A Sourcebook for
the Chronicles of Darkness
By Chris Falco
Table of Contents
1
Credits
Author: Chris Falco
Developer: Chris Falco
Editor: Chris Falco
Artist: White Wolf Art Packs
Cover from Max Pixel, under CC0
https://www.maxpixel.net
Special Thanks
Alan Alexander, Will Hindmarch, Conrad Hubbard,
Brand Robins, John Snead, Ken Cliffe, Pauline Benney,
Pauline Benney, Sam Araya, James Cole, Jim Pavelec,
Avery Butterworth, Alexander Dunnigen, Nick Stakal,
Mark Poole, Katie McCaskill, and anyone else that
assisted with the development of the original Second
Sight sourcebook.
© 2019 White Wolf Entertainment AB. All rights reserved. Vampire: The
Masquerade®, World of Darkness®, Storytelling System™, and Storytellers
Vault™ are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of White Wolf
Entertainment AB. All rights reserved. For additional information on White
Wolf and the World of Darkness, please, visit: www.white-wolf.com,
www.worldofdarkness.com and www.storytellersvault.com.
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Second Sight: Third Eye
TableofContents
of Contents
Table
Introduction
5
Chapter One: Mortal Magic
7
Chapter Two: Abnormal Development
20
Chapter Three: What Should Not Be
34
Table of Contents
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Second Sight: Third Eye
Introduction
Introduction
“People are
supposed to fear
the unknown, but
ignorance is bliss
when knowledge
is so damn
frightening.”
- Laurell K.
Hamilton
Meet the public defender. Overworked to the point of barely even getting to
talk to each of her clients, and yet she always seems to know exactly what
happened, ready with legal precedents and surprise evidence to help keep the
trodden upon masses from ending up behind bars simply because they couldn’t
afford a proper defense.
Meet the con man. He always seems to be happy to bilk the most gullible,
worst off people out of the last few bills they have in their pocket, leaving them
feeling hopeless. And yet, his victims always seem to hit a stroke of luck soon
after, whether a few hundred bucks from a scratch-off ticket, a forgotten debt
repaid to them, or money they’d thought they’d lost turning up in a hidden
container in their closet.
Meet the blind man. Left alone by the few he used to count on, he comes
across a strange book, seemingly ancient and yet written in braille, speaking of
a way to regain his sight. The strange rite is prepared and performed by him,
and he finds himself miraculously recovering from his ocular defects. But… why
are there suddenly so many local news stories of children disappearing, always
on Fridays, about the same time he first found that book?
Second Sight: Third Eye is a self-contained update of the 1st edition
Chronicles of Darkness supplement, Second Sight. It newly explores that
supplement’s concept of psychic phenomena, low magic, and dark cults of alien
creatures using the 2nd edition systems and mechanics. A bevy of new
supernatural abilities are provided for mortal characters, alongside new
templates and other options for playing minor talents like Psychics and
Thaumaturges.
While the 1st edition Second Sight book does contain some additional
roleplaying advice, and a potential story option for introducing mortal
characters into the world of the supernatural, this book can be used on its own,
alongside the core Chronicles of Darkness 2nd edition rule book, without
requiring access to the original book. Psychics and Thaumaturges fit well into
the God Machine Chronicle, too.
Chapter One: Mortal Magic contains a large number of Supernatural
Merits, both new and converted from the Psychic and Thaumaturge merits from
the original Second Sight book, as well as new options and rules for mortals
making use of such powers.
Chapter Two: Abnormal Development provides Supernatural Merit
Templates (as introduced in Hurt Locker) for Psychics and Thaumaturges,
providing an alternative system for playing characters that delve more
specifically into parapsychology or low magic.
Chapter Three: What Should Not Be provides advice for Mystery Cults
following unspeakable beings from realms outside our view of reality, and for
Blasphemous heralds that serve them more directly.
Introduction
5
6
Second Sight: Third Eye
Chapter
One:
Chapter One:
Mortal
Magic
Mortal Magic
Vampires warping the minds of others, werewolves channeling the power of
spirits, and mages imprinting the laws of strange upper realms on their
surroundings are far from the only beings capable of wielding supernatural
abilities. As long as there have been mortals, there’s been mortals capable of
wielding supernatural power, whether a psychic awakening of their mind, low
rituals calling upon the world around them, or strange mutations of their
bodies.
“Indubitably, magic
is one of the subtlest
and most difficult of
the sciences and arts.
There is more
opportunity for
errors of
comprehension,
judgment and
practice than in any
other branch of
physics.”
- Aleister Crowley
Supernatural Merits
Whatever the ultimate source and methodology behind a mortal’s power, the
majority of them are mechanically handled by Supernatural Merits. Unlike in
previous editions, where Psychic Phenomena, Thaumaturgy, and other minor
talents were all handled by their own class of merit or even other powers entirely,
they’re now all covered by the same general category. These special merits
represent mortal-only talents of any kind, whether rituals, psychic phenomena,
or even strange semi-physical augmentations.
Clash of Wills
Sometimes, two supernatural powers clearly oppose one another. If the normal
systems for the powers fail to resolve this – such as when a Telepath attempts to
scour the memories of someone whose mind was altered by a vampire’s abilities
– all involved supernatural effects enter a contested roll off, with Supernatural
Merits using a pool of the wielder’s Supernatural Potency trait (mortals usually
lack one) plus the rating of the Merit’s governing Attribute (the one it’s activated
with, if applicable, or else whatever one the Storyteller deems the best fit). Ties
reroll until one player has accrued more successes than all others. That player’s
character’s effect wins out and resolves as usual, while all others fail. The victory
of one power in a clash does not mean the immediate cancellation of the others,
save in cases where only one power can possibly endure (such as competing
mind control). Characters may spend Willpower to bolster the contested roll,
but only if they are physically present and aware (or consciously suspect) that
powers are clashing. Certain powers, those with exceptionally long durations,
are more enduring in a clash. Day-long effects add one die to the clash roll, weeklong effects add two, month-long three, and effects that would last a year or
longer add four (this includes indefinite effects and those that are always active).
Clash of Wills rules apply to supernatural creatures, as well. The traits involved
depend on the creature and are covered in their own sourcebooks. Dread
Horrors use Potency + Attribute, similar to mortals.
Chapter One: Mortal Magic
7
Activation Options
Sometimes, the way one person gains access to the
supernatural differs from most. Perhaps it only comes
to them in situations of emotional intensity, perhaps
it relies on a special focus that lets them channel their
special sort of magic, or perhaps they simply only have
gained access to a fraction of what most practitioners
of that sort of ability are capable of due to their own
lack of experience. Whatever the case is, this can
provide them with a bit of a benefit; Supernatural
Merits are ultimately reliant on an act of will, and so
a particularly narrow focus can help channel that will
more easily.
Mechanically, Options provide a +1 or higher
bonus to the activation of the Supernatural Merit
they’re attached to, depending on how narrow or
unreliable they make that merit. Most of the examples
that follow can be applied to a variety of different
merits, but they’re not the only options possible, and
players should feel free to come up with more.
Ultimately, the Storyteller is the arbiter as to what’s a
narrow enough restriction to a Merit to grant how
much of a bonus, if any.
More than one Option can be taken for any given
Merit, and the dice bonuses do stack, but only so long
as all of the Options make sense and mesh together
well; Storytellers should discourage random choices
made just to gain the most dice possible.
Obviously, players may not take Options that are
already covered by the Drawback (if any) of that
Merit; a Clairvoyant can’t choose Specialized Focus,
for instance, as they already must choose a specific
methodology to their scrying, and a Telekinetic
shouldn’t take Emotional Flare for a similar reason.
A character who learns to overcome their
“weakness” may remove an option after in-character
work, with Storyteller permission, but loses their
bonus thereafter. Generally, Options can’t be taken
after the merit’s already been purchased, it needs to
be selected when the merit is, but a good story reason
might allow for it to happen at Storyteller discretion.
Examples:
• Burnout: The character’s powers have an
adverse effect on them, whether boiling their
blood or causing intense headaches as their
mental energy is diminished. Activating the
merit also causes a point of bashing damage to
the character, in addition to any other costs.
Bonus: +1, +3 if the damage is lethal instead.
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Second Sight: Third Eye
•
•
•
•
•
•
Diminished Power: The power has limits in
the way it can be used, or doesn’t provide all
of the options it normally does to the
character. A Clairvoyant might only
experience one sense, or an alchemist might
only be able to change their blood specifically
into other substances. Bonus: +1, +2 if
particularly limiting.
Diminished Range: For whatever reason, the
character cannot reach out as far with their
power as most with the same ability can
manage. A power that can be cast at any range
must be cast in the presence of their target, or
a power that relies on sensory range might
require touch. Bonus: +1, +2 for multiple
“steps.”
Emotional Flare: The character’s powers are
tied to a certain emotional state, and when
that state comes along on its own, the power
might activate without the character intending
it to. Perhaps they’ll fire Mental Blasts at those
that anger them, or call on their Numbing
Touch when afraid. Bonus: +1, +2 for
dangerous or visible powers.
Specialized Focus: The character may only
make use of the merit with a particular object,
circumstance, or ritual action. For instance, a
Telekinetic may need quartz crystals to
channel their mental force, or an Astral
Projector may only be able to project within
an hour of midnight. Bonus: +1, +2 if difficult
or dangerous to use.
Uncontrolled: The character cannot
consciously activate their power, it comes on a
whim, whether because it’s a gift from God or
because they simply don’t know how to
properly call upon it. The player may not
choose to activate the Merit, only the
Storyteller may decide when it becomes active,
but this should generally be in beneficial
situations, at least once a chapter. Bonus: +2,
or +3 if it can also activate detrimentally.
Unique Focus: A narrower version of
Specialized Focus, the character must have a
specific item. They need the first quartz crystal
they held when activating their Telekinesis,
not any crystal, for instance. Bonus: +1, but
stacks with Specialized Focus.
Merits
The following is a list of new Supernatural Merits,
updated from Second Sight and combined, altered,
or simplified to fit within the paradigm of 2nd Edition
Chronicles. Unless otherwise mentioned, all of the
following merits count as Supernatural, and thus are
usable only by mortals, without some special ability
(such as the Coil of Zirnitra) or membership in an
appropriate Mystery Cult.
Alchemy (••• or •••••)
Prerequisites: Occult •• or Science ••
Effect: Your character, through a mystical or neoscientific process, is able to perform the ancient
miracle of changing one type of substance into
another. With the three-dot version of the merit, both
substances must be common, simple, and nonprecious (Availability •• or less), but with the fivedot, both can be any non-radioactive material (The
Storyteller reserves the right to prevent other
troublesome materials as well). Doing so requires an
hour of work, a lab or other specialized equipment of
at least Availability •••, a point of Willpower, and a
roll of Intelligence + Occult or Science, penalized by
the size of the substance and the higher Availability
of the starting or target substance. With an
exceptional success on the roll, the material will grant
a +3 bonus to any crafting roll performed on it.
Suggested Modifiers: Performed in a well-stocked
Laboratory (add the equipment bonus), performed
under stress (-1 to -3).
Animal Speech (• or ••)
Effect: Through some strange circumstance, your
character can communicate fully with a specific type
of animal. Whether a blessing of the fae, a witch’s
spell, or the result of eating a totem animal’s heart,
she’s become entirely aware of what animals are trying
to communicate with their sounds, scents, and body
language. She gains a +3 bonus to Animal Ken rolls
to understand that type of animal. With the two-dot
version, she can speak to them in whatever tongue she
likes, and be understood as clearly as an animal could.
The dice bonus applies to any social rolls attempted
on the beast, in this case.
This Merit does not impart on the animals any
intelligence or personality beyond the norm, and so
complex ideas and human concepts may still confuse
them.
Chapter One: Mortal Magic
9
Animal Speech, Advanced (•)
Prerequisites: Animal Speech
Effect: Your connection to the Animal Kingdom
is more universal; the effects of Animal Speech apply
to all animals, instead of a specific type.
Astral Projection (•••••)
Effect: Your character has learned to project their
mind outward, allowing one to free their
consciousness from their physical form and travel
through the world spiritually, leaving their body
behind. This requires a point of Willpower, a
successful meditation, and a Resolve + Occult roll to
enact.
If successful, the character becomes separated from
their body, taking on a psychic form in Twilight (in
phase with goetia and similar mental entities that find
their way there). They remain intangible to mundane
reality, utterly unable to interact with the physical,
and are cut off from their other psychic abilities for
the duration of the ability. However, their speed is
multiplied by five for the duration, allowing
incredibly fast travel through the world, and they’re
unbound by gravity or physical obstacles.
Their body remains in a coma-like state for the
duration, slowly degrading if not fed or given liquid.
They’re unaware of its state unless they take damage,
in which case they feel the pain reflected in their
astral form. They must travel manually back to their
body, however, in either case. Whether their body is
kept alive somehow or not, if they’re away from it for
more days than they have Stamina, it begins to break
down, causing them to take 1 lethal damage per hour
until they return or die. Finally, if their physical
health track is filled with lethal or aggravated damage,
they instantly return to their body, though will be
comatose or dead, as appropriate.
Suggested Modifiers: The character rolls an
exceptional success to Meditate (+2), the character’s
under stress or is distracted (-1 to -3), the character’s
already able to perceive some aspect of Twilight (+1).
Biokinesis, Advanced (• to •••••)
Prerequisites: Biokinesis at an equal or greater
level.
Effect: With this merit, your character has learned
to not just manipulate the raw makeup of their body,
but to alter it in more granular, specific ways to
provide themselves with varied advantages. By
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Second Sight: Third Eye
spending a point of unavoidable lethal damage when
activating Biokinesis, you may gain one dot of one of
the merits below per dot you have in Advanced
Biokinesis instead of shifting attributes, which lasts
for the scene. You must meet the prerequisites, but
any based on attributes can be met through a normal
use of Biokinesis beforehand.
The merits that can be chosen from are
Ambidextrous, Demolisher, Double Jointed, Fleet of
Foot, Hardy, Iron Stamina, or Relentless. With
Storyteller permission, other merits that are entirely
physical and “internal” in nature might be available
as well.
Channeling (• to •••••)
Effect: Whether through a connection to the astral
realms, ancestral spirits, a past life, or a stranger
source altogether, your character has the ability to
channel abilities and knowledge they do not possess
for themselves.
When purchasing this merit, choose either mental,
physical, or social skills. By spending a point of
Willpower and meditating successfully at a location
representative of your character’s abilities (a Locus for
one who channels spirits, or a graveyard for someone
who calls upon their ancestors’ knowledge), you may
make a roll to temporarily improve a skill in the
chosen category. For mental skills, it’s Intelligence +
Occult, social are Composure + Occult, and physical
are Stamina + Occult. On a success, the character is
able to replace a skill rating of theirs in the
appropriate category with their rating in Channeling
for the next 24 hours, for all purposes. On an
exceptional success, they may set two different skills
to that level.
Drawback: Channeling is a drain on a character’s
mind and spirit, and so may not be used more than
once in a given day. In addition, using it causes the
Resonant, Anchor, or Infrastructure condition on
them with relation to all of a given type of Ephemera,
dependent on the ultimate source of their
channeling, for so long as it lasts. With Storyteller
Permission, odd forms of channeling might cause
another condition or tilt instead.
Special: This merit may be purchased multiple
times. Each time it’s bought, it applies to a different
skill category. Different versions of the merit may be
used in the same day, but suffer a -2 penalty to the roll
for each other type already active.
Communion (•• or ••••)
Effect: The character is capable of reaching out
with his mind to that of a faraway entity, often one of
godlike power or capability. Work with the Storyteller
to determine the nature of the entity, at least to the
extent that the character is aware of it, as it’s a
character in its own right, even if one not represented
with typical dots on a sheet.
To do so, the character must successfully meditate
or perform a similar sort of ritual (with the same roll),
focusing on a symbol or other representation of the
entity, and then make a Composure + Occult roll. If
successful, contact with the entity is initiated. With
an exceptional success, the entity is well disposed or
clearer than normal in its communication.
With the two-dot version of the merit, the character
is simply able to open themselves to the entity and
allow it to communicate with them, but the
communication is only one way, allowing the
character to do nothing more than sit and listen.
However, the entity tends to inherently know why it
was sought out and may provide information relating
to that. In addition to whatever information the
Storyteller cares to provide from the entity, the
character gains the Informed condition about
whatever topic he sought wisdom about (if the call
was more general, the topic is whatever the entity feels
is most relevant).
