Wraith_the_Oblivian

manner. AnempLing lmc.rprctation withom rhe use ofany
divinarory tools incre:ues the difficulty by two.

This an cosu 2 P~thos.

1111 kchesis' Measure

A wraith who has mastered this art can S<:RS<: how the
fote..twines of th.e wraiths around her interne£ and inrerw~:tve,
where they should be goln~:. and where they are going now.
This P"nornmic vista give$ the wraith an objective view ofher
situation, perhaps providinsc new insight into it.

"""I:System: The player this art must roll Perception +

Fatalism (difficulty 6). The number of successes indiC!Itcs the
amount of information the Storyteller will bestow. The Story·
teller can use this art ro impart information th~r the character
has somehow missed or provide guidance concerning her fu·
ture courS<: of action.

Usc of this art cost.< 2 Pathos.

""' luck

A wtaith with this level of Fatalism has begun to team to
manipulate fare itself, but only in a minor fashion. Fate seems
to smile upon the character, and everything she does seems
rnuch more auspicious.

System: At the beginning of each story, the character may
roll Wits + Fatalism (difficulty 6). The number of successes
equals the number of" l's" (potential botches) that the player
may ignore for the duration of the story. This does not, how·
ever, apply to Harrowil\3$ (sec pg. 184-191). This art may
only be used once per srory.

It COSt$ I Willpower point to activate this art.

inhabit

tning my life, I nevercared for peopk. MachiMs successes, the wraith can sense whelher a machine has hccn
were my passion. Gears and circuics and ftucr Inhabited in the near pasr.
microproces.sors: rh.ese tuere my treasures, m)'
faWJirc works ofart. Now I knotv <vitae ir's like •Surge
co fly through the wires, to feel my tires buming
By use of this art the wraith can create a temporary short
down che road, w swnd firm as che wind la•hes in electronic circuits, thus tCn'lpor:arily cutting powerto an dec..
rronic device. The wraidt actually passes h is hand briefly into
my brick sides... the machine, thus disrupting the flow of electrons. This may
This art allows the wraith to inhabit an object, extending
his Corpus to suffuse every atom of rhe object. In time, the pcnnancn[Jy damage certain c1cctronic devices, S\ICh as com.
wraith may become attuned to an object and be able to puters, especially if they are nor equipped wi th surge pro-
animate it. If the wr.lith claims an object that is subse· rectors.
quently desrroyed, it immediately becomes a relic. System: The player must roll Wits+ Inhabit (d if-
ficulty of the local Shroud). The number of successes
A wraith with this Arcaoos may infuse relics with equals the number of things that may be affected at
hisown power and knowledge by Inhabiting them, im·
buing them with Arcanos, and spending Corpus and " ~ide t~e Electron Hig~way .
Willpower to fix d1e powers in place, although this
canmke a lot of time to accomplish. By slipping into wires and possessing elec·
rrons, a wraith may move at ncar~light speed
Sroryreller Notes: All difficulties in rhis across internation~d communico.uions net~
seerion are based upon the local Shroud rat· works and computer satellites. Within rhc
ing unless otherwise noted. Electron Highway, everything appears as tun~

