” never realize the significance of their
avoiding banishment to it, summoned from their home by mortal actions —the God-Machine moves pawns and machinery around
occultists, sent as agents by more powerful members of their own kind, until an angel is brought forth.

221
 CHAPTER FOUR: RULES

Ghosts The living seldom visit the Underworld, though mediums and
death-obsessed mystery cults all over the world teach that gateways
Echoes of the Dead leading there are more common than supposed. Its doors exist in
the same Twilight state as ghosts themselves, invisible and unnoticed
When human beings die, especially in a sudden or traumatic
by the living. Tales of living occultists who learned the right places
fashion, they sometimes leave parts of themselves behind. Ranging
and the proper ceremonies to open the gates of death describe the
from broken, animated after-images unable to do anything but re-
Underworld as a chthonian hell of passageways, tunnels and caverns,
enact their death, to intelligent, malevolent once-human spirits with
all filled with desperate ghosts that lost their grip on the world.
power over whatever kind of calamity killed them, the Chronicles of
The Underworld sustains the dead, allowing them more freedom
Darkness teem with vast numbers of the restless dead. More ghosts
to move and act than the living world, but also imprisons them.
exist than any other supernatural creature, but the truly powerful
Once there, ghosts may increase in power and influence, evolving
independent specters of legend are rare.
beyond the image of the person they were into twisted rulers of dead
The majority of ghosts are poor at influencing the world, trapped
kingdoms or sponsors and advocates of particular forms of death.
in their insubstantial state and unable to even Manifest; they are
If summoned back to the physical world or allowed to escape the
noticed only as a strange chill or eerie vibe, if the living sense them at
Underworld by chance conditions, a ghost that has spent centuries
all. Ghosts are drawn to places and people that they had emotional
growing stronger can wreak havoc until exorcised.
connections to in life — these things anchor the ghost in the world
and allow those that have enough power to Manifest, whereupon
they carry out whatever mad urges they still feel and attempt to
Spirits
further the goals they left undone in life. Warped Reflections
Ghosts feed on Essence, a spiritual energy created by memory and
Animist religions describe the world as being full of spirits, with
emotion that builds up in their Anchors and is fed directly to them when
every object, animal, and place hiding a spirit within it. They’re
they are remembered by the living. Ghosts that lose their Anchors and
partly right; everything in the Chronicles of Darkness apart from
can’t transfer their attachment fade from the world, passing over to a
humans does cast a spiritual reflection, even transitory events
dread realm filled with all the orphaned Ghosts that have gone before.
and strong emotions, but all spirits apart from the cunning or a
This realm has many names in occult writings: Tartarus, the Great Below,
powerful few are confined to a world of their own. Separated from
the Land of the Dead, the Dominions, or simply the Underworld.
the physical world by a barrier known to knowledgeable occultists

222
 Ephemeral Beings: Ghosts, Spirits, and Angels

as the Gauntlet, the spirit — or Shadow — world is a murky reflection

of the physical. Its geography is (mostly) the same as the physical
world, but places appear twisted to reflect their inner truth rather Other Entities
than showing an exact physical representation.
Spirits come into being alongside the thing they’re a reflection The ghosts, spirits, and angels presented here aren’t
of, but are dormant, barely-living, tiny lumps of ephemera at first. the only ephemeral entities to exist. The various
As well as creating new spirits, actions in the physical world and any Chronicles of Darkness games have used the spirit
rules updated in this section to represent many different
emotions associated with them create Essence in the physical world,
beings, from the inhabitants of an astral world visited
some of which crosses over into the Shadow. If enough Essence is by mages to demonic owls made of smoke with a
created around an embryonic spirit, it becomes roused into activity. strange connection to vampires.
By absorbing Essence, the spirit remains active. By consuming other
spirits, it merges those spirits into itself and grows larger and more Just as ghosts, spirits, and angels are slightly different,
powerful. Spirits war on each other for survival everywhere. adapting these beings to use the rules here involves
setting out both where they follow these rules and
As spirits become more powerful, they become less pure as
where they don’t. Future chronicle books may detail
reflections of their origins and more thematic in nature. For ephemeral entities particular to those chronicles.
example, the spirit of a single owl grows by consuming other owl-
spirits. As it consumes spirits of night, hunting, the prey its owl
eats, and other owl-spirits, the spirit subtly changes. By the time
it becomes an independent, thinking being that no longer follows When cultists summon a spirit, it journeys from the Shadow. When
around the physical creature that created it, it has warped into an angel is needed, the God-Machine is as likely to build the angel
an exaggerated spirit of silent nocturnal hunting. The Essence it right there as to direct an existing one to journey to the site. When
consumes also has an effect — an owl-spirit evolving in an urban angels are reused, they spend the downtime “resting” in storage
area feeds on different Essence to one in the countryside, and its facilities hidden by the very deepest Infrastructure. Sometimes,
appearance is colored by its diet. cultists and prying outsiders who witness the gears catch glimpses of
When mortal characters encounter spirits, something has gone these facilities — cavernous chambers folded neatly into impossible
wrong. Some spirits are capable of using their powers through the spaces, filled with hydraulics, gears, and the hissing of machines
Gauntlet and, as their self-awareness grows with power, decide to surrounding the angels while keeping them fed with Essence.
create food sources for themselves by influencing what sort of spirits They’re always guarded.
and Essence will be created around them. The true culprit behind Being essentially tools designed by an intelligent if unknowable
an unusual pattern of domestic murders, for example, might be a creator to fulfill specific functions, angels are far more specialized
murder-spirit using its abilities to heighten arguments to homicide. than spirits or ghosts. They’re also usually more subtle and able to go
The spirits that mortal investigators encounter in the physical unnoticed even when Manifested, but are extremely single-minded,
world are refugees and escapees: those that cross the Gauntlet to aiming to complete the task they’ve been sent for and then vanish.

Game Systems
flee the constant risk of being killed and absorbed by larger spirits.
They constantly strive to maintain their Essence, desperate to avoid
returning to their own world. Without an easy source of Essence, Ghosts, spirits and angels share a broad set of rules with
spirits must anchor themselves like ghosts, finding an object or minor variations to cover situations such as spirits reaching
person that reflects their nature and tying their ephemeral bodies to across the Gauntlet.
them. The spirit remains intangible — and is often actually “inside”
the host — but is safe from starvation as long as the host generates The State of Twilight
enough Essence to feed it. By influencing the host or humans Unless they Manifest or use a power to appear, ephemeral
interacting with a material host to more closely reflect its nature, beings remain in their insubstantial state when in the material
the spirit gets a ready supply of Essence and may move on to more world. This state is described as “Twilight.” To beings in Twilight,
permanent forms of possession. Many items thought of as having physical objects appear pale and semi-transparent, light sources are
“wills of their own” or as being cursed are actually house spirits. dimmed and sounds are distorted as though underwater. Twilight

Angels
isn’t a place, though; it’s more of a description of how ephemera
interacts — or fails to interact — with material reality.
When in Twilight, only items, creatures, and phenomena that
Functions of the God-Machine are also in Twilight and comprised of the same kind of ephemera can
Unlike ghosts, who feed from being remembered and struggle touch an ephemeral being. Attacks simply pass through the Twilight
to maintain their grip on the world, and spirits who flee their being; solid concrete and steel are no more hindrance than fog.
own Darwinian hell to carve a foothold in material reality, angels The exception to this rule is ghost structures. Destroyed objects
are both temporary visitors to the mortal realm and its only true — everything from a pen to a building — appear as after-images in
“natives” among ephemeral beings. The God-Machine isn’t some Twilight, formed of the same ephemera as ghosts. These spiritual
far-off thing lurking in a distant dimension; it’s here, in the material structures and items fade away on a timescale depending on how
world, built from mechanisms hidden from sight by guile and magic. strongly they’re remembered. Famous structures, or even obscure

223
 CHAPTER FOUR: RULES

ones that are loved and thought about frequently after they’re the Shadow. Ghosts that don’t have any anchors remaining
destroyed, can last decades, solid and substantial only to ghosts. are similarly forced into the Underworld. Angels remain
If no ghostly structures get in the way, ephemeral beings in dormant wherever they were.
Twilight can move at walking pace in any direction. Gravity has no
sway, though Twilight beings can only truly “fly” if it’s appropriate • Ephemeral beings outside of a suitable Condition bleed one
for their form — most hug the material terrain. A ghost could walk point of Essence per hour. The Influence and Manifestation
up the side of a tower block, for example, but couldn’t then float Conditions starting on p. 229 state whether they protect
through mid-air to the next tower. from Essence bleed for different types of ephemeral being.
Some occultists and supernatural creatures practice Astral Entities that run out of Essence due to bleed suffer a single
Projection, which allows a character to leave her body behind and point of lethal damage and enter hibernation.
explore the world in invisible form. These projected selves are
• Ephemeral beings can spend Essence to boost their traits
technically in Twilight, but lack ephemeral bodies and so aren’t
for a single scene on a point per dot basis. They can’t boost
solid even to one another.
a single trait by more than Rank + 2 dots; boosting takes a
Ephemeral Traits turn and they can only boost a single Attribute in a turn.
Ephemeral beings aren’t alive the way humans are alive. They • Entities can sense sources of Essence appropriate for their
aren’t biological creatures and don’t have the divides between needs from up to a mile away. Spirits can use this sense
body, soul, and mind that mortals and once-mortal supernatural through the Gauntlet. The “Seek” Numen (p. 235) increases
beings possess. In game terms, ephemeral beings are represented this range.
by simplified game traits.
• Ephemeral beings regain one point of Essence per day they
Rank are in proximity to any Condition relating to them — ghosts
All ephemeral beings have dots in an Advantage called Rank, are sustained by staying near their anchors, spirits in the
which notes how self-aware and powerful the entity is. Rank Shadow eke out an existence by feeding across the Gauntlet,
technically ranges from 1 to 10 dots, but entities with more than and angels are fed by Infrastructure.
Rank ••••• are so alien they can’t support themselves in the
Conditions lesser beings use. They can only be brought into the • Ephemeral beings can attempt to steal Essence from beings of
world by story- and chronicle-defining maneuvers, conjunctions, and the same type — ghosts from ghosts, spirits from spirits, and
events. The Lords of the Dead, Gods of Shadow, and the mighty so on. The attacking entity rolls Power + Finesse, contested
archangels are out of the scope of the Storytelling system. If they by the victim’s Power + Resistance. If the attacker succeeds,
appear at all, they do so purely as plot devices. it steals up to the number of successes in Essence, as long
Rank is used to determine the maximum ratings an ephemeral as the victimized entity has Essence remaining to lose.
being can have in other game traits, as described in a table below, • Ghosts regain a point of Essence whenever someone remem-
along with how many dots of Attributes the entity can have. All bers the living person they once were. Visiting their grave,
ephemeral beings have the ability to sense the relative Rank of other simply sitting and remembering them, or recognizing their
entities, and may attempt to conceal their own Rank by succeeding Manifested form as the person they used to be all qualify.
in a contested Finesse roll. Success means that the entity appears to
be the same Rank as the being sensing the relative Rank. • Spirits may attempt to gorge themselves on a source of appro-
priate Essence. Once per day, when in proximity (even if it’s
Essence on the other side of the Gauntlet) to a suitable Condition, a
Combination food, oxygen, and wealth, Essence fuels ephemeral spirit can roll Power + Finesse, regaining successes in Essence.
entities’ powers, sustains their insubstantial bodies, and allows them If the spirit is still in the Shadow, the dice pool is penalized
to continue existing. As a game trait, Essence resembles Willpower according to Gauntlet strength.
in that each entity has a permanent maximum Essence rating and
an equal number of Essence points it can spend to achieve effects. • Angels are mechanisms in the God-Machine, and like any
Maximum Essence is determined by Rank. machine they are sustained by fuel. God-Machine cultists
Entities can use Essence in the following ways: sacrificing precious resources (metaphorical or literal), an-
imals, or even humans to the angel in its presence allow it
• Ephemeral beings must spend a point of Essence per day to
to regain the Resources value of the item or animal, or the
remain active. If they have run out of Essence, they fall into
current Integrity of a human sacrifice, as Essence.
hibernation until something happens to let them regain at
least one point, which can then be spent on returning to
activity. Such dormancy is dangerous — the entity remains
Attributes and Skills
in Twilight and can be destroyed if it loses all Corpus and Ephemeral beings don’t have the nine Attributes familiar in
Essence at the same time (see p. 227). When spirits enter material characters, but use a simplified set of the Power, Finesse,
hibernation, they are pushed back across the Gauntlet into and Resistance categories mortal Attributes fall into. When creating

224
 Ephemeral Beings: Ghosts, Spirits, and Angels

an ephemeral being, look at the Rank chart earlier in this section to Spirits don’t have an Integrity trait or a Virtue or Vice. Instead,
determine how many dots are available and what the trait maximum they regain one point of spent Willpower per three points of Essence
is. Ghosts usually use the average rating in each category from when they consume by gorging or stealing as described above.
they were alive — for example, a man with Strength 3, Intelligence Angels lack Integrity — they simply obey the God-Machine in
2, and Presence 2 would become a ghost with Power 2. all things — and likewise don’t have Fates. They do have Virtues
Power describes the raw ability of the entity to impose itself on and Vices, though, built into them as operating guidelines and
other ephemeral beings and the world at large. It is used in all rolls preset responses. Angelic Virtues and Vices don’t have to be
that call for Strength, Intelligence, or Presence. anything a human would describe as virtuous or wicked. Examples
Finesse describes how deft the entity is at imposing its desires include “Silent,” “Hidden,” “Obedient,” “Curious,” “Punctual,”
with fine control. It is used for all rolls that call for Dexterity, Wits, “Wrathful,” and “Precise,” all as either Virtue or Vice depending
or Manipulation. on the angel in question.
Resistance describes how well the entity can avoid imposition
from its peers and how easily it is damaged. It is used for all rolls Other Traits
that call for Stamina, Resolve, or Composure. Because they have simplified traits, ephemeral entities calculate
Ephemeral beings don’t possess skills, but also don’t suffer unskilled derived traits a little differently from mortal characters.
penalties as long as the action they’re attempting is appropriate to their Corpus: Ephemeral beings don’t have Health, but rather
former self, nature, or mission. They roll the appropriate Attribute measure how intact their Twilight form is using Corpus. Permanent
+ Rank for actions relating directly to their concept, or Attribute + Corpus is equal to Resistance + Size and grants Corpus boxes that
Attribute for actions like surprise and perception. act like Health boxes, filling when the entity suffers injury. Corpus
boxes don’t have wound penalties associated with them.
Advantages Willpower: Entities have Willpower dots equal to Resistance
Ephemeral beings differ in how they treat Integrity, Virtue, + Finesse, with a maximum of 10 dots for entities with the Ranks
Vice, and Fate. When they possess these traits, the descriptions presented in this book. As well as the Willpower gaining methods
used are often unusual and the specifics change according to the described above, all ephemeral beings regain one spent Willpower
entity’s origin. per day.
Ghosts retain their Virtue and Vice from life, but they are Initiative: Initiative is equal to Finesse + Resistance.
reversed in effect — ghosts regain all spent Willpower by fulfilling Defense: Defense is equal to Power or Finesse, whichever is
their Vice, but can only do so once per chapter, and regain up to lower, except for Rank 1 spirits, which use the higher of the two
one Willpower point a scene by fulfilling their Virtue. Alone among Attributes. The more an entity is driven by raw instinct, the more
ephemeral beings, ghosts also possess Integrity set at the level they animal defense it displays in combat.
had before death. Their Integrity scores don’t change, however, as Speed: Speed is equal to Power + Finesse + a “species” factor.
ghosts do not suffer breaking points. Their self-image is fixed unless Spirits of inanimate objects usually have a species factor of 0.
something happens to push them back to the level of cognizance Size: Ephemeral beings can be of any size. Ghosts are usually
and self-awareness they had in life. If this should happen somehow, Size 5, while spirits often use Rank as Size, growing larger as they
they can suffer breaking points the same way living people can. become more powerful. Angels designed to blend in are sized as

Ephemeral Rank
Rank* Trait Limits ** Attribute Dots Maximum Essence Numina
• 5 dots 5–8 10 1–3
•• 7 dots 9–14 15 3–5
••• 9 dots 15–25 20 5–7
•••• 12 dots 26–35 25 7–9
••••• 15 dots 36–45 50 9–11

* Each Rank levies a –1 modifier on attempts to forcibly bind that entity and acts as a Supernatural Tolerance trait.

** These represent permanent dots, not temporarily boosted ones.

Ghosts can’t increase Rank outside of the Underworld and come into existence as either Rank 1 or 2 depending on how much self-
awareness they have. Nonsapient “recording” type ghosts are Rank 1, while those that retain most of their living memories are Rank 2.
Ghosts summoned back from the Underworld, however, may be of any Rank.
Spirits and Angels run the full range of Ranks, depending on how old and successful a spirit is or how much importance the God-
Machine places upon an angel.

225
 CHAPTER FOUR: RULES

humans or animals, but some angelic entities are very large, up to • Ephemeral beings voluntarily attempting to come into
Size 10 or more. contact with the bane must spend a Willpower point and
Language: Rank 1 ghosts can’t communicate verbally; they don’t succeed on a Resolve + Composure roll with a dice penalty
have enough of their sense of self left to employ language. Rank equal to their Rank.
2 and higher ghosts know whatever languages they knew in life.
Spirits all speak the native tongue of the shadow-world, a strange, • Banes are solid to entities, even when they are in Twilight.
sibilant language that resembles Ancient Sumerian, but often They do not, however, affect spirits on the other side of the
learn the human languages common around their Essence-feeding Gauntlet.
grounds. Angels speak all human languages simultaneously, and
• Simply touching the bane — even voluntarily — causes 1 level
more — they sometimes “speak” in strange glossalia or sounds more
of aggravated damage per turn if the entity is Materialized,
like electronic noise than a language and appear to understand each
and causes the relevant Condition to end unless the entity
other when doing so. When an angel wishes to be understood,
succeeds in a roll of Rank in dice. The roll must be repeated
everyone present hears it speak fluently in their native languages.
every turn if contact holds.
Bans • If the item or person to which a Fettered entity is linked
All ephemeral beings suffer from a mystical compulsion known as comes into contact with the bane, the entity suffers 1 level of
the ban, a behavior that the entity must or must not perform under Lethal damage per turn as long as contact holds. The entity
certain conditions. They can be as simplistic as “the angel cannot must use the Unfetter Manifestation Effect to escape.
cross railway lines,” as moderately complex as “the ghost must come
if you call her name into a mirror three times within her anchor,”
or as difficult as, “the angel must receive a tribute of a printing press
that has used blood as ink once a month or lose a Rank.”
Bans increase in both complexity and consequences with Rank.
Rank 1 entities have mild bans that are easily triggered but Gauntlet Strength
don’t endanger the entity. A spirit of bliss can’t resist an offering
of opiates. The ghost of a nun has to immediately use an offered The strength of the wall between the physical world
rosary. A weak angel must stop still and parrot hexadecimal numbers and its Shadow depends mostly on how many people
when they’re spoken to. are present in the area. Why human activity pushes
Rank 2 and 3 entities have moderate bans that curtail the the Shadow away when it also creates vast quantities
of emotionally resonant Essence is a mystery. If the
creature’s activities in a more serious way than mere distraction. A
spirits know, they aren’t telling, but the Gauntlet
ghost must immediately dematerialize when it hears the sound of a breaks away more easily from civilization.
cat. The murderous spirit of a car that has run down multiple people
loses all Willpower if it doesn’t kill one person a month. The angel Whenever a spirit attempts to cross between the
of the records answers any question about the family, background, material world and the Shadow, uses Influence or
or true identity of a subject if the questioner accurately tells the Manifestation to reach across, feeds from the material
world’s Essence while still being in the Shadow, or
angel her time (to the minute) and place of birth.
uses a Reaching Manifestation (see p. 230), the
Rank 4 and 5 entities have complicated bans that put an end to dice pool is penalized by a number of dice according
whatever the creature is trying to do — often in an explosive fashion. to the following chart.
They have consequences in game traits or long-term actions, but
esoteric requirements. The Smiling Corpse, a ghost summoned back Location Modifier
from the Underworld by a mystery cult, is immediately banished back
Dense urban areas –3
to the Great Below if anyone should sing a particular nursery rhyme
in his presence. The spirit of Mount Iliamna, a volcano in Alaska, City suburbs, towns –2
will use its Numina to kill a victim named by anyone who makes it Small towns, villages –1
an offering of platinum mined from its foothills. The angel Uriminel,
four-faced enforcer of destiny, has Defense 0 against individuals who Wilderness, countryside 0
have suffered lethal or aggravated damage within the last lunar month. Locus +2
Banes
A Locus is a location in which the Shadow world
Ephemeral entities are not of the material world and react is especially close. Spirits don’t need the Reaching
strangely to some elements of it. The interaction between their Manifestation Effect to use their powers across the
ephemeral Twilight form and physical substance always contains a Gauntlet at a Locus, attempts to cross over are at +2
flaw — a bane — that damages the entity’s Corpus through symbolic dice, and spirits whose nature matches the Locus’
or mystical interference. The bane is a physical substance or energy Resonant Condition heal at twice the normal rate.
that the entity can’t abide.

226
 Ephemeral Beings: Ghosts, Spirits, and Angels

• Touching the bane while in Twilight causes 1 point of lethal Ephemeral beings roll Power + Finesse to attack. Their attacks
damage per turn to non-Manifest entities. inflict bashing damage unless the nature of the entity (a spirit
with metal fists, for example) indicates that it should inflict lethal
• If the bane has been used as a weapon against the entity, wounds instead. Some entities use weapons, in which case roll Power
the wounds suffered are aggravated for Manifest entities and + Finesse and then apply weapon damage on a successful attack.
lethal for entities still in Twilight. Entities in Twilight can only attack or be attacked by other
Banes are increasingly esoteric and obscure for entities of ephemeral beings of the same type, unless the attack utilizes the
increasing Rank. entity’s bane.
Rank 1 entities have common substances and phenomena Physical attacks that normally cause lethal damage only cause
as banes. Ghosts burn at the touch of salt. The spirit of a forest bashing damage on a manifest entity unless the attack utilizes the
is poisoned by the fumes of burning plastic. A low-ranking angel entity’s bane. Despite appearing to the naked eye and being solid,
can’t touch gold. a manifest spirit, ghost, or angel doesn’t have any internal organs
Rank 2 and 3 entities have difficult to obtain but still “natural” to injure.
banes. Powerful ghosts are repelled by holy water. A spirit must Ephemeral beings record and heal from wounds the same way
be killed by a sharpened stake made of pine. A mid-rank angel as material characters, but in addition lose one point of Essence
can be killed by a weapon dusted with the ground-up remains of for every aggravated wound they suffer.
a meteorite. Ephemeral entities that lose all Corpus from lethal or
Rank 4 and 5 entities have highly-specific banes that require aggravated wounds explode into a burst of ephemera stylized
great effort to acquire. The lord of an Underworld realm now to their nature. A forest-spirit dies in a hail of rapidly-vanishing
walking the Earth and served by a cult of worshippers can be killed pine needles, while ghosts crumble, screaming, into the ground.
by an obsidian blade marked with the names of thirteen Gods of The entity isn’t actually dead, though, unless it has also run
Death. The spirit of the US Treasury (the building) can be killed out of Essence. If it has even a single Essence point remaining,
by a silver bullet made from a melted-down original dollar. A high it reforms in a safe place (a Conditioned location, usually),
Rank angel can’t willingly touch the sigils of a certain incantation in hibernating. Once it has regained Essence points equal to
Sumerian and dies if the signs are carved into the flesh of its host. Corpus dots, it spends an Essence point and reawakens. As
The hierarchical nature of ephemeral beings also plays a part — the entity can’t act while hibernating, this means waiting for
Rank isn’t a social convention for them but a fundamental part of the one point of Essence a day for being in a suitable area to
their nature. Ephemeral entities of 2 Ranks or more higher than slowly build up to Corpus, and that more powerful entities
an opponent of the same type (a Rank 5 spirit attacking a Rank take longer to recover from being “killed.”
3 spirit, for example) count as their opponent’s bane when using
unarmed attacks, claws, or teeth.
Influence
All ephemeral beings have a degree of Influence over the
Combat world that they can leverage to control and shape the basis of their
As noted earlier, ephemeral beings use the lower of Finesse or existence. Ghosts have power over their own anchors, spirits can
Resistance for Defense unless they are Rank 1, in which case they use control and encourage the phenomena they were born from, and
the higher value. They apply Defense against all attacks, even firearms. the God-Machine grants angels broad authority over things relating
to their mission.
Entities begin with dots in Influence equal to their Rank.
Although a being’s Rank is also the maximum rating for an
Influence, ephemeral beings can split their dots to have more than
Honorary Rank one Influence. A Rank 4 spirit of dogs, for example, might have
Some supernatural creatures that are closely related Influence: Dogs ••• and Influence: Loyalty •.
to a form of ephemeral being have “honorary” Rank Entities may reduce their number of Numina granted by Rank
in the appropriate otherworldly hierarchy; Sin-Eaters to increase Influence dots at a cost of one Numen per dot.
are all Bound to a ghost, for example, and werewolves Spirits and angels have Influences that relate to their natures,
are treated with respect by spirits according to their but that may be used in multiple circumstances — the dog spirit,
Renown. for example, has Influence: Dogs, not Influence over a particular
Technicalities count, in this case, but only against the dog. Ghosts always have Influence.
ephemeral entity. A werewolf who “outranks” a mi- Influence is measured in both scale and duration. To use an
nor spirit will deal devastating wounds to it with his Influence, compare the entity’s Influence rating to the total dots
claws, but a high-Rank spirit can’t burn that werewolf of the intended effect and how long it is to last. The total must be
by touching him. There are other ways to assert dom- equal to or less than the entity’s Influence rating in order for the
inance; high-Rank entities are quite capable of show- Influence to be attempted.
ing the half-fleshed who’s boss. The entity pays the listed cost in Essence and rolls Power + Finesse,
with success creating the desired effect. If the Influence is altering

227
 CHAPTER FOUR: RULES

Influence Effects
Level Effect
• Strengthen The entity can enhance its sphere of influence; it can add to the Defense of a loved one, make an
emotion stronger, or make an animal or plant healthier or an object more robust, gaining the entity’s
Rank in Health or Structure. This Influence can shift the Anchor, Resonant, or Infrastructure Condition
to Open for its duration. The cost is one Essence.
•• Manipulate The entity can make minor changes within its sphere of influence, such as slightly changing the
nature or target of an emotion, or making minor changes to an animal’s actions, a plant’s growth, or
an object’s functioning. The cost is two Essence.
••• Control The entity can make dramatic changes within its sphere of influence, twisting emotions entirely or
dictating an animal’s actions, a plant’s growth, or an object’s functioning. This Influence can shift the
Open Condition to Controlled for its duration. The cost is three Essence.
•••• Create The entity can create a new example of its sphere of influence; creating a new anchor, instilling an
emotion, creating a new sapling or young plant, creating a young animal or brand new object.
The entity can cause a temporary Anchor, Infrastructure, or Resonant Condition in a subject for the
duration of the Influence. The cost is four Essence.
••••• Mass Create The entity can create multiple examples of its sphere of influence; triggering emotions in multiple
people; creating new copses of trees, small groups of animals, or multiple identical items. The cost is
five Essence. The number of examples of the Influence created is equal to Rank. Alternatively, the entity
may create one instance of its sphere of influence — including creating the base Condition for its type —
permanently, although an ephemeral entity can’t permanently alter the mind of a sentient being.

the thoughts or emotions of a sentient being, the roll is contested by The different forms of Manifestation Effect are also Conditions
Resolve or Composure (whichever is higher) + Supernatural Tolerance. applied to the location, object, or character the entity is Manifesting
into or, in cases like Reaching, to the entity itself.
Manifestation Unlike many Conditions, Influence and Manifestation
Ephemeral beings can interact with the mortal world in Conditions are tiered and interrelated; Manifestation Conditions
many different ways, from lurking in Shadow and reaching have Influence Conditions as prerequisites and vice-versa. The lower
across the Gauntlet to physically Manifesting or merging tiers are naturally occurring, while the later ones must be created
into a human soul. Just as Influence traits determine what by entities using Influences and Manifestations.
level of control the creature has over their environment, In the most advanced forms of Influence and Manifestation, entities
Manifestation traits note which forms of Manifestation are may attempt to create a long-lasting Condition that has a prerequisite of
possible for a particular entity. a very temporary one. When one Condition is advanced into another,
Entities begin with the Twilight Form Manifestation and the remaining duration of the prerequisite Conditions is “frozen.”
a number of Manifestation Effects from the list below equal If a prerequisite Condition is removed from a character (for
to Rank. Some effects are only available to certain kinds of example, a Possessed character’s Open Condition is removed by
entity. Entities may increase their capabilities by reducing the exorcism) any Conditions relying on it, any relying on them, and
number of Numina they are granted by Rank, at the cost of so on are immediately removed. The most advanced remaining
one Numen per Manifestation Effect. Condition then resumes its duration.
Most Manifestation Effects have prerequisite Influence
or Manifestation Conditions — a spirit can only Fetter to
something with an Open Condition, for example. ANCHOR
All Manifestation Effects require a Power + Finesse roll to
The subject of this Condition — usually a location or object,
use. Most have an associated cost in Essence, and some are
though it can be a person in rare cases — is within the sphere of
contested or resisted.
influence of a ghost. Ghosts in or within Rank x3 yards of their
Ephemeral Influence Anchors do not suffer Essence bleed.
Causing the Condition: This Condition is immediately created
and Manifestation when a new ghost is formed, based on whatever subject anchors the
ghost’s identity. Summoning rituals intended to release ghosts from
Conditions the Underworld or call them from elsewhere temporarily create this
If something falls into an ephemeral being’s sphere of influence, Condition in their target. Finally, a high-Rank ghost can use Create
this is handled mechanically by declaring an Influence Condition. Influence to mark a target as an Anchor.
Influence Conditions resemble Tilts and character Conditions. Ending the Condition: The easiest way to end an Anchor
condition is to destroy the subject. Some ghosts cling to Anchors

228
 Ephemeral Influence and Manifestation Conditions

Influence Durations
Level Duration Cost
0 One minute per success No additional Essence cost
• Ten minutes per success No additional Essence cost
•• One hour per success 1 additional Essence
••• One day per success 2 additional Essence
•••• Permanent 2 additional Essence

that represent unfinished business, in which case resolving those

issues can remove the Condition. Abjuration temporarily suppresses OPEN
the Condition as described on p. 230, forcing the ghost to retreat to
another Anchor if it has one. Ghosts without Anchors bleed Essence The place, object, animal, or person covered by a previous
until they fall into dormancy, at which point the Underworld Gate Condition has now been conditioned to accept the entity. That
Condition is created and the ghost is banished to the Great Below. entity can now attempt to Fetter itself to the subject of the
Condition, or, if the Condition is on a location, Manifest.
RESONANT Prerequisites: The Anchor, Resonant, or Infrastructure Condition
for the same phenomenon to which this Condition is tagged.
Causing the Condition: This Condition is usually the result of
The subject of this Condition is within the sphere of influence fine-tuning the prerequisite Condition as part of an extended action,
of a spirit. involving the subject and entity acting in concert for a number of
Causing the Condition: This Condition is common and naturally scenes equal to Rank or a living subject’s Resolve, whichever is
occurring — if an object, phenomenon, person, or place matches the higher. Using a Strengthen Influence allows an entity to temporarily
spirit’s purview in some way, it has this Condition. Anything matching create the Open Condition as an instant action.
the description of one of a spirit’s Influences counts as having this Ending the Condition: The Condition ends if the prerequisite
Condition tagged to the spirit. Summoning rituals intended to entice Condition is removed. Exorcism rituals work by removing this
a particular spirit to a location work by instilling the qualities that Condition, reverting it to the prerequisite.
result in this Condition. Finally, a high-Rank spirit can use a Create
Influence to cause the prerequisites for the Condition itself.
Ending the Condition: The Condition ends if the phenomenon CONTROLLED
creating it ends. A forest stops being Resonant for a tree spirit when
all the trees are logged, a grief spirit can’t Influence someone who The object, creature, or person covered by an Open Condition
has healed and let go of his pain, and a fire spirit must move on when has now been so conditioned that the entity may attempt to Claim
the fire is extinguished. Abjuration and Exorcism may temporarily it, permanently merging with it.
suppress the Condition or be the cause of it “naturally” ending if Prerequisites: The intended subject of this Condition must have
the ritualists remove the causal phenomenon as part of the ritual. the Open Condition, tagged to the entity attempting to cause it.
Causing the Condition: This Condition is the result of repeated
INFRASTRUCTURE use of the Possess Manifestation effect by the causing entity. It must
have succeeded in possessing the subject on a number of separate
occasions equal to the Willpower of entity or subject (whichever is
The subject of this Condition is within the sphere of influence higher). If any Possessed Condition is removed before its duration
of an angel. ends, progress is lost on building to the required number of
Causing the Condition: The Infrastructure Condition, unlike possessions.
Anchor and Resonant Conditions, is never naturally occurring. Ending the Condition: Successfully ending the Claimed
The God-Machine requires effort to prepare the way for its angels: Condition against the entity’s will, whether by Exorcism or by
extended actions by cultists, unwitting pawns, or even other angels to forcing the Claimed subject into contact with the entity’s bane,
create Infrastructure. High-Rank angels can use the Create Influence removes this Condition and reverts the subject to Open.
to instill this Condition on behalf of themselves or a subordinate
angel. In addition, characters with the Destiny Merit are always
subject to this Condition. REACHING
Ending the Condition: Infrastructure’s intricate nature makes
it much more difficult to remove. Multiple extended actions taking The spirit has opened a conduit through the Gauntlet, allowing
place over whole stories are necessary to dismantle the Condition, it to use Influences and Numina to affect the other side. Numina
opposed by the Angel itself.

229
 CHAPTER FOUR: RULES

Manifestation Effects
Manifestation Effect
Twilight Form If the entity enters the material world, it does so in Twilight (see p. 223). The Effect has no cost.
Discorporate In emergencies, the entity can voluntarily Discorporate as though it had lost all Corpus to lethal injury
— a painful way to escape a greater entity threatening to permanently kill it. The Effect has no cost.
Reaching (Spirit only) By spending 1 Essence, the spirit applies the Reaching Condition to itself. The local
Gauntlet Strength penalizes the activation roll.
Gauntlet Breach (Spirit only — requires Resonant Condition) By spending 3 Essence, the spirit forces itself through the
Gauntlet — returning to Shadow from the physical world, or appearing in Twilight Form by entering the
material world. The local Gauntlet Strength penalizes the activation roll.
Avernian Gateway (Ghost, angel or death-related spirit only — Requires Open Condition) By spending 3 Essence, the
entity opens a nearby gateway to the Underworld, and applies the Underworld Gate Condition to the
location.
Shadow Gateway (Rank 3+ spirit or angel only — Requires Open Condition) By spending Essence equal to Gauntlet
Strength, the entity opens a portal to the Shadow that it and other entities may use, applying the
Shadow Gate Condition to the location. The local Gauntlet Strength penalizes the activation roll.
Image (Requires Anchor, Resonant or Infrastructure Condition) By spending 1 Essence, the entity may make
its Twilight form visible to material beings for a scene.
Materialize (Requires Open Condition) By spending 3 Essence, the entity may shift from Twilight form into the
Materialized Condition.
Fetter (Requires Open Condition) By spending 2 Essence, the entity adds the Fettered Condition to itself.
Living beings targeted by this Effect contest the roll with Resolve + Composure + Supernatural
Tolerance. If the Effect is successful, living targets gain the Urged Condition.
Unfetter (Requires Fettered Condition) By spending one point of Essence, the entity temporarily suppresses the
Fetter Condition for a Scene, allowing it to use other Manifestation Effects or roam in Twilight. When
the Scene ends, any Manifestation Effects used during it immediately end. If the entity isn’t back within
range of its Fetter when Unfetter ends, it immediately goes dormant.
Possess (Requires Open Condition) By spending 3 Essence, the entity gains temporary control over an object,
corpse, or creature, applying the Possessed Condition to the subject. Living subjects contest the roll
with Resolve + Composure + Supernatural Tolerance.
Claim (Requires Controlled Condition) By spending 5 Essence, the entity gains permanent control over an
object, creature, or corpse, applying the Claimed Condition to the subject. Living subjects contest the
roll with Resolve + Composure + Supernatural Tolerance. An entity must be capable of both the Fetter
and Possess Manifestations to buy Claim.

with [R] after their name can be used with this Condition. is present and they know the proper means. Mortals who conduct
Characters capable of perceiving spirits in Twilight can sense the rituals to first Open a Death-Resonant location that houses a gate can
conduit’s presence with a successful Wits + Composure roll. unlock it, causing this Condition, but require the key to do so. Every
Causing the Condition: This Condition is the result of the Gateway has a key — an item or action that will open it. Keys can be
Reaching Manifestation Effect and lasts for one Scene. physical objects, but are also sometimes actions or emotions or are
Ending the Condition: At the end of the scene, the Condition tied to times and events: a Gate might open for a murder at midnight,
fades. Mortals may attempt an Abjuration with a 3 dice penalty to when touched with a certain doll, or when a woman betrayed in love
close the conduit and end the Condition early. turns her back on it three times. Researching a proper key is a difficult
Intelligence + Occult roll, with a –3 to –5 dice modifier.

UNDERWORLD GATE
Ending the Condition: At the end of the scene, the Condition
fades. An Exorcism directed at the gate can end the Condition early.

The location has an open gateway to the Underworld. All ghosts

regain one Essence per scene that they are in the gateway’s presence. SHADOW GATE
Ghosts without anchors may use it to reenter the world.
Causing the Condition: Using the Avernian Gateway The location has a hole punched through the Gauntlet. Spirits
Manifestation Effect on an Open Condition can create this — and even incautious people — can cross through it without the use
Condition. Some supernatural beings with ties to death are also able of any powers. The Shadow Gate is visible even to material beings,
to open Avernian Gateways. Even mortals can open a gate if one as the Shadow world and material worlds mix.

230
 Ephemeral Influence and Manifestation Conditions

Causing the Condition: This Condition can be created by using entity remains in Twilight and must stay within five yards of the
the Shadow Gateway Manifestation Effect on an Open Condition. Fetter. Most entities Fettering themselves literally hide inside their
Very rare summoning rituals can also create this Condition, allowing Fetters if they are small enough.
the spirit being called to access the material world. The entity pays one less Essence for using Influences on the
Ending the Condition: At the end of the scene, the Condition Fetter, but may not use them or Numina on another target as long
fades. An exorcism directed at the gate can end the Condition early. as the Fetter lasts.
Prerequisites: The intended subject of this Condition must have

MATERIALIZED the Open Condition, tagged to the entity attempting to cause it.
Causing the Condition: This Condition is created by an entity
using the Fetter Manifestation Effect.
The entity has shifted from ephemeral to material substance,
manifesting in physical form. All the rules for ephemeral entity’s
traits still apply except for the effects of being in Twilight. This
Condition protects the entity from Essence Bleed for its duration.
Causing the Condition: This Condition is created by an entity Avernian Gateways
using the Materialize Manifestation Effect on an Open Condition.
If the Open Condition used is on an object or person, the entity Doorways to the Underworld, also called Avernian
must materialize within its Rank in yards. gates, exist all over the world but are invisible to all but
a handful of psychics. The gateways are in Twilight,
Ending the Condition: Materialization lasts for one hour per
made of ghostly ephemera, and appear in places
success on the activating roll. When the duration ends, the entity with the Resonant Condition tagged as “Death” —
fades back into Twilight. Physical contact with a Bane or removal anywhere that people die in large numbers or that
of a prerequisite condition can cause the Condition to end early. has a feel of Death about it can house a gate. They
remain closed unless they are the nearest gate to a
FETTERED ghost who loses his last Anchor, in which case they
open for a turn as his Corpus passes on.
The entity has secured itself to an object or creature. As long
as it remains Fettered, the entity is safe from Essence Bleed. The

231
 CHAPTER FOUR: RULES

Ending the Condition: Fetters are permanent unless the Ending the Condition: The Urged Condition ends whenever
prerequisite Conditions are ended, or if the subject of the Fetter the linked Fetter ends.
is destroyed or killed (if a living being). The entity can voluntarily

POSSESSED
end the Condition by using the Unfetter Manifestation Effect. A
successful Exorcism removes this Condition.

This object, corpse, or living being is temporarily controlled by an

URGED ephemeral entity. Living hosts are put into a coma-like state while being
possessed — they experience the possession as missing time, except for
This animal or human host has been used as a Fetter by an flashbacks that might come out in dreams or times of stress, such as losing
ephemeral being. The entity may read the subject’s thoughts with a Integrity. The entity may not use Numina or Influences while controlling
successful Power + Finesse roll, contested by Resolve + Supernatural the host, but is safe from Essence Bleed as long as the possession lasts.
Tolerance. Success reveals surface thoughts. The entity may urge the The entity may pay one Essence per turn to heal one lethal or
host to take a specified action with a successful Power + Finesse roll bashing wound or a point of structure lost to damage. Corpses that
contested by Resolve + Composure with an extra die. If the entity died through damage begin Possession incapacitated and must be
wins, the urge is created. Following it rewards the host with a Beat. “healed” with Essence
Causing the Condition: This Condition is created by an entity Entities possessing inanimate objects or corpses have a great
using the Fetter Manifestation Effect. deal of control over their host. An entity controlling an object

232
 Numina

can’t make it do anything it couldn’t do while being operated, but entity is safe from Essence Bleed. The hybrid being that results has
it can turn switches on and off, operate machinery, use keyboards, the entity’s Essence trait, Virtue, Vice, Fate, Ban, and Bane, but
and turn dials. Use the entity’s Finesse if dice rolls are necessary. is a material being. Claimed that were once spirits may cross the
Corpses and other articulated hosts capable of movement, such Gauntlet at a Locus with a successful Intelligence + Presence roll.
as shop mannequins or industrial robots, use their own Physical Claimed that were inanimate objects are fully animate, fusions of
Attributes but the entity’s Attributes in Social or Mental rolls. By spiritual power, metal and plastic.
spending a point of Essence, the entity can use its own Attributes Causing the Condition: This Condition is created by an entity
instead of the host’s for Physical tasks for a turn, but doing so causes using the Claim Manifestation Effect.
one point of lethal damage or structure loss to the host. Ending the Condition: Claim is permanent in living hosts
Living hosts require more time for the entity to gain full control unless the entity decides to detach itself, rolling its original Power
and always use their own Attributes. The entity may read the host’s + Finesse penalized by Rank in dice and contested by the Claimed
mind with a Finesse Roll at a –4 die penalty, use the host’s Physical hybrid’s Resolve + Composure, including any dots gained from being
Skills at a –3 penalty, and the host’s Social and Mental Skills at –4. Claimed. If the entity succeeds, the entity and host are separated.
These penalties are all reduced by one die per day that the entity has Former hosts are physically and mentally scarred — the physical
been Fettered to the host. Most possessing entities Fetter themselves appearance changes back at the same rate it mutated and the extra
to their intended hosts and use the Possess Manifestation Effect to Attribute dots fade at a rate of two per day. The Essence trait and
take full control only in emergencies. any supernatural powers the Claimed developed immediately vanish.
To possess a host, the entity must remain in Twilight, Former Claimed, however, retain the Virtue and Vice of the entity
superimposed over the host. This means that if the host touches that took them over.
the entity’s bane or is injured by a weapon made of the bane, the In nonliving hosts, Claim is only temporary – once the Claim
entity will suffer wounds to its Corpus. has fully formed, the host loses one dot of a Physical Attribute (or
Causing the Condition: This Condition is created by an entity equivalent for formerly inanimate objects) per three days. When any
using the Possess Manifestation Effect. The object or victim must of these Attributes reaches 0, the host disintegrates and the entity
be under the Open Condition, tagged to the entity. is released into Twilight.
Ending the Condition: The possession lasts for a single scene
unless the entity abandons it early or the host is killed or destroyed. Numina
Abjurations, Exorcisms, and forced contact with banes and bans In addition to Influence and Manifestation, all ephemeral
can all motivate an entity to release a host. entities have a number of discrete magical powers called Numina.
Each Numen is a single ability linked to the entity’s nature —
CLAIMED activated by a successful Power + Finesse roll unless stated otherwise.
The Numina described here are deliberately generic. Individual
ephemeral beings display their Numen in ways reflecting their type,
A Claimed object, corpse, creature, or person has been
theme and biases — a ghost’s Blast is a empty, freezing cold in the
permanently possessed and merges with the entity involved. Unlike
bones of its victim, while an angel’s Awe manifests as a terrible
Possess, living Claimed aren’t put into a fugue state, but remain
holy aura.
mentally active while their soul and the Claiming entity merge
Numina with next to their name are usable in conjunction
together over the course of several days. During the period of
with the Reaching Condition.
fusion, the subject is under all the effects of the Urged Condition,
described above. Once per day, starting with the moment the
Claimed Condition is created, add one dot of the entity’s Attributes AGGRESSIVE MEME
to the host’s, permanently raising them. Power may be assigned
to Strength, Intelligence, or Presence, Finesse to Wits, Dexterity, The entity speaks to a person (it must be in a Condition capable
or Manipulation, and Resistance to Stamina, Composure, or of doing so) and plants an idea in their mind. When that person tells
Resolve. The host’s physical form begins to mutate, taking on an someone else the idea, it takes hold in their mind, too, and whoever
appearance influenced by the original host and the entity. they tell, and so on. The Numen costs seven Essence to activate and
Claimed corpses add points to Attributes as above, but start is contested by Resolve + Composure + Supernatural Tolerance.
with all Mental and Social Attributes at 0. Inanimate objects use the
statistics appropriate for their type (Adding Resistance to Structure
and Durability, Power to Acceleration and Finesse to Handling) AWE
instead of Physical Attributes, and also start the claiming process
with all Mental and Social Attributes at 0. Corpses and inanimate The entity causes terror in anyone who can see it. The Numen
hosts don’t spend the claiming period under the Urged Condition, costs 3 Essence and activation is contested individually with Presence
having no minds of their own to warp. + Composure + Supernatural Tolerance by anyone looking at the
Claimed may use the entity’s Influences, but not Numina or entity. Anyone gaining fewer successes than the entity is unable to
Manifestation Effects. They may develop supernatural powers as move or speak for a turn. If the entity gains an exceptional success,
Merits. From the moment the Claimed Condition is laid, the the effect lasts three turns.

233
 CHAPTER FOUR: RULES

BLAST HALLUCINATION
The entity may wound opponents at a distance. Range is equal The entity may create an illusion experienced by a single target: it
to 10 yards per dot of Power and the entity does not suffer range can be anything from a sight or sound to an imaginary person who
penalties. If the activation roll succeeds, the Blast wounds as a +0L holds a conversation. The Numen costs 1 Essence and is contested
weapon. The entity may increase the lethality of its Blast by paying by the victim’s Wits + Composure + Supernatural Tolerance. Each
Essence — every two Essence spent increases the “weapon” by +1L. success over the contesting roll alters one of the victim’s senses.
The maximum weapon bonus is equal to the entity’s Rank.
HOST JUMP
DEMENT
The entity may leap from host to host when using the Possess or
The entity may torture its victim’s mind via psychic assault. Claim Manifestations. The current host must touch the intended
This Numen costs 1 Essence. The activation roll is contested by the host while the entity spends 3 Essence; the new host must be under
victim’s Intelligence + Supernatural Tolerance. If the entity succeeds, all necessary prerequisite Conditions. If both prerequisites are met,
the victim suffers the Insane Tilt (p. 316) for the rest of the Scene. the entity immediately transfers the Possessed or Claimed Condition
to the new host, although Claimed hosts must begin the process
of Claiming again. The entity does not need to re-spend Essence
DRAIN on the Manifestation Effect when jumping hosts with this Numen.
Living Claim victims who are vacated with the use of this Numen
The entity can steal Essence or Willpower (chosen at activation) still suffer the aftereffects listed under the Claimed Condition.
from a material being. The activation roll is contested by Stamina

IMPLANT MISSION
+ Resolve + Supernatural Tolerance. Whichever character — entity
or target — gains the most successes receives points of Willpower
or Essence equal to the number of successes, while the other party
loses the same number. This Numen grants a mortal a vision of a task the entity wishes
him to accomplish as well as a magical determination to see it
through. The entity pays 2 Essence and rolls Power + Finesse. On
EMOTIONAL AURA a success, the subject receives a short vision of whatever the entity
wishes him to do and is under the Obsessed Condition regarding
The entity sends out a wave of powerful — and distracting carrying that mission out.
— emotion. This Numen costs 1 Essence and lasts for a scene

INNOCUOUS
or until the entity uses another Numina. The activation roll is
made once but anyone coming within 5 yards of the entity must
make a Resolve + Composure + Supernatural Tolerance roll. If
the activation roll has more successes, the victim suffers a –2 dice The entity is very good at being overlooked. Perception rolls
penalty to all actions as long as the aura remains. If the victim to notice the entity are penalized by 2 dice. This Numen does not
gains more successes, he is immune to the aura unless the entity require a roll to activate and has no cost.
uses the Numen again.
LEFT-HANDED SPANNER
ESSENCE THIEF
The entity disables a device, paying 1 Essence and touching the object
The entity may consume and steal Essence from ephemeral if Manifest, or moving its Twilight form to superimpose with it if not.
beings other than its own type — for example, spirits with this The device must be a human-manufactured object with at least three
Numen may consume ghosts and angels. The Numen costs 1 moving parts. If the activation roll succeeds, the device malfunctions for
Essence to activate. a number of turns equal to the successes rolled. Using this Numen in
combat requires the entity to Grapple and gain control of the object, and
so can’t be used this way in Twilight unless the target is in Twilight as well.
FIRESTARTER
The entity causes flammable materials to combust. This Numen MORTAL MASK
costs 1 Essence and causes one small fire to break out per activation
success within the entity’s Power in yards. This Numen disguises a Materialized entity as a human and can
be used at the same time as the Materialize Manifestation Effect.

234
 Numina

Using the Numen costs 1 Essence and the human seeming lasts
for activation successes in hours. The human “costume” is flawed RESURRECTION
— witnesses may make a Wits + Composure roll penalized by the
entity’s Finesse to realize that something is wrong. Characters able This Numen — only available to Rank 4+ angels and spirits of
to sense the entity in Twilight do not suffer a penalty to the roll. healing — raises the dead. The Numen costs 10 Essence to use and
the activation roll is penalized by one die per day that the subject
OMEN TRANCE has been dead. Supernatural beings that have already died as part of
their transformation — vampires, mummies and Sin-Eaters — can’t
be resurrected, nor can anyone who died of natural causes. Other
Once every 24 hours, the entity may enter a trance in order supernatural beings lose their powers when resurrected. Mages
to gain a glimpse of the future. The Numen costs 1 Essence if the become Sleepwalkers and werewolves, wolf-blooded.
entity is trancing on its own behalf or 3 Essence if it is searching
for omens for another. The activation roll is an extended action,
lasting at least one scene. If successful, the entity sees a vision of SEEK
an event sometime in the next week. The visions are predisposed
to be warnings of danger. The entity can sense the presence of suitable Conditions from a
distance. The base range is two miles per Rank; entities may spend
PATHFINDER an Essence to multiply this by 10. If successful on a Finesse roll, the
entity becomes aware of the direction and distance to the nearest
suitable Anchor, Infrastructure, or Resonant Condition.
This Numen allows an entity to know the quickest route to
a destination. The fastest route isn’t always the safest, of course;
the Numen doesn’t reveal any dangers on the way, only a set of SPEED
directions to the target. If the destination is the subject of the Safe
Place Merit, the activation roll is contested by the lowest Resolve The entity accelerates into a blur of movement. The entity
+ Supernatural Tolerance among any owners. The Numen costs 1 chooses whether to spend 2 or 4 Essence when activating this
Essence and lasts for a scene. If the destination is too far away to Numen. Spending 2 Essence doubles its Speed for the remainder
reach that quickly, the entity must use the Numen again. of the scene, while spending 4 Essence triples it.

RAPTURE SIGN
The entity forces a response from the pleasure centers of a living The entity creates messages or images in any media they would
being’s brain, granting ecstatic visions, a feeling of communion with be able to access to be used by a mortal — it can write in the
the universe, and sensations of bliss. The Numen costs 2 Essence to condensation on cold glass, produce images on computer screens,
activate. If successful, the victim suffers the Insensate Tilt (p. 317). and send audible messages via phone lines. The Numen costs one
If the victim fails a Resolve + Supernatural Tolerance roll, she gains Essence to activate, and if successful creates a single message.
a Condition for the entity’s Power in days, in a form that binds her

STALWART
closer to the entity’s wishes.

REGENERATE The entity appears armored in Twilight form and uses Resistance
as its Defense score instead of the lower of Power or Finesse.
The entity can use Essence to heal bashing and lethal wounds on

TELEKINESIS
its Corpus. This Numen does not require a roll to activate, but costs
1 Essence and heals one level of damage — the entity must reactivate
the Numen each turn to heal more severe wounds. Bashing damage
is healed first, then lethal. The entity can manipulate objects without using a Manifestation
Effect. This Numen costs 1 Essence. Successes on the activation roll
become the entity’s “Strength” when attempting to lift or throw an
item. Fine motor control is impossible using this Numen.

235
 THE GREAT WORK:
PART V
When the creature scurried into the evening light, she hated it immediately. She hated the way it stretched
out like taffy as it descended from the trees, and the fact that its claws matched its teeth. She despised the
scars that crisscrossed its body, which were pulsing. Its presence, its smell, its smile, they were all offenses.
If she knew that the body would look anything like this then, she would have made sure to burn it before
Wisher even saw it. Maybe then she wouldn’t have to stare it down twice.
The creature grinned, showing off that mouth full of claws. “Hello, again.”
Clay’s Girl answered the creature’s greeting with a blow to one of its solid red eyes. Her fist made a deep
imprint on its face. She felt a pang of disappointment as the imprint shrank.
It stretched its head to bite her. She braced herself, but heard the snapping of wood. Imam hit the creature’s
extended neck with a large tree branch, giving her the opening to clamp its jaw shut. She pushed its neck back
to its body. Imam beat its body, and then Clay’s Girl slammed it into the trees.
“Get to the car,” she told him, “Make sure he doesn’t have friends waiting. Then get them out of here!”
Imam looked at her, then the creature. He nodded and ran into the clearing. She couldn’t watch him leave,
the creature was righting itself. Clay’s Girl pulled a knife from her jacket.
“Bet you feel real embarrassed, seeing us again,” she said.
The creature growled.
The two circled each other, eyes locked. Clay’s Girl knew it could be cut; Wisher nearly tore off one of its limbs
last time, before it got loose. All she needed was the opportunity. It presented itself when one of its legs stepped
wrong, and too much of it pressed to the ground.
She was on its back in an instant. She stabbed every part of it she could. While its shape mimicked humanity,
she knew its vitals could be anywhere. Some of the fluid from its scars poured out; it was clear and smelled of pus.
The creature reared back, and Clay’s Girl’s head slammed against a tree. Yellow bile burst from
her mouth, and the knife, stuck in its flesh, slipped out of her hands. She tumbled to the ground, and
the creature impaled her with its claws in the small of her back.
Her chest jerked up and she tried to draw in breath. It was harder than it should have been. Roark
and Wisher were still standing in the field. Neither Imam nor the car was with them. Clay’s Girl howled
out any words she could, telling them to run, to hide, and that she was so sorry.
The creature cupped her face with its hand, and she felt its claws dig into her flesh.
“You were wrong,” it said. Then it pulled her head off.
 My friends,
I don’t think I can make you
understand how much you all
have traveled together for a lon mean to me. We
g while with a shared purpose,
ly I have come to realize tha but increasing-
t you are my purpose and tha
to follow the road we travel t I have no desire
without you. I have made a dec
which I know you would not ision, one with
agree, but my conscience would
to act otherwise. The monst not permit me
ers that dog our heels grow
injuries Dorothea suffered hav eve r closer and the
e only made it clear to me tha
ning out. It is selfish, I kno t our time is run-
w, but I cannot bear to watch
fall one by one to these creatu you, my friends,
res, your dreams of humanity
hatred and spite. I see only one snuffed out by
path forward for the rest of
for me to turn my back on you you and that is
and our New Dawn and face ou
cannot fight them off. I can r pursuers. I
not reason with them, nor do
nature to appeal to. No, they the y have any higher
only bow to one of their own
something worse that merely and so I must do
giving my life. I must sacrifice
my soul.
We all hear the siren call of
chaos in the roaring fire of ou
we know that this is the cal r Azoth and
l our pursuers heed. It is the
damned and the only way to ma language of the
ster it is to embrace it. Alread
corrosive force of my sin bu y, I can feel the
rning away the progress of my
mourn the man or woman tha pilgrimage and I
t I might have been had things
but I do not regret my decisio been different,
n. As I succumb to madness
I shall always hold onto this and dissolution,
one shining hope that you wil
complete your Great Work and l
that I may have had
some small part in making it hap
pen.
So, please do not consider me as the
fallen. I have not A thanor found
abandoned what we hoped to
accomplish. On the c e n t erpiece of a
contrary, I am more dedicated ar in the
to it than I have
ever been. I will pay whatever m akeshift alt
cost I must to see nus in
y through to the end of your jou la ir o f a Centima
rney. You are my
Multiplicatio, my last act as
a pilgrim on the road to Detroit on
humanity. You are the end tha .
t I pray will justify my April 14, 2016
means.
I love you all.
Hakan

th is in th e M onk’s collection
und
Dorothea, I fo y o u should have it.
and I th o u g h t
I’m so sorry.
 As rare as an understanding of Pyros is, Prometheans aren’t the only beings in who deal
with the Divine Fire. From the misbegotten Pandorans, to human alchemists, to the enigmatic
qashmallim, a throng can encounter many strange creatures over the course of their Pilgrimage,
all with agendas of their own. Some might be allies, but Prometheans can’t count on anyone
but themselves.