With the four-dot version of the merit, the
character opens up bilateral communication, able to
“speak” with the entity in addition to learning from
it. This allows more nuanced guidance of the
conversation, allowing for more specific information
to be learned most times. In addition to the above
benefit, the character may utilize the provided
wisdom to gain access to the rote action benefit on a
single mundane action (not roll; extended actions
receive it for each roll) that’s begun before the end of
the day.
Drawback: The entity has goals and desires as well,
and should the character work against them, or even
just fail to assist, they may receive fallout. This often
takes the form of an automatic failure on the next use
of the ritual, along with a negative condition or tilt,
but the Storyteller may come up with other options
as well.
As well, if pestering the entity more than once per
chapter without a very good reason, directly related to
the entity’s goals/desires, they may be ignored
(causing an automatic failure of the ability) or worse.
Chapter One: Mortal Magic
11
Countermagic Ward (•• or •••••)
Prerequisites: Wits ••
Effect: The character becomes able to shield
themselves from sympathetic magic and powers of
various sorts, allowing them to gain a warning about
impending abilities and prepare accordingly, or even
build up a form of protection against it.
The two-dot version allows a character to spend a
point of Willpower and roll Resolve + Occult to gain
a sense of impending magic; for the rest of the day
they become immediately aware of any supernatural
ability working through a range greater than
mundane perception that targets them, their
possessions, or their immediate surroundings (such as
a Mage’s sympathetic spells, some Thaumaturges’
rituals, or Blasphemous Rites), as soon as the ability
starts being used or prepared, rather than at the end.
They also get a sense for when it’s about to unleash
on them, allowing them to spend Willpower or use
other abilities to improve their resistance to it. With
an exceptional success on the initial roll, they also get
a brief vision of the offender upon the spell’s use.
The five dot version works similarly but applies its
own form of protection in addition. If unable to resist
the power naturally, they may, a number of times per
day equal to the successes rolled, gain a Clash of Wills
to stop the magic from affecting them, their
possessions, or their immediate surroundings.
Destiny (• to •••••)
Effect: Your character’s thread stands out in the
skein of Fate, both destined for great triumphs and
haunted by a Doom that threatens her end.
Each chapter, you have a pool of Destiny equal to
your dots in this Merit. Each time you use a point of
Destiny you may either gain the advanced action
quality on a single mundane roll chosen before you
roll the dice (thus allowing you to roll twice and take
the better result), or reroll a single mundane action
after you see the result of the roll (although you must
take the second result). You may spend a point of
Willpower when invoking your Destiny to affect a
Supernatural Merit’s activation roll.
Drawback: Your character has a Doom. This is the
means by which destiny brings her life as she knows
it to a tragic end — such as addicted, betrayed,
crippled,
devoured,
enslaved,
imprisoned,
maddened, murdered, ostracized, possessed, ruined,
or turned. This either kills her or leaves her alive and
suffering. Whenever you spend Willpower to avoid
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the Doom, you add two dice instead of three (or +1
to a static value). However, if a roll enhanced with
Willpower like this fails, the point is regained. The
Storyteller has the final say as to when your Doom
applies.
If using the Fate optional rules, your Doom should
in some way line up with your Fate.
Note: This is equivalent to the Mage merit of the
same name, but altered for Mortal characters. Any
mechanics applying to one affects either, however.
Dowsing (•• or ••••)
Prerequisites: Wits ••
Effect: Dowsing is a limited form of divination,
allowing your character to detect hidden objects using
a specialized rod, crystal pendulum, or other focus. By
concentrating on either a known object or a type of
substance (such as water or oil) while utilizing the
aforementioned focus, spending a point of
Willpower, and making an extended Wits + Occult
roll (15 minutes per roll), they become drawn towards
the location. The target number of successes is based
on the rarity of the substance or Availability of the
object and the distance from the character.
As a general rule, three successes is the base target,
+1 success per point of Availability of the object or
substance, +1 per mile of distance to the nearest
source, to an absolute maximum of 10 needed
successes (after which it becomes simply impossible to
find it).
With Dowsing at four dots, the time per roll
becomes five minutes, and objects/substances can be
found with up to 20 required successes.
Suggested Modifiers: An energy meter is used as
the focus (add the equipment bonus), the character
meditates beforehand (+2), the object belongs to the
character (+1), the object is important to the character
(+2), the character has minimal tie to the object, or
knows little about it (-3),the substance is incredibly
rare in the area, such as water in a desert (-1 to -3).
Dream Travel (•• or ••••)
Prerequisites: Lucid Dreamer.
Effect: Your character becomes able to enter the
dreams of another, and shape them the same way
they’re able to control their own dreams. To do so,
they must be capable of seeing the target, whether
through mundane perception, Clairvoyance, Astral
Projection, or a similar supernatural ability (this
bypasses most restrictions on using other merits with
sensory Supernatural Merits). At that point, one
Willpower is spent and Manipulation + Occult is
rolled, contested by the target’s Composure +
Supernatural Tolerance if unwilling or unaware. If
the target’s not asleep at the time, the ability
automatically fails.
If successful, your character is able to enter the
target’s dreams, taking on a Dream Form (see
sidebar). They’re capable of using any of their other
Supernatural Merits in the context of the dream;
Telekinesis will move “dream objects” around the
same as normal ones, for instance, although exact
physics may be slightly modified by the Dream.
However, powers relying on other realms or the
entities from them, such as spirits and ghosts, do not
work even on dreamed approximations of them.
With the four-dot version of the merit, they can roll
Manipulation + Occult – Resolve as an instant action
when already within the Dream to make changes to it
without other powers, generally one minor change
per success, or a major shift to the surroundings on
an exceptional success.
With either version, the character may leave the
target dream at any time with a successful Resolve +
Composure roll, unless kept within the dream by a
supernatural ability of some sort, in which case a
Clash of Wills is required to leave (in fact, there are
tales of some Dreamers subconsciously trapping
Oneiromancers due to a desire to have them remain).
Soul Shocked (Condition)
Lucid Dreamer (••)
•••
Ephemeral Sight (•• or ••••)
Prerequisite: Medium
Your character is capable of seeing ephemeral
entities. With the two-dot version of this merit,
choose a specific phase of Twilight (that is, ghostattuned/death-attuned, spirit-attuned, etc.). You may
perceive that phase of Twilight, including any entities
Chapter One: Mortal Magic
13
within or other ephemeral constructs residing there.
With the four-dot version of the merit, you’re capable
of seeing all phases of Twilight.
Drawback: Seeing into Twilight constantly is as
much a curse as a blessing. The character suffers a -2
penalty to mundane perception rolls when Twilight
beings or imagery are present; a point of Willpower
can shut it out for a scene (effectively turning off the
merit). In addition, entities the character can see find
it easier to affect them, granting them a +2 dice bonus
to Numina, Influences, or other powers targeting
them from Twilight.
Ephemeral Transmutation (•••••)
Prerequisites: Astral Projection, Medium, or
Unseen Sense (any Ephemeral entity)
Effect: Often achieved by those seeking out a form
of enlightenment or ascension, this “ritual” of sorts
allows your character to attune themselves to
Twilight, not projecting within but instead physically
transforming into a Twilight state. The character
makes a meditation roll, though this may also
represent a ritual or other procedure rather than
typical meditation, and then rolls Resolve + Occult.
If successful, they end up shifting themselves into
Twilight for a scene, attuned to a type of ephemera
chosen when the merit is purchased (In the case of
Unseen Sense used as the prerequisite, the type must
match).
Evocation/Invocation (••+)
Prerequisites: Occult •••, Channeling, or
Medium
Effect: Your character has knowledge of “generic”
summoning rituals that are capable of calling a given
type of Ephemeral entity, chosen upon purchase of
the merit, without requiring the normal research time
or need for specialized applications of Conditions. By
purchasing an additional dot per type of entity,
further types can be called.
This works with a single Intelligence + Occult roll
to mystically attune the area to the entity, which takes
approximately 15 minutes; this can be either a
specific, named entity or just a call to the nearest of a
given type of ephemeral being.
If successful, the area becomes Open to the chosen
type of entity, and a call is sent out to them. They
must answer the call unless they succeed on a Rank +
Resistance roll and garner more successes than the
character did on their own roll. If the entity fails, it
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Second Sight: Third Eye
must remain there for the scene, although this does
nothing to protect the caster otherwise.
By adding two dots to the cost of the merit, the
character may, upon the entity’s arrival, roll Presence
+ Persuasion + Evocation (max 5) vs the entity’s Rank
+ Resistance to force it to obey a single command that
can be delivered with a short sentence and isn’t selfdestructive or against the entity’s ban, and if
successful it must attempt to follow that command to
the best of its ability for the rest of the scene. It also
may not harm the summoner for that same amount
of time. As a note, when targeting angels, this merit
does not allow the caster to cause an Angel to work
against its mission from the God-Machine, nor to do
anything to make it fall.
Alternatively, two dots can be added to instead
grant the entity the Possession Manifestation if they
don’t normally possess it, with a roll of Presence +
Occult + Evocation (max 5), and act as if they
themselves are Open, offering themselves to the
entity for whatever purposes. Often, it acts as their
side of a bargain, as many entities will offer up basic
services in exchange for the use of a physical body.
Drawback: Ephemeral beings don’t like being
commanded any more than most people, and will
likely attempt to cause trouble for the character after
the fact if not supplicated somehow.
Note: This merit may be taken above five dots.
Geomancy (••• or •••••)
Prerequisites: Intelligence ••, and Crafts or
Occult ••
Effect: Your character is capable of altering the flow
of energy through an area, whether through an effect
akin to Feng Shui, a ritual harnessing Ley energy, or
an imprint of Psychic will on the area, among other
possibilities. They can cause a building to resonate
with a particular sort of mindset or action, making
any related task that fits it that much easier when
inside.
To do this, a point of Willpower is spent and an
extended Intelligence + Crafts roll is made, taking an
hour per roll and requiring increasing successes
depending on the approximate size of the location; 5
for a small room, 10 for a small home, 15 for an office
building, 20 for a mansion or multi-story building,
and 25+ for warehouses, mansions, and larger. If
successful, actions aligned with a chosen Skill (at
three dots) or Attribute (at five dots) gain the 9-again
benefit once per character per chapter when inside
the building (the player chooses when it applies).
This effect lasts for a Story (or about a month) but
can be renewed before it expires by using this Merit
again and accruing only five successes, no matter the
size of the location.
Suggested Modifiers: Location is a Nexus (double
the usual modifier), affecting an Attribute instead of
Skill (-3), area not conducive to desired resonance (-1
to -3), no tools or materials (-3).
Luck Magic (• to •••••; Style)
Prerequisites: Manipulation ••, and Occult •••,
Damn Lucky (Hurt Locker pg. 79), Cursed, Thief of
Fate, or Destiny
Effect: Through a strange connection to the weave
of Fate and Destiny (or stranger forces), your
character has learned several techniques, whether
through psychic will or magical ritual, that allows
them to alter luck and chance. The exact effects
they’re capable of are tied with the level of the merit
they know, but all levels require that the individual
first meditate (or perform a similar ritual) successfully,
spend a point of Willpower, and make a successful
Manipulation + Occult roll, contested by Composure
+ Supernatural Tolerance if negatively affecting the
target. The character may only use this merit on a
given individual once per day, including themselves,
no matter what level is used.
Favorable Fortune (•): Your character can gift
someone with a very minor twist of fate. This might
mean they win no more than 25 dollars on a lottery
ticket, get to work without hitting any red lights, or
similar blessings. Your character defines the general
blessing, but the exact nature of how it happens is left
to Fate itself. This takes place within a day and then
the effect ends.
Ill Fortune (••): A flip of favorable fortune, your
character instead puts a minor curse on their target.
They might receive an unexpected bill or expenditure
of no more than 50 bucks, end up late to work due to
traffic, or have similar ill effects of fate plague them.
This takes place within a day, and the effect ends once
the curse has run its course.
Minor Weal/Woe (•••): Your character becomes
able to bless or curse actions in a minor way. A certain
type of action or roll that the effect applies to is
defined when it’s used, and a number of those actions
equal to successes rolled suffer from the loss of 10again or gain 9-again. The definition can be as general
or specific as desired, but any roll that applies will
“use up” one of the successes; the character has no
Chapter One: Mortal Magic
15
control beyond that initial declaration. If the rolls
aren’t used within the next chapter, the effect fades.
Major Weal/Woe (••••): This level works as
Minor Weal/Woe, but upgrades the effect to either
provide 8-again or cause 1’s to subtract from successes
in addition to the loss of 10-again.
Forge Fate (•••••): At this level, your character
is able to enact more significant changes in someone’s
life. This works as Favorable or Ill Fortune, but the
effects are more pronounced. The target may benefit
from an effect equivalent to 3 dots of a merit like
Allies, Contacts, or Resources, or suffer from a curse
akin to one of those being used against them (or
blocking one of their own merits).
Suggested Modifiers: Target isn’t present (-4, must
have their real name or an important possession),
target is already affected by fate-altering magic (-1 or
more), target has the Destiny merit (+rating for effects
that align with Destiny/Doom, -rating if they go
against it), effect doesn’t align with target’s Fate (-2).
Mental Blast (•••••)
Prerequisites: Telepathy ••••• or Mind Control
(Hurt Locker, pg. 74)
Effect: This incredibly rare and dangerous power
allows a character to reach out with their mind to
damage another’s with a form of mental feedback that
overwhelms and slowly destroys the target’s brain.
The character spends a point of Willpower and rolls
Presence + Intimidation - the Stamina of their target
(who they must be able to see with natural sight), and
deals one bashing damage to them per success. This
often starts out as a migraine but as damage rolls over
into lethal or even aggravated, it takes the form of
hemorrhages, strokes, and similar maladies. An
exceptional success on the attack may inflict the
Stunned Tilt as the brain misfires and makes it
difficult to focus.
By concentrating for additional turns and
maintaining a view of their target, the Merit may be
used in successive turns without additional
Willpower needing to be spent, but on any turn the
power is used the character loses their defense, and
may not take any other actions beyond moving their
Speed in a turn. If they lose sight of the target, fail an
activation roll, or cease using it each turn, they must
re-enact the power at the full cost.
Drawback: This power is innately “visible” to
supernatural characters. Characters with a
supernatural template (of any kind, including Merit
16
Second Sight: Third Eye
Templates) may roll Wits + Occult when attacked to
realize where said attack is originating from.
Mind Breaker (••••)
Prerequisites: Evil Eye (Hurt Locker, pg. 73), Mind
Control, or Telepathy •••••
Effect: Your character is able to fracture someone’s
mind through sheer force of will or mystic might,
degrading their rational thought into a maddened
blur. By spending a point of Willpower and
successfully rolling Presence + Empathy or
Intelligence + Science vs a character’s Resolve +
Supernatural Tolerance, you may inflict the Madness
Condition on a target for the rest of the scene. In
combat, they also suffer from the Insane Tilt.
Plant Empathy (•)
Prerequisites: Biokinesis •+
Effect: Your character’s attunement to living things
provides them a “green thumb” of sorts, allowing
them to cultivate plants and other flora more easily.
Any roll relating to the cultivation of plant life gains
bonus dice equal to the character’s Biokinesis rating,
as does any roll to put such plants to use (such as
mixing herbal substances or cooking a meal with
freshly gathered plants). In addition, plants under
their care grow (1 + their Biokinesis rating) times
more quickly than normal.
Postcognition (•••)
Effect: Your character, whether through a mystical
trance or a psychic attunement, is able to see into the
past. By meditating, spending a point of Willpower,
and making a Wits + Occult roll, they become able to
get a sense of what has happened in the area they’re
in at a specific, named time, allowing them to see a
brief flash of the scene, and to ask a number of
questions equal to successes rolled about it. These
questions must be something that could be found out
by investigating the scene if present at the time; it
won’t allow mind-reading or insight into outside
factors without another ability.
Drawback: The roll is penalized by both the
distance back in time and the sympathetic connection
the character has to the event. For an event further
than a week back, a -1 penalty is taken, -2 for a month,
-3 for a year, -4 for 5 years, -5 for 10, and then an
additional -1 for each additional 10 years. They must
then possess either an object or be in the presence of
a person that was involved in or present at that scene;
an object causes a -4 penalty, and a person a -2.