Artificers - inhabit nels, barriers and gateways oflight. orcourse, the

The Artificers' Guild used ro be one of the wraith must overcome these barriers, filters, gate..
richest guilds in Srygia: this is because irs mem- wa~·s and orher lxmnd:arics before he can slip into
bers were paid to forge Stygian weapons, make rei· rhe world's computer systems.
ics, and create Stygian artifacts. Nhudri, the Grand
High Artificer, was rhe firsc memberofthis guild. Since System: ·n,c player rolls Intelligence+ Inhabit (dif-
the time of the guilds, the Artificers' Arcanos has be· ficulry of rhe local Shroud). Once the char.lcter ison the
gun to be restricted in the Shadowlands. It is illegal to Electron 1-lighwa)', he must ro3llnrelligence ·• Computer in
fl..ch Inhabit in many area.~. Now Arrificers are looked upon order to find his way around. T his may be an extended ac-
as tinkers and mechanics, not the grand designers they once tion depend ing on how far the character desires to travel.
were. Additional rolls may be required if rhe ch~racter is trying ro
access information on a hig·h~security computer system. Once
One can identify an Artificer by the reddish heat marks the character is on the Highway, all difficulties arc set by the
on his body (from working with soulf'ire). ,Storyteller.
· The wraith may also conmnunicate wid1 anyone who is
BasicAnilities online, or with other wraiths Inhabiting a cornputcr, by roll..
ing Manipulation+ Compurer. The difficulty is b"secl on how
Sense Gremlin: A "gremlin" is a slang term used to de· "(ar away" the receiving parties are: 4 ifthey are on a local net,
scribe wraiths d1ar inhabit machines. By carefully examining 6 if rhey're on a node across the countTy, or 8 if they're across
an object or machine, a wrAith may determine if it is currcn.tl\' the ocean. Communic..·uion may be m;tinrai ned indefinitely
inhabited by a wraith. and is unaffected by the Shroud, because the user will rhink
the wraith is a mortaiLyping awtly at the other end .
Systenu The player must roll Perception+ Inhabit (diffi·
culty 6). Only one success is needed to determine whether or No[C that wrairhs wi thout d1e Computer Knowledge will
nor wmcthing is Inhabiting a machine, though more may be r.nd thisal't extremely unpleasant rouse- although justabout
necessary ro determine the Inhabiting creature's exact nature tmyonc can find his way through the telephone system. Navi~
(nnd number, if there arc more than one). With three or more

g;~tlng throuRh the telephone synem rc'quircs somple \Virs +
Alertness rolls {difflculry 5).

Thosart costS 2 PathoSto use, plus I l':lthos per additional
wroith transported.

' 11 Gremlinize

This art allows a wraith to posse,;,; machines and make
them do her bidding. In order ro have complete control of the
machine, rhe wmith must first attune herself to it. Ifthe wraith
Is not ottuncd, she may only cause minor dfccL~, :;.uch a~ rum ..
in,:c il Ol\ oro((- she has no real control over it.

Sy...m: The player must roll Dexterity + Inhabit (diffi·
culty of the local Shroud). Minor effe-cts muy be made wirh

just this roll, but m cxen any rme conrrol, the wraith must use
appropriate abilities {such as Drive) to make the machine do

her bidding. Each individual effect rnu:.t lx: rolk-d fr>r sep.•·
rntely, unless the item has been arnmed m the Wn'tith.

It costs J Pathos for the character to Inhabit a piece of
machinery, plus I Pathos per effect e•·oked.

1111 claim

TI1isart allows the wraid1 to Inhabit an object and nwk it a<
hco· own for one scene. While rhe wrnirh Cb ims an object, her
i!Cnsc.• nrc"' nnrmalas they are in the real world but they are
spre\ld O\lt overthe entire object du•t the wmith Chaim.~. l11us, ...
wmith Clniming a house aon "-"'• hear and feel everything that
occur.~ within it, to ir, and around it. While Claiming an object,
the wr:tith may conrrol the object to a slight degree.

System: The player must roll Strength + lnhnbot {diffi·
culty of rhc local Shroud). The number of Mrccesses indicat<s
the m.1xomum size of the object that can be Claimed. Only
one success is needed for a small object like a phone, whrle
flve successes arc ncL"<kd <o Claim a house.

If the object is desrroyed while the wraith is Claiming it,
she may expend Willpower and Corpus to fonn it onro a relic.
One Willpower and one Corpus muse be expended per success
required ro Claim the object in the first place.

This art costs 2 Pathos rouse.

..... Empower

This ort allows a wraith to invest one of hi:s Arcnnos ;uts

into n relic, rhus making rhar Arcanos av~ilable to onother.

Thi• creores a form of disposable artifact. Generally, the relic
used must be of a shape appropriate to the type of Arcanos
with which i< is invcS<ed: one cannO< U$llally invest Ourrnge
on a teddy l>ear, for example.