Pandorans
A Pandoran is a twisted, broken creature — a mockery of life infused with Flux and inevi-
tably mad. It exists in a constant state of agony and is more than willing, eager even, to share
that pain. Prometheans are its favored prey, but a Pandoran deprived of the nourishment and This universe, which
entertainment a Created can provide will gleefully turn its attention on mortals before falling
into Dormancy. The result of a Promethean creation that hasn’t fully gestated, Pandorans
is the same for all,
are sometimes referred to as the Unborn — a painful reminder of what could have been, but has not been made
now never will. by any god or man,
Almost everything Prometheans know about Pandorans comes from the Centimani, who but it always has
are the only beings who can get close enough to study them. Azothic memory provides some been, is, and will be
information, as well. an ever-living fire,
Birth kindling itself by
regular measures and
Despite efforts to catalog how a Pandoran comes to be, the truth is that Prometheans
are just not sure. They know that Pandorans are “birthed” when Promethean creation goes
going out by regular
awry and that this failure springs from the creator’s Azoth being tainted. They do not know measures.
how that taint defines itself, nor how they can check for it, which leaves Prometheans in
a terrible state of uncertainty when it comes to reproducing. The Centimani know that a —Heraclitus of Ephesus
creator’s Azoth can be tainted by unspent Vitriol or heavy Flux in the area, but they would
rather keep this information to themselves.
Immediately after its conception, a new Pandoran’s body is gripped by roiling, churning
Flux, causing it to sprout new limbs and deformities even as Flux rips the body apart from
the inside out. The resulting creature (or creatures, as ripped off parts sometimes gain a life
of their own) is smaller than the average human and horribly bent and broken. Assuming
its creator doesn’t kill it right then and there, the Pandoran snatches up whatever broken
body parts it can and scurries away. This misshapen being is only a proto form, an embryo
spewed forth before it was fully gestated. Sensing its incompleteness and still being ravaged
by Flux, some Pandorans seek the nearest place where they can burrow out of sight and
undergo a chrysalis. Others though, driven by hunger and violence, ignore their malbirthed
form and attack immediately.
A Pandoran in chrysalis might adopt a shape of marble, stone or wood that looks tranquil
on the outside even as the creature inside writhes and turns. Another might build an elaborate
cocoon of flesh and mucus. During this gestation period, the Pandoran is vulnerable to
anyone who can damage its chrysalis shell. Waiting for its body to set, the creature remains
in the grips of Flux — resulting in limbs sprouting from bellies, gnashing maws on hands,
joints that bent backwards and a myriad of other deformities. Chrysalis can last anywhere
from a few hours to a few weeks.
The Pandoran that crawls forth from its chrysalis knows no compassion, no intelligence,
no higher purpose. It only hungers with a wicked, sadistic glee. This is not what makes them
truly horrible though. The real horror comes from something, a glimmer, of what could have
 CHAPTER FIVE: FIRESTORM

been amidst the broken shell of its body and mind. A creator might damage, though it may opt to attack with balled fists if it wants to
look upon a Pandoran and briefly see a flash of the child she set inflict bashing damage instead.
out to create, a beautiful and vibrant companion who would have Exceptional Success: Successes are their own reward.
eased her loneliness and pain. And then, while she is lost in the
vision of unfulfilled dreams, the Pandoran rips her face off. Track Pyros
The Pandoran can sense Pyros on the air and follow it back
Hunger to its source — usually a deliciously juicy, plump Promethean. A
A Pandoran needs Pyros to balance its internal Flux, or that Pandoran might smell the coppery scent of Pyros, see it hanging
Flux will tear it apart. Lacking the body alchemy to create Azoth in the air like a trail of fire, hear a faint sound of thunder in the
on its own, it relies on Prometheans to provide nourishment. distance or simply feel its pull. Once an Unborn is on the scent
Like a demon child suckling at its parent’s breast, it feasts on of a Promethean, nothing will stop it — whether it takes a day, a
Promethean flesh. Ripping off succulent fleshy bits and delicious, month or a year to catch its prey. Dormancy or more easily captured
marrow-filled bones, the Pandoran gains Pyros directly from prey might divert the creature’s hunt for a while, but death is the
the Promethean’s furnace body. This means the Promethean only true end to the hunt.
can fight back while being devoured, as his own Pyros reserves
remain untouched. It also means the Pandoran, if clever enough, Vitriol
can keep the Promethean alive and eat him one knuckle bone Vitriol holds a special place in a Pandoran’s cold heart. Lacking
at a time while savoring the Pyros in every single bite. In fact, a a working inner refinery, the Pandoran must consume Promethean
Centimanus might cut off pieces of his own flesh as treats for his Vitriol to shape its body into a new, fully formed mutation. The
ravenous Pandoran pets. Pandoran must act quickly though, as its own distorted alchemical
Even without a Centimanus to guide them, Pandorans possess body warps and corrupts any stolen Vitriol, making it completely
a cunning animal intelligence and are capable of hunting in packs. unusable in less than a minute. Consumed Vitriol, if spent within
These packs have no apparent leader; while the pack realizes on this short time frame, may be used to purchase new Physical
some instinctual level that its best interest is served by working Attribute dots or Dread Powers. A Pandoran may also try to raise
together, infighting is both common and brutal. Any hint of Pyros- its Manipulation or Intelligence with Vitriol, even though its own
rich blood whips the pack into a frenzy, and pack members turn nature resists such delicate balancing. If the Storyteller decides that
on each other as easily as they do the Created. Still, despite their a Pandoran, usually an exceptionally clever or recurring antagonist,
chaotic nature, packs are so vicious and persistent that they scare attains dots of Intelligence or Manipulation in this fashion, the
any Promethean with any measure of common sense. creature immediately becomes a sublimatus.
A Pandoran is hunger incarnate, driven by emptiness amidst
a constantly changing mass, and it fights like it, too. It may spend Sense Vitriol
hours, even days, setting up an elaborate spider’s web to ensnare Completely reliant on an outside source of Azoth, the Pandoran
its prey, or painstakingly track a Promethean using the trail left is perhaps more attuned to the variations of Pyros than any other
by his Pyros — but when the first drop of Pyros-soaked blood creature. It can sense the scent of Vitriol lying deep within a
spills, all bets are off. Using tooth and claw to tear off chunks Promethean’s organs and longs for this special treat above all.
of Promethean flesh and stuffing them in its mouth as it goes, a The Pandoran can sense any unspent Vitriol the Promethean
Pandoran’s fighting style resembles a starving man at a walking has. How this sense manifests, as scent, sight, hearing, or even
buffet as much as it does actual combat. feeling, is dependent on the individual Pandoran and left to the
Storyteller to decide.
Consume Pyros
The Pandoran uses teeth and claws to rip away and consume Consume Vitriol
Promethean flesh on the spot, stuffing the meaty bits in its mouth The Pandoran infuses its teeth or hands with one point of
even as it goes back for more. Pyros to coax the Vitriol to the surface, then violently rips into
Cost: — the Promethean’s body to yank out his inner organs. If it has the
Action: Reflexive luxury of time, the Pandoran might savor the piece of liver, spleen
Dice Pool: None (accompanies an attack roll) or tongue like a gourmand. If not though, it will happily stuff the
Roll Results offal down its throat like a cheap snack — a Pandoran is nothing
Dramatic Failure: Not only does the Pandoran’s attack miss, it if not opportunistic.
forgoes its Defense for the turn. Consume Vitriol uses the same system as lacuna (p. 188).
Failure: The Pandoran’s attack misses.
Success: The Pandoran rips off and consumes flesh worth one Dormancy
point of Pyros for every two bashing damage or one lethal damage
A Pandoran with a Pyros pool of zero and no immediate access
dealt. A hungry Pandoran may forgo its Defense this turn to rip off
to new Pyros becomes dormant. This serves a similar purpose as the
enough flesh to consume two Pyros per point of lethal damage. A
cocoon that saw the Pandoran through its chrysalis. In Dormancy,
Pandoran’s preternaturally sharp nails and teeth always inflict lethal
the Pandoran takes on an instinctive camouflage depending on

240
 pandorans

where it is at that time. A Pandoran who falls dormant in a museum the Pandoran finally gets its chance. This reproduction occurs
might appear as a fine marble statue, while one in the wild might whether the Pandoran wants it or not, as the drive to multiply is
look like stones in a hedge wall or a water-logged piece of wood no more under the Pandoran’s control than its ravenous hunger.
at the bottom of a lake. The object retains some features of the
Pandoran, be it in the face of the statue, shadows cast by the wall Divide
or a peculiar shape in the wood. Division is a power inherent to all Pandorans, though it only
If a Dormant object is exposed to Azothic radiance for a full manifests under specific circumstances. Division can only be used
minute, the Pandoran awakens as it becomes aware of the sweet once per scene unless the Azothic radiance in the area increases,
promise of Promethean flesh. Uncoiling itself, the Pandoran’s in which case Division is reset and may be used again. Use of
actual transformation to its original form takes only a single turn. Division is not voluntary and occurs immediately if the listed
The object shatters and the creature springs forth in a snarling requirements are met.
tangle of claws and teeth. Requirements: The Pandoran has a full Pyros pool and is
A freshly awakened Pandoran is desperate for Pyros and is only exposed to Azothic radiance with a rating more than double its
barely sentient. The creature is no more than a ravenous beast, rank.
attacking any source of Pyros regardless of strength and size. After Cost: 1 lethal Health wound per Pandoran spawned
the first hunger is stilled, though, the Pandoran returns to its Action: Instant
senses and becomes markedly more cunning, weighing the odds Dice Pool: [Pandoran’s Rank x 2] + Azoth of being creating
of ripping away more Pyros now or escaping to safety. A Pandoran radiance
who does not manage, for whatever reason, to consume a point Effect: One new Pandoran splits off from the original per
of Pyros in the scene it awakened returns to Dormancy (though success rolled. Every new Pandoran begins at Rank 1, has a single
future Azothic radiance awakens it again). chosen Dread Power in addition to innate ones, and a Pyros pool
A dormant Pandoran does not emit Azothic radiance, making it of zero. A new Pandoran begins its existence in a feeding frenzy,
nearly impossible for Prometheans to distinguish between normal but this ravenous hunger abates if it manages to consume even a
objects and a mockery in Dormancy. A Pandoran in Dormancy single point of Pyros (at which point the Pandoran may continue
is, for all intents and purposes, an object with Durability equal to to seek out Pyros or take other actions as it pleases). At the end of
the Pandoran’s Stamina and Structure equal to its Health. Any the scene in which it was spawned, a new Pandoran must undergo
damage to the object’s Structure suffered in Dormancy manifests a chrysalis lasting one hour to become fully formed — unless still
as lethal damage upon awakening. in the throes of hunger, the creature will scurry away to a safe
place before then.
Disquiet
Half broken Promethean, half monster, a Pandoran instills a Praecipitati
Disquiet of fear and insanity in the mortals around it. Pandoran While a Pandoran hungers for Azoth with the desperation of
Disquiet is driven by Flux and is both terrible and immediate, a starving man, it also needs Flux to retain its broken alchemy. A
requiring no build-up to infect those who see the creature. By Pandoran exposed to too much Pyros enters Flux Hunger, which
comparison, though, it immediately ends when the Pandoran drives it to consume its fellow Pandorans in a cannibalistic frenzy
departs the scene. to acquire more Flux.
Depending on the coherence of the victim and his vulnerability As the Pandoran devours those of its own kind in an orgy
to the madness of Flux, a person might freeze or flee in terror, of hunger, it grows and mutates at an astounding rate and
blackout, or get swept up in the Pandoran’s raging hunger. A becomes a praecipitatus. A praecipitatus is horrible to look upon,
victim of Pandoran Disquiet is likely to suffer from nightmares or as it is constantly changing from one deformed shape to another.
even traumatic flashes afterward. If he saw the Pandoran enter or Fortunately, the nature of Flux is not coherent enough to maintain
emerge from Dormancy, he might also develop an unreasonable a praecipitatus for long and the monstrosity is usually short-lived.
fear of objects of that kind. Flux Hunger usually occurs with clever Pandorans who have
Supernatural beings do not suffer from Pandoran Disquiet. access to a trapped Promethean or other reliable source of Pyros.
Mortals touched by the supernatural, including ghouls and wolf- When a Pandoran ends every day with a full Pyros pool for a
blooded, are offered no such respite. When a mortal character is continuous week, it becomes chemically imbalanced with too
afflicted by Pandoran Disquiet, the Storyteller chooses a Condition much Pyros and too little Flux. A Centimanus might deliberately
to represent the effect: Stricken, Terrified, or Murderous. keep her Pandoran pets at full Pyros in an attempt to trigger Flux
Hunger, so she might add a praecipitatus to her retinue.
Division Praecipitatus
Driven by the need to hunt and feed, something deep inside
the Pandoran still adheres to the base instinct of all living things A praecipitatus is formed when one Pandoran consumes others
to reproduce. Flux itself is incapable of such a feat — constantly of its kind in the throes of Flux Hunger. A praecipitatus need
changing and evolving, it devours cells as quickly as it can multiply look nothing like the subsumed Pandorans, instead sprouting
them. When confronted with large quantities of Azoth though, impossibly long limbs ending in grasping claws, orifices eager for

241
 CHAPTER FIVE: FIRESTORM

flesh, or other monstrous features as Flux molds the praecipitatus Animals flee without a roll, snapping and snarling at anything
like plague-ridden clay. The only features even remotely that comes in their path. Sentient creatures must score [key
recognizable might be those of the key Pandoran — the first to suffer Pandoran’s Rank + 1 per additional merged Pandoran] successes
from Flux Hunger and begin the feast of cannibals. on an extended Resolve + Composure roll or suffer the Fugue
The praecipitatus has the following traits: Condition. This does not affect supernatural beings.
Attributes: Highest Physical Attribute of any merged Pandoran. Gyges the Cunning: A praecipitatus who has Intelligence as its
Social and Mental Attributes equal to those of the key Pandoran. main Attribute is quick to learn and adapt. It may add one new
Skills: Highest Physical Skill of any merged Pandoran. Other Dread Power per three merged Pandorans.
traits equal to those of the key Pandoran. The praecipitatus falls apart naturally when the scene ends or
Size: 4 + [1 per two Pandorans merged] when it is rendered destroyed due to damage. If the praecipitatus
Dread Powers: All Dread Powers of merged Pandorans falls apart naturally, the merged Pandorans return to their previous
Pyros: Equal to sum of Pyros pools of merged Pandorans state and divide remaining Pyros evenly amongst them (if there is
Special: Centimani believe they have identified three base not enough to divide, start with higher ranking Pandorans first).
praecipitati, which they named after the Hekatonkheires of Greek Damage dealt is distributed evenly amongst the lowest ranked
mythology. The praecipitatus gains an additional power based on Pandorans until no damage is left. If a praecipitatus is destroyed
the highest of its Strength, Presence or Intelligence. In case of a by damage, all lowest ranked Pandorans take damage equal to the
tie, Intelligence trumps Presence and both trump Strength. full damage the praecipitatus suffered.
Briareus the Vigorous: A praecipitatus who has Strength as its
defining Attribute adds another +1 Strength per two merged Sublimati
Pandorans. While a Pandoran is a clever and cunning creature, it is no
Cottus the Furious: A Praecipitatus who has Presence as its more intelligent than a spider or shark. A sublimatus, however, is
defining Attribute instills a numbing fear in those around it. different. A sublimatus has evolved, growing both in body and in

242
 pandorans

mind. Sentient and nasty, a sublimatus is fond of convoluted and elaborate webs to lure and trap their victims (sometimes literally).
layered plans, which it concocts after stalking and observing its Pandorans have the following traits and abilities (if not
prey, and learning his weaknesses. explicitly specified, treat sublimati as Pandorans):
The creature’s intellect is constantly growing and turning in on • Rank: Pandorans have a Rank (rated 1 to 5) based on the
itself, devouring its own tail like a snake while sprouting new and total amount of Pyros they have stolen. All other traits derive
terrible mutations. The end result is a completely warped creature from Rank (see table below). Low-Ranking Pandorans hunt
whose intelligence is only matched by its madness. It also doesn’t in packs, when they can, while high-Ranking Pandorans may
have much in the way of a heart, ethics, or any of the things that prefer to work alone. Due to their violent and chaotic lives,
might hold it back as it relentlessly pursues its prey: the Created. it is exceedingly rare to see a non-sublimatus Pandoran above
A sublimatus has learned to harvest the tiny spark of divine Rank three.
fire inside mortals, meaning it can consume human flesh to gain
Pyros and avoid Dormancy. This consumption yields only half • Attributes: Pandorans begin with an automatic dot in
the Pyros eating Promethean flesh would. Most sublimati feel it all Physical Attributes, Wits, Resolve, Presence, and
lacks a certain je ne sais quoi pleasing to the refined palette, and Composure. Intelligence and Manipulation have a rating
so are still likely to hunt Prometheans over mortals. Likewise, of one and may not be raised for Pandorans. Sublimati may
rather than the Pandoran pets with which the Centimani like to purchase additional dots of Intelligence and Manipulation.
surround themselves, a sublimatus’ relationship to any Centimanus The maximum total Attributes (calculated including starting
it accompanies is more akin to a partnership in a cabinet of horrors dots) are determined by Rank.
than one of subservience.
Prometheans often mistake sublimati for Centimani, though • Skills: Pandorans may not purchase Social Skills except
the freaks and mockeries themselves can tell the difference just for Animal Ken and Intimidation, nor may they purchase
fine. While a Centimanus is a Promethean in the grips of Flux, a Mental Skills. This restriction does not apply to sublimati.
sublimatus is a Pandoran who has managed to evolve (albeit barely)
above pure chaos. This has led some Created to wonder if a sublimatus • Merits: Pandorans generally do not have Merits, though
might evolve even further, becoming a Centimanus and, from there, sublimati might.
a Pilgrimage-abiding citizen who might reach New Dawn. • Willpower: [Resolve + Composure]
If an existing Pandoran devours a Promethean’s Vitriol, it
can also become sublimatus. The Storyteller rolls the Pandoran’s • Initiative: [Dexterity + Composure]
Resolve + Composure. If successful, the creature may spend Vitriol
to purchase Intelligence or Manipulation dots and become a • Defense: [Higher of Dexterity and Wits] + Athletics.
sublimatus. If the roll fails, the Vitriol is corrupted and lost to Flux.
Lastly, when a praecipitatus breaks apart, the key Pandoran • Size: [4] (Pandoran) or [5] (sublimatus). Due to their botched
might become a sublimatus. The Storyteller rolls the key Pandoran’s creation, Pandorans lack full human bodies. Sublimati grow
Stamina + Composure and must reach [6 – the key Pandoran’s in body as well as mind when they gain sentience.
rank] successes. If successful, the Pandoran becomes a sublimatus • Speed: [Strength + Dexterity + Species Factor 6 (Pandoran)
and may divide a number of dots equal to its Rank among Mental or 5 (sublimatus)]
and Social Attributes (at least one of which must be spent on
Intelligence or Manipulation). It also gains a number of dots • Health: [Stamina + Size]
worth of Dread Powers or Flux Transmutations equal to its Rank.
• Pyros Pool: Total Pyros pool is determined by Rank.
Rank and Traits Pandorans can spend up to their Rank in Pyros per turn.
They must spend one point of Pyros per day to sustain
Pandorans focus on Attributes and Skills suited to stalking
their existence and can only regain Pyros by consuming
and killing (or capturing) Prometheans. They don’t much care for
Promethean flesh. A Pandoran with no more Pyros left is
niceties or intellectual pursuits, though the sublimati do love to spin
susceptible to Dormancy.

Attributes / Sublimati max Max Pyros/per Dread Powers

Rank Pyros stolen Max per Att. Int/Man turn in Dots
1 5 15–24 /5 2 10/1 4
2 10 25–44 /7 3 12/2 8
3 20 45–74 /9 4 14/3 12
4 40 75–104 /12 5 17/4 20
5 70 105–135 /15 6 20/5 30

243
 CHAPTER FIVE: FIRESTORM

• Dread Powers: Pandorans begin their existence with Cost: —

Consume Vitriol, Divide, Sense Vitriol and Track Pyros. In Action: Always on
addition to these, Pandorans may purchase an average (some Dice Pool: —
Pandorans might have significantly more or fewer purchases) Effect: Each dot in this power yields +1 to attack. Furthermore,
number of Dread Powers based on Rank. Sublimati may also this power might grant special powers based on the beastly
use the Flux Transmutation; each Distillation is a separate mutation. For example, a Pandoran with octopus-like tentacles
power (see p. 252). might gain additional Defense, while a frog tongue can inflict
ranged damage and razor wings allow for flight. The Storyteller
• Electroshock Therapy: As the Promethean trait. chooses the form of the mutation and any additional benefits
when this power is purchased.
• Disquiet: Pandorans do cause Disquiet, although this is Flux
based (see Pandoran Disquiet on p. 241).
BIZARRE WEAPONRY
• Pandoran Constitution: While Pandorans must consume (• TO •••••)
Promethean flesh to devour the Pyros inside, they do not
require nourishment in the traditional sense. Additionally, A predator without peer, the Pandoran has tusk-like fangs,
they are immune to poison and disease. bestial claws or bony spikes protruding from its body.
Cost: —
• Speech: Most Pandorans cannot speak coherently, though Action: Always on
they can shriek, hiss and howl. Some learn a simple word or Dice Pool: —
phrase to repeat (“rip, rip, rip,” “Mommy, Mommy,” etc.). Effect: The Pandoran adds +1 weapon damage per dot of this
Sublimati can speak normally. power on applicable attacks (i.e. fangs do damage when biting,
but not when grappling) and upgrades the damage from bashing
• Superlative Endurance: As the Promethean trait, with the
to lethal, or lethal to aggravated. The Storyteller chooses the form
exception of resurrection from death (that requires Azoth).
of the mutation when Bizarre Weaponry is purchased.
• Transhuman Potential: As the Promethean trait, but
Pandorans may only use this to increase their Physical BREATH ATTACK
Attributes. (• TO •••••)

Dread Powers The Pandoran spews forth lightning, acid, fire or even
poisonous gas with its breath.
Pandoran Dread Powers are mutations caused by Flux. They Cost: 1 Pyros
are often active without the creature consciously being aware of it. Action: Instant
For a Pandoran, having carapace-like skin or being able to breathe Dice Pool: Strength + Athletics
poisonous gas isn’t a power, it’s just part of what it is. Dread Powers Effect: Each dot purchased in this power can be applied to
gear towards one singular purpose: tracking, hunting and killing either direct damage, extended damage, or armor or Defense
Prometheans. Sublimati may use the Transmutation of Flux (see p. evasion. These effects can be mixed as desired. The Storyteller
252); each Distillation counts as a separate Dread Power. chooses the type of attack when this power is first purchased.
Direct damage: Add dots as weapon damage to the attack.
ARMOR Extended damage: The attack causes one damage per turn, for
[2 x dots] turns.
(• TO •••••) Armor or Defense evasion: One dot negates either armor or
The Pandoran’s body is covered in natural armor, such as a Defense; two dots negates both.
horrific exoskeleton or gelatinous slime. The attack can hit anything within the Pandoran’s direct line
Cost: — of sight.
Action: Always on Roll Results
Dice Pool: — Dramatic Failure: The power fails and cannot be used for the
Effect: The Pandoran gains an armor rating equal to the dot rest of the scene.
rating of this power. Failure: The power fails.
Success: The attack hits and causes damage appropriately.

BEASTLY MUTATION
Exceptional Success: The attack hits, causes damage, and
instills a Tilt in the victim as appropriate (i.e. Blinded if the
(• TO •••••) Pandoran spat in the victim’s eyes).
The Pandoran looks more like a mutated beast than anything
resembling a human.

244
 dread powers

BRIAREUS’ PROWESS PARALYZE

(• TO •••••) (• TO •••••)
Small and misshapen, the Pandoran is quicker, stronger and Either through poisonous fangs, claws, or skin-to-skin contact,
hardier than it looks. the Pandoran injects its victim with a paralyzing poison. Even
Cost: — or 1 Willpower Prometheans are not immune to this Flux poison.
Action: Always on, or Reflexive Cost: 1 Willpower
Dice Pool: — Action: Instant and contested
Effect: The Pandoran adds one dot of Strength, Dexterity or Dice Pool: Stamina + Brawl + Paralyze vs. Stamina + Azoth
Stamina per dot of Briareus’ Prowess. The Storyteller chooses Roll Results
which Physical Attribute to enhance when dots are purchased. Dramatic Failure: The power fails and the victim is immune
The Pandoran may purchase dots equal to its unenhanced Physical to Paralyze for this scene.
Attribute rating. Failure: The power fails.
Success: The Pandoran successfully injects its poison into the
CAMOUFLAGE victim, instilling a moderate Poisoned Tilt in Prometheans, or a
grave Poisoned tilt in all other creatures. This lasts for a number
(• TO •••••) of turns equal to the Pandoran’s Paralyze rating.
The flesh of the Pandoran changes with its surroundings, Exceptional Success: Successes are their own reward.
allowing the creature to blend in perfectly with the background.
Cost: — SCURRY
Action: Always on (• TO •••••)
Dice Pool: —
Effect: Characters trying to see, hear, smell, or otherwise Loping on misshapen hands and feet, the Pandoran moves at
perceive the Pandoran suffer a one dice penalty per dot of this impossible speeds.
power on Perception rolls, as long as the Pandoran remains still Cost: 1 Willpower
or moves at half speed. This penalty becomes one dice per two Action: Reflexive
dots if the Pandoran moves at three quarter speed. The penalty is Dice Pool: Dexterity + Athletics + Scurry
lifted entirely if the Pandoran moves at full speed. Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The Pandoran stumbles, loses her Defense
MALLEABLE FORM for the turn, and cannot re-activate Scurry this turn.
Failure: The power fails.
(• TO •••••) Success: The Pandoran adds Scurry to Speed. And add
The Pandoran’s body is malleable and soft, allowing the successes to Defense for the turn.
creature to squeeze through the smallest of openings. Exceptional Success: Additional successes are their
Cost: — own reward.
Action: Instant
Dice Pool: Dexterity + Athletics WALL WALKING
Effect: (• TO •••••)
The Pandoran is capable of squeezing through any opening it
can fit its head through. Each dot enhances the speed with which Using squid-like suckers on its hands, lizard-like fingers, or a
the Pandoran can move through the opening: one quarter speed, sticky ooze, the Pandoran may traverse walls and ceilings as easily
half speed, three quarter speed, full speed or even double speed. as floors.
Roll Results Cost: —
Dramatic Failure: The Pandoran becomes stuck. Its defense Action: Instant
is reduced to 0 for the turn. Dice Pool: Strength + Athletics
Failure: The Pandoran fails to squeeze through. Effect: The Pandoran may traverse any surface that can hold
Success: The Pandoran moves its applicable speed through its weight, adding its dots in Wall Walking to Climbing rolls.
the opening.
Exceptional Success: The Pandoran moves through the A Cabinet of Unborn
opening at a speed of one category higher than it normally would. The Pandorans detailed here can serve as inspiration for such
creatures in your Promethean chronicle, or as quick antagonists if
your players’ characters go poking around someplace they shouldn’t.

245
 CHAPTER FIVE: FIRESTORM

Description: In Dormancy, the Calavera looks like a beautiful

THE CALAVERA skull sculpted from clay, adorned with bright beads that cover it
completely in a rich, colorful pattern. Active, the Pandoran retains
Vida. Vida. Vida. its signature skull, though it takes on a more leering quality and
sprouts a small, hunched clay body. Several of its fingers have
Background: The Calavera was created by an unnamed been replaced with the sharp tools that it stole from its creator.
Mexican Tammuz. Highly superstitious, the Tammuz believed
the first Day of the Dead would be the perfect time to petition Rank: 2
whatever forces govern such things to infuse a dead body with life. Mental Attributes: Intelligence 1, Wits 4, Resolve 2
He spent hours preparing the corpse, carefully coating it in clay
Physical Attributes: Strength 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 5
and beads that he had bought especially for the occasion, then
carving the word “VIDA” on the body’s forehead. The result was a Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 1, Composure 2
work of art — one that would haunt the Tammuz in days to come. Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl 4, Expression 2, Intimidation 3
Burying the body deep in the Chihuahuan Desert, the Tammuz Willpower: 4
sat down to wait. As the sun set on the third Day of the Dead, Initiative: 5
the new creation crawled forth from the earth. Ecstatic that it had
worked, the Tammuz approached his child. He was so overcome Defense: 6
with joy that he never noticed that the creature did not shake off Size: 4
the dirt or beads. By the time he realized that his creation was Speed: 13
tainted by Flux, the Pandoran was already upon him. Though the Health: 9
Tammuz proved too hardy to kill, the Calavera made off with the
Dread Powers: Armor (3), Bizarre Weaponry (2), Consume
tools its creator had used to so lovingly carve its body. Vitriol, Divide, Scurry (3), Sense Vitriol, Track Pyros
The Calavera remains highly aggressive today. It seeks combat

DOLLFACE
even if it does not have the upper hand and relies on its hardiness
and superior speed to take opponents by surprise, hoping a decisive
first strike will weaken them enough to give it the upper hand.
The Calavera’s dormant form is considered a work of art in its <pure silence>
field and it has traveled most of Mexico and the US border states as a
Background: Though Dollface was created in the last century,
museum exhibit. It has gained some notoriety amongst Prometheans,
its creator was a Galateid from the Victorian era. Struggling on
many of whom can identify the Pandoran in Dormancy. Indeed,
the last league of her Pilgrimage, the Galateid finally gave in and
the Calavera takes some twisted pride in its visage and often poses
accepted that multiplicatio for her must indeed mean procreation.
so its dying victims might admire their abuser.
Carefully selecting the corpse of a beautiful boy on the cusp of
While the Calavera hunts constantly, like any Pandoran, the three
adulthood, the Galateid set to work. Perhaps her own reluctance
Days of the Dead are its favorite. The Calavera will even join with
spilled through into the creation. Perhaps she had the process
other Pandorans in a hunting pack to celebrate these special days.

246
 a cabinet of unborn

wrong. Whatever the cause, the Galateid’s attempt at creation

failed and a Pandoran emerged. Feeling her Pilgrimage slip away,
the petrified Galateid was unable to strike her creation down;
Dollface, ever opportunistic, scampered off to begin its chrysalis.
Dollface does justice to its name. The creature is lovely to look at,
yet utterly devoid of personality. It spends hours stalking and torturing
prey — humans will do in a pinch, should no Promethean be available
— but does so with the cold detachment of a shark. Dollface knows
no passion, no joy. It merely hunts, hurts, and consumes.
Dollface’s great skill and cunning make it a formidable hunter,
and its favorite prey are thronged Prometheans. Singling out the
weakest Promethean in the group, Dollface proceed to capture and
torture its victim. If a Promethean cannot be had, Dollface turns
to kidnapping and torturing human friends or allies.
Unlike most Pandorans, Dollface gains no pleasure from
inflicting pain. It simply believes the victim’s pain acts as a distress
signal and uses this to lure more Created into its trap. Ironically,
Dollface is half-right. Created will come for their loved ones, though
the measure of pain inflicted upon them has nothing to do with this.
Description: In Dormancy, Dollface looks like a Victorian doll
with a lovely sculpted face, short blonde curls (made of real human
hair) and a tiny gentleman’s suit. Awake, Dollface is as lovely as
ever, even if its porcelain skin is too white, its nails too sharp, and her creation as it slithered away, but the Pilgrim’s waxen body
its breath comes out in paralyzing, toxic tufts. Dollface’s costume merely absorbed the blows.
shows the wear and tear of its existence and hangs around it in Three years the Pilgrim wandered from place to place, going
bleak grey tatters. wherever hunger took it, until it fell under the control of a
Centimanus. Its cunning placed the Pilgrim above other Pandorans,
Rank: 3 making the creature its master’s special pet and, later, the key
Mental Attributes: Intelligence 1, Wits 7, Resolve 5 in a praecipitatus experiment. The Pilgrim came away from this
Physical Attributes: Strength 6, Dexterity 7, Stamina 6 experiment with a new sense of purpose. It remained with its master
Social Attributes: Presence 6, Manipulation 1, Composure 4 for another long year — watching, learning — until it had learned
enough. Leaving its master’s broken body behind, the Pilgrim set
Skills: Athletics 5, Brawl 4, Stealth 5
out on its own again.
Willpower: 9 The Pilgrim believes it can become a normal Promethean. After
Initiative: 11 all, it was born a senseless monster and then it became sentient.
Defense: 11 It believes it shares enough commonalities with the Centimani to
Size: 4 cross over to their state of being and, from there, become a proper
Promethean. This twisted Pilgrimage is the creature’s life’s work.
Speed: 19
It has already begun by identifying as female because most humans
Health: 10 are not “it.” It sometimes seeks out Prometheans and pretends to
Dread Powers: Armor (2), Bizarre Weaponry (1), Breath be an Extempore Centimani looking to return to the Pilgrimage.
Attack (4 — direct damage 2, armor and Defense evasion), Since Extempore do not appear in Azothic memory, the Created
Camouflage (2), Consume Vitriol, Divide, Paralyze (3), Sense
Vitriol, Track Pyros do not have an easy way to check the veracity of this claim.
The con, of course, never lasts. The Pilgrim becomes hungry
or frustrated by its lack of process and then lashes out. Maybe a
THE PILGRIM Promethean recognizes the creature for what it is and, in a great act
of denial, the Pilgrim kills him to avoid any more finger pointing.
I am like you. Please, sister, let me stay with you. Like a broken clock, the Pilgrim returns to its quest time and again,
though it will never get anywhere.
Background: The Pilgrim began its life as a mindless, broken
Description: While the Pilgrim cannot pass for human by a
monster, just like every other Pandoran. Its Ulgan creator
long shot, it can pass for a terribly mangled Created. Its body is
successfully rent and re-assembled its body, only to see it be torn
crisscrossed by scars. The mockery walks with a pronounced limp
apart by Flux at the moment of conception. Exceptionally quick
that seems to vanish whenever it reveals its Pandoran nature. Its
even as it scurried off the slab, the Pilgrim snatched up its body
fingers are bent and rheumatic, with sharp nails. Its speech comes
parts and, carrying an armful of itself, squeezed through a pipe
out in a slurred whisper, but can be understood if the listener is
leading out of the chamber. The distraught Ulgan tried to kill
willing to come just little closer to its toothy maw.

247
 CHAPTER FIVE: FIRESTORM

Storytelling Hints: The Pilgrim currently identifies as female Mental Skills: Investigation 2, Occult (Prometheans) 3
and has sculpted its malleable body to match. She dresses in Physical Skills: Athletics 4, Brawl 5, Stealth 3, Survival 5
skinny jeans and a tank top and her behavior, likewise, is feminine. Social Skills: Intimidation 3, Subterfuge 3 (masquerading as
She is not above playing the “sister in need” card when a female Promethean)
Promethean is nearby, though she is less comfortable around male Merits: Danger Sense, Fast Reflexes (2), Fleet of Foot (2)
Prometheans as she has no idea how to play them. The Pilgrim is
Willpower: 14
eager for knowledge of the Pilgrimage and, in many ways, her claims
are true. She really does believe that she can become a Promethean Initiative: 17
and her desire to learn about the Pilgrimage is sincere. At least, it Defense: 11
is when she is well fed and happy. But then something angers her Size 5
or she gets hungry, and she reveals her true colors. In the end, the Speed: 24
Pilgrim is merely a very confused and deluded predator.
Health: 13
Rank: 3 Dread Powers: Armor (3), Bizarre Weaponry (1), Briareus’
Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 7, Resolve 8 Prowess (Dexterity 2), Consume Vitriol, Divide, Malleable Form
(3), Scurry (2), Sense Vitriol, Track Pyros, Wall-Walking (3)
Physical Attributes: Strength 8, Dexterity 9, Stamina 8
Flux Transmutations: Disaster (as the Solvent Distillation),
Social Attributes: Presence 4, Manipulation 4, Composure 6 Disruption (as the Solvent Distillation), Lordship

248
 centimani - refinement of flux
The Refinement of Flux stands in opposition to the may have done terrible things while chasing the Flux, but who
other Refinements. So much so, that it could more properly among the Prometheans hasn’t? He is just another monster
be called a degradation. The Freaks have abandoned the seeking redemption.
Pilgrimage, either as a conscious choice or through despair,
apathy, or frustration. Many Prometheans consider Stannum Practices
the “ground state” of a Promethean, but Freaks know the Centimani have dedicated themselves to being monsters.
truth: past rage and torment there is division and chaos. This They embrace isolation and shed connections to humanity.
is the precipice that they stand on, staring into the abyss of
• Humans need regular sleep, three square meals a day,
pure dissolution.
and must shield themselves against the elements lest
Adherence to the Refinement of Flux isn’t necessarily
they sicken and die. Centimani do not pretend to be
suicide. A Promethean can find peace in accepting her own
human. They eschew prepared food and eat whatever
nature, in not having to fight to become something else
is available. They sleep only when they must; many
and being able to stop running from the Pandorans at her
stop wearing clothes, adorning themselves instead with
heels. Some Prometheans even see themselves as kin to the
trophies to make themselves more terrifying.
Lilithim: necessary agents of chaos and destruction. Others
are less philosophical. They stop thinking and give themselves • Freaks abandon human definitions of beauty. They
to instinct and impulse. Some are purely practical, seeing a accept deformity and monstrous beauty. The flesh is
path to power. malleable and Centimani are slaves of change, so their
This path is not without its downsides. The Flux appearance should similarly be in a constant state of
transforms a Promethean, body and mind. Their forms often flux, reflecting the whims of the monster within. They
become twisted and mutated, like a Pandoran, hence the take little care for how they look and are generally
moniker Freaks. Many are insane or, at the very least, highly unkempt.
unstable and unpredictable. By its very nature, Flux is the
enemy of order and coherence. Those who spend a long • Monsters do not have friends. They live in isolation
time in this Refinement find it hard to keep their thoughts on the outskirts of civilization. They find the ruined
together. Memories become a jumble and complex rational places, the wastelands and the wilderness, and they only
thought becomes elusive. Only their Azoth allows them to leave to hunt among the weak and defenseless. Many
maintain any shred of sanity or identity. Many Centimani embrace this ideal by systematically destroying all bonds
become creatures of ritual, investing what habits and practices they held in their former life. This can be as simple as
they manage to hold onto with a nearly religious observance. traveling someplace new where they are unknown or
Yet, Centimani are not irredeemable. All else aside, the as brutal as the ritual murder of every person they have
Refinement of Flux is just that: a Refinement. Any Freak can any connection to. Some Centimani burn their old life
choose to switch to Stannum to escape the chaos and begin to the ground once they decide to join the Hundred
the difficult road back to the Great Work. Sometimes it is Handed.
a moment of clarity that allows him to return to the Great
Work and begin rebuilding himself. Other times, a Hundred • Every monster has its lair: a place where it can hide
Handed One’s former throng will pull him from the grip of during its slumber and kennel its beasts. It is someplace
despair and help to set him to right. The former Centimanus defensible, hard to reach, and full of traps and pitfalls.

We aren’t human. We’ll never be human. Stop

telling yourself this lie and accept what
you are.

249
 It is also the monster’s inner sanctum, where it hides Prometheans stand between humanity and the
secrets of the person it once was or aspired to monsters. A Centimanus has sided with
be: trinkets, mementos, and keepsakes that the latter and so other Prometheans
represent what identity it still clings to. For are her enemies as well as food
those who have lost their grip on sanity, for her allies, the Pandorans.
their lair is covered in incoherent scrib- She is more dangerous than
bles and pictograms in a desperate the mockeries, though.
attempt to preserve what memories A Pandoran awakens
are left to them. and seeks out Azoth
when it senses its heat,
centimani - refinement of flux

• To Freaks, Flux is a discipline: going dormant when

religion to some and science it is gone, but a Freak
to others. It is their philoso- hunts her prey down,
phy and their occupation. chasing him from city to
As long as they maintain city, relentless and driven.
self-awareness, they gain She rouses Pandorans
insight from the mad from dark recesses to send
f low of Flux through against her quarry and feeds
them and can use it rath- them to keep them active for
er than being used by it. as long as they are needed.
Mastering Flux, however, She encourages Disquiet and
is still intrinsically an act feeds Wastelands, reminding
of self-destruction. The all Prometheans of what they
Centimanus must sacrifice are and the curse that they
his own enlightenment to bear.
the void in order to learn A Centimanus does
its secrets. not build things. She
doesn’t organize and she
Ethos doesn’t gather. Unlike
A Freak has given up on other Ref inements,
humanity. She does not aspire which have established
to learn compassion or to make Roles and practices,
human connections. She has the Centimanus prides
no desire to find a place in the herself on not having rules or
civilized world. She accepts traditions. She revels in her
that she is a creature on the freedom but also suffers
fringes of society; her place from its aimlessness. She
is in the darkness with the struggles ever y day to
other monsters. Monsters hold herself together in
pursue their own desires the wake of Flux, both
and kill those who stand mentally and physically.
in their way. They do not Her identity is slowly
feel empathy or sacrifice eroded, replaced by
of themselves. They are hunger and a desire for
driven by instinct and destruction; even though
need. The truth of life is she has devoted herself to
that it is a chaotic struggle Flux, she clings to these
for sur vival that will last remnants of herself.
ultimately fail. Trying to This may be a contradiction,
build anything to last is a but Flux is the antithesis
waste of time. Everything of order. Chaos does not
is impermanent. demand consistency.

250
Roles is no idealist; his interest is purely practical. His ambition
leads him down a dark path, searching for the mentor who
The Refinement of Flux has no Roles. Those walking can teach him forbidden alchemy. Badi turns his back on
its path cannot achieve milestones or advance on the humanity and gives himself to chaos. Try as he might, he is
Pilgrimage. Life as a Centimanus consists of steps backwards, ultimately unable to hide what he has become from the other
not forward. members of his throng, so he feeds them to the Pandorans
Practitioners to gain their obedience and walks into the night.
Every night, Hakan dreams of seeing his friends fall to
Tara is lost in her Torment, filled with rage and despair the monsters, rent and torn asunder despite all his efforts
and unable to come to terms with what she is. In time, her to protect them. One night, he goes to a place where the

centimani - refinement of flux

Azoth degrades, becoming tainted with Flux. She has no Pandorans are known to lie dormant and makes a deal with
choice, makes no decision to join the Hundred Handed. the Hundred Handed who is their master, turning his back
She simply falls from grace, her fire corrupted and tainted, on his Great Work. The next time his throng sees him is
slowly twisting her physical form until she resembles the when he steps out in front of a pack of Pandorans, stopping
monsters she once feared. More frightening is how it twists them in their tracks. His body twisted and his eyes filled
her mind, wearing away at everything she once clung to in with pain, Hakan bids them to flee.
the dark moments until all she has left is a desire to destroy, Refinement Condition: Destructive — The Centimani are
hoping that annihilation will take away her pain. tuned into Flux and have an instinct for physical weaknesses.
Marv comes to the conclusion that the impurity within By spending a point of Pyros, a Freak can ignore a number
him is his humanity. By removing that weakness, he can of points of Durability or Armor equal to her Azoth for
become a better, more refined monster. He turns his study one attack.
to the Refinement of Flux, using it to burn away the progress Transmutations: Flux
he’s made on his Pilgrimage. Only by embracing both sides
of the Divine Fire can he hope to make himself pure. Marv Stereotypes
wonders how he could ever have been so foolish as to believe
that humanity was something to aspire to, especially when • Aurum: Monsters playing dress-up. And they call us
he stands over their pathetic mewling bodies, glorious in obscene.
his newly found perfection.
• Cobalus: Humanity is your impurity.
Chicago is tired of running, tired of being afraid, and,
most of all, tired of self-hatred. She decides to embrace the • Cuprum: You understand that isolation is our natural
role of the monster, to become what she fears and stop state.
aspiring to what she can never be. She starts by embracing
Tin, but this isn’t enough. Stannum gives her strength • Ferrum: I’ll show you how to improve a body.
and lets her channel her rage, but she is still struggling.
She decides to take the final step. The next time the • Mercurius: It’s all Pyros. You’ll see if you just look.
Pandorans come for her, she doesn’t run. She calls them
• Plumbum: Rooting through the muck, looking for
kin. It is a relief.
meaning.
Badi sees the power to be had in the mastery of Flux
and the control of the monsters that harry his brothers. He • Stannum: So close.

251
 CHAPTER FIVE: FIRESTORM

Flux Aggravate Wasteland

By tainting his surroundings with Flux, the Freak either brings
Consorting with Flux is not without its cost. By giving about a Wasteland or worsens the one that is already there. This
themselves over to Flux, Centimani are fundamentally changed. can be a means to harry a Promethean he is hunting or simply
These changes are expressed through Flux Alembics. The powers because the Flux-tainted environment is more comfortable for
they gain are not just things that other Prometheans can’t do, him and his Pandorans.
but things they wouldn’t do. By mingling with Pandorans, she Cost: 2 Pyros
allows Flux to mutate her body and taint the Transmutations Dice Pool: Presence + Occult + Azoth
of those around her. By encouraging the spread of Wastelands Action: Instant
and Firestorms, she has given herself over to what her fellow Roll Results
Prometheans consider the darkest blasphemies. She has become
Dramatic Failure: The backlash of Flux tears at his body,
tainted.
causing two points of aggravated damage.
Flux is divided into four Alembics. Those Alembics are: Blight
Failure: He is unable to direct enough Flux to have an effect.
(feeding Disquiet), Lordship (controlling Pandorans), Mutation
Success: He creates a stage one Wasteland focused on himself
(physical transformation), and Solvent (canceling Transmutations).
or Festers an existing one to the next stage.
The Storyteller determines how many Alembics a Centimanus
Exceptional Success: The Wasteland starts at stage two or
has learned, based on how long the character has followed the
advances to stage four.
Refinement of Flux.
Summon Firestorm
Blight By pouring out Flux in a torrent, he is able to create a Firestorm
While most Prometheans struggle against the darker aspects (p. 264) in a Wasteland. This is usually done to awaken the local
of the Divine Fire, Centimani embrace Flux and can feed it to Pandorans.
exacerbate its manifestations. Disquiet can be sown and nurtured, Cost: 3 Pyros
Wastelands fed, and Firestorms called into being. The Centimanus Dice Pool: Resolve + Occult + Azoth
revels in the destructive power these things represent, for he Action: Instant
believes that this is the Prometheans’ true nature writ large and
Roll Results
made unescapable.
Persistent: The Centimanus is so acclimated to the energy Dramatic Failure: Rather than targeting the Wasteland, the
of Flux that he ignores extreme environment effects caused by Firestorm is centered on the Centimanus with a strength equal
Wastelands or Firestorms. to his Azoth.
Failure: He is unable to channel sufficient Flux to spark a
Invoke Disquiet Firestorm.
Success: He generates a Firestorm whose strength is equal to
The Centimanus encourages the Flux within an individual in
the number of successes rolled.
order to feed Disquiet, either calling it into being or making it
Exceptional Success: The Centimanus can choose one of the
worse. This is a useful tool to inconvenience another Promethean
aspects of the Firestorm.
or as a way to drive those affected by his Pandorans’ Disquiet
further into destruction and madness. It is not unknown for a
repentant Centimanus, wracked with guilt for what he has done,
Lordship
to use this power to turn the mob on himself to end his suffering. The Centimanus’ attunement with Flux puts him on the same
Cost: 1 Pyros wavelength as the Pandorans. As soon as he gives himself over to
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy + Azoth vs. Resolve that side of his nature, they recognize him as one of their own.
Action: Instant and Contested By playing on this empathy, he is able to influence them and even
Roll Results gather them into packs with himself at the head. The roll is only
necessary when the Centimanus is trying to assume command
Dramatic Failure: The backlash of Flux rips into him, causing
of Pandorans while distracted, like when engaged in combat.
one point of aggravated damage.
Otherwise, he just pays the Pyros cost and assumes control.
Failure: He is unable to control the Flux.
Unlike most Alembics, Lordship does not have multiple
Success: The target enters the first stage of Disquiet directed
Distillations. The more Pyros it is charged with, the more
at the Promethean of his choice. If the subject is already suffering
Pandorans can be controlled.
Disquiet, it advances to the next stage.
Persistent: The Centimanus registers to Pandorans as one of
Exceptional Success: The subject starts in the second stage of
their own. They will not attack him except in self-defense.
Disquiet or advances to stage four.
Cost: 1 Pyros per Pandoran

252
 flux

Dice Pool: Presence + Animal Ken + Azoth vs. highest Resolve Failure: The changes are purely cosmetic or nothing happens
in group at all.
Action: Instant and contested Success: She gains use of the Dread Power for the duration
Roll Results of the scene.
Exceptional Success: She retains the Dread Power for one day.
Dramatic Failure: The Pandorans turn on the Centimanus and
attack him like any other Promethean for the duration of the scene.
Failure: The Pandorans ignore the Centimanus.
Solvent
Success: The Centimanus takes advantage of his sympathetic A Freak can feed Flux into the Transmutations of others to cause
connection with nearby Pandorans to gain control over them. them to fail, often catastrophically, or to produce unexpected results.
If successful, for the rest of the scene he can issue simple verbal Persistent: The Promethean develops sensitivity to Azoth to
commands, which they understand regardless of the language rival a Pandoran. She can sense when an Alembic is charged and
used. It is not direct mind control, so the Pandorans will generally knows instinctively how much Pyros it contains.
interpret the command according to their individual temperament
and personality. This power cannot be used on a sublimatus.
Disruption
Lordship can be activated additional times to bring further The Centimanus degrades the Transmutations of other
Pandorans under his control. Prometheans, tainting them with decay and dissolution so that
The Centimanus can retain control for longer periods by Pyros leaks uselessly from the Alembic. The Solvent Alembic must
feeding the Pandorans from his own Azoth. This is accomplished be charged to the same level as the target Alembic in order for
by allowing them to eat bits of himself. Every time he does so, he this ability to work.
loses a point of Pyros and takes one lethal damage, but extends Cost: 1 Pyros
the duration of control by one day. He can control up to his Azoth Dice Pool: Resolve + Occult + Azoth – target’s Resolve + Azoth
rating in Pandorans in this manner. Greater numbers are possible, Action: Instant
but they require the loss of another point of Pyros and Health for Roll Results
each multiple of his Azoth.
Dramatic Failure: Her Solvent Alembic is disrupted and
Example: The Huntsman has an Azoth rating of 3 and so cannot be used for the rest of the scene.
sacrifices 2 Pyros and 2 lethal damage every day to control his hunting Failure: The Centimanus is unable to overcome the Azoth
pack of six Pandorans. of the target.
Exceptional Success: The initial duration is one day. Success: The Alembic is disrupted and any effects it is
generating end instantly. The Alembic cannot be recharged for
Mutation one turn per success achieved.
Exceptional Success: The Alembic cannot be used by the target
The Centimani are twisted and mutated by Flux; it introduces for the remainder of the scene.
changes to their bodies similar to those that afflict the Pandorans.
Even when temporary, the transformation is traumatic; when Disaster
a Freak uses stolen Vitriol to make it permanent, it is one step The Freak causes a Distillation being activated by another
closer to irrevocably turning her into a monster. Sometimes the Promethean to fail.
Freak is emulating an ability she has observed in a Pandoran, but Cost: 2 Pyros
more often the mutation is an instinctual change in reaction to a Dice Pool: Wits + Occult + Azoth vs. Wits + Azoth
situation. For example, being attacked might cause her to manifest Action: Reflexive and contested
thicker skin or sharp teeth. Roll Results
Unlike most Alembics, Mutation does not have multiple Dramatic Failure: The Flux backfires on the Freak and she
Distillations. The more Pyros it is charged with, the stronger the is unable to access any of her Transmutations for the remainder
Dread Powers she can manifest. of the scene.
Persistent: The Freak may spend Vitriol Experience equal to Failure: She fails to taint the target Distillation.
the Dread Power’s rating in order to make a mutation permanent. Success: The target fails to activate the Distillation.
This is a step backwards, and she must roll to avoid losing a Exceptional Success: The target suffers a dramatic failure.
dot of Pilgrimage. These mutations are retained if she switches
Refinements, even if access to the Mutation Alembic itself is lost. Detonation
Cost: 1 Pyros per dot of Dread Power
The Centimanus uses the power of her enemy’s Alembics
Dice Pool: Resolve + Stamina + Azoth – Dread Power’s rating
against him by tainting the Pyros used to charge it with Flux in
Action: Instant
order to cause him damage.
Roll Results Cost: 3 Pyros
Dramatic Failure: The mutation goes awry and she suffers Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult + Azoth vs. Stamina + Azoth
from the Arm Wrack, Leg Wrack, Sick (moderate), or Blinded
(one eye) tilt for the rest of the scene.

253
 CHAPTER FIVE: FIRESTORM

Action: Instant and contested have a safe place to rest, he starts hunting. He knows where his
Roll Results kind lurks and seeks them out. Any Pandorans he comes across are
Dramatic Failure: The backlash of Flux causes her own brought into the pack. He doesn’t shirk from attacking an entire
Alembic to burn. She suffers three points of Lethal damage and throng; he just makes sure he has enough hounds before engaging.
the Solvent Alembic is discharged. Once he feels like an area is tapped out, he pulls up stakes, lets
Failure: She is unable to ignite the Pyros. his excess Pandorans go dormant, and moves on.
Success: The Pyros charging her target’s Alembic becomes Description: The Huntsman once represented the Byronic
tainted with Flux and becomes unstable. The Alembic discharges, ideal of a man: curly dark hair, strong features, and athletic build.
causing one point of Lethal damage for each point of Pyros used Years spent living among his pack and feeding them from his own
to charge it. It can be charged again as normal. flesh have left him scarred and mutated. His jaw now extends
Exceptional Success: All of the target’s active Alembics are outward, like a muzzle, and his mouth is filled with sharp teeth.
discharged, as above. Short dark fur covers his body, even replacing the hair on the top
of his head and covering the exterior of his now pointed ears.
Disciples of Flux Human nails are replaced with short, blunt claws, though he
retains fingers instead of paws. He walks with a loping gait and
even falls to all fours to travel rapidly in short bursts.
THE HUNTSMAN When his disfigurements are visible, his deeply soulful brown
eyes appear glassy and artificial and his sleek fur looks glossy, like
plastic. Each exhale carries with it the mist of the Divine Breath
Feed, my pretties! Feed and grow strong!
that animated him, like a beast panting on a frigid night. The vapor
Background: The Huntsman has always wanted to be loved, clings to him and even seems to seep out from his pores, making
like most Muses. Early in his existence, he witnessed a young boy him resemble some sort of dark hound of the moors.
and his dog playing and the unconditional love that the animal He doesn’t wear clothes anymore, but does sport a studded leather
showed its owner stuck with him. With each painful experience dog collar and wraps himself in leashes of different materials — nylon,
he had with humans, the more he yearned for that simple leather, rope — in a variety of colors and styles. He wears them as belts,
companionship. On his first encounter with Pandorans, he didn’t bracelets, bandoliers, and necklaces. He carries no weapons, preferring
see monsters; he saw hounds chasing their prey. He hid; when he to use his teeth in battle, tearing at Prometheans for the Vitriol they
saw their master emerge from the shadows, he called out. In time, contain before his pack consumes them for their Pyros.
he too learned to command the adoration of the beasts. In order Storytelling Hints: The Huntsman seems genuinely happy.
to keep his pack well fed, he learned to track others of his kind. He is the stereotypical dog person, rolling around on the
He feels no guilt. Anything which isn’t Pandoran is simply prey. ground with his pets and taking them out to run free. His
He has no home. The search for food for his pack drives him ire is raised only when someone hurts them or keeps them
to keep moving. When he moves into an area, the first thing he from feeding. He has no tolerance for other Centimani or
does is find a place to establish a den. Once he and his hounds sublimati, seeing them as rivals for his Pandorans’ affection.