Having neither makes the roll impossible.
Psychic Empathy (•••• or •••••)
Prerequisites: Manipulation ••, and Empathy
••• or Subterfuge •••
Effect: Known as “Enchantment” among some,
this merit lets your character manipulate the
emotional state of another, affecting their mood or
even completely overriding their emotional state of
being. The four-dot version of this ability lasts for up
to a scene, and the five-dot lasts for an entire day.
The character spends a Willpower and rolls
Manipulation + Empathy vs Composure +
Supernatural Tolerance, with a penalty to their roll
depending on the intensity of the subject’s current
emotion and the intensity of the subject’s target
emotion. A calm, neutral demeanor imposes no
penalty; mild, imperceptible emotions cause a -1
penalty; obvious emotions a -2; and extreme emotions
cause -3. The penalty for current and target emotional
state stack, unless changing the intensity of the same
emotion, in which case only the difference applies. If
successful, this may inflict or remove a related nonpersistent condition, such as Swooning or Shaken.
This ability is not capable of affecting a vampire in
Frenzy, a werewolf in Death Rage, or any similar
supernatural emotional state.
Sapiokinesis (• to •••••)
Effect: Your character has the ability to psychically
alter their mental makeup. By spending a Willpower
point and concentrating for a minute, they can shift
their Mental or Social Attributes, moving dots from
one to another. They can shift one dot in an Attribute
per dot in this Merit. This lasts for one hour and can
shift an Attribute no higher than the character’s
normal maximum (usually five) or below one.
Also, the character’s mind recovers more quickly.
Once per chapter, they can remove a mundane, nonpersistent mental condition from themself after at
least a scene.
Soul Jar (••••)
Prerequisites: Occult ••••
Effect: Using a form of dark energy, nefarious
ritual, or similar infernal process, your character is
able to create special containers called soul jars, which
become attuned to a dying individual’s soul, able to
capture and hold it within. This involves two rolls;
first, an occult crafting roll at a -5 penalty, to create
the jar itself, and second, a Presence + Intimidation
roll versus a dying victim’s Resolve + Supernatural
Tolerance (A dying victim is anyone with aggravated
damage greater than their stamina or who is bleeding
out). The character must touch the dying victim.
If successful, when the victim is about to die (their
second to last health box is filled with aggravated
damage), their soul is drawn out and into the Jar,
giving them the soulless condition. If they manage to
survive somehow, they suffer the full progression of
Soul Loss as they normally would.
There are a few things that the character can do
with these collected souls. By opening the container
while touching a Soulless character (including
themselves), they can resolve any soul loss related
conditions and grant them the soul normally.
Alternatively, a soul can be bartered to ephemeral
entities or other supernatural creatures (certain mages
seem to make good use of them). Finally, the soul can
be “consumed” during a use of another Supernatural
Merit, requiring an additional instant action, but
granting the rote action quality to the roll as a result.
Note that this only works on those with ‘mortal’
souls, which includes any mortal, micro/minor
template, half template, or Mage, although
attempting it on a Mage causes an additional -5
penalty due to the way their soul is “held” within
them, and they may have other protections.
Drawback: Such a heinous act is always an Integrity
breaking point at -5, as is actually “consuming” the
soul with another Merit use.
Telepathic Rapport (••)
Prerequisites: Telepathy and either a Retainer,
True Friend, Mentor, or willing player character to
act as the target.
Effect: The telepath is able to form a permanent
connection to another character, able to use
Telepathy or related merits on them at any time,
without any Willpower cost, although the normal roll
must still be made. There’s no distance limitation to
the ability, as the merit represents a powerful
sympathetic bond that the character becomes able to
draw on to “target” their ability.
In addition, if the target of the Rapport is ever
subject to intense emotions or danger, the character
may roll Wits + Empathy to sense that emotion and
impending danger, although this provides no
inherent ability to track them down without further
scouring of their mind.
Chapter One: Mortal Magic
17
With Storyteller permission, this merit may be
taken without meeting the Telepathy prerequisite,
regarding someone they have an intense spiritual and
emotional connection to in one form or another,
allowing them to benefit from three dots of Telepathy
and the mechanics of this merit on that character
only. Often, this will be two way, allowing each
character to sense the other.
Telekinesis, Advanced (• to •••••)
Prerequisites: Telekinesis •••••, Wits •••
Effect: Your telekinetic abilities have been finetuned to the point of allowing careful, precise actions
to be performed with the telekinetic force you’re able
to project. Dots in this merit provide effective
Dexterity to your mental force when activating
Telekinesis, allowing you to perform tasks requiring
minute movements, such as picking a lock or swiping
something from a buttoned-up pocket unseen. This
can be used for ranged “attacks”, but such attacks still
require Willpower to be spent for each one.
Visionary Trance (•• or ••••)
Prerequisite: Unseen Sense (Spirits) or Medium.
Effect: With the two-dot version of this merit, your
character has learned to go into a specialized trance
that allows them to peer briefly into the Shadow (the
spirit world), and communicate with any entities
nearby. To do so, they must go into a trance (using a
Meditation roll), spend a point of Willpower, and roll
Resolve + Occult, with a modifier depending on the
Gauntlet Strength (see Chronicles of Darkness, pg.
126). If successful, they can perceive the Shadow, and
become visible to any entities there. They can
communicate if the spirits understand their language,
but cannot use other abilities on the Shadow or its
denizens, nor be targeted by spiritual powers if the
spirit lacks the Reaching Manifestation. This lasts for
so long as they maintain the trance.
With the four-dot version of this merit, after
successfully entering such a trance, the character may
use an ability similar to Astral Projection to project
more fully into the spirit realm. Since there’s no
Twilight in the Shadow, they become effectively
physical, using Dream Form rules (pg. 13) to
determine their capabilities and health (taking Soul
Shocked if they “die”). If the character somehow
possesses spiritual objects like a Fetish or certain
Bygones, they project with the character, but no other
equipment does (their form still appears clothed if
18
Second Sight: Third Eye
they want). This has the usual limitations and
duration limits of Astral Projection, and also leaves
their body Open to spirits.
Warding (••)
Prerequisites: Resolve •• and Occult •
Effect: Your character is able to create general
ephemeral wards that function against more than just
a single specific entity. This involves first crafting a
special, chalky substance attuned to a given type of
ephemera with a Wits + Occult roll, -3 if targeting
something other than spirits or ghosts. This acts as
the “generic” bane for that type, and is used to mark
an area, allowing the character to perform a Warding
ritual normally, though with a -5 penalty, lacking a
specific entity’s Rank to use. This will then be
effective on any entity of the given type (of rank five
or less) for the usual duration.
Weather Control (•••••)
Prerequisites: Occult or Science ••••, or
Psychokinesis •••••
Effect: Your character’s connection to the natural
forces of the world is palpable, and by taking time to
bring themself in tune with the area, they can alter
and manipulate the weather in minor ways. This will
never cause weather of an Extreme Environment of
more than level 2, and won’t cause changes that are
entirely unreasonable for the location and season
(such as snow in Death Valley). As well, any changes
are centered on a small area (such as a small town or
portion of a city) and take a few minutes to hours to
come into effect, appropriate to the type of weather
being sought out.
The character must successfully Meditate, and then
make a Wits + Occult roll, with a penalty equal to the
extent of the changes being made, as listed below. On
a success, the changes will come into effect and will
last about as long as is typical for that sort of weather
in the area. An exceptional success may make the
effect last longer or bump up its severity without a
further penalty.
Suggested Modifiers: Minor changes in line with
current weather, such as rain on a dark and cloudy
day (-0), producing weather different from the current
conditions but not entirely opposed, such as a sunny
day turning into mild rain or snow (-2), producing or
removing dramatic weather, such as storms causing
an Extreme Environment (of up to level 2) or
appropriate Tilt, like Heavy Rain (-4).
Chapter One: Mortal Magic
19
Chapter
Two:
Chapter Two:
Abnormal
Abnormal
Development
Development
“It's still magic even
if you know how it's
done.”
- Terry Pratchett
20
Some mortals channel their power through sheer strength of will, their mind
opened to possibilities that most could never comprehend, allowing them to
trap into portions of it closed off to the mundane populace. Others learn of
obscure rituals and spells, carefully aligning the area in a way that will be
appreciated by spirits, ghosts, or just the flow of energy within the world itself.
This chapter contains new Supernatural Merit Templates, a concept originally
introduced in Hurt Locker (pg. 77). In short, a Supernatural Merit Template,
or “micro template”, is a template wherein the base type is defined by a unique
Supernatural Merit that only mortals of that Template can take, which often
acts as a prerequisite for further unique merits. Unlike most supernatural
templates, micro templates do not remove the ability to learn other
Supernatural Merits.
Thaumaturges are users of “low” or ritual magic, relying on an extended
period of time to enact their supernatural abilities with an extreme degree of
precision. Many effects that Psychics and similar dabblers take for granted as
happening quickly can be drawn out in a ritual, extending their power and effect
through unique processes taught by the Magical Traditions they become a part
of.
Psychics are those mortals that have unlocked a portion of their mind,
allowing them to develop their abilities and utilize them with an unchecked level
of (sometimes dangerous) potency. While many that dabble with Supernatural
Merits might call themselves “psychic”, none of them can compare to the focus
shown by those that actually delve into the nature of their strange abilities as
true Psychics do.
Character Creation: In most cases, Merit Templates give their own
explanation of what additional traits are gained for free, and these characters
otherwise simply follow the standard character creation rules (see Chronicles of
Darkness, Chapter One). However, Storytellers should consider allowing those
in a Merit Template focused game, or a game with both “micro template”
mortals and fully supernatural characters, to get the same ten dots of merits that
supernatural characters receive at creation. While still not likely to be as
powerful as such creatures, it will provide them with a bit more utility and sense
of being already established.
Second Sight: Third Eye
PSYCHICS
Psychic Creation
While they’ve likely existed for as long as any other
supernaturally enhanced sort of individual, psychic
phenomena have only really been studied and
categorized by parapsychologists in the past couple
centuries, although hypnosis and related subjects
have existed for a bit longer than that. Before then,
those who had access to such supernatural powers
through sheer force of will were treated similarly to
sorcerers and witches of various stripes, as conduits
for holy authorities, or as individuals cursed by dark
forces, depending on their exact manifestations and
the culture surrounding them.
“Modern” application of scientific research into
psychic phenomena as recognized today arguably
began in the 1920s, where statistical analysis was used
to compare the accuracy of various revelatory psychic
abilities as compared to the accuracy of mundane
individuals guessing randomly. In the 1940’s, the
“sheep-goat” effect discerned that it may be possible
that those that perform particularly badly on such
tests might be simply purposely ignoring their own
insights due to disbelief in the phenomena, implying
a latent psychic capability being present in nearly any
individual (see page 9 for optional rules regarding
Belief and Psychics).
Most parapsychologists divide psychic phenomena
into various categories, such as ESP, psychokinesis,
mediumship, and telepathy, but in truth, most
psychic powers stem from the same place in the mind,
and some would say that even most mortal magicians
are simply channeling psychic abilities in a strange
way. Whatever the actual case, Psychics are never
actually confined to a single category, even though it’s
most common for such individuals to focus on a
related range of abilities.
The ultimate nature of Psychic power and where it
actually comes from is unknown, but overall, it’s
generally agreed that it can be boiled down to, in a
vague sense, an application of the human spirit
through mental will. Whether this is something
inherently unique to mortals, or whether it’s simply
the distinct manifestation of the same process that
any supernatural creature might be capable of is
impossible to say, and it’s unlikely that anyone with
experience in all of them will come forward with the
answer anytime soon.
It should be noted that not all “psychics” actually
have this template. Many dabblers in psychic
phenomena simply take the appropriate Supernatural
Merits. The Psychic merit below, however, represents
a dedicated Psychic, someone aware of their powers
and that has purposely worked to unlock and focus
them further (of course, “focus” doesn’t always mean
“control”. See Activation Options, page 8; Psychics may
use these normally). All of their Supernatural Merits
should be considered to come from Psychic potential,
even those that normally imply some level of mystical
ritual; perhaps this instead involves a trance of sorts,
channeling their psychic energy.
Dedicated Psychics like this gain their Psychic merit
(see below) for free, and gain 2 free dots of
Supernatural Merits that don’t require it as a
prerequisite.
Psychic (•)
Prerequisite: Mortal
Effect: Your character is a dedicated Psychic,
someone aware of the source of their powers and that
channels them through sheer strength of mental will.
This allows them to spend Willpower to increase the
dice pool of Supernatural Merits, even if they require
Willpower to activate to begin with (breaking the
usual per-action limit), but they still can spend no
more than one point for this purpose.
Believers (•)
Prerequisite: Psychic, Retainer
Effect: Your Retainer (or Retainers) is initiated into
the world of the supernatural, at least to the extent of
believing in psychic phenomena, and in particular are
strong believers in your own abilities. Their presence
provides you with a +1 bonus (per individual) to
activating your Supernatural Merits.
If using the Belief optional rule (page 9), they also
each cancel out a -1 penalty from the presence of nonbelievers.
Chapter Two: Abnormal Development
21
Burnout (••)
Prerequisites: Psychic
Effect: The Psychic has learned to channel
immense amounts of psychic energy through
themselves, to the point of injuring themselves in
order to improve the effectiveness of their abilities.
They may spend more than one point of Willpower
at a time on improving the dice pool of Supernatural
Merits, but for each point after the first, they take 1
lethal damage that cannot be avoided and must be
healed naturally (this counts as resistant damage, if
using Mage: the Awakening).
Indomitable, Advanced (•••)
Prerequisites: Psychic, Indomitable
Effect: The Psychic mind can be particularly
resilient when well-practiced, and so it becomes
difficult for other mental influences to break through.
Once per chapter, when failing to resist, contest,
withstand, or otherwise fend off a mind-affecting or
mind-reading power, the Psychic may spend a point
of Willpower to enact a Clash of Wills against the
ability (roll Integrity + Resolve instead of the normal
pool). If the Psychic wins, the effect fizzles, although
it doesn’t remove it from any other targets in the case
of a widespread effect. They’re also immune to the
same power from the same source for the next 24
hours.
Psychic Potential (• to •••••)
Prerequisite: Psychic
Effect: The Psychic who takes this merit has a well
of psychic potential they can call upon to activate
their abilities. Every chapter, they may use this merit
a number of times equal to its rating to negate the
cost of a point of Willpower for activating a
Supernatural Merit (but not for improving its dice
pool).
Psychic Presence (• to •••)
Prerequisite: Psychic
Effect: The Psychic’s powers have more raw force
behind them, and others find it difficult to resist or
work against them with their own. For any Clash of
Wills that the Psychic’s merits are involved in, they
may treat this merit as effective Supernatural Potency
for the dice pool.
22
Second Sight: Third Eye
Psychic Specialty (• or ••)
Prerequisite: Psychic, one related Supernatural
Merit
Effect: While many Psychics are dabblers, those
that develop this merit have a narrower focus. Choose
a general category of Psychic Phenomena, such as
Psychokinetics, ESP, Mediumship, or Telepathic
abilities; when using a Supernatural Merit that falls
under that category, the Psychic gains this Merit’s
rating as a dice bonus. This does stack with “normal”
skill specialties. The Storyteller is the ultimate arbiter
on what Supernatural Merits fall under what Psychic
Specialties.
Rapid Trance (•••)
Prerequisites: Psychic, Meditative Mind
Effect: Many psychic powers rely on meditation, or
more accurately, a trance state, to get into the proper
mindset to channel their will in more complex ways.
A practiced Psychic can speed up this process; make
the normal roll to meditate when required by a
Supernatural Merit or other power, but the time per
roll is only a minute. However, this provides no other
benefits of meditation, it simply allows the power to
be activated.
Breaker without its prerequisites, but Plant Empathy
wouldn’t work, since it relies on Biokinesis’ rating).
You may purchase this merit more than once,
buying a new Merit with it each time.
This merit may not be used to buy the merits of
other Supernatural Templates (including other Merit
Templates).
Wild Talent (•)
Prerequisite: Psychic
Effect: While some Psychics work as hard as they
can on controlling their abilities, some are content to
simply improve their capabilities wildly with no
concern for who might be caught in their wake. Any
Supernatural Merit the Psychic has that requires an
activation roll must have an Option assigned to it that
in some way makes it harder to control, prone to
flaring up on its own, or has side effects that
otherwise negatively affect others or the Psychic
themself. However, they gain +2 dice on top of what
they’d normally receive for the Option.