System: To Empower a relic the player must roll \Vns + In·
habir. l11c difficulry is equal ro rhe local Shroud: because of this
moo \vrairhs choose to go to their Haunts to use this art. l11c
number of successes indicates the highco;t level of A=nos mar

may be invested into the reltc. Next, the wraith must "use" goes to his I (aunt and lnhabirs the object with the intent to

me Arcmos while focusing his will on the relic; a successful roll Empower it. His player rolls Wirs • Inhabit (seven dice for

mus1 be made, using any appropriate Pathos. etc., ald>e)<J&h no Alex) againsr a difficulty of 5 (the local Shroud), and .cores

!astir« effect occur5 because of it. At this point, the An:anos 1$ suCCCS$tS: plency ro Empower it with Flicker. After focus·

tmh.rd within the relic. Next the character h.els the relic wn.•u_),Jill! hiS power of Flicker onto the whistle, Alex im•ests fh•e
1

l'othos. The maximum numbcrofPathoo that may of Pathos (mL-aning that the power can be used fo"c

the initial number ofsucceM<•gained. Thccluuactermust Finally, he decides thar rhe whisrle must be blown in

wha. "acrivmion action" - n~ken phrase, ~ gesrurc, it to be used. He iiwests three mnrc Pathos imo the

rtqulr.d to relea<e the art within the artifact. Finally, therehy scaling it.

"seals" the artifact with three Pmhos points. Alex gives the whistle"' Wendy, who may usc it by

TiutS, a disposoblc artifact Is created. The whistle. Because Alex's Aruos nf 3 is "inside'' the
pend one of Irs Pathos points each time it is used player must roll her Dexteriry + the whistle's

must also pay the appropriate price for each use, spend a Pathos poinLto usc the art, and one

'l"'nding Path os or Willpower or gaining imide the artifacr is usc<lup, thus leaving ir

the l'athos points invcst~-d in Lhe artifact ha•ve]lifell creau.d <:~<nnotbe "rcchal):cd" but can~ ~made
the Empowered object ~comes • nonnal relii:fo,)~
t.hert is no known w:~y 10 make a relic
Example: Alex, who knows Argos adi.JI:>wiJ'o,Pl ~llfifact through rhe use of thiS an.

an oCAicker into a relic ofa silver pollk<,;l~i~tle'jf><j,~

keening

IIaround you «•'<rberou rht songs ofrile dead. System: The roll is Perception + Keening (diffoculty 6).

Yo" hem rllem «hoing in hiRh carhetlral$, in It can be resisted wuh rhe Sotto Voce ability, below.

dml<tntd auditoriums, in yoorr oum Jlttp. All Sarto Voce: This ability allows a wrairh ro conceal the

oro1md )'Ou wail rht songs of rht dead: dare presence of KeeninR in normal speech or normal sh1ging.

)OU not u~renl Lisrcn co tvhal ltas IJetm sung System: The roll is Manipulation + KccninH(difficulty
since rheir dtarh! 6). It can be countered with the Perfect Pitch ability.

The Arcanos o( Keening allows If someone with Perfect Pirch is trying to detect Keening
wroiths to infect others wirh deep and abiding C1nor ions. Al- done by someone wirh Sotto Voce. compare the rwo rolls;
thou~th :.ongs arc jusr songs, Keening lets the feelings in its
practirioners' songs seep through the Shroud ~nd ~ffcct even whoeverscores more successes wins.

the living. 1l1ey also huve no sm~ll e(t'ect among the dead. •Di~e

Note tim< i< is not obsolutely necessary <o smg or Th,. allows a wraith to amplify or provoke "dark"
play mus1c to utili"' this Arca110S: altlmu~:h the Arcanos feelings in listeners: lust' fenr, anser, hate, despair, frus-
is t:Jughr through son~:. it may be tronsmitted by Oil)'
number of methods. I( a wraith wishes, she may ~t· tration or cynicism. Many wraiths us~ Dirge :;~s n

tempi rn \'-'C3ve her Keenin~ lmo $pokcn words or means to repel mortals from their Haunts.

dance movements, ahhou~:h rhc difflculries ofall f..~~~~~>! System: The roll is Charisma + Keening

Keening rolls arc mcrcased by one. (diffoculty 8). The number of successes deter·

Sroryrcller Notes: 1l1efeelinl!'l evoked in mines the depth and dur•tion of rhe feeling:
victims of Keeninu nrc mtificially created. five successes arc sufficient to cause a feel-

Wmirhs can gain P:u hoo from these feelinJ:S, ing that lases for :'In entire week.

but the di(ficulry for the Possion roll is 9. C.us· Nott that wraithsare rxx asaffected by this

mg one mona! to(eel an c.rxxion that then causes an8! mortals arc: thiS IS because Dirgedra"~ upon

orher moctals to fc·d the sameway can ollow ~ wraith knowledge of dc11th and the feelings of dead1. For

to gah1 further Patho.•. wmiths, the numberofsuccesseson the roll indicates

Allow music to offect the way you run your how many rums they will feel a spcciAc emotion.

game. You may wish to allow players with Keening This an costs I Patllos.

access to a CD player so that the1•can play music ap· .. Ballao
propri:orc ro the kind of emotions they are broadcasting.