Lineage: Galatea
Refinement: Centimani
Mental Attributes: Intelligence 2, Wits 4, Resolve 2
Physical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 5, Stamina 3
Social Attributes: Presence 4, Manipulation 2, Composure 2
Mental Skills: Crafts 1, Investigation (Prometheans) 3, Occult 1
Physical Skills: Athletics 3, Brawl (Teeth) 3, Larceny 2, Stealth
3, Survival 3
Social Skills: Animal Ken (Dogs) 4, Intimidation 2, Streetwise 3
Merits: Danger Sense, Demolisher 2, Fast Reflexes 3, Fleet of
Foot 3, Residual Memory (Medicine, Weaponry) 2, Trained
Observer 3
Willpower: 4
Pilgrimage: 1
Elpis: Companionship
Torment: Jealousy
Initiative: 8
Defense: 6

254
 disciples of flux

Unholy Repast (•••••)

By devouring the heart of a dead Promethean within
five minutes of her death, he can absorb her power
and sometimes her memories and skills.
Prerequisite: Sublimatus or Promethean
Cost: None
Dice Pool: Strength + Resolve + Azoth – target’s
Stamina + Azoth
Action: Instant
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: His victim’s Azoth overwhelms
him and he takes one lethal damage per point of her
Azoth.
Failure: He fails to metabolize the heart and gains
no benefits.
Success: His Pyros pool is refreshed and he gains
any and all Vitriol the victim had. His victim is de-
stroyed and cannot resurrect. in her search for the impurity that sabotaged her Great Work. She
became convinced that the dual nature of the Divine Fire dooms
Exceptional Success: He gains access to his victim’s Prometheans, its children, to a hopelessly flawed existence. She
recent or significant memories and gains a dot of Residual argues now that it is impossible to purge Flux and, thus, there is
Memory for her highest-rated Skill.
no way to purify Azoth sufficiently to reach the New Dawn. All
rumors of success are just urban legends, spawned by false hope.
Now she acts as a mentor, convincing other Prometheans to
Size: 5 give up the Pilgrimage and teaching them the ways of Flux. She is
Speed: 14 widely known for her immense knowledge about the Great Work;
few are aware she’s become a Centimanus. Most believe that she
Health: 8
is a very advanced Cathar, and this is what draws people into her
Azoth: 3 web. Since those who find her are either converted or killed, the
Pyros/per Turn: 12/3 word has not gotten out yet. She maintains a large abandoned
Bestowment: Unearthly Mien (Presence) mansion in a remote area and makes sure that pilgrim marks for
Transmutations: Flux — Lordship, Mutation hundreds of miles around point Prometheans her way.
Description: The Scholar is tall, conservatively dressed, and
Dread Powers: Bizarre Weaponry (Teeth) 2, Unholy Repast
radiates authority. Everything she says is deeply meaningful. She
Notes: The size of the Huntsman’s pack varies. He has a doesn’t indulge in small talk and looks down on those who persist
minimum of three Pandorans with him at any time. When he is on
the hunt, he will rouse as many as he can find and feeds them in such trivialities. Her congeniality hides a general disdain for
off his flesh to keep them active and under his control for as long the intelligence of others; though she rarely raises her voice, she
as he can manage. Unsurprisingly, when he has a large group is quite adept at expressing her disappointment through other
to feed, he is aggressive to the point of recklessness and finds means. Her pale bluish-gray eyes suggest still water.
a ready source of electricity, like a generator building or power When her disfigurements show, her features are sunken and her
plant, in order to restore the toll on his body. eyes are even paler, losing their blue tint. Her long hair looks brittle, dry,

THE SCHOLAR
and not nearly as thick. Despite her stature, she seems light and frail.
A smell like orange and bergamot oil clings to her, overpowering her
subtle floral perfume. The ring fingers on both her hands are missing.
Nobody has ever completed the Great Work. Whomever told you Storytelling Hints: She is highly intelligent and rational, but
otherwise was lying. reacts poorly to those of strong faith and hope. Once she decides that
someone will not be brought around to her viewpoint, she dedicates
Background: The Scholar spent many long years walking the
herself to destroying them as an intolerable reminder of what she’s lost.
Pilgrimage and she was close to success, very close, but in the
She genuinely enjoys being a teacher, despite the dark psychological
end she failed. She became obsessed with learning why, initially
reasons that drive it. Once she spent a day observing students in a
switching Refinement to Cobalus but eventually degrading to Flux

255
 CHAPTER FIVE: FIRESTORM

classroom; the vision of that moment when a student understands Pilgrimage: 3

some new concept has stayed with her through her dark journey. Elpis: Epiphany
The key to using The Scholar is to keep her nature a secret for as Torment: Fatalistic
long as possible. Turn her into a resource that the players come to rely
Initiative: 5
on for her knowledge of Promethean lore. Long conversations about
the nature of their being might subtly hint at her true beliefs but she Defense: 3
is very careful about not overplaying her hand and has done this for a Size: 5
long while. She may also turn up as a rival to get to a rumored Athanor, Speed: 9
though her goal is to destroy it. Once she is revealed, her powers and Health: 7
her Bestowment should make her very difficult to dispatch.
Azoth: 8
Pyros/per Turn: 30/8
Lineage: Osiris
Bestowment: Revivification
Refinement: Centimani
Transmutations: Contamination — Suffering; Flux — Blight,
Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 2, Resolve 4 Lordship, Mutation, Solvent; Mesmerism — Penthos
Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 2, Stamina 2
Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 5, Composure 3
Mental Skills: Academics (Philosophy) 4, Investigation 3, Occult
Alchemists
(Alchemy) 4, Science 2 In Atlanta, Georgia lives a woman who is two hundred and
Physical Skills: Athletics 1, Drive 1, Larceny 3, Stealth 2, fifteen years old. Every year on the anniversary of her birth, she
Survival 3, Weaponry (Sickle) 2 drinks a potion made from nightshade, quicksilver, a perfect black
Social Skills: Empathy 2, Expression 3, Persuasion 4, Subterfuge 3 pearl, and the bodily humours of an unlucky Promethean. She
Merits: Interdisciplinary Specialty (Philosophy), Iron Will, Library shakes and vomits up the cellular detritus of the last year, but in
(Occult) 3, Pusher, Repute 3, Safe Place 3 the end, it works. It always works. She hasn’t aged a day since she
Willpower: 6 brewed her first, one hundred and seventy years ago. All it takes is,

256
 playing god

every so often, killing something that doesn’t even count as human. Prometheans are a wealth of alchemical wisdom. Although a
She doesn’t even mind anymore that they are human enough to Promethean’s conscious insights to alchemical change are mostly
beg and plead and scream as she bleeds them dry, storing their useless to alchemists — most Prometheans engage with alchemy
fluids in bottles against lean years. on an instinctive level, while alchemists decipher it cerebrally —
The house on Old Hawk Hill isn’t a place that good, normal alchemists can learn a lot by examining and experimenting on his
folk go anymore. The sky overhead is always dark and twisted with organs and bodily fluids.
writhing thunderheads. If you’re close enough, when the storm Between the Pyros Prometheans store and the wisdom that can
finally comes, you can hear the sound of someone screaming, be gleaned from their body parts, it should come as no surprise
just above the sound of the wind and rain. But Tony McAllister, that alchemists often hunt Prometheans. Their goals and methods
who lives up on the hill, doesn’t seem to notice the sound. The vary wildly, however. Some alchemists hunt alone, while others
old man is as spry as ever, and still comes into town once a week work in groups. Some alchemists use force; others use guile. An
to buy books and chemicals with oddly shaped, almost organic alchemist with many sources of Pyros might use a great deal of
looking lumps of gold. alchemy in his hunt, while another with more money than magic
He hasn’t slept properly in weeks. His whole body hurts — his might rely on hired help and expensive, specialized weaponry. A
head from eyestrain, his back from hunching over his desk, his more patient and economical alchemist might try to immobilize
nose and eyes from exposure to the gas that came of his last attempt or disable her prey so she can keep them as a permanent source of
to create aqua regia, his gums, his fingertips — but he doesn’t Pyros, while a more impulsive alchemist simply kills Prometheans
care. He’s so close to making something divine in his basement and takes what he can get.
workshop that when he accidentally meets a stranger who seems Rarely, an alchemist and a Promethean might be able to come
to have the power of creation and transformation at her fingertips, to an accord, with the Promethean trading some of his Pyros as
he can’t help but hate her. He can’t help but find her again, this part of a fair exchange for something that only the alchemist
time with a stun gun and a baseball bat and a vial of chloroform can provide. These relationships rarely last long. Alchemists are
so he can drag her back to his lab and cut her open and find out ambitious by nature; those who hate their human limitations
what she really is. enough to turn to the darker side of alchemy are not likely to feel

Playing God
Alchemists are not content with the minds and bodies nature The Great Work
gave them. They are obsessed with unraveling the mysteries of their
bodies and world around them. Alchemists believe that occult Some alchemists walk the line between obsession
knowledge brings mastery over the vagaries of flesh and the power
and madness. Although sufficiently frustrated with the
limitations of the human condition that they seek to
to determine the courses of their lives. push those boundaries, they don’t hate their humanity
This attitude is popular among humans. From the first human enough to try to abandon it altogether.
to make a rock into a tool to modern scientists and engineers,
humans have expressed a capacity to manipulate the world around Sane, rational, and cautious alchemists are unlikely to
them. The difference between alchemists and these pioneers of come into a Promethean story, however. Because they
the occult and the mundane is that alchemists have come to hate
are more interested in knowledge than power, they
are generally content with lesser alchemical workings
the human condition. They are so terrified of death, infirmity, and don’t have the same hunger for Pyros and Vitriol
and ignorance that they have lost sight of love, fellowship and as the mad alchemists described here. Without the
the value of mundane accomplishment. Bit by bit, they sacrifice self-hating obsession of those who despise their own
their humanity for power and knowledge, until they have turned humanity, they are not driven to commit atrocities
themselves into something monstrous. Scientists, engineers, and against the Created.
occult explorers spend their lives trying to make the world better
Most importantly, sane alchemists just know better.
for their species — alchemists spend their lives running from death. Chasing Prometheans is a good way to end up in-
Where the Created seek to transcend their monstrous sane, maimed, or dead. These cautious alchemists
condition, leaving behind their power, longevity, and superlative rarely enter into the lives of Prometheans, and when
durability in favor of the simple pleasures of humanity, alchemists they do, it’s usually because the Prometheans sought
want to leave their humanity behind in the hopes of becoming them out, hoping for guidance.
something more than human. More frequently, they end up
Alchemists who avoid Prometheans sometimes call
becoming something much less. those who hunt them down for their humours “the
Although alchemists meddle with Pyros and Flux, the stuff of Insatiate,” referring to their endless hunger for Pyros.
creation, change, and destruction, they are still only human. Their Alchemists who hunt the Created simply call more
ability to generate the Pyros they need for their alchemical workings cautious alchemists fools or weaklings, when they
is sharply limited. The best way to get around this limitation is for bother to refer to them at all.
them to steal Pyros from those beings who generate it naturally
— Prometheans.

257
 CHAPTER FIVE: FIRESTORM

themselves constrained by morality or be the sort to keep bargains.

Disquiet can eventually warp even good intentions and suborn
even the most ordered mind, and alchemists are rarely pure of Strange Alchemies
heart or emotionally stable to begin with.
Even worse, the only way for an alchemist to work a permanent Other groups in the Chronicles of Darkness often har-
change upon their own body — including some of the more bor alchemists or maintain close relationships with al-
infamous alchemical feats, like immortality, increasing their chemists. Among hunters, those humans brave enough
regenerative abilities, or permanently curing chronic diseases to put themselves in the way of supernatural beings
— is for the alchemist to ingest a potion based on Vitriol. No that threaten ordinary people, the practice of alchemy
is common among the members of Ashwood Abbey,
Promethean would willingly part with their precious Vitriol, so
the Loyalists of Thule, and the Cheiron Corporation.
the only way for an alchemist to get her hands on it is to steal it, The Ascending Ones are essentially an alchemical so-
usually violently. ciety, but they have their own safer preparations and
are usually savvy enough to shy away from insatiate
The Furnaces alchemy. The Malleus Maleficarum maintains a few
alchemists as well.
of Innumerable Hunters who become alchemists know that they walk
a very dangerous line between using the parts of their
Alchemists Promethean targets for power and becoming mon-
strous enough to attract the attention of their compan-
ions. Some hunters who are not alchemists themselves
Alchemists come to their art from all walks of life. The only
stay on good terms with local alchemists — insatiate
thing that unites them is a desire to dissect the world and exploit and otherwise — and sometimes trade information,
what they discover, as well as some quality of temperament access to rare books, or Promethean body parts for
or circumstance that prevents them from seeking out a more insight and alchemical potions.
conventional path, like a career in science, medicine, or
engineering. Mages who are particularly interested in unraveling
the nature of the world might turn to alchemy, but they
Those alchemists who take their quest further have more in
rarely become black alchemists. The power behind
common, becoming the insane and driven alchemists who hunt their Awakenings is more reliable and less dangerous
down and dissect Prometheans. They share disdain for their own than hunting Prometheans for their humours. However,
human nature and desperation to escape it, which is what drives it isn’t too unusual to come across the occasional mage
their atrocities. who knows how to make a few alchemical prepara-
Despite the qualities that unite them, Alchemists further tions in addition to her spells, even if she learned them
divide themselves based on culture of origin, economic or social out of idle curiosity rather than real need.
background, motivation, and other factors. For example, a circle
of alchemists who are united by their privileged backgrounds are
unlikely to have much to do with an alchemist who grew up in rural
Tennessee who started off cooking meth and initially turned to Darkness. Only those organizations who condone or at least do
alchemy as a way to improve the quality of his product. Similarly, not condemn hunting down Prometheans and harvesting their
alchemists who practice Taoist-style “internal” alchemy and most Pyros, Vitriol, and body parts are listed here. Alchemists who don’t
European alchemists rarely work together because they don’t have hunt the Created still form small cells and larger organizations, but
much to teach each other — their practices are just too different. since they are likely to avoid Prometheans, they aren’t included.
Alchemists rarely gather in groups of more than three or
four, and most are completely solitary. They are jealous of their Lodowick Society
secrets and often compete for access to the same resources, such
as rare books and chemical ingredients. Alchemists who hunt Welcome, Friend, in the name of God.
Prometheans are even more likely to keep their numbers down, These Christian alchemists are unique in that they don’t hunt
because any Promethean they catch only contains so much Pyros down Prometheans just to harvest their humours and internal
and even less Vitriol, if any. More than one band of hunter- organs, but also because they believe that their existence is an
alchemists has been destroyed by infighting following a particularly affront to God. That they get access to the Pyros and Vitriol that
rewarding kill. they need to fuel their miracles — which includes keeping the elder
Even so, with the advent of a reliable global mail network, members of their society alive, curing diseases, and transforming
telephones, and the Internet, alchemical organizations have grown. base materials into precious metals to fund their operation — they
Although they may operate alone or in small groups locally, these view as evidence of God’s favor. The divine has taught them how
groups might be associated with a larger organization. to use their unnatural prey’s parts to empower them for their
Below is a list — far from exhaustive or complete — of some eternal hunt.
of the alchemical organizations that exist in the Chronicles of

258
 The Furnaces of Innumerable Alchemists

The Lodowick Society is embroiled in an occult war with personal immortality refuse to go further in their transformation
another group of alchemists, the Golden Friends. Both groups and remain behind to guide other alchemists down the path of
maintain that they are the true ideological descendants of transcendence (which, of course, involves convincing them to
Christian Lodowick, a Quaker alchemist who lived in Newport, murder and butcher Prometheans). As a result, Brothers and Sisters
Rhode Island in the late 1600s. The Golden Friends are pacifists of the Emerald Crucible are the most likely to be found working
who actively and vociferously condemn harming Prometheans, in groups with alchemists from other traditions.
even though they share the Lodowick Society’s belief that they
are abominations that defy the natural laws laid down by God. The Pristine Order of
The power imbalance between the groups has led to the Golden
Friends being hunted nearly to extinction by the Lodowick Society. the Auric Chalice
Alchemists of the Lodowick Society are distinguished by the The secrets of the Art aren’t for everyone.
Christian symbolism and ritual that surrounds their alchemical
preparations. They prefer to clothe their transmutations in the One of the most famous alchemical miracles is the
trappings of miracles and like to think that their alchemical transformation of lead into gold. Anyone who has made even a
creations somehow prove the existence of God. basic study of alchemical lore, however, knows that it is merely
In addition to their war with the Golden Friends, the Lodowick a metaphor. In fact, many alchemists believe that the search for
Society’s relationships with other alchemists are chilly, at best. They material wealth is a dangerous distraction that can lead a seeker
are deeply suspicious of other alchemists’ motivations, viewing down dark paths.
them as trying to steal divine secrets and somehow usurp God’s The Pristine Order of the Auric Chalice agrees with this
throne, rather than doing God’s will by exploring His creation. sentiment to the point of violence. These alchemists universally
come from money — usually old money — and frown upon using
The Emerald Crucible alchemy for personal gain. In fact, they believe those alchemists
who attempt to turn lead into gold or otherwise improve their
I know your pain, sister. All of us have felt the touch of death. Join material circumstances with alchemy are somehow a danger to
us, and you need never fear it again. everyone else.
All alchemy — even the sane and cautious alchemy of those The details of this ideology are quite foggy. Some members
who avoid the Created — carries with it a touch of transhumanism. of the Pristine Order believe that using alchemy to base ends
All alchemists want to expand what it means to be human, even somehow poisons the soul, to the point that those who indulge
if they don’t reject it entirely. in this sort of alchemy will inevitably descend into dangerous
The Brothers and Sisters of the Emerald Crucible take madness and use their alchemy to wreak indiscriminate havoc.
transhumanism to its natural extreme. Their stated goal is to Others hold that such “base” alchemy releases or creates dangerous
completely escape the human condition. Whether this means spirits or monsters. Some even claim that Prometheans, Pandorans,
becoming fully embodied superhumans or transcending the qashmallim, and other dangerous freaks and prodigies of the Divine
physical to become occult gods, they will stop at nothing less than Fire are somehow created or released by selfish uses of alchemy.
unlimited power, all-encompassing knowledge, and immortality. The only thing they can do, of course, is use their money,
The Emerald Crucible recruits almost exclusively from among contacts, and alchemy to prevent anyone from debasing alchemy.
those who have felt the sting of the human condition. They prefer The best way to do that is to kill them (though a few members of
those who already know what it’s like to be hindered by a disability this order have had some luck force-feeding their victims potions
or have some faculty stolen by illness or injury. Their first hunt for that erase their memories of alchemy, along with many of their
Vitriol — usually aided by their elders within their order — cures other memories and some of their ability to reason).
that condition and ties them forever to the Emerald Crucible. Alchemists of the Pristine Order hunt Prometheans for the
Killing Prometheans for their humours is very important to Pyros and Vitriol they need to carry out their war against other
these alchemists. They need a great deal of Pyros to temporarily alchemists. Anyone who lacks a privileged background is fair game,
mitigate the limitations of their humanity, and only Vitriol can since these alchemists assume that the temptation to use alchemy
remove those limitations permanently. They are utterly ruthless for material gain is just too great for anyone without wealth to
in their pursuit of Prometheans since only Pyros and Vitriol can fall back on.
stave off mortality, that final human indignity that terrifies all The Pristine Order of the Auric Chalice is also one of the most
of them. When they do catch Prometheans, alchemists of the socially backwards alchemical organizations in the world. The
Emerald Crucible dissect them and extract their humours with heart of their organization is a longing for the “good old days”
an almost religious degree of ritual. They understand that they of alchemy, when it was a secret art practiced only by those who
are consuming something both more and less than human and could afford to pay its cost. The modern day, with its electronic
view it as a sort of sacrament. communication, scanned grimoires, mass-produced glassware,
Oddly, the Emerald Crucible is one of the most prosocial and online chemical suppliers has ruined alchemy by making it
groups of insatiate alchemists. Along with their transhumanism is a accessible to anyone. Female alchemists aren’t explicitly banned in
strong thread of ordinary humanism. They believe that all humans this organization, but they are rare. The same is true of non-white
deserve to transcend death. Many of them who have achieved alchemists, or those with money but no family history of wealth.

259
 CHAPTER FIVE: FIRESTORM

Many of these alchemists try to cover their murderous campaign

with a veneer of old-world sophistication.
The Order of the
Four-Cornered Seal
Amalgama Ltd
Pain is the path to eternity.
Just sign here, here, and… here. There we go. Welcome to the
company. Eastern and Western alchemy are surprisingly similar, despite
their disparate cultural and historical contexts. Both were
On the surface, Amalgama Ltd is a chemical and biotech interested in the transmutation of base materials into valuable
company based out of London with offices scattered across the materials, like gold, and both viewed this transmutation as a
world. Although not quite as successful as their greatest competitor metaphor for a spiritual achievement. The differences are largely
and sometimes business partner, the Cheiron Group, they superficial — for example, Eastern alchemy has a somewhat
remain an important player in the world of biotechnology and stronger focus on achieving immortality, and Eastern alchemical
manufacturing. preparations are more likely to include plant and animal products,
To those in the know, Amalgama Ltd is essentially a corporate which Western alchemists largely avoided.
mercenary. They seem to have an uncanny ability to make things The Order of the Four-Cornered Seal has a long and murky
happen. In return for contracts, stock tips, and cash, Amalgama history. Periodic purges, conflicts with Prometheans, other
is willing to ensure the success or failure of a business venture alchemical societies, and mortal authorities have obscured the
or make sure that a factory or office building has a catastrophic organization’s origins. The Seal was probably founded in China
fire or explosion, or that a certain corporate or political figure sometime in the 3rd century, when a group of Chinese alchemists
dies of entirely natural causes. The only thing Amalgama won’t captured a Promethean and attempted to study him. They
do is cross other corporations that are as deeply invested in the discovered that the elemental energies of this semi-human creature
supernatural as they are — among them the Cheiron Group, Deva were wildly and dangerously out of balance. If it were human, it
Corp., Hototogisu International, Last Dynasty International, would be dead; not only did it live, but it seemed in superlative
TELM Trust, and others. health with incredible durability and regenerative abilities.
In actuality, Amalgama Ltd is an alchemical syndicate run
by three immortal Dutch alchemists born in the 15th and 16th
centuries. Their primary goal is to secure as much control as
possible over the world’s alchemists. To this end, they run what Snakes in Human Skin
is essentially a protection racket. When an alchemist of sufficient The real sociopaths of alchemy, the monstrous exper-
talent — regardless of whether or not they hunt Prometheans — imenters who reconfigure their bodies into hideous
comes to their attention, they offer him the position of “client amalgams of flesh, rendering their fellow humans
consultancy.” This means that the hapless alchemist pays down into tallow and fixing the iron and nitrogen
Amalgama for the privilege of practicing alchemy without being from their bones for use in their preparations, don’t
abused or murdered by Amalgama thugs (though, in all fairness, generally join alchemical guilds. They might become
Amalgama does take pains to make sure that no one else harasses associated with the looser sort of organization, join-
their “clients”). The only way to reverse the direction of the ing their web forum or talking their way in to raid the
cash flow is to join Amalgama Ltd as a “partner,” which means, library, but they rarely stay members for long.
potentially, performing alchemical operations on behalf of the Even groups like Amalgama Ltd, which is arguably
corporation, assisting in Promethean hunts, or becoming one of led by a trio of sociopaths, don’t generally recruit this
those thugs. sort of person. If they find out that one of their recent
More than a few alchemists who originally had no interest in “hires” matches that profile, they often eliminate the
bothering Prometheans have been forced into insatiate alchemy subject. Sociopaths are too difficult to manipulate and
by their unwilling association with Amalgama. The only way to control, and they are bad for office morale.
turn the relationship with Amalgama into a profitable one is to The kind of alchemist who joins a guild does so out
do work for the company, and the only way to rise within the of a healthy human need to justify their actions. They
corporate hierarchy is power, and the quickest way to alchemical seek out like-minded alchemists who tell them that it’s
power is…capturing and gutting the Created. acceptable to kidnap, torture, and kill the Created,
Alchemists who belong to Amalgama Ltd have surprisingly or whatever other atrocities they commit in the name
normal, secure lives. They are employees first and alchemists of progress. They are deluded and deeply invested
in their bogus justifications, but they still feel that it’s
second, and they know they can count on reliable paychecks
important to justify their actions. The true monsters of
and their employer’s support. However, they are also ultimately the alchemical world hunt alone.
expendable; Amalgama will not hesitate to use them up and
abandon them if need be.

260
 Alchemists and Their Prey

Finally, one of the alchemists rendered the Promethean’s inner Prometheans might be afraid of an alchemist’s intellect, but
fluids down into a potion — finally killing the tormented creature what’s horrifying about alchemists is their eagerness to throw away
— mixed them with quicksilver and other occult ingredients, and their humanity. The kind of alchemist who hunts the Created
drank it. The potion conferred some measure of the creature’s has everything a Promethean wants, but it isn’t enough for him.
durability and, as time would tell, longevity to the alchemist, Storytellers can use alchemists to push the throng to question the
opening up a new avenue of alchemical exploration. Pilgrimage itself. If humans aren’t satisfied with humanity, then
Most Eastern alchemists believe that the path to immortality what’s the point?
lies in achieving a supreme or superior inner balance. After their Alchemists can also be tragic antagonists. The fact is that
experience with the Promethean, the alchemists who would become insatiate alchemy is a dead end. Even if she manages to make
the Seal came to believe that true immortality came from the herself physically immortal, by the time she achieves this goal, an
right kind of imbalance. This order’s eponymous “Four-Cornered alchemist will be completely insane and degraded, her mind and
Seal” comes from the number four’s place as an unlucky number body shredded by Pyros, her soul worn down to a blackened nub.
in Chinese numerology. These alchemists quickly developed a For all that they present a credible threat to Prometheans, insatiate
reputation for ghoulishly lurking among the sick or insane, trying alchemists are also a danger to themselves.
to understand how their various elemental imbalances caused them This theme is even more powerful if the Storyteller finds a
harm but doing nothing to ease their pain. The Order of the Four- way to introduce an alchemist who doesn’t want to kill the throng
Cornered Seal gradually came to view “balance” as the enemy. They (at least not right away). Maybe she claims that she is trying to
actively sought to become as imbalanced as possible, cultivating escape the world of alchemy but needs some Pyros to pull off
physical ailments and deviant behavior. one last preparation. Maybe she wants to learn something from
This obsession with sickness caused China’s other alchemists the Prometheans before she guts them, so she pretends to have
to shun and eventually attack the Order of the Four-Cornered a different motivation. Black alchemists are obsessives, addicts,
Seal and drive them out of China. With the rise of modern China users, and abusers; chances are good that any who try to talk to
and the decline of ancient superstitions, such as the practice Prometheans are deluding themselves, the throng, or even both.
of alchemy, the Order of the Four-Cornered Seal has gradually In the meantime, however, the alchemist’s doomed quest for
returned to their homeland, but they remain stronger elsewhere apotheosis casts the Pilgrimage in a new light.
in Asia and in the West. Ultimately, most Prometheans won’t turn away from the
Above all, the Order of the Four-Cornered Seal believes in Pilgrimage just because some humans can’t cope with the
hunting down Prometheans in order to extract and exploit their limitations of humanity. Forcing a Promethean to acknowledge
dangerously imbalanced humours. No other source of Pyros can the power she is giving up by pursuing humanity, however, makes
compare, and Promethean Vitriol is necessary for the potions the Pilgrimage that much more meaningful.
that bring immortality and other physical changes. Members of
this order are also more likely than others to use Vitriol to mutate
their bodies into strange forms. Having spent years among the sick
The Making of
and the mad, and turned their backs the very idea of balance, they
are quick to throw themselves into monstrous transhumanism. an Alchemist
Alchemists and
The Storyteller should begin by determining the Alchemist’s
traits in the same way as any mortal character. Alchemists tend

Their Prey
to favor Mental Attributes and Skills, especially Intelligence and
Resolve, Academics, Crafts, Occult, and Science. Alchemists also
favor Merits that help them in their studies. Many alchemists
When alchemists and Prometheans meet, it’s usually because were born with a minor supernatural ability, like a sensitivity
the former is hunting the latter for the precious Pyros and Vitriol to ghosts and spirits or the ability to see auras, which might
contains in their humours and tissues. In this sense, the easiest help to explain how they got into alchemy in the first place. An
way to use an alchemist in a Promethean: The Created story experienced alchemist might have any number of Mental, Physical,
is as a physical threat. Like Pandorans, alchemists want to hurt or Supernatural Merits as the result of permanent changes wrought
Prometheans in order to satisfy a deep need, though for alchemists with Vitriol (see below for more details).
the hunger is less visceral. Once the Storyteller has determined the alchemist’s mundane
Alchemists also differ from Pandorans in that they are traits, she needs to consider the alchemist’s Magnitude.
intelligent and (more or less) rational beings. While a Pandoran
can easily be a “monster of the week,” adding an element of New Advantage:
tension to a plot, alchemists are a good choice for a villain with
more complex motivations. If the Storyteller wants an antagonist Magnitude
who can scheme and plan for the future, move in human society, An alchemist’s Magnitude represents her overall capacity for
and work with a group of minions or peers, an alchemist might manipulating the Divine Fire. Attributes and Skills reflect the
be a good choice. alchemist’s skill at the mechanics of alchemy — mixing chemicals,

261
 CHAPTER FIVE: FIRESTORM

Magnitude
Magnitude # of Distillations Max Pyros/Pyros Per Turn Pyros Regeneration
1 3 5/1 1/week
2 6 6/1 2/week
3 9 7/1 2/week
4 12 8/1 3/week
5 15 9/2 3/week

running experiments, reading arcane alchemical texts — but

Magnitude is her enlightenment, the degree to which she has
Perfection the Self:
expanded her mind and spirit to encompass alchemical truths. Working with Vitriol
Magnitude controls the number of Distillations an alchemist
knows and the amount of Pyros an alchemist can store on her The last step in making an alchemist is to consider how the
person at once. Alchemists do not store Pyros in their bodies the art of alchemy might have changed her. Alchemists can use a
way Prometheans do, but in alchemical preparations that must be Promethean’s Vitriol to work permanent changes in their bodies,
quickly mixed into other potions to activate them. Many alchemists which is part of why black alchemists hunt the Created.
don’t properly understand why their ability to create and store Most alchemists use Vitriol to cure physical ailments or to make
Pyros is limited — just as they don’t understand the mechanisms by themselves into paragons of humanity, which can be represented
which they capture it in the first place — but the limitation remains. by Merits. An alchemist who takes a Merit in this way does not
When an Alchemist steals Pyros from a Promethean, that Pyros need to meet the prerequisites. For example, an alchemist can drink
is not subject to this limitation. So, for example, an Alchemist a potion that permanently toughens her flesh — the Iron Skin
with Magnitude 4 can store up to eight points of Pyros that she Merit — without any dots of fighting style Merits. The alchemist
generated herself, but as many points of stolen Pyros as she can can learn any Merit related to the functioning of her body, but
manage. not Merits that require special training, such as Fighting Styles.
Finally, an alchemist’s degree of enlightenment somewhat frees On the other hand, many Promethean-only Merits are fair game.
her from the humanity’s weakness in the face of the supernatural. Appropriate Merits include: Acid Stomach, Ambidextrous, Double
Dots of Magnitude are added to Resistance traits when the Jointed, Giant, Good Brain, Iron Will, Small-Framed, Striking
alchemist is the target of a supernatural power. Looks, Terrible Disfigurement, and Weatherproof.
In the same way that a demiurge’s obsession steals some Pyros The most ambitious (or, depending on how you look at it,
from the Principle and brings it into the world to imbue a new most insane) alchemists can use Vitriol to become increasingly
Promethean with life, an alchemist’s obsession allows her to steal transhuman, transforming their bodies into monstrous parodies of
a tiny trickle of Pyros. The greater an alchemist’s Magnitude, the humanity. To reflect this, the Storyteller can also choose Pandoran
faster the Pyros trickles into her. Dread Powers for alchemists. These Dread Powers do not come
Pyros is not for mortals, however, and alchemists suffer from Flux, but rather represent the various hideous ways the
consequences for continued exposure. Every alchemist labors alchemist has manipulated her own body.
under several persistent Conditions, reflecting the way that
their bodies and minds bend under the pressure of the Divine Magic Potions
Fire. Conditions like Addicted, Disabled, Madness, Mute, and Prometheans wield Pyros like an extension of their nature.
Obsession are particularly appropriate, but the Storyteller should Although Transmutations require practice and study to unlock,
feel free to be creative. once they are learned they are as easy as breathing. A Promethean
Some alchemists can even develop unique Conditions related who knows how to conjure flame to attack her enemies can do so
to the presence of Divine Fire in their bodies and souls. These as quickly and easily as she can throw a punch.
Conditions could include having accumulated enough radiant Everything a Promethean can do thanks to his nature,
spiritual detritus that the alchemist can awaken Pandorans as an alchemist can only do thanks to long hours of study and
though she were a Promethean, inspiring a weakened form of experimentation. Pyros doesn’t flow through an alchemist’s flesh.
Disquiet in her fellow humans, or becoming hideously deformed He distills it with obsession, stores it in jars and bottles, and uses
or sensitive to sunlight. The Storyteller should be as sadistic as it to work strange miracles in his basement laboratory.
possible without crippling the alchemist to the point that she is Before the players’ characters encounter an alchemist, the
no longer a threat to the Prometheans she hunts. Alchemists are Storyteller should decide which preparations the alchemist has
foils for Prometheans because of how they ruin and degrade their available and roll ahead of time. In the heat of the moment, the
bodies and minds for the sake of power. Storyteller should roll for whatever action the alchemist actually

262
 The Making of an Alchemist

takes to activate her powder, oil, or potion. To fumble a vial of despair when the Emerald Crucible found her, showed her real
foul liquid into her mouth and keep it down, an alchemist might miracles, and promised to help her to become a god.
have to roll Dexterity + Stamina. Blowing mind-altering powder Description: Karen was never a beauty queen, but she had taken
into her victim’s face might use Stamina + Brawl. Alchemists are some pride in her symmetrical features, long auburn hair, elegant
at least as aware of their strengths and weaknesses as anyone else, figure, and bright green eyes. Cancer took all of that away. The surgery
and will try their best to make preparations that take forms they to remove her breast and part of her jaw left her lopsided and scarred
find easier to use. and after the chemotherapy; her hair grew back brittle and grey.
Because alchemists create their preparations in the relative Only her eyes remain unchanged, glittering with intelligence and
safety and comfort of their laboratory, they are frequently able to determination from within her ruined face. At one time, Karen might
take their time and work slowly and carefully. The Storyteller can, have wanted to use alchemy to restore her appearance, but after a few
if she feels it’s appropriate, apply the rote quality to the alchemist’s years in the Emerald Crucible, she has her sights set on higher goals.
roll to create her alchemical preparation. On the other hand, Although she is certainly obsessed, Karen still tries to dress like
alchemists only have access to the preparations they have made a regular person. She prefers jeans, t-shirts, and sturdy boots, but
ahead of time. If an alchemist is caught completely flat-footed, can play dress up if she has to. Karen takes a perverse pleasure in
she is no more powerful than a typical mortal (and may be less the juxtaposition of her scarred body and fancy clothes, but her
powerful, thanks to the Conditions she has inflicted on herself). new life as an alchemist and hunter gives her few opportunities.
Storyteller Hints: Karen is dominated by fear. She fears illness
ALCHEMIST — and the infirmity and indignity that comes with it. She hates and

KAREN DEGALLE fears the way healthy people look at someone who is obviously sick.
Most of all, she fears death and the annihilation of her persona.
Before her illness, her anxiety drove her to succeed in the world of
Shush… it’s too late. Just let go. It will hurt less if you hold still. academia; now it drives her alchemical explorations and atrocities.
Background: Karen started to hate her flesh when the cancer Fear isn’t a heroic motivation, so Karen tries to present it as
took her left breast and part of her jaw. She started to hate people ambition. She isn’t afraid of mortality; she wants immortality. She
when her husband Owen left her; he said it was because of her isn’t afraid of sickness; she wants power. The easiest way to earn
growing obsession, but she knew the real reason was her scars. Karen’s genuine spite is to point out that her actions are founded in
If medical science couldn’t guarantee that the cancer wouldn’t fear. Part of Karen’s cover-up of her anxiety is her cool, businesslike
come back, Karen was determined to find something that would. demeanor. She pretends not to hate the Prometheans she hunts
For years, Karen jumped from practice to practice — yoga, raw and kills — in reality, she is deeply jealous of their power, durability,
food, meditation — but she had been a PhD candidate in political and extended lifespan — and sometimes tries to comfort them as
science before her cancer. Her cynicism, sharpened to a deadly they die under her knife.
point by Owen’s departure, and her natural intelligence led her
to see through all these false panaceas. She was on the verge of Virtue: Ambitious
Vice: Anxious
Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 2, Resolve 5
Physical Attributes: Strength 2, Dexterity 4, Stamina 2
Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 3, Composure 3
Mental Skills: Academics (Political Science, History) 5,
Computer 2, Crafts (Glass) 3, Investigation (Research) 4,
Medicine (Cancer) 2, Occult (Alchemy) (Prometheans) 4, Politics
(Theory) 4, Science (Chemistry) 3
Physical Skills: Athletics 1, Drive 2, Firearms (Rifle) 4, Larceny
2, Stealth (Stalking) 3, Weaponry 2
Social Skills: Empathy 2, Expression 3, Intimidation 3,
Persuasion 2, Socialize 2
Merits: Contacts (Academics, Alchemists, Chemists) 3, Language
(Greek, Latin), Resources 3, Sleepless, Status (Emerald Chalice) 2,
Striking Looks 2
Health: 7
Magnitude: 3
Distillations: Mesmerism — Rattle, Swoon; Metamorphosis —
Natural Weaponry; Vulcanus — Direct Fire, Divine Guidance,
Drain Pyros, Fire Grasp, Refine Pyros, Steal Pyros
Pyros/Per Turn: 7/1

263
 CHAPTER FIVE: FIRESTORM

Willpower: 8 Vortices.” Some Prometheans see Firestorms as punishment for

Size: 5 real or imagined sins, but the fires have no more judgment than
Speed: 11 a bolt of lightning. It is possible for a Promethean to fall prey to
Flux or build her energies up too quickly, sparking a Firestorm, but
Defense: 2
a Vortex can also be created by the Final Work, a greater qashmal
Initiative: 7 manifesting in a Pyros-rich environment, or by the action of
Armor: None Pandorans. Some Prometheans (especially Centimani) even trigger
Dread Powers: None them deliberately in order to use the fires of Flux as a weapon.
Note: Karen is a full-time alchemist. All her Resources come Like a brushfire, a Firestorm destroys and changes the
from her savings and the coffers of the Emerald Chalice; she no landscape, but it also clears the way for new growth. A Vortex
longer holds down a normal job or has any mundane friends. consumes all the Pyros in its path until it is spent. Terrifying as
As a result, she has plenty of time to work on her alchemical they are for a Promethean caught up in the chaos, Firestorms clear
preparations. She usually carries a large number of powerful Wastelands, kill Pandorans, and consume Pyros that alchemists
alchemical preparations. In no case does she leave her lair without might otherwise steal for their own ends. It’s rare, but some
preparations of Fire Grasp, Natural Weaponry, and Sense Pyros Prometheans set off Firestorms with this cleansing in mind, hoping
on hand, just in case. to weather the chaos that results in order to erase a mistake — a
Karen suffers from the Addicted and Obsession Conditions. clutch of Pandorans, perhaps, or a large Wasteland.
She has fallen into the habit of creating alchemical compounds
that soothe her anxiety and ease her troubled conscience, but The Anatomy
becomes shaky and irritable when she can’t get her fix. Karen’s
Obsession is a fixation with death. Like some powerful alchemists,
of a Firestorm
Karen awakens Pandorans as a Promethean with Azoth 3 (her Most lore about Firestorms comes from three sources, besides
Magnitude). These Pandorans can sense that Karen’s body the Azothic Memories left by Prometheans who have suffered in
contains very little of interest to them, and will only attack her in the flames. A Promethean who goes looking for more answers
the absence of nearby Promethean targets. than his Pilgrimage can give should bear in mind the motives of
those he asks — or those whose knowledge is being passed on by
Firestorms a third party.
• Centimani, thanks to their affinity with Flux, often have
A Promethean is an engine of change, an artificial or a fascination with the spectacular displays of Flux’ power
piecemeal body wrapped around a core of Azoth. Some within a Vortex. Centimani sources regarding Firestorms
Prometheans, especially Unfleshed, think of Pyros as fuel describe them as expressions of power or something that
and Azoth as a flame burning it. Within the “engine” of a can be harnessed. Some even regard the study of Vortices
Promethean, Pyros is relatively safe. If the fire burns too hot, as a replacement for the Great Work.
it reveals the Promethean’s disfigurements. If the Promethean
uses too much Pyros too quickly, some of it “leaks” into the • Savants study Firestorms as an expression of Pyros and
environment like spilled gasoline, polluting the surroundings Azoth, especially in their manifestations toward the end
into a Wasteland. A Wasteland can subside on its own given of a Promethean’s Pilgrimage. Savant sources regarding
time, especially if the Promethean responsible leaves. Gradually, Firestorms describe them as an analogy to the Promethean
the world absorbs the spilled fuel of Pyros. If that fuel should state of existence, expressions of pure metamorphosis fueled
catch a spark, however, everything explodes. by the Divine Fire.
Despite the metaphor, Pyros isn’t precisely fuel. It’s change —
• Alchemists warn one another about Firestorms as conse-
the raw stuff of potential change, either fusion (Elpis) or entropy
quences of disastrous failure in the laboratory, with em-
(Flux.) Pyros is also its own catalyst — put it with more Pyros, and
phasis on how Vortices form. Alchemical sources regarding
you run the risk of a chain reaction. When too much Pyros gathers
Firestorms describe them as natural disasters or catastrophic
in one place, it can suddenly manifest; all the pent-up potential
chemical reactions, often recording (as best as the alchemist
burns off in a violent display of raw power. The world erupts in a
can understand) the steps that led to a Firestorm so that they
maelstrom of chaotic energies, with whatever triggered the event
can be avoided in future.
caught in the center. The landscape — and the trigger — warps and
burns in the mutagenic fires of Flux or Elpis as the catalytic power
of the Divine Fire spends itself in a matter of seconds. Fuel
Prometheans are among the greatest concentrations of Pyros in The only requirement for a Firestorm is concentrated Pyros —
the world, and as such they can set it alight by accident or design. free Pyros is more likely to combust, but even the relatively small
Not every Promethean experiences the pain and terror of Pyros amounts used in alchemists’ experiments will do. Ordinarily,
gone amok, but most do at some point in the Pilgrimage. The Pyros is too thinly spread across the world to catch alight. Some
Azothic Memory warns of Firestorms, also called “Eumenidean force, natural or supernatural, has to act on it and make it gather

264
 firestorms

to create the proper conditions for a Vortex. Unfortunately, the into grotesque shapes. Some Savants and Centimani claim that the
creation of a Promethean counts — and the Created are walking aspects a Firestorm takes are influenced by the surroundings; that it
reserves of Pyros just waiting for the right spark to set it off. takes the form of whatever change has the most potential to happen
but hasn’t yet. If the link exists, it’s subtle — trying to predict what
Spark form a Firestorm will take is like predicting the weather.
Prometheans and alchemists who study Firestorms record
several different forms of trigger event, which can affect how Ashes
widespread the storm is. Firestorms can range from affecting a After the chaos of a Firestorm has died down, survivors find
single person (usually the individual who triggered the Vortex) that whatever once hosted the Pyros consumed by the vortex is
to warping whole landscapes, depending on the trigger and the irrevocably changed. If the Firestorm centered on a Promethean,
amount of Pyros or Flux available to feed the chaos. that unfortunate suffers the effects of having his internal alchemy
Savant sources name the known triggers after the Furies of disrupted — some Created immediately enter Torment following a
Greek myth, goddesses of torment who punished hubris with Firestorm, but a vortex might also remove Torment that was already
implacable fury. Like the Kindly Ones they’re named after, in effect before the Spark.
Eumenidean Vortices can’t be controlled or tamed, only survived. The aftermaths of more widespread Firestorms are no less
Semnai Firestorms are the best-known to Savants, sparked devastating. The rains of blood, flesh-warping energies, or blizzards
by the slow build-up of Azoth and unused Pyros toward the end in the tropics may have ended as suddenly as they began, but the
of a pilgrimage, especially when multiple Prometheans near the pools of blood, twisted bodies, and rapidly-melting snowdrifts
Final Work together. Victims feel them coming hours or days in don’t vanish when the Vortex runs out of Pyros to consume. Aside
advance, like an approaching thunderstorm. from the sheer environmental damage, Firestorms kill Pandorans,
Maniae Firestorms are triggered by sudden, jarring events such destroy Wastelands, and ruin alchemical experiments.
as an instantaneous spike of Elpis or Flux, an overwhelming flash
of inspiration or revelation, a moment’s error when using Pyros to Firestorm Mechanics
fuel powers, or the sickening feeling of stepping backward. They Firestorms are unpredictable and strange, even to Prometheans
strike without warning, but are usually short-lived. who spend their entire Pilgrimage studying them and recording
Praxidikae Firestorms are triggered by too much Flux mixing their insights into Athanors. The systems presented here are only
with Elpis — the awakening of multiple Pandorans in a small Pyros- guidelines, which troupes should deviate from whenever it makes
rich space is the most common cause, but Praxidikae also covers for a better story.
deliberate vortexes set ablaze by the Hundred-Handed.
Potniae Firestorms are triggered by the manifestation of a Step One: Trigger Events
qashmal — the more Pyros in the area, the less powerful the qashmal
As described above, a Firestorm can trigger whenever Pyros
needs to be to set it alight. The mighty arch-qashmallim are so
(or its more specialized forms like Azoth, Flux, Vitriol, or Elpis)
strong that they almost always manifest in a Firestorm, leaving
undergoes a chain reaction by being concentrated enough in
devastation in their wake.
a charged environment. The following are some of the game
Dirae Firestorms are the least understood by Savants and
mechanic events that can result in a Firestorm. The list is not
Centimani, the result of Pyros surging and moving outside of
exhaustive, and none of the events here are certain to spark a
the bodies of Prometheans or the manifestations of qashmallim.
Firestorm. Whether they do or not is up to the Storyteller, who
Alchemical experiments in storing the Divine Fire sometimes
may not wish to derail a story with a Eumenidean Vortex.
trigger Firestorms in terrible accidents, as do failed attempts by
mortals to become demiurges. Semnai
Flame • When the player of a Promethean rolls or declares a dramatic
failure on the first roll of a trait after the Promethean raises
Once the chain reaction has been triggered, the Firestorm her Azoth.
is inevitable, though what form it takes is highly unpredictable.
Vortices can cover miles or assault only a single Promethean. They • When a genitor successfully creates a new Promethean in an
can utterly devastate anything trapped in the storm or cause more environment that she has spent Pyros in within her Azoth
pain and terror than physical injury. About the only certainty in days.
is that they are always brief — the world simply doesn’t contain
enough Pyros to sustain a Firestorm in one place for more than a • When a Wasteland reaches the most severe level (see p. 176.)
minute, although it will feel like the longest minute in the life of
• When more than one Promethean in the same throng raises
any unfortunate Promethean at the epicenter.
their Pilgrimage to ten dots within the same story.
Despite the name and the way they consume Pyros, Firestorms
don’t always take the form of literal flames. They can, but the • When a Promethean character is killed suddenly, losing all
cascade of violent Pyros is as likely to manifest as a blizzard, Health in a single turn.
electrical storms, or stranger aspects like all living flesh melting

265
 CHAPTER FIVE: FIRESTORM

Maniae Azothic Firestorms feed from Azoth and Vitriol. Semnai-

triggered Firestorms are always Azothic.
• When the player of a Promethean with five or more dots of Elpidian Firestorms feed from free Pyros or Elpis. Maniae-
Azoth rolls a dramatic failure on a roll using two or more triggered and Dirae-triggered Firestorms are always Elpidian, as are
points of Pyros. Potniae-triggered vortices caused by Elpidos Qashmallim.
Lilithian Firestorms feed from Flux. Praxidikae-triggered
• When a Promethean character suffers two or more dramatic
Firestorms are always Lilithian, as are Potniae-triggered vortices
failures in a single scene, both on rolls involving Pyros. Note that
caused by Lillithim qashmallim.
only one failure per scene can be declared dramatic (p. 105), so
the player must roll at least one of the dramatic failures naturally. Scale
Firestorms are either centered around a single character
Praxidikae or widespread across a whole area of ground — for example, a
• When an attempted genitor creates Pandorans in an environ- valley, a forest, a city block, or a mountainside. If the trigger
ment that she has spent Pyros in within her Azoth in days. event involved the Pyros within a Promethean sparking,
the vortex will be centered, but other trigger events vary.
• When a Centimanus uses the “Summon Firestorm” Alembic. Some qashmallim manifest with Firestorms centered around
themselves, while others ignite the whole landscape into which
• When five or more Pandorans awaken at the same time to they manifest. The Summon Firestorm Alembic of Flux targets
the same Azothic Resonance. a Wasteland, so it is usually widespread, but if the Centimanus
triggering the storm makes a mistake it can ignite the Pyros
Potniae
within her body instead. Alchemists mishandling stored Pyros
• When a lesser qashmal manifests into a stage-four Wasteland. ignite Firestorms covering their entire laboratory, while those
who make critical errors in their calculations find the vortex
• When a greater qashmal manifests in the presence of a centers on them.
Promethean with 8 or more dots of pilgrimage. Even centered Firestorms spill over to unfortunates who are
close enough to the victim. A centered Firestorm has a rough radius
• When an arch-qashmal manifests.
of one yard per dot of Azoth or Magnitude of the central character.
Dirae Duration
• When an alchemist attempts to store more Pyros than his Centered Firestorms last one turn per dot of Azoth or
Magnitude allows. Magnitude of the central character.
Widespread Firestorms last for one turn per dot of Azoth
• When an alchemist character suffers two or more dramatic or Magnitude of the highest-rated character within the Vortex.
failures in a single scene, both on rolls involving Pyros. Firestorms with no suitable characters within the area last for
their Strength in turns.
Step Two: Strength
Quantify the Firestorm To determine the Strength of a centered Firestorm, roll the
Every Firestorm has an Element (the form of Pyros it sparked Azoth or Magnitude of the central character as a dice pool. For
from), a scale, a duration measured in turns, and a Firestorm Strength. widespread Firestorms, use the highest-rated Azoth or Magnitude
of characters within the affected locale, or simply assign a dice pool
Element of one to ten dice based on the needs of the story.
The Element of a Firestorm affects one of its Aspects — the
manifestation of the vortex’s power — and what aftereffects the Dice Modifiers
Firestorm leaves in its wake.
Every additional character with an Azoth trait within +1
the affected area
Every Pandoran — active or dormant — within the +1
Firestorms at a Glance affected area
Each stage of Wasteland suffered by the affected area +1
Step 1: Determine Trigger
The presence of a lesser qashmal +1
Step 2: Quantify the Firestorm. Determine Element,
Scale, and Duration. Roll for Firestorm Strength The presence of a greater qashmal +3

Step 3: Choose Aspects The presence of an arch-qashmal +5

Every Promethean in a branded throng with the central –1
Step 4: Determine aftereffects character, whether in the affected area or not

266
 firestorms

Roll Results Caustic: The Firestorm coats every exposed surface in caustic
Dramatic Failure: The Firestorm looms, breaks, and then material, burning flesh and blinding eyes. The atmosphere inflicts
dissipates without igniting. The affected area becomes a stage 1 one lethal damage to everything within the area of effect per turn,
Wasteland or progresses an already-existing Wasteland by one stage. and characters suffer the Blindness Tilt. Both the Tilt and damage
Failure: The Firestorm is only fed by the initial trigger event. may be resisted but must be resisted separately. The caustic material
It has a Strength of 1. vanishes when the Firestorm ends.
Success: The Firestorm’s Strength is equal to (successes +1). EMP: The Firestorm disrupts electrical equipment, destroying
Exceptional Success: The Firestorm’s Strength is equal to the it immediately. The damage may be repaired after the Vortex ends.
rolled successes plus 1. Centered Firestorms become widespread. Although the electrical activity of the Firestorm is not enough for
Widespread Firestorms increase their duration to a full scene. Electroshock Therapy, Promethean characters heal one bashing
wound per turn.
Step Three: Choose Aspects Flesh-Warping: The Firestorm inflicts temporary random physical
Every Firestorm is different, though most are potentially deadly. transformations on all fleshy forms within the area — Unfleshed are
All Firestorms are level four Extreme Environments (see p. 212), immune, but other Prometheans suffer the effects unless they resist.
meaning they impose a four-dice penalty on all actions for characters Affected characters gain the Firestorm’s Strength in Pandoran Dread
within the Vortex, and inflict four points of lethal damage per turn Powers dots (see p. 244), but only gain any advantages of their new
after the character’s Stamina in turns. This degree of harm only body parts after a successful Stamina + Resolve roll. Centimani add
affects Prometheans and Pandorans, as it represents the Pyros within two dice to the roll. After the Firestorm ends, the mutations painfully
the environment burning itself out, including the Pyros inside their end, inflicting their dot rating in bashing wounds as they vanish.
bodies. Mortals (including alchemists) and other supernatural beings Flooding: The Firestorm drenches its area of effect with water,
only treat the storm as a level two Extreme Environment, taking two oil, tears, sap, blood, or other stranger liquids, pouring out of solid
bashing damage once rather than per turn, and a three dice penalty surfaces, raining from the sky, and sweating out of exposed flesh.
to all actions. Qashmallim are entirely immune to Firestorms’ effects. Everyone within the Vortex suffers the Flooded Tilt, which persists
All dormant Pandorans within the affected area of a Firestorm after the Firestorm ends until the fluid drains or dries.
immediately awaken. Hurricane-Blown: The Vortex creates winds so strong that small
As well as the above, all Firestorms have one or more Aspects that objects turn into deadly weapons, shredding the flesh of victims,
provide more detailed effects, pose additional dangers, may increase and even people go flying. The Extreme Environment rating of the
the Extreme Environment rating of the Firestorm for mortals, and Firestorm increases to 4 for mortal characters, and the Vortex imposes
apply Environmental Tilts to any character (except qashmallim) in the Heavy Winds Tilt on everyone within its area of effect.
combat during the Vortex’s duration. A Firestorm has up to its Icy: The temperature in the Firestorm’s area of effect plummets
Strength in Aspects. to Antarctic conditions. The Extreme Environment rating of the
The following list of Aspects is not exhaustive. Storytellers should Firestorm increases to 4 for mortal characters, and the Vortex imposes
improvise new ones whenever needed. the Ice and Extreme Cold Tilts on everyone within its area of effect.
Blinding: The fluctuating Pyros in the Firestorm creates intense The Extreme Cold Tilt may be resisted.
light or utter darkness. Characters within the Vortex suffer the Blinded Lightning-Laced: The Firestorm unleashes bolts of Pyros-infused
Tilt for the duration of the Firestorm. This Aspect may be resisted. lightning, striking at random within the area of effect. Prometheans
Burning: The overwhelming Pyros in the Firestorm superheats hit may use the lightning to heal as per Electroshock Therapy (p.
victims, putting them at risk of spontaneous combustion. Characters 170), but mortal characters suffer 10 bashing wounds.
within the Vortex who fail to resist catch on fire, suffering one point of Madness-Inducing: The Firestorm warps the minds of victims,
fire damage every Turn (lethal to mortals, aggravated to Prometheans.) inflicting the Insane Tilt on all sapient beings within the area of effect
The flames continue burning until extinguished, even after the until its duration ends. The Tilt may be resisted using the character’s
Firestorm ends. Flammable objects will also set alight, creating the Composure rather than Stamina.
secondary hazard of a large fire even after the Vortex ends. Torrential: The Firestorm pounds its area of effect with rain so
heavy that it bruises flesh. The Extreme Environment rating of the
Firestorm increases to 3 for mortal characters, and the Vortex imposes
the Heavy Rain Tilt on everyone within its area of effect.

Resisting Aspects Step Four:

Determine Aftereffects
Some Aspects may be resisted — in these cases, roll
a resisting character’s Stamina, penalized by the Once the Firestorm ends, those who suffered through it must
Firestorm’s Strength. Success resists the Aspect’s ef- pick up the pieces. Depending on the Firestorm’s Aspects, the area
fects for the character’s Stamina in Turns (after which may be flooded, frozen over, burnt to ashes, or otherwise ruined. As
they must successfully resist again), or for the entire well as these physical remnants, the Firestorm also leaves its mark
Duration of the Firestorm on an exceptional success. on the supernatural elements caught in its influence. Firestorms
burn out the potential energy of Pyros, consuming the divine fires

267
 CHAPTER FIVE: FIRESTORM

as they rage. Anything influenced by Pyros, from Wastelands to the Pilgrimage to humanity. Rather than servants of a Christian
Prometheans themselves, can come away from a Firestorm changed. god, however, the qashmallim are formed from a substance close to
The Element determined in Step Two influences what consequences Prometheans’ hearts: Pyros.
arise from a Firestorm. Choose one of the options per level of Firestorm Pyros permeates the entire physical world in small quantities
Strength, the first of which must be from the Firestorm’s Element. wherever humans (and other beings) plan, act on impulse, build, tear
Azothic down, create, and destroy. Demiurges steal the Divine Fire to create
Prometheans. Alchemists bottle it in their experiments. Pandorans
• All Promethean characters enter or leave Torment upon the feast upon it. The Created burn it into Azoth like messy reactors. Far
Firestorm ending. from simple magical fuel, though, Pyros reacts. It forms its own agenda
— its own Principle — and coalesces into its own agents and advocates.
• All mortal characters immediately suffer Disquiet, or lose The qashmallim are the agents of Pyros in the Chronicles of
existing Disquiet. Darkness, formed from the Divine Fire itself in response to unique
• All Promethean characters gain one Vitriol Experience. needs. Every qashmal is “born” from the Fire with a singular purpose —
a Mission that it must carry out to the best of its ability within a strict
Elpidian time limit. Succeed or fail, the Divine Fire reabsorbs the qashmal when
the Mission is over, and its Mission is never repeated. Prometheans
• All characters with a Pyros trait lose twice the Firestorm’s sometimes describe qashmallim as sleeping dormant in the Fire until
Strength in Pyros. needed, but whether this is true or if they’re wholly created for their
Missions is a matter for debate. Even the extremely rare cases of what
• Wasteland effects on the Firestorm’s area of effect immedi-
seems to be the same qashmal appearing more than once could simply
ately end.
be coincidence in form. Equally mysterious are the reasons Missions
Lilithian are “selected,” or if they’re even deliberately chosen at all. Qashmallim
have no memory of existence before the start of their current Mission,
• All Pandorans in the area of effect suffer the Firestorm’s and if asked who or what sent them can only say “The Principle.”
Strength in aggravated wounds. Some Prometheans believe the Principle is God or a manifestation
of destiny. Others think it doesn’t really exist as a separate entity, that
• All characters with a Pyros trait gain or lose the Firestorm’s
qashmallim are natural by-products of Pyros and experience, in their
Strength in Physical Merits.
own strange way, their Missions as immutable orders woven into

Qashmallim:
their being. One sect of alchemists describes qashmallim as being to
Firestorms as a chain reaction is to nuclear decay; any sentience they
seem to exhibit is entirely in the eye of the beholder. The qashmallim
The Scintillating don’t seem to care what anyone thinks about their origin — it is the
Principle, and needs no further explanation.