Special: A Psychic may not have both Strength of
Will and Wild Talent.
Strength of Will (•)
Prerequisites: Psychic, a Supernatural Merit with a
drawback involving inadvertent activation
Effect: The Psychic has learned to better control
their powers. When choosing this merit, select a
Supernatural Merit that has a drawback involving
circumstances where the power might activate on its
own due to trauma, emotion, or otherwise (such as
Telekinesis). Once per chapter, that drawback can be
negated, preventing an unintended “flareup”.
Special: A Psychic may not have both Strength of
Will and Wild Talent.
Unique Mutation (•)
Prerequisite: Psychic
Effect: Whether through some quirk of your
unique mental makeup or sheer perseverance and
strength of will, you’ve managed to gain access to a
Supernatural Merit you shouldn’t be able to. After
purchasing this Merit, you may buy one Supernatural
Merit that you do not meet the prerequisites for, so
long as the prerequisites aren’t required directly to
make it work (for instance, you could purchase Mind
Chapter Two: Abnormal Development
23
THAUMATURGES
Thaumaturges are those that learn to tap into the
supernatural not through some quirk or their mind
or mutation of their body (or spirit), but rather
through dedicated focus and ritualistic invocation.
This often involves months, if not years of practice,
until finally, something inside them changes a little,
and they find themselves able to channel the
supernatural energy that flows through the world.
This is rarely a solitary road. Most thaumaturges
learn to become what they are through mentorship in
their art, passed down through generations, or
through joining up with others of similar interests,
forming “covens” or perhaps larger still magical
traditions that share similar methods and views of the
world. While solitary ritualists do exist, they find their
progression in their magic much slower and more
prone to error than it is for those that have
established rituals and teachings they can pass along;
after all, it can be difficult to tell a proper ritual in a
grimoire from the insane writings of a powerless hack,
when you first start.
Magical Traditions
Small groups of thaumaturges often form to assist
each other, learn from each other, and perform larger
magical workings than they might be capable of on
their own. With times, these covens can grow into
full-blown traditions; many of these formed ages ago
and were passed along with the teachings of ancient
cultures or religions, but some have been formed in
the past few decades, years, or even in recent months,
hidden societies and mystery cults or new-age groups
that have found just a bit of truth as to what’s really
out there.
Thaumaturges may choose a Magical Tradition at
character creation, which provides a minor bonus
and flaw, representing the style of their magic, a free
merit that the Tradition specializes in, and acts as a
group that Status can be gained in, providing
potential resources and equipment to make the
magician’s life easier. This isn’t always Status in the
traditional sense, representing a single group with
solid, defined roles, so much as it represents
connections and respect among those that follow
similar methodologies with their own magics. As
another option, smaller, more tight-knit groups might
use the Mystery Cult rules instead.
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Second Sight: Third Eye
A few examples of Magical Traditions follow; the
Storyteller and players should feel free to use this as a
basis to create further Traditions, however, rather
than feeling limited to those listed. As well, these
overarching Traditions might be broken down into
smaller, more specific groups that simply fall under
the umbrella of the overarching Tradition’s
tendencies. More information about the following
Traditions can be found in the 1st edition Second
Sight supplement, although it may be worthwhile to
simply research their real-world equivalents.
The entries are broken down into a basic
explanation, the strength and weakness of their
magical methodologies, a free merit they receive
(generally two dots), and the most common
Supernatural Merits learned by them beyond that
(those not found in the Chronicles of Darkness rule
book or this supplement will have their sourcebook
listed).
Apostles of the Dark One
The human mind ascribes darkness to evil,
ignorance, or other negative traits, relying as it does
on the presence of light to survive and study their
surroundings and make a life for themselves in the
world. It’s instinct, of course, as so many dangers veil
themselves in that darkness, and so many strange
things lurk in it, unseen, so it helps most humans
simply survive.
What, then, of those that learn to use that absence
of light to see? Those that learn to peer through the
Void and call upon the secrets it has bound up within
it, stolen from the mundane world every time a bit of
lore has the light cast upon it for the last time and is
lost to the ages? Are they evil too, because they’ve
learned to see what others cannot? Are they immoral
because they’re willing to peer into places nobody else
can see? In the end, it’s impossible to tell, but many
on either side would claim they have the answer,
nonetheless.
The Apostles of the Dark One are those that
garnered their magic and knowledge not from passed
down oral traditions or tomes of knowledge, but
through Communion with one of the entities that
exist in the expansive Void beyond the mundane
realm. Many gather together at the behest of whatever
entities commune with them, to better make use of
these secrets, and to find ways to strengthen their
connection to that strange realm.
While not inherently evil, such communication does
strain the human mind, revealing things to it that it’s
not meant to comprehend, secrets that it was never
meant to process. If nothing else, those members of
this Tradition are certainly… different, than any of
their peers, and most find themselves detached, one
way or another, from the mundane moral teachings
of those around them.
Strength: Apostles of the Dark One find that the
magic channeled from the Void strengthens the
development of the self, an awareness of one’s own
needs, and they become keener at using it in that way.
When using a Supernatural Merit in a way meant to
help fulfill a Vice or a personally oriented Aspiration,
the Apostle gains a +1 dice bonus on the roll.
Weakness: Communion with the Void and the
entity (entities?) that resides there strains the human
mind, and this makes it harder for them to retain
their sanity and stability when channeling its secrets.
Apostles suffer a -2 penalty on any Breaking Point
caused through use of a Supernatural Merit (whether
by or on them).
Free Merit: Communion (••)
Common
Merits:
Automatic
Writing,
Clairvoyance, Countermagic Ward, Dark Passenger
(Hurt Locker), Evil Eye (Hurt Locker), Luck Magic,
Mind Control (Hurt Locker), Mind Breaker, Omen
Sensitivity, Postcognition, Psychic Empathy,
Sacrificial Offering (Hurt Locker).
Ceremonial Magicians
Although the exact details vary between culture and
era, for as long as there’s been civilized society, there’s
been Ceremonial Magicians, magic users that rely on
highly practiced occult tradition and well-preserved
rituals to guide celestial forces through them and into
the world around them. Most such Magicians are
highly educated scholars and wealthy elites, either
born of a career formed around such studies or
having the time and resources already to allow them
to delve into such practices.
Western practices of Ceremonial Magic often
harken back towards Hermetic traditions and
Celestial rituals first performed back in the medieval
era, when nobles and the religious elite would make
use of it to bolster their already considerable wealth
and power. Few had the actual patience and smarts to
actually master these rituals, of course, but those that
Chapter Two: Abnormal Development
25
did forged a long-lasting Tradition that would be
passed down and practiced for ages to come.
Ceremonial Magic, by its nature, tends to be
incredibly complex and orderly, although that does
tend to make it reliably reproduced once the details
have all been mastered. Few Traditions could truly
pass down their knowledge in extensive tomes, but
many Ceremonial Magicians learned not from each
other, but through simple study of such grimoires.
If there’s one common thread to Ceremonial
Magicians of all stripes, however, it tends to be a sort
of hubris, a feeling of invincibility and a mindset that
the world is theirs to command as they will. Their
reach often exceeds their grasp if they delve a little too
far, or attempt something they’re not ready for.
Strength: The rigid practices of Ceremonial Magic
make it easy to reproduce, and makes scholarly
materials that much more useful. Their Supernatural
Merits can benefit from the Library merit if taken
with the appropriate skill, even if their use is
technically a single roll, so long as the activation
requires more than a spontaneous instant action.
This works with appropriate repositories, as well.
Weakness: Ceremonial Magicians believe that
magic comes through proper preparation and ritual.
They suffer a -1 penalty on the activation roll of any
Supernatural Merit that requires only an instant
action and no more than a turn of preparation.
Free Merit: Luck Magic (••)
Common
Merits:
Alchemy,
Biokinesis,
Channeling, Communion, Consecrate Weapon
(Hurt Locker), Clairvoyance, Ephemeral Transmutation, Evocation/Invocation, Invoke Spirit (Hurt
Locker), Laying on Hands, Medium, Psychic
Empathy.
Hedge Witches
It’s nearly impossible to describe a “typical” Hedge
Witch’s ritual, and even harder still to describe a
typical Hedge Witch themself, because Hedge
Witches tend to be one of the most diverse Traditions
of Thaumaturges you can find, only held together as
a Tradition by a few common threads. Hedge Magic
tends to rely on affecting other people more than it
does affecting oneself, and it’s usually the most
visceral of the different Traditions, the most likely to
provide physical results and rely on physical
trappings.
It should be noted, of course, that not all Wiccans
act as true Hedge Witches, and for that matter, not
all “Witches” truly follow Wiccan traditions. Many
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Second Sight: Third Eye
have learned their practice through a sort of informal
mentorship or a connection to a minor coven, and
more still have only joined up with the typical
tradition after discovering or jury-rigging the
trappings of Hedge Rituals for themselves.
Spontaneity and adaptability tend to be key facets
of Hedge Magic. Certain herbs will evoke certain
effects, certain charms and designs focus the magic in
certain ways, but ultimately, the exact rituals tend to
be simple and malleable, able to be adapted and
changed without too much difficulty, as it’s the
components and intention that matter most to them.
Of course, that means that the environment and
their surroundings can have an effect on them; Hedge
Witches find it difficult to perform a ritual calling
upon nature deep within the city and find it hard, if
not impossible, to harm someone from within a
peaceful environment.
Strength: Hedge Witches excel at improvised
effects; remove two dice of penalties from any
Supernatural Merit activation that’s done with an
instant action and no more than a turn of
preparation, no matter what the source of those
penalties. This does not provide a bonus if the roll
isn’t penalized.
Weakness: Warlocks are affected heavily by their
environment; any location not conducive to the
desired effect causes a -1 penalty to any Supernatural
Merit activations for them (this penalty can not be
canceled by their Strength). For instance, using
Psychic Empathy to try and seduce someone at a
funeral will suffer this penalty.
Free Merit: Familiar (••)
Common Merits: Aura Reading, Animal Speech,
Clairvoyance,
Evil
Eye
(Hurt
Locker),
Evocation/Invocation, Incite Ecosystem (Hurt
Locker), Laying on Hands, Luck Magic, Medium,
Psychic Empathy, Visionary Trance, Weather
Control.
Shamans
A perhaps overused and generalized term, Shamans
are simply those that act as intermediaries between
the world of flesh and the world of spirits, having an
unnatural level of awareness of the Shadow Realm
that allows them to fulfill that role. The first Shamans
likely originated ages ago, acting as assistants to the
Wise in tribal villages, before the Spirit Wilds were
cut off from humanity by the Gauntlet. Few, if any,
know anything about their origin today, but the
Tradition itself remains.
Unlike many Thaumaturges, Shamans tend to
believe their magic comes from pacts made with
spirits, agreements that are fueled by the Shadow’s
inhabitants to allow the ritualist to affect the world
around them. Others might say it’s a blessing of those
spirits, but doesn’t rely on them after that gift is
conferred. Either way, the first step in becoming a
Shaman tends to be to learn to peer into their world
and speak with the Shadow’s inhabitants.
While traditionally seen as a tribal practice, as
native practitioners of Shamanic faiths dwindle,
many that take on the mantle are those born to more
modern societies with some inherent blessing or
ability to commune with those entities to begin with.
Many such individuals lack a proper support base,
though, and find themselves having difficulty existing
in a society that doesn’t believe what she’s seeing and
hearing actually exist. The lucky ones are discovered
by other Shamans before they end up in a psychiatric
ward. Even those that learn about what they really are
and what they’re dealing with find it difficult living
among modern society as an intermediary, often
finding themselves living dual lives.
Whatever their origin, Shamans find most of their
magic involves ending up in a trance or similar
dissociative state, aided through anything from
rhythmic music to hallucinogens. The depth of this
state can vary, of course; quick, minor rituals may
involve little more than a momentary clearing of
one’s thoughts, for instance.
Strength: Shamans are adept at dealing with spirits;
any social rolls or Supernatural Merit activation rolls
that involve dealing with spirits in some way gain a +1
bonus.
Weakness: Shamans are forced to live dual lives,
seen by spirits as easily as they are by the mundane
people surrounding them. They’re permanently
Resonant to any spirit, making them inherently
noticeable to them. Thankfully, this is usually more
of an interest than the mild hostility most spirits have
for those born of flesh, but they care little about if
their attention has an effect on the Thaumaturge’s
day to day life.
Free Merit: Visionary Trance (••)
Common Merits: Astral Projection, Biokinesis,
Biomimicry (Hurt Locker), Dream Travel,
Ephemeral Sight, Evocation/Invocation, Familiar,
Hardened Exorcist (Hurt Locker), Laying on Hands,
Medium, Warding, Weather Control.
Taoist Alchemists
Taoism is a combination of psychology and
philosophy that eventually was formed into a major
religion. The base element of it involves finding a way
to sync oneself up to the flow of the multiverse, acting
in perfect accordance with the way they’re meant to
exist within the world in order to return to the state
their spirit held when still a part of the Tao. Beyond
that, it has expanded to a complex study of the
human condition, consciousness, perception, and
state of being.
While Taoism has dwindled in the centuries since
its inception, and the use of the magic empowered by
its philosophies further still, practitioners can still be
found around the world. Even then, many Taoist
spiritualists find themselves performing something
more akin to Shamanism than the forms of Alchemy
boasted by practitioners of Wai-Dan and Nei-Dan.
Most forms of magic practiced by Taoist Alchemists
come down to the perfection of the mind, body, and
spirit, bringing it to a state close to the Tao or
bringing aspects of the outside world to it instead.
Some manage to perfect this to the point of taking on
spiritual forms and returning to the Tao, and others
instead seek out immortality, detaching from the
typical expectation of their mortal spirit.
While they don’t rely on complex rituals in the
same way that Ceremonial Magicians do, Taoist
Alchemists nonetheless do find themselves heavily
dependent on time, focusing their minds over long
periods and working their body in ways that simply
don’t work instantaneously without an extraordinary
degree of effort.
Strength: Centering the mind is an important step
for Taoist Alchemists; on any day that they’ve
Meditated, even as a prerequisite to a Supernatural
Merit, they gain a +1 bonus on all Supernatural Merit
activations. As well, due to the way Nei-Dan works,
Biokinesis ••• acts as an optional, replacement
prerequisite for the Ephemeral Transmutation merit
(pg. 14).
Weakness: Taoist Alchemy is rarely done quickly,
and when it must be, it relies on sheer force of will to
get their body and mind in the proper state for it.
When using a Supernatural Merit with an instant
activation and no more than a turn of preparation, it
costs the Thaumaturge a point of Willpower even if
it wouldn’t normally. This does not affect those
powers that already cost Willpower.
Free Merit: Biokinesis (••)
Chapter Two: Abnormal Development
27
Common Merits: Alchemy, Aura Reading,
Channeling, Countermagic Ward, Ephemeral
Transmutation, Geomancy, Laying on Hands,
Longevity, Luck Magic, Medium, Omen Sensitivity,
Warding.
Vodoun
Vodoun, more than any other of the Traditions
described here, is often misunderstood. Hollywood,
western faiths, and even certain denizens of the
supernatural world perpetuate strange, dark
stereotypes of them, most of which have little basis in
reality, or that, if they do, warp and skew it to make
the practice as a whole, rather than individual
practitioners, look inherently immoral. The practice
itself has been suppressed and vilified over the years,
and because of this, modern, actually capable
Thaumaturges practicing it are few and far between.
Despite the popular culture, the primary purpose of
most voodoo is to provide healing (whether spiritual
or physical), and either gain or offer wisdom.
Practitioners make offerings to the Loa, whether in
the form of sacrifices, clothing, and rituals that honor
them, or special implements favored by those strange
entities. In return, the Loa will temporarily find their
way into the practitioner’s mind (or body), offering
insight or altering the world around them in a way
according to the ritualist’s desire.
Of course, stereotype or not, not all practitioners
work to offer healing and insight. Bokor are often
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Second Sight: Third Eye
willing to seek out whatever magic will provide them
the most benefit, or draw in those willing to make an
offering of their own. This might, in some cases,
mean performing the Hollywood trope of raising the
dead (usually through an inhabiting ghost) or binding
a spirit into an object and offering it as a charm to
those who would seek out such a service. Many Loa,
of course, care little for the morality of the one
making a proper offering to them.