Chanteurs - keening This :trt allows a wrai rh to inspire "lighter" emotions:
love. affection, fairh, rnJ$C. inspiration. em.hWtiasm, cheer
The Chanteurs have long provrded music (or the dead. or IO)•alt)•. Many wr.~ith! use this act to help proreet rhtir Fet·
ters and influtnce other wraiths into doing their bidding.
un.They were amon~ lhc Cirsr wraiths to bring music into I he
System: The roll is Manipulation + Keening (difficult)'
dNworld, and they nrc a very proud and arroganr lot. Even 8). The number of successes determines the depth and dura·
when rhcy were disbanded they rcwincd considtrnble politi· tion of the fetling: f\ve successes are sufficient to cause a feel-
cal clout in Stygia - this is becau~ the Stygian nobles would ing that lasts for an cmire week.
do anything for cmcrtainmem, and for a time Chanteurs were
comidered robe the only acceptable entertainment. With wraiths, who are not as easy <o sway as mormls. the
successes equal the number o{ turn~ rhat the wraith feels the
All Chantetlr11 play a musical instrument. Eve n if a emotion. Many wrairhs seek out Chanteurs in order ro feel
Chnnteur performs n coJ>Pello, she still employs a noisemoker earthly cmmions again.
of some kind: a tambourine, finger cymb_,f., or drumsticks.
This art costs 2 Pathos.
Basic Abilities
... Muse
l'erfccr Pitch: Perfect Pitch is the ahiliry tosense when some-
This art allows a wmith to iruplre someone into believing
oneelse is using Keening m influence or manipulaLiun cmocions. an k:lea is he.rown. Many former musicians enjoy v1smng liv-

lng musicians and influencing their music styles, although this
art Is often put to more direct use as a means of manipulating
other wraichs.

System: Roll Manipulacion + Keening (difficulty 1 or the
subject's Willpower, whichever is higher). The number ofsue·
ccsscson the roll indicates how well the subject Interprets the
suggeston: three or fewer succe~<Ses Indicate that she gets the

iist of it, but puts her own influence Into it; four successes
inclicare that she will follow the inspiracion as lon11 as it is not

directly harmful; five or more wccesses indicate that the sub·
j~t will do wh>~tever the Chnnteur wishes.

Note that this art works just as well on wraiths as It does
oo mortals.

This an coors 3 Pathos.

1111 Crescen~o

n.c wraith brings to bear a massive musical assault that

can actually cause harm at close ranee. It may also be used to
call out to other wraiths in the Shadowlands; the sound can be
heard over a great distance.

System: Roll Stamina + Keening (difficulty 8). The num·
ber ol successes on the roll equals the amount ol Corpus damace
!heCrescendo inflictS on every wraith in normal hearing range.
This damage may, of course, still be tooked, and It is not aggra-
vated.

If used while Embodied, this ore causes listcncn~ (Including
vampirt$, werewolves, ghouls, etc.) to be gripped with a terrible
lw !hatactually causes their hems to polpitate for aoplitsecond.
l11is inllicmone Health Levelofdamage per two successes on the
roll. Victims may still attempt to soak this damage.

rThis art com 2 Pathos plus I Pathos per success.

IIIII ~equiem

This art allows the wraith to Infuse her target with f)\tre
~motion. The tar~:et's mind and soul are assaulted with the
a1ence of a particular feeling -Iicht or dark.

System: Roll Strength+ Keening (difficulty 7). Thi$ art
can be resisted with a Willpower roll, but only if the subject is
prepared for it. For each success scored by the attacking wraith,
the subject is paralyzed for one turn by the emotion: unable to
move, act, opeak or even defend himself. If the emotion is a
dark one, this an can inflict lastinc menral damaae: if five or
more successes are obr2ined, subtract points from one of the
chamctcr's Ment.11 Attributes or otherwise simulate insanity.
Even if the emotiol\ is ~ pleasant one, it can have a profound
eff~t on the subject; he may become an "emotion junkie,"
willing to do anything to feel the "ecstasy• again.