Flames Born From Fire

It’s three AM, and she’s still at the library. She can’t bear to In their natural form, qashmallim are abstract shapes comprised
go home, where the inert form with her lover’s face lies in the of scintillating Divine Fire, in a “frequency” of Twilight distinct to
locked back room. Months of work to find donors and weeks of those of ghosts or spirits. Qashmallim may become visible and audible
incantations, prayers, electrical shocks, and chemicals, all wasted. at will, revealing their presence as burning spheres or wheels of fire,
No matter what she tries, her creation refuses to live. tendrils of Pyros, multiple wings, animal-shaped heads, crowns, or
She takes a coffee break, and on her return finds a man she weapons. They can even render themselves tangible if their Mission
doesn’t recognize standing at her desk, going through her notes. demands it, though it runs the risk of physical confrontation.
Outraged, she demands he leave; he does so without a word. Only a minority of qashmallim encounters take the form of angelic
Checking to make sure the stranger didn’t disturb anything, she visions, however; a qashmal can disguise itself as anything when
notices a book turned to the wrong page — or rather, as she scans it fully materializing. Most of the time, the Messengers appear as
with increasing excitement, the right one. humans or animals. On rare occasions, qashmallim have appeared as
She knows where she’s been going wrong. Her creation will live. inanimate objects, or Prometheans have realized too late that what
And the stranger, unnoticed and forgotten, vanishes just as they thought was a Pandoran was something much more powerful.
quietly as he appeared. Qashmallim aren’t limited to single bodies, either, some appearing as
They have been with us since the beginning, adjusting and guiding multiple people at once. Although they don’t possess victims as some
Humanity’s destiny. Often quiet and subtle, sometimes terrifying ephemeral entities do, they can imitate any person, living or dead.
and awe-inspiring, the strangers promote change: distillation and
entropy. They have been frequently mistaken for angels, and religious The Mission
alchemists named them qashmallim, the Dominions. Of all the From the moment it appears until the moment it vanishes back
Chronicles of Darkness’ characters, Prometheans know them best; into the Pyros, a qashmal’s existence revolves around its Mission. It
qashmallim apply guidance and punishment to guide them along

268
 Qashmallim: The Scintillating Flames

is “born” into the world by an inrush of Pyros, coalescing into its irrelevant. Enquiries about the mysterious Principle are an exercise
Twilight form and sometimes triggering a Firestorm in the process. in frustration; when asked to describe their patron, qashmallim
As soon as it appears, it knows what it is supposed to do and how blankly say “it is The Principle,” and are unable to elaborate further.
long it has to do it. Some Savants claim that qashmallim aren’t strictly speaking
Prometheans and other scholars of qashmallim lore frequently try to sapient, that any qashmal appearing able to come across as a thinking
work out what the purpose of a qashmal’s Mission is. From the benefit being has no more truth behind it than a parrot imitating speech
of hindsight and a wide view, qashmallim Missions often concern a or a robot playing a recorded message. All a qashmal can think
great change, which the qashmal is sent to instigate or prevent. In about is its Mission — it assesses every development and situation
practice, though, Missions usually follow the path of least resistance as benefit or hindrance to that Mission, and ignores irrelevancies.
and operate under the butterfly effect, with small changes leading to Some Prometheans have tried to persuade Messengers away from
great movements. The main difficulty in studying such things is that their goals to no avail. Supernatural beings attempting more overt
the qashmallim themselves only know about their Mission’s goal, not mind control find that there’s nothing to get “hold” of, or become
the long-term consequence of success. A qashmal might awaken from obsessed with assisting the qashmal through magical feedback.
the Fire with the Mission to inspire a young activist, not knowing or One nickname of the qashmallim — Messengers — describes a
caring that the result of its Mission ten years down the line is a violent bias in the Principle that students of qashmallim lore have noted. A
revolution. A qashmal might force a Promethean out into the world sizeable portion of Missions — or of Missions that Prometheans are
by aggravating her Disquiet, while another manifests in fiery form aware of — involve the qashmal imparting a revelation, offering advice,
to a second Promethean whose Pilgrimage has stalled, ordering him or commanding obedience. These visitations can seem like divine
onto the road, without either qashmal being aware that their Missions’ revelation or angelic encounters to subjects who aren’t aware what
end result is the two Prometheans meeting and forming a throng. the Messenger is, but the Azothic Memory warns Prometheans to
A large minority of qashmallim Missions have no large-scale be wary — qashmallim impart information to others in order to fulfil
consequence onlookers have been able to find. If the Principle is an their Missions, but nothing forces the Messengers to be truthful.
entity deliberately choosing Missions for the scintillating flames, it Credulous Prometheans who take the Scintillating Flames at face
doesn’t seem to have any regard for scale, only the amount of power value or mistake their angelic appearance for inherent “goodness”
needed. Terrifying, burning angels have moved mountains to save a have been led into disaster and destruction by following the advice
single life, and minor qashmallim cloaked in human shape have quietly of qashmallim, and the Messengers accept their Missions so totally
started continent-consuming wars. that catching one out in a lie is exceptionally difficult. A qashmal
One aspect of qashmallim Missions remains constant across every doesn’t know or care if what it’s telling someone is good advice; it
encounter: the Scintillating Flames work to a strict timetable. Every is the Principle.
qashmal knows how long it has to succeed or fail at its objective, and
experiences something like pain if prevented from trying to achieve The Fiery Sword
it. Biding time or waiting for an opportunity doesn’t count, though, While many qashmallim dispense “wisdom,” others manifest with
and few supernatural forces are capable of holding a qashmal against more direct, brutal Missions. These agents of the Principle take on
its will. If the deadline for the Mission passes without success, the tangible form to apply their might against a subject, or use powerful
qashmal dissipates back into the Pyros. Numina to inflict horrors on a victim. Sometimes, the qashmal torturing
Beyond their goals, qashmallim have autonomy in how they a hapless victim will explain some transgression the victim made that
approach their Missions. They don’t always awaken knowing all prompted the qashmal to manifest with their pain as its Mission. Other
the facts about their purpose. A qashmal might know it must kill a times, they’re left to figure out how they sinned for themselves.
certain human but not where to find them, or work to avert a natural These bloody Missions never have simple punishment as the
disaster without knowing how it will happen. Qashmallim aren’t all- goal; the Divine Fire doesn’t care about a sinner’s crimes. Rather,
powerful, either. They can fail, make mistakes, or even lose physical qashmallim whip, slice, and burn for the benefit of their victim,
confrontations with people and entities trying to prevent them from or of onlookers; a qashmal might kill a Promethean following a
succeeding. No matter what, if a Mission fails, no qashmal ever appears particular Refinement in order to encourage her throng to avoid
to try again. that Refinement in the future. As with their revelations, the “justice”
of the Messengers is anything but angelic; a qashmal will commit
The Burning Revelation terrible crimes without flinching if doing so furthers its Mission.
The majority of Missions involve a Scintillating Flame simply If a qashmal does manifest with a Mission to kill a particular victim,
interacting with others, setting events in motion with a quiet whisper they’re as likely to arrange for their target’s death through a third
or thunderous declamation. party or staged accident as they are to assassinate the target in person.
If a qashmal needs to speak to fulfill its mission, it can make itself
understood by any sapient being. Everyone the qashmal wishes to Qashmallim and the Created
speak to hears its voice in their native language, without it needing Although they can undertake Missions involving humans or
to open its mouth or make physical sounds at all. Some qashmallim any of the supernatural creatures sharing the world with humanity,
“speak” in high-frequency noise, glossalia, or musical tones. Even qashmallim (or whatever it is that sends them) have a special interest
if a qashmal is willing to talk, they make frustrating and single- in the Created. A few Prometheans go their entire Pilgrimage without
minded conversationalists. Everything except for the Mission is encountering the Scintillating Flames, while others find qashmallim

269
 CHAPTER FIVE: FIRESTORM

dogging their existence from creation to Final Work, cajoling, for overt supernatural power. They appear, usually in the guise of
punishing, and guiding them to mortality. Most fall somewhere human beings, carry out their Missions quietly and vanish back into
in-between, encountering qashmallim near important Milestones the Pyros. They don’t need or have any overt supernatural abilities;
or when facing turning points in the Pilgrimage. Whatever the appearing in the right place at the right time is enough to make the
Principle is, it doesn’t seem to have a moral opinion on the existence difference and achieve the Principle’s Mission.
of Prometheans. Qashmallim sometimes appear with contradictory Greater qashmallim face longer-term or more difficult Missions,
missions, punishing Prometheans for actions another qashmal and have power to suit. They spark Firestorms with their initial
encouraged, forcing Created to step backwards, or giving a needed manifestation, adjust reality in accordance with their Mission using
push to restart a stalled Pilgrimage. They appear with guidance for potent Numina, and achieve their aims with brute force. They are
Centimani just as much as for the Refinements (and scourge them less likely to assume human or animal form, instead manifesting
for inadvertent sins just as much). in their true form or even becoming physically solid when their
Mission requires it.
Choirs and Orders The third Order, or arch-qashmallim, are only whispers and
Prometheans and alchemists who study the qashmallim legends in the Azothic Memory. Firestorms spark in their mere
sometimes describe two distinct “Choirs” of Elpidos and Lilithim, presence, and their Missions decide the fate of the whole world.
which correspond to the two forms of Pyros: Elpis and Flux. An arch-qashmal’s manifestation may have caused the Tunguska
Elpidos are the qashmallim of Elpis, the creative or distilling Fire. blast, or the Event that wiped out the dinosaurs. Unlike the other
They encourage the Final Work, guide artists, foster new creation, Orders, arch-qashmal don’t divide neatly into the two Choirs; when
bring throngs together, grant visions guiding would-be demiurges describing beings this powerful, “order” and “chaos” don’t have
to a lineage’s formula or hint at the next step of a Pilgrimage. In any meaning.
appearance, Elpidos are the most likely to be mistaken for angels
by credulous onlookers — their natural forms are bright, shining
figures wreathed in flame, and as a consequence of their Missions
they often display powers that provoke religious awe or revelation.
Although some scholars characterize the Elpidos as agents of Angels?
order or creation, this is a function of their Missions, not how
they comport themselves. An Elpidos sent to encourage a man to An undisguised qashmal is a terrifying sight, a be-
become a demiurge may decide the best way to nudge its target into ing of pure Divine Fire. Onlookers often mistake the
Scintillating Flames for angels, especially the Elpidos.
trying to create life is to kill everyone he cares about. Elpidos punish
Qashmallim never refer to themselves by that name
transgressors but don’t have any sense of justice. They promote the or acknowledge the existence of Choirs and Orders.
advancement of peace and harmony with bloodied hands. If asked who or what they are, they simply describe
Cousins to the Elpidos, Lilithim are the qashmallim of Flux, themselves as “messengers” or “agents.” If asked
the destructive and entropic Fire. They awaken Pandorans, guide who they are agents of, they reply “The Principle.”
demiurges to flawed formulae, tear throngs apart, force Prometheans
The Chronicles of Darkness contains at least two kinds
backwards in their Pilgrimage, and work to force the breakdown of
of entity called “angels.” The first are living symbols of
institutions, societies, and individual lives. Lore on the Lilithim is power and truth summoned into the world by human
rarer than the already difficult-to-find studies on the Elpidos, because mages. The second are the biomechanical, ephemer-
to beings who can’t sense Pyros (that is, almost everyone that isn’t a al servants of the God-Machine. Qashmallim are not
Promethean), they’re usually mistaken for something else entirely. Supernal Entities (they’re born of this world’s Pyros,
Far from their cousins’ angelic appearances, Lilithim manifest as not the Supernal Realms of platonic forms) and they
horrifying mockeries of flesh and biology, warped humanoid forms, aren’t the servant-slaves of the God-Machine. Some
or monsters taken as unusual Pandorans. If Elpidos represent demons, “Unchained” former angels, theorize that
order in some classifications, the Lilithim are agents of chaos and the God-Machine’s servants were created from qash-
destruction, although like their cousins, the means by which a mallim their master somehow captured, but the God-
Lilithim achieves its Mission might not be “chaotic” at all. Machine’s commands are not the Principle, and its
angels burn Essence, not Pyros.
Qashmallim never describe themselves as belonging to either
Choir, or even acknowledge the “other” Choir’s existence. An On the rare occasions qashmallim and either kind of
Elpidos and a Lilithim with Missions relating to the same individual angel meet, the result is either explosive or oddly an-
at the same time won’t appear to notice one another’s presence, ticlimactic, with both entities ignoring one another’s
but the terms persist for Prometheans trying to understand what presence unless forced into a direct confrontation.
they’re encountering. These rare battles inevitably take place in material-
ized form, as none of the differing “angelic” hosts
As well as the two Choirs, the few qashmal-scholars classify the
share a form of Twilight.
Flames into three “Orders” of power: Lesser, Greater, and Arch.
Lesser qashmallim are by far the most common, following
Missions that only require a few days’ effort and without the need

270
 game systems

Qashmallim share many traits in common with ephemeral

entities like ghosts and angels (described in Chapter Four,) but
differ in several key ways. If It Has Traits, You Can Kill It
• Body of Pyros: Rather than being composed of ephemera
When designing a qashmal for a Promethean story,
and using Essence to fuel themselves, qashmallim are made ask yourself if you need to come up with game traits
entirely of Pyros and have a Pyros pool like a Promethean. for it at all. Qashmallim only engage in physical vio-
They do not require any special environmental Conditions to lence when it’s the focus of their Mission; some fight
sustain themselves as ephemeral entities do, but must spend to win, others only exist to deliberately lose, but no
one point of Pyros every 24 hours. Creatures attuned to the qashmal gives someone the chance to kill it unless
same form of Pyros as the qashmal (Prometheans for Elpidos, it’s the will of the Principle.
Pandorans for Lilithim) gain one point of Pyros if they are in
the vicinity of the qashmal spending its daily Pyros; this can
cause Pandorans to awaken from dormancy in the presence of manifesting as two or more people may act independently
Lilithim and tip Prometheans off when an Elpidos is nearby. in each body, as long as they remain within distance of one
This effect extends to greater distance the more powerful the another. If separated beyond the limits of Order, all but one
qashmal is; a Lesser Elpidos might only alert Prometheans of the qashmal’s bodies vanish.
if they spend extended time in close company to it, while a
Greater Lilithim awakens all Pandorans within miles. • Traits: Qashmallim use the three simplified Attributes of
A rare few qashmallim can replenish their Pyros with special Power, Finesse, and Resistance used by ephemeral entities
Numina, taking it from Prometheans or Pandorans, but for most and calculate Willpower, Corpus, Speed, Initiative, and
Messengers their Pyros supply imposes a hard time limit on their Defense in the same way (see pp. 223-228) They do not have
Mission. A qashmal that runs out of Pyros simply vanishes, fading Bans or Banes; if killed, they vanish (Mission failed) rather
away back into the Fire, its Mission failed. than reforming later like an ephemeral entity.
• Manifestation: A qashmal’s natural form exists in a state • Fiery Blood: Even when masquerading as a human, a
of Twilight (see p. 223) but is not made of ephemera and qashmal’s internal organs are unnecessary for its survival.
is invisible and insubstantial to ephemeral entities as well Qashmallim convert all lethal and aggravated damage to
as material beings. They range from Size 2–8, with more bashing. They may heal their Corpus through electricity like
powerful qashmal tending to be larger. Qashmallim may make a Promethean or spend Pyros to heal in the same way as a
themselves visible and audible but still be intangible or fully spirit spends Essence.
material at will. They do not require any Conditions to
manifest, and change between forms with a reflexive action • Order: Qashmallim do not use Rank. They have an effective
by spending a point of Pyros. Azoth rating applied to rolls as a Supernatural Tolerance
Trait (see p.118), and trait limits defined by their Order as
• Disguised Flame: When appearing from Twilight, a qashmal follows:
may choose its appearance freely and shape itself into fac-
similes of any person or creature. Their disguised forms can
Trait Attribute Max
be anything from aberrant monsters to imitations of people Order Azoth Limit Dots Pyros Numina
so complete that the qashmal could undergo an MRI scan. If
the qashmal attempts to impersonate someone and another Lesser 3 6 dots up to 18 15 2–5
character has the opportunity to see through it, roll its Power Greater 6 15 dots 19–45 50 6–10
+ Finesse as a contested action against whatever dice pool
the observing character uses. • Soul of Fire: Qashmallim have no Integrity Trait. They
have Virtues and Vices like a human, although the specific
• Heavenly Host: Messengers are not limited to a single form, Virtues and Vices are often alien and, especially in Lilithim,
but may choose to appear as groups or even swarms. A run counter to human morality. A qashmal’s Mission acts
qashmal with more than one physical body must keep them as an Aspiration for purposes of Social Maneuvering, with
all within its Azoth in yards (Lesser) or miles (Greater) and the added benefit of granting the qashmal rote factor (reroll
acts as a single being for purposes of using its powers or failures) on all attempts to resist being persuaded away from
taking damage, but not for purposes of actions. A qashmal its goal. Attempting to read or control the mind of a qashmal

271
 CHAPTER FIVE: FIRESTORM

provokes a Clash of Wills (with the Storyteller rolling Azoth ephemeral entity of some kind, or something altogether stranger.
+ Resistance for the qashmal). If the qashmal wins the clash, The predicament could be a cave-in, a boat sinking, or every lock in
the character attempting to tap into its mind has one of their the building resetting. Whatever the cause, innocents are trapped
Aspirations replaced by the qashmal’s Mission. by supernatural means, and lives are at stake.
No one sees them arrive, but they introduce themselves when
• Numina: Qashmallim do not possess Inf luences or the trapped humans stumble across them. The impish brunette
Manifestations. Each qashmal appears knowing a number woman in the red dress calls herself “Ruby.” Her dour companion
of Numina useful for their Mission up to the limit imposed is “Mr. Gold.”
by their Order. Common qashmallim Numina include Awe, They quickly take charge, marshaling the survivors and
Blast, Drain, Firestarter, Implant Mission, Rapture, and investigating the hidden cause of the predicament. Ruby works
Sign, and greater qashmallim almost always have at least one on the human element, probing the relationships and fears of
unique Numen relating to their purpose. Storytellers can the victims, while Gold concentrates on gross phenomena. They
use Promethean Transmutations as “Numina” for qashmallim experiment. They call the evil forth and confront it. The qashmal
Storyteller characters. — Ruby and Gold are a single qashmal — has a Mission to resolve
the situation by any means necessary. Even if the humans all die
Example Qashmallim screaming, Ruby and Gold will restore order and return to the
Pyros as quietly as they appeared.
No one is sure how many of the Principle’s agents are active
at any one time, with estimates varying from a few dozen to The Witness (Lesser Lilithim)
thousands. The following example Flames show Missions of the
On the surface, he has it all. A loving family, well cared for
different Choirs and Orders, and how qashmallim might follow
and safe. A prestigious career high in his industry. Valued clients
them.
and loyal employees. Perfect.
Ruby and Mr. Gold He keeps seeing her out of the corner of his eye. She passes him
(Lesser Elpidos) in the street, vanishing into the crowd when he turns to look. He
sees her standing at the platform as his train pulls away. He can’t
Somewhere in the dark of night, a group of people are make out her features late at night, standing silently down in the
trapped. The force keeping them prisoner could be a monster, an street when he looks out of the window, but he knows it’s her. He

272
 game systems

can’t sleep, but catches a flash of her reflection in the television That night, she feels a Wasteland forming far too soon after
screen. Those closest to him notice his stress and changed behavior, moving camp. Refusing to give in, she moves around more. After
but don’t know what to do. It’s as though he’s haunted. two weeks, she sees the figure in the water again.
He’s becoming certain that they’re right. That she’s back, Leave, it says. No, she replies.
somehow. The face of a youthful mistake, staring at him, reminding The next time she’s in town, the people shy away from her,
him that even if no one else knows, if he never stands trial, he’ll afraid. Fear turns to aggression, and she realizes that Disquiet is
always be a murderer. too strong, too fast. She flees back to her forest.
He confesses. His family is shattered, his business ruined. The Lilithim sent to force her to step backward from the dead-
Everything he built comes crashing down. end she’s in has given her two warnings now, but the time for it
The qashmal with his victim’s face returns to the Fire. to complete its Mission is running out. The next time it merges
with the river’s water, it will spread disease to everything the course
The Judge (Greater Elpidos) touches — the town, the forest along its banks, the creatures within
For almost his entire Pilgrimage, the Tammuz Joseph Sand has it. If she will not give up the half-life she’s made, the qashmal will
been bedevilled by Mr. Anton Deeds, alchemist and former student tear it down around her.
of his demiurge. Whenever he put down roots, Deeds would find
him. When he once met another Creation – another like him! – The Star of Unity
Deeds drained her Fire until she died. Through Refinements and (Arch-qashmal)
milestones, Sand has become hardened, defined by his nemesis as People say that Antarctica isn’t inhabited, but of course that’s
much as by the word inscribed beneath his tongue. not true — even in the depths of winter, nearly a thousand humans
One summer evening, Sand comes back to the abandoned call the southern ice home, sheltering in their bases and stations.
farmhouse he’s squatting in to find a car outside and the door This one is a survey team: geologists, meteorologists, and the people
open. He knows that the alchemist is back. When he enters, needed to keep them alive on the Southern ice. They were like a
holding a poker like a weapon and ready to fight for what’s his, he family; their nearest neighbors, hundreds of miles away, joke about
finds Deeds has already been caught. The alchemist lies, sobbing, how clannish they’ve become over the years.
wrapped in chains of light that burn his flesh. The being holding It came with a sonic boom heard through the howling winds
them tells Sand to not fear it. It has heard his hatred and come and a bright emerald light that bathed the entire base in its
to set things right. radiance. A few scientists said it might be a meteor. Then all the
Just one question, here at the end of Sand’s Pilgrimage. Does radios went dead. Then the screams started.
the alchemist deserve to die? They were a meteorologist and a mechanic, bumping into
The Judge has manifested in response to a Promethean nearing one another in the confusion and panic. They’re just not quite
a crucial point late in his Pilgrimage: the chance to forge ahead to sure which of them was which. When they touched, memories —
the New Dawn or step backward. Revenge or forgiveness, mercy or whole sections of their lives — transferred between them. Their
punishment, the qashmal is here to Judge — but it’s Joseph that’s personalities were ripped up and remixed along with their pasts.
on trial, with himself as jury. And worse — when it happened again to two junior researchers,
The Red Waters the base population thought a disease might be involved. When
it happened again, and again, the scale of the problem became
(Greater Lilithim) clear. Everyone was affected.
She was a Savant but now she’s not sure what Refinement she’s Two months on and no one at the base is unscathed. Whoever
on, if any. She’s been living alone in the forest for months, nearly a the scientists were before, those people are gone — and twenty-
year now, moving around to keep the Wasteland at bay. Every few three remixed, reshuffled people remain, patched together from
weeks she follows the river down into the logging town to acquire pieces of their former lives. With every transfer, the past becomes
supplies and practice dealing with people. She’s accepted the a little more uncertain, and the new population grows a little more
idea that she’ll never be human, but by her effort no one suffers homogenized. They nearly died, over the winter — none of them
Disquiet at her presence, and she isn’t hurting anyone. She could have a complete set of any of the many specialist skills needed for
stay like this forever, never moving on, never stepping back. their survival, and only teamwork and luck have kept the power
She feels it arrive — the sick twist of Flux all around her, running and the heating on.
threatening a Firestorm. Thinking it’s a Pandoran, she hunts The winter storms have passed while the patchwork people
through the forest and finds it standing in the shallows of the are running out of supplies. A relief ship is on its way, but in the
river. It’s covered head-to-toe in what looks like red robes, but when meantime two of the afflicted are making their way to the next
she gets closer she realizes it’s skin, turned inside-out. When she base by land. If they make it, who knows how far their affliction
approaches, wary, it tells her that her exile is at an end. She must will spread?
leave the forest and return to her Pilgrimage. She refuses, and it
melts, dissolving into the water.

273
 THE GREAT WORK:
PART VI
It was all supposed to work, that was what was in Wisher’s vision. They were to come here and she was going
to take the New Dawn. She could feel it in the fire that drove her. She was ready. It was time.
Instead, she was alone in the field, with just symbols in the dirt. Imam had told them to stay put as he crossed
the field to get to the car. They did as he said, but he didn’t come back. When they heard Clay’s Girl’s screams
and then heard them cease, Wisher told Roark to run to Imam. He hadn’t come back either.
The sky rumbled.
“It looks like you need assistance,” the clouds said. “A shame you do not have any!”
The rumbling increased to a roar, and the laughter of the clouds awoke the other spirits of the forest. The
spirits watched as the creature sauntered into the clearing, its face covered in a thick yellow liquid.
“Mother,” it said, “I have returned.”
Wisher looked back to the forest, where Roark and Imam had run. The woods were still empty.
Wisher’s creation said, “You are alone. I am sure of that.”
In a blink of an eye it was upon her. She grappled onto its soft body and it dug its teeth into her side. She
slapped both of her palms on the creature’s flesh, and imagined that she was feeling smooth stone. The fire
inside responded, and it became stone before it could bite her again.
That was when Wisher saw the knife planted in its back. She swung her body on top of the monster and pulled
out the blade with ease. She took in every detail of the creature she had made stone. Little human details of its
original body remained. It was a priest, once. That’s what Clay’s Girl had said.
She thought she had everything right then, too. The right preparation, the right time, the right help, and it was
all for nothing. They had tried to run away when the priest’s body warped after being torn apart. They got away,
but all it led to was this.
She took a few steps back from the stone creature. It would have been so easy to just run away. She could
have been long gone by the time it became flesh again. She could try again, and hope it wouldn’t find her.
She squeezed the handle of the knife. The fire inside pulsed. She wanted to run, but that wasn’t
what she needed to do. She had to own up to her failure, to correct her mistakes while she still could.
After all, wasn’t that just being human?
She struck the creature with the knife. The blade broke, but the force behind it was enough to send
a deep crack along its back. The fire inside her rose, growing stronger with each blow she made. The
creature shattered as the fire reached its fever pitch.
Among the fragments of stone, Wisher took her first mortal breath.
gillian.germany@gmail.de

To: Mika1346@gmail.com

Subject: re: Berlin

I know, Mika. You said to leave well enough alone. But I can’t. It’s *like* us. This entire city is
like us. Speer wasn’t just indulging the visions of a murderer, he was tapped into something.
The Allies broke it with the Mauer, but I can still feel it. Coursing through the streets like liquid
fire, breathing in and out through buildings, reaching deep into the earth. It’s *alive*.

I can see you now, rolling your eyes. Maybe scowling. But I’m still right. Humanity is still foreign to
me, but buildings aren’t. Teufelsberg is the knot where it all comes together. The last, unfinished
building of Speer’s elaborate construct, buried under tons of stone and left to gestate in the dark.

The devil’s mountain. Created by men, like us. The people of Berlin salvaged what they could after
the bombardments, then they shoveled the rest together — broken stone, metal and bleached
bone — and called it a day. Teufelsberg has drifted in and out of use since. The British built a
spy station atop the elevation, but they were keen to abandon it when the Mauer came down.
No one wants to live there. Because of what lies beneath.

I love this city. I’m not exaggerating. I sometimes sneak into the Fernsehturm after dark, and
I can see the whole city laid out beneath me. It feels like coming home. I know that sensation,
I’ve seen it in humans. Children when their parents pick them up from school. Lovers when they
reunite after the day’s work. It’s a home coming and it shapes them. Berlin shapes me, made
me *feel alive*. That is something I can never repay — but maybe I can pay it forward.

I know we discussed it and you said not to. But I am not a child. I am not yours to command.
So here I am, in the darkness of the Devil’s Mountain. Getting in was easy. The old spy station
is chained off with fences, but they’re broken in so many places. Not too conspicuously of course
— just a bend here, a rip there. Enough for kids to get in. Actually getting into the underground
was harder, but not impossible. There’s cracks where the earth has shifted and, if you’re sensitive
to it like me, you can just feel the tunnels underneath. It took some digging, but I can handle
hard work. You know me — I never stop. And now I’m in.

The hall is filled with rubble from the half-collapsed ceiling. I have one reception bar left, and
there’s very little light coming in. I don’t need light to see though. The whispers are stronger
here. Remember how we’d joke that ECHELON voices still echo through Berlin? I don’t think it
was ECHELON. It was the creature. It knows I’m here and I can almost feel it reaching out to me.
I think it’s happy I’m here. Its creator died before it was ready, and then it spent seventy years
alone in the dark. I can use that. Annie has been teaching me how to talk to people. Relate, she
calls it. There’s a lot to relate to.

Maybe I can teach it kindness. Show it the beauty of Berlin. I was lost before Berlin. The city
changed me as much as you, Annie and Ski did. This is my test. My leap of faith. If I can show
it what I see….

If not though, I’ll do what needs to.

Tell the others I love them. Give Ski my book if I don’t return — I know they want it, even if
they’re too polite to ask. I’m not afraid. I’ll return to the earth if the creature destroys me. Dust
to dust — literally. I’ll be right here. Coursing through the streets like liquid fire.

~ Gillian
 Each city has its own nature, each a little world all its own, but a Promethean is alien, an
eternal outsider. She has no home, not even the slab she woke up on. She has no family, very
few people she can call friends, and no world to call her own. Instead, she journeys through
world after world on her Pilgrimage, touching them but never truly becoming a part of them.
Eventually she must move on, prodded by Disquiet and driven to seek new wisdom for her
Magnum Opus. But no one passes through the world without leaving her mark on it, not
even a Promethean. As they touch the worlds they pass through, these worlds touch them
back, an alchemy as profound as the Pilgrimage itself and vital to it. These moments, these
memories, come together to leave a trail that other Prometheans after her will follow, a gift
to ease their way as they make their own Pilgrimages.
“I could tell you how
Then, too, stranger things than Prometheans dwell in the Chronicles of Darkness. They many steps make up
share these worlds with Prometheans even as they share them with humans, but in the name the streets rising like
of their own alien needs and drives rather than a desire to settle down and become a part stairways, and the de-
of one of these worlds they touch. Their leavings may provide some strange insight into the gree of the arcades’
human condition. On the other hand, they could represent a dangerous roadblock in the curves, and what kind
Pilgrimage, and perhaps even a terminus to it.
In this chapter, we venture for but a few brief moments across these little worlds that
of zinc scales cover the
Prometheans travel through, examining what might be found there, what evidence has been roofs; but I already
left by those travelers who preceded us, and those dangers that wait to ensnare the unwary. know this would be
the same as telling you
What Happens in Vegas, nothing. The city does
Stays in Vegas not consist of this,
but of relationships
Las Vegas, Nevada between the measure-
High rollers, neon lights, and the finest shows this side of Broadway. Amusement parks ments of its space and
built on top of buildings. All this and more Las Vegas has to offer, at least until you take more the events of its past.”
than a few steps away from the Strip. The glitz and glamor quickly fades into empty six-lane
side streets lined with boarded-up buildings, abandoned save for the few desperate souls who —Italo Calvino,
quietly cling to life here. The Strip is only a mask that covers this, the beating heart of Las Invisible Cities
Vegas: cold, lonely, and brimming with secrets and hidden threats.
Las Vegas is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States. Dry and
punishingly hot in the summer, the Strip is designed to carry patrons from one building to
another without ever leaving air conditioning. The lion’s share of Nevada’s population lives
in the greater Las Vegas metropolitan area. The only other competition is Reno, with a pop-
ulation only a fraction of that in Las Vegas.

History
Named for its green meadows by Spanish scouts, the valley that became Las Vegas only
officially became a city in 1905, when it was established as a railroad town. Development
followed in successive waves, but in 1931 the city legalized casinos, after which organized crime
quickly became involved and spurred the city’s growth as a resort destination. Lit by neon and,
sporadically, by nuclear weapons tests, Las Vegas grew up into a skyline of glimmering towers,
a bright line scratched in the desert drawing tourists like moths to the flame.
 CHAPTER SIX: JOURNEYS

Story Hook much removed from the game; Portland itself saw little develop-
ment compared to Oregon City, just upriver, until the need for a
Las Vegas is fueled by a sense of unreality, of the world being deepwater port arose. It was once described by its native newspaper
a Potemkin village that might collapse in on itself at any moment. as “the most filthy city in the Northern States.” Overshadowed by
To the Promethean, no city is quite so familiar at first glance. Are Seattle once the transcontinental railway to that city was completed,
they not as real as everything around them here? Portland nonetheless boomed in the 1940s and 1990s, and became
But Las Vegas is not all that it seems. Only a few dozen miles known in particular for a vibrant art culture, which persists even
southeast of Yucca Mountain and the former Nevada Test Site, after the burst of the dot-com bubble.
hidden in the shadow of the harsh glare of the Strip and the latent
background radiation from myriad atomic tests, a new philosophy Story Hook
has quietly sprung up at the fringes of science and sanity.
The humans are not the only residents of Portland, of course,
At 5:29 AM on July 16, 1945, the world’s first nuclear deto-
and one in particular has taken the city’s fascination with foodie
nation took place at the White Sands Proving Ground, littering
culture and art to new and disturbing heights. One Centimanus,
the desert with glassy green shards made from fused sand that the
who prefers to call himself the Epicure, has maintained just
world called trinitite.
enough of a humanlike appearance to lure in unsuspecting fellow
Three chemistry students attached to the project called it the
Prometheans. At first, he is friendly, sharing fine home-cooked
Philosopher’s Stone and were convinced that the detonation of a
food, a warm place to sleep, and stories of travels that are only
nuclear warhead was the lesser scientific advent of the day. Working
somewhat edited for content. He is by all appearances a kind and
in secret, they collected as much of the stuff as they could get away
gentle soul. His kindness hides not only his nature, though, but
with before the government realized trinitite was radioactive and
also a darker secret.
banned its sale.
At first, the Epicure simply watched his pet Pandorans feed,
All three students are alive today, blessed with an unnatural
studying the flow of Pyros and Flux in their body as they devoured
youth that is one of the twin fruits of their experimentation, the
the flensed flesh of his victims, growing wiser and more powerful
other being a surfeit of gold that, while not radioactive, bears misfor-
with each meal and eventually maturing into a sublimatus. At first
tune in its wake. Swallowing pearls of trinitite to feed the criticality
he meant to part the creature’s rubbery flesh to peruse its inner
that has replaced their hearts, they’ve parleyed their alchemical
workings and plumb its deep eye sockets for hidden secrets, but it
talents into fortune, if not fame. Everything’s coming up aces for
was clever enough to charm the Epicure and talk its way out of such
the Trinity, except for one thing. There’s only so much trinitite to
a fate. Amused, he called it the Stoic; they continued as they had
go around. Sooner or later, they’re going to need a new source.
before, with the Epicure luring the prey in and enjoying the grim
Conspicuous spectacle, the Stoic mimicking the Epicure’s attachment to luxury
to curry favor. Curiosity proved to be too strong a temptation in
Consumption the end; now the two dine together by candlelight to the tune of
screams, a gruesome mockery of a human romantic ritual that
Portland, Oregon neither really understands.

Straddling the Willamette River, Portland’s maze of one-way

streets and intentional lack of parking hide hundreds of secrets.
The Mother Lode
The largest bookstore in the world sits in a nest of local businesses Sacramento, California
that share high-rises with multinational corporations. Half a dozen
bridges and an elevated gondola line span the Willamette, connect- For Prometheans, the quest to transform lead into gold is a
ing the heart of the city with its eastward reaches. The sky may be metaphorical and metaphysical one. For humans, that quest was
clouded over on most days, but the city is bright nonetheless. almost always a literal one. While science may have left the purely
A drive through Portland can be short; designed to limit the alchemical quest behind, the human craving for gold has not abated.
modern city’s propensity to sprawl, Portland is an urban island in a Sacramento has the distinction of being one of the few cities directly
sea of rural farmland that surrounds the city just a few minutes’ drive and literally founded upon the mad, frenzied desire to tear gold up
in almost every direction. Transit keeps outlying parts of the city from the very Earth itself. Its history transcends mere human greed,
easily traversable on foot, and the city’s food cart culture is second however, touching upon something deeper, something infinitely
to none. While the city’s population has grown by leaps and bounds more valuable — and infinitely more dangerous.
in the last twenty years, it remains an overwhelmingly white city.
However, it also holds the distinction of having the seventh highest
History
proportion of LGBT residents in the United States. The Sacramento Valley has been inhabited for thousands of
years by the Nisenan and Plains Miwok peoples, but recorded
History history begins with Spanish explorers and the Swiss immigrant
For young Americans who grew up playing Oregon Trail, the John Sutter’s agricultural settlement. Once gold was discovered
Willamette Valley is the archetypal destination for a long, arduous, upstream, Sutter’s son elected to found a city against his father’s
and dangerous journey. The reality of the city’s early days is not wishes, named for the river it straddled and from whence the gold

278
 fire in the sky

came. Sacramento quickly became one of the most important cities clues that could lead a wayward Promethean to a dozen different
in California and has served as the state’s capital since the 1850s. cities in search of long-lost treasure troves of Azothic wisdom.
It has only grown since, attracting immigrants from every corner Unfortunately, while the lore is very real, so is the danger. The
of the globe. Racial strife and legislative discrimination followed — Pandorans of Sacramento know well that their favored prey will
after fires and railroad development, only a few landmarks survive come here. Over years, decades, a century, they’ve slowly collected
today of a once-thriving Chinatown. here, watching, waiting, hungry. There are Pandorans lost across
Today, Sacramento is a sprawling city, with suburbs reaching the city, drowned or buried or well hidden, but the old rail yards
into the Californian Central Valley, north and south along I-5, house a swarm unlike any other.
and east and west along I-80. For all that old and new train tracks Not every threat is so obvious, however. A small cafe, quiet and
weave through Sacramento’s grid, the modern city is of, by, and for unremarkable save for the enormous collection of kick-knacks and
the automobile. Huddled up against the capitol itself, the down- miscellaneous junk out back, hosts a weekly movie night that is
town is laced with bars and clubs that exist only for sweetheart rapidly becoming a favorite for local hipsters and arthouse cinema
development deals doled out by lobbyists and the well connected. fans. Only one movie is ever shown — a VHS tape found in the
Like many centers of government, it is a city where scandal is so junkpile, containing nothing but a series of disconnected moments
commonplace that it’s become a part of the background noise of of anguish and humiliation, of seemingly random people hurling
the city. Wracked by drought brought on by climate change and invective at the camera, with a low, pained voice whispering in
saddled with budget deficits brought on by frozen property taxes, the background. Devotees call it shocking and powerful outsider
California looks to Sacramento to fix its problems. Sacramento, art, but any Promethean who sees it will instantly know that the
however, can barely solve its own. tape is a Dark Athanor containing the rage and sorrow of a single
Created, cast off in a desperate attempt at purification and release.
Story Hook The humans are not wholly unaffected by the Azothic energies of
Rare is the building in downtown Sacramento that doesn’t the tape, however – repeated viewings wear down their resistance to
have a peculiar rattling sound somewhere on its lower levels. When Disquiet, turning the clientele into a powerful transmission vector.
Prometheans are near, however, these noises redouble, becoming If one should become infected, the others will follow in short order.
a scrabbling cacophony. Humans shudder and tell themselves it Of the subtle dangers, however, one surpasses all others. A small,
is nothing but vermin or the building settling; they do live in a nameless group meets weekly in a nightclub where women dressed as
flood plain after all, and the Sacramento and American rivers mermaids swim in enormous suspended tanks of water. This secret
claim everything in the end, entombing all they touch in successive society of mages squats at the heart of power in Sacramento. Their
layers of silt. Built up again after each disaster, Sacramento boasts touch is light but very real, and their sight extends far enough to
a network of catacombs, disconnected and walled off from each glimpse even the subtle Azothic marks carved deep upon the city they
other but nonetheless containing the detritus and historical artifacts have claimed for themselves. They don’t know what Prometheans
of the era when these shattered rooms once dwelt on the surface. are, only that strange things lurk outside their sight, hiding in shad-
Digging anywhere in the heart of the city, one might find one of ows they have no right to. A wise Pilgrim treads lightly in Sacramento
these chambers, along with whatever is hiding within. — there are worse things than Pandorans waiting for them.
Sacramento has not only survived countless natural disasters, but
also flourished and grown to become the capital of one of the world’s Fire in the Sky
largest economies: nothing short of a minor miracle. That the city
has known the deep and abiding touch of the supernatural should Salton Sea, California
come as no surprise – more than one of the raging fires, floods, California is starved for water, leeching it from every surround-
and droughts that have struck the Central Valley bear Promethean ing state and more besides to slake its ever-growing agricultural and
fingerprints. Signs of their presence echo again and again through- civil thirst. Perhaps it’s appropriate, then, that the largest body of
out the city’s history, an Azothic record that closely follows known water in California is both man-made and saltier than the ocean
history. Perhaps there is some resonance between the human lust itself. Salt-encrusted buildings line its ever-rising shore as agricul-
for gold and the Promethean Pilgrimage, or perhaps it is merely tural runoff flows into the San Andreas Fault. The Inland Empire’s
a coincidence. Of course, the city might be an enormous karmic own private sea is so saline that only a few species of fish can live
honeypot that draws in Prometheans with the lure of enlightenment, beneath its waves, and with no avenue for escape the water grows
only to turn them aside from their Pilgrimages. saltier by the year.
The rail yards encapsulate this paradox. As the original terminus The words “Inland Empire” conjures up visions of exurban
for the transcontinental railroad, Sacramento was the ultimate excess, but once past Palm Springs that landscape is replaced with
destination for untold numbers of human settlers as well as the a strip of artificially irrigated farmland and the expanse of chap-
Prometheans who rode the rails with them to the promised land arral that makes up the desert. The population density drops off
in the West. Though development is slowly tearing down the old dramatically, replaced with the culture of rural townships and farms.
structures, a litany of journeys remains written on the very founda- Temperatures soar in midday and plummet at night, when the stars
tions of the place. A hundred Pilgrimages are described here, with come out with a brilliance unseen in the city.

279
 CHAPTER SIX: JOURNEYS

History
Formed in the early 20th Century after an engineering acci-
dent, what was meant to be an irrigation project for the Salton
Sink ended up inundating it instead. The entire volume of the
Colorado River poured in; the best efforts of the engineers
responsible took two years to stem the flow. Several towns were
completely submerged. Officials had little hope of draining the
new sea, as its bottom was only five feet above the lowest point
in Death Valley. Ultimately the Hoover Dam was constructed to
forestall any further flooding of the Inland California region; by
then, the Salton Sea was well established.

Story Hook
Lights in the sky are nothing strange out here. Locals put them
down to top-secret military aircraft being flown out of hidden
facilities in neighboring Nevada. Those of a more conspiratorial
bent convince themselves that these glistening specters are of extra-
terrestrial origin. They cite for support claims of encounters with
strange beings, Men or Women in Black, black-eyed children, and
the like, which are common in the area. Any Promethean present
for a sighting, though, will know immediately what these strange
lights in the sky and unusual people are: qashmallim.
Qashmallim so commonly visit this area that it is virtually legend
among Prometheans across the entire West of the United States.
What they might be doing, of course, is anyone’s guess. There are as
many opinions as there are Prometheans, varying depending upon
the interpretation of Azoth and Pyros they subscribe to. It could
be quite malign, or it could provide an insight into the nature of
Azoth and Pyros that would revolutionize a Pilgrimage. It might
even be both. The qashmallim care little; they go about their tasks,
shedding their Pyrotic eminence, until at last they fade back into
the nothingness from which they came as they rejoin the Principle.
If you want to see a qashmal, they say, go to the Salton Sea.

Not With a Bang,

But a Whimper
Antarctica
“To the ends of the Earth!” Those who have been to Antarctica,
to the vast and empty polar plain, the six-month night of pure,
uninterrupted isolation, know what the true ends of the Earth
are. Here — dry beyond dry, cold beyond cold, blacked and whited
out — is the end of everything. Some come for the pristine natural
beauty of a continent clad in kilometer-thick ice, and some come
to study the great mysteries of the universe. Some come because
there’s a paycheck in it, and some come for no other reason than
the ice called them here. A rare few come to this place hoping to
put an end to a lifelong Pilgrimage.

History
Antarctica’s history is short. There are no native inhabitants save
seals, penguins, and similar animals. While the coast was charted as
far back as the Age of Sail, the harsh conditions made exploration
of the interior of the continent all but impossible until the 20th

280
 a place for pilgrims

century. Declared a stateless land by treaty, its scant resources too Through a series of pilgrim marks, travelers have set up a system for
remote to exploit, Antarctica is inhabited today by scientists and equitable sharing of the space. Not everyone buys into the system,
those who labor to maintain the infrastructure necessary to keep however, so frustrated and desperate travelers often clash with those
them alive. they feel have overstayed the region’s welcome.
Yet for all that humanity’s presence in Antarctica is limited to Goa is the smallest state within the Indian subcontinent. The
modernity, that history is perfectly preserved by the arid climate. Old capital city, Panaji, is an eighth as dense as Delhi and less still than
Norwegian whaling stations, abandoned Soviet research outposts, Mumbai. Goa is well known as friendly to foreigners and boasts a
World-War-II-era air fields, and the hastily-constructed shelters high density of religious sites. Its Christian population is remarkably
of doomed expeditions dot the landscape. Like footprints on the high for India, at about one-fourth the total population.
Moon, they endure beyond their time, markers along a trail that
winds through history as surely as it does the frozen wastes. History
Goa’s relevant history starts well after India’s independence
Story Hook from Britain in the 1940s and indeed shortly after the 1961 an-
The population of Antarctica fluctuates, hovering around nexation of the territory from the Portuguese. As tourism picked
5000 in the summer but plummeting to less than a thousand in up from the British, this encouraged European Created to make
winter. Those who stay on the ice are a pilot light, laboring to the trek to Goa’s lovely beachfront. This was particularly the
keep the facilities ready to receive the next group of tenants once case for poorer travelers who couldn’t afford to holiday in the
the sun finally rises above the horizon once more. The weather luxury of some of India’s other cities. The city’s blend of Hindi
makes ingress or egress an extremely risky proposition at best, so culture and Latin Catholicism meant Western travelers could
the night watch is there for the duration. find enough familiarity to remain comfortable while immersing
By far the largest population center in Antarctica is McMurdo themselves in an experience unlike anywhere else in India.
Station, a muddy port that looks more like a factory town than a In the 1990s, some Created realized that the tourist center was
research outpost. In the summer, 1200 people make their home particularly resistant to the effects of Wasteland. As word spread,
here; in the winter, less than 250 remain. Other stations, including dozens of desperate Pilgrims made their way to Goa, including
Amundsen-Scott Station at the geographic South Pole, dwindle some particularly potent Created. This rapidly broke through
down to a few dozen at most. No one winters in Antarctica without Goa’s resistance and left the region mottled with Firestorms.
being affected by the experience. The environment comes together Over the course of the next decade, a throng modeled after
to create a perfect pressure cooker of isolation, darkness, and Parvati’s mythology took up the cause of keeping Goa pure.
claustrophobia. Extreme stir-craziness is a matter of when, not if. They built a system of graffiti through which the Created could
Prometheans who come here are almost certainly seeking isola- coordinate and organize their local Pilgrimages. Through word
tion, much like their famous cousin who ventured into the Arctic of mouth and Azothic memory, they built a social contract to
pursued by his dying creator. But here, people watch out for one keep the Created moving along their paths after a reasonable
another, because a moment’s lapse can easily mean death — even frame of time. This system was far from perfect, but it’s kept the
for one of the Created. The polar plain is flat enough that one region free of major Firestorms for over a decade now.
can easily be spotted even hours after venturing out of shelter,
quiet enough at times that one’s heartbeat is audible. Here, in Story Hooks
the perfect isolation of blinding white and deep midnight, there Goa fends off the Wastelands. Between the ever-moving coast,
is no escape. Perhaps that is the true lesson Antarctica teaches. constant construction, and the highly transient population, Goa
recycles itself rapidly. Wastelands in the Goa region last half as long
A Place for Pilgrims once their creators leave, and all Wasteland effects and chances are
calculated at –2 Azoth. If an area is not currently under the effects
Goa, India of a Wasteland, two triggers are required to start a Wasteland in
Tourists flock to Goa for consciousness expansion. Neo-hippies the resistant zone.
pilgrimage to Goa’s beaches to do drugs, eat cheap, and find en- The social contract between Created in Goa demands individual
lightenment. Most travelers get hung up on one or two of those Prometheans not overstay their welcome. If a character creates a
three things. For the Created, Goa offers a uniquely welcoming significant, noticeable Wasteland or flares her Azoth in a particularly
and understanding population and a region resistant to the effects obtrusive fashion, other travelers will intervene and encourage her
of Wasteland. It offers diversity in perspective and many simple to leave quickly. If she doesn’t, things can get ugly. Because of the
answers to complex questions. To the Created, it offers an oppor- transient population, Repute might stand as a buffer here. Unknown
tunity to learn and grow in an environment welcoming to learning Prometheans tend to receive excessive, harsh treatment in the name
and growing. of defending Goa’s sanctity. Worse still, these problems compound,
Unfortunately, this blessed place finds itself overpopulated as the retaliatory efforts can force a Wasteland to Fester and can
by the Created. Everyone wants a piece of what Goa has to offer. wake Pandorans.

281
 CHAPTER SIX: JOURNEYS

East Meets West building to building, leaving storms in his wake. When he runs
across other Created, he forces them out.
Many of Hong Kong’s temples maintain rigid policies about
Hong Kong, China openness and inclusion. Even the most Tormented Promethean
In Hong Kong, it’s easy to disappear. Walk down the wrong could find short-term shelter in one. With a bit of streetwise, a
alley and you may never leave. This can make the central island troubled Created could shift from temple to temple to maintain
daunting for humanity, but strangely welcoming for those who safety. Culturally speaking, these temples tend to be looked upon
need to vanish from time to time. To many people in the world, positively by local residents. Most threats that would pursue the
Hong Kong is an opportunity. Its loose financial laws, contingent of Created would have trouble finding easy entry.
wealthy residents, and massive low-cost labor force make it a hotbed
for economic activity for China, Asia, and indeed the entire world. The Road Through
To the Created, Hong Kong is an overcrowded city where one can
disappear for a while. the Borderlands
Hong Kong properly refers to the Special Administrative Region
of the People’s Republic of China, which includes coastal area fea- Tijuana, Mexico
turing numerous cities, Hong Kong Island, and hundreds of tiny Tijuana’s a magnet town. Impoverished people from all over
islands in the area. When most people think of Hong Kong, they Mexico swarm the city in hopes for a chance at something different.
picture Hong Kong Island and Kowloon City. Those two cities alone The borders bloat outward with shanties and slums, since the city
comprise nearly half of the Special Administrative Region’s over proper can’t contain the influx of poor transients. Many wish to
seven million inhabitants. The central part of Hong Kong is one cross to the United States. Many struggle to find work in manufac-
of the single most densely populated areas in the world. Directly turing in Tijuana. But every job, every immigration is a competitive
outside the region lies the Pearl River Delta, which is an immense- struggle, a struggle to find a home in a place that doesn’t want you.
ly urbanized, densely populated series of major cities with over The Created sympathize with this struggle and pass through Tijuana
fifty million residents. Hong Kong bulges with incoming residents for very similar reasons to their human counterparts; they simply
from mainland China looking for opportunity or to escape from want a place to call home. As with their mortal counterparts, it’s
the mainland’s governance. This is particularly so as Hong Kong’s never that simple.
governance is generally much freer than the rest of China, due to Tijuana grows rapidly every day and is already one of the largest
it being a British colony until 1997. metropolitan areas in Mexico. It borders the United States, San
Diego California in particular; prominent Mexico Federal Highway
History 1D and a fence less than twenty feet tall are the only things keeping
As much history as the Created can have in a city, they have in the city’s homes from spilling out against the California border.
Hong Kong. During the time of British rule, organized criminal The city has three border crossings; one, the San Ysidro Port of
elements served a handful of powerful, wealthy foreign scientists Entry, is the single most commonly used land border in the world.
in abducting test subjects. After all, without surefire conviction, Between the relative poverty and the activity at the border, everyone
Hong Kong prefers to ignore missing persons for fear of skewing its in Tijuana is either stagnant or on the move. Young people come
alarming murder rates. Most of these abductees died terrible deaths from California to take advantage of lax drinking and prostitution
as a result of failed experiments. Some few ended up chopped and laws, while migrant workers move in, move out, and make efforts
reconfigured into Frankensteins. to immigrate. Now even the popular tourist district, the Avenida
Most of these Frankensteins have long since moved on or passed Revolución, has grown run-down. Most of its formerly booming
away, but some have made names for themselves moving from attractions have closed with economic recessions hitting leisure
neighborhood to neighborhood, progressing on their Pilgrimages. budgets hard.
They now act as de facto defenders of the city, keeping the Pandoran
population in check and subtly distracting the police and media History
from uncovering and escalating Created issues. In decades past, Tijuana was equally renowned and notorious
as a tourist spot. Its general chaos and lawlessness fostered a care-
Story Hooks free, edgy party attitude from visitors. But with the United States’s
To Hong Kong, a single building is a neighborhood. In some increased scrutiny on border crossings after the September 11th
parts, even a floor of a building is a neighborhood. Prometheans attacks and the George W. Bush era economic recession, tourism
can move very short distances and effectively be in a new city en- toppled. Mexican law enforcement made efforts to legitimize the
tirely. This makes for easy, rapid movement to safe places. Much of area, and appeal to more wholesome (read: lucrative) interests.
the population remains very insular, not communicating outside This failed both because of the economic situation and because
their geographically tiny worlds. For the Created, these tiny worlds the culture of prostitution and wanton excess was too ingrained in
offer the unluckiest a chance to stay in a relatively small space while the general perception of Tijuana.
avoiding the lasting effects of their Torment. Some move from slum Tijuana’s also come under scrutiny for its massive role in hu-
to slum weekly. One particular Frankenstein moves rapidly from man and drug trafficking to the United States and other countries.

282
 the bay of dolls

Cocaine from Columbia filters through Tijuana all over the world. Seoul’s greener pastures.
Sex slavery takes advantage of both export opportunities to the Seoul is also a hotbed for creation. A single failed attempt to
United States and visitors from abroad looking for a disgusting thrill. create an Unfleshed Promethean by a single creator does not draw
The Tijuana Cartel was a prominent and highly dangerous force the effects of Wasteland. Botched efforts do not usually create
in these fields, but has since dwindled in numbers and influence. Pandorans. Pilgrims speculate on why this is; the popular theory is
that the Divine Fire is particularly pure in this part of the world at
Story Hook this particular time. Skeptics warn to not abuse this phenomenon
Some of the curio vendors have been distributing small statues, too frequently, for fear of forever tainting its potential.
including traditional Día de Muertos skulls, which are more than When Pandorans do occur in Seoul, however, they’re always
they appear. An alarming number of these trinkets have turned out stronger than the average specimen. They always take technological
to be sleeping Pandorans. So far no reason for the phenomenon is forms and benefit from that technology. Each of their Attributes is
apparent. Since a relatively high portion of these items end up in a single dot higher, including all derived traits. As well, they each
the United States as souvenirs, it has attracted Created from San have a single piece of technology grafted into their being which
Diego and Orange County California interested in investigating. affords them a +5 dice bonus on all relevant rolls.

The Seoul is The Bay of Dolls

in the Software Tokyo, Japan
Seoul, South Korea Kokeshi dolls are wooden dolls with a cylindrical body, no limbs,
and round heads. They’re carved on a pottery wheel then painted.
South Korea is on the cutting edge of modern technology. Its Urban legends tell that these dolls were given to families in order
populace is one of the most connected in the world. Estimates to replace children that had to be put down due to deformities or
suggest it may be the world technology leader very soon. Korea’s overpopulation. In Tokyo, these Kokeshi play a sinister role for the
Kaist Robot Intelligence Lab recently manufactured a bipedal, Created; many, maybe hundreds of these older dolls are dormant
sprinting robot inspired by dinosaur body structures, and this is Pandorans. This makes for a dangerous situation but raises the
just the technology that makes the news. question, if all Pandorans are perverted Prometheans, from what
To the Created, Seoul stands as a revolution in the theft of Lineage do these strange dolls hail?
fire. Where the five widely recognized Lineages have persisted for The Tokyo Metropolitan Area is the most populous in the world.
some time, creators in Seoul seek to formalize processes to create At over 35 million residents, most people of the world can barely
Unfleshed Prometheans. imagine a city like Tokyo. For the Created, this means anonymity:
History opportunities to blend in, fade away, and move on. The expansive
metro area covers over 13,000 square kilometers, so a person could
Since the Korean War, South Korea and Seoul in particular move from place to place monthly for her entire life without ever
have put great resources toward advancements in technology. returning to the same place or leaving the Tokyo area. On the other
Communications, robots, and biotechnology have all seen massive hand, Tokyo neighborhoods trend toward tightly knit and very
representation in Seoul. In the past two decades, scientists have clean. The tiniest upsets in that order cause alarm and investigation.
developed feasible cloning technology, successfully cloning canines A Promethean in Tokyo should expect to move along quickly when
and showing evidence that human cloning isn’t far behind. Their busybody elderly residents begin prying into their affairs.
robotics technology rivals Japan’s. Tokyo also stands as an affluent, high-cost city. Unemployment
These advancements draw Prometheans on Pilgrimage looking is low. Productivity is high. With its relative level of activity, every-
for the secrets of life and the Divine Fire. Some such Prometheans thing is somebody else’s problem. While police boast remarkable,
reported that creating Unfleshed in Seoul is for some reason easier near flawless conviction rates, this partly comes from ignoring or
than creating a traditional Lineage elsewhere. It’s certainly less risky, disregarding challenging investigations. On the other hand, Tokyo’s
as Korea’s sterile labs and eager lab assistants seem to buffer the murder rate is perhaps the lowest of a major city world round (there’s
zone from Wastelands and Pandorans. some debate over data collection methods), so people don’t often
This isn’t without drawbacks, however. A low-risk opportunity to disappear without a trace. Reports of a stabbing result in dozens
create others looks too good to be true for many, but draws in some of police officers mobilizing and combing the streets thoroughly
of the worst and least humane among the Created. Many of these for suspects, stopping trains, and otherwise locking down the area.
creations end up abandoned and unaware of their surroundings.
Many end up running rampant, causing Firestorms, and ending up History
demolished after destroying communities. The Created have extensive history in the Tokyo region. Ulgan
Story Hooks are by far the most common Prometheans in the area. Tokyo’s Riven
come from a pre-Shinto ritual from the Jōmon period of Japanese
Seoul is a short plane trip from Tokyo. Numerous Prometheans history. The practice continued across nearly 10,000 years. Other
fleeing the terrifying circumstances in Tokyo have ended up in Lineages didn’t come into play in the region until the 17th century,

283
 CHAPTER SIX: JOURNEYS

and even then only occur in unsubstantiated stories. It wasn’t until their territory and struggle to defend it from invaders. This hardly
the mid 19th century, when Japan opened its shores to the outside dissuades the Ulgan, but it does complicate their dealings greatly.
world, that other Created would visit in any number. An international conglomerate corporation called Hototogisu
The Created are never particularly common, but in the 21st cen- Holdings has taken great interest in bioengineering in the past
tury, Tokyo sees representation from most if not all major Lineages few years. Additionally, rumor has it that they’re trying to abduct
at a given time. The Ulgan still dominate numerically; two all-Ulgan Created to find out what makes them tick. The rumors suggest
Throngs reside in the Chiba and Saitama prefectures. the Hototogisu know a great deal about the Created, but have yet
The Pandoran Kokeshi come from the middle of the Edo period to steal the Divine Fire for themselves. Their motivations remain
(the mid-17th century, most likely). While some of Tokyo’s Created mysterious, aside from a general desire for raw profitability. The
have attempted to uncover the source of such a massive occurrence Hototogisu Biotech branch recently applied for numerous patents
of the monsters, evidence is vague and fleeting. Most evidence seems that strike very close to home and push the boundaries of commonly
to suggest a sect of monks attempted to create soldiers to defend accepted science.
the empire from European invaders.
Prior to the Kokeshi, the same monks created vast armies of The Hunting Ground
terracotta soldiers, stylized after the Haniwa funeral statues from
the second to third century CE. Ostensibly, these soldiers did not Phoenix, Arizona,
awaken and thus were destroyed, sold, or hidden away for centuries.
After the clay soldiers, a brief period of experimentation with cast
United States
iron soldiers took hold with the monks. This experimentation was Usually when a Promethean oversteps her bounds or overstays
quickly abandoned due to cost and logistical hurdles. her welcome, the Disquiet steps in, Wastelands pop up, and hu-
The same group later crafted Kokeshi, similar to the dolls crafted manity chases her out. In most places, time passes, people forget,
in the northern Tōhoku region of Honshu. In a short period, they and people move on. The threat fades and life returns to normal.
carved and painted thousands of the dolls in all sizes. Most were In Phoenix, Arizona, however, the people never forget. It’s easy to
given away and sold; only a few hundred saw experimentation, and say the world is hostile to the Created outsiders, but it’s never truer
their incomplete records suggested positive results in only a small than in Phoenix.
handful of cases. A great many of the experiments were burned, but At one and a half million people, Phoenix is one of the largest
incomplete records imply that burning was insufficient treatment cities in the United States. Unlike most of its population rivals,
for the failures. Inquisitive Created take this to suggest that the however, Phoenix is widespread over an expansive area. Most homes
failures were in fact the Pandorans that pop up in antique shops have large lawns, and few buildings grow over a few stories. The city
and open air markets to this day. proper reaches absolutely oppressive temperatures, killing numerous
people each summer. The Sonoran Desert is already deadly in the
Story Hooks summers and warm during the winters, but Phoenix remains hot
Occasionally, rumors surface of strange wooden Prometheans even during the cold desert nights thanks to the urban island effect.
who are notoriously difficult to track. Are these the successful ex- If the temperature weren’t enough, atmospheric gravity current
periments from the monks’ Kokeshi dolls? If so, might uncovering creates intense haboobs, which batter the people with dust and
the secrets of these Kokeshi Prometheans help a Promethean along debris so thick cars can’t drive for hours at a time. This guarantees
her Pilgrimage? the people have no respite for months of the year.
The strange Kokeshi Pandorans never appear alone. When they For the Created, Phoenix’s temperature isn’t the greatest agent
turn up, it’s always in a mob. In a port city, the characters run afoul of oppression. They can weather the sun and the dust storms. Some
of a massive glut of the monsters, which rise and instantly create even enjoy the weather; it’s sometimes refreshing for a Promethean
Wastelands and Firestorms. The existence of such a mob might to see a wasteland not of her own doing. The heart of Phoenix’s
very well be enough to take a trip to Japan to discover what could oppression for the Created is the city’s elected Sheriff, Russell
cause such a thing. “The Bulldog” Brown. Sheriff Brown knows too much and uses
As with South Korea, Japan heavily prioritizes robotics and bio- his position as a weapon against his sworn enemies. The Created
engineering technology research. While this hasn’t led to more than are at the top of a very large list of those enemies. Unfortunately,
one or two Unfleshed Promethean results, it does appear a greener Brown leaves few witnesses, so word hasn’t spread about his specific,
pasture to some Unfleshed from Korea. Some such Unfleshed have supernatural vendetta. Created spread rumors about Pilgrims travel-
researched all South Korea’s available science on the topic of their ing through Phoenix only to disappear, but they tell similar stories
birth, and have since moved on to Japan in order to further their about dozens of cities all over the world. It’s not as if Brown is on the
studies into their nature. television calling for the heads of Tammuz; he thinly codes his hate
The Ulgan of Tokyo sometimes run afoul of the werewolves in with terms like “mud people.” Most of his deputies — and all of his
the region. The werewolves fight alongside shadowy, birdlike oni constituents — are blissfully unaware of the truth behind the hate.
with eyes like burning coals. Both the demons and the werewolves
fight tooth and nail against Riven spiritual influences. As far as
History
the Riven can tell, the werewolves consider the spirit realms to be Phoenix has stood nearly fifty years as an important waypoint
on the Promethean roads. It’s smack dab in the middle of Sedona

284
 the wasted land

and Tempe, Arizona, both of which play important roles to scholarly to city council, into militia leadership, then quickly to the Sheriff position.
Created. Sedona features an alarming number of mystics and crystal Soon he will celebrate his twentieth anniversary as Sheriff.
gazers with a foundation in truth. A traveler can learn a great deal His critics claim he spends too much time cultivating his image and
from Sedona’s gurus. Tempe is a much more academic point, where not enough doing the job. However, his record speaks for itself. He’s
important Native American knowledge is stored and taught. Their lobbied for unprecedented budgets and his team’s conviction rate is
understanding of life and death can help a blocked philosopher downright draconian. He organizes “neighborhood watch groups” that
find the right answer to progress. The two places are far enough that look more like civilian militias. These watch groups act as Brown’s eyes on
most travelers stop in Phoenix, if only for fuel and food. the streets and enact citizens arrests against suspected illegal immigrants
Until Sheriff Brown took office, Phoenix was simply that and petty criminals. His beat cops have a nationwide reputation for brutal
waypoint between more important places. It offered some nice op- and efficient enforcement. He even had a short-lived reality television
portunities to hide out for a while and the best food in the region. show centered on his “tough justice.’” Every few years, his campaigns have
But Sheriff Brown changed everything. plenty of action to point at, and he riles his base enough to win the vote
Russell Brown’s vendetta came about due to his first run-in with by a clear margin every time. Just ignore the fact that crime rates have
Disquiet. He ran across a Frankenstein escaping a burning building. He increased over his tenure, and he looks like a rather effective lawman.
looked upon the Promethean and saw the worst in the creature. He didn’t
see a piecemeal body; he saw the bodies of innocent white men, cut apart Story Hook
and sewn together as an affront to his God. Since that night in the early Everyone has a relative in Phoenix. In the case of the Created,
1990s, he’s dedicated his life to eradicating everything and everyone that everyone has a connection who happened to pass through. During
doesn’t look like “goodness” to him. His zeal and passion carried him in an investigation into her origin, a character realizes her progenitor
passed through Phoenix, where the trail died. Little did she know
the trail wasn’t the only thing to die there. When she arrives, she’s
spotted by one of Brown’s deputy surveillance teams. She isn’t
Phoenix Deputy immediately hunted, but the moment a Wasteland pops up, her
face ends up on wanted posters with massive rewards.
(New Merit, • to •••••)
Sheriff Brown’s deputies undergo extensive training as
The Wasted Land
part of his agenda. Even for those who aren’t inducted Columbus, Ohio, United States
into the full truth, he provides tactics and techniques
specifically geared toward hunting Created threats. At Some parts of the United States have less unemployment. Some
each level in this Merit, a deputy gains further advan- have less crime. In some, the racial tensions run hotter. People pay
tages. As well, this Merit adds to any Intimidation rolls attention to statistics. What bleeds leads in the world of news. By
made against residents of Phoenix or those aware of whatever criteria, the city that’s the worst gets attention. The city
Brown’s brutal reputation. They also add this Merit to that’s second place gets overlooked. Columbus suffers for not being
any roll to resist the effects of Disquiet. the worst at anything, and because of this, it’s arguably the worst at
• All deputies receive basic training in where to everything. Columbus’s problems aren’t the worst so it’s not worth
strike hardest. Deputies enjoy the 9-again quality on attention, and it’s most certainly not worth solutions.
Firearms, Brawl, and Weaponry attacks. Columbus is the most populous city in Ohio and its capital
•• Deputies quickly make connections on the street. They city. It’s home to nearly one million people, or two million in
gain a dot of Allies and Contacts related to their job. its wide, expansive metropolitan area. It’s a moderately affluent
city for its region, with many successful international businesses
••• Extensive training in lethality becomes a priority based within. This optimistic picture doesn’t extend far outside
for ranking deputies. All successful Firearms, Brawl,
the downtown area, though. Blocks away from multi-billion dollar
and Weaponry attacks cause one additional point of
lethal damage. insurance conglomerates, destitute people shoot each other in the
streets. One block north, however, Columbus looks every bit the
•••• At this level, the deputy is informed of the hip, quirky arts city.
ungodly truth about the enemy. They receive an A large portion of Columbus consists of the Ohio State
Investigation Specialty in Prometheans and the University and surrounding student housing. The University is
Interdisciplinary Specialty and Area of Expertise
the city’s largest employer and guarantees an influx of both new
Merits tied to that Specialty.
residents and outside money. Created that visit Columbus often
••••• Deputies are taught to work effortlessly as a flock around the campus area, since very few of the locals are from
team to overcome great threats. If one has this level, a the area and thus they can’t as easily place when something is out
team can use teamwork actions (see p. 202) for at- of the ordinary. The clusters of tiny neighborhoods around campus
tack rolls with any other character with a dot or more shift in population in both the Spring and the Fall, so strangeness
in this Merit.
dilutes and quickly vanishes from the public’s memory.