Either way, their magic relies on a connection to
the Loa and those with a sympathetic tie to them.
This level of openness doesn’t extend only to those
the Vodoun practitioner seeks out, though, they risk
the influence of any sort of ephemeral beings they
find themself running into.
Strength: Due to their connection to and practice
in dealing with the Loa, practitioners of Vodoun gain
a +1 bonus on social rolls or rolls to utilize
Supernatural Merits on ghosts.
Weakness: Practitioners, due to their interaction
with (and being inhabited by) the Loa, are more easily
maneuvered into a state of Possession. They’re treated
as an Anchor for any ghost, solely for the purpose of
having Manifestation Conditions applied to them.
Free Merit: Unseen Sense (Ghosts)
Common Merits: Channeling, Countermagic
Ward, Curse Effigy (Hurt Locker), Ephemeral Sight,
Evocation/Invocation, Laying on Hands, Luck
Magic, Medium, Omen Sensitivity, Soul Jar,
Warding, Weather Control.
Thaumaturge Merits
Thaumaturges gain 1 dot of their defining merit
(Thaumaturgy) for free in addition to any merits
gained from their Magical Tradition, and are
otherwise created the same way as any other Mortal
character.
Thaumaturgy (• to •••••)
Prerequisite: At least one Supernatural Merit that
requires activation.
Effect: Thaumaturgy is the practice of ritual magic,
whether through the lens of one of the Traditions or
through the improvised magic of a self-taught
practitioner. It has several scaling effects:
• Thaumaturges can utilize instantaneous powers
as rituals, extending the time taken in order to
lower the impact it has on their minds. When
activating a Supernatural Merit of a level equal to
or lower than their Thaumaturgy rating that
usually requires only an instant action and no
more than a turn of preparation, the
Thaumaturge may meditate (or perform a similar
sort of ritual) beforehand in order to remove any
Willpower point cost from the activation (if it
would normally cost more than one point,
multiply the time per roll accordingly; two points
mean the meditation takes twice as long, for
instance). This can be used even if there’s no
Willpower cost, in order to allow these merits to
benefit from other abilities that affect rituals.
• When performing rituals (defined as either any
activation using the above system, or any
Supernatural Merit that naturally requires more
than an instant action or turn of preparation
beforehand), if they double the time required
(whether per roll or of a flat period required),
they may ignore penalties equal to their
Thaumaturgy rating on the activation. This can
even remove penalties from Resistance.
• This merit acts as a prerequisite for any other
Thaumaturgy merits. Other Thaumaturgy merits
require a rating in Thaumaturgy equal to or
greater than their own rating, unless the
prerequisite lists a specific rating otherwise.
Coven (• or •••••)
Prerequisite: Thaumaturgy
Effect: With this merit, the Thaumaturge is capable
of performing rituals (per the description in the
Thaumaturgy merit) using the teamwork rules,
allowing covens of ritualists to assist each other in
casting magical effects they all know. This process
doubles the time required of the ritual (either per roll
or of any flat period required) but affects each
member of the coven participating in the case of
powers that normally only affect oneself.
With the one-dot version of this Merit, every coven
member must be a Thaumaturge that has both this
merit and the one being cast. With the five dot
version, only the leading Thaumaturge needs to have
this merit, other Thaumaturges don’t need to have
the Supernatural Merit, and non-Thaumaturges can
be included if they have the Supernatural Merit being
used.
Drawback: Differing methods of magic can
interfere with each other. For each member of the
coven assisting in the ritual that relies on a different
tradition from the leader (those lacking one may
count), the leader suffers a -1 penalty to their roll.
Skilled Thaumaturges still often are better off with
“clashing” help, but there’s always the chance of a
participant doing more harm than good.
Dream (• to •••••)
Prerequisites: Thaumaturgy, Composure •••,
Wits •••
Chapter Two: Abnormal Development
29
Effect: Once per chapter, your character can dig
within her dreams for prophetic answers to
primordial truths. She may enter her own dreams
without a meditation roll when she sleeps, and if she
has a basic understanding of something she wishes to
divine from her dreams, you may use this Merit. Your
character must sleep or meditate for at least four
hours. Then, ask the Storyteller a yes or no question
about the topic at hand. He must answer accurately,
but can use “maybe” if the answer is truly neither yes
nor no. Depending on the answer, you may ask
additional questions, until you have asked questions
equal to your Dream Merit dots.
Familiar (•• or ••••)
Prerequisites: Thaumaturgy •+, and Medium or
Unseen Sense (per type of entity)
Effect: Unlike typical mortals, who at best might
manage to Invoke a Spirit to act as a somewhat
suspect protector, Thaumaturges can forge a bond
with an ephemeral entity, which can be any sort of
ephemeral being the Storyteller deems is willing to
create such a bond, with a Rank no higher than half
the merit rating. The Familiar inherently gains the
Familiar Manifestation Condition upon purchasing
this merit, and will generally act as a willing partner
(not servant) to the Thaumaturge.
Familiar
Manifestation Condition
The entity has been bonded to a thaumaturge.
It may use any other Manifestations freely, but is
protected from Essence bleed. The entity and its
bonded thaumaturge may use one another’s
senses with a reflexive action, and can use their
powers through each other’s senses by spending a
point of Willpower.
If an entity under the effects of Familiar is
discorporated, it will reform in a location the
Thaumaturge has previously performed a ritual
within, generally the spot most important to
them.
Causing the Condition: This Condition is
created with a purchase of the Familiar merit.
Ending the Condition: This Condition only
ends upon a mutual termination by the entity and
the Thaumaturge.
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Second Sight: Third Eye
Longevity (•••••)
Prerequisites: Thaumaturgy, Medicine •••+, and
Biokinesis ••••+ or Alchemy •••••
Effect: An effect beyond the reach of most
practitioners of magic, your character has learned to
create a substance that relies on strange alchemical or
biological principles that allow the imbiber to live a
far longer life than is normally possible for a mortal.
Creating the elixir requires materials of Availability
••• or more, a point of Willpower, and an extended
Intelligence + Medicine roll, with a target of 10
successes, or 20 if the target has already lived beyond
their natural lifespan (Storyteller discretion, but you
can usually assume 80 years or so). Add five to the
target if the intended recipient (who always must be
predetermined) is someone other than the
Thaumaturge himself, and add ten more (15 total) if
the intended recipient has no supernatural abilities;
the intended recipient of a given dose of elixir must
be decided upon creation, and it will only work for
that individual. Upon consumption by the intended
target, they’ll cease aging for a period of time (see
Suggested Modifiers, below).
This elixir does work on supernatural beings that
can die of old age, but has no effect on the undead or
otherwise already immortal.
Suggested Modifiers: Substance halts aging for a
day (-0), substance halts aging for a week (-1),
substance halts aging for a month (-3), substance halts
aging for a year (-6), mercury and gold are used as
ingredients (+1), vampiric vitae is used in the elixir
(+3, but bonds/addicts normally), target is not
human (-2).
Magical Nexus (• to •••••)
Prerequisites: Thaumaturgy •+, Safe Place
Effect: A Magical Nexus is a place of mystical
power, where supernatural energy either flows
through in large amounts, is produced at a central
point, or comes through from another realm
altogether. This can include Loci, Hallows, Cenotes,
and any similar places of power, but for the most part
their benefit to a Thaumaturge is the same (although
you may want to define what it specifically is with
your Storyteller, for the sake of story considerations);
the location’s rating is added to the dice pool of any
rituals (defined as in the Thaumaturgy merit)
performed there.
Generally speaking, the higher the rating of the
Nexus, the wider its area of influence; one dot
Nexuses might be as small as a room, whereas a five
dot Nexus could cover an entire warehouse.
Drawback: Other Thaumaturges and more
dangerous denizens of the Night may envy your claim
and seek it for themselves; the higher the rating, the
more attention they’re likely to draw.
Special: This merit may be shared among multiple
characters like Safe Place, and may pool with other
merits representing Nexuses, such as a mage’s Hallow.
Mastery of Minor Magic (•)
Prerequisites: Thaumaturgy
Effect: Any mortal is capable of some level of minor
magic or ritual, if they truly believe themselves
capable; abjurism, summoning, warding, charm
making, and amulet crafting all carry some level of
mysticism to them, raw human will being filtered
through the spirit to effect change on the world, or at
least to affect particular types of supernatural beings.
In addition to your more specialized rituals, you’ve
mastered these more “universal” spells, and gain the
9-again benefit on making use of any of them. The
Storyteller is the ultimate arbiter of what qualifies.
Minor Enchantment (••• or •••••)
Prerequisite: Thaumaturgy
Effect: When using Equipment Crafting rules to
create Mystical/Supernatural Equipment (Chronicles
of Darkness pg. 100, God Machine Chronicle pg.
241), you may craft equipment that provides a dice
bonus of +1 higher than normal, but must use
extended rules for crafting, adding 5 successes to the
usual total. At 5 dots, it can be +2 higher, but requires
10 extra successes. This can go above the usual +5
limit for an equipment bonus. The character need
not pay Experience for those created for themself (it’s
effectively higher quality equipment), but others
receiving these objects should take the Minor Relic
merit below (ignoring the usual Prerequisite, but only
applying to this specialized Mystical Equipment).
Minor Relic (• to •••)
Prerequisites: Thaumaturgy •+
Effect: Your character has access to a minor magical
item, something that’s soaked up intense resonance
or perhaps absorbed some amount of supernatural
energy at a Nexus. Whatever the case, it provides its
rating in equipment bonus above and beyond what it
would normally provide. Creative applications of this
merit are fine; Occult equipment that provides
additional protection against magic, for instance, or
Repositories that react to the thoughts of those
looking through them, providing a further bonus to
research, or even Housing of a particularly eldritch
“feel” are all fine. This bonus can go above the normal
+5 limit for equipment.
Prolonged Magic (•••••)
Prerequisite: Thaumaturgy
Effect: You’ve learned to channel additional power
into your rituals, allowing them to remain in effect
for much longer than normal. By taking a -2 penalty
and spending an additional point of Willpower
(ignoring per-action limits, if it already costs one)
when casting a ritual (as defined in the Thaumaturgy
merit), you may extend the duration of the power as
follows: scene-long effects last a day, day-long effects
last a week, week-long effects last a month, monthlong effects last a season, and season-long effects last
a year. If the power wouldn’t last any of those
amounts of time, exactly, round down to the nearest
“step” before upgrading it (e.g. three days becomes a
week). This has no effect on rituals that would last less
time than a scene.
Scaled Ritual (•••)
Prerequisites: Thaumaturgy, Wits •••
Effect: The Thaumaturge has learned to expand the
scale of their rituals, using more elaborate and
practiced magics to affect more than the usual single
target. When casting a ritual (per the definition in the
Thaumaturgy merit) that has a single target, they may
take a -2 penalty to both any preparations and the
activation itself, representing a more complex spell, to
become able to target a second individual (or another
type of target, as appropriate).
Use the highest of any Resistances, add any other
penalties that apply to either together, and compare
the successes separately against each target if the
power’s contested (but only roll once). The power
otherwise affects both targets the same way (barring
different success/failure on a contested roll). In the
case of rituals that normally only target the
Thaumaturge themself, the second target must be
touched at the end of the ritual and be present the
whole time.
Sympathetic Magic (••••)
Prerequisites: Thaumaturgy, Occult ••••
Chapter Two: Abnormal Development
31
Effect: Your character is able to perform rituals at a
sympathetic distance, that is, on those not present for
the ritual, but who can be targeted with the aid of a
focus of some kind, representing the target or perhaps
even being made of a piece of them. For any ritual (as
defined by the Thaumaturgy merit) that targets
another individual, object, or singular point of a
location, but that normally must rely on sensory
range, the Thaumaturge may take a penalty according
to the closest sort of connection they have to the
target to use the ritual at a distance. If you don’t know
the name of a targeted individual (if appropriate),
increase the penalty by an additional -2.
• Sensory/Connected: The Thaumaturge is able to
see the target for the entire ritual, but not
through their own natural senses, or has
something that is sympathetically the same as the
target (like a Familiar or their original soul). Take
a -2 penalty on the roll.
• Strong: The Thaumaturge has something closely
metaphysically linked to the target, such as their
spouse or lifelong friend, a (permanent) magic
item created by them, bodily samples (hair,
blood, etc.), a piece of an object or location, or
something of a similar relationship. Take a -4
penalty to the roll.
• Medium: The Thaumaturge has something
linked to the target, such as items imbued by their
32
Second Sight: Third Eye
magic or powers, a friend, lover, or close
colleague, objects of emotional significance or
close connection, or something that similarly has
a fairly obvious tie. Take a -6 penalty on the roll.
• Weak: The Thaumaturge has access to something
barely connected to the target, but that still has
some level of tie, like something previously
affected by their powers, casual acquaintances,
belongings that have been used at least once or
that touched or were placed by the object/area
for a significant period of time, or something that
closely represents them, like a picture taken. Take
a -8 penalty on the roll.
The Thaumaturgy merit can reduce these penalties
as normal. Any connection less than Weak makes the
ritual impossible. Note that this merit is not needed
for rituals that already can target distant individuals,
like Clairvoyance and Luck Magic.
Drawback: Supernatural beings often have a sense
for sympathetic magics targeting them, and so
attempting to harm them from afar can still be
dangerous. Vampires sense Sympathetic Magic like
they do Blood Sorcery, Werewolves treat it like a weak
(-3) trail they can follow, Mages find their Peripheral
Senses triggered at the start of the ritual, and other
Supernatural beings will sense it in a way appropriate
to their own unique senses, at Storyteller discretion.
Chapter Two: Abnormal Development
33
Chapter
Three:
Chapter Three:
What
Not
WhatShould
Should Not
Be
Be
“Nothing is more
frightening than a
fear you cannot
name.”
- Cornelia Funke,
Inkheart
There are entities out there stranger than the most detached spirit, warped
ghost, or inscrutable angel. Beings whose very existence strains reality around
them, and whose appearance can warp the minds of those who see them. They
want little more than to control, warp, or destroy our universe as we know it, or
to take hold of it and make it into something reflecting their own inner chaos.
These primordial forces, these creatures from the darkest, deepest depths of the
universe, whether through malice or alien nature, cause untold suffering to
humanity whenever and wherever they appear.
Yet some people, those with twisted minds and nihilistic morals, welcome
these creatures. They call them forth, inviting them into the world, and perhaps
even worship them like mad gods. Most who stand against these strange
intruders into reality face off not against the beings themselves, but the mortals
they’ve drawn before them and warped to their purpose. The strange ritualists
hidden in hovels, calling a strange taint on the area around them. The groups
of “criminals” in the night, swiping objects that have seemingly no value from
highly protected places. The shadowy figures meeting in abandoned buildings
most won’t go anywhere near.
While ultimately, the eldritch beings that are being sought out are an untold
danger that will need to be brought down and defeated, no chance of that
presents itself until the servitors they’ve built up have been dealt with first.
Things That Should Not Be
Before the Cult or any Reality Blasphemy can be created, the entity that they
serve, admire, or simply attempt to mirror the discerned goals of needs to be
created. There are countless variations on the types of entities that come from
the spaces between, outer dimensions, and the void itself, but a loose “catalog”
of the more common types exists. The following should not be considered the
only types of Things That Should Not Be, but they form a wide basis of
possibilities, and the most common types (if any could be called “common”) for
the PCs to run into.
As usual, the Storyteller should feel free to come up with new types altogether,
or even to blur the lines between what’s found in these pages; perhaps what first
was thought to be an Outer Demon was really just reflecting some flaw in the
universe, for instance.
34
Second Sight: Third Eye
Alien Gods
Effectively ephemeral deities that fall under no
known classification for such beings, these minor
gods exist out of phase with time and space, intruding
into our reality for reasons unknown, often requiring
very specific culminations of temporal and physical
circumstances to even begin to reach out to those in
this world. They’re one of the most likely to be able
to speak in languages understandable by humans, and
as such are the ones that attract the largest number of
Cult leaders to their cause, although lone Reality
Blasphemers are fewer and farther between.
When lacking a manifestation in this world, they
exist stretched across multiple dimensions and layers
of reality, our own realm acting almost hostile to their
presence. They work indirectly, relying on the Cultists
that follow them more than any direct intervention,
and in the rare times they do manifest, it’s briefly,
taking the forms of strange amalgamations of plant,
animal, and matter that never feel quite right to those
that observe them.