Thisan costS 3 Pathos plus I Pathos per success. If the emo-
tioo is adark one, the Shadow receives I Angst per success.

lifeweb

ou knew in life tha< C<'trytt.ing was intercrm- area. The player mayalso roll Intelligence+ Lifeweb to gel a gen-

nc"~d. Me, you, her... wt are all parr of rhe ernl sense of'how fittawaya Ferrer ismd in what direction it lies.

same sysrem. 1he .same ·web. \'V'c mu.sl undt..,-.. ·Sense Strano

stand what holds t<S to tllis life •o r/wr we ctm
search for lite means w free nur.5elvcs to Trnn..

sccnd. Oy closely examining the energy surrounding another

Lifeweb enables a wrnith w rccognitc, wraith, the wraith can detect the rclntion.ship between a wraith
explore and understood the links she has ro life and the living
and his Fetters. Tilis arc may nlso be used 10 sense whether
world. Lifcwcb also enahles the wraith to sense and even af- sonwthing is the Fetterofanother wra ith and , ifso. to identify
fc'Cr her Fetters from a distance.
the wrairh using the Fetter.

Storyteller Notes: A wrnith using Lifeweh c.1n feel Syscem: When his characrcr i; examining another

the energy of her Fetters. Sometimes this is even pos- wraith, the player musr roll Perception + Lifeweb (diffi-
sible if rhe Feuer is far 3\\'ay if the wraith can draw culry 8). Ea<h success allows the player to discover one

upon her "sixth sense." By keeping her sixrh sense due about a Feuer possessed by that wrahh. This in·
volves confwnring rhe subject. On a roll o( Percep-
dedicated to a specific Ferrer, the wraith may "keep rion + Sub<erfuge, the target will realize she is be·
wnrch" on that Feuer specifically. She may sim·

ply c hoose to wait (or any infonnation m come ing scrutinized and is nllowcd a Willpower roll ro
in throu~h the Lifewcb and send her •cnses resist this invasion of he r privacy.

there tn f<)lluw up on it Immediately. She Iftht chn.mctcr is cxomining an itemto cJe..
may :~lso usc this affinity to touch pcot>lc, ccm1inc whether ornut something isa Feuer,

places nnd things HS tcmpnr.uy Fcucrs in d1eSwryrcllcrsht•olclroll Perception + Lifeweb

order w watch over l hem. for him (standard dtmculry, assuming the item

is a Fetter). To anemptto tr<tec a Ferrer in either

location, the player must roll Intelligence +

TI1e Monorors are centnll to sool-gatheriol(. Lifeweb. The numb<r ofsuccesses indicates d>e de·
E"•n rhough their guild was disbanded, many Mnni· ~ofaccuracy with rejCllrd w both disrance and di·
tors were inducted right into the ranks of th•Legions roction. A Feuer may be examin<d once per wraith per
and made a pan of rhe Hierarchy. day.

MonitOr$ art fiercely protective of their profession " Web presence
and, although they will teach other$ the b<lsiu of their
Arc:mos, w1ll not reveal tht higher arts without being ccr~ The wrairh may now nfrect the oren surrounding one of
r:~in of cheir students' trustworthine-ss. This ;, because they her Fetters without actually being there. If successful, ~e may
consider themsdves guardians of the dead, making sure that use nn Arcanos, make any kind of roll lnvolviog Mental orSocial

llO more souls seep into Oblivion. Attributes, or openlycommunicate with any wraith there.

O ne can identify n Monkor bythe fact rhar he never closes Syscem: The player muse roll Clutrisma + Lifeweb (diffi·

his eyes, llOt even when Slumbering. culty 8). This art costs I Parhos per turn of use.

Basic A~ilities •.. Splice Strano

Locate Feuer: TI>is abiliry allows the wraith to "check Through use of U>is an, the wmirh may make some pe.rson,
up" on her Ferrers. By drawing upon her affinity tO <hat object, plac:corthing inroa temporary Fetter.Thisobjoct must be touched
she may Kan the f-etter's surroundint,os and """''hi)• even senso on some fashion (through Embody, Outrngcor lnhabir), at whi<h
its distance and dir<'Ction. point the wrnim develops an emoclonal affinity to that objocr.
TI>is affinity can be mainrain<d on a day·to.day basis, but only
System: The pl1yor must roll PercCJl(ion + Lifcwcb (doffi- one Fetter can be maintained using this Arc:anos.
culry 6). ~ number of successes indicart'S rhe number of Per·
ception + Alertness dice thatcan be used to Knn the surrounding System: The player mu•r roll Mnnipulation + Lifeweb
(difficulty 7). The new F•ttor has o mcing of I.