285
 CHAPTER SIX: JOURNEYS

History it is attracting a number of amateur “ghost hunters” who visit the

Josefinium in hopes of uncovering the mysterious apparition. So far,
Everywhere you go, everyone you talk to about Columbus will the college officials have kept these investigations out of non-public
tell you something that “used to be” important and special about areas. As local news scrambles for ratings, stations have discussed
the city. It “used to be” a center of aviation. It “used to be” a prom- features on the team, and the college.
inent base of industrial and mining labor movements. It “used to
be” a city known for progressive approaches to women’s rights.
This hits home with the Created, as every Promethean “used to
A City Divided
be” something else entirely.
Columbus was, and indeed is, known for its Frankensteins.
Johannesburg (“Joburg”),
German and Dutch immigrants brought more than farming, brew- Gauteng, Republic of South
ing, and architecture with them to the Americas. Some scientists Africa
in the 18th and 19th centuries fled persecution for their terrifying
Gold is the goal of the amateur alchemist, before the metaphor
practices in mimicking life. Their Protestant peers eschewed such
for perfection is realized. That doesn’t lessen the value of the
studies. As they fled to the United States, these scientists changed
mineral in the minds of learned men, nor the possession of gold
their names and memorized whatever they could not stow secretly
as symbolic power.
in grain barrels across the Atlantic. They moved west to avoid
There’s gold in Joburg, but there’s pyrite too. The city is cycli-
more conservative scrutiny, and many settled in Columbus and
cally crumbling and birthing itself anew. Older streets bustling a
Pittsburgh. Some passed away having never successfully stolen the
generation ago are redolent with urban decay. Shiny new tourist
Divine Fire. Some died at the hands of their creations. Some fled
traps spring up, eclipsing corroded clubs a few streets over. The city
further west still.
becomes an almost literal wasteland in the winter time; don’t believe
The suburb Bexley has been home to a number of Tammuz,
the tourist guides that call the weather pleasantly cool. Despite the
particularly in the last decade. One who goes by the name of Henry
transition to democracy, old racial wounds still fester. Too long the
has carefully rooted himself in Columbus. He leaves for months
nation’s wealth flowed into gilded coffers, including those held by
at a time in order to keep the neighborhood safe from becoming a
a local group of alchemists, fanning the flames of racial hatred to
Wasteland, but returns a few times a year in order to mentor young
work experiments on those they considered little more than spare
Tammuz on their Pilgrimages. He encourages his students to watch
parts. The Created of the city are nearly all natives and nearly all
Promethean activity in the nearby suburb of Whitehall, since it’s
Frankensteins, five decades’ worth of offspring from apartheid
strangely prone to Wasteland effects.
demiurges following Herr Doktor’s notes.
Story Hooks Joburg isn’t one of South Africa’s three capital cities, but it is
the wealthiest and it’s considered the lightning capital of the world,
Columbus remains a hidden library of dark sciences. A
having more annual strikes than nearly any other city on the planet.
Frankenstein attempting to learn her alchemical origins or any
The massive crime afflicting the city resulted in the government
Promethean attempting to understand his condition may find hid-
literally putting a CCTV camera on every street corner. It is also
den knowledge in Columbus. Most of the authors of these tomes
the world’s largest city not situated on a river, lake, or coastline.
are long-since dead, but their creations’ Repute carries far; rumors
of these libraries pass along campfire tales among the Frankensteins. History
Just east of Bexley, in Whitehall, the city is falling apart despite
The Witwatersrand gold mine’s striking in the late 19th century
all efforts to reform and rebuild. Much of the suburb today comes
brought a massive wave of Dutch and German immigrants. Among
from the remnants of tight-knit military housing, which has long-
them were descendants of Ingolstadt students, carrying with them
since fallen to slums. These cul-de-sacs now act as staging grounds
a full set of good Doctor Frankenstein’s working laboratory notes.
for police special weapons teams eager to crack down on drugs and
Their grandchildren — the Dippelgesellschaft, a splinter faction
violence. An elected county judge personally owns over a fourth
of the larger Pristine Order of the Auric Chalice — retained the
of these properties and rapidly cycles residents through the justice
alchemical predilections and national pride of their forebears,
system, then personally sues them for contract violations. This area
endearing them to the pro-Nazi sympathizers within the Afrikaner
is a hotbed of Torment and risks spreading outward. The entire
ruling class that instituted apartheid. Made up of five extended
area of Whitehall is perpetually under the effects of a Category 1
families, the society remains a silent power in the city.
Wasteland. Any Prometheans causing Wasteland effects immediately
For half a century, the racist, segregationist ideology concen-
start at Category 2 in Whitehall.
trated the nation’s power into the hands of the few, and the grand-
On the north side of town, the Pontifical College Josefinium
children of Frankenstein used their wealth and the rampant crime
is seasonal home to a Galateid Promethean that calls itself The
in the city to follow in his footsteps. Apartheid’s legacy endures in
Saint. It appears to some of the students and faculty at the college,
the form of persistent racial tensions and economic disparity; the
offering “revelation.” It researches each potential candidate, and
city’s Wretched and alchemists are a microcosm of this legacy, held
takes the image of whomever or whatever it feels he most needs to
fast by skin color and Disquiet. Disenfranchised and outcast, the
see. So far, it has managed to remain free of undue suspicion, but

286
 the broken chain

Frankensteins form unstable, uneven throngs concentrated around bonds west of the Massif du Nord, the mountain that gently slopes
SoWeTo (South Western Townships), an adjacent city essentially on the city’s horizon. The brands crack within days and cannot be
created by segregation. The vast Reefs full of gold mining concerns reforged inside national borders, leaking Pyros in their sundering
are the sole area where the Wretched may safely be alone and bleed and inflicting periodic Wastelands on the island.
off Torment without wrecking the city’s power grid even further.
Story Hooks
Story Hook A national treasure of Haiti, the Black Maroon is a massive
Unlike his cousins, one Chalice alchemist is willing to deal: the statue of a former slave blowing a conch shell with one hand and
Dippelgesellschaft is intensely backstabbing, as only families can be. grasping a machete with the other. A broken chain completes the
He asks Wretched to murder three of his cousins under the guise of symbolism. While simply residing within Haiti slowly degrades
street killings; in exchange, he offers access to the Quicksilver and the integrity of an alchemical throng, actually touching the Black
Gold Athanors jealously guarded by the society, as well as copies of Maroon instantly sunders the bonds. Curiously, the Azothic mem-
Frankenstein’s notes. If the Wretched of SoWeTo are asked, they ory is blank on the topic.
report that such offers are becoming increasingly common, and A Centimanus comes to the characters, asking for help. The
they’re torn between believing it’s a trick to enslave them or whether Mantle of Lordship will not function on the island and his former
the society is far more fragile than it appears. servants are now hunting him, following a sublimatus that commands
their loyalty through charisma and fellowship rather than mystical
The Broken Chain authority.
An Aurum Athanor exists on the isle of Tortuga, but it was left by
Port-au-Prince, Ouest, Promethean pirates several hundred years ago. The key to unlocking
Republic of Haiti it is, reasonably enough, engaging in high piracy on the open seas.

Haiti is built on the hope of freedom from bondage. The Haitian The Mother of Monsters
people have a pride about them, a sense of grand accomplishment,
persisting despite adversity. Unfortunately, Haiti has seen a great Prague, Czech Republic
deal of adversity: a succession of coups, occupations, and endemic,
permanent corruption, not to mention persistent environmental City of a Hundred Spires: this is how Prague styles herself. A
difficulties. Adversity brings out the best and worst in people, so metropolis that held the title of the epicenter of European art and
it’s little surprise that it draws Prometheans as well, seeking to free culture for century after century, Prague’s cosmopolitan essence is
themselves from the chains of Disquiet. Every type of person and built into her bricks, irrevocably intertwined with her people. Three
interaction are available within Port-au-Prince, and the island offers Pragues stretch towards the sky — the ancient, the Communist, the
a relatively pleasant Wastes in the form of the Plains de Cul du Sac. modern. It has reinvented itself a dozen times over,
Yet even willing bindings cannot persist long in Port-au-Prince, for Matur Urbina, the Mother of Cities: this is how others style
a throng in Haiti soon becomes in-name-only. Prague. Prometheans view the city as a mother, for no other city
has the Created written into their history and hearts. City natives,
History used to tourism and travelers, regard transients with a brusque
During the Golden Age of Piracy, the many tiny islands sur- and business-like demeanor — an attitude many Prometheans find
rounding Haiti (Tortuga most notably) played host to privateers and refreshingly straightforward. Without lingering long enough for
buccaneers alike. The spirit of independence persisted despite the Disquiet to take hold, Prometheans can find any experience they
heavy importation of slaves, and was inflamed further by the French desire on the city streets. Beyond that, Prometheans seek an un-
Revolution. It’s a point of honor that the Maroon revolutionaries derstanding of their kind that can’t be gleaned from the Azothic
of Haiti achieved the only successful slave rebellion in all of history. memory, and Prague is perhaps the only city in the world with a
A few years later, the few remaining white landowners were massa- favorable legend. The golem’s tale draws many Unfleshed to the
cred, an act that turned a sympathetic world against the fledgling city, seeking commonality from a highly individualistic Lineage.
nation. Decades later, Haiti’s isolation was ended by a humiliating History
reparations deal with France, permanently crippling the economy.
Port-au-Prince has yet to recover from a horrifying earthquake, Prague has existed since before human history; for all of that
followed by one of the largest cholera outbreaks in modern history time, it has hosted Prometheans. The Celtic Ulgan native to the
— an outbreak the natives attribute to a local UN base dumping area formed pacts with Roman Galateids and Osirians for centuries
raw sewage into a river used for public consumption. A rainy season before the birth of Christ. The city boasted a cosmopolitan reputa-
that lasts eight months, coupled with rampant poverty and unem- tion, flourishing long centuries before it was the imperial capital of
ployment, further weakened the aggrieved populace. Worsening the the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages. Much of the city’s
situation are the Firestorms periodically ripping through the city, history can be seen in well-preserved structures; even the bombing
exacerbated by the inability of alchemical brands to maintain their raids during World War II left huge swaths of the city intact. As a
result, the city boasts a higher-than-average number of Athanors, a

287
 CHAPTER SIX: JOURNEYS

situation that — beyond its importance to Promethean history and

the fact that Disquiet finds little purchase in long-term residents
— makes Prague an attractive destination for travelling throngs.
Walk down the cobblestone road to see the medieval-era Prague
Castle, and you’ll pass both the massive blocky Ministry of Defense,
a building made in the inimitable Soviet style, and a glass skyscraper
stretching high into the night. Keep walking, and you’ll find no less
than three trendy bars that aren’t more than five years old apiece,
and hear seven different languages spoken, shouted, and laughed
into the night.
The city’s most famous Promethean heritage is far quieter. While
the original golem was an Unfleshed, Loew’s son used his method
to create a Tammuz, drawing a body from the Jewish Quarter’s
cemetery to serve as guardian of his people. Disquiet pressed the
progeny to leave and begin the Great Work, but he left a progeny
from the cemetery in turn. Each Tammuz (and, on occasion,
Unfleshed) created from the graveyard by the Loew method spends
at least a decade serving the people of Prague, keeping their ancient
bargain with the rabbi’s descendants and preserving an unbroken
Promethean oral tradition stretching back centuries. The sons and
daughters of Loew are considered somewhere between prophets and
superstars by the local Created. While tourists bleed money on the
cobblestones, the Loew lineage (not Lineage) walks the streets to
bind ghosts, clash with demons, and keep their mother vital and
hale by eliminating other supernatural threats.

Story Hooks
Prague has one of the busiest metro systems in the world, run-
ning over twenty hours a day. Though the rail system was designed
and construction began prior to World War II, much of the heavy
sections of the metro were constructed during the Soviet era of
Prague. Consequently, the metro features architecture that’s mod-
ern, yet severe. It also features a number of hidden rails and survival
chambers built for high government officials in case of an American
nuclear strike. Rumors abound that one of the reclusive Nuclear
Prometheans has made an ironic lair in one of these chambers, but
the records of their locations and access points were lost in the fall
of the Soviet Union.
The Old Jewish Quarter of the city has existed since medieval
times, even though it’s a shadow of its former self. Visitors flock to
the synagogues and the Jewish graveyard, where limited space neces-
sitated building atop extant gravestones. As a result, the graveyard is
an eclectic mix of headstones and graves from a millennium of use.
Rabbi Loew’s grave is still well preserved and a tourist attraction,
as is the synagogue where the original golem is rumored to be in
the attic (he isn’t). The pilgrim marks near the headstone hint at
how to access the Plumbum Athanor that is in the attic, however.
Barrandov Studios controls most of the filming in Prague, and
over the past decade the city’s become an extremely popular des-
tination when a film’s got to have an “old European” feel. Many
Prometheans find movie work, allowing them to explore a huge
variety of roles (and Roles) and get paid for it, too. Prague’s become
well known for background actors who won’t break character, even
when the cameras stop rolling.

288
 mother of monsters

Now only a gift shop for Prague Castle, the Golden Way was The medieval center of town is home to the Prague orloj, the
once a bustling street and the repository of ancient alchemical world-famous astrological clock (and the Prague clocktower pub
texts. Though it played host to dozens — possibly hundreds — of crawl, a lesser-known but equally reputed attraction). A triumph
Athanors and secrets over the course of centuries, the structures and of medieval engineering, the clock keeps track of astrological signs,
atmosphere that allowed access to those Athanors are long gone. making it a handy reference for the alchemist far away from home.
However, the recent film industry boom has given hope that such Strangely, the clock also seems to regulate Disquiet within the square
an atmosphere can be artificially recreated on lighted sets. The Loew itself, gradually stepping it down and alleviating the worst afflicted.
lineage is particularly interested in this, looking to acquire financing. This effect extends to much of the city, making the metropolis
well-suited for long-term Promethean habitation.

289
 THE GREAT WORK:
EPILOGUE
“I’m sorry,” the cab driver said, “I really thought you were someone else!”
Roark nodded. “It’s all right. I get that a lot.”
He tipped the driver. He counted the bills left in his wallet. It was enough to take another cab home, and then grab a
bite to eat. Budgeting was something all humans had to do, and he was a fast learner.
The neon light palm in the front window was lit, and a plaque hung on the door.
“Sofie Weiss, Medium,” he said to himself. “This is it.”
He knocked on the door. When nothing happened, he knocked again.
“Appointments only!” yelled a voice from behind the door.
“Sofie,” Roark said, “It’s me.”
After a moment of silence, Roark heard the sound of multiple locks clicking open. Sofie, the woman Roark knew as
Wisher, cracked the door open. She leaned into the open space. Her face looked softer, her eyes were green and bright,
but the wide-eyed look of awe hadn’t changed. He would have to draw this later.
Sofie said, “Come inside. I don’t have an appointment for another hour.”
He told her everything over tea: how Imam fought the wave of Pandorans the creature left at the car, how they drove
into town to lure them away from the clearing and to get help, and how they repaired Clay’s Girl and waited for her to
return to life. They went to find Sofie, but the search was fruitless. Roark had only been able to track her down a few
weeks ago.
Sofie told him a summary of what happened: in a daze, she had wandered onto the road. She wasn’t sure who picked
her up, but when she came to, she knew that she was Sofie Weiss, and that she had been gone for a long time. It was
only recently that her memories as Wisher resurfaced.
“Why aren’t the others with you?” she asked.
He answered, “We’re apart for now. Imam’s working in Canada, and Clay’s Girl went hitchhiking down in Arizona.
We call each other now and then.”
“Then what about you?”
“I came here to find you, to congratulate you.”
Sofie smiled and wiped tears from her eyes. “Thank you, Roark.”
He finished the last of his tea and checked his phone. He sighed. “I should get going. It’s about time.” He
stood up to leave.
Sofie grabbed his arm and handed him a business card. “If the others don’t feel like talking,” she said,
“call me.”
Roark ran the card between his fingers. His hands should have stained the paper with dirt and grass, but
the illusion of the fire prevented that. Perhaps one day he wouldn’t need it. He slipped the card into his pocket.
“I should be thanking you now,” he said. “Not just for the card.”
Sofie let out a sob.
Roark wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight. He whispered to her, “Have a nice life, Sofie
Weiss. You’ve earned it.”
 m a y le a rn a n d pr os pe r by my misery.
se t do w n m y st or y, th a t a n y who f ind it ea ti on , in th a t da m gr a ve ya rd.
And hereto I e w ee k s a ft er a ba n do n in g m y child, my cr ld . W h en I re a ch ed the
I came to th e se a th re ed w est, as I told h im I w ou , d seen the River,
ot f in d h im , so I w a lk ow th a t I
I searched but I did ne sand and I thought of what I might do now, nthat leaving that boy behind
sea, I sat there in th sin on my head. Two, I suppose, because I new
now I had a mortal . , or to re a d. I n ew th e marks
must be a mor ta l si n us e I di w ri te
dn t no how, to s or words. I decided to learn,
bu t th in k , th o, be ca
I could ,do nothing rns and trees and signs, but I didn t no letter you read this, I learned.
that the bos made ont batask, and it took me a while, but as you can see, if
so I put myself to tha y ow n gu n un de r m y chin. I
So can you. evening, after I pu t m
te ll yo u a bo ut th e R iv er . I di ed on e
sh im m er in g, a lm os t li k e it were made
I want to w h os e w a te r seemed still an d e R iver, and then
on th e ba n k s of a R iv er n d so I dr in k ed fr om th
woke up
a s th ir st y be ca us e of th e bl a ck blizzards, a s bones, and he was still old in body,,
of starlite. I w ch il d, m y cr ea ti on . H e w a s st ill skinny a
se yo u ca n w a lk w ith me.
and there I sa w m y ,, I’m sorry, I’m so sorr y, of co ur , t come back to you
d I sa w to h im , n d I ca n
but yung in soul, a,,n pa, I can, t. I walkt on like you told me to, a
And he ,said, Pa .,, w es t, I , ll feel your f ire
de a d n ow
because you re g as I said it, ,, But I could f ind you if you ju st w a lk
And I said,,,cryin a s it ta ut yo u. Please keep
and f in d yo u. ” ,, hat happened ta ut m e, ju st fo r now,
m y h a n ds a n d h e sa id , W e in th e gr a ve ya rd . B ut
And he took e, yo u ca n te ll m e w h a t yo u men,,t to tell m
walking. If you f ind mthe world and you keep walking. ” m e, th a t h e w er en,t
you just come back to en. I new that this was just a show that the Rivergoodga, velike I had really seen
And I felt better th y I weren, t either, but it felt better. It felt
really there and proba. bl ds a n d m y fa ce . I st ared out
him and talk t to h im washed ,off m y h a n
w n on th e ba n k s of th a t R iv er a n d I
sw im it . B ut th en I h er d a voice inside,
I sat do
os s th e R iv er , a n d th a t th a ut maybe I d er e. ,,
into the bl a ck a cr ,, G a lv eston, you go ba ck up th er d it pe rfect.
r vo ic e, a n d it sa id , h er e a t th e R iv er I h
the me-but-olde ear before. It was mostly just a feeling, but ul d le a rn , ev en if it hurts.
It never sp ok e so cl e I li ze d I co
felt hope. I rea n, t really remember, but I did
m e w it h jo y, bu t m a yb
I won’t sa, y it f ild got back up away from the River because I do to read and write. And this
I can t say how I , and I asked the father there to teach me here in the graveyard, so
it, and I went to churgchI’ve wrote on my own, and I’m gonna leave it
here is the f irst thine me sees it, it can help them learn.
maybe if someone lik August 1933
— Gavelston, 18
 Promethean presents a few challenges to a Storyteller, whether she’s been running the game
for many years or this is her first time behind the screen. This chapter presents a set of tools
to help mitigate those challenges, including working out milestones for a throng, gathering
the characters into a cohesive group, or handling one character undergoing the New Dawn
while his player wants to keep taking part in the game.

Gathering the Throng

Rather than having each player create a character independently then trying to bring
them together into a throng, it’s better for the Storyteller and players to set aside the first
session to generate characters as a group. Before anyone puts dots to paper, the Storyteller
should set the tone for the rest of the game. If she’s got a particularly strong idea for how the
chronicle will start (such as “The Mother We Share,” p. 294), she should be up front about
that. If she’d rather let the players take the lead, that’s also fine, but she needs to know what
they want from the game.
“The very purpose of
Once the group has a broad premise, move on to asking specific questions to help refine existence is to recon-
what the group can expect from play. The four questions below are a good fit for almost every cile the glowing opin-
Promethean game; the latter two extend past that to most games in general. The whole group, ion we hold of our-
the Storyteller included, should work together to answer them and get a foundation for the selves with the appall-
world. Sometimes a Storyteller starts with a strong vision of the story that they want to tell. ing things that other
It’s worth asking these questions anyway. If the players have a strong preference that breaks
away from the Storyteller’s plans, she should work with them to find a middle ground, figuring
people think about us.”
out things everyone can agree on and building her ideas from there.
Will the story focus on one place, or travel a lot? —Quentin Crisp
In many ways, the default Promethean game is a little like a road movie or the 1970s
Incredible Hulk television show. A group of misfits, unable to blend in with humanity as a
whole, travels from place to place. In some areas they cause problems, in others they resolve
problems, and as a result they learn what it is to be human. Storytellers need to be willing
to improvise and not sweat the small details. If the characters never spend more than four
sessions in one place, it’s not worth looking up every little detail about it. On the other hand,
if they like a specific place, nothing says they can’t return to it later.
A nomadic lifestyle isn’t for everyone. Giving the players a solid area to focus on — any-
where from a couple of streets to a full city — helps the story feel grounded, and gives both
players and the Storyteller a chance to develop deeper relationships with other characters,
whether they are the characters’ creators or humans with whom they have started to develop
a relationship. Building up a relationship over a number of sessions makes it all the more
poignant when it all falls apart.
Where do you want the chronicle to start?
Even if the characters will travel, knowing where the chronicle begins helps the Storyteller
set an appropriate mood. Starting in Prague gives a very different feel to a story that starts
in Los Angeles, and both are very different from Buenos Aires. The local color can say a lot
about the circumstances of a Promethean’s creation and her early life. As a starting point
for a traveling chronicle, a city or region can set up the kinds of things that the characters
are used to, what they look for in a new destination, and what they are running away from.
For a game that will remain in the one place, the Storyteller can do some more research
to insert appropriate weird and supernatural happenings. Focus less on the physical layout of
 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYTELLING

the region and more on important points. A biotech lab may be on might not be obvious from just the concept, while running through
the verge of creating an Unfleshed, or one of the characters could these stages after character creation means the players have a better
be that Promethean. An unexplained blaze could be the site of a idea of who their characters are and what they’re capable of.
Firestorm. Places with bad reputations could be Wastelands. Having The Storyteller starts with the player to her left. He introduces
these first few story hooks helps to draw the players into the action. himself in character — a quick run-down of name, major personality
What aspects of humanity do you want the story to trait, Lineage, and Refinement. It’s often a good idea to ask the
five questions (p. 101) at this point. The Storyteller should make
touch on? copious notes. The answers also give the other players a chance to
Promethean is a game about people who learn how to be human, work out what the character is all about. This continues clockwise;
but “human” is a wide umbrella. Humanity includes paragons of if the player can’t come up with an answer to one of the questions
virtue, who perform great acts of sacrifice and love to improve the he may want to ask the others at the table for some ideas.
lives of thousands. It also includes the worst elements of society: Once everyone has answered the five questions, move back
bigots, abusive spouses and parents, rapists, murderers, and serial to the player on the Storyteller’s left. He makes a brief statement
killers. The vast majority of people fall between those two extremes, about how his character came to meet one of the other characters.
living their lives, watching television, and trying not to catch the The other player then adds an extra detail to their meeting. This
attention of the things that lie in the cracks of the world. process continues clockwise around the players. Nobody can select
This question highlights aspects that the players want to touch a character with whom their character has an existing relationship.
on. This is their chance to include parts of humanity in their char- The Storyteller or one of the other players should make notes of
acters’ quest. Dealing with abusive families or bigots in the game can these links.
be an empowering experience, and this is the chance for players to For example, Carol’s player says, “Carol met Dane when she
bring up what they want to deal with. Likewise, if they want to focus was in the throes of Torment and he was watching her, studying
on the slice-of-life mundanity of most people, then the Storyteller what happened.” Dane’s player might reply “Dane thought the
should give them plenty of chances to look at normal human lives whole thing was quite beautiful, but would never admit to admiring
and wonder, “is this it?” another Created’s Torment.”
What themes are off the table? A throng of Created is a rare thing; this step means that the
The converse to the previous question, the Storyteller can either characters know one another and the Storyteller doesn’t have to
ask this as a group or bring it up with each player in private. Bringing rely on a hackneyed “you all meet in a bar” style opening. Getting
up past trauma in the course of a game can have a real negative effect the throng together can be a very tricky story to pull off well, relying
on some players. Survivors of sexual abuse and the children of abu- as it does on dividing the spotlight between the various characters
sive parents may not want to touch on those elements in the game. and hoping that everyone works together. Starting with a throng
Other players may get enough bigoted comments in their normal already formed makes for a better introduction to a story that covers
lives that they want to enjoy the game without experiencing them. more ground.
The Storyteller needs to listen to her players’ answers to this Once everyone’s established their relationship and how the
question and act upon them. She shouldn’t ask for an explanation throng knows one another, go around the table one more time.
unless the player offers one. Asking people to justify their discomfort This time, each player names one person or place that his character
means that they may well back down and sit through a story that associates with — the shallow grave he crawled out of, the weird guy
rekindles real-life trauma. Instead, the Storyteller should listen to who he keeps seeing, the kind man who gave the Created his jacket
her players and not put these elements in the game. or shoes, the abandoned house where he rests. These characters and
players are the Storyteller’s responsibility in play, but to start with
The Alchemical Record they help to ground each character. Finally, everyone connects their
character with another one of these names or places, providing links
When all the players have answered the questions above, move between characters via the people and places they interact with.
on to character creation. Players should come up with a concept That kind man who gave Dane his shoes is also the security guard
first, and then share them with the group. If two players want to who is trying to catch Carol in the abandoned house where she
play the same kind of character, they should discuss how they can rests. This brings up another source of conflict between the players
differentiate the two, or whether one (or both) would prefer to play The resulting spider’s web of connections may look messy, but
a different concept. The concept for a Promethean should include the Storyteller (or one of the players) can clean it up later on, and
an idea of both the character’s Lineage and initial Refinement. host it online or bring it to future sessions. It gives everyone a good
Once everyone’s agreed, they may find it handy to write their con- idea of where the story started, as well as where it’s going.
cept on a sticky note or index card in front of them. Alternately,
the Storyteller might have a large sheet of paper and colored pens,
or mind-mapping software on a tablet to help with the next step.
The Mother We Share
Once everyone has a broad idea of what their character’s concept One of the easiest ways to give a throng a common purpose is
is, go around the table and get some more information. These steps to give them a shared history. A specific starting point can help
can happen before or after the players start recording Attributes, players unfamiliar with Promethean get into the story quickly, and
Skills, and the like. Doing them beforehand can identify Skills that gives the throng a shared goal from the start. That added sense of

294
 gathering the throng

focus and direction can help keep the story moving if it ever feels need to pick up those same skills. As such, a Created is a patchwork
like it might stall out. of knowledge even if he is not a patchwork of people.
The simplest setup is to have all of the characters be Extempore, Some groups may enjoy the idea of putting their Created’s
with their Azoth and link to the Divine Fire created ex nihilo by skills in the hands of one another — or random chance. The first
outside actions. A powerful Created attempting — and failing — the method gives a measure of cohesion, while the second can provide
New Dawn, a raging Wasteland, or a Firestorm can all provide the raw some bizarre results. In both cases, the player still chooses the key
power necessary to raise the dead as Created. Created by one event, details of her character.
no one character knows more about her condition than the others. The first method works best with four or more players, but it
Sharing a Lineage means that the choices each character makes does need the Storyteller to be prepared. She’ll need multiple colors
are more important, as each one sets her apart from her fellows. of pen and lots of index cards. She should have at least three cards
Extempore isn’t properly a Lineage, but a group of Prometheans per player, each marked with one of the categories of Skills. If she
all animated in the same instance creates a bond very much like has four players, she needs twelve cards — four each with Mental
a Lineage. A game of Extempore is also well suited to players who Skills, four with Physical Skills, and so on. If the group is amenable
aren’t familiar with Promethean, as the characters’ disconnection to the idea, it’s easy to branch out into Attributes as well, either by
from the Azothic memory means they do not have any real precon- including them on the same card as the Skills or by having them
ceptions as to their place in the world, or what the world expects of on separate cards.
them. This story is one of discovery — not just the Created learning The Storyteller needs a stack of index cards listing the Mental,
what it means to be human, but of tabula rasa who must discover Physical, and Social Attributes and Skills. It’s up to her whether the
what they are before finding out what they might become. Attributes and Skills are on the same card, offering some cohesion
A related story uses the Unfleshed as protagonists. Nothing says between likely dice pools, or whether they’re on separate cards, giv-
that a demiurge can only create one Promethean at once. He might ing a chance for the players to discover some unlikely combinations.
build a family of clockwork automatons for a theme park that jerk She needs one card of each category per player and a number
to life when lightning hits his workshop. He might be developing of pens of different colors. Each player takes one card per category.
variant state vectors from the neural map of a spiny lobster, hoping For Attributes, fill in three dots in the first color, then one more
for human-like intelligence. Or he may find the hidden port where dot in each other color. For Skills, fill in four dots in one color and
a modified Antikythera mechanism can bring a group of ancient note a Specialty in one of them. Then, fill out then three dots in
statues to life. another color, and four more in a third. Either use the same colors
The Unfleshed, at least partly aware of their condition through throughout the group (e.g. green for the first set, blue for the second
the Azothic memory, have a more pressing challenge: their shared set, red for the third set), or note down which color corresponds
demiurge. They’ll need to escape quickly — anyone driven enough to which priority.
to create more than one of the Unfleshed won’t like having a group The Storyteller gathers up the cards, sorts them in to piles cor-
of Created who have their own ideas about the purpose of their responding to the Skills, and shuffles each pile. Each player then
existence. Once they’ve escaped, the throng has two goals. The draws one card for each category of Skills. She can choose which
first is much the same as that of any other group of Prometheans, category is primary (taking all the filled in dots), which is second-
studying the Refinements in order to move along the Pilgrimage. ary, and which is tertiary. The character will end up with the right
Unlike other stories, the threat of the characters’ demiurge should number of Skill dots and appropriate Specialties, but it’s up to the
remain ever-present in the background, a problem that they need player to work out what they all mean together — much like it’s up
to deal with at some point. to the Created to work out what their abilities mean.
Storytellers can build similar stories around any dramatic starting The second method is better suited to smaller groups, and can be
point. A throng of Tammuz all crawl from the earth at the same done by each player on their own, but it does bring a greater degree
point; their birthing ground is a stretch of desert that the mob in of randomness. Each player decides how to prioritize Attributes and
Las Vegas uses for dumping bodies. Each member of a branded Skills. She then rolls that number of dice. For Attributes, each die
throng performs the generative act at the same time, leaving clues showing 1–3 is a dot in the Power Attribute, each showing 4–6 is a
for the new Created to find one another but no hints as to their dot in the Finesse Attribute, and each showing 7–9 is a dot in the
creators’ identities. Starting the throng off with something that Resistance Attribute. Characters start with one dot in each Attribute
links them beyond the shared desire to complete the Pilgrimage as normal. Roll any dice showing 10 until they show a number be-
helps keep them together, and gives the Storyteller a great tool to tween 1 and 9. If rolling for Mental Attributes and the dice show
keep the story moving forward. 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, that translates to Intelligence 3, Wits 2, and Resolve 3.
For Skills, re-roll any dice showing 9 or 10, and then group
Patchwork People them by number. Number the Skills in each category from 1 to
A Promethean does not spring to life ex nihilo, replete with 8, starting at the top. Count down the Skill list according to the
knowledge of the world. She knows things without knowing how she number shown on the dice — if two dice show 3 when rolling for
knows. She may be an expert programmer, or a master martial-artist, Physical Skills, then counting down from the top that means the
but she never needed the training or expertise that normal humans character has two dots of Drive.

295
 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYTELLING

Whichever method you use, once the players have determined Finally, one thing that some groups might find fun is to mix
Attributes and Skills character creation proceeds as normal. things up. Everyone writes down Roles on small pieces of paper,
folds them up, and draws from a hat. It’s up to the players whether
Pilgrimage: they look and so know the path their characters’ take, or if they
leave it up to the Storyteller.

The Long Road When each character has her Pilgrimage set, by whatever means,
the Storyteller can use the first steps to weave the characters together.
The player and Promethean both know the Role that the character is
As mentioned in Chapter Three (Defining the Path, p. 177), each
currently working toward — and the next Role the character will take
Promethean has a specific path through the Refinements in front of
— even if they do not know which is next on the character’s Pilgrimage.
her. That path is a key part of her Pilgrimage; without completing it,
Complementary Roles, or even characters taking on the same Role,
she can’t go through the New Dawn. Just one problem: she doesn’t
can give characters reason to work together beyond their initial rela-
know the path ahead of her. The player chooses the Pilgrimage, but
tionships. The Storyteller also has a better idea of where the first few
the character needs to discover it.
sessions should go to give the characters a headstart on the Pilgrimage.
A player chooses her character’s path through the Pilgrimage,
selecting which Refinements and Roles his character must master.
He can either do this as part of character creation or after the first Pilgrimage Creation
couple of sessions has given him a better idea of his character’s Ava and Milly sit down to work out a Pilgrimage for Seeda, the
personality and the kind of challenges that would be fun for her to character from p. 103. She starts play following the Refinement of
face. A Pilgrimage Sheet — a list of Refinements and Roles that a Gold in the Leader Role. This is a pretty natural starting point for
player can use to track his character’s path, as well as those elements the character. Milly has some ideas about where she wants Seeda’s
that she has completed — can help both players and Storytellers in story to go and what would make sense on her Pilgrimage, but
this regard. asks Ava to keep four Roles secret. She wants a little of the thrill
Some groups won’t be happy with the idea that everyone knows of discovery in play.
their characters’ Pilgrimages. Others may enjoy coming up with Milly sets down a Pilgrimage Sheet. She’s already filled out
some elements but still want the surprise of working out their char- Leader under Aurum, and has further marked off Aes, Cobalus,
acters’ ultimate fate. While each character’s starting Refinement and Ferrum, and Phosphorum as other Refinements she wants to hit.
Role is on their Pilgrimage, they want the rest to remain unknown. Ava points out that she needs at least one more basic Refinement.
The Storyteller has a couple of options available, depending on her Aes, Cobalus, and Phosphorum are all complex Refinements, and
players’ tastes. she has to have a similar number of basic Refinements. She suggests
The first is perhaps the simplest, but it takes the most work. Stannum — specifically, the Vigilante Role — and Milly agrees.
The Storyteller defines a Pilgrimage for each character, based on Having identified six Refinements, the pair now moves on to
their answers to the five questions and the group creation process Roles. In addition to Leader and Vigilante, Milly suggests Bodyguard
above. This allows the Storyteller to link the Pilgrimage through (under Aes), Confessor (for Cobalus), Soldier (for Ferrum), and
the Refinements and Roles with the milestones that she’s working Psychopomp (for Phosphorum).
out for each character. Though
this is great for groups that prefer
PILGRIMAGE
AES
the thrill of discovery, it puts a Bodyguard
lot of work on the Storyteller’s
shoulders and she may not be
PLUMBUM FERRUM
Soldier
ready for that.
A Pilgrimage has to encompass
at least four Refinements (two
basic, two complex) and at mini- PHOSPHORUM ARGENTUM
mum eight Roles. The Storyteller Psychopomp
might request that each player
defines part of his character’s
Pilgrimage. In addition to the STANNUM
Vigilante
CUPRUM
starting Refinement and Role, she
might ask for four more, but keep
the remaining three (or more)
secret from the player. This helps MERCURIUS COBALUS
get a sense of the player’s idea Confessor

Leader
of the alchemical journey while AURUM

Milly Seeda
needing to discover the rest of his
character’s journey. PLAYER: CHARACTER:

296
 milestones

Ava makes a copy and thinks about how Seeda’s Roles play out Perhaps the trickiest milestones for the Storyteller to create are
with one another, and how they interact with her answers to the prescriptive milestones — not just the points at which a character can
five questions. She notes down Follower (under Aurum) and Martyr complete a Role, but other milestones that give the Promethean a
(under Ferrum) as Roles that will give Seeda a more rounded view chance to demonstrate what he has learned (or should have learned)
of her attitude towards humans. She also records Whip (under from his existence so far.
Phosphorum) — while Seeda might not seek it out initially, she can Milestones also act as a pacing mechanism for the story. By
learn valuable lessons about helping people to change then watching
spreading out major and superlative milestones, and using a number
what happens without intervening from the Role. of minor milestones to keep characters motivated between the steps
Finally, she marks Cuprum as a Refinement that Milly doesn’t of their Pilgrimage, the Storyteller sets the pace of a longer-running
know about and records Watcher as the linked Role. It will help chronicle. On the other hand, if characters find it easier to achieve
reinforce the lesson that Seeda doesn’t have to be there for every-
major and superlative milestones they can progress faster through
thing — her current attitude towards protecting those close to her
their Pilgrimage, enabling a shorter chronicle to cover the significant
makes her prone to micro-management. The Watcher Role will parts of a Promethean’s existence.
shake her up and give her a chance to see that, while she’s making If running a one-shot Promethean game — such as at a con-
a positive impact, she doesn’t have to have a hand in everything.vention — a Storyteller can still include some minor milestones for
While Milly doesn’t yet know that Seeda has to complete any each character, but change them to reward Willpower or Pyros. That
Roles on Cuprum, Ava plans on revealing the information early way, they’re still an important part of the game even when Vitriol
on through an Elpis vision. is a less useful resource. The Storyteller should create each of the
characters beforehand with notes
for herself on milestones and
PILGRIMAGE
AES
Bodyguard the answers to the five questions
already filled out.
One of the best ways to track
PLUMBUM FERRUM
Soldier
milestones is via notes, either phys-
Martyr ical sticky notes or index cards, or
a note-taking app for a tablet or
PHOSPHORUM ARGENTUM laptop. Milestones are one of the
Psychopomp parts of Promethean that benefit
Whip most from the Storyteller being
prepared.
STANNUM
Vigilante
CUPRUM
Watcher Instinctive
Milestones
MERCURIUS COBALUS During character creation,
Confessor players answer the five questions
Leader
AURUM (p. 101). Their answers paint a

Milly Seeda
Follower picture of the character, and the
PLAYER: CHARACTER: Storyteller should take copious
notes. If the player’s answers aren’t

Milestones
clear to her, further questions can help her understand. Providing
plenty of chances for the player to elaborate on his answers gives
everyone a better idea of the character and helps the Storyteller tailor
Part of the Storyteller’s role in any Promethean game is to create milestones to the character. Getting the players to create characters
milestones for the characters to face. The characters know about as the first session gives the Storyteller a chance to sit down and
some of them from the Azothic memory, though they don’t know work out instinctive milestones for the characters without the players
precisely what action will hit a given milestone. Ceratio, for example, getting bored and losing focus on the game.
might involve anything from mentoring another Promethean to cre- In many cases, an instinctive milestone is about choosing, not
ating an Athanor that teaches a complex Refinement to performing what choice the character makes. If her creator abandoned her, she
the generative act. Usually, it at least relates to the Promethean’s should have the chance to help — or abandon — someone who relies
understanding of the operations of the Saturnine Night. on her. Both choices fulfill the milestone. The only way to avoid
The players inform the creation of other milestones, as they it (and to risk stepping backward) is to walk away from the choice.
spring from the answers to the five questions during character The Storyteller shouldn’t pose milestones that have a “right” and a
creation. Even if the player doesn’t know the exact milestones, the “wrong” answer. The Promethean chooses for herself which answer
questions tell both him and the Storyteller about his character, so is right. Only by avoiding the situation can she avoid the milestone.
he can make an educated guess.

297
 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYTELLING

Each character will end up with around three minor, one major, Ava figures that this is a bigger lesson, one better suited to a
and one superlative milestone. Minor instinctive milestones should major or superlative milestone. She doesn’t want to bust Seeda
relate to the answer to one of the questions, and can be almost any- down straight away, but rather to highlight both sides of her current
thing. They’re often very easy to achieve. A Tammuz who has never situation. She also doesn’t want to focus all of the milestones on
had a chance to make his own decisions is asked “Where shall we the same character aspect.
go for dinner?” and comes up with an answer. An Unfleshed who She decides that the question of guilt should be a superlative
feels cut off from her Demiurge might help a lost child at a funfair milestone. Ava will put Seeda in a position where she can face
to find his parents. The most important thing about these minor great danger to rescue a human she’s befriended from the cult of
milestones is that they be something that the character can achieve alchemists who are one of her major antagonists. She’ll make it
without putting themselves out too much, they’re the early defining clear during the story that the cult don’t know for sure who the
moments in the character’s Created life. Created are in the area; going in for that rescue will cause serious
As a guide to rewards, if the character only had to experience a damage — the alchemists have laid traps for any Prometheans
situation, she gains a Vitriol Beat. This increases to two Vitriol Beats who try to uncover them. If Seeda doesn’t give in to her guilt, the
if she had to make a decision and stick with it, and three Beats if alchemists have no reason to kill the human; they scare him for a
her decision included a dice roll. while then let him go.
Major and superlative milestones draw from the same well — For Seeda’s major milestone, she has to make a real friend.
they’re questions and situations that the Created has to react to. The While just getting to know someone might be a minor milestone,
Storyteller should look at the five questions as a whole, searching Ava wants Seeda to have to go a step further. Once she’s made
for common threads that tie the answers together. The answers can a friend, he starts asking questions — not about Seeda’s Created
help you work out if the character has unresolved issues. He may nature, but about Dr. Hikari’s money. She can either take him into
feel trapped in his creator’s shadow, or that he must do right by confidence, extending her trust, or lie or dissemble, proving that
the families of the dead people he now inhabits. The answers may she’s not yet ready for that level of human intimacy.
belie something deeper. Does he hate his creator, or is he secretly For minor milestones, Ava already wants Seeda to have a chance
glad that he can hide in the shadows? Does he do his duty to the to protect someone but also to become more connected to humans.
families willingly, or is it a penance he took on to make up for his Ava makes a couple of notes reflecting moments in the story that
creator’s crime, no matter that he hates them? Finally, look at what would reflect that. The first is a simple conversation with someone
the character hates and fears about humanity; a major or superlative who doesn’t freak out. Even if it’s little more than idle chatter
milestone should definitely involve one or the other. with a barista, Seeda can hit a minor milestone worth a Vitriol
A major instinctive milestone is a turning point where the Beat. Next, she thinks about giving Seeda the chance to intervene
character makes a concrete decision. A Tammuz, made to be an in a mugging. The mugger’s only got a banana in his pocket, but
obedient servant, has a minor milestone when asked to choose his victims don’t know that. If she chooses to get involved, Seeda
what’s for dinner or where to go on a day trip. A major milestone will gain three Vitriol Beats; if she decides not to bother, she risks
then focuses on a significant decision that affects the future: does stepping back. Finally, she wants to highlight that other humans
the throng try to find the Athanor in the Minnesota forests or hunt don’t stop just because someone dies. Seeing EMTs working at the
down the Centimani operating in Cleveland? Making a decision of site of a car wreck reminds her that humans won’t stop fighting to
that magnitude is a major milestone. save people. As she doesn’t have to do anything, Ava notes that this
Superlative milestones go one further. The same character has milestone is worth one Vitriol Beat.
issues with needing to decide for himself, but also with rebelling Seeda’s — and Milly’s — reactions to these milestones will help de-
against authority — he doesn’t want anyone to tell him what to do termine what Ava comes up with when she’s determining prescribed
again. His Storyteller decides to give him a choice. Neither outcome milestones. She can build that in to how the story progresses with
is bad, but the obviously better choice involves following the orders life in New York and the throng’s encounters with the alchemist
of someone that the character doesn’t like. Will he buckle down and cult to determine what matters to Seeda.
do as he’s told, or take the other option out of a rebellious streak?
Whichever he chooses is a significant statement about his character. Another Hand
Instinctive milestones can reveal intimate details about a character
Milestone Creation — what he values, what he loves, and what he will betray. If the group
Ava takes the answers that Milly came up with during character is amenable to it, the Storyteller might prefer to work with each player
creation and starts thinking about milestones. Looking over the directly to come up with a major and a superlative milestone. Whether
answers, she sees a strong thread of guilt — Seeda wants to redeem they sit down over coffee or exchange messages online, they should work
herself, so she’s putting herself in charge and leading from the front together to come up with situations that highlight the character’s main
to keep others safe. That’s a great start, but Ava reasons that just pro- conflict. It’s still up to the Storyteller exactly how the milestone comes
viding opportunities to save her friends doesn’t teach Seeda much up in the game, and what the possible outcomes might lead to, but
about how guilt works. It’s driving her to protect her friends, but the player can help frame it to get the best buy-in for his character. For
in doing so she becomes a martyr to them — either putting herself some players, knowing what a milestone will likely involve gives them
in the way of physical harm or taking on their problems without motivation to drive the game forward into those sorts of situation. That
an outlet for her own. way, the Storyteller doesn’t have to drive the game.

298
 milestones

Some groups may be comfortable with widening the discussion Sometimes, a Promethean will hit upon a defining moment
further. At the player’s discretion, he can ask the rest of the group that characterizes how he approaches his current Role without any
for ideas with any given milestone, to see what works. He and the prompting — and without the Storyteller setting it up. She should
Storyteller have final say over the milestone, but if they’re stuck award the milestone immediately. No point in holding out for a
for ideas then getting the other players involved can help shake second, more artificial lesson. These moments can be few and far be-
things up more. tween, but they show that the character really understands the Role.
Most of the time, the Storyteller has to create the milestone
Prescribed Milestones involved in completing a Role. In addition to the suggestions listed
The Storyteller creates prescribed milestones during play, based with the Role, she should think about the character involved. If
on each character’s actions and personality. They can range from Patchwork Jack has spent a lot of time around absent and abusive
moments that challenge a Promethean’s received wisdom and un- parents, they’ll inform his view of the Leader Role. A milestone
derstanding to the defining point where a character comprehends relating to the Role would involve giving him a choice between
and internalizes a Role. being a “parent” as he’s heard of in stories, and being a parent as
Many prescribed milestones come up in play in the same way as he sees every single day.
instinctive milestones. The difference is, a Storyteller doesn’t have Remember that the milestone associated with a Role doesn’t
the five questions as a starting point. Instead, she bases them on have a right answer. If Patchwork Jack decides that being a Leader
what the character has said and done so far in the game, and on involves beating the shit out of anyone who disobeys him to make
things the player has mentioned off-hand about what he might want them fall into line, even when other people around him would
to see happen. As he doesn’t have as much input into prescribed disapprove, he still hits the milestone. He has chosen what kind of
milestones as instinctive ones, the Storyteller should make sure to parent he wants to be in a stressful situation that tests his vision of
telegraph important prescribed milestones via Elpis visions or other himself. That’s the key for milestones. Put the character in a position
obvious signs and portents within the game. Storytellers may prefer where he doesn’t have a right answer and make him choose anyway.
to tie a specific dramatic cue to significant events, to telegraph the Not all Roles end with the sudden flare of realization or a
proximity of a milestone to her players rather than their characters. dramatic moment appropriate to a public service announcement.
One character might notice a flock of black birds taking wing from a Many Prometheans live their lives in a Role, trying to act like it’s
rooftop when a milestone is close; another catches sight of a mangy normal for them to be a Soldier or a Hermit or a Vigilante. For such
raccoon in the branches of a misshapen tree. Even if they’re not a Created, the milestone strikes when he has completely internalized
particularly subtle, some groups will enjoy these dramatic cues. his Role. He has a chance to do something that would break the
Others may feel that they call attention to something in a way that character he’s built up, and he has to take a second to remember
doesn’t work for them. Neither is the “right” or “wrong” way to do that he can choose to do so. The milestone doesn’t hit when he
things; the whole group should discuss beforehand how they feel stops acting and starts being, but when he realizes what he’s done
about dramatic cues. and what he has learned.
Prescribed milestones play a significant part in a Created’s life While it might seem like these gradual awakenings to completing
as part of her Pilgrimage. While she may encounter many minor a role might lead to the character being unwilling to leave the Role
and even a few major milestones, superlative moments of under- (“Stuck in a Rut,” p. 179) that’s not the case. Many Prometheans
standing — with their associated rush of Vitriol — come about but realize that they have internalized a truth about what it means to
rarely. While the Storyteller is the ultimate arbiter of a milestone’s be human and choose to move on. Others choose to stick with a
magnitude, superlative milestones should be rare events that happen Role after reaching a defining moment, feeling that they can do
when the character demonstrates true understanding of himself more to be human if they chase other such moments.
and his path. Completing a Role that’s associated with one of the Refinements
Remember that while a player can spend Vitriol on a dot of on his Pilgrimage is always a superlative milestone. Completing a
Pilgrimage, he has to do so after a minor or major milestone — a Role associated with any other Refinement still grants the Created
superlative milestone brings a specific insight that prevents the a major milestone, and may help him in other ways — such as
character from double-dipping. preparing him to create an Athanor. A Promethean always knows
when he’s completed a Role that’s on his Pilgrimage — the rush of
Completing Roles Vitriol is greater than it would otherwise be. While he probably
won’t know if a Role is on his Pilgrimage before he completes it,
The Roles given in Chapter Three (“Taking a Role,” p. 179)
after the fact he’s in no doubt.
include some ideas for possible milestones and breaking points.
The breaking points reflect situations that make it impossible for Seeking Waypoints
the Promethean to complete a role; the milestones, however, are
just suggestions of situations that might indicate the character has Whether while pursuing a Role or seeking further insight into
internalized the Role’s lessons. As with other prescribed milestones, his Pilgrimage, a Promethean is never quite certain when he might
the Storyteller needs to fit them to the character’s personality and encounter a milestone. The Storyteller has the perfect tool at her
her actions within the Role. disposal to offer guidance to characters who lack direction; she can
trigger Elpis visions that provide clues.