Mechanically, Alien Gods can typically offer a large
number of Rites of any level to their followers,
although Reality Blasphemers are fewer and farther
between, due to the indirect way they act upon the
world. Often, Alien Gods are higher Rank when they
take ephemeral form (see below), often 5 or even 6.
Chaos and Creation Beings
Despite often representing little more than raw
chaos and potential, Chaos Beings are often the more
fathomable, understandable entities that individuals
might cross the path of, as the nature of Chaos and
primordial Creation is native to our universe, and
thus can be conceived more easily by its inhabitants.
However, they’re still inimical to the universe as it
currently exists, as raw Creation and manifestations
of Chaos, when unchecked, can have a devastating
effect on its inhabitants and the laws that govern it.
Their followers are attracted to them through the
promise of never-ending orgiastic bliss, boiling down
their existence to little more than an endless flow of
pleasure and creation.
Such beings never take on a physical form, as they
can’t properly conceive them in the same way that
certain other types of entities can. While they don’t
fracture themselves over all of creation like alien gods,
they nonetheless remain detached, slowly seeping in
through as many points of ingress as they can forge in
the world, steadily increasing their influence and
destabilizing the world as they enact their vision on it.
These beings favor Reality Blasphemies more than
complex Cults, and often only offer a few Rites to
their followers, but a large potential number of
Powers for those that allow their masters to warp
them in their image. These powers and abilities,
though, are usually very physical, more apt to provide
an enhancement of their bodies than more
ephemeral capabilities.
Demons of the Outer Realms
Not to be confused with the corrupting influences
of the Inferno, or the mind-born goetic tempters
found in the astral, these inimical creatures have a
hatred for the concept of life itself, their nature
grating against it like sandpaper whenever they come
too close to it. Many, as such, seek to snuff it out, but
are patient, willing to make use of such living beings
to assist with a grander level of destruction.
Of particular note, though, is the fact that these
distinct entities are often more fathomable, and
indeed, more easily controlled and destroyed, to the
point of causing no small number of arrogant
“demonologists” to attempt to summon and bind
them to their will. More often than not, however,
they rely on human mythology to guide their rituals,
which these creatures lie entirely outside of, allowing
them to resist the flawed magic and subjugate the
summoners themselves, giving them their first
foothold into the world. As such, they’re the entities
most likely to be “physically” involved with their
Cults, in one form or another.
As such, while high-level Rites and a multitude of
Dread Powers for the Cults and Blasphemers that
follow them are often off the table, Demons are often
able to intervene directly with more ease, taking on
physical forms and using their powers directly to assist
their followers in enacting their will.
Flaws in Reality
Less distinct entities and more minor flaws in the
makeup of the universe itself cascading upon
themselves, these quantifiable phenomena are often
anthropomorphized by their insane followers, called
“blind” or “idiot” gods, treated like beings that do
little more than tear down the fabric of reality. But
this is not because of any great revelation provided
them, but simply the tendency of the human mind to
assign an intelligence to such a force, the same sort of
people that form cults and religions describing the
Chapter Three: What Should Not Be
35
creation of the universe ascribing a personality to its
destruction.
The strange culminations of these flaws, despite
lacking an actual will of their own, still sometimes do
spawn lesser entities or “children” in the wake of their
“failures”. These entities are almost paradoxes in a
way, the last lingering vestige of a species or
phenomena that has fallen away from the universe, or
a law of physics that no longer exists given some
strange form. They lack a directed purpose, seeking
only to further destroy or tear things down, but they
can often be bound more easily by those that follow
the Flaws they were given birth from.
Lacking any true consciousness as they do, Flaws
cannot provide Rites to their Cults, and any Dread
Powers their Blasphemous followers gain are more
incidental than a blessing. However, the widespread
nature of what they are allows many of their Cults to
learn to steal or adapt Rites from other sorts of
blasphemous beings, putting them to use and
claiming them as their own mad god’s gift to them.
Forces of Entropy
The inverted mirror of Chaos and Creation Beings,
rather than imposing unchecked creation and raw
chaos into the universe, these strange, unknowable (if
still technically “conscious”) entities break down
what’s been created and given order, forcing it to
decay into nothingness or be more blatantly sucked
into the void that is its own existence. Whether this
is because of some hunger for reality or hatred of it is
hard to say, and in the end, it matters little to those
faced with the actions of such creatures.
Despite their foreign nature, these Forces can take
on apparent personalities that may be relatable to
some nihilistic individuals, having a sort of subtlety
and patience to them that allows them to slowly infect
the populace, preparing it for the inevitable collapse
of the surrounding world. Their worshippers often
have an inherent hatred for reality (or at least a
specific part of it), fully aware that they’re dooming
humanity to being cast into the void of nothingness
that they’re empowering.
Entropic beings like these, despite their nature as
something that erodes and destroys, may still gift
Rites and Dread Powers to their followers. They can’t
offer as many Rites as Outer Gods, nor as many
Dread Powers as Chaotic Beings, but both Cultists
and Blasphemers find a variety of dark magics to call
upon when they serve these creatures of destruction.
36
Second Sight: Third Eye
Ephemeral Systems
While the strange entities that act as the patron to
strange Cults and lone Reality Blasphemers can vary,
from alien entities to beings of pure chaos, they all
follow the same basic rules. Most Things That Should
Not Be (referred to as “Others” in shorthand) use the
game systems for Ephemeral Beings (Chronicles of
Darkness, pg. 124), with a few changes relating to
their unique nature, as follows.
Twilight
Others have their own phase of Twilight, separate
from ghosts, spirits, angels, goetia, and anything else
beyond their own kind. Powers and abilities that work
on Twilight in general will affect them or allow
perception of them, but those targeting a specific
phase need to be designed anew to work on them.
Rank
Generally speaking, Others that act as a patron to
Cults and Reality Blasphemers are at least Rank 3,
although minor creatures created by or otherwise
serving more powerful beings might be of lower rank.
Truly reality-shattering entities can end up as high as
Rank 6 or 7. The mechanics otherwise remain the
same.
Essence
Others regain Essence similarly to angels, through
appropriate offerings and sacrifices. They avoid
Essence bleed through a condition called
“Corruption”,
which
works
similarly
to
Infrastructure, but represents the influence of these
strange outer entities, not the God-Machine, and is
usually specific to an entity (Tagged as “Corruption
(Zhuidhro),” for instance). It never occurs naturally,
but cultists can build it up normally (as can an
appropriate Influence at 4+), after which it can be
progressed through the Manifestation conditions
through normal means.
Advantages
Like Spirits, Others lack Virtues, Vices, or Integrity,
and regain 1 Willpower per 3 Essence regained.
Language
Some types of Others may speak human languages,
but many rely on indirect forms of communications:
visions, strange signs, and emotional impulses
implanted into their followers. The Elder Tongue Rite
(pg. 42) can allow a ritualist to comprehend such
beings no matter how they communicate.
Bans and Banes
Others often have strange Bans and Banes, perhaps
only tacitly relating to their forms or goals, and often
rely on a lot of research and specific circumstances to
fully be taken advantage of. Decide their Ban/Bane as
if they were a Rank higher, without feeling any need
to match it to their nature, and similarly set any
threshold for research into them using the higher
effective Rank.
Influences
The Influences attained by Others are often very
general and thus powerful in their utility. Chaos
beings might have an Influence over Fate itself,
whereas a Reality Flaw’s child might have an
Influence over Matter as a whole. They otherwise
work normally.
Manifestations
Reality Blasphemies always gain Reaching as their
free Manifestation instead of Twilight Form and may
apply it to anything or any location with the
Corruption condition attuned to them, instead of
themselves, as their own “realm” lacks a direct analog,
unlike the Shadow of Spirits. They typically lack any
sort of Gateway Manifestation, relying on Cultists
performing strange Rites to bring them across.
However, the nature of these Others does provide
one inherent way to understand them; in the same
way their Cultists come to learn from them, so too
can those opposing them, by letting such a creature
touch their mind. When such an entity causes a
Breaking Point for a character, if the Breaking Point
roll is successful, an extended “research” roll can be
made to put together the fractured hints, symbols,
and visions that flooded their mind, requiring the
normal number of successes.
Abjuration, Exorcism, Binding, and
Warding
These systems all work normally, although the
nature of these beings does mean learning to make a
proper ward can be difficult — if the substance is even
something that can be found to begin with.
Summoning
Summoning is not possible with all Others, as most
Alien Gods and Reality Flaws are too far removed to
truly manifest physically, but for those that can be
called (which must always be Rank 5 and below, and
have the Twilight Form manifestation), the system
works similarly, relying on Corruption instead of
other Manifestation conditions. However, those that
would rely on a Gateway of some sort to cross into
our world must be summoned with the appropriate
Rite (Compel the God, pg. 45).
Numina
Others gain Dread Powers instead of Numina
(though may still choose the “Numen” power),
receiving the same number of them as other
Ephemera would receive Numina at the same Rank,
and they have a few unique Dread Powers they can
choose from (see below). The dice pool they use is
always Power + Finesse, and they may spend Essence
in place of Willpower. They may still trade these
Dread Powers for dots of Influences and
Manifestations.
Research
As mentioned, research rolls treat Others as if their
rank was one higher (needing 25 successes if their
effective Rank becomes 6), due to the obscurity of
most of their weaknesses. As well, “new” creatures are
all too common, making research an impossibility.
Chapter Three: What Should Not Be
37
Manifest Horrors
Certain Things That Should Not be might take on
more solid forms on a permanent basis; Demons of
the Outer Darkness (see above) are especially likely to
take such a form when drawn fully into our reality.
In these cases, use the rules for creating Dread
Horrors (Chronicles of Darkness, pg. 140) for such
beings, who will almost always have a Potency of at
least 5, if not more.
As with Ephemeral versions, they have access to
some unique Dread Powers, which they can offer to
Reality Blasphemers that follow them. These
creatures will always still have a Bane and Ban,
however, and thus can be subjected to Warding and
Binding, and still lack a Virtue and Vice. It’s generally
not recommended to use the “Brief Nightmares”
system (Chronicles of Darkness, pg. 143) to represent
Others, but their servants and spawn can safely be
represented with those systems.
Stranger Things
Sometimes, Others aren’t anything truly
quantifiable, and existing game systems might not
seem appropriate for them. Flaws in Reality,
especially, may simply work akin to a system of Tilts
imposed on reality and a “Ban” that will cause it to
cease to exist. The Storyteller shouldn’t feel confined
to using Ephemeral or Horror systems, nor to relying
wholly on the Core or this supplement for where they
gain their Dread Powers and other abilities. Things
That Should Not Be are rarely confronted directly,
and if they are, they should shock and confuse the
characters and players alike, rather than following
predictable patterns.
38
Second Sight: Third Eye
Dread Powers
The following Dread Powers are unique to Things
That Should Not Be, and the Reality Blasphemers
that follow them. Remember that dice pools can vary
per entity and character that uses them. Dread Powers
from the Chronicles of Darkness core book and
other sources can be taken for Others and their
Blasphemers as the Storyteller deems suitable.
Crushing Will
The creature is capable of imposing its raw will over
the minds of others for short periods of time. Spend
1 point of Willpower and roll its dice pool against the
target’s Resolve + Supernatural Tolerance. For one
turn per success rolled over the target’s, the creature
is able to control them like a puppet with a reflexive
action. This only allows physical actions to be forced,
and so cannot be used to activate their supernatural
abilities or perform mental or social actions.
Sign of Madness
This Power allows the creature to create a symbol
representing it, akin to the Sign Numina, but it costs
1 Willpower and can be used at any distance (if
ephemeral, it may be used with the Reaching
Manifestation, but relies on the Corruption
condition). It can’t be altered much from a single
chosen symbol (beyond applying to different
mediums) but provides a +5 equipment bonus for the
creature or those aligned with it to Intimidate others,
or to Force Doors in social maneuvering.
Tentacles (• to •••)
A variation on Natural Weaponry, the character
has tentacles, which act as 0 Lethal weapons that gain
a bonus equal to the Power’s rating to establish a
grapple and to any grappling maneuvers.
Word of Power
The creature is capable of uttering a word in a
strange, blasphemous tongue that scars the mind and
soul of those that hear it, mortal minds unable to
process it properly. The creature spends a point of
Willpower and rolls its dice pool, resisted by the
highest Composure of any who can hear its natural
voice (powers and technology will not improve its
range). For each success rolled, those affected take 1
bashing damage, which bypasses any armor or
protection that isn’t somehow mental in nature, as
their bodies and minds twist and contort, blood
flowing from their ears and bruises forming along
their veins. A character that is entirely deaf or
otherwise unable to hear any amount of the sound, or
that has a dot of Reality Blasphemer or Mystery Cult
Initiation for a Thing’s cult, is not affected.
Cults and Followers
Things That Should Not Be rarely have any ability
to influence the world in major ways without some
level of assistance. There may be a few small places
their influence can break through, however, people
whose minds are attuned to the otherworldly, or
whose dreams touch upon strange realms. With a few
promises of power (or a few well-placed lies)
directions can be passed along to slowly grow their
impact on the world.
Note: The following options are, by default,
available only to Storyteller characters; not only are
they dark, antagonistic options, but Rites and Powers
are a bit more powerful than most other Supernatural
options available to mortals, and are designed around
the idea of antagonist NPCs, not PCs, using them.
With Storyteller permission, however, PCs may be
allowed to take the Independent Dabbler merit (see
below).
Mystery Cults
The Cults of the Others are effectively very
deranged, blasphemous Mystery Cults, and for the
most part, they’re designed the same way. The
Purpose and Doctrine are generally going to be
defined by their patron, whatever task and
philosophies the Other has set up for them, or
whatever Purpose and Doctrine they’ve surmised
from mad revelations they’ve claimed regarding its
nature, in some cases. Cults of The Things That
Should Not Be don’t require a Relic, though many
will nonetheless gravitate towards one, whether an
actual piece of their god or something merely
representative.
The primary benefit beyond the usual mechanics of
a Mystery Cult, however, is the availability of Rites.
Depending on the Thing involved (as described in the
Blasphemous Beings section), create a list of Rites (see
below) that the Cult has access to. Purchasing a Rite
requires 1 Experience per dot of its rating, and
requires that they have a Mystery Cult Initiation
equal to or greater than that rating. In some cases,
Chapter Three: What Should Not Be
39
Cults of the Others may provide Rites automatically
as benefits, granting them similarly to dots of merits
(so a 1-dot Rite could be granted at levels one or two
in Mystery Cult Initiation, for instance). Rites all
inherently count as rituals for the purposes of the
Thaumaturge Merit Template (pg. 29); indeed, many
Cultists that focus heavily on their magics will
become Thaumaturges, and those that do treat their
Cult as their Magical Tradition, gaining two dots of
Rites for free (feel free to come up with unique
Strengths and Weaknesses for a Cult’s
Thaumaturges, depending on the entity they follow).
Similarly, while Cultists don’t inherently gain
access to the Dread Powers of those that command
them (see Reality Blasphemy for that, below), some
Cults might provide them as benefits. One Power can
be provided at level 3 of Initiation, and two can be
provided at four or five. This is particularly common
for Chaos or Creation beings, especially.
To note, Supernatural creatures can and often do
join up with such Blasphemous Cults. While
characters with a full Supernatural Template are
incapable of buying Rites, they may still benefit from
Rites and Powers granted directly by the Mystery Cult
Initiation merit itself. Of course, most Supernatural
Creatures are likely to use the Mystery Cult Influence
merit instead (Mage: the Awakening, pg. 103; the
Storyteller might allow characters other than Mages
to take this merit), representing a willingness to
benefit from these dark magics but perhaps not
directly serve such creatures.
Drawback: Being a part of a Blasphemous cult is
never easy on the mind. Cultists of Things That
Should Not Be suffer a breaking point for each dot
they purchase (this applies to alternative Integrity
equivalents at Storyteller discretion).
Reality Blasphemies
Congregations of religious servitors aren’t the only
ones that find themselves following or being
influenced by these strange entities. Those that are
directly altered by Blasphemous beings are a bit
different; touched so intimately by the dark gods they
serve, they become Reality Blasphemies, dark
conduits of the power of these creatures, barely
contained within a mortal body.