•

Tite affinity initially COS!$ l Pathos and cominues to dmin
l Pathos per day that it is maintained.

"" Sever Strand

This feared power allows the wraith to separate another
•Taith hom his Feners. In order to use this art, the wraith
must be in the presence of the Fetter to be severed. Through
the sheer force of his will, he may separate the vicrim from his
Fetter.

System: Once a Ferrer has heen identified and the char·
:teter is in its presence, the player must roll Srrength + Lifeweb
(diCflculty equal to the Feuer owner's Willpower). This initial
n>ll may be resisted by Wlllpower.

A wraith who has had a Fetter severed by this Arcanos
may attempt to reestablish it through rwo means. The firs<
option is simply fo<the wraith to expend one j)Cnll<lll<!nt Will·
power point while she is in contact with the Feuer. The sec·
ond Is fur either herself nr Hnothcr wraith to use Splice Strand
to recom1ect the link. This does not apply to threads severed
by Harrrowings. By spending a Willpower point the wraith can
make the effect of Splice Strand pettnanent, but only if the
cbjeet was formerly one of the wraith's Fetters.

This art coots 2 Pathos and I Willpower to use.

""' Soul pact

By u•ing this arr, a wmith can claim a morrnl soul for his
own, butonly if the morral is willing. This art is usually evoked
u part of a contract whereby a morral promises his soul in
exchange for the wraith's help. Thereafter, while the mortal
llvu, he becomes a Fetter of the wmith.

System: The player mun roll Charisma + Lifeweb (diffi-
culty cquol to the subject'$ Willpower).

Thi6 art costs 9 Pathos to use. The target will tJ,cn be a
one-point Fetter.

Moliate

u1t 1hink 1ha1 1hc w1derwker did a good job! System: The player must roll Perception I Moliate (difri·
Honey, I can rrwk JOlt look more b.auuful culty equal to the originnl shapcr's Dexterity + Moliate). The
1han you'w. tw.r been. Or mort disg.ming. number of successes indicares how much information ::lbout
Need a couple of anns for rhat boo job! No rhe Moliated wraith is gleaned, possibly O\'CO givi11g the
problem . How abou1 some hideous scar&/ Shapesenscr an idea of the wraith~ original form.
Easy. \'(/hat about on extra nost or two/ Hey.
what are friends for! Really, hon, you need 10 Glow: This ability allows the wraith tO cause h1mself or
jusc rcla.~ and le~ me cake care of you. other$co glow with an inner ligh t.111c <:nlnr :md Intensity nrc
The art o( Molince, also called Soulshaping, is the (>0\'~ro( up to the wraith.
rno\'ing, shapin11 and reforming the stuff of wraiths, called
plasm. System: The player must roll Charisma + Moliate (diffi-
culty 7). The numberofsuccesses indicate• howmany scenes
Pl;osm is malleable. Shapers know how lO make it
be:mtiful, how to make it glow with an inner light, the glow lam.
and how to make It look human ag,.in. By burning
Pathu:i :md employing the am of Moliate, a wroith This art costs I Pathos.
causes the Corp... under his fingertips to Row freely
for a brief>cconrl, just long enough for the wraith Return of Death's Visage: This ability allows chc
to grub It and shape it co her heart's desire. wrnith to return to her uriginal smtc, os she l·~•ked