299
 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYTELLING

Elpis visions come in the form of dreams, even though the While the particulars of a universal milestone vary as much
Created involved may be awake throughout. As such, they don’t give as the details of a prescribed milestone at the end of a role, a few
concrete clues. A Promethean wondering where to find his creator things remain constant. The Magnum Opus is a work of both
won’t dream of a map with a route drawn out upon it, or of the internal and external alchemy. Lighting the furnace and heating
journey to his destination with turn-by-turn notifications and handy the crucible require a deliberate act. As such, the Created has to
road signs. He dreams of symbols and portents instead, things that set out to complete one of the universal milestones; she cannot
he must decode to work out the next step in his journey. Sometimes, stumble in to them by accident. This intent isn’t connected with a
the omens in the vision are annoyingly cryptic. Sometimes, they’re single action, but rather the idea of the action — a Promethean who
blatantly obvious after a moment’s thought. decides to mentor another to achieve her multiplicato milestone has
As the Storyteller comes up with the contents of an Elpis vision, the required intent, even if it takes six months or a year to teach
it’s up to her to determine the symbols involved. While she may her protégé.
choose to use abstract imagery or to indulge her love of wordplay, she Also unlike prescribed milestones, it’s relatively easy for a
should only use them as clues if her players enjoy decoding her inten- Promethean to fail a universal milestone. Turning a fresh shell into
tions. Too many sessions slow down when players take half an hour a writing nest of Pandorans or a sublimatus doesn’t just mean that
puzzling out a vision that the Storyteller thinks is blatantly obvious. the character needs to try again — her failure made it impossible
It’s better, from a Storyteller’s perspective, for the players not to for her to complete the universal milestone this time. That failure
waste time hunting for clues. She may choose to narrate the vision is always a breaking point, risking a step backward.
and then explain it, or offer a reasonably straightforward dice pool Examples of failure states for universal milestones include:
to uncover the meaning — though only if she has suitably interesting Sublimato — Becoming a Centimanus*
options open when the dice fail. Rolling dice over and over again to Separatio — Become stuck in a Role to avoid Disquiet
interpret a dream is frustrating. Better to have something waiting Ceratio — Abandon or betray your throng; create a Jovian
at another location that the dream might point to in the event of a Athanor
failed roll. Why an Elpis vision might point to a nest of Pandorans Fermentatio — Performing a lacuna*
or a Jovian Athanor is anyone’s guess, but sometimes the Created Multiplicatio — Create Pandorans instead of a new Promethean;
receive mixed signals. have a protégé become a Centimanus.
Whatever the case, an Elpis vision is a chance for the Storyteller Projectio — Fail the Great Work*
to drive the action forward, pushing the characters towards their The asterisked events are already breaking points or otherwise
next challenge. If they fall prey to analysis paralysis, the Storyteller chances to step backward; characters do not suffer them twice just
should step in and offer an explanation or shake things up with a because they are linked to a universal milestone.
sign pointing to the right way to go. The headless corpse of one of
the throng’s human friends clutching a note is often just the thing Ex Nihilo
to shake the throng out of discussion. The Extempore have no such clues as to the path they should
Elpis visions don’t necessarily point the way for just one take through the world. Without a connection to the Azothic
Promethean. The strange alchemies linking members of a branded memory, these spontaneous vessels of the Divine Fire require a
throng can create a compound Elpis vision, showing the next step Promethean teacher — or a great deal of luck — to discover the
forward for more than one member of the throng — or for the universal milestones. They encounter instinctive and prescribed
throng itself. Depending on the Storyteller, this may take the form milestones along with other Prometheans, but that’s the result of
of members of the throng having related visions, each contributing the Divine Fire reacting to their actions in the world. Extempore
part of the answer, or all of the Created sharing the same vision have more than just their uncertainty about the Great Work to
that they must decode. Such Elpis visions provide a useful hook for worry them. Without a connection to the Azothic memory, can they
bringing multiple characters to the next step on their Pilgrimage. survive the anastasis? How can they be sure that the fragile spark of
the Divine Fire will not just wink out at some point?
Universal Milestones Part of a Storyteller’s job is to play up this uncertainty. An
Knowledge of the universal milestones is available to almost Extempore may be able to create a new Promethean as part of
every Promethean through the Azothic memory. It includes all ten multiplicato or she might not. Even if she does, she must learn the
operations of the Saturnine Night, from the birth of the human generative act used by another Lineage, as she cannot hope to repeat
that will hold a spark of the Divine Fire to the very moment of the the moment that created her. An Extempore may survive the journey
New Dawn. The milestones that matter most to a Promethean are to the River of Death, or the attention of the Underworld may take
those that happen after she awakens — from the initial steps on the a moment to extinguish the Divine Fire within.
pilgrimage with sublimato to the anastasis that comes soon before the The Storyteller’s job is to reinforce this tension, not to use it
Great Work. As discussed in Chapter Three, no two Prometheans go as an excuse to mess with the players. Nobody knows the answers
through the universal milestones in the same way. What is a simple, to the Extempore’s unanswered questions but her, but at the same
reactive process for one Created takes a significant amount of work time, she can’t just kill a player’s Extempore character on a whim.
for another. The ability of a Promethean to achieve the universal Well, she could, but if he didn’t agree to it beforehand she may not
milestones in any order further complicates matters. have a group for long. On the other hand, the sudden death of an
Extempore could provide a fitting reminder that the Divine Fire is

300
 milestones

never certain, should the player want to portray a new character or question and lend a sense of mystery when the other players
have to leave the game. don’t know exactly what happened.
When it comes to the universal milestones as a whole, it’s true
that nobody knows if an Extempore can do it, but that also means • If the character hasn’t died before attempting the Great
that nobody knows if they can’t. If the character can learn of a Work, she does so as part of her transformation. This is
universal milestone and puts the time in to attempting it, he should functionally similar to the other kinds of journeys to the
have a chance of success. The Storyteller may reflect that attempt River, but the character may be better prepared for what he
with a dice roll when another character does not need to roll, or will find — or unaware of what awaits him before the New
she may describe what happens based on what the Extempore has Dawn.
discovered so far. A dead Created awakens at some point in the Underworld, a
never-ending network of tunnels and caves. Some are barely big
The River of Death enough for her to squeeze through, while others are big enough
To know life, a Promethean must also know death. Some of the that she might mistake them for the outside world. The geography
Created get lucky. They never come across nests of Pandorans, never is always stark and rocky. Her destination is somewhere in front of
provoke an angry mob or a Wasteland or a Firestorm. Those that her, deeper in the caves — one of the mighty underground rivers
do sometimes get away with only enough scrapes that the Divine that flows through the caverns. When she comes to the river, she
Fire can repair their tattered flesh. Their luck holds throughout must drink from it.
their Pilgrimage as they come closer to the Magnum Opus. But they The Storyteller can make the journey as short or as long as she
cannot live, not yet. In many ways, life is change — someone can wants. If the character has to make much of a journey, she will
change the world by bringing down a dictator or change herself by encounter ghosts relevant to her life so far. Some will be victims of
taking up a new hobby. One of those changes, the ultimate change, her actions, either directly or indirectly. Others will be people who
is death. Life is a temporary situation. It has an end. The Created she has mirrored, or who went through the same things she did.
have to be prepared for that end. Some will be friends; some will be enemies. All of them recognize
Other Prometheans — possibly the majority, though their num- her as something different. All of them have something to say.
bers are small enough that nobody can say for sure — don’t have a If all of the characters journey to the River of Death together,
blessed Pilgrimage. For whatever reason, they suffer the slings and or if she’s running the scene one-on-one with a single player, it’s
arrows of outrageous fortune, and the shotguns and firebombs of a up to the Storyteller to decide who the characters encounter and
people aggrieved. They know what it’s like to fight or to flee; what what they will be like. She may want to keep notes of names and
it’s like when bones snap and muscles tear; what it’s like when they personality traits of characters who showed up earlier in the story,
take a chunk of rubble to the face and everything goes black and or she may want to invent them whole cloth for the scene. Whatever
death claims them. the case, each ghost should leave a character questioning his actions.
It does so only briefly, however. When she first dies, a By targeting what a character has done so far, the character (if not
Promethean’s Azoth flares, bringing her back from beyond. Before the player) should ask: “If I’d done that differently, would he still
then, she feels what it’s like for a human to die and awaken in the be alive? Would he be dead but hate me less?”
Underworld, a twisting network of caves and caverns where the In some situations, the Storyteller will want to run the River of
Dead abide. Her Azoth brings her back, but only once she has Death scene for one or two characters. In that case, she can hand
sipped from one of the Rivers of Death. off duties for playing the dead to other players. The easiest way is
The River of Death is a pivotal scene in a Promethean’s to jot down a name and a couple of personality traits on an index
Pilgrimage. The Storyteller can choose to run it in a handful of ways: card, along with how the ghost is relevant to the characters, then
• If several of the characters died in a violent encounter — a let the other players run with it. The Storyteller retains veto power
gang-fight, a house fire, an angry mob, or a Firestorm — she over their actions, but she’s free to describe the environment as
might suggest that all of the characters died in that encoun- the players move through it. Through it all, however, the Created
ter. While the rules may say that one or two survived, the finally arrives at the River of Death.
players may find the lure of a superlative milestone too much The Underworld has many rivers, and each Created comes
to resist. to a different one. Drinking from the river takes some of the
Underworld into herself, internalizing the death that comes with
• If only one or two characters died, she may prefer to run life. The Storyteller determines which river the character arrives at,
the River of Death as a scene featuring those characters. The though it normally relates to her life and actions so far. One who
other players take the roles of ghosts relating to the characters has caused sickness or Wastelands may come to the diseased River
— friends or victims who died because of the Created. of Pus, while one who is quick to anger may come to the River of
Blood or the River of Hate.
• If just one character died, the Storyteller may ask the player Characters who belong to a branded throng and who journey to
about running the River of Death as a solo scene, either after the River of Death at the same time arrive at the same River, based
a regular session or over chat or e-mail in between sessions. on their actions as part of the throng. Other Created who die at
Though she loses out on having the other characters taking the same time journey to a River based on their individual actions.
part, one-on-one scenes are more focused on the character in

301
 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYTELLING

Normally, drinking from the river is enough to spur the char- have a harder time integrating milestones into the same scene.
acter back to life in a flare of Azoth. If a player is willing to start a Just a little prep-work can yield massive dividends. Writing each
new character (or is leaving the game), the Storyteller may — with character’s current possible milestones and role on an index card
his permission — have his character die instead. The Created can’t means the Storyteller can reference them at a glance. Those cards
expect to come back to life. can remind her of things to include in the next few scenes or
portents to include in an Elpis vision.
Compounds If she has the chance, the Storyteller should look over the cards

and Mixtures beforehand and try to draw links between two characters’ Roles. In
that way, she can come up with situations that allow both characters
Roleplaying is a group activity. When characters are part of to complete their Role. Sometimes they may have to work together —
a throng — bonded or otherwise — it’s important to ensure that a Leader takes charge of a group of people when a werewolf attacks,
everyone gets equal focus. Sometimes, that means swapping out trusting the Warden to hold them off. In doing so, the Leader
the spotlight, giving one character the chance to complete a Role cements his place as a guardian to those under his charge, and the
while the others lend assistance. More often, it needs to include a Warden can demonstrate the virtues of preparation.
way for more than one character to complete a milestone; ideally, While it can be hard to work out how to combine two Roles
it should include ways for multiple characters to complete their at first, the Storyteller has the benefit of knowing the characters.
current Role. Rather than trying to work out the most appropriate combination,
Much of the work involved in getting to that point is a matter of she can pick two at random and come up with a situation featuring
controlling the pace of the story. Though each of the throng starts both Roles. Working a situation allowing a weird combination
out on a role, that doesn’t mean they all need to complete Roles of Roles is part of the fun of Promethean, reflecting the variety
at the same time. One or two characters may only take a session of human existence. A Savage kicks off in a gated community,
or two to internalize the lesson; the rest of the throng spends their trashing cars and spraying graffiti on the houses, brutally attacking
time focusing on other goals, often things that are important to anyone who comes near. A Mystic watches, seeing the dichotomy
them — which often turn out to be instinctive milestones. between the Savage’s actions and the residents’ reactions, and
The real key is preparation. The Storyteller needs to be pre- understands why it’s a significant act.
pared. Even if she’s got plenty of experience flying by the seat Sometimes a milestone pits two characters against one another.
of her pants in play, without some idea of what to aim for she’ll The Storyteller shouldn’t use this trick often, as it can drive deep

302
 the new dawn

The Rivers
The New Dawn
The Great Work. The Magnum Opus. The culmination of the
Each of the Rivers of Death has a different appear- operations of the Saturnine Night. Perfect internal alchemy. The
ance and different effects. The mechanical effects moment where Azoth flares and the Divine Fire burns away the
(if any) of drinking from a given river are at the
Storyteller’s discretion. imperfections of the Created form, leaving a living creature behind.
Or at least, so the theory goes.
The River of Blood — Coagulating blood that in- The New Dawn does pose a problem to Storytellers, however.
flames the passions. It’s the focus of every story, the possible end-state of a Created — but
The River of Bone Dust — Ugly and frothing, but that very ending is an issue. When one character achieves the New
sweet and nourishing. Dawn and becomes human, what happens to her? More importantly
for the other players, what happens to the rest of the throng?
The River of Consumption — Sweet and highly
addictive. A Storyteller may want to hold off on giving characters time to
perform the Great Work until the story allows it — a viable ending
The River of Dead Seed — Bitter and choked with for those characters. Sometimes that’s enough. A player may have
plant seeds. to move away or have other commitments. He may also want to
The River of Fire — Glows a dull orange; boils as remain in the game, but playing a different character; if one of the
it flows. other characters has performed the generative act, he may want
to play her creation, or perhaps he has another concept in mind
The River of Hate — Churning rapids that inspire
visions of revenge. entirely. Alternatively, the chronicle may draw to a natural end; the
New Dawn is a good ending to a character’s story.
The River of Lamentation — Drinking brings back The New Dawn always involves a lot of power — Pyros and
memories of failure. Azoth flare in a corona of heat and light, cycling through the visible
The River of Memory — Answers a question in spectrum. It’s a blaze of power, and even if the player fails the roll
exchange for a memory. it’s an awesome sight to behold.
If the character fails at the New Dawn, he’s missed something.
The River of Pus — Diseased pus that prevents the
drinker from healing. The Storyteller should come up with some new prescribed mile-
stones that reflect the circumstances of his attempted New Dawn
The River of Scorpions — Eating a scorpion gives and aspects of the human condition that he hadn’t touched on
dreams like an Elpis vision. before. If he succeeds, the Created becomes human.
The River of Woe — Greasy and slow-moving;
brings painful memories. Happy Endings
The New Dawn is unique in the Chronicles of Darkness because
it offers a happy ending — though it may not seem that way at first.
divisions within a throng. On the other hand, adversity is a great A character who only completes four or five Refinements is plagued
teaching tool. In the case of the Savage in the gated community, by nightmares and gaps in his memory. At the same time, those
another member of the throng who follows the Vigilante Role is gaps conceal as much as they reveal. He doesn’t remember that he
bound by his Role to step in. A Muse pushes a human to quit his was once a monster, only that something terrible happened to him.
job and leave his family — but his family includes a Companion Now, he’s safe. He may need the help of his throng — who he sees
from the Muse’s throng. as friendly strangers — to get clothes and a place to stay, but he’s
Pacing is also a matter of working out what happens when. Though safer now than he was.
the Pilgrimage is a large part of Promethean, not every session needs to If he has completed at least six Refinements, the character
include a character completing a Role — indeed, more than one such can choose in that moment whether to remember his journey, or
scene every session or two can quickly feel forced. Characters should forget it all. If he remembers, he can fully appreciate what he went
still hit milestones in the meantime, of course. As a rule of thumb, a through. He’s aware of the things in the night, though he may no
character should hit between one and three minor milestones each longer notice them. Often, his memories spur him to do greater
session, one major milestone every couple of sessions, and a super- things, as he knows what he went through to become human. If he
lative — either completing a role or hitting another major step in her chooses to forget, he has the happiest ending of all — he remembers
Pilgrimage — every four to six sessions. Groups that meet infrequently a normal life. His new life isn’t perfect, but whose is? He’s had fights
or that want a faster-paced game may increase that rate to once every with his parents, bad relationships, stress with his partner, maybe
two sessions for a superlative milestone, though the situations involved a divorce. This is what he remembers, and the universe creates just
can start feeling contrived at that pace, with the characters’ lives more enough evidence to back it up.
like a soap-opera than an examination of humanity. When a Created chooses to forego his memories, the Divine
Fire burns an identity into the world. It may take him a while to
remember where he lives, but he has a home and a family waiting

303
 CHAPTER SEVEN: STORYTELLING

for him. He wakes up with a whole identity, a history that resulted and Milly set out at the start of the chronicle. She has passed on her
from his alchemical transformation. He is human, and always has knowledge to another Created and supped from the River of Fire.
been. As he completes more Refinements, the player can spend dots She is finally ready. As the alchemical fire burns, Pyros and Azoth
of Social Merits to reflect this new life — he awakens with a bank reacting with the world around her to create a whole new history,
account, friends, and a bar where people know his name. The throng Milly gets to decide Seeda’s new history. She looks over the Roles
may encounter him in future stories; if the Storyteller’s willing, his that Seeda has taken.
original player can take on the role once more, showing what the Follower, Soldier, and Leader represent a natural progression —
rest of the throng can achieve. she joined the Army, worked her way up the enlisted ranks, and was
Other Created choose to remember in the moment of the New deployed to Afghanistan. Upon her return, she took bodyguard work
Dawn. Theirs is a harder path, but the memory of their existence and got shot twice in the line of duty — matching the Bodyguard
leaves them in tune with the supernatural world. This comes in the and Martyr Roles, as well as parts of her Created history. After her
form of supernatural awareness or even the ability to use an Alembic second gunshot wound, she fell into depression. Trapped in her
of a Transmutation. These characters make excellent supporting apartment as she recovered, she saw a group of well-dressed men
characters, as they remember the throng yet can move within the dealing drugs right across the hall. Rather than calling the cops, she
human world without causing Disquiet. A player who wants to attacked them and beat one into a coma. The violence gave her an
remain part of the game but who wants a different challenge may outlet for her dark feelings, and she acted as a “troubleshooter” for
choose to have his character remember and remain with the throng, other families in her block — matching her Vigilante Role.
helping the others with their Pilgrimages. She tried catching up with her squadmates, but most of them
A character who hits all ten Refinements has that rarest of had left for another tour — or had come back under a flag. She
luxuries: a choice. She either remembers or forgets, but at her first watched their families, seeing how they coped with losing a loved
Breaking Point she can choose the opposite. Characters in fiction one, or having a family member dealing with PTSD. She never quite
who have a chance for a normal life sometimes realize that it isn’t worked up the nerve to knock on the door.
what they want — whether it’s the Doom Patrol’s Crazy Jane returning Reflecting on what life has taught her, Seeda trained as a
to Danny the World, or Richard Mayhew embracing London Below paramedic and worked for the fire department, responding to
in Neverwhere. Alternatively, a character who chooses to remember emergencies and trying to help people stay alive wherever possible,
may find that it unearths too many horrific memories, and can seeing the Psychopomp’s line between life and death every week.
take that chance for a clean break from the throng to live a normal After attending one especially nasty crash, she quit and went to
life. That choice is a powerful one, allowing her the opportunity tend bar. Now, she serves drinks and listens to the stories of con
to change her mind. artists and clueless tourists alike, offering new perspectives and
new ideas to people who stop to talk — from her Confessor and
Example of Muse Roles. She doesn’t have to risk her life or watch people die,

the New Dawn just serves drinks and suggests that people go a new job, a new
vacation, or a new relationship. Every so often, she’s amazed at
After a long and hard journey, Seeda has come to the point of everything she’s been through in what feels like a short time, but
the New Dawn. She has gone through all ten of the Roles that Ava she has her memories.

304
 Conditions represent ways in which the story has affected your • Remove 10-again from certain types of rolls.
character, and what she can do to move past those events. Players
don’t buy Conditions; events in the game apply them, and they • Add or remove one Door in a Social Maneuvering action.
remain until certain resolution criteria are met. A character can’t have
• Automatically fail a certain kind of action to resolve the
more than one copy of the same Condition unless each applies to a
Condition.
distinctly different thing — for example you may be Delusional about
both spiders crawling under your skin and your friends plotting to Then decide what the sufferer can do to resolve the Condition.
kill you. You’d have to resolve each independently. Does it require a particular action, or for the character to improve a
Characters can gain Conditions as a result of various factors. certain Trait? Does it require outside help, or is it a random turn of the
Some Distillations inflict Conditions. A player can also choose dice? Finally, is it Persistent? If the Condition models something that
to take a Condition relevant to the situation as a result of an will stick around for a long time, decide on a circumstance in which
exceptional success, and breaking points can cause Conditions the Condition can be activated to give the affected character a Beat in
as a character deals with them. Every Refinement grants the addition to a circumstance in which it can be permanently resolved.
practitioner a Condition, and using a Distillation without triggering
disfigurements also grants a Condition. Sometimes the Storyteller Lingering Conditions
will inflict Conditions based on the circumstances of the story. Conditions are designed as reminders that events that happened
The listed resolutions for each Condition are the most common earlier in the story have repercussions later. Usually, Chekhov’s
ways to end its effects; other actions may also resolve it if they gun applies — if you put the Condition on stage, it should become
would reasonably cause the Condition’s effects to end. Work with relevant by the end. But storytelling games are slippery things,
the Storyteller to determine Condition resolution. When your and sometimes it’s better to drop a story thread represented by a
character resolves a Condition, take a Beat. If a Condition has a Condition for the sake of the ongoing narrative.
natural time limit and then fades away, don’t take a Beat — just For example, an emotional state like Wanton might no longer be
waiting the Condition out isn’t enough to count as resolving it. relevant to events in the game because a long time has passed, or it
Some Conditions are marked as Persistent. These Conditions might have been the result of a conflict with a character you don’t
typically last for a long time and can only be resolved permanently with care about anymore. In those cases, it’s perfectly fine to just cross
a specific and impressive effort. Once per game session, a character off the Condition. We recommend awarding a Beat as if resolving
can gain a Beat when a Persistent Condition impacts her life. it, but that’s at the Storyteller’s discretion.

Improvised Conditions
Do this sparingly, but the bottom line is: If a Condition doesn’t
feel relevant to the story anymore, just let it go.
Need a Condition, but none of the ones in this book quite
fit? If you have access to them, the other Chronicles of Darkness
core rulebooks offer plenty of options you can easily cannibalize.
Common
You might want to change the descriptions or the names of the
Conditions to suit your needs, but you should be able to find a
Conditions
mechanical effect that does what you want. The following Conditions can be applied by exceptional
If you can’t find an existing Condition that fits, or if you don’t successes, Transmutations and other supernatural powers, and
have the other rulebooks, follow this simple template to create your various other circumstances in the game.
own Conditions:
First choose from one of the following effects:
• Add +2 to certain types of rolls, or subtract –2 from certain
ADDICTED
(PERSISTENT)
types of rolls.
Your character is addicted to something, whether drugs,
• Add 9-again to certain types of rolls. gambling or other destructive behaviors. Some addictions are more
dangerous than others, but the nature of addiction is that it slowly

305
 APPENDIX: CONDITIONS AND TILTS

takes over your life, impeding functionality. If you are addicted, you
need to indulge your addiction regularly to keep it under control.
A specific addiction should be chosen upon taking this Condition;
ATAVISTIC
characters can take this Condition multiple times for different A Promethean who delves too far into the Metamorphosis
addictions. Being unable to feed your addiction can result in the Transmutation runs the risk of losing himself, if even temporarily,
Deprived Condition (see below). in the mix of emotions and sensory input. All Mental Attributes
Possible Sources: Alcoholism, substance abuse. take a –2 penalty (to a minimum of 1). This does affect derived
Resolution: Gain or lose a dot of Pilgrimage, or achieve an traits, such as Defense (if the character’s Wits drops lower than his
exceptional success on a step backwards. Dexterity) and Initiative.
Beat: Your character chooses to get a fix rather than fulfill an Possible Sources: Activating the Metamorphosis Transmutation
obligation. without allowing disfigurements to flare.
Resolution: Succeed in a roll using a Mental Attribute.
AGORAPHOBIC Beat: n/a

Your character is deeply disturbed by open spaces and large

crowds. In any situation when more people are present than
BRANDED THRONG
(PERSISTENT)
the character’s Resolve + Composure, you suffer a –2 penalty to
Initiative, perception rolls, and any action requiring careful focus The Promethean is part of a branded throng. She gains the
or attention. In addition, any time your character encounters an benefits of Heed the Call’s base persistent effect with regard to her
extremely large crowd (e.g. a riot or at a major sporting event), you throngmates, and gains +2 to all Empathy rolls to read them. She
must roll Resolve + Composure. If you fail the roll, your character may share Pyros with throngmates through the Brand and likewise
seeks to avoid the crowd and get away from the area. Any action receive it from them; as long as she can detect a member via Azothic
not related to finding a safe, close, private space suffers a –3 penalty radiance, she can reflexively donate one Pyros to that member per
until the end of the scene. scene. The only limit to the points she can receive is the number
Possible Sources: Torment. of throngmates she has.
Resolution: Gain or lose a dot of Pilgrimage, or achieve an Resist Torment rolls suffer a –1 for each throngmate that
exceptional success on a step backwards. shares her Lineage, but gain +1 for each member that doesn’t.
Beat: n/a Rolls to inflict Disquiet add one die for each member that shares
her Lineage, but subtract one die for each member that doesn’t.
ALIENATED Members of a Branded Throng of the same Lineage add to the
highest effective Azoth for purposes of Wasteland Festering (p.
The Mimic is so immersed in humanity that has having difficulty 306), but members of different Lineages subtract from the highest
relating to other Prometheans. He suffers a –2 to Social rolls with effective Azoth (minimum 1).
others of his kind. Finally, all Beats provided by this Condition are considered
Possible Sources: Activating the Deception Transmutation group Beats. These Beats go into a shared pot when taken, and
without revealing Disfigurements. then the pot is distributed evenly among the players at the end of
Resolution: He opts to fail a Social roll involving another the story. This encourages players to work together to tell a good
Promethean. story and help each other realize their characters’ Pilgrimages, even
Beat: n/a when the characters themselves might be at odds. At the troupe’s
option, all Beats may be considered group Beats, not just those
AMNESIA granted by this Condition.
Possible Sources: The Saturninus Transmutation.
(PERSISTENT)
Resolution: The Promethean spends one Pyros to erase her
Your character is missing a portion of her memory. An entire Brand and leave the throng. Alternatively, each other member
period of her life is just gone. This causes massive difficulties with spends one Pyros to banish her.
friends and loved ones. Beat: She is endangered, harmed or severely inconvenienced, or
Possible Sources: Physical or psychological trauma, the forced to reveal emotions she would rather have kept private due to
Mesmerism Transmutation, the Residual Memory Merit. throng membership. A Beat can be earned this way once per chapter.
Resolution: You regain your memory and learn the truth.
Depending on the circumstances, this may constitute a milestone.
Beat: Something problematic arises, such as a forgotten arrest
warrant or old enemy.

306
 Common Conditions

longer an accepted member. The character may be able to regain

BROKEN Connected with the specified group per Storyteller approval.
Possible Sources: The Consortium Alembic
(PERSISTENT) Resolution: The character loses her membership or otherwise
Whatever you did or saw, something inside you snapped. loses her standing with the group.
You can barely muster up the will to do your job anymore, and Beat: The character is asked to perform a favor for the group
anything more emotionally intense than a raised voice makes you that inconveniences her.
flinch and back down. Apply a –2 die penalty to all Social rolls
and rolls involving Resolve, and a –5 die penalty to all use of the CONFUSED
Intimidation Skill.
Possible Sources: Tremendous psychological trauma, the New Dawn. Your character cannot think straight, either because of some
Resolution: Gain or lose a dot of Pilgrimage, or achieve an mental power or good old-fashioned cranial trauma. You take a –2
exceptional success on a step backwards. die penalty on all Intelligence and Wits rolls.
Beat: You back down from a confrontation or fail a roll due to Possible Sources: A blow to the head, some Distillations.
this Condition. Resolution: Take half an hour to focus and clear your mind.
Take any amount of lethal damage.
BURNOUT Beat: n/a

While this Condition is active, the character contains the DEGAUSSED

Divine Fire within her vital humour, when all it wants to do is
get out. She must carefully control it, releasing it in just enough The constant production of electromagnetic fields from refined Pyros
quantity for the Pyros to do what she wants, but not so much that causes disruption in electronic equipment that isn’t properly shielded
her disfigurements flare. Instead the Pyros roils inside her, burning within a range of the Promethean’s Azoth in yards. Walking down the
her out from the inside. street causes spontaneous hard drive failures, static in wireless headphones
Mechanically, the character is beset by pain as the Divine Fire and cell drop in cell phones, and rainbow patterns playing across
churns. While Prometheans do not normally suffer from wound screens. In addition, she may be tracked and monitored with specialized
penalties, the Condition inflicts a –2 penalty on most actions. Any equipment; if someone’s familiar with her electromagnetic bias, they can
activity other than using the Vulcanus Transmutation suffers this examine the damage she causes and determine that she’s been there.
penalty. The Divine Fire wants out; it wants to be channeled and used. Resolution: The electronic disruption causes a significant
Possible Sources: Spending Pyros to fuel Vulcanus Alembics problem for the Promethean, such as wiping her cellphone of
without revealing disfigurements. vital contacts or allowing a mortal hunter to pinpoint her by
Resolution: The character chooses to fail at an action where disruptions in the power grid. Alternately, she may energize the
the penalty is in play. Azothic Detonation Distillation and unleash a pulse to reset her
Beat: n/a turbulent personal field.
Beat: n/a
CALLOUS
DELUSIONAL
The manipulation of another’s emotions has caused the (PERSISTENT)
Promethean to become emotionally distant. He suffers a –2 to
Empathy rolls as he begins to see others as tools rather than people. You believe something that isn’t actually true — maybe you
Possible Sources: Activating the Mesmerism Transmutation think that someone is poisoning your food, that a doppelganger has
without revealing Disfigurements. replaced your daughter, or that something lives in the shadows of
Resolution: Opt to fail a Social roll involving a human being. your apartment. You don’t actually hallucinate images that reinforce
Beat: n/a your delusion; you may believe that you’re covered in spiders, but
just looking at yourself is enough to clarify matters. Germs, on the
CONNECTED other hand….
You can’t truly repress your belief, but spending a point of
(PERSISTENT) Willpower lets you come up with an explanation (albeit one that
Your character has made inroads with a specified group. While sounds psychotic when you explain it to someone else) as to why
she has this Condition, she gets a +2 to all rolls relating to that your delusion does not apply to a specific situation.
group. Alternatively, she can shed this Condition to gain a one- Possible Sources: Certain Distillations.
time automatic exceptional success on the next roll to influence or Resolution: You completely disprove your delusion or destroy
otherwise take advantage of the group. Once Connected is resolved, the source of your paranoia.
the character is considered to have burned her bridges and is no Beat: You adhere to your paranoid belief despite evidence to
the contrary.

307
 APPENDIX: CONDITIONS AND TILTS

Possible Resolution: Stay away from the Promethean that caused

DEPRIVED this Condition for at least two weeks.
Beat: Once a session, the player of the Promethean that inflicted
Your character suffers from an addiction. She is unable to get this condition can take Beats by choosing one of the following:
her fix, however, leaving her irritable, anxious, and unable to focus. • The Promethean can no longer spend Willpower to improve
Remove 1 from her Stamina, Resolve, and Composure dice pools. Social rolls targeting the victim as long as the victim has some
This does not influence derived traits; it only influences dice pools form of the Disquieted Condition.
that use these Attributes.
Possible Sources: Your character is Addicted but cannot get a fix. • The victim refuses to have anything to do with the
Resolution: Your character indulges her addiction. Promethean. Any attempt to force the matter will result in
Beat: n/a the victim becoming violent.

DISCONNECTED • If the victim and the Promethean are in the same place, he
will do everything in his power to drive the Promethean
Your character has suffered a setback on her Pilgrimage, from the premises.
something that’s shaken her self-confidence in her ability to
complete her Magnum Opus. She feels disconnected from
humanity, and as such suffers a –2 modifier on all Social dice pools
DISQUIETED
(STAGE THREE)
when interacting with normal humans.
Possible Sources: Facing a step backwards. The Disquieted Condition can only advance to Stages Three
Resolution: Complete a milestone, spend an hour talking with and Four in a Wasteland, or from the Promethean’s player rolling
a normal human. an exceptional success to inflict Disqiuet against a victim with Stage
Beat: n/a Two or Three Disquiet. The victim is compelled to go above and
beyond in her pursuit of the Promethean. The Promethean’s player
DISQUIETED is reduced to a chance die in all Social rolls against the victim. Social
(STAGE ONE) maneuvering automatically fails.
Source: Disquiet in a Wasteland, or exceptional success on a
The victim is confused and annoyed by the Promethean’s Disquiet roll
presence. The Promethean suffers a –2 penalty to all Social rolls Possible Resolution: Staying away from the Promethean that
against the victim, and has to open an additional Door in Social caused this Condition for at least a month; killing the Promethean.
maneuvering. Beat: Once a session, the player of the Promethean that inflicted
Source: Disquiet this condition can take Beats by choosing one of the following:
Resolution: Stay away from the Promethean that caused this • The victim recruits between one and three Storyteller char-
Condition for at least a week. acters to join him in hunting down the Promethean. These
Beat: Once a session, the player of the Promethean that inflicted additional characters have Disquieted (Stage One).
this condition can take a Beat by choosing one of the following:
• Taking the Watched Condition (p. 312) • The victim becomes determined to be a thorn in the
Promethean’s side. He’ll stop at nothing to find out what
• The victim successfully draws some kind of negative attention her current goals are, and do everything she can to sabotage
to the Promethean at an inopportune time. them.

• Permanently increasing the social penalty associated with •The victim tells as many people as possible about how danger-
the victim by 1. ous the Promethean is, without mentioning her supernatural
nature. Instead, he’ll describe her in vague terms as a threat

DISQUIETED
and a menace.

(STAGE TWO)
DISQUIETED
The victim is consciously aware of the Promethean’s “wrongness” (STAGE FOUR)
and finds himself compelled to act on these feelings. In addition
to a –2 penalty and requiring two additional Doors in Social The victim’s only goal in life becomes sating the compulsion that
maneuvering, the Promethean’s player can no longer take advantage has been forced upon him — he will kill for it and die for it. All social
of the 10-again rule in social rolls against the victim. rolls against the victim fail at this stage, whether by the Promethean
Source: Disquiet or someone trying to make them see reason. In addition, anyone
that the victim tells about the Promethean is immediately given
Disquieted (Stage Two).

308
 Common Conditions

Source: Disquiet in a Wasteland, exceptional success on Disquiet hiking, fighting, or heavy labor increase the penalty to –2 or – 3.
roll Even then, a normal person can only go a number of days without
Possible Resolution: Staying away from the Promethean for six sleep equal to the lower of his Resolve or Stamina, at which point
months; killing the Promethean. he passes out. Once a Fatigued character passes out, he remains
Beat: Once a session, the player of the Promethean that inflicted asleep for 8 hours plus 1 additional hour for every six-hour period
this condition can take Beats by choosing one of the following: he stayed awake. Attempts to rouse him during this period suffer a
• When the victim infects another character with Disquiet, it penalty equal to the highest penalty the Fatigued character suffered
starts at Stage Three instead of Stage Two. before passing out.
Possible Sources: Staying awake for 24 hours, being dosed with
• The victim recruits between one and three Storyteller char- a sedative or anesthetic.
acters to join him in hunting down the Promethean. They Resolution: Sleeping, as described above.
have no regard for collateral damage: anyone not with them Beat: n/a
might as well be against them. These extra characters have
Disquieted (Stage Two). FLAWED VESSEL
• The victim recruits between ten to twenty characters to hunt Like the mortals she so wishes to emulate, the Promethean’s
down the Promethean, and the Promethean alone. Unlike obsession with transformation has wrought a change upon her.
the second option, the mob has some concern for collateral Unfortunately, the shift towards sympathy with humanity wreaks
damage and doesn’t have the Disquieted Condition. Even havoc upon her ability to retain Pyros. The Promethean’s Azoth
then, though, mobs get out of hand easily. score is considered Magnitude, maximum 5, (see p. 262) for
purposes of how much Pyros she can retain and spend per turn.
DISTRACTED Excess Pyros remains locked and unusable within her body.
Possible Sources: Charging an Alchemicus Distillation without
Constant confusion and distractions buffet your character flaring disfigurements.
from all sides. She cannot take extended actions, and suffers a –2 Resolution: She is reminded of her Promethean nature in a
die penalty to all rolls involving perception, concentration, and dramatic or grandiose fashion — engendering Disquiet, witnessing
precision. or causing a Firestorm, achieving an exceptional success on a
Possible Sources: Being in a highly confused environment. Transmutation or Bestowment roll, etc.
Resolution: Leaving the environment. Beat: n/a
Beat: n/a
FRAGILE
EPHEMERAL ANCHOR The Cathar’s skin develops a faint bluish coloration in her hands
By delving into the esoteric nature of the world, the Mystic must as her impurities rise to the surface, and her body becomes slightly
open herself to the strange energies that permeate it. This can leave less durable. Any time she suffers damage, she takes an additional
the Promethean vulnerable at times. While this Condition is active, point of bashing damage.
it acts as the Open Condition (p. 229). Possible Sources: Charging a Contamination Distillation
Possible Sources: Spending Pyros to fuel Spiritus Alembics without flaring disfigurements.
without revealing disfigurements. Resolution: Suffering two or more points of damage due to
Resolution: The character’s spiritual openness causes a setback this Condition.
or difficulty. Beat: n/a
Beat: n/a
FRIGHTENED
FATIGUED The character is terrified of the Promethean and will do anything
You’ve never been so tired in all your life. Your eyelids are like in her power to escape him, even if it means abandoning her friends
millstones, your brain a cobwebbed mass of exhaustion. You’ve and allies. She will not willingly approach the object of her fear or
reached that point where fatigue becomes a physical thing, and all act against him. If she is unable to flee, she cowers in terror. She
you can think to do is close your eyes and rest, just for a moment. may ignore the effects of this Condition for a turn at the cost of a
Every six hours, you must make a reflexive Resolve + Stamina roll point of Willpower.
to remain awake. If you fail, you pass out. Even if you succeed, you Possible Sources: Intimidation, the Phobos Alembic
suffer a cumulative –1 penalty to all dice pools (including your rolls Resolution: The character escapes from the source of her fear.
to stay awake). Long periods of strenuous activity, like cross-country Beat: n/a

309
 APPENDIX: CONDITIONS AND TILTS

FUGUE INSPIRED
(PERSISTENT)
Your character is deeply inspired. When your character takes
Something terrible happened. Rather than deal with it or let an action pertaining to that inspiration, you may resolve this
it break you, your mind shuts it out. You are prone to blackouts Condition. An exceptional success on that roll requires only three
and lost time. Whenever circumstances become too similar to successes instead of five and you gain a point of Willpower.
the situation that led to the character gaining this Condition, the Possible Sources: Exceptional success with Crafts or Expression,
player rolls Resolve + Composure. If you fail the roll, the Storyteller the Inspiring Merit, exceptional success on a breaking point roll.
controls your character for the next scene; your character, left to Resolution: You spend inspiration to spur yourself to greater
his own devices, will seek to avoid the conflict and get away from success, resolving the Condition as described above.
the area. Beat: n/a
Possible Sources: Psychological trauma, Residual Memory,
some Distillations.
Resolution: Gain or lose a dot of Pilgrimage, or achieve an
IRRITABLE
exceptional success on a step backwards. The Promethean’s tempers are running hot and she is having
Beat: You enter a fugue state as described above. difficulty keeping control of herself. She suffers –2 to all Composure
rolls due to her lack of self-control, including Perception rolls.
GREEDY BRAND Possible Sources: Activating the Disquietism Transmutation
without revealing Disfigurements.
The burdens of leadership can be heavy, but more than that, Resolution: She opts to fail a Composure roll or have her
they can be taxing. The Sentry pulls a point of Pyros from the Composure not subtracted from a resisted roll against her.
throngmate with the highest Azoth rating every scene. The point Beat: n/a
is wasted, but counts as having been spent for the purposes of
generating a Wasteland or Firestorm.
Possible Sources: Charging a Benefice Distillation without
KINESTHESIA
flaring disfigurements. The Promethean’s body responds perfectly to her will, but she
Resolution: She causes a Firestorm or forms a Wasteland due loses herself more easily in the distracting physical sensation of
to her wasted Pyros. graceful movement. She suffers a –2 penalty to Intelligence rolls,
Beat: n/a finding it difficult to concentrate on academic matters or bring
her will to bear.
GUILTY Possible Sources: Charging a Corporeum Distillation without
flaring disfigurements.
Your character is experiencing deep-seated feelings of guilt and Resolution: She opts to fail an Intelligence roll, or her
remorse. This Condition is commonly applied after a successful distraction causes her to commit a life-endangering error.
breaking point roll (p. 178). While the character is under the effects Beat: n/a
of this Condition, he receives a –2 to any Resolve or Composure
rolls to defend against Subterfuge, Empathy, or Intimidation rolls.
Possible Sources: Torment, some Distillations.
LEVERAGED
Resolution: The character confesses his crimes and makes Your character has been blackmailed, tricked, convinced, or
restitution for whatever he did. otherwise leveraged into doing what another character wishes. You
Beat: n/a may have the Leveraged Condition multiple times for different
characters. Any time the specified character requests something
HYPEREXTENDED of you, you may resolve this Condition if your character does as
requested without rolling to resist.
The gifts bestowed by the Vitality Transmutation come at a price. Example Skills: Empathy, Persuasion, Subterfuge
If the Promethean fails a physical roll, he takes bashing damage Resolution: Your character may either resolve the Condition
equal to his (modified) Strength. by complying with a request as above, or if you apply the Leveraged
Possible Sources: Activating the Vitality Transmutation without condition to the specified character.
revealing Disfigurements. Beat: n/a
Resolution: The character heals the inflicted damage.
Beat: n/a

310
 Common Conditions

Resolution: The character or one of her allies suffers some

MURDEROUS harm or major setback due to an ill-considered risk or reckless
action she takes.
Swept up in the horrible beauty of Flux, you believe yourself to Beat: n/a
be a dread hunter and everyone else your prey. Select one nearby
creature, though not the Pandoran, as your prey for the remainder
of the scene. You may spend a Willpower point to roll Resolve
REGRESSIVE
+ Composure — success allows you to flee the scene rather than The Originist wallows in her leaden nature, reverting to base
harm someone. Promethean instinct. She displays inhuman behaviors and has more
Possible Sources: Pandoran Disquiet trouble than usual considering human perspectives. Apply a –2
Resolution: When you are no longer in the Pandoran’s presence modifier to all Social interactions with human beings.
or have brought another human down to his last Health box. Possible Sources: Charging a Saturninus Distillation without
Beat: n/a revealing disfigurements.
Resolution: She opts to fail a Social roll while interacting with
OBSESSION humans, or gains Willpower through her Elpis.
Beat: n/a
(PERSISTENT)
Something’s on your character’s mind and she just can’t shake
it. She gains the 9-again quality on all rolls related to pursuing her
SHAKEN
obsession. On rolls that are unrelated to her obsession, she loses Something has severely frightened your character. Any time your
the 10-again quality. Obsession can be a temporary quality per character is taking an action where that fear might hinder her, you
Storyteller approval. may opt to fail the roll and resolve this Condition.
Resolution: The character sheds or purges her fixation. Possible Sources: Facing a step backwards.
Beat: Character fails to fulfill an obligation due to pursuing Resolution: The character gives into her fear and fails a roll as
her obligation. described above.
Beat: n/a Beat: n/a

PARANOID SPOOKED
Your character is certain that no one can be trusted, that vast Your character has seen something supernatural — not overt
conspiracies are moving against her, and that random coincidences enough to terrify her, but unmistakably otherworldly. How your
are the signs of a greater plan. She removes 1 die from all character responds to this is up to you, but it captivates her and
Composure-based dice pools. In addition, when the Condition dominates her focus.
is applied, choose one thing the character fixates on as a sign of Possible Sources: Certain Distillations, Residual Memory.
the forces moving against her (a common turn of phrase, a color, Resolution: This Condition is resolved when your character’s
a particular corporation/government entity, etc.) Anyone she fear and fascination causes her to do something that hinders the
associates with that sign is regarded as a threat. group or complicates things (she goes off alone to investigate a
(If a conspiracy actually is out to get her, choose something that strange noise, stays up all night researching, runs away instead of
actually represents that conspiracy.) holding her ground, etc.).
Possible Sources: Certain Distillations, Torment, Residual Beat: n/a
Memory.
Resolution: The character is confronted with conclusive proof
that no one is out to get her, or she exposes the conspiracy.
STEADFAST
Beat: n/a Your character is confident and resolved. When you’ve failed a
roll, you may choose to resolve this Condition to instead treat the
RECKLESS action as if you’d rolled a single success. If the roll is a chance die,
you may choose to resolve this Condition and roll a single regular
The character is incapable of considering the consequences of die instead.
her actions and is driven to do incautious things for the sheer thrill Possible Sources: Encountering a step backwards, certain
of it. The player takes a –2 to Perception rolls and other Composure Distillations.
rolls made to notice something (such as to oppose Sleight of Hand Resolution: Your character’s confidence carries him through and
or a stealth-related supernatural power). the worst is avoided; the Condition is resolved as described above.
Possible Sources: Charging a Luciferus Distillation without Beat: n/a
flaring disfigurements.

311
 APPENDIX: CONDITIONS AND TILTS

STRICKEN TORMENTED
This Condition only affects mortals afflicted by Pandoran Effect: Your character is in the throes of Torment. She suffers
Disquiet. the effects of her Lineage’s Torment (see p. 171) until this Condition
Confronted by the horror of a Pandoran, your mind struggles is resolved. In addition, Willpower can only be recovered by acting
to retain clarity. You may freely turn and run, or cower and hide, in accordance with the Promethean’s Torment.
but all other actions are at –2. Possible Sources: Failing a Resist Torment roll.
Possible Sources: Pandoran Disquiet Resolution: Witness your Elpis, perform a task related to your
Resolution: When you are no longer in the Pandoran’s presence. Elpis, burn enough Pyros to create a Wasteland, cause a Firestorm,
Upon Resolution, gain the Fugue Condition. change Refinements (except when changing to Tin)
Beat: n/a Beat: Causing a dramatic setback for yourself or your Throng. A
dramatic setback can mean making their current goal more difficult,
SWOONING killing a human, even creating a Wasteland or heavy Disquiet,
forcing the Created to leave the area before they’re ready to.
Your character is attracted to someone and is vulnerable where
they are concerned. He may have the proverbial “butterflies in his WANTON
stomach” or just be constantly aware of the object of his affection. A
character may have multiple instances of this Condition, reflecting Your character wants for the sake of wanting. He’s distracted
affection for multiple characters. He suffers a –2 die penalty to any with temptations of excess and indulgence. Any Composure or
rolls that would adversely affect the specified character, who also Resolve rolls to resist temptation suffer a –2 die penalty. As well,
gains +2 die bonus on any Social rolls against him. If the specified the character that brought forth this Condition achieves exceptional
character is attempting Social maneuvering on the Swooning success on three successes instead of five when making any rolls to
character, the impression level is considered one higher (maximum tempt your character.
of perfect; see p. 203). Possible Sources: Certain Distillations.
Possible Sources: Be on the receiving end of an exceptional Resolution: Regain Willpower through Torment.
success of a Persuasion or Subterfuge roll, the Mesmerism Beat: n/a
Transmutation.

WATCHED
Resolution: Your character does something for his love interest
that puts him in danger, or he opts to fail a roll to resist a Social
action by the specified character. (PERSISTENT)
Beat: n/a
Someone’s on to you. He has reason to believe you’re something
inhuman, and he won’t stop until he finds conclusive proof. No
SYNESTHESIA matter how cool one’s head is, knowing you’re being stalked fosters
paranoia. –2 to all Wits + Composure rolls.
The Promethean’s senses become confused and crossed, causing Possible Sources: The Disquieted condition, using supernatural
him to interpret stimuli from one sense as coming from another powers in the sight of others, exposing Disfigurements.
entirely. He tastes colors, sees sounds, and occasionally feels the Resolution: Confronting the stalker and getting him to back
stimuli of others, such as a tap on someone else’s shoulder. He off, getting caught doing something blatantly supernatural.
suffers a –2 to Perception rolls. Beat: Being caught by the stalker, giving him conclusive proof
Possible Sources: Charging a Sensorium Distillation without of the character’s inhumanity.
flaring disfigurements.
Resolution: The player chooses to fail a Perception roll.
Beat: n/a Tilts
TERRIFIED
Tilts are a unified way of applying circumstances to both
characters and scenes. Tilts are mechanically similar to Conditions,
but they affect characters and scenes in combat. Out of combat, use
You would hide from the Pandoran if only you could stop
Conditions instead. They provide a way of handling drugs, poisons,
screaming. The only thing left to do then is run. You may spend
sickness, and environmental and weather effects, but only as they
a Willpower point to remain at the scene, though all actions you
apply to combat. Out of combat, use the normal rules for these effects.
take are at –2.
Tilts do not give characters Beats when they end, but the
Possible Sources: Pandoran Disquiet
effects of a Tilt can very easily cause a Condition. For instance, a
Resolution: When you are no longer in the Pandoran’s presence.
character in a fight gets a handful of road salt flung in his eyes and
Beat: n/a

312
 Tilts

receives the Blinded Tilt. When combat ends, this shifts to the
Blind Condition. Resolving this Condition will give the character
a Beat. If the character enters combat again before the Condition
BEATEN DOWN
PERSONAL
is resolved, the Blinded Tilt applies again.
Tilts come in two forms: Personal and Environmental. Personal Description: The character has had the fight knocked out of
Tilts only apply to one character and include ways that character him.
can overcome the effect. Environmental Tilts affect the whole scene Effect: The character cannot take active part in the fight without
and offer ways for individual characters to mitigate their effects. extra effort. The player must spend a point of Willpower each time
he wants the character to take a violent action in the fight. He can
ARM WRACK still run, Dodge, and apply Defense. If he wishes to take another
PERSONAL action, the Storyteller should judge whether the action is aggressive
enough to require the expenditure.
Description: Your arm burns with pain and then goes numb. Causing the Tilt: The character suffers bashing damage in excess
It could be dislocated, sprained, or broken, but whatever’s wrong of his Stamina or any amount of lethal damage.
with it you can’t move your limb. Ending the Tilt: The character surrenders and gives the
Effect: If your arm’s broken or otherwise busted, you drop aggressor what he wants. At this point, the character regains a point
whatever you’re holding in that arm and can’t use it to attack of Willpower and takes a Beat, but can take no further action in
opponents — unless you’ve got the Ambidextrous Merit, you suffer the fight. If the aggressor’s intent is to kill or injure the character,
off-hand penalties for any rolls that require manual dexterity. If this obviously surrender isn’t a good option.
effect spreads to both limbs, you’re down to a chance die on any rolls
that require manual dexterity, and –3 to all other Physical actions.
Causing the Tilt: Some supernatural powers can cripple a
BLINDED
PERSONAL
victim’s limbs or break bone with a touch. A character can have his
arm knocked out by a targeted blow to the arm (–2 penalty) that Description: The character’s eyes are damaged or removed.
deals more damage than the character’s Stamina. A targeted blow Effect: The character suffers a –3 penalty to any rolls that rely
to the hand inflicts this Tilt if it does any damage. on vision — including attack rolls — and halves his Defense if one
Ending the Tilt: If the Tilt is inflicted as a result of an attack, eye is blinded. That penalty increases to –5 and losing all Defense
mark an “x” under the leftmost Health box inflicted in that attack; if both eyes are affected.
the Tilt ends when that damage that caused it has healed. If the Causing the Tilt: The normal way to inflict the tilt is to deal
damage that inflicts this Tilt is aggravated, the character loses the damage to the target’s eyes — a specified attack with a –5 penalty
use of his arm (or straight up loses his arm) permanently. (see Specified Targets, above). A successful attack normally damages
one eye. It takes an exceptional success to totally blind an attacker.
AVALANCHE An attacker can inflict temporary blindness by slashing at her
ENVIRONMENTAL opponent’s brow, throwing sand into his eyes, or kicking up dirt.
This requires an attack roll of Dexterity + Athletics with a –3 penalty;
A rockslide, mudslide, or veritable wall of snow or similar the victim’s Defense applies to this attack. If it succeeds, the target
material is careening down a mountainside or other incline toward is Blinded for the next turn.
you. Ending the Tilt: If an attack against the character’s eye does
Effect: Each turn your character is within the avalanche’s reach, any points of damage, mark an “x” under the leftmost Health
he takes a point of lethal damage from the force. Unless he also box inflicted in that attack. If the damage inflicted is aggravated
succeeds in a Dexterity + Athletics roll, he’s also moved along by the character loses vision in that eye permanently. Otherwise, the
the wave of material, at the avalanche’s Speed. This may have its condition ends when the damage that caused the Tilt is healed.
own detrimental effects — if you get swept off a cliff, for instance,
you have a lot more to worry about than some rocks rolling down
a mountain at you.
BLIZZARD
ENVIRONMENTAL
Causing the Tilt: A loud noise in a snowy pass might break
enough snow loose, or selecting the right boulders on a rocky slope Description: Heavy snowfall carpets the ground and just
may do the trick. keeps falling, whipped by howling winds into a barrage of
Ending the Tilt: Avalanches continue until they run out of whirling white.
momentum or material. Effect: Blizzards make it very hard to see for any real distance.
Rolls to see things close to the character’s person, out to arm’s
length away, suffer a –1 penalty. Each additional ten yards inflicts
an additional –1 penalty (cumulative) on all visual Perception rolls.
This penalty also applies to ranged attack rolls. Moving through
snow is difficulty. Every four inches of snow applies a –1 penalty

313
 APPENDIX: CONDITIONS AND TILTS

to appropriate Physical rolls, including combat rolls, Athletics, and Ending the Tilt: Deafness from loud noises causes fades after
the like. The Blizzard Tilt rarely applies by itself — the Storyteller 10 – (victim’s Stamina + Resolve) turns. If an attack against the
may also inflict any or all of the Extreme Cold, Heavy Winds, or character’s ear does any points of damage, mark an “x” under the
Ice Tilts (all found below). leftmost Health box inflicted in that attack. If the damage inflicted
Causing the Tilt: For the most part, the weather is out of is Aggravated the character loses hearing in the ear permanently.
the characters’ control — the Storyteller should telegraph an Otherwise, the condition ends when the damage that caused the
incoming blizzard before it hits, but it’s ultimately up to her. Some Tilt is healed.
supernatural powers might grant a character the power to create
a blizzard.
Ending the Tilt: Without supernatural powers, characters can’t
DROWNING
ENVIRONMENTAL
“end” a blizzard. The best they can manage is to escape the weather
or waiting for it to stop. Proper equipment (such as goggles and snow You’re surrounded by more water than you can presently cope
boots) can add +1 to +3 to a roll, offsetting some of the penalties. with. Either you’re in some sort of container or room filled with
If someone is causing this Tilt through a supernatural power, it’s liquid, or you’re simply exhausted by swimming through a large
possible that the characters could disrupt his concentration. body of water. Regardless, your lungs are starting to fill with water,
which is a losing proposition for most.
BURNING Effect: Your character suffers one point of bashing damage each
PERSONAL turn he spends drowning, as oxygen loss takes its toll on your body.
Causing the Tilt: Any form of immersion in a liquid is enough
Your character is on fire. Either she was caught in a burning to cause the Tilt.
building or suffered a supernatural assault. Regardless, the flames Ending the Tilt: Getting to a source of air and removing any
lick at her skin, consuming her. liquid from your lungs is sufficient to end the ongoing damage
Effect: A character with the Burning Tilt takes damage from the from this Tilt.
fire each turn depending on how much of her body is covered. A
small portion, such as a hand or foot, inflicts 1 lethal, while an arm
or leg inflicts 2 points of lethal damage. A character whose entire
DRUGGED
PERSONAL
body is engulfed suffers 3 lethal damage per turn.
Causing the Tilt: The character was the target of a flame-based Description: The character’s mind is addled by mind-altering
event, whether as simple as having burning debris falling on her, substances, such as drink or drugs.
or as complex as being on the wrong end of a flamethrower. Or, Effect: The effects of specific drugs are detailed in the on p. 96
perhaps, the character was the victim of a supernaturally-charged of the Chronicles of Darkness Rulebook. A generic narcotic can
fire attack. be represented with one set of modifiers: the character suffers a –2
Ending the Tilt: The character can end this Tilt by extinguishing modifier to Speed (and static Defense, if used) and a –3 penalty to
the flames. Usually this means using “stop, drop, and roll” all rolls in combat, including Defense and Perception. The character
techniques, or some form of retardant, such as water or a fire also ignores wound penalties.
extinguisher. Some supernatural powers may resist these efforts, Causing the Tilt: If the character has chosen to take drugs, then
however. he suffers the effects. To administer drugs to another character is
a Dexterity + Weaponry attack, suffering a –1 modifier for the
DEAFENED improvised weapon. If the drug has to go in to a specific body part
PERSONAL (such as an arm or mouth), it requires an attack against a specified
target.
Description: The character can’t hear. Maybe he’s suffering Ending the Tilt: Each drug in the Chronicles of Darkness
intense tinnitus or can only hear the roaring of blood in his ears, Rulebook explains how long a high lasts. A generic narcotic lasts
or he just plain can’t hear. for 10 – (victim’s Stamina + Resolve) hours. Medical help, such as
Effect: If the character is deaf in one ear, he suffers a –3 penalty pumping the victim’s stomach or flushing his system, halves this
to hearing-based Perception rolls. A character who is struck deaf in time.
both ears only gets a chance die on hearing-based Perception rolls,
and suffers a –2 penalty to all combat-related dice rolls — suddenly
losing the ability to hear the people around you is tremendously
disorienting.
Causing the Tilt: A particularly loud noise within 10 feet of
the character may cause temporary hearing loss, as though the
character were deaf in both ears. Alternatively, a targeted attack on
the ear — at a –4 penalty — can deafen a character. Supernatural
creatures with heightened senses can be deafened by loud noises
at greater distances.

314
 Tilts

temperature far above the norm. Extreme heat is normally anything

EARTHQUAKE above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) — this includes
ENVIRONMENTAL the temperature of the environment, or the temperature of a fever.
Effect: When the temperature is far above normal characters
Description: Everything shudders and shakes, and rents tear can’t heal bashing damage — the extreme temperature deals damage
the ground wide open. at the same rate normal characters heal it (a cut might heal, but
Effect: Earthquakes don’t last long, but they don’t have to. it’s replaced by sunburn or sunstroke). Supernatural beings and
When the quake’s actually occurring, all Dexterity-based dice pools characters who heal faster than normal instead halve their normal
(and Defense) suffer a –1 to –5 penalty depending on the quake’s healing rate. For every hour that a character is continuously affected
severity. Characters take between one and three points of lethal by this Tilt, he accrues a –1 penalty to all rolls. When that penalty
damage per turn of the quake’s duration, though a reflexive Stamina hits –5 dice, he instead suffers a point of lethal damage per hour.
+ Athletics roll can downgrade that damage to bashing — or cancel Causing the Tilt: This Tilt is usually caused by environmental
it entirely on an exceptional success. factors — being out at noon in the desert, or spending too long in
Causing the Tilt: Without tremendous supernatural power, a sauna or forge. Even a fever is the result of an infection, rather
it’s almost impossible to cause an earthquake. A character who than something that an opponent can force on a character. It’s
detonates a powerful explosive underground might simulate the possible to create this Tilt on a given character: securing someone
effects over a city-block for a few seconds. to a chair right next to an old, inefficient boiler, or stranding them
Ending the Tilt: Earthquakes are fortunately very quick events. in the desert far from any shade.
It’s very rare for one to last more than a minute (20 turns), so waiting Ending the Tilt: The key to ending this Tilt is simple: get out
them out is the best course of action. of the heat. In a desert or similar environment, finding shade is
paramount. Elsewhere, the character needs to escape whatever is
EXTREME COLD causing the abnormal temperatures.
ENVIRONMENTAL (SOMETIMES PERSONAL)
Description: Bone-chilling winds bite through the character, or
FLOODED
ENVIRONMENTAL
trudging through knee-deep snow takes all of the sensation from
his limbs. Any time the temperature gets down below zero degrees Description: Some liquid — brackish water, mud, gore, or raw
Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit), a character can suffer from the sewage — is high enough to impede the character’s progress.
cold’s effects. This Tilt can sometimes be personal, as a result of a Effect: Each foot of liquid inflicts a –2 penalty to all Physical dice
medical condition like hypothermia or a supernatural power. pools. If the water goes up over her head, a character has to swim
Effect: When the temperature’s below freezing characters can’t (Dexterity + Athletics) with a penalty appropriate for the speed of
heal bashing damage — the extreme temperature deals damage at the flooding. Alternatively, she can try to hold her breath if she cannot
same rate normal characters heal it (a cut might turn to frostbite, get her head above the rising waters.
for instance). Supernatural beings and characters who heal faster Causing the Tilt: Normally, this Tilt is the result of heavy rain,
than normal instead halve their normal healing rate. For every hour sudden snowmelt, or a broken water main. Characters can cause this
that a character is continuously affected by this Tilt, he accrues a Tilt by smashing up a water heater, or blowing up a small dam. Some
–1 penalty to all rolls. When that penalty hits –5 dice, he instead supernatural creatures may be able to call floods down onto a region.
suffers a point of lethal damage per hour. Ending the Tilt: Characters can escape flooding by getting to
Causing the Tilt: A character can suffer this Tilt from being in a high ground, which is enough to mitigate this Tilt. A long-term fix
frozen environment — whether he’s outside in the Arctic tundra, or would require draining the floodwaters, but each flood requires
in a walk-in freezer. Inflicting the Tilt is reasonably straightforward: its own solution.
throw the victim into a freezing lake or lock him in a freezer for
long enough, and he’ll develop hypothermia.
Ending the Tilt: The best way to escape the freezing cold is to
HEAVY RAIN
find a source of warmth — either a building with working heating,
ENVIRONMENTAL
or warm bundled clothing. A character with hypothermia requires Description: Torrential rain lashes down in knives, bouncing
medical attention. high off the sidewalk. The sound of rain on the ground is a constant
hammering rumble that goes on without end, like dropping ball
EXTREME HEAT bearings on a tin roof. Thick gray curtains of water obscure vision.
ENVIRONMENTAL (SOMETIMES PERSONAL) Effect: Heavy rains — approaching tropical storm levels or worse
— cause a Perception penalty of –3 dice to both vision and hearing.
Description: The character might be stumbling through the Rain’s hard to see through, but it’s also loud. If the rains carry on
desert with the sun beating down on him, or running through for an hour or more, the Flooded Tilt will soon follow. This Tilt
the steam-tunnels surrounding an old boiler room. This Tilt can is often accompanied by Heavy Winds; a character trapped out in
also be personal, the result of a debilitating fever that spikes his Heavy Rains might come under the effects of Extreme Cold.