It’s also possible for someone to end up dabbling
into dark rites and the strange abilities; this isn’t quite
as dangerous as delving fully into a Cult or giving
oneself over fully to the Others, but it’s still far from
safe and reliable.
40
Second Sight: Third Eye
Reality Blasphemy (• to •••••;
Supernatural)
Prerequisites: Mortal
Effect: Reality Blasphemy provides two benefits. To
start with, they may learn the Rites of a single Thing
That Should Not Be, for the same cost as a Cultist.
However, their primary benefit comes from the
blessings they receive directly from their patrons, who
alter them in ways according to the purpose they have
in mind for their “chosen” servants. For each dot in
the merit, they receive one Dread Power known by
the Thing That Should Not Be that they’ve chosen.
This merit may not be taken more than once; none
of the Others will allow for such split loyalty.
Drawback: Reality Blasphemers always have the
Corruption condition for all Things That Should Not
Be, and are Open to their own Patron and the entities
that serve it. For those patrons that are built as Dread
Horrors, they instead are always aware of the exact
location of Reality Blasphemies attuned to them. As
well, for each dot in the merit, the character suffers a
-1 penalty on any Breaking Point roll made that has
anything to do with their service to their
Blasphemous patron.
Independent Dabbler (••, ••••, or •••••;
Supernatural)
Prerequisites: Not a Reality Blasphemy or in a Cult
of a Thing That Should Not Be
Effect: Through careful study of what makes
Blasphemous Beings tick, you’ve managed to learn
just a bit of the magic that they normally reserve for
their followers and servants. You gain one
Blasphemous Rite (see below) of level 1 at two dots,
level 2 at four dots, or level 3 at five dots.
This merit may be taken more than once, choosing
a new Rite each time.
Drawback: Borrowing the power of these beings is
not without risk. For one scene after you’ve utilized
this Rite, you take the Corruption condition tied to
the entity you stole it from, or a materialized Other
gains a +3 bonus to tracking you for the same time
period.
Blasphemous Rites
What follows is a small sample of Rites that Things
That Should Not Be can offer their followers, but the
Storyteller should feel free to come up with more,
perhaps pulling them from the magics of other
Supernatural creatures. A Rite costs 1 Experience per
dot in its rating, and each one is effectively a
Supernatural Merit, for all purposes. This does mean
that Supernatural creatures cannot, by default, make
use of them. However, those that are part of a
Blasphemous Cult may use those Rites directly
granted by that Cult’s Initiation benefits.
All Rites use the same basic system, although the
exact activities, implements, and ritual ingredients
will vary between them (listed as the “Offerings” of
each ritual). Mechanically, 1 point of Willpower is
spent, and an extended Intelligence + Occult roll is
made, with 2 successes needed per level of the Ritual.
Each roll represents a half-hour of time spent (unless
the ritual says otherwise), and this is not modified by
merits that alter the time taken for mundane
extended actions, like Good Time Management.
Unless a Rite mentions otherwise, the target of a
Rite does not need to be present for this ritual, but if
they aren’t, An arcane connection is needed; this can
be either a part of the target’s body (such as hair,
fingernails or an eyeball), or an important and
symbolic possession of the target (such as the glove
with which he used to play baseball with his now-dead
father, or a wedding ring). If a victim succeeds at their
resistance roll against the ritual, they can’t be targeted
by the same one by the same ritualist for 24 hours.
Note: For the names listed below, any mention of
“the God” in the name should be replaced with the
name of the specific Other that empowers it. So,
“Unblinking Eye of the God” becomes “Unblinking
Eye of Elar’hdi” when learned from that entity.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The ritual immediately fails,
with all progress lost. The ritualist suffers a breaking
point at a -1 penalty, as the clumsy attempt at such
dangerous magics cracks open their mind. Rites taken
from Others that pay attention to their cultists might
also cause the Corruption condition and a bit of
unhappy focus from the ritualist’s patron.
Failure/Success: As normal for extended rolls. If
the extended action is successful, the Rite is enacted
as described.
Exceptional Success: The caster may either reduce
the time taken for any remaining rolls by one half
(minimum of 1 turn, for shorter Rites), gain the
Connected condition for those connected to the
Other that provides the Rite, or gain the Exceptional
Success result described in certain specific rituals.
Apprehend the Ephemeral (•)
This rite allows the performer to see and
communicate with beings of any sort that exist in
Twilight (of any phase) in the immediate vicinity
(including Others in Twilight Form). If such an entity
seeks to hide from the performer, a Perception roll is
required on the ritualist’s part if hidden mundanely,
or a Clash of Wills if they’re hidden supernaturally
(the ritualist rolls Supernatural Potency + Wits).
Many natural spirits find the use of this rite angering
or terrifying, as they know the source of the power to
be a crime against nature. As a result, most spirits
contacted with this rite are hostile. As well, this
inherently applies the Corruption condition to the
ritualist.
Offerings: The cultist must blindfold himself with
a strap made from the caul of a fetal mammal that was
aborted from its mother’s womb. Once the rite is
complete, the blindfold may be removed and put
back on freely for the scene in which the rite is active,
but while the blindfold is off the performer may not
see or communicate with ephemeral beings.
Dread Voyage of the God (•)
A cultist takes advantage of the sanity-violating
nature of his master, opening bizarre and twisting
paths that move in and out of the cracks of reality to
reduce the amount of time it takes to travel to a
destination. The cultist must specify the place to
which he wishes to travel. He may bring others along
for the journey. All must be present and touching
when the rite is performed, and all must walk or run
the whole distance with the cultist. Each additional
traveler imposes a –1 penalty to the activation rolls.
At the end of the rite’s performance, a harrowing
channel opens in thin air, taking performers half in
and half out of reality as they walk through bizarre
and warped versions of the world to arrive at their
destination. The normal time required to get to a
destination is reduced by 25% (40% on an
exceptional success).
Note that the twisting path does not allow the
cultist to bypass any blocks or wards between him and
his destination. Observers who do not partake of the
rite cannot enter the portal. Travelers are immune to
attacks from the physical or spirit world, although
direct magical efforts could still affect them, at
Storyteller discretion.
There is no room for dawdling once on a Dread
Voyage, as the strange energies of the in-between
Chapter Three: What Should Not Be
41
realm start to siphon the living energy around them.
Each additional hour spent on the path beyond
what’s necessary to make the journey imposes one
point of lethal damage on each traveler.
Unlike most Rites, this ritual only requires a single
turn per roll.
Offerings: A Möbius strip made of human flesh,
with the name of the destination written on it with
the black bile of a fish sacrificed to the performer’s
deity.
Elder Tongue (•)
Use of this rite allows a cultist to read, speak and
comprehend the alien and gibbering tongue of his
master. This capability lasts 24 hours. No sane, mortal
being may understand the language without the use
of this rite, making it a useful tool for
communications that cannot be deciphered by
outsiders. The language is obviously wrong and
disturbing to the uninitiated. Any hearing or seeing it
know that something about it is terrifying and
horrific, though those with no knowledge of the
hidden world simply put it out of mind. This rite
makes it possible to read ancient texts dedicated to
the Others, and lends a +2 bonus to any roll that
occurs in the next 24 hours to learn a rite from such
a tome or to research any entities referred to by them.
Note that this rite affects only the cultist who casts
it, and cannot be used to give knowledge of a language
to others. (Although a third-level rite called Gift of
the Tongue can do so, granting knowledge of the
language to all present and active in the rite at the
time of casting. Otherwise, that rite is identical to this
one.)
Offerings: The cultist must ritually mark the
bottom of her own tongue with a concoction of
hemlock ashes and urine that leaves a stain for the 24
hours that the effect applies.
Gem in the Garden (•)
This rite allows a cultist to peer into the mind and
heart of a person to see what she desires most. Not
what she most loves, or what she wants most purely,
but that which she hopes to control, dominate or turn
to her will. Casting this rite requires an extended and
contested roll against the victim’s Composure +
Supernatural Tolerance, which is a reflexive and
subconscious effort on the part of the target.
Success grants the cultist knowledge of the target’s
Vice, and each additional success above the target
42
Second Sight: Third Eye
provides one Aspiration, short term goal, or relevant
mental Condition (like Obsession); this knowledge
will also improve the ritualist’s Impression by one
step in Social Maneuvering attempts against the target
within the next 24 hours, as they learn exactly what
buttons to push. Gem in the Garden can be cast
against a victim only once per month, and imparts
new information only if a new temptation comes into
a subject’s life.
Offerings: Opiate incense must be inhaled during
the course of this rite.
Infusion of the God (•)
This rite allows a cultist to profane an area, allowing
it to be used more easily by their patron deity or to
allow its servants safe haven there. The rite targets a
single building or similar area no larger than a small
house (although a three-dot version of this Rite exists
that will affect anything up to the size of a large
warehouse), inflicting the Corruption condition on
it, attuned to the ritualist’s deity. This lasts for the rest
of the Story, or until the condition is dissolved with a
purification involving the Other’s bane.
Offerings: The cultist requires the blood of a
scavenging animal, a predator, themself, and an
unwilling human to mark the area with.
Mark of the God (•)
This rite allows a cultist to inscribe the symbol of
her lord upon a location or item, making it a ward
against any other servant or child of the deity that
would do her harm. This rite does not protect against
the servants of other entities, much less against alien
beings themselves, only against other spawn or
followers of the Thing that the cultist worships. Even
cultists recognize that their brethren within the ranks
bear a threat to one another.
Successfully performing this rite means that any
such spawn or agent that comes within 10 yards of the
marked place or item suffers a –2 penalty to all attacks
and actions intended to harm the performer. Once
inscribed, the mark lasts for one lunar month. Only
one mark may exist in a given space at a time. If a new
one is drawn by the ritualist, any old one is made
invalid; if drawn by another individual, a Clash of
Wills is made to see who’s retains power (both roll
Supernatural Potency + Presence). Living people and
animals can be drawn upon too, even the performer
herself. No one but the performer of the rite benefits
from its protection, even if the mark is drawn upon
someone else.
Note that a mark can give clues as to the nature of
the Thing venerated, giving inspectors a +2 bonus to
Investigation and Occult rolls (or an extra element to
a Clue, if the Investigation system is being used).
Offerings: The cultist must use 13 drops of her own
blood, drawn with a ritual knife, as ink to scribe the
mark.
Babble of Horrid Voices (••)
This rite forces the language and voice of a Thing
into a victim’s mind, subjecting him to babbling,
alien thoughts. The victim is left speaking in tongues,
unable to communicate. Even his written word is
rendered nonsensical; handwritten and typed
messages come out as gibberish.
This effect lasts until the next sunrise. During that
time, the victim suffers the Mute condition (but
representing gibberish, not an absence of their voice)
and is at a -3 penalty to all Social rolls to otherwise
communicate. Activation of this rite is an extended
and contested roll against the victim’s Composure +
Supernatural Tolerance; resistance is reflexive.
Offerings: An animal or person’s tongue.
Eye of the God (••)
This rite causes the miasmic forces of an entity to
be turned against the luck, fate or karma of a subject.
A victim is plagued by minor bad luck for the next 24
hours, much of it with a malicious bent. Drivers
deliberately steer into puddles to splash the subject.
Vindictive bureaucrats destroy his applications.
Muggers choose him rather than a rich-looking mark
further down the block. The bad luck is not usually
anything life-altering, but it is enough to ruin
someone’s day and fill him with a paranoia that the
world conspires against him. As a result, the subject
suffers a –1 penalty to all Social rolls while under the
effects of the rite and treats the Impression of others
as one lower for Social Maneuvering (even if they
don’t actually feel any worse about the character).
Offerings: A large crystal carved into the symbolic
form of the eye of a deity, sprinkled with tears.
Harbinger (••)
This rite gives the cultist a view of the future as it’s
perceived by the inhuman intelligence of her
otherworldly master. Essentially, Harbinger gives her
a crazed and distorted — but often eerily accurate —
vision of things soon to come. Such insight offers
many clues as to what the future may hold, but they’re
obscure and symbolic, often not showing their true
meaning until an appropriate time comes; this is
represented by gaining the Steadfast condition, and
an Informed condition of the Storyteller’s choice. A
performer may benefit from only one enactment of
this rite at a time. The future revealed is never more
than a few days ahead.
Offerings: The entrails of a mammal that dies while
the rite is conducted.
Perverted Desire (••)
This rite allows the performer to tap into the most
perverse and destructive desires of the dark and
haunted corners of the human mind, bringing them
to the forefront of a subject’s consciousness while
instilling a compelling urge to act on them. Activation
involves an extended and contested roll against the
subject’s Composure + Supernatural Tolerance;
resistance is reflexive.
If the cultist succeeds, the victim is subject to a
horrible, grotesque urge from her own subconscious,
causing the Obsession condition. This urge can be
anything from eating bloody, raw meat to rolling in
feces to copulating with a dead body. This doesn’t
mean the victim falls reveling into a full-bore
perversion, but she will often take an action she
would normally consider unacceptable — sniffing at
the meat or groping the corpse. This may trigger a
Breaking Point, if appropriate to the character.
Once the rite is completed, it afflicts the victim in
the next 24 hours. No more than one application of
this effect can bear on a victim at one time.
Offerings: The cultist must ritually indulge in a
perverted act similar to the one on which the victim
will dwell.
Primal Shudder (••)
This rite injects the fearful taint of one of the
Others into the ritualist, imbuing him with a creeping
air of primal evil. When the rite is enacted, the cultist
chooses one of two effects: fear or lust. Those who
choose fear gain a +2 bonus on all Social rolls to
intimidate, distract, confuse or disrupt people they
confront, including forcing doors in Social
Maneuvering. Those who choose lust gain a +2 bonus
to all Social rolls to persuade, seduce, distract or
deceive others, and are treated as having an
Chapter Three: What Should Not Be
43
impression one higher than normal when calling
upon such methods in Social Maneuvering. Either
effect lasts for one day. Only one instance of this Rite
may apply to a subject at a time.
Offerings: The spine of a monkey, rabbit or human
being.
All Eyes Serve the God (•••)
This rite allows a cultist to see through the eyes of a
victim for the duration. The performer may see
through the victim’s eyes at any time for the next day;
no other sense can be substituted, only sight is
available.
While seeing through another’s eyes, the cultist is
only dimly aware of his own body, which falls into a
trancelike state. Minor environmental stimuli have
no effect on his own body (such as an insect crawling
across his skin or drops of water falling on his head),
but aggressive actions perpetrated against him draw
his consciousness back. The cultist can indulge in a
subject’s senses and return to his own body as often
as he likes throughout the rite’s duration; doing
either is a reflexive action. Activation involves an
extended and contested roll against the victim’s
Resolve + Supernatural Tolerance; resistance is
reflexive.
Offerings: An eye taken from an innocent child.
Baleful Tribulation of the God (•••)
This rite brings the foul attention of an Other upon
the fate and hope of an unfortunate victim, inflicting
lamentation and sorrow. The subject suffers the
Shaken condition, which is automatically resolved for
the next important action taken by them. An
exceptional success during casting also provides a -3
penalty to the next two actions after the one the
condition applies to. A victim may be subjected to
only one application of this rite at a time.
Offerings: The sacrifice of something the cultist
loves (or at least lusts after), along with a wailing
prayer to his master.
Betrayal of Memory (•••)
This rite allows a cultist to occlude a victim’s
memory of a specific event, blocking it from her
conscious mind. The performance doesn’t actually
erase or change the memory, it simply surrounds it
with such shame and horror that the victim’s mind
refuses to consciously remember it. Many victims of
this rite still revisit the event in their minds, as
44
Second Sight: Third Eye
occluded thoughts take on the shape of nightmares
tainted by the touch of Things. But so long as the
rite’s power is unbroken, the subject is unable to
willingly remember anything about the event in
question.
Activation of this rite is an extended and contested
roll against the victim’s Resolve + Supernatural
Tolerance; resistance is reflexive. Success alters up to
one night’s worth of memories, persistently inflicting
the Amnesia condition regarding those events. This
rite requires a victim to be physically present when
performed; arcane connections are not acceptable.
Mundane and supernatural attempts to resolve the
condition (and thus restore the memory) work
normally; for any Clash of Wills against a restorative
effect, the ritualist rolls Supernatural Potency +
Manipulation.
Offerings: The victim must be forced to look at
himself in a shattered mirror while words of horror
in ancient languages are spoken in his ear.