Storyteller Notes: This art can be ust.-d after her death.
ro inflict a~rawned damngc on a wrairh's System: The player rolls Manipulacion +
Corpus.
Moliate. The di((iculty i• based upon how much
~1asquers - ~1oliate the wraith has changtd (or been changed) since
her death (d rastic change I0, moderate
One of the most imporumr guilds In Stygia. change 8, minor change 6). Each sucec~< in·
the Ma.squers were spies, arti.s..,ns and secret ass.'\S• dicates Itowaccurately the wrnith assumes her
sins. Becnusc nmny wraiths cnjO}' t'3king on power.. original shape.
ful-louking forms, the Mnsqucrs' Guild used to re· It costs I Pathos to use this an.
scmhlc :-. house o( f:uhion, offering wraiths a wide v:tri..
ecy of body sl>;•pcs and \'iS.'l.ges. Furthermore, because o( •imitate
1heir ulliliry to chtlnge their shapel Mnsqucrs were nfrcn
cmplnyl'<l os spies or assassins, cspecinllybecause they didn't A wr~ith with this art may ch~mgc her visngc to
need to carry a "'"''J'On with them. mimic another's. This is easieSt to do when the wmith

MnMJucrs care more about .:he : m of t heir work th~n the is looking at the face to be Imitated, though it may be
practic:dlt)' of it: they will do hcttcr work, even in Martlnlry, If done from memory. This art docs not allow the wrait h m
they can add their own unique nourish<"'· just about every Cua- change her overall Cor1>us, jusr her face.
del ha:-, n fonner Mnsquer working for ir.
System: T he player must roll ~xterity + Moliatt . The
One c;m idcmify a Ma:<qucr by her extremely malleable
form and by the fi•cr rhnc she seems to he a li ttle too !X'rf<-ct. difllculty is variable: 5 if she ca11 sec the face, 8 if going by
Occasionally, rwo Masquer. who work well together willadopr memory. If rhe wraith has n skinmask (see Rend, below), the
Lhc exact same- visn,gc.
difficulty is only 4. The number of successes indicates the dif·
Basic Abilities flculry of pcnetrnring the disguise.

Shnpcscnsc: T h is abi lity a llows the wrailh ro detect This art cosrs I l'nthos to usc.
whcrhcr or not nnmhcr wr..•trh has been Moli;Hed, :md ifso, in
what mnnncr. II Sculpt

Using this art, the wmith nmy temporarily ~row unmher
limb, sprout new sensory organ.s, place markinJPi or p.1uerns
on himself, or cause partS ofhis body to glow or change color.
As lonu '"there Is not a dangerous effect associated with the
d mngc, it remains in the province of Sculpting. Of c.ourse.
one may argue that having multiple anns allows 1110<c attacks;
this is pntenrlyuntrue. The wraith has the same physical C.1P"·
biliclcs regardless of the number of nppendoucs, and unless a

w111ith understands Martialry (listed below), he cannot ac.th•dy
use new appendages.

System: The character may choose to Sculpt either him·
self« another wraith.The player rolls Manipulation+ Moliate
(difficulry 7). The Storyteller must decide how many successes
are r<quired. The effects of Sculpting are permanent (until
negated with nfurther use ofSculpring). This art cannot cause
damage; it just changes the shape of the Corpus already there.

This art cosu I Pnthos to use. The subject of the Sculpt·
ing loses a Corpus Level.

Sculpt may also be used to heal aggravated damage: a
wraith may use Sculpt to replace the lost Corpus "slots" that
were damaged through aggrava<ed wounds, allowing the re•
dpicnt to rcf'ill those "slots." One su«ess per ~vared wound
must be obroined, and usc of the art in this fashion costs 1
Pathos plus I Pathos per su«ess.

"' Nartialry

This art allows the wraith to create weaponry and armor
from his Corpus. The weapon rokes the place of nne of the
wraith's arms or legs and I$ automatically shaped to be us.1ble
by one who knows how.

When a weapon is formed by use of this art, rhc cho.1cn
limbforms into the shape of the desired weapon, hardening as
It does so. Creation of armor causes the wraith's Corpus to
~1ickcn and hnrden, assuming a mirrorlike sheen.

System: In order to create weaponry, the player must roll
Intelligence + Moliate (difficulry of his Stamina + 3). Each
success allows the weapon to infliet an additional die ofdam·
age: it doesn't particularly matter what form the weapon takes,
althou~ many wnoulu adopt swords for ease of use.

To create armor, the player must roll Stamina + Moliate
(difficulty of his Strength + 3). Each sue<:ess adds one die to
the character's soak roll, but each success after the flrst adds to
thedifficulty ofany roll involving Dextcriry (the armor is stiff).

Note that the wraith may only create weapon.< from his
own Corpus, not that of others, and that the Melee Skill Is
needed to wield a formed weapon properly.