315
 APPENDIX: CONDITIONS AND TILTS

Causing the Tilt: Short of supernatural power or a fleet of cloud-

seeding aircraft, Heavy Rain is the result of natural weather patterns. IMMOBILIZED
Ending the Tilt: The best way out of the rain is to get indoors. PERSONAL
Unless it’s the start of some sodden apocalypse, the characters can
wait for the weather to ease. Description: Something holds the character fast, preventing him
from moving. This could be a grappling opponent, a straightjacket
HEAVY WINDS wrapped with heavy chains, or a coffin secured on the outside with
a padlock.
ENVIRONMENTAL Effect: The character can’t do anything but wriggle helplessly.
Description: Howling winds buffet the characters, whipping He can’t apply Defense against incoming attacks, and can’t take
street furniture into the air and tearing the roofs from buildings. combat-related actions. If someone’s holding him down, he can
Powerful winds can toss cars around like toys. Anyone out in the spend a point of Willpower to deliver a head-butt or similar attack,
winds feels like they’re taking a beating just for walking down the but even that might not free him.
street. Causing the Tilt: The usual way to inflict this Tilt is through
Effect: Heavy winds are loud, so characters suffer a –3 modifier the Restrain grappling move. This often uses material means to
to aural Perception rolls. Also the wind inflicts a penalty to all prevent the victim from moving, such as binding limbs with duct
Physical rolls when out in the winds — including Drive rolls. Grade tape or zip-ties, tossing the victim into a car trunk or similar tight
the wind from one to five — one is tropical storm level (around space, or applying painful holds and joint locks.
40 MPH), three is hurricane level (around 80 MPH), and five is Ending the Tilt: An Immobilized target can break free by
tornado level (150+ MPH). This is the penalty applied to Physical escaping from a grapple or snapping whatever binds her. If grappled,
dice rolls. Characters outside in the maelstrom take damage from the character can struggle as normal but can only select the Break
flying debris, taking bashing damage each turn equal to the wind’s Free move on a success. If held by an item, the character must make
rating. Characters can make a reflexive Dexterity + Athletics roll a Strength + Athletics roll penalized by the item’s Durability. If a
to avoid damage. character’s arms and legs are both bound, he suffers a –2 penalty;
Causing the Tilt: Heavy winds are a fact of life, from siroccos in this increases to –4 if he’s hog-tied. On a success, he snaps the
the desert to tornados in the Midwest to wind shears everywhere. bindings or breaks free. Each roll, successful or not, deals a point
Ending the Tilt: Getting out of the wind is the best way to end of bashing damage.
this Tilt. Sometimes that’s as easy as sheltering in an automobile —
as long as nobody tries to drive. Buildings provide more permanent INSANE
shelter. PERSONAL

ICE Description: The character suffers from a panic attack, sudden

imbalance, or a full-on psychotic break. Her pulse races and her
ENVIRONMENTAL mind cannot focus on what she wants. The world’s an unstable
Description: The ground’s covered in a mirror-smooth layer of place, and she’s unable to keep her balance.
ice that sends wheels spinning and people’s feet flying out from Effect: Someone suffering a psychotic break isn’t the sort of
under them. The ice could be so thin as to be nearly invisible, or a person to go down without a fight. Her stated intent might be
thick layer that’s the only thing keeping the characters from sinking irrational or just plain impossible, and she might have fewer ethical
into a frozen lake. problems with using extreme violence to get what she wants. The
Effect: When a character can’t trust her footing, divide her character gains a +1 bonus to all combat rolls, but takes actions after
Speed in half and all Physical rolls (and Defense) suffer a –2 penalty. everyone else (if two characters suffer from the Insane Tilt, both act
Attempting to move at full Speed increases the Physical penalty to after everyone else but compare Initiative as normal). A character
–4. Any dramatic failure on a Physical roll inflicts the Knocked suffering from this Tilt cannot spend Willpower in combat, and
Down Tilt. Driving on ice is a real pain — halve Acceleration, and suffers a –3 penalty to all Social rolls.
characters suffer a –5 penalty to Drive rolls. Causing the Tilt: Faced with extraordinary circumstances, any
Causing the Tilt: This Tilt doesn’t just apply to icy conditions, character with an appropriate Condition may gain the Insane Tilt.
but to any surface that’s slick and slippery, including a spill of The Storyteller can call for a Resolve + Composure roll to resist a
industrial lubricant or just a really well-polished wooden or linoleum general anxiety that gnaws at the character’s mind; if the character
floor. Characters can use a Dexterity + Crafts roll to cover an area fails, he gains the Tilt. If the character witnesses something truly
in industrial cleaner or mix up cleaning chemicals into a lubricant. horrific — a daughter watches her father walk to the end of the
If the Extreme Cold Tilt is in effect, even covering the area with garden and shoot himself in the head, smiling all the while; a man
water would do the trick. stumbles into the wrong office at work and sees his co-workers
Ending the Tilt: “Get off the ice” is good advice, but that can feasting on the intern’s organs; a solder sees her unit gunned down
take work. Characters can use heat or fire to melt ice, or throw down by a sniper while she can do nothing — the Storyteller can rule that
copious quantities of salt or grit to increase traction. the Tilt is unavoidable.

316
 Tilts

A character can work to inspire another character’s madness of the blow. Alternatively, a melee weapon or unarmed attack can
in order to cause this Tilt. She could orchestrate events that she knock an opponent down with a targeted attack against the legs (–2
hopes will provoke a psychotic break, but that’s amateur hour. A modifier). The attacker declares that he wants to knock his opponent
professional swaps out her victim’s meds, giving stimulants just as his down, and halves the total damage done (rounding down). On a
bipolar cycle ticks into mania, or dosing a paranoid or schizophrenic successful attack, the target is knocked down.
with hallucinogenic drugs. Ending the Tilt: The easiest way to end this Tilt is to stand up,
Some supernatural creatures possess mind-affecting powers which takes an action. A character who hasn’t yet acted can make
that can apply this Tilt, even to characters who do not have an a Dexterity + Athletics roll, minus any weapon modifier, instead of
appropriate Condition. her normal action. If successful, she avoids the effects of this Tilt
Ending the Tilt: The specific effects of this Tilt don’t normally altogether. On a failure, she falls over and the Tilt applies as normal.
last beyond the end of the scene. A character can try to force her
mind to a state of balance, but it’s not easy. She must sit and focus
on blocking out the craziness. She rolls Resolve + Composure as an
LEG WRACK
PERSONAL
instant action, contested by a dice pool of (10 – her Willpower). She
can’t take any other actions that turn, and doesn’t apply Defense Description: Your leg feels like it’s going to snap clean off
against any attacks. whenever you move; when you stop moving, you feel a burning
numbness that encourages you to avoid moving.
INSENSATE Effect: If your leg is broken, sprained, or dislocated, halve
PERSONAL your Speed and suffer a –2 penalty on Physical rolls that require
movement (and Defense). If both of your legs are wracked, you fall
Description: The character shuts down, either due to extreme over — taking the Knocked Down Tilt — and cannot get up. Your
fear or sudden pleasure. He may huddle in a corner, cringe away Speed is reduced to 1; if you want to move at all, you cannot take
from sudden noises, or stare into space as waves of pleasure lap any other action. Physical rolls that require movement are reduced
over him. to a chance die.
Effect: The character can’t take any actions until the Tilt is Causing the Tilt: Some supernatural powers can cripple a
resolved. He can apply Defense to incoming attacks, and if he victim’s limbs or break bone with a touch. A character can have
takes any damage from an attack, he’s knocked free of whatever his leg knocked out by a targeted blow to the leg (–2 penalty) that
fogged his brain. deals more damage than the character’s Stamina.
Causing the Tilt: Several supernatural powers can leave their Ending the Tilt: If the Tilt is inflicted as a result of an attack,
victim in a trance-like state of heightened emotion, whether it’s mark an “x” under the leftmost Health box inflicted in that attack.
a vampire’s mind-affecting tricks or the pants-shitting terror of The Tilt ends when that damage that caused it has healed. If the
witnessing a werewolf take on an inhuman form. A truly heroic damage that inflicts this Tilt is aggravated, the character loses use
amount of alcohol or a hallucinogenic drug might have similar of his leg permanently.
effects; administering such a drug is a Dexterity + Weaponry attack,
suffering a –1 modifier for the improvised weapon.
Ending the Tilt: The Tilt wears off at the end of the scene. The
POISONED
PERSONAL
victim can spend a point of Willpower before then to act normally
for one turn. A successful attack will also end the Tilt. If a character Description: You’ve got poison inside you. It’s tearing you
has been knocked insensible by drugs, when this Tilt ends it is apart from the inside; burning like acid in your gut and making
replaced with the Drugged Tilt. your head swim.
Effect: This Tilt applies a general sense of being poisoned to a
KNOCKED DOWN character without worrying about Toxicity during combat. For the
PERSONAL purposes of this Tilt, a poison is either “moderate” or “grave” — a
moderate poison causes one point of bashing damage per turn of
Description: Something knocks the character to the floor, either combat, while a grave poison ups that to one point of lethal damage
toppling her with a powerful blow to the chest or taking one of her per turn. If the Storyteller cares to continue the effects of the poison
legs out from under her. outside of combat, he can apply the standard rules for handling
Effect: The character is knocked off her feet. If she hasn’t already poisons and toxins when combat is complete.
acted this turn, she loses her action. Once she’s on the ground, a Causing the Tilt: It’s possible for a character to not know that
character is considered prone. The character can still apply Defense he’s been poisoned. It could be as innocuous as switching drinks
against incoming attacks, and can attempt to attack from the ground with a pretty girl who is the target of a mob hit, or as simple as
at a –2 penalty. walking into a house with a carbon monoxide leak. That said, the
Causing the Tilt: Some weapons list “Knockdown” as a special main time poison comes up in combat is when one combatant
effect of a damaging hit. Otherwise, a melee weapon with a damage inflicts it on another. Injecting your opponent with a syringe full
modifier of +2 or greater, or a firearm with a damage modifier of of drain cleaner or snake venom is a Dexterity + Weaponry attack,
+3 or more can be used to knock a character down with the force suffering a –1 modifier for the improvised weapon.

317
 APPENDIX: CONDITIONS AND TILTS

Ending the Tilt: Short of immediate medical attention — and that can inflict diseases on others. Aside from that, you’ve just got
how many fights take place in an emergency room? — all a victim to expose your opponent to the sickness long before you fight and
can do is struggle on. Roll Stamina + Resolve as a reflexive action hope for the best.
each turn that your character is poisoned. If your character intends Ending the Tilt: This Tilt reflects the effects of sickness as it
to act (meaning, takes a non-reflexive action), the roll suffers a –3 specifically applies to combat. Outside of combat, use the existing
penalty. Success counteracts the damage for one turn only. system for diseases (p. 212). The penalties inflicted by this Tilt fade
at a rate of one point per turn once the character has a chance to
SICK rest, but any damage inflicted remains until the character can heal.
PERSONAL
STUNNED
Description: Your stomach churns. You retch and heave but only PERSONAL
succeed in bringing up bile. Sweat beads on your brow as you spike
a fever. Your muscles ache with every movement. You’re wracked Description: Your character is dazed and unable to think
with hot and cold flushes as a sickness gnaws away at your insides. straight. Maybe her vision blurs. If she’s stunned as a result of a
Effect: This Tilt applies a general sickness to a character without blow to the head, she’s probably got a concussion.
worrying about the specific illness. For the purposes of this Tilt, a Effect: A character with the Stunned Tilt loses her next action,
sickness is either “moderate” or “grave.” A moderate sickness, such and halves her Defense until she can next act.
as a cold, asthma, the flu, or just a bad hangover, causes a –1 penalty Causing the Tilt: A character can be stunned by any attack
to all actions during combat. That penalty increases by one every that does at least as much damage as her Size in a single hit. Some
two turns (the first two turns, the character suffers a –1 penalty, the weapons have a “stun” special ability. These double the weapon
next two turns the penalty is –2, and so on up to a maximum of –5 modifier only for the purposes of working out whether the attacker
dice on turn 9). A grave sickness, such as pneumonia, heavy metal inflicts the Stunned Tilt. Attacks against the target’s head (see
poisoning, or aggressive cancer, inflicts the same dice pool penalties “Specified Targets,” p. 207) count the character’s Size as one lower
as a mild sickness. In addition, the physical stress of fighting or even for the purposes of this Tilt. The Storyteller might determine that
defending oneself from an attacker while gravely ill inflicts a point additional effects cause this Tilt, like being caught in the blast area
of bashing damage per turn of combat. of an explosion.
Causing the Tilt: It’s not easy to deliberately make someone sick. Ending the Tilt: The effects of this Tilt normally only last for a
Sure, if you can get your hands on a vial of smallpox, or deliberately single turn. The character can end the Tilt during her own action
use a disease you’ve got to make someone sick (a breaking point, by reflexively spending a point of Willpower to gather her wits,
especially in the case of grave diseases like AIDS) then you’ve got though she suffers a –3 modifier to any actions she takes that turn.
a reasonable chance. Some supernatural creatures have abilities

318
 Ranged Weapons Chart
Type Dmg Ranges Clip Initiative Str Size Availability Example
Revolver, lt 1 20/40/80 6 0 2 1 •• SW M640
(.38 Special)
Revolver, hvy 2 35/70/140 6 −2 3 1 •• SW M29
(.44 Magnum)
Pistol, lt 1 20/40/80 17+1 0 2 1 ••• Glock 17 (9mm)
Pistol, hvy 2 30/60/120 7+1 −2 3 1 ••• Colt M1911A1
(.45 ACP)
SMG, small* 1 25/50/100 30+1 −2 2 1 ••• Ingram Mac-10 (9mm)
SMG, large* 2 50/100/200 30+1 −3 3 2 ••• HK MP-5 (9mm)
Rifle 4 200/400/800 5+1 −5 2 3 •• Remington M-700 (30.06)
Assault Rifle* 3 150/300/600 42+1 −3 3 3 ••• Steyr-AUG (5.56mm)
Shotgun** 3 20/40/80 5+1 −4 3 2 •• Remington M870 (12-gauge)
Crossbow*** 2 40/80/160 1 −5 3 3 •••
Damage: Indicates the number of bonus successes added to a successful attack. Firearms deal lethal damage against ordinary people.
The type of damage may vary against supernatural opponents.
Ranges: The listed numbers a short/medium/long ranges in yards. Attacks at medium range suffer a −1 penalty. Attacks at long range
suffer a −2 penalty.
Clip: The number of rounds a gun can hold. A “+1” indicates that a bullet can be held in the chamber, ready to fire.
Initiative: The penalty taken to Initiative when wielding the gun.
Strength: The minimum Strength needed to use a weapon effectively. A wielder with a lower Strength suffers a −1 penalty on attack rolls.
Size: 1 = Can be fired one-handed; 2 = Must be fired two-handed and can be hidden in a coat; 3 = Can be fired two-handed but not
hidden on one’s person
Availability: The cost in Resources dots or level of Social Merit needed to acquire the weapon.
* The weapon is capable of autofire, including short bursts, medium bursts, and long bursts.
** Attack rolls gain the 9-again quality
*** Crossbows take three turns to reload between shots. A crossbow can be used to deliver a stake through the heart (–3 penalty to
attack rolls; must deal at least 5 damage in one attack)

Electricity Damage
Source Damage
Minor wall socket 4 (B)
Major protective fence 6 (B)
Severe junction box 8 (B)
Fatal main line feed/subway rail 10 (B)

Worn armor provides no protection against electrocution.

319
 CHART QUICK REFERENCE

Combat Summary Chart

Stage One: Intent
• The players and the Storyteller describe what their characters want out of the fight.
• Decide whether characters can surrender and become Beaten Down.
Stage Two: Initiative
• If the attacker springs an ambush or otherwise strikes when the defender isn’t able to counter, the defender rolls Wits +
Composure contested by the attacker’s Dexterity + Stealth. If the defender fails, she doesn’t act on the first turn of combat
and cannot apply Defense against attacks.
• Everyone rolls Initiative: the result of a single die roll + Dexterity + Composure. If the character has a weapon readied, apply
its Initiative Modifier.
Stage Three: Attack
• Unarmed Combat: Strength + Brawl - opponent’s Defense
• Melee Combat: Strength + Weaponry - opponent’s Defense
• Ranged Combat: Dexterity + Firearms
• Thrown Weapons: Dexterity + Athletics - opponent’s Defense

A character’s Defense is normally subtracted from any attack dice pools where it applies. If she chooses to Dodge, the defender
rolls double her Defense as a dice pool against each attack. Each success reduces the attacker’s successes by one. If the attacker
is reduced to zero successes, the attack does nothing. If the attacker has successes remaining, add any weapon modifier to the
number of successes to determine how many points of Health the target loses. All weapons deal lethal damage.
Stage Four: Description

The Storyteller describes the attack and wounds in narrative terms.

Possible Modifiers
• Aiming: +1 per turn to a +3 maximum.
• All-Out Attack: +2 with Brawl or Weaponry attack; lose Defense.
• Armor Piercing: Ignores amount of target’s armor equal to item’s rating.
• Autofire Long Burst: 20 or so bullets, no target limit pending Storyteller approval. A +3 applies to each attack roll; -1 per roll
for each target after the first.
• Autofire Medium Burst: 10 or so bullets at one to three targets, with a +2 to each attack roll; -1 per roll for each target after
the first.
• Autofire Short Burst: Three bullets at a single target with a +1 to the roll.
• Charge: Move at twice Speed and attack with Brawl or Weaponry in one action; lose Defense.
• Concealment: Barely -1; partially -2; substantially -3; fully, see “Cover.”
• Cover: Subtract Durability from damage; if Durability is greater than the weapon modifier, the attack has no effect.
• Dodge: Double Defense, roll as a dice pool with each success subtracting one from the attacker’s successes.
• Drawing a Weapon: Requires instant action without a Merit and could negate Defense.
• Firing from Concealment: Shooter’s own concealment quality (-1, -2, or -3) reduced by 1 as a penalty to fire back (so, no
modifier, -1, or -2).
• Offhand Attack: -2 to attack roll.
• Prone Target: -2 to hit in ranged combat; +2 to hit within close-combat distance.
• Pulling Blow: Target gains 1 Defense; the attack can’t deal more than chosen maximum damage.
• Range: -2 at medium range, -4 at long range.
• Shooting into Close Combat: -2 per combatant avoided in a single shot (not applicable to autofire); -4 if grappling.
• Specified Target: Torso -1, leg or arm -2, head -3, hand -4, eye -5.
• Surprised or Immobilized Target: Defense doesn’t apply.
• Touching a Target: Dexterity + Brawl or Dexterity + Weaponry; armor may or may not apply, but Defense does apply.
• Willpower: Add three dice to a roll or +2 to a Resistance trait (Stamina, Resolve, or Composure) in one roll or instance.

320
 CHARTS

Armor Chart
Type Rating Strength Defense Speed Availability Coverage

MODERN
Reinforced clothing* 1/0 1 0 0 • Torso, arms, legs
Kevlar vest* 1/3 1 0 0 • Torso
Flak Jacket 2/4 1 −1 0 •• Torso, arms
Full Riot Gear 3/5 2 −2 −1 ••• Torso, arms, legs
ARCHAIC
Leather (hard) 2/0 2 −1 0 • Torso, arms
Chainmail 3/1 3 −2 −2 •• Torso, arms
Plate 4/2 3 −2 −3 •••• Torso, arms, legs

Rating: Armor provides protection against normal attacks and Firearms attacks. The number before the slash is for general armor, while
the number after the slash is for ballistic armor.
Strength: If your character’s Strength is lower than that required for her armor, reduce her Brawl and Weaponry dice pools by 1.
Defense: The penalty imposed on your character’s Defense when wearing the armor.
Speed: The penalty to your character’s Speed for the armor worn.
Availability: The cost in Resources dots or level of Social Merit needed to acquire the armor.
Coverage: The areas of a character protected by the armor. Unless an attacker targets a specific unarmored location (“Specified
Targets”, above), the armor’s protection applies. Wearing a helmet increases the armor’s coverage to include a character’s head.
* This armor is concealed, either as normal clothing (e.g. biker leathers) or being worn under a jacket or baggy shirt. Attackers have no
idea the target is wearing armor until after they land a successful hit.

Azoth Effects
Azoth Trait Maximum Max Pyros Pyros/Turn Radiance
1 5 10 1 Same Building
2 5 11 2 City Block
3 5 12 3 Several City Blocks
4 5 13 4 City Neighborhood
5 5 15 5 City Quadrant, Borough
6 6 20 6 Half of City
7 7 30 7 Entire City
8 8 40 8 Entire City
9 9 50 9 Entire City
10 10 100 10 Entire City

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

321
 CHART QUICK REFERENCE

Melee Weapons Chart

Type Damage Initiative Strength Size Availability Special
Sap 0 −1 1 1 • Stun
Brass Knuckles 0 0 1 1 • Uses Brawl to attack
Baton 1 −1 2 2 n/a
Crowbar 2 −2 2 2 •
Tire Iron 1 −3 2 2 •• +1 Defense
Chain 1 −3 2 2 • Grapple
Shield (small) 0 −2 2 2 •• Concealed
Shield (large) 2 −4 3 3 •• Concealed
Knife 0 −1 1 1 •
Rapier 1 −2 1 2 •• Armor piercing 1
Machete 2 −2 2 2 ••
Hatchet 1 −2 1 1 •
Fire Axe 3 −4 3 3 •• 9-again, two-handed
Chainsaw 5 −6 4 3 ••• 9-again, two-handed
Stake* 0 −4 1 1 n/a
Spear** 2 −2 2 4 • +1 Defense, two-handed
Stun gun (melee) 1 -1 1 1 • Stun; bonus successes don't add to
modifier for damage
Type: A weapon’s type is a general classification that can apply to anything your character picks up. A metal club might be an antique
mace, a metal baseball bat, or a hammer, while a hatchet might be a meat cleaver or an antique handaxe.
Damage: Indicates the number of bonus successes added to a successful attack. Weapons always deal lethal damage.
Initiative: The penalty taken to Initiative when wielding the weapon. If using more than one weapon, take the higher penalty and
increase by 1.
Strength: The minimum Strength needed to use a weapon effectively. A wielder with a lower Strength suffers a −1 penalty on attack rolls.
Size: 1 = Can be hidden in a hand; 2 = Can be hidden in a coat; 3+ = Cannot be hidden.
Availability: The cost in Resources dots or level of Social Merit needed to acquire the weapon.
Concealed: A character who wields a shield but doesn’t use it to attack can add its Size to his Defense, and uses its Size as a
concealment modifier against ranged attacks.
Grapple: Add the chain’s weapon bonus to your dice pool when grappling.
Stun: Halve the victim’s Size when aiming for the head with intent to stun.
Two-handed: This weapon requires two hands. It can be used one-handed, but doing so increases the Strength requirement by 1.
* A stake must target the heart (–3 penalty to attack rolls) and must deal at least 5 damage in one attack.
** The reach of a spear gives a +1 Defense bonus against opponents who are unarmed or wield weapons of Size 1

Wasteland Categories
Effective
Category Name Azoth Fade Torment Environment Effects
1 Touched 1 Creator’s Azoth in Days –1 0 –1 Durability
2 Tainted 2 Creator’s Azoth in Days x 2 –2 Level 1 –1 Structure, –1 Durability

3 Blighted 3 Creator’s Azoth in Days x 2 -3 Level 2 –1 Structure, –2 Durability

4 Wasteland 4 Creator’s Azoth in Weeks –4 Level 3 –2 Structure, –3 Durability
5 Firestorm 5 Special –5 Special, see p. 264
for Firestorms

322
 CHARTS

Personal Tilts
Tilt Effects
Arm Wrack One arm: Drop anything held, suffer off-hand penalties for most rolls. Both arms: Chance die on rolls requiring
manual dexterity, −3 to other Physical actions.
Beaten Down Cannot take violent action in combat without spending Willpower.
Blinded One eye: -3 to vision-related rolls. Both eyes: -5 to vision-related rolls, lose all Defense.
Deafened One ear: -3 Perception rolls. Both ears: Chance die on Perception rolls, -2 to combat rolls.
Drugged -2 Speed, -3 to combat rolls (including Defense and Perception). Ignore wound penalties.
Immobilized No combat actions. Can’t move or apply Defense.
Insane +1 to combat rolls, act after everyone else, -3 to Social rolls, can’t spend Willpower.
Insensate No combat actions. Can move and apply Defense. Taking damage ends the Tilt.
Knocked Down Lose action this turn (if it hasn’t been taken), knocked prone. Can apply Defense, attack from ground at -2.
Leg Wrack One leg: half Speed, -2 penalty on Physical rolls for movement. Both legs: Knocked Down, give up action to move
at Speed 1, movement-based Physical rolls reduced to chance die.
Poisoned Moderate: One point of bashing damage per turn. Grave: One point of lethal damage per turn.
Sick Moderate: -1 to all actions. Penalty increases by 1 every two turns. Grave: As moderate, but also inflicts one point
of bashing damage per turn.
Stunned Lose next action. Half Defense until the characters next acts

Environmental Tilts
Tilt Effects
Avalanche 1 lethal damage each turn, Dexterity + Athletics roll each turn to avoid being swept along
Blizzard -1 penalty to visual Perception and ranged attack rolls, increased by 1 per 10 yards. -1 penalty to Physical rolls
per four inches of snow.
Earthquake Penalty to Dexterity rolls depending on severity. Take one to three lethal damage per turn, Stamina + Athletics
downgrades to bashing.
Extreme Cold Bashing damage doesn’t heal. -1 penalty to all rolls, increasing by 1 per hour. At -5, further hours deal one point
of lethal damage.
Extreme Heat Bashing damage doesn’t heal. -1 penalty to all rolls, increasing by 1 per hour. At -5, further hours deal one point
of lethal damage.
Flooded -2 to Physical dice pools per foot of flooding. Once water is over head, character must swim or hold breath.
Heavy Rain -3 to aural and visual Perception rolls.
Heavy Winds -3 modifier to aural Perception rolls. Winds rated between 1 and 5, severity acts as penalty to Physical rolls and
deals that much bashing damage per turn, Dexterity + Athletics to avoid.
Ice -2 Speed, -2 to Physical actions. Can move at normal speed but -4 Physical actions. Dramatic Failure causes
Knocked Down; Drive rolls are at -5 and half Acceleration.

323
 A Stone. See Stone Alembic.
Alchemist 21, 89, 92, 100, 103, 119, 122, 172, 239, 256-265,
Actions 13-14, 32, 53, 71, 110, 126, 171, 179, 199-207, 305- 261-262, 266-268, 270, 273, 286-287, 289, 298. See also
307, 323. See also Combat, Dice, Rules, and Social Maneuvering. Antagonists, Divine Fire, Flux, Pandoran, Promethean, Pyros, Rules,
Common Actions. See Common Actions. Storytelling, and Vitriol.
Contested Action 118, 195-200, 271 Alchemists and Their Prey 261
Extended Action 50, 119, 127, 155, 168, 171, 194-197, 199, Amalgama Ltd 260
229, 235 Emerald Crucible, The 259, 263
Instant Action 109, 115-116, 128-129, 149-150, 158, 199, Great Work 257. See also Great Work.
201-202, 206-207, 219, 229, 317, 320 Karen Degalle 263-264
Reflexive Action 118, 149, 163, 193-194, 199, 206, 212, 271, Lodowick Society 258-259
318 Magic Potions 262-263. See also Equipment.
Resistance 19, 126, 147, 152, 159, 162, 200, 203-205, 269, Magnitude 184-185, 261-264, 266, 309
279, 281 Making of an Alchemist 261-263
Rote Action 115, 129, 144, 152, 156, 185, 202 Order of the Four-Cornered Seal, The 260-261
Successive Attempts 202 Playing God 257-258
Teamwork 123, 202, 216, 285 Pristine Order of the Auric Chalice, The 259-260, 286
Tilt. See Tilt. Snakes in Human Skin 260
Advancement. See Character Advancement. Strange Alchemies 258, 300
Advantages 101-104, 111-112, 116, 169, 198, 224-225, 261- Working with Vitriol 262. See also Vitriol.
262. See also Character Creation. Alchemy 12-15, 52, 60, 66-67, 75, 78-79, 81, 85, 90, 100-
Aspirations. See Aspirations. 101, 117, 120, 141, 181-182, 240-241, 251, 257-263, 265, 277,
Combat Traits 101 300, 303. See also Created, Demiurge, Genitor, and Promethean.
Defense. See Combat, Defense. Alembic 66, 77, 88, 101-105, 117-127, 129-130, 132-134,
Initiative. See Combat, Initiative. 136-142, 144-147, 149-158, 161, 164-167, 187, 252-254, 266,
Size 101-102, 104, 110, 114, 116, 120-122, 148-150, 198, 304, 307, 309. See also Azoth, Character Advancement, Character
207-209, 211-214, 318-319, 322 Creation, Distillation, Divine Fire, Promethean, Pyros, Refinement,
Species Factor 101, 243 and Transmutation.
Speed 101-102, 104, 110, 114, 129, 131, 148-149, 163, 198- Systems 118-119. See also Vitriol.
199, 201, 207, 209-210, 219, 225, 235, 243, 245, 271, 313-314, Anonymity Alembic 103-104, 132, 134. See also Azoth,
316-317, 320-321, 323 Deception Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation.
Willpower. See Willpower. Forgotten 104, 132
Aes 15, 47, 57-59, 71, 80-81, 93-94, 123, 177, 179, 296-297. Nameless 104, 132
See also Pilgrimage, Refinement, Role, and Sentry. Traceless 104, 132
Bodyguard 58, 179-180, 296-297, 304 Antagonists 13, 240, 245, 261, 298. See also People of Interest.
Servant 58, 180 Alchemist. See Alchemist.
Seeker 58, 180 Beasts 173
Alchemical Geneses 12-13. See also Lineage. Centimanus. See Centimanus.
Alchemical Pact 14-15, 80-81, 87, 93, 154, 184. See also Changeling 160, 173
Promethean, Pyros, Throng, and Wasteland. Demon 30, 160, 173-174, 180, 240, 270, 284, 288
Alchemicus Transmutation 68, 119-123, 309. See also Alembic, Ephemeral Beings. See Ephemeral Beings.
Distillation, and Transmutation. Epicure 278. See also Locations, Portland, Oregon.
Aqua Regia. See Aqua Regia Alembic. Firestorm. See Firestorm.
Elixir. See Elixir Alembic. Ghoul 241. See also Disquiet.
Spagyria. See Spagyria Alembic. Hunter 173, 258

324
 INDEX

Huntsman, The 253-255. See also Flux and Rules, Unholy Repast. Hive Mind 133
Judge, The (Greater Elpidos) 273. See also Qashmallim. Tongues 133
Lyncanthrope 61. See also Werewolf. Athanor 14, 51-52, 67, 80-81, 88, 93-95, 102, 105, 119, 140,
Mage 38, 158, 161, 173, 180, 223, 235, 258, 270, 279 151-152, 154, 182-184, 187-189, 237, 256, 265, 279, 287-289,
Mummy 173, 235 297-300. See also Azoth, Character Advancement, Created, Gold,
Oni 284. See also Locations, Tokyo, Japan. New Dawn, Pilgrimage, Refinement, Role, and Vitriol.
Pandoran. See Pandoran. Dark Athanor 279
Praecipitatus. See Pandoran, Praecipitatus. Firestorm Catalyst 94, 189. See also Pyros.
Qashmallim. See Qashmallim. Jovian Athanor 94, 182, 188-189, 300
Red Waters (Greater Lilithim) 271, 273. See also Qashmallim. Pilgrimage Marker 94, 189
Ruby and Mr. Gold (Lesser Elpidos) 272. See also Qashmallim. Refinement Furnace 94, 189
Saint, The 286. See also Locations, Columbus, Ohio. Refinement Mentor 94, 188-189
Scholar, The 255-256. See also Flux and Rules, Unholy Repast. Roll Results 188
Sin-Eater 173, 227, 235 Sanctuary 189
Sleepwalker 235. See also Antagonists, Mage and Numina, Types of Athanors 189
Resurrection. Attributes 193-194. See also Skills and Traits.
Star of Unity, The (Arch-qashmal) 273. See also Qashmallim. Attribute Task 193-194, 199
Stoic 278. See also Locations, Portland, Oregon. Mental. See Mental Attribute.
Sublimatus. See Pandoran, Sublimatus. Physical. See Physical Attributes.
Undead 13, 161, 167 Social. See Social Attributes.
Vampire 53, 60-62, 68, 118, 136, 158, 160-161, 173-174, Aurum 15, 42-43, 47, 50, 53, 56, 59, 62-63, 65, 68, 71, 78,
223, 235, 317 80-81, 93, 102-104, 131-132, 141, 177, 180, 251, 287, 296-
Werewolf 38, 60-62, 136, 160-161, 173, 178, 180, 227, 235, 297. See also Disquiet, Mimic, Pilgrimage, Refinement, Role, and
284, 302, 317. See also Lycanthrope. Transmutation.
Witness, The (Lesser Lilithim) 272-273. See also Qashmallim. Companion 43, 179-180
Wolf-blooded 235, 241. See also Antagonists, Werewolf and Follower 43, 180, 297, 304
Numina, Resurrection. Leader 43, 103, 177, 179-180, 296, 297, 299, 302, 304
Antikythera Mechanism 295. See also Demiurge, Equipment, Azoth 14-15, 33, 47, 51, 53, 56, 59, 71, 75-76, 78, 80-84,
Storytelling, and Unfleshed. 87-93, 95, 100-102, 104-105, 108-109, 112-113, 115, 117-130,
Aptare Alembic 147-148. See also Alembic, Azoth, Metamorphosis 132-165, 167-169, 170-176, 184-189, 200, 237, 239-241, 244-
Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation. 245, 249-253, 255-256, 264-266, 268, 271-272, 280-281,
295, 301-304, 306-307, 309-310, 321-322. See also Character
Blessing of Tethys 148
Advancement, Character Creation, Elpis, Great Work, Lineage, New
Procrustean Shape 148 Dawn, Pandoran, Pilgrimage, Promethean, Promethean Traits, Pyros,
Scuttling Spider 148 Throng, Torment, Transmutation, Vitriol, and Wasteland.
Aqua Regia Alembic 119-120. See also Alchemicus Transmutation, Azoth Effects Chart 169
Alembic, Azoth, Pyros, and Transmutation. Azothic Memory 12, 14, 19, 38-39, 52, 75-78, 80, 84-87,
Decay 120 89, 92-94, 100-101, 150, 152-153, 155, 160-161, 173, 183, 187-
Degradation 120 189, 239, 247, 264, 269-270, 281, 287, 295, 297, 300. See also
Dissolution 120 Theme, Isolation.
Arc Alembic 137-139. See also Alembic, Azoth, Electrification Azothic Radiance 14-15, 51, 84, 87, 89, 150-152, 158-161,
Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation. 166, 168, 241, 306
Divine Lightning 139 Dampening the Fire 168
Shock 139 Disquiet 168. See also Disquiet.
Spark 138-139 Effects of Azoth 167-168
Argentum 3, 15, 44, 47, 53, 60-61, 66, 68, 71, 81, 154, 160, 177, Increasing Azoth 168
180, 296-297. See also Mystic, Pilgrimage, Refinement, and Role. Maximum Pyros/Pyros Per Turn 168
Envoy 61, 180 Measure 84, 168
Observer 61, 180 Pilgrim Marks 23, 26, 86-87, 138, 150, 152, 155, 164, 255,
Warden 61, 180, 302 281, 288
Aspirations 101-102, 104-105, 117, 153, 203-204, 271-272. Ramble 85
See also Actions, Attributes, Elpis, Social Maneuvering, Torment, Trait Maximums 168
Virtues and Vices, and Willpower.
Assimilation Alembic 132-133. See also Azoth, Deception B
Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation. Beacon of Helios Alembic 141, 143-144. See also Alembic,
Conformity 132-133 Azoth, Blaze of Glory Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation.

325
 INDEX

Daybreak 143 Cauterio Alembic 164-165. See also Alembic, Azoth, Pyros,
Guidepost 143-144 Transmutation, and Vulcanus Transmutation.
Lighthouse for the Dead 144 Alter Firetouched 164
Beat 44, 47, 50, 53, 56, 59, 62, 65, 68, 71, 101, 104-105, 108, Animate Firetouched 164-165
117, 124, 151-153, 160, 172-174, 178, 184, 186, 188, 199, 204, Evolve Firetouched 165
232, 298, 305-313. See also Advantage, Aspiration, Character Centimani. See Centimanus.
Advancement, Condition, Experience, Milestone, Pilgrimage, and Centimanus 15, 88, 90-91, 93, 127, 170, 178, 185, 206, 237,
Storytelling. 240-241, 243, 247, 249-253, 255, 266, 278, 287, 300. See
Group Beat 306-307 also Antagonists, Azoth, Firestorm, Flux, Pandoran, Pilgrimage,
Vitriol Beat. See Vitriol, Vitriol Beat. Promethean, Refinement, Role, and Storytelling.
Benefice Transmutation 59, 123-125, 138, 310. See also Alembic, Character Advancement 105. See also Character Creation,
Distillation, and Transmutation. Experience, Pilgrimage, Promethean, Storytelling, Torment, and
Command. See Command Alembic. Vitriol.
Community. See Community Alembic. Beat. See Beat.
Consortium. See Consortium Alembic. Aspiration. See Aspiration and Beat.
Control. See Control Alembic. Condition. See Condition and Beat.
Bestiae Facies Alembic 147-149. See also Alembic, Azoth, Character Creation 99-105. See also Promethean, Rules,
Metamorphosis Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation. Storytelling, and Traits.
Chimera 148-149 Advancement 105. See also Character Advancement.
Form of the Barghest 148 Advantages 101. See also Advantages.
Natural Weaponry 148, 263-264 Attributes 99. See also Attributes.
Bestowment 13, 15, 22, 25, 28, 31, 37, 40, 77, 99-102, 108- Azoth 101. See also Azoth.
111, 113, 123-125, 144, 155, 186, 255-256, 309. See also Azoth, Bestowment 101. See also Bestowment.
Beats, Character Advancement, Character Creation, Condition, Concept 99, 294.
Humour, Lineage, and Refinement. Condition. See Character Advancement and Condition.
Divergent Bestowments 108 Elpis and Torment 100-101. See also Elpis and Torment.
Experiential Bestowments 108 Example of Character Creation 103-104
Extempore Bestowments. See Extempore Bestowments. Five Questions 101
Frankenstein Bestowments. See Frankenstein Bestowments. Health 101. See also Combat.
Galateid Bestowments. See Galateid Bestowments. Initiative. See Combat, Initiative.
Osiran Bestowments. See Osiran Bestowments. Integrity. See Integrity.
Tammuz Bestowments. See Tammuz Bestowments. Lineage 100. See also Lineage.
Ulgan Bestowments. See Ulgan Bestowments. Merits 101. See also Merits.
Unfleshed Bestowments. See Unfleshed Bestowments. Patchwork People. See Storytelling, Patchwork People.
Blaze of Glory Alembic 141-143. See also Alembic, Azoth, Promethean Traits 100. See also Promethean Traits.
Luciferus Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation. Pyros 101. See also Pyros.
All or Nothing 143 Quick Reference 102
Outshining the Sun 142 Refinement 100. See also Refinement.
Roman Candle 143 Rolling Dice. See Dice.
Blight Alembic 252. See also Azoth, Flux Transmutation, Pyros, Skills 100. See also Skills.
and Transmutation.
Skill Specialties 100. See also Skill, Specialties.
Aggravate Wasteland 252
Traits. See Traits.
Invoke Disquiet 252
Transmutation 101. See also Transmutation.
Summon Firestorm 252
Vitriol 105. See also Vitriol.
Books of Interest 16, 190. See also Antagonists, Athanor, and
Willpower. See Willpower.
Storytelling.
Charites Alembic 129. See also Alembic, Azoth, Corporeum
Book of Tobit 16. See also Great Work, The.
Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation.
The New Word 16, 190. See also Great Work, The.
Athletic Grace 129
Vendidad 16. See also Great Work, The.
Rarified Grace 129
Breaking Point 104, 126, 143, 145-147, 178-179, 180-183,
Uncanny Dexterity 12
185, 187-189, 203-205, 208, 225, 299-300, 304-305, 310, 318.
See also Beat, Character Advancement, Experience, Meditation, Chronicles of Darkness 12-13, 25, 37, 158, 162, 193-198,
Milestone, Pilgramage, and Storytelling. 214, 221-223, 258, 268, 270, 277, 303, 305, 314. See also
Inspirational Media and Storytelling.
C Clades Alembic 158. See also Alembic, Azoth, Pyros, Spiritus
Transmutation, and Transmutation.
Cathar 63-65, 88, 125-128, 144, 255, 309. See also Cobalus.

326
 INDEX

Biting Aura 158 Specified Targets 207-208, 210, 313, 318, 321
Burning Strike 158 Surprise 110, 206, 320
Strike the Heart 158 Tilt. See Tilt.
Clupeum Alembic 158-160. See also Alembic, Azoth, Pyros, Unarmed Combat. See Unarmed Combat.
Spiritus Transmutation, and Transmutation. Upgrading Damage 211
Interposing Shield 159 Weapons and Armor 208-209. See also Equipment.
Mystic Fortress 159 Wound Penalties 128, 130, 136-137, 169, 210-211, 225, 307,
Personal Shield 159 314, 323
Cobalus 15, 44, 50, 56, 63-65, 81, 94, 125, 128, 141, 180, 251, Command Alembic 123. See also Alembic, Azoth, Benefice
255, 296-297. See also Cathar, Pilgrimage, Refinement, and Role. Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation.
Confessor 64, 179-181, 296-297, 304 Able Worker 123
Deviant 64, 181 The Community of Power 123
Provocateur 64, 88, 181 Many Hands Make Light Work 123
Combat 204-210. See also Actions, Attributes, Dice, Equipment, Common Actions 194, 200-201. See also Actions, Attributes,
Rules, Skills, and Sources of Harm. Rules, Skills, and Traits.
Aggravated (Damage) 108, 110, 112, 115, 117, 122, 139, 144, Argument 200
158, 162, 168-172, 210-211, 214, 226-227, 244, 252, 267-268, Carousing 197, 200
271, 313-314, 317 Fast-Talk 200
Aiming 209, 320 Interrogation 200
All-Out Attack 112-113, 207, 320 Intimidation 201
Armor 207-210, 244, 246-248, 251, 321 Investigating A Scene 201
Armor Chart 210, 321 Jumping 201
Armor Piercing 210, 320 Repair 201
Attack 197, 206-208, 320 Research 201
Bashing (Damage) 53, 108, 115, 120, 128, 140, 144-145, Shadowing A Mark 201
149, 154-155, 158, 162-164, 168-170, 176, 204, 206, 210-213, Sneaking 201-202
219, 227, 232, 235, 240, 244, 267, 271, 309-310, 313-318, 323
Common Conditions 305-312. See also Condition.
Beaten Down & Surrender. See Rule, Beaten Down & Surrender.
Addicted 262, 264, 305-306, 308. See also Condition,
Close Combat 128, 148, 163, 210, 320 Persistent.
Combat Pool 205 Agoraphobic 306
Condition. See Condition. Alienated 132-134, 306
Defense 101-102, 104, 115, 124, 129-130, 139, 148-149, Amnesia 118, 127, 134, 147, 306. See also Condition,
156-158, 162-163, 166, 200, 204-207, 209-210, 216-217, 220, Persistent.
225-228, 235, 240, 243-245, 271, 306, 313-318, 320-323
Atavistic 147, 306
Dice Pools. See Dice, Dice Pool.
Branded Throng 87, 123-125, 135, 140, 153-154, 167, 176,
Dodge 129-130, 204, 206, 313, 320 266, 295, 300-301, 306. See also Condition, Persistent.
Down and Dirty Combat 205 Broken 119, 127, 147, 162, 187-188, 287, 307. See also
Going Prone 206-207 Condition, Persistent.
Healing. See Healing. Burnout 164, 307
Improvised Weapons 197, 209-210, 314, 317-318. See also Callous 144, 307
Equipment. Connected 124, 307. See also Condition, Persistent.
Initiative 102, 104, 114, 116, 124, 130, 165, 206, 208-209, Confused 146, 161, 307
211, 225, 243, 271, 306, 316, 319-320, 322
Degaussed 113, 137, 139-140, 307
Injury and Healing 210. See also Healing.
Delusional 305, 307. See also Condition, Persistent.
Killing Blow 208
Deprived 155, 306, 308
Lethal (Damage) 105, 108, 112-113, 115-116, 120-121, 128,
Disconnected 178, 308
135, 137, 139-140, 144-145, 149, 152, 154, 158, 163, 166-170,
180, 204, 206, 208-214, 217, 219-220, 224, 226-227, 230, 232- Disquieted (Stage One) 128, 135, 137, 142, 173-174, 199,
233, 235, 240-241, 244, 253, 255, 267, 271, 285, 307, 313-315, 308-309, 312
317, 319-320, 322 Disquieted (Stage Two) 128, 135, 137, 142, 173-174, 199,
Marking Damage 211 308-309, 312
Melee Weapons Chart 209, 322 Disquieted (Stage Three) 128, 135, 137, 142, 173-174, 199,
308-309, 312
Movement 207
Disquieted (Stage Four) 128, 135, 137, 142, 173-174, 199,
Objects 211-212
308-309, 312
Ranged Combat. See Ranged Combat.
Distracted 309
Sources of Harm. See Sources of Harm.

327
 INDEX

Ephemeral Anchor 158, 309 Madness. See Madness Alembic.

Fatigued 309 Suffering. See Suffering Alembic.
Flawed Vessel 119-121, 309 Control Alembic 124-125, 206, 228. See also Alembic, Azoth,
Fragile 125, 309 Benefice Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation.
Frightened 145, 150, 309 Bulwark 124-125
Fugue 127, 160, 242, 310, 312. See also Condition, Persistent. Inviolable Unity 124
Greedy Brand 123, 310 Protective Boon 124
Guilty 108, 116, 147, 310 Corporeum Transmutation 50, 59, 129-131, 310. See also
Hyperextended 161, 310 Alembic, Distillation, and Transmutation.
Inspired 110, 113, 123, 128, 151, 178, 199, 310 Charites. See Charites Alembic.
Irritable 134, 310 Hygeius. See Hygeius Alembic.
Kinesthesia 129, 310 Motus. See Motus Alembic.
Leveraged 310 Zephyrus. See Zephyrus Alembic.
Murderous 241, 311 Created 11-13, 19-21, 24-25, 29, 32, 35, 38-40, 42, 48, 51-
Obsession 107, 112, 127, 146, 160, 262, 264, 311. See also 53, 66, 75-95, 99, 101-102, 106-108, 110-113, 116-119, 121-122,
Condition, Persistent. 125, 129, 131, 139-140, 150, 152-157, 161-162, 164, 167-175,
177, 179, 181, 183-189, 193-195, 197, 202, 204, 211, 239-240,
Paranoid 107, 311
243, 247, 257-262, 265, 268-270, 275, 279, 281-288, 294-
Reckless 141, 311 295, 298-304, 312. See also Demiurge, Genitor, and Promethean.
Regressive 150, 311 Creators 19, 22, 76, 93-94, 176, 322. See also Demiurge,
Shaken 144, 150, 311 Genitor, and Promethean.
Spooked 116, 150, 311 Cuprum 15, 44-46, 50, 53, 56, 59, 62, 65, 68, 71, 77, 81, 93-
Steadfast 125, 146, 153, 162, 311 94, 102, 147-148, 154, 181, 184, 251, 296-297. See also Pariah,
Stricken 241, 312 Pilgrimage, Refinement, and Role.
Swooning 104, 145, 312 Hermit 46, 177, 181, 299
Synesthesia 154, 156, 312 Sage 46, 181
Terrified 241, 312 Watcher 46-47, 132, 179, 181, 297
Tormented 143-144, 151-153, 160, 168, 171-172, 282, 312
Wanton 305, 312 D
Watched 308, 312. See also Condition, Persistent. Damage. See Combat and Sources of Harm.
Community Alembic 125. See also Alembic, Azoth, Benefice Deception Transmutation 44, 103-104, 131-134, 306. See also
Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation. Alembic, Distillation, and Transmutation.
Communal Font 125 Anonymity. See Anonymity Alembic.
We Are As One 125 Assimilation. See Assimilation Alembic.
What’s Mine Is Yours 125 Doppelganger. See Doppelganger Alembic.
Condition 13, 71, 104, 108-110, 112-113, 116-121, 123-125, Stalker. See Stalker Alembic.
127-130, 132-137, 139-147, 150-158, 160-162, 164, 172-174, Demiurge 12, 14, 19, 21, 24, 27, 36, 8-39, 57, 75-78, 90-91,
178, 187-188, 199-200, 204, 221, 224, 226, 228-235, 241-242, 100, 103, 122, 156, 172, 262, 265, 268, 270, 273, 286, 295
251, 305-313, 316-317. See also Beat, Character Advancement, . See also Genitor and Promethean.
Character Creation, Distillation, Social Maneuvering, and Tilt. Dice 13, 198-202, 214, 266. See also Actions, Attributes,
Common Conditions. See Common Conditions. Character Creation, Combat, Rules, and Skills.
Manifestation Conditions. See Ephemeral Influence and 8-Again 112, 114-115, 117, 130, 202
Manifestation Conditions. 9-Again 112, 117, 129, 163, 202, 208-209, 285, 305, 311,
Improvised Conditions 305 319, 322
Lingering Conditions 305 10-Again 305, 308, 311
Persistent 305 Attribute Tasks 193-194, 199. See also Attributes.
Resolution 305 Chance Die 132, 178-179, 188-189, 198-199, 202, 206-
Consortium Alembic 124, 307. See also Alembic, Azoth, Benefice 207, 308, 311, 313-314, 317, 323
Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation. Circumstance and Equipment 199. See also Equipment.
Common Perception 124 Dice Pool 118, 123, 178, 194, 198-199, 202, 204, 295, 300
The Fortified Compact 124 Dramatic Failure 111-112, 119-128, 131-142, 144-152, 154-
Unspoken Words 124 164, 166-167, 172-173, 178, 185-188, 198-202, 204-206, 240,
Contamination Transmutation 88, 125-128, 207, 309. See also 244-245, 252-255, 265-267, 316, 323
Alembic, Distillation, and Transmutation. Exceptional Success 105, 108, 110-112, 118-129, 131-142,
Indulgence. See Indulgence Alembic. 144-152, 154-164, 166-167, 172-174, 176, 178, 185, 187-188,
Leverage. See Leverage Alembic. 199-202, 205-206, 233, 240, 244-245, 252-255, 267, 305-310,

328
 INDEX

312-313, 315 Bizarre Weaponry 244, 246-248, 255

Extra Successes 202 Breath Attack 244, 247
Failure 199 Briareus’ Prowess 244, 248
Permutations 202 Camouflage 245, 247
Roll Results 198-199 Malleable Form 245, 248
Rote Actions 202 Paralyze 245, 247
Success 198 Scurry 245-246, 248
Successive Attempts 202 Wall Walking 245, 248
Teamwork 123, 202, 218 Dysmorphia 12, 48, 90. See also Humanity, Promethean, and
Time. See Time. Torment.
Unskilled Penalties 199. See also Skills.
When to Roll Dice 199
E
Willpower 199. See also Willpower. Electrification Transmutation 56, 118, 137-141. See also Alembic,
Disfigurement. See Drawbacks, Disfigurement, and Promethean. Distillation, and Transmutation.
Disquiet 12, 14-15, 20, 27, 32, 42-44, 51-56, 59, 61, 63, 65, Generator. See Generator Alembic.
71, 76-83, 85-88, 90-91, 93-95, 99-101, 103, 105-107, 115, 119, Imperatus. See Imperatus Alembic.
124, 126-128, 134-137, 140-142, 144-147, 151, 153, 156, 160, Machinus. See Machinus Alembic.
168, 171-174, 179, 184-185, 189, 195, 197, 204, 241, 244, 250, Oscillitus. See Oscillitus Alembic.
252, 258, 262, 268-269, 273, 277, 279, 284-289, 300, 304, Elixir Alembic 119, 122-123. See also Alchemicus Transmutation,
306, 308-309, 311-312. See also Azoth, Character Advancement, Alembic, Azoth, Pyros, and Transmutation.
Character Creation, Created, Divine Fire, Elpis, Firestorm, Lineage, Apprentice’s Brooms 122
Promethean, Promethean Traits, Pyros, Torment, Transmutation,
Flesh to Stone 123
Wasteland, and Willpower.
Spark of Life 122-123
Disquiet and the Supernatural 173
Elpis 13, 15, 78, 80, 84, 91, 93-95, 100-102, 104-107, 113,
Disquieted Condition 173-174. See also Condition.
117, 143-144, 151, 153-154, 160, 167, 169, 171-172, 175, 182,
Disquiet Triggers 173-174 184, 187-189, 193, 198, 254, 256, 264-266, 270, 297, 299-
Lineage Effects 174. See also Lineage. 300, 302-303, 311-312. See also Azoth, Character Advancement,
Non-Promethean Players and Disquiet 174 Character Creation, Dice, Firestorm, Flux Pilgrimage, Promethean,
Disquietism Transmutation 53-54, 56, 118, 134-137, 310. See Pyros, Torment, and Willpower.
also Alembic, Distillation, and Transmutation. Elpidos. See Quasmallim, Elpidos.
Externalize. See Externalize Alembic. Elpis Questions 187
Internalize. See Internalize Alembic. Elpis Vision. See Elpis Vision.
Redirect. See Redirect Alembic. Example Elpides and Torments 106-107
Weaponize. See Weaponize Alembic. Elpis Vision 15, 78, 93-95, 117, 144, 153, 169, 175, 182,
Divine Fire 11-12, 15, 19-21, 24-25, 28-30, 36-40, 51-52, 66, 184, 187-189, 297, 299-300, 302-303. See also Character
75-76, 80-81, 84, 87, 89, 92, 101-102, 108, 110, 112, 115, 117, Advancement, Elpis, Great Work, Milestone, Pilgrimage, Pyros,
119-120, 122, 129-130, 137, 139, 142, 144, 150, 153, 162, 164- and Storytelling.
173, 179, 181-182, 184-186, 239, 243, 251-252, 255, 259, 261- Forcing a Vision 187
262, 264-265, 268-270, 283-284, 286, 295, 300-301, 303, 307. Roll Results 187
See also Azoth, New Dawn, Promethean, Storytelling, and Theme Ephemeral Beings 221-235. See also Antagonists, God-Machine,
Doppelganger Alembic 133-134. See also Alembic, Azoth, Locations, Rules, and Storytelling.
Deception Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation. Abjuration 229-230, 233. See also Ephemeral Beings,
Deep Cover 133-134 Exorcism.
Impersonate 133 Advantages 225
Incriminate 133 Angels 223
Drawbacks 171-177. See also Promethean, Promethean Attributes and Skills 224-225
Advantages, and Promethean Traits. Banes 158, 226-227, 233, 271
Fire 171 Bans 226, 233, 271
Disfigurements 171. See also Alembic, Azoth, and Pyros. Combat 227. See also Combat.
Torment. See Torment. Corpus 224-227, 230-231, 233, 235, 271
Disquiet. See Disquiet. Ephemeral Influence and Manifestation Conditions. See
Wasteland. See Wasteland. Ephemeral Influence and Manifestation Conditions.
Dread Powers 240, 241-242, 244-245, 247-248, 253, 255, Ephemeral Rank 225
262, 264, 267. See also Pandoran. Ephemeral Traits 224
Armor 244, 246-248 Essence 155, 160, 222-235, 270-271
Beastly Mutation 244 Exorcism 229-230, 232

329
 INDEX

Finesse 110, 224-225, 227-228, 232-235, 271, 295 Social Equipment 220-221
Gauntlet 176, 223-224, 226, 228-231, 233 Weapons. See Combat, Weapons.
Gauntlet Strength 224, 226, 230 Eris Alembic 39, 47, 71, 144, 146-147. See also Alembic, Azoth,
Ghost 27, 32, 34, 40, 91, 110, 132, 138, 155, 176, 180, 218, Mesmerism Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation.
221-231, 234, 261, 268, 271, 288, 301 Baffle 146
Honorary Rank 227 Fog 146-147
Influence 224, 226-229, 233 Misdirect 146
Influence Effects 228 Eros Alembic 104, 144-146. See also Alembic, Azoth, Mesmerism
Invisible Incursions 221 Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation.
Locus 226, 233. See also Locations, Shadow World. Inflame 146
Manifest 221-223, 227, 229, 234 Lure 145
Manifestation 221, 224, 226, 228-235, 271-272 Seduce 145-146
Manifestation and Possession 221 Eumenidean Vortices. See Firestorm.
Other Entities 223 Ex Nihilo 295, 300. See also Character Creation and Storytelling,
Other Traits 225-226 Patchwork People.
Power 111, 224-225, 227-228, 232-235, 244, 253, 271, Experience 101-102, 104-105, 111, 151, 168, 180, 184-185.
295 See also Beat and Character Advancement.
Rank 113, 166, 224-231, 233-235, 241-244, 246-248, 271 Experience Costs 105
Resistance 118, 199-200, 224-225, 227, 233, 235, 262, Extempore. See Lineage, Extempore.
271-272, 295, 320 Extempore Bestowments 40, 111. See also Bestowment and
Shadow World. See Locations, Shadow World. Lineage, Extempore.
Spirit 8, 32-34, 39-40, 61-62, 83, 102, 110, 113, 155, 172, Anthony’s Bestowment: Big Brother 111. See also People of
176, 200, 221-227, 230, 233-235, 259, 261, 268, 274 Interest, Anthony.
The State of Twilight 223-224. See also Twilight. Nuada’s Bestowment: The Void 111. See also People of Interest,
Underworld. See Locations, Underworld. Nuada.
Ephemeral Influence and Manifestation Conditions 228-233. See Externalize Alembic 118, 134-135. See also Alembic, Azoth,
also Condition, Ephemeral Beings, and Numina. Disquietism Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation.
Anchor 32, 157-158, 180, 221-224, 226-231, 235 Assault 135
Avernian Gateways. See Locations, Avernian Gateway. Maelstrom 135
Claimed 229-230, 233-234 Safe Sojourn 134-135
Controlled 228-230
Fettered 226, 230-233
F
Influence Durations 229 Ferrum 15, 44, 47-49, 53, 56, 59, 62, 65, 68, 71, 81, 102,
161-162, 177, 181, 251, 296-297. See also Pilgrimage, Refinement,
Infrastructure 221, 223-224, 228-230, 235 Role, and Titan.
Manifestation Effects 230 Exemplar 49, 181
Materialized 226, 230-231, 234 Martyr 49, 53, 181, 297, 304
Open 228-231, 233, 309 Soldier 49, 88, 179, 181, 296-297, 299, 304
Possessed 228-230, 232-234 Fire 84-90. See also Pilgrimage.
Reaching 155, 226, 228-230, 233 A Community of Outcasts 85
Resonant 226, 228-231, 235 Comrades-in-Arms: The Throng 84
Shadow Gate 230-231 Epimetheus’ Folly 89
Underworld Gate 229-230 Firestorm, The 90
Urged 230, 232-233 An Improbable Fiction: Roles 87
Equipment 214-221. See also Combat, Dice, Materials, Rules, Reaping What You Sow: Vitriol 88
and Skills.
Firestorm 15, 38, 67, 84, 88, 90, 94-95, 101, 176-177, 182,
Armor. See Combat, Armor. 189, 252, 264-269, 273, 294-295, 301, 309-310, 312, 322.
Availability and Procurement 214 See also Azoth, Centimanus, Created, Elpis, Firestorm Chronicle,
Dice Bonuses 214. See also Dice. Flux, Pilgrimage, Promethean, Pyros, Qashmallim, Refinement, Rules,
Game Effect 214 Storytelling, and Wasteland.
Magic Potions. See Alchemist, Magic Potions. Anatomy of a Firestorm 264-265
Mental Equipment 214-218 Ashes 265
Physical Equipment 218-220 Choirs and Orders 270. See also Qashmallim, Elpidos and
Services 214-216 Qashmallim, Lilithim.
Size, Durability, and Structure 214 Choose Aspects 267

330
 INDEX

Determine Aftereffects 267-268 God-Machine 92, 221, 223-225, 227, 229, 270. See also Principle, The.
Flame 265 Gold 25, 35, 42-43, 51-53, 56, 65-66, 81-82, 90-95, 102,
Final Work. See Pilgrimage, Final Work. 272, 286-287, 296. See also Pilgrimage.
Fuel 264-265 Athanors. See Athanor.
Mechanics 265-268 New Dawn. See New Dawn.
Quantify the Firestorm 266-267 Principle, The. See Principle, The.
Resisting Aspects 267 Saturnine Night. See Saturnine Night.
Spark 265-266 Great Work 11-12, 14, 39, 41, 43, 51-54, 56, 63, 67, 77-80, 86,
Trigger Events 265-266 101, 119, 123, 125, 177-178, 183-186, 237, 249, 251, 255, 257,
Vortex 264-267. See also Centimanus, Pandoran, Pyros, and 264, 288, 300-301, 303. See also Divine Fire, Humanity, Magnum
Qashmal. Opus, New Dawn, Promethean, and Storytelling.
Firestorm Chronicle 12. See also Firestorm. Great Work, The (Narrative) 8, 16, 72, 96, 190, 236, 274, 290.
See also Promethean and Storytelling.
Flesh 75-79. See also Pilgrimage.
Epilogue 290
Alone 78
Part I 16
Desperate Dream: Elpis 78
Part II 72
Obsessive Dream - Demiurges and Genitors 75. See also
Demiurge and Genitor. Part III 96
On the Slab 76 Part IV 190
Postpartum 76 Part V 236
Flux 12, 15, 22, 38, 52-55, 64-66, 68, 84, 89-91, 137, 150, Part VI 274
164, 166, 177-178, 239-257, 262, 264-266, 270, 273, 278, Prologue 8
311. See also Antagonists, Centimanus, Elpis, Firestorm, Pandoran,
Promethean, Pyros, Rules, and Storytelling. H
Disciples of Flux 254 Healing 210-211. See also Combat.
Flux Transformation. See Flux Transformation. Electroshock Therapy 113, 138, 170, 244, 267
Huntsman, The 253-254 Mortal Healing 211
Invoke Disquiet 252 Heed the Call Alembic 150-152, 306. See also Alembic, Azoth,
Lilithim. See Qashmallim, Lilithim. Pyros, Saturninus Transmutation, and Transmutation.
Scholar, The 255 Controlled Burn 151-152
Flux Transmutation 252-254. See also Alembic, Distillation, Flux, Inscribed in Flame 150-151
Pandoran, and Transmutation. Sublimation by Fire 148
Blight. See Blight Alembic. Humanity 19, 41, 63, 78-79, 85, 94, 251, 275, 294. See also
Lordship Alembic 248, 252-253, 255-256 Promethean.
Mutation Alembic 252-253, 255-256 Humour 15, 20, 22, 25, 28-29, 31-32, 34, 37, 39-40, 56, 63,
Solvent. See Solvent Alembic. 76, 78, 82-84, 87, 89, 100-101, 108, 117, 120, 122, 125, 130-131,
Frankenstein. See Lineage, Frankenstein. 133, 137, 144-147, 150, 152-157, 160, 162, 171-172, 176, 188,
256-259, 262, 307. See also Bestowment, Lineage, Promethean,
Frankenstein Bestowments 108, 111. See also Bestowment and Refinement, and Torment.
Lineage, Frankenstein.
Any 40. See also Lineage, Extempore.
Spare Parts 22, 108
Black Bile 31, 40, 83. See also Lineage, Tammuz.
Titan’s Strength 22, 108, 222
Blood 25. See also Lineage, Galatea.
Freaks. See Centimanus.
Choleric Humour 108, 144, 171. See also Lineage,
Fury 54-56, 64-65, 118, 134-135, 139-140. See also Stannum. Frankenstein.
G Ectoplasm 34, 172. See also Ephemeral Beings and Lineage, Ulgan.
Melancholic Humour 147, 171. See also Lineage, Tammuz.
Galatea. See Lineage, Galatea.
Oily Humour. See also Lineage, Unfleshed.
Galateid Bestowments 108-109. See also Bestowment and
Phlegm 28. See also Lineage, Osiris.
Lineage, Galatea.
Sanguine Humour 40, 108, 130, 145, 171. See also Lineage, Galatea.
Symbiotic Muse 25, 108-109
Yellow Bile 22, 40, 76, 83, 236. See also Lineage, Frankenstein.
Unearthly Mien 25, 108, 255
Hygeius Alembic 129-130. See also Alembic, Azoth, Corporeum
Galateids. See Lineage, Galatea.
Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation.
Genitor 19, 22, 75-78, 153, 157, 185, 265-266. See also
Human Flesh 130
Demiurge and Promethean.
Impossible Flesh 130
Glossary 14-15
Resilient Flesh 130
Glossolalia 33. See also Lineage, Ulgan.