Dreams of Lust and Terror (•••)
The cultist is able to construct a dream in which to
plunge a sleeping victim. This dream can portray
anything the cultist wishes, but he doesn’t control the
event once it is projected. Essentially, the cultist sets
the stage, puts the dream into the mind of the
sleeping victim and then lets the event run its course
through the victim’s subconscious. Common uses of
this rite involve dreams of terror and/or perversion
sent to either intimidate or inspire degeneracy in a
victim.
In the case of intimidation, a +4 bonus is given to
the ritualist and any others aware of the dream for any
roll to intimidate or to Force the character’s Doors in
Social Maneuvering within the next chapter after the
dream’s sent. Such manipulators can drop phrases to
the subject to set her off, or prepare haunting scenes
for her reminiscent of her nightmare.
In the case of dreams of lust, the danger is in the
dream itself. The victim is forced through a terrible,
far-too-real dream wherein they enact their darkest,
deepest desires; this causes a Breaking Point for the
character. Such is the trap of dreams of lust and
power sent by Things; their temptations scar the soul
as deeply as real actions do. This rite is contested by
the victim’s Composure + Supernatural Tolerance
and can be imposed upon a single victim only once a
month.
A Lucid Dreamer may attempt to wake up before
the dream’s effects come to pass, and an outside
Dream Traveler or other Oneiromancer may be able
to undo the effects of the dream with their own
abilities; if they have a way to alter the dream, the
ritualist rolls a Clash of Wills against them to avoid
the dream being undone (the ritualist uses
Supernatural Potency + Manipulation).
Offerings: Perverted sexual acts mingled with
torture and combined with opiates partaken by
everyone involved in the performance.
Minor Form of the God (•••)
The cultist transforms a portion of his body into a
wicked instrument of destruction. At any point
within 24 hours after successful completion of this
ritual, the performer can use an instant action to
create a pair of lashing tentacles. An attack with these
appendages has a dice pool equal to the character’s
Strength + Brawl +2, with 9-again if used to initiate a
grapple or perform a maneuver. If the character has
the means to do lethal damage unarmed, the tentacles
deal lethal damage as well. These appendages last for
three turns (five on an exceptional success). At the
end of that time, they rot, disintegrate or pull back
into the cultist’s body.
Offerings: A cup full of human blood mixed with
the blood of a tentacled beast such as an octopus or
squid.
Compel the God (••••)
This rite allows a cultist to compel outer things, and
the servants and spawn of greater Things to obey
commands for the period of one lunar month. There
are actually many versions of this rite, as each version
only works on a specific creature or type of creature
(such as the Spawn of As’thlot or the Outer Demon
Mezmenaron). Each such rite must be learned
separately, although each after the first costs only half
the number of Experiences as normal.
This performance is divided into two rolls, both
adhering to the normal extended-action rules. The
first roll is to summon the Thing or spawn. If the roll
fails, the Thing does not come and cannot be bound.
Dramatic failure results in the entity arriving and
attacking. It cannot be bound and is set free in this
reality. Success results in the Thing arriving in
anticipation of being bound, pulling them through a
gateway or across the realm if need be. Exceptional
success grants a +2 bonus to the subsequent binding
effort.
Chapter Three: What Should Not Be
45
Once a Thing has been summoned, it must be
bound when the entity is disoriented from its trip to
this plane. Binding calls for an immediate second
extended roll, which is contested by the Thing’s
Resistance + Rank (or Resolve + Potency); resistance
is reflexive. If the creature wins, it goes free and may
do as it wishes. If the cultist wins, the being must serve
him for the next lunar month, after which time the
entity is banished back to its original resting place.
The binding roll takes only a minute per roll (during
which time the entity can not act against the caster),
but if not started immediately after the summoning
it’s treated as a failure.
Offerings: This rite requires a different sacrifice for
each Thing or spawn summoned. Self-mutilation,
blood sacrifice, soul pacts and large amounts of rare
and precious gems, incense and wood are common.
Inexorable Pull of Entropy (••••)
A more powerful version of Baleful Tribulation of
the God, this rite brings forth the power of a being to
actively warp the patterns of luck and fate around a
victim, turning the very nature of the world against
her. The performer must name a specific action when
the rite is enacted. The next three times the subject
engages in that action, a chance die is rolled instead
of her normal pool. The curse can be as general (“The
next three times she next attacks me!”) or as specific
(“When she next faces the Winged One under the
light of the blood moon”) as the cultist chooses. The
curse remains until its conditions are met.
Performing the rite is an extended and contested
action, with Resolve + Supernatural Tolerance rolled
reflexively for the intended target. Only one such
curse can apply to a subject at a time.
Offerings: Two ounces of the cultist’s own flesh.
Which two ounces are at the whim of his master.
Sacral Invocation of the Demarcated
Line (••••)
This rite brings the horrid power of an Other to
focus on an area (approximately a 25-yard radius),
sealing it against intrusion by those who do not serve
the being. A reflexive Resolve + Composure - 5 roll
must be made for all intruders wishing to enter the
warded area. Failure means those seeking entrance
are so overcome with horror that they cannot intrude
upon the warded place. Those unable to cross the line
once are unable to try again until a bonus to their dice
pool is gained somehow (such as learning the
46
Second Sight: Third Eye
weakness of the Other invoked). Until then, the
results of an original failure stand. The rite is
performed on an object, which is the center of the
affected area, and the item must be prominently
placed. When the sign is that of an ephemeral Other,
the area gains the Corruption condition.
As with Mark of the God, the tools of this rite offer
clues as to the identity of the Thing at work, giving
inspectors a +2 bonus to Investigation and Occult
rolls (or an extra element to a Clue).
Offerings: The heart-blood of a human being taken
within 24 hours of the rite’s performance.
Touch of Doom (••••)
This rite empowers the performer’s body with the
horrid and unnatural corruption of her master,
making their mere touch deadly. For the next hour,
the cultist’s body (including any strange appendages)
is treated as a +2L weapon with the 9-again tag. This
damage manifests in different ways, depending on the
Other from which the rite takes power. Rotting flesh,
bursting blood vessels and sudden sores that eat soft
tissue are all possible.
Offerings: A gold and lapis knife inscribed with the
symbol of the Other, with which the cultist must cut
her hand.
As One With Those Who Walk InBetween (•••••)
This rite gives the performer the ability to become
incorporeal until the next sunup or sundown,
whichever comes first. While incorporeal, the cultist
no longer has a physical body and is treated as a Rank
1 ephemeral Other with a Power equal to his
Presence, a Finesse equal to his Wits and a Resistance
equal to the higher of his Resolve or Composure. The
cultist also gains any two Dread Powers that he
desires, as well as one dot of an appropriate Influence
to his deity, and one other Manifestation beyond
Twilight Form, but never Gateway or others that
allow travel through different Realms.
He is limited to his normal Speed and cannot fly or
otherwise travel in unusual ways without other
powers, and may not utilize his Supernatural Merits
or other template-specific powers while transformed.
Finally, no gear or Artifacts (not even blasphemous
tomes and the like) turn incorporeal, meaning they
can be used only if the cultist has an ability that
specifically allows him to manipulate physical tools.
Like an Other or their servants, he relies on the
Corruption condition to avoid Essence bleed and to
build up Manifestations.
The cultist can end the effect early with an
extended action using the same pool used to enact the
rite, and requiring the same number of successes,
though not requiring a point of Willpower, and with
each roll taking only a turn. Once he becomes
corporeal again, the rite ends and must be performed
yet again to return to an incorporeal state.
Offerings: The funerary wrap of a person whom the
cultist killed or to whose death he contributed.
Devouring Jaws Of The God (•••••)
When the cultist calls upon the power of her lord,
her mouth transforms into a maw of wicked,
gnashing teeth or into a puncturing needle-like
feeding tube. She does not need to grapple in order
to bite a victim and her mouth does aggravated
damage in Brawl attacks. The maw from this rite
persists for an hour after being formed, and cannot
be ended early.
Offerings: The cultist must bite off a chunk of her
own flesh, doing at least one point of bashing damage
to herself.
Sample Things That
Should Not Be
The following are two sample Others, including
their statistics, goals, cults, and what Rites and Powers
they grant their followers.
Zhuidhro, the Endless Maw
Type: Force of Entropy
Background: The earliest records of the Endless
Maw appear comparatively recently, strange
scrawlings and writings in only centuries-old tomes
speaking of a great force seeking to urge the Earth
towards its inevitable end, but the creature is far older
than that. Some that speak of it claim it fell into
slumber for a long period, discorporated and thought
defeated by ancient sorcerers long before written
records became commonplace. If that’s true, then, it
means that something has woken it up, and while it’s
been very slow to fully come to the fore, its influence
is becoming more and more obvious to those that
know what they’re looking at.
Description: Rarely seen directly, those that sketch
out the visions of it they claim to see in their dreams
do have a common sort of motif to them, a creature
born of whirling nothingness surrounding a sucking
center that seems akin almost to a black hole.
Storytelling Hints: Zhuidro is a comparatively
calm, ancient being. It wants little more than to see
the world fall into the void, drained of all of its life
and energy, but it doesn’t particularly care about how
quickly that happens. Still, it’s just impatient enough
to want to urge the process along, if only by a small
amount, and that’s where its cultists come in. Little
by little, they’re given revelations as to small ways they
can destabilize the world, to draw it a little closer to
its inevitable end. It rarely acts very directly, but it’s
plenty willing to point its followers and blasphemies
towards whatever it feels might impose just a bit more
entropy on the universe.
Rank: 5
Attributes: Power 15, Finesse 10, Resistance 15
Willpower: 10
Essence: 50
Initiative: 25
Defense: 15
Speed: 30
Size: 25
Corpus: 40
Influences: Destruction 5
Manifestations: Discorporate, Image, Invade
Dream, Possess, Reaching, Twilight Form
Dread Powers: Eye Spy (through followers),
Immortal, Madness and Terror, Numen (Drain),
Numen (Essence Thief), Numen (Implant Mission),
Numen (Stalwart), Reality Stutter, Soul Thief,
Unbreakable, Word of Power.
Ban: The Endless Maw must immediately
discorporate and slumber for a year if brought into
the presence of the earliest intact visual
representation of its form; currently, there are early
stone tablets scrawled with crude renditions of it that
would need to be found to enact its Ban.
Bane: The blood of a newborn child that was
expected to die in the womb.
Rites Offered: Apprehend the Ephemeral,
Infusion of Zhuidro, Babble of Horrid Voices,
Harbinger, Baleful Tribulation of Zhuidro, Betrayal
of Memory, Inexorable Pull of Entropy, Touch of
Doom, Devouring Jaws of Zhuidro
Powers Granted: Eye Spy, Madness and Terror,
Reality Stutter, Soul Thief, Word of Power.
Chapter Three: What Should Not Be
47
Invade Dream (Manifestation)
(Requires Open Condition)
By spending 1 essence, the entity can invade the
dreams of the target. Roll Power + Finesse, contested
by the Resolve + Composure + Supernatural
Tolerance of the character. If successful, the
dreamscape is warped into a shape suitable to the
Other, and the dreamer gains no Willpower from
restful sleep, instead granting it to the entity itself.
Oneiromancers of whatever sort may contest this
Manifestation with a Clash of Wills.
no ceremony to it, and there’s no discrepancy from it,
lest eliminating you becomes the next order passed on
down. Everyone, once enacted into the cult, knows
their place and does what they need to do.
Joining The Empty Hand tends to happen when
someone catches the same hints that are provided to
the cultists themselves, and look into it. Delving too
far too fast, or without proper care, starts to take a toll
on the mind. When the weight of what they’re
discovering starts to catch up with them… that’s when
the Interpreters seek them out.
Zhuidhro’s Cult
Calling themselves “The Empty Hand,” the cult of
Zhuidro are numerous, but scattered. They may go
about their normal lives for years at a time before
their patron provides guidance to them. Once that
guidance is given, though, they’ll do whatever is
needed to bring the world a bit closer to its ultimate
demise.
It’s because of this that it’s so difficult to
undermine them and take them head-on. No single
gathering of them provides access to the whole, and
the ones that pass on the entity’s will are rarely found
with those enacting it. If they’re not actively working
towards its goals at the time, it’s almost impossible to
find them out, given how normal they otherwise tend
to appear. Those seeking to undermine The Empty
Hand need to be prepared to play the long game too.
Purpose: The Empty Hand’s sole purpose is to
enact their patron’s will, and because of this, they
rarely meet and have no need to remain together.
Little “pockets” of the cult are scattered throughout
the country (perhaps the world), and come together
only when Zhuidhro’s will is made known to those at
the highest levels of the cult. Those members pass this
information down to whomever needs to know it, any
mission is enacted, and then they can go back to their
lives once again (if the mission’s result doesn’t
prevent that).
Ultimately, it’s said that these acts will build on
each other, until after years, decades, or even
centuries, they’ll reach the point of bringing about
the end of all things.
Doctrine: At the highest levels of the Cult (dots
four and five) are the Interpreters. They receive the
will of Zhuidhro in whatever form it comes, and those
beneath, the Empty Hands themselves, enact that
will. There is no questioning of these orders, there’s
48
Second Sight: Third Eye
Asmodayan
Type: Demon of the Outer Realm
Background: Asmodayan only very recently found
its way into this world, and thus far, nobody’s entirely
sure of exactly where in the outer void it came from,
or for that matter, how it got here. No record can be
found of any summoning, no rites invoking him, and
it has no cult as of yet built up in its name (although
individual Blasphemers are seemingly plentiful).
Description: Appearing as a chitinous, eerily
smiling semi-humanoid creature with an odd bevy of
clawed appendages curling off of tentacle-like arms on
its back, oddly lithe and moving quickly enough that
the eye has trouble following it, this Demon can easily
strike fear into the minds of those that do manage to
witness it. Especially those that end up in its sights.
Storytelling Hints: Asmodayan, through some
strange outer logic, has come up with a group of 13
important individuals, all of whom are supernatural
creatures in positions of temporal mortal power, that
must be killed. While some mortals (Hunters
especially) might normally be more than happy to let
it do its work, it has no qualms about killing everyone
and destroying anything between where it is and
where it expects its next target to be. Its Blasphemies
never are given the information about its overall goal,
but may be brought to bear against individual targets.
Mental Attributes: Intelligence 4, Wits 8, Resolve
6
Physical Attributes: Strength 3, Dexterity 8,
Stamina 3
Social Attributes: Presence 3, Manipulation 5,
Composure 2
Mental Skills: Investigation 4, Occult 4
Physical Skills: Athletics 5, Brawl 4, Stealth 5,
Survival 4
Social Skills: Empathy 3, Intimidation 5,
Subterfuge 4
Merits: Double Jointed, Fast Reflexes ••, Fighting
Finesse (Natural Weapons), Fleet of Foot •••,
Greyhound, Trained Observer •••
Potency: 6
Willpower: 8
Aspirations: Kill the designated targets, create a
new Reality Blasphemy, create a false lead
Initiative: 12
Defense: 13
Size: 7
Speed: 18
Health: 10
Weapons/Attacks:
Type
Damage
Range
Dice
Claws/Teeth
3L, AP3
Melee
12
Tentacles
0L
Melee
12*
*15 in a Grapple
Ban: Asmodayan cannot cross into Holy ground of
any sort, and if forced to (physically or otherwise), he
starts taking one aggravated damage per turn.
Bane: Pure silver that’s been left in the moonlight
for a full, uninterrupted month.
Dread Powers: Hunter’s Senses (targets), Jump
Scare, Natural Weapons 3 (Claws, Teeth), Tentacles
3
Rites Granted: None yet.
Powers Granted: Hunter’s Senses, Natural
Weapons, Tentacles.
Chapter Three: What Should Not Be
49
"I have always believed that such strange, inaccessible worlds exist at our very elbows,
and now I believe I have found a way to break down the barriers." - H.P. Lovecraft
Third Eye contains a look at the inscrutable, the flow of magic and thrum of psychic
energy. The power held by mortal minds and channeled by those that can't truly
contain it, but make use of it nonetheless.
It features:
•2nd edition rules for many of the psychic powers and thaumaturgical rituals found
in the original Second Sight, including more than 25 revised Supernatural Merits.
•New Merit Templates for playing Psychics and Thaumaturges.
•An updated look at Things That Should Not Be and the foul abilities they grant to
their followers.
•Optional Rules and updated systems for characters wielding low magic of any kind.