331
 INDEX

I Confession 126
Guilt Trip 126-127
Ignus Aspiratus Alembic 164-166. See also Alembic, Azoth, Pyros, Scandal 127
Transmutation, and Vulcanus Transmutation. Light-Bringer 69-71, 141-144. See also Phosphorum.
Direct Fire 165-166, 263 Liminal Existence 75. See also Promethean.
Divine Guidance 166, 263 Lineage 12, 15, 19-40, 75-76, 80, 82-83, 87, 90, 92-93, 99-
Fire Grasp 166, 263-264 104, 108, 111, 115-117, 124, 157, 168, 170-171, 173-174, 176, 185-
Imperatus Alembic 137, 140-141. See also Alembic, Azoth, 186, 254, 256, 283-284, 287-288, 294-295, 300, 306, 312. See
Electrification Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation. also Azoth, Bestowment, Disquiet, Divine Fire, Humour, Promethean,
Lightning Therapy 139-140 Redeemed, Refinement, Resonance, and Torment.
Power Sink 140-141 Lineages and Their Elements 170
Remote Absorption 140 Extempore 15, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34, 37-40, 83, 92, 100,
Indulgence Alembic 88, 125-126. See also Alembic, Azoth, 102, 111, 153, 170, 172, 174, 176, 183, 247, 295, 300-301. See
Contamination Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation. also Matchless, The.
Encourage Impulse 126 Frankenstein 15, 19-22, 24-25, 28, 31, 34, 37-38, 40, 56,
75-77, 83, 86-87, 93, 101-102, 108, 111, 138, 156, 169-171, 173-
Plague of Desire 126
174, 176, 185, 282, 285-287. See also Wretched, The.
Remove Inhibitions 126
Galatea 15, 22-25, 28, 31, 34, 36-37, 40, 76, 83, 88, 93,
Initiative. See Combat, Initiative. 100, 102, 108, 156-157, 170-171, 174, 176, 178, 246-247, 254,
Inspirational Media 14 286-287. See also Muses.
Film 14 Lost Lineage. See Lost Lineage.
Literature 14 Osiris 15, 22-23, 25-28, 31, 34, 37, 40, 80, 83, 86, 93, 102,
Television 14 109-110, 170, 172, 174, 176, 256, 287. See also Nepri.
Integrity 186, 203, 224-225, 232, 271. See also Actions, Attributes, Tammuz 15, 22-23, 25, 28-31, 34, 37-40, 76, 80, 83, 93,
Dice, Social Maneuvering, Virtues and Vices, and Willpower. 100, 102, 110, 156, 170-171, 174, 176, 246, 273, 284, 286, 288,
Internalize Alembic 118, 134-135. See also Alembic, Azoth, 295, 298. See also Named, The.
Disquietism Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation. Ulgan 15, 20-23, 25, 28, 31-34, 37, 39-40, 83, 87, 93, 102,
Quell 135 110, 170, 172, 174, 176, 247, 283-284, 287. See also Ephemeral
Soothe 135 Beings, Kut, and Riven, The.
Temper 135 Unfleshed 14-15, 22-25, 28-29, 31, 34-40, 76-77, 83, 86,
92-93, 102-104, 110, 170, 172-174, 176, 178, 264, 267, 283-
J 284, 287-288, 294-295, 298. See also Manufactured, The.
Journeys 277-291. See also Locations. Locations 277-289. See also Antagonists, People of Interest, and
Storytelling.
K Antarctica 280-281
Kara Kam 33. See also Lineage, Ulgan and Shaman. Avernian Gateways 231. See also Ephemeral Influence and
Manifestation Conditions and Locations, Underworld.
Koan 41. See also Refinement.
Columbus, Ohio, United States 285-286
Kut 32. See also Lineage, Ulgan.
Goa, India 281
L Hong Kong, China 282
Johannesburg (“Joburg”), Gauteng, Republic of South Africa
Lacuna 51, 89, 105, 140, 154, 178, 186, 188, 240, 300. See
286-287
also Centimanus, Pilgrimage, Promethean, and Vitriol.
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 277-278
Roll Results 188
Phoenix, Arizona, United States 284. See also Rules, Phoenix
Laruae Alembic 158, 160-161. See also Alembic, Azoth, Pyros,
Deputy.
Spiritus Transmutation, and Transmutation.
Port-au-Prince, Ouest, Republic of Haiti 287
One of the Tribe 161
Portland, Oregon, United States 278
Plumb Azothic Memory 161
Prague, Czech Republic 287-289
Pyros Decoy 161
River of Death. See River of Death.
Lead 51-53, 65-66, 79-84, 86-87, 102, 118, 121, 134, 151,
183. See also Pilgrimage. Sacramento, California, United States 278-279
Great Work 79. See also Great Work. Salton Sea, California, United States 279-280
Impurity 82 Seoul, South Korea 283
Milestone. See Milestone. Shadow World 221. See also Ephemeral Beings.
Way, The 80 Tijuana, Mexico 282-283
Leverage Alembic 125-126, 203. See also Alembic, Azoth, Tokyo, Japan 283-284
Contamination Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation. Twilight. See Ephemeral Beings, The State of Twilight and Twilight.

332
 INDEX

Underworld 26-27, 33, 62, 109-110, 221-222, 224-231, Allies 111-112, 116-117, 214, 275, 285
300-301. See also Ephemeral Beings and Lineage, Osiris. Alternate Identity 112
Lost Lineage 19. See also Lineage and Promethean. Ambidextrous 112, 153, 262, 313
Faceless 19 Anonymity 103-104, 112, 132, 134
Hollow 19 Area of Expertise 112, 285
Prophets 19. See also Lineage, Frankenstein. Azothic Object 112, 122. See also Equipment.
Luciferus Transmutation 71, 141-144, 311. See also Alembic, Benign Festering 112. See also Wasteland.
Distillation, and Transmutation. Brute Force 112-113. See also Combat.
Beacon of Helios. See Beacon of Helios Alembic. Companion 113, 179, 303. See also Twilight.
Blaze of Glory. See Blaze of Glory Alembic. Contacts 113, 117, 263, 285
Morning Star. See Morning Star Alembic. Danger Sense 113, 248, 254
Solar Flare. See Solar Flare Alembic. Demolisher 113, 153, 163-164, 254
M Direction Sense 113
Double Jointed 111, 113, 153, 262
Machinus Alembic 137-138. See also Alembic, Azoth, Driven 113
Electrification Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation. Efficient Conductor 113. See also Healing, Electroshock Therapy.
Generator 138, 170 Eidetic Memory 113, 153
Ghost in the Machine 138 Famous Face 114
Jolt 138 Fast Reflexes 114, 153, 248, 254
Madness Alembic 125, 127-128. See also Alembic, Azoth, Fleet of Foot 103-104, 114, 248, 254
Contamination Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation.
Giant 111, 114, 262
Catharsis 128
Good Brain 114, 262
Onset of Madness 128
Hovel 115. See also Wasteland.
Psychotic Flash 127
Interdisciplinary Specialty 115, 256, 285
Mage. See Antagonists, Mage.
Iron Will 115, 153, 256, 262. See also Willpower.
Magnum Opus 45, 48, 50, 57-58, 69, 71, 92, 123, 177-178,
186, 277, 300-301, 303, 308. See also Great Work, New Dawn, Language 115, 155, 263
Pilgrimage and Refinement. Library 115, 194-195, 256
Manufactured, The 36-37, 83. See also Lineage, Unfleshed. Mentor 115, 117
Matchless, The 38-40, 153, 172, 176. See also Lineage, Moth to the Flame 115
Extempore. Parkour 115, 131, 195
Measure. See Azoth, Measure. Repute 116, 256, 281, 286
Mental Attributes 193. See also Attributes, Merits, and Skills. Resources 103-104, 115-116, 203, 208-210, 214, 220-221,
Intelligence 193 224, 263-264, 319, 321-322
Resolve 193 Residual Memory 116, 123, 254-255, 306, 310-311
Wits 193 Safe Place 115-116, 235, 256
Mental Skills 194-195. See also Attributes, Merits, and Skills. Sanctity of Merits 111, 115
Academics 194 Sleepless 103-104, 116, 130, 263
Computer 194 Sleight of Hand 116, 196, 311
Crafts 194-195 Small-Framed 116, 262
Investigation 195 Striking Looks 116-117, 145, 153, 262-263
Medicine 195 Terrible Disfigurement 117, 262
Occult 195 Trained Observer 117, 254
Politics 195 True Friend 117
Science 195 Vivid Dreams 117
Mercurius 15, 53, 62, 66-68, 81, 87, 90-91, 177, 181-182, 185, Weatherproof 103-104, 117, 153, 215, 262
251, 296, 297. See also Pilgrimage, Refinement, Role, and Savant. Mesmerism Transmutation 44, 65, 103-104, 119, 141, 144-
Craftsman 67, 181 147, 256, 263, 306-307, 312. See also Alembic, Distillation, and
Explorer 67, 182 Transmutation.
Scientist 67, 182 Eris. See Eris Alembic.
Merits 101-102, 104-105, 111-117, 122-123, 130-131, 153, Eros. See Eros Alembic.
155, 163-164, 167, 173, 203, 208-210, 214, 220-221, 229, Penthos. See Penthos Alembic.
235, 262, 285, 306, 310, 313, 319-322. See also Character Phobos. See Phobos Alembic.
Advancement, Character Creation, and Maneuvers. Metamorphosis Transmutation 47, 77, 147-150, 206, 263, 306.
Acid Stomach 111, 153, 262 See also Alembic, Distillation, and Transmutation.

333
 INDEX

Aptare. See Aptare Alembic. New Dawn 11-13, 15-17, 29-30, 32, 34, 38, 41, 53, 77-78,
Bestiae Facies. See Bestiae Facies Alembic. 80-81, 88, 90-91, 93-95, 105, 107, 123, 161, 171, 177, 183-187,
Penthos. See Penthos Alembic. 237, 243, 255, 273-274, 293, 295-296, 300-301, 303-304, 30.
Tegere. See Tegere Alembic. See also Azoth, Character Advancement, Created, Disquiet, Divine
Fire, Firestorm, Great Work, Magnum Opus, Pilgrimage, Promethean,
Milestone 12, 15, 22-23, 81-83, 87-88, 93-95, 102, 104-105,
Pyros, Refinement, Role, Storytelling, Transmutation, and Wasteland.
110, 113, 152-153, 160, 175, 178-184, 183-189, 270, 297-303,
306, 308. See also Azoth, Great Work, Pilgrimage, Promethean, Dramatic Failure 186. See also Dice, Dramatic Failure.
Pyros, Role, Saturnine Night, Storytelling, Vitriol, and Willpower. Example 304
Anastasis 184, 300. See also Saturnine Night, Projectio. Exceptional Success 187. See also Dice, Exceptional Success.
Another Hand 298-299 Failure 186. See also Dice, Failure.
Breaking Point. See Breaking Point. Happy Endings 303-304
Completing Roles 299. See also Role. New Dawn Modifiers 186
Compounds and Mixtures 302-303. See also Elpis Vision. Success 186. See also Dice, Success.
Creation 298. See also Divine Fire and New Dawn. Numen. See Numina.
Double Dipping 184-185 Numina 113, 225-229, 231-235, 269-272. See also Combat,
Ex Nihilo 300-301 Condition, and Ephemeral Beings.
Instinctive Milestone 184, 297-299. See also Character Creation. Aggressive Meme 233
Magnitude 184 Awe 233, 272
Major Milestone 105, 178, 184, 188, 298-299, 303. See Blast 233-234, 272
also Character Creation. Dement 234. See also Ephemeral Influence and Manifestation
Minor Milestone 105, 184-185, 297-298, 303. See also Conditions, Reaching.
Character Creation. Drain 234, 272
Prescribed Milestone 184, 298-300, 303. See also Elpis Vision. Emotional Aura 234. See also Ephemeral Influence and
Rivers, The 303 Manifestation Conditions, Reaching.
River of Death, The. See River of Death. Essence Thief 234
Seeking Waypoints 299-300. See also Elpis Vision. Firestarter 234, 272. See also Ephemeral Influence and
Manifestation Conditions, Reaching.
Superlative Milestone 101, 105, 110, 178-180, 183-188, 297-
299, 301, 303. See also Character Creation. Hallucination 234
Universal Milestone 82-83, 92, 104, 175, 183-184, 186-188, Host Jump 234
300-301. See also Ex Nihilo and Saturnine Night. Implant Mission 234, 272. See also Ephemeral Influence and
Mimic 42-44, 78, 86, 119, 131-133, 144, 306. See also Aurum. Manifestation Conditions, Reaching.
Morning Star Alembic 141-142. See also Alembic, Azoth, Luciferus Innocuous 234
Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation. Left-Handed Spanner 234
Beckon 142 Mortal Mask 234-235
Ignis Fatuus 141-142 Omen Trance 235
Ringleader 142 Pathfinder 235. See also Ephemeral Influence and Manifestation
Motus Alembic 129-131. See also Alembic, Azoth, Corporeum Conditions, Reaching.
Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation. Rapture 235, 272. See also Ephemeral Influence and
Exemplary Athleticism 129, 131 Manifestation Conditions, Reaching.
Mighty Bound 131 Regenerate 235
Uncanny Athleticism 130-131 Resurrection 235
Multiplicatio 75, 82, 93, 184, 237, 246, 300. See also Azoth, Seek 235. See also Ephemeral Influence and Manifestation
Created, Genitor, and Promethean. Conditions, Reaching.
Mutatus Aspiratus Alembic 164, 166. See also Alembic, Azoth, Speed 235
Pyros, Transmutation, and Vulcanus Transmutation. Sign 235, 272
Contain Flux 166 Stalwart 235
Drawing Flux 166 Telekinesis 235. See also Ephemeral Influence and Manifestation
Expel Pyros 166 Conditions, Reaching.
Muses 23-25, 36, 65, 83, 88, 108, 254, 303-304. See also
Lineage, Galatea.
O
Mystic 60-62, 154-161, 195, 302, 309. See also Argentum. Originist 51-53, 80, 82, 84, 86, 102, 118, 135, 137, 150-154,
311. See also Plumbum.
N Oscillitus Alembic 139-140. See also Alembic, Azoth, Electrification
Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation.
Named, The 29, 83, 277. See also Lineage, Tammuz.
Azothic Detonation 140, 307
Nepri 20, 26-29, 39, 83, 174. See also Lineage, Osiris.
Blackout 139-140

334
 INDEX

Insulation 139 Badi 27, 61, 251. See also Lineage, Osiris.
Osiran. See Lineage, Osiris. Chicago 17, 22, 56, 118, 251. See also Lineage, Frankenstein.
Osirus. See Lineage, Osiris. Christian Lodowick 258-259. See also Alchemist.
Osiran Bestowments 109. See also Bestowment and Lineage, Clay 29. See also Lineage, Tammuz.
Osiran. Clay’s Girl 8, 72, 96, 190, 236, 274, 290. See also Great
Corpse Tongue 109 Work, The.
Revivification 109 Combo 22, 49, 62. See also Lineage, Frankenstein.

P Dorothea 25, 53, 65, 237. See also Lineage, Galatea.

Driscoll 34, 62, 72-73. See also Lineage, Ulgan.
Pandoran 12-15, 24, 26-27, 38, 45, 56, 62, 66-68, 89-90, 93- Dumuzid 30. See also Lineage, Tammuz.
95, 101, 123, 140, 151, 154-156, 164, 166, 168, 173, 175, 178, Elisabeth 27-28, 56. See also Lineage, Osiris.
185-186, 188-189, 204, 206, 211, 239-255, 259, 261-262, 264- Erik 25, 50, 65. See also Lineage, Galatea.
268, 270-271, 273, 278-279, 281-284, 290, 300-301, 311-312. Eris 39, 47, 71. See also Lineage, Extempore.
See also Azoth, Antagonists, Centimanus, Flux, Promethean, Pyros,
Role, Rules, and Storytelling. Erlik 32-33. See also Lineage, Ulgan.
Birth 239-240 Father Anthony 20. See also Lineage, Frankenstein.
Calavera, The 246 Frank 29. See also Lineage, Tammuz.
Chrysalis 186, 239-241, 247 Freda 36, 65, 127. See also Lineage, Unfleshed.
Consume Pyros 240. See also Pyros. Galatea 14, 24, 36, 76, 170. See also Lineage, Galatea.
Consume Vitriol 240. See also Vitriol. Gillian 30, 62, 275. See also Lineage, Tammuz.
Creation 185-186. See also Created. Hakan 22, 47, 59, 237, 251. See also Lineage, Frankenstein.
Division 241 Horus 26-27. See also Lineage, Osiris.
Dollface 246-247 Ila 37, 47, 97. See also Lineage, Unfleshed.
Dormancy 89-90, 166, 239-241, 243, 246-247, 271 Imam 8, 16, 72, 96, 190, 236, 274, 290. See also Great
Work, The.
Dread Powers. See Dread Powers.
Inanna 30. See also Lineage, Tammuz.
Flux Hunger 240-242. See also Flux.
Isis 26-27. See also Lineage, Osiris.
Glimmer 239
Ivan 37, 49. See also Lineage, Unfleshed.
Hunger. See Pandoran, Flux Hunger.
Jonesy 34, 68. See also Lineage, Ulgan.
Pandoran Constitution 244
Karen Degalle. See Alchemist, Karen Degalle.
Pandoran Disquiet 241. See also Disquiet.
Ki 36-37, 59, 71. See also Lineage, Unfleshed.
Pilgrim, The 247-248
Mary Shelley 14, 21. See also Lineage, Frankenstein.
Praecipitatus 241-243, 247
Marv 21-22, 65, 251. See also Lineage, Frankenstein.
Rank and Traits 243-244
Miko 40, 65. See also Lineage, Extempore.
Sense Vitriol 240, 244, 246-248. See also Vitriol.
Monk 52-53, 237. See also Plumbum.
Sublimatus 15, 62, 85, 89-90, 105, 182, 185, 188, 240,
242-244, 253-255, 278, 287, 300 Ngeshtinana 30. See also Lineage, Tammuz.
Track Pyros 240, 244, 246-248 Niccolai 24-25, 44, 157. See also Lineage, Galatea.
Traits and Abilities 243-244. See also Traits. Nicole 34, 68. See also Lineage, Ulgan.
Vitriol 240. See also Vitriol. Nuada 39, 53, 111. See also Extempore Bestowment, Anthony’s
Bestowment: Big Brother and Lineage, Extempore.
Pariah 45-47, 53, 84, 86, 94, 102, 147-150, 154-157, 196.
See also Cuprum. Old Woman 34. See also Lineage, Ulgan.
Penthos Alembic 119, 127, 144, 147, 256. See also Alembic, Pygmalion 36. See also Lineage, Unfleshed.
Azoth, Mesmerism Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation. Rheya 26. See also Lineage, Osiris.
Defeat 119, 147 Roark 72. See also Great Work, The.
Depress 119, 147 Pygmalion 24, 36. See also Lineage, Galatea.
Undermine 119, 147 Rabbi Loew 36. See also Lineage, Unfleshed.
People of Interest. See also Antagonists and Storytelling. Rheya 26-27, 53. See also Lineage, Osiris.
Adam 21, 24. See also Lineage, Frankenstein. Roark 8, 72, 96, 190, 236, 274, 290. See also Great Work,
Agamemnon 31, 43, 119. See also Lineage, Tammuz. The.
Alice 25, 49. See also Lineage, Galatea. Rodrigo 27, 71. See also Lineage, Osiris.
Allie 27, 44, 68. See also Lineage, Osiris. Senka 31, 50. See also Lineage, Tammuz.
Andoni 37, 44, 56. See also Lineage, Unfleshed. Seth 26. See also Lineage, Osiris.
Anthony 40, 47, 58, 72-73, 111, 191. See also Extempore Snow 40, 56. See also Lineage, Extempore.
Bestowments, Anthony’s Bestowment: Big Brother and Lineage, Sofi 290. See also Great Work, The.
Extempore. Tabitha 25, 44, 68. See also Lineage, Galatea.

335
 INDEX

Talos 36. See also Lineage, Unfleshed. Lacuna. See Lacuna.

Tammuz 30. See also Lineage, Tammuz. Lead. See Lead.
Tara 34, 59, 251. See also Lineage, Ulgan. Milestone. See Milestone.
Tengri 32-33, 38. See also Lineage, Ulgan. New Dawn. See New Dawn.
Thomas Lichter 77. See also Promethan, Constructed vs. Pilgrim Marks. See Azoth, Pilgrim Marks.
Unfleshed. Pilgrimage Sheet 296-297
Todd 30, 47, 71. See also Lineage, Tammuz. Role. See Role.
Ulgan 32-33. See also Lineage, Ulgan. Sample Breaking Points 178. See also Breaking Point.
Vasily 31, 68, 72-73. See also Lineage, Tammuz. Seer’s Pilgrimage 80
Victor Frankenstein 21, 24, 38. See also Lineage, Frankenstein. Step Backward 15
Wan 35. See also Lineage, Unfleshed. Walking the Path 178
Widow 22, 59. See also Lineage, Frankenstein. Pilgrim Marks. See Azoth, Pilgrim Marks.
Wisher 8, 16, 72, 96, 190, 236, 274, 290. See also Great Plumbum 15, 44, 47, 50-52, 56, 59, 62, 65, 68, 71, 81, 87,
Work, The. 92, 102, 118, 134, 136, 178, 183, 251, 288, 296-297. See also
Ysolde 95 Originist, Pilgrimage, Refinement, and Role.
Phobos Alembic 144-145, 309. See also Alembic, Azoth, Ascetic 52, 177, 183, 186
Mesmerism Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation. Chronicler 52, 92, 153, 183
Rattle 144-145, 263 Pilgrim 52, 61, 80, 88, 153, 183, 279
Swoon 145, 263 Plumb the Fathoms Alembic 150, 152-153. See also Alembic,
Terrify 145 Azoth, Pyros, Saturninus Transmutation, and Transmutation.
Phosphorum 15, 50, 56, 59, 62, 65, 69-71, 81, 91, 141, 182, Glimpsing the Crasis 152-153
296-297. See also Light-Bringer, Pilgrimage, Refinement, and Role. Pilgrim’s Landmarks 152
Daredevil 70, 182 Wisdom of Ages 152
Psychopomp 70, 182, 296 Prime the Vessel Alembic 150, 153-154. See also Alembic, Azoth,
Whip 70, 182, 197, 297 Pyros, Saturninus Transmutation, and Transmutation.
Physical Attributes 194. See also Attributes, Merits, and Skills. Humour Electrolysis 154
Dexterity 194 Pyros Branding 154
Stamina 194 Shielding Pod 154
Strength 194 Principle, The 21, 90-92, 190, 262, 268-272, 280. See also
Physical Skills 195-197. See also Attributes, Merits, and Skills. Created, Gold, Lineage and Promethean.
Athletics 195 What about the God-Machine? 92. See also God-Machine.
Brawl 195 Progenitor 26-28, 38-39, 75-76, 285. See also Demiurge,
Drive 195-196 Genitor, and Promethean.
Firearms 196 Promethean 2-4, 11-15, 19-29, 31-34, 36-43, 45-49, 51-55,
Larceny 196 57-61, 63, 66, 68-71, 75-95, 99-103, 105-109, 111-189, 193,
195-198, 200, 202-206, 210-212, 214, 239-250, 252-273, 277-
Stealth 196
289, 293-303, 306-311. See also Azoth, Character Advancement,
Survival 196-197 Character Creation, Created, Demiurge, Disquiet, Divine Fire,
Weaponry 197 Genitor, Lineage, New Dawn, Pilgrimage, Pyros, Refinement, Role,
Pilgrimage 11-15, 19-26, 29, 32, 35, 37, 41-42, 46, 48-52, 54- Rules, Theme, Traits, Transmutation, and Wasteland.
58, 60, 69, 71, 75-84, 86, 88, 90-95, 99-106, 108, 113, 116, 118, Constructed vs. Unfleshed 76
143, 151-153, 156, 160-162, 168-173, 177-181, 183-189, 195, Prometheus Question, The 172
207, 239, 246-249, 251, 253-256, 261, 264-265, 268-270, 273,
Truths and Lies 13
277, 279-284, 295-297, 299-301, 303-304, 306-308, 310. See
also Character Advancement, Character Creation, Created, Divine Under the Skin 77
Fire, Great Work, Lineage, New Dawn, Promethean, Refinement, Promethean Advantages 169-171. See also Azoth, Character
Role, Storytelling, Torment, Transmutation, and Vitriol. Advancement, Character Creation, Lineage, Promethean, and
Athanors. See Athanor. Transmutation.
Creation 185, 296-297 Electroshock Therapy. See Healing, Electroshock Therapy.
Defining the Path 177 Superlative Endurance. See Superlative Endurance.
Elpis Visions. See Elpis Visions. Transhuman Potential 153, 168, 171, 244
Flesh. See Flesh. Promethean Traits 167-177. See also Character Advancement,
Character Creation, Lineage, Promethean, Promethean Traits, and
Fire. See Fire.
Transmutation.
Final Work 270. See also Firestorm.
Azoth. See Azoth.
Generative Act, The 185
Drawbacks. See Drawbacks.
Gold. See Gold.
Promethean Advantages. See Promethean Advantages

336
 INDEX

Pyros. See Pyros.

Pyros 14-15, 20, 38-39, 44, 47, 50, 53-54, 56, 59, 62, 66- R
68, 71, 76-77, 79-84, 87-92, 94-95, 101-102, 104, 108-110, Ramble. See Azoth, Ramble.
112-113, 115-167, 168-169, 171-172, 174-177, 182, 185-189, Ranged Combat 207-208. See also Combat.
239-244, 246-248, 251-255, 257-259, 261-272, 278, 280, Autofire 207-208, 319-320
287, 297, 303-304, 306-307, 309-310, 312, 321. See also Azoth,
Cover and Concealment 207
Character Advancement, Character Creation, Disquiet, Divine Elpis,
Firestorm, Flux, Lineage, Promethean Traits, Torment, Transmutation, Human Shields 207
and Wasteland. Range 207
Replenishing Pyros 168 Ranged Weapons Chart 208
Shock Absorption 168 Reloading 207
Spending Pyros 168 Receptive Humour Alembic 154-156. See also Alembic, Azoth,
Pyros, Sensorium Transmutation, and Transmutation.
Q Circle of Perception 156
Qashmal. See Qashmallim. Rarified Senses 156
Qashmallim 13, 19, 66-67, 81, 83, 90-91, 155, 173, 175, Translator’s Memory 155
182, 239, 259, 264-273, 280. See also Azoth, Combat, Elpis, Redeemed 19, 22, 35, 39. See also Lineage, Promethean, and
Ephemeral Beings, Firestorm, Numina, Promethean, Pyros, Rules, Resonance.
and Storytelling. Redirect Alembic 118, 134-137. See also Alembic, Azoth,
Angels? 270. See also Antagonists and God-Machine. Disquietism Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation.
Arch-Qashmallim 92, 265, 270. See also Firestorm, Choirs Iago’s Whisper 137
and Orders. Rabid Rage 118, 136
Body of Pyros 271 Scapegoat 136-137
Born From Fire 268 Refinement 13-15, 19-20, 25, 35, 41-51, 53-54, 56-71, 77-78,
Burning Revelation 269 80-83, 87-88, 90-91, 93-94, 99-105, 117-119, 123, 125, 131, 134,
Choirs and Orders 270 141, 143, 147, 151, 158, 161-162, 168, 172, 175, 177-189, 204,
249, 251-252, 254-256, 269, 273, 294, 296-297, 299, 305. See
Disguised Flame 271. See also Twilight.
also Athanor, Character Creation, Lineage, New Dawn, Pilgrimage,
Elpidos 270. See also Elpis and Firestorm, Choirs and Orders. Promethean, Refinement, and Role.
Example Qashmallim 272-273 Aes. See Aes.
Fiery Blood 271 Argentum. See Argentum.
Fiery Sword 269 Aurum. See Aurum.
Game Systems 271-272 Basic and Complex Refinements 81
Greater Qashmallim 270, 272. See also Firestorm, Choirs and Cobalus. See Cobalus.
Orders.
Cuprum. See Cuprum.
Heavenly Host 271
Ethos 43, 46, 48, 52, 55, 57, 61, 64, 66, 69, 250
If It Has Traits, You Can Kill It 271
Ferrum. See Ferrum.
Lesser Qashmallim 270. See also Firestorm, Choirs and Orders.
Mercurius. See Mercurius.
Lilithim 249, 266, 270-273. See also Firestorm, Choirs and
Phosphorum. See Phosphorum.
Orders and Flux.
Plumbum. See Plumbum.
Mission, The 268-269
Practices 42, 45, 48, 51, 54, 57, 60, 63, 66, 69, 249
Qashmallim and the Created 269-270
Refinement of Bronze (Aid) 14, 57-59, 80, 123, 179. See also Aes.
Qashmal-Scholar 270. See also Firestorm, Choirs and Orders.
Refinement of Cobalt (Impurity) 56, 63-65, 180. See also Cobalus.
Soul of Fire 271. See also Social Maneuvering and Virtues and
Vices. Refinement of Copper (Self) 45-47, 102, 181. See also Cuprum.
Quick Reference Charts 319-323 Refinement of Flux (Dissolution) 15, 177-178, 249-252. See also
Centimanus.
Armor Chart 313. See also Combat.
Refinement of Gold (Mortality) 25, 35, 42-44, 53, 56, 102, 296.
Azoth Effects 321. See also Azoth.
See also Aurum.
Combat Summary Chat 320. See also Combat.
Refinement of Iron (Corpus) 48-50, 102, 161-162, 181, 204. See
Electricity Damage 319. See also Sources of Harm. also Ferrum.
Environmental Tilts 323. See also Tilt. Refinement of Lead (Source) 51-53, 87, 92, 102, 151, 183. See
Environment Levels 321. See also Sources of Harm. also Plumbum.
Melee Weapons Chart 322. See also Combat. Refinement of Phosphorus (Ephemerality) 69-71, 182. See also
Personal Tilts 323. See also Tilt. Phosphorum.
Ranged Weapons Chart 319. See also Combat. Refinement of Quicksilver (Pyros) 66-68, 83, 94, 181. See also Mercurius.
Wasteland Categories 322. See also Wasteland. Refinement of Silver (Mystery) 60-62, 158, 180. See also
Argentum.

337
 INDEX

Refinement of Tin (Torment) 54-56, 81, 102, 183. See also Digestio (Dismemberment) 92-94, 185
Stannum. Distillatio (Distillation) 93, 185
Stannum. See Stannum. Fermentatio (Fermentation) 93, 184, 300
Refinement Condition 44, 47, 50, 53, 56, 59, 62, 65, 68, 71, Multiplicatio (Multiplication) 75, 82, 93, 184, 237, 246, 300
251. See also Refinement. Projectio (Forward Projection) 93, 184, 300. See also
Analyst 65. See also Cobalus. Milestone, Anastasis.
Destructive 251. See also Centimanus. Separatio (Division) 93, 184, 300
Enrage 56. See also Stannum. Solutio (Dissolution) 92
Intense 71. See also Phosphorum. Sublimato (Sublimation) 93, 184, 300
Introspective 53. See also Plumbum. Saturninus Transmutation 118, 150-154, 306, 311. See also
Masked 44. See also Aurum. Alembic, Distillation, and Transmutation.
Patient 47. See also Cuprum. Heed the Call. See Heed the Call Alembic.
Resourceful 68. See also Mercurius. Plumb the Fathoms. See Plumb the Fathoms Alembic.
Sensitive 62. See also Argentum. Prime the Vessel. See Prime the Vessel Alembic.
Tenacious 50. See also Ferrum. Stoke the Furnace. See Stoke the Furnace Alembic.
Tuned In 59. See also Aes. Savant 66-68, 119, 122, 164-167, 264-265, 273. See also Mercurius.
Resonance 19. See also Lineage and Promethean. Scintillating Flame. See Qashmallim.
Riven, The 31-34, 83, 283-284. See also Lineage, Ulgan. Seer 80, 94. See also Azoth, Pilgrimage, and Promethean.
River of Death 26, 28, 144, 169, 183, 300-302. See also Sensorium Transmutation 47, 62, 124, 154-157, 312. See also
Firestorm, Lineage, Locations, Milestone, Pandoran, and Wasteland. Alembic, Distillation, and Transmutation.
Rivers, The 303 Receptive Humour. See Receptive Humour Alembic.
Role 13-15, 42-43, 46, 49, 52, 54-55, 58, 61, 64, 67, 70, 78, Somatic Humour. See Somatic Humour Alembic.
87-88, 90, 93, 95, 100, 103-104, 117-118, 153, 175, 177-184, Stereo Humour. See Stereo Humour Alembic.
186-189, 250-251, 288, 296-297, 299-300, 302-304. See also Vitreous Humour. See Vitreous Humour Alembic.
Created, Disquiet, New Dawn, Pilgrimage, Promethean, Refinement, Sentry 57-59, 123-125, 131, 310. See also Aes.
and Vitriol.
Shaman 32-33. See also Lineage, Ulgan.
Turning Away 179
Skills 194-198. See also Attributes, Dice, and Equipment.
Stuck in a Rut 179
Mental. See Mental Skills.
Taking a Role 179-183
Physical. See Physical Skills.
Rolling Dice. See Dice.
Specialties 100, 198
Rules 193-238. See also Combat, Dice, Ephemeral Beings,
Social. See Social Skills.
Equipment, Numina, Promethean, Refinement, Social Maneuvering,
Sources of Harm, and Traits. Unskilled Penalties 199
Beaten Down & Surrender 204-205 Social Attributes 194. See also Attributes, Merits, and Skills.
Clash of Wills 118 Composure 194
Magnitude. See Alchemist, Magnitude. Manipulation 194
Memory and the Matchless 153. See also Azoth and Lineage, Presence 194
Extempore. Social Maneuvering 47, 65, 71, 126-127, 132-133, 141, 143-
Notable Temperatures 121 145, 173, 200, 202-204, 271, 305308, 312. See also Actions,
Attributes, Dice, Rules, Skills, and Virtues and Vices.
Phoenix Deputy 285
Aspirations. See Aspirations.
Quick Reference Charts 319-323
Doors 47, 71, 126, 144-145, 202-204, 211, 305, 308
Unholy Repast 255. See also Flux.
Failure 204
Vision Quest 127.
First Impressions 203
S Goals 203
Sanctus Aspiratus Alembic 164, 167. See also Alembic, Azoth, Go with the Flow 204
Pyros, Transmutation, and Vulcanus Transmutation. Offer an Alternative 204
Drain Pyros 167, 263 Opening Doors 203-204
Refine Pyros 167, 263 Resolution 204
Steal Pyros 167, 263 Soft Leverage (Gifts and Bribes) 203
Saturnine Night 92-93, 150, 183, 185, 297, 300, 303. See also Social Skills 197-198. See also Attributes, Merits, and Skills.
Alchemy, Gold, Magnum Opus, and Pilgrimage. Animal Ken 197
Calcinatio (Oxidizing) 92 Empathy 197
Ceratio (Tentatively Affixed) 93, 184, 188, 297, 300 Expression 197
Congelatio (Crystallization) 92 Intimidation 197

338
 INDEX

Persuasion 197 Stereotypes 22, 25, 28, 31, 34, 37, 40, 44, 47, 50, 53, 56, 59,
Socialize 197 62, 65, 68, 71, 251. See also Lineage and Storytelling.
Streetwise 197 Aes Perspective 59
Subterfuge 197-198 Argentum Perspective 62
Solar Flare Alembic 141. See also Alembic, Azoth, Luciferus Arum Perspective 44
Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation. Centimanus Perspective 251.
Dazzling Corona 141 Cobalus Perspective 65
Searing Corona 141 Cuprum Perspective 47
Volatile Corona 141 Ferrum Perspective 50
Solvent Alembic 248, 252-254, 256. See also Azoth, Flux Galateid Perspective 25
Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation. Extempore Perspective 40
Detonation 140, 253-254, 307 Frankenstein Perspective 22
Disaster 248, 253 Mercurius Perspective 68
Disruption 248, 253 Osiran Perspective 27
Somatic Humour Alembic 154, 157. See also Alembic, Azoth, Phosphorum Perspective 71
Pyros, Sensorium Transmutation, and Transmutation. Plumbum Perspective 53
Bloodhound’s Nose 157 Stannum Perspective 56
Discriminating Tongue 157 Tammuz Perspective 31
Sensitive Ears 157 Ulgan Perspective 34
Sources of Harm 212-214. See also Combat and Storytelling. Unfleshed Perspective 37
Disease 212 Stoke the Furnace Alembic 150, 153. See also Alembic, Azoth,
Drugs 212 Pyros, Saturninus Transmutation, and Transmutation.
Electricity 212 Catalytic Affirmation 153
Environment Levels 212 Chasing Hope 153
Extreme Environments 212 Transhuman Adaptation 153
Falling 212-213 Stone Alembic 119-121. See also Alchemicus Transmutation,
Fire 212-214 Alembic, Azoth, Pyros, and Transmutation.
Poison 214 Fortification 119
Spagyria Alembic 119-122. See also Alchemicus Transmutation, Purification 63, 102, 119-120
Alembic, Azoth, Pyros, and Transmutation. Transformation 119-120
Alteration 121 Storyteller 13-15, 40, 99, 101, 105, 108-109, 110-111, 113, 115,
Resize 121-122 117, 127, 138, 140-141, 148, 150-153, 155-156, 160, 166, 169-
Temperature Modification 121 171, 173-175, 177-179, 184-185, 187-189, 198-205, 212-214,
Spiritus Transmutation 158-161, 309. See also Alembic, 240-241, 243-245, 252, 261-263, 265, 272, 293-305, 307-311,
Distillation, and Transmutation. 313-314, 316-318, 320. See also Storytelling and Storytelling Games.
Clades. See Clades Alembic. Responsible For 13-14
Clupeum. See Clupeum Alembic. Storytelling 12-13, 202, 211, 224, 248, 254-255, 293-304. See
Laruae. See Laruae Alembic. also Books of Interest, Character Advancement, Character Creation,
Inspirational Media, Locations, New Dawn, People of Interest,
Veritas. See Veritas Alembic.
Pilgrimage, Promethean, Storyteller, Storytelling Games, and Time.
Stalker Alembic 134. See also Alembic, Azoth, Deception
Alchemical Record, The 294. See also Lineage and Refinement.
Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation.
Antagonists. See Antagonists.
Lurker 134
Condition. See Condition.
Phantom 134
Five Questions. See Character Creation, Five Questions.
Shadow 134
Gathering the Throng 293-294
Stannum 15, 44, 47, 50, 53-56, 59, 62-63, 65, 68, 71, 78, 81,
93, 102, 118, 134, 136, 172, 177, 179, 183-184, 249, 251, 296- Great Work, The. See Great Work, The.
297. See also Fury, Pilgrimage, Refinement, and Role. Introduction to Storytelling Games 13
Outcast 55, 179, 183 Mother We Share, The 294-295
Savage 55, 183, 186, 302-302 Pacing 303
Vigilante 55, 183, 296-297, 299, 303-304 Patchwork People 295-296
Stereo Humour Alembic 154, 156-157. See also Alembic, Azoth, People of Interest. See People of Interest.
Pyros, Sensorium Transmutation, and Transmutation. Pilgrimage: The Long Road 296. See also Pilgrimage.
Aura Sight 156 Tilt. See Tilt.
Clairvoyance 157 Storytelling Games 13. See also Storyteller and Storytelling.
Hearing the Inner Voice 157 Sublimatus. See Pandoran, Sublimati.

339
 INDEX

Suffering Alembic 125, 128. See also Alembic, Azoth, Earthquake 163, 315, 323
Contamination Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation. Environmental Tilt 135, 147, 267, 313, 323
Affliction 128 Extreme Cold 267, 314-316, 323
Pain 128 Extreme Heat 141, 315, 323
Purge 128 Flooded 267, 315-316, 323
Superlative Endurance 169-170, 244. See also Azoth, Character Heavy Rain 135, 267, 315-316, 323
Creation, Combat, Healing, Lineage, and Pyros. Heavy Winds 135, 267, 314, 316, 323
Constitution 169 Ice 267, 314, 316, 323
Durability 169 Immobilized 139, 164, 316, 320, 323
The Journey to the River 169-170 Insane 128, 146, 234, 267, 316-317, 323
Unaging 170 Insensate 128, 235, 317, 323
T Knocked Down 112, 316-317, 323
Leg Wrack 113, 130, 162, 207, 253, 317, 323
Tabula Rasa 295. See also Lineage, Extempore and Storytelling. Personal Tilt 313, 323
Tammuz. See Lineage, Tammuz. Poisoned 128, 149, 245, 317-318, 323
Tammuz Bestowments 110. See also Bestowment and Lineage, Sick 128, 133, 253, 318, 323
Tammuz. Stunned 127, 139, 141, 146, 148, 220, 318, 323
Heart of Clay 110 Time 202. See also Actions, Storytelling and Traits.
Inscription 110 Chapter 202
Tegere Alembic 147, 149. See also Alembic, Azoth, Metamorphosis Chronicle 202
Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation.
Scene 202
Impermeable Shell 149
Story 202
Quill Assault 149
Turn 202
Retributive Protection 149
Titan 22, 48-50, 86, 88, 108, 111, 130-131, 161-164. See also
Theme 11-12. See also Promethean and Storytelling. Ferrum.
Divine Fire, The. See Divine Fire. Torment 8, 12-15, 22-23, 25, 28, 31, 34, 37, 39-40, 43-44, 54-
Glimpses of the Grotesque 12 56, 63-65, 68-70, 78-79, 81, 84, 87, 91, 93-95, 99-108, 112,
Isolation 12 124-125, 132-134, 136-138, 151-153, 160, 168, 170-172, 176,
Humanism 11 178-180, 183-184, 186, 189, 193, 198, 203, 251, 254, 256, 265,
Torment 12 268, 282, 286-287, 294, 306, 310-312, 322. See also Character
Transformation 11 Advancement, Character Creation, Divine Fire, Elpis, Humour,
Throng 8, 12-16, 22-23, 27-28, 30-32, 34, 37-38, 42, 45, 47, Lineage, Pilgrimage, Promethean, Promethean Traits, Pyros, Torment,
51-54, 56-59, 61-62, 67, 69-70, 72, 76, 80-84, 86-87, 93-94, Transmutation and Willpower.
96, 99, 103-104, 107-108, 119, 123-125, 129, 135, 138, 140, Escaping Torment 172
142, 144, 153-154, 167, 176, 179-180, 183-184, 190, 239, 249, Example Torments 107-108
251, 254, 261, 265-266, 269-270, 281, 284, 287-288, 293-295, Torment Triggers 172
298, 300-304, 306, 312. See also Alchemical Pact, Azoth, Created, What Torment Is Like? 171. See also Humour and Lineage.
and Promethean. Traits 193-198. See also Character Creation.
Banish 87 Advantages. See Advantages.
Branded Throng 87. See also Pyros. Attributes. See Attributes.
Pyros Brand 87, 124, 144, 154. See also Prime the Vessel Mental Skills. See Mental Skills.
Alembic, Pyros Branding. Physical Attributes. See Attributes.
Throngmate 22, 26, 28, 30, 46-47, 57-63, 65, 69, 87, 106, Physical Skills. See Physical Skills.
123-125, 129-130, 144, 153-154, 159, 306, 310. See also Throng.
Skills. See Skills.
Tilt 112, 127-128, 130, 133, 135, 137, 139, 141, 146-149, 154,
157, 162-164, 169, 220, 234-235, 244-245, 267, 312-318, 323. Skill Specialties. See Skills, Specialties.
See also Combat, Condition, Sources of Harm, and Storytelling. Social Attributes. See Attributes.
Arm Wrack 113, 130, 162, 207-208, 253, 313, 323 Social Skills. See Social Skills.
Avalanche 313, 323 Speed 198
Beaten Down 137, 147, 204-205, 313, 320, 323 Virtues and Vices. See Vices and Virtues.
Blinded 141, 157, 162, 208, 244, 253, 267, 313, 323 Transmutation 8, 13, 15, 42, 44, 47, 50-54, 56, 59, 62, 65-68,
Blizzard 313-314, 323 71, 77-78, 88, 90, 95, 99-102, 104, 110-111, 117-168, 178, 184,
186-189, 206, 243-244, 248, 251-253, 255-256, 262, 272,
Burning 314 304-307, 309-310, 312. See also Alembic, Azoth, Disfigurement,
Deafened 314, 323 Distillation, New Dawn, Pilgrimage, Promethean, Pyros, Refinement,
Drowning 314 and Vitriol.
Drugged 154, 314, 317, 323

340
 INDEX

Alchemicus. See Alchemicus Transmutation. Undead. See Antagonists, Undead and Promethean.
Benefice. See Benefice Transmutation. Unfettered Alembic 161, 163-164. See also Alembic, Azoth,
Contamination. See Contamination Transmutation. Pyros, Transmutation, and Vitality Transmutation.
Corporeum. See Corporeum Transmutation. Close Combat Defense 163
Deception. See Deception Transmutation. No Walls May Hold Me 164
Disquietism. See Disquietism Transmutation. Shattered Chains 164
Electrification. See Electrification Transmutation. Unfleshed. See Lineage, Unfleshed.
Gaining Transmutations 118 Unfleshed Bestowments 110. See also Bestowment and Lineage,
Luciferus. See Luciferus Transmutation. Unfleshed.
Mesmerism. See Mesmerism Transmutation. Heart of Steel 37, 110
Metamorphosis. See Metamorphosis Transmutation. Soul Is In The Software, The 37, 103, 110
Saturninus. See Saturninus Transmutation.
Sensorium. See Sensorium Transmutation.
V
Spiritus. See Spiritus Transmutation. Vampire. See Antagonists, Vampire.
Systems 118-119 Veritas Alembic 158, 160. See also Alembic, Azoth, Pyros, Spiritus
Vitality. See Vitality Transmutation. Transmutation, and Transmutation.
Vulcanus. See Vulcanus Transmutation. Disrupting the Vital Humours 160
Trinitite 278. See also Locations, Las Vegas, Nevada. Finding the Wellspring 160
Twilight 33-34, 83, 109-110, 113, 155, 221-228, 230-231, 233- Walking the Path of Memory 160
235, 268-271. See also Ephemeral Beings and Lineage, Ulgan. Verto Alembic 147, 150. See also Alembic, Azoth, Metamorphosis
Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation.
U Body Like Clay 150
Ulgan. See Lineage, Ulgan. Everyman 150
Ulgan Bestowments 110. See also Bestowment and Lineage, Ulgan. Medusa’s Visage 150
Ephemeral Flesh 34, 110, 113, 155 Violence. See Combat.
Twilight Fluidity 34, 110 Virtues and Vices 198, 225, 271. See also Attributes, Elpis, Merits,
Skills, Social Maneuvering, Torment, Traits, and Willpower.
Unarmed Combat 206-207. See also Combat.
Vice 65, 126, 143, 156, 193, 198, 203, 225, 233, 263, 271
Bite 148, 206
Virtue 126, 143, 193, 198, 203, 225, 233, 263, 271
Break Free 163-164, 206, 217, 316
Vitality Transmutation 50, 129, 161-164, 310. See also Alembic,
Control Weapon 206
Distillation, and Transmutation.
Disarm 206
Unbowed. See Unbowed Alembic.
Grapple 112-113, 148, 163, 167, 206, 208-209, 219, 234,
Unbroken. See Unbroken Alembic.
316, 322
Unconquered. See Unconquered Alembic.
Hold 206
Unfettered. See Unfettered Alembic.
Restrain 206, 316
Vitriol 15, 51, 77, 81, 88-90, 93-95, 101-102, 104-105, 118,
Touching an Opponent 206
151, 154, 160, 168, 172, 178, 183-185, 188-189, 239-240, 243-
Unborn. See Pandoran. 244, 246-248, 253-255, 257-259, 261-262, 265-266, 268,
Unbowed Alembic 161-162. See also Alembic, Azoth, Pyros, 297-299. See also Alembic, Azoth, Athanor, Milestone, New Dawn,
Transmutation, and Vitality Transmutation. Pandoran, Pilgrimage, Promethean, and Transmutation.
Crucible of Will 162 Lacuna. See Lacuna.
Resolution of Steel 162 Vitriol Beat 298. See also Character Advancement and
Roar of the Defiant 162 Milestone.
Unbroken Alembic 161-163. See also Alembic, Azoth, Pyros, Vitriol Costs 104-105, 151, 160, 172, 178, 184, 188, 298
Transmutation, and Vitality Transmutation. Vitreous Humour Alembic 154-155. See also Alembic, Azoth,
Armor of Will 162 Pyros, Sensorium Transmutation, and Transmutation.
Drive On 162 Ephemeral Sight 155
Rebuke the Shroud 162-163 Fire Sight 155
Uncanny Valley 35. See also Lineage, Unfleshed. Piercing Sight 155
Unconquered Alembic 161, 163. See also Alembic, Azoth, Pyros, Vulcanus Transmutation 68, 71, 138, 164-167, 263, 307. See
Transmutation, and Vitality Transmutation. also Alembic, Distillation, and Transmutation.
Cyclopean Might 163 Cauterio. See Cauterio Alembic.
Titan’s Throw 163 Ignus Aspiratus. See Ignus Aspiratus Alembic.
Wrath of the Gods 163 Mutatus Aspiratus. See Mutatus Aspiratus Alembic.

341
 INDEX

Sanctus Aspiratus. See Sanctus Aspiratus Alembic. Willpower 53, 56, 101-102, 104-106, 109, 111, 115, 117-119,
123, 126, 129, 133, 140-143, 145-147, 152-154, 160-162, 172,
W 178, 185, 187, 193, 198-199, 203-206, 224-226, 229, 234, 243,
Wasteland 14-15, 20, 39, 42, 51-54, 63, 78, 81-84, 87-88, 90- 245-248, 254, 256, 264, 271, 297, 307-313, 316-318, 320, 323.
91, 94-95, 99, 101, 112, 115, 117, 126, 134-135, 137-138, 142-143, See also Character Advancement, Character Creation, Dice, Elpis,
152, 159, 167-168, 172-177, 179, 182, 184-189, 212, 250, 252, Integrity, Torment, and Virtues and Vices.
264-268, 273, 281, 283-286, 294-295, 301, 306, 308-310, 312, Wound. See Combat.
322. See also Azoth, Disquiet, Elpis, Firestorm, Lineage, Promethean, Wretched, The 20-22, 83, 93, 108, 286-287. See also Lineage,
Promethean Traits, Pyros, Qashmallim, Refinement, and Torment. Frankenstein.
Affected Areas 175-176
Causes for Wastelands 174-175
Y
Effects of a Wasteland 176 Yogi 130. See also Hygeius Alembic.
Fade, The 176-177, 322
Festering 176
Z
Wasteland Categories 176, 322 Zephyrus Alembic 129-130. See also Alembic, Azoth, Corporeum
Weaponize Alembic 118, 134, 137. See also Alembic, Azoth, Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation.
Disquietism Transmutation, Pyros, and Transmutation. Perfected Reflexes 130
Rampage 137 Serpent Strike 129-130
Tension 137 Swift Feet 129
Vanquish 137 Zombie. See Antagonists, Zombie.
Werewolf. See Antagonists, Werewolf.

342