This an costs 3 Pathos to use, plus I Pathos per success
gained.

'"' ~end

Thi.sterrible orr allows Shapers to inflict tremendous dam·
age on the Corpuses of other wraiths. Usc of this power causes
anochcrwraith to be literally tom apan. Some wraiths use this
art to remove another wnoith's face - a humiliating thing in
wraith $0Ciety. Once removed, rhis face is called a skinmask
and can be helpful when using Imitate (see above).

SY$tem: Before thl$ art can be used, the character mu<t
conrott his intended target. Generally he must make a normal
attack roll, though the art can be brought into play if another

comes into conract with him. The player rolls Strength + another bcong or anything else she desires, from a chair to a

Moliatc (difficulty ofhis opponenr's Stamina +3). Damage dice rcfriceraror. Although Corpus can be very malleable, there arc

cqunl the character'• number ofsucceSSC$ plus one per point of limits; the relative volume ofthe desired form should be roughly

Pathos spem. If five or more succ= are gained, the wr.nt••6 to the wraith's normal form.

may remove a portion of his opponent (face, hand, foot, System• The player must roll Wits + Moliate. Tile di(fi.

even just gouge out a large portion of Corpus). Damage depends on what the wraith seeks tO emulate. Trying to

flicted by Rend is aggravated. another pe~n is difficult (difficulty 9), while trying

This art costs I Pnthos ro nctivate. Additionally, as a greasy spot on the floor is very easy (difficulty
acter gains I Anjlst per use of this art. ~F~:~~~:.:~~ changes'"" only be held for a limited amount

01 the wraith is fo.ced back to her original form

ftooic'~<!t)¢ per success).

coors 1 Pathos to make rhe initial change, phu I

'.):,J'iotll•""'i~·'iiilm spent in the form.

Outrage

011 think it's easy, p!IShin' that, ~{rin' rhiJ/ h's ·ping
nor. Oh, no- bur now, this is fun . \'Vatch
me nllll«! ir go BOOM! At chis level the wraith is just beginning tO learn to rna·
nipulate objects in the living world. This orr can be use-d to
Many wraiths may still affect the liv· movo mmcthing very small (such ns n bottlecap) just a little
ing world.One ofthese ways is the Arc.1nos bit. 1t can be just a slight bmsh, a push, n lift or some odler
movement.
of O uu'Qge. O utrnge is the manifestation
of a wr~irh's will as kinetic force. System: l11c player must roll Strength + Outrage (difft·
cuhy of the local Shroud).
Storyteller Notes• All Outrage arts are violent or physl·
This art costs I Pathos to use.
cal in one '"'•Y or another. 11ley should be roleplayed with
" Wrait~grasp
much gro.\ning and gn•nring, as ir r:akes this kind of nonvcr·
bal communication to focus one's energies properly.

All difllculties arc based on the loca.l Shroud.

Spooh - Outrage This an allows the character to affect the living
world in a more direct fashion. Though this power
The Spooks have always been troublemakers
and poltergel$u, responsible for causing trouble may only be wed to lift thinR5, quite a bit may be
wherever they go. Of all the guilds, this was a lifted through use of this art.
guild in name only. They were a group of row·
dies and miiiGreanrs. System: The player must roll Strength +
Ourrage (difllculty of the local Shroud). This
Former Spooks are often found in the
darkest pam of the city, causing foghts and art allows the ch:uacter tO lift something
!tttlng fires. They enjoy scaring people with with a Feat of Strength (see pg. XX). Note
their Arcnnos. that objects may only be lifted; they may
not be moved in any orher way.
Spooks like to carry things that can pound
on other things, like hammers or rocks. In medi· This art costs 2 Pathos to use.
eva! rimes, the Spooks' Guild was paid by the Artifi-
cers to aid in the creation of relics. "' Stone~an~ punch

One c:m ic.lcntify the average Spook by his brood This an allows the wraith ro affect d1e living
sh<x•lders, his mliMivc chest and the surly expression on wocld in a violent. physical manner. The wroith may ,
his visaRe. scrike a rnrget of his choice.
System: The player must roll Strength + Outrage.
Baslc A~llltles The difficulty is the local Shroud. Each success inflicu one
Health Level (or Corpus Level if the tar~et is another wroith)
L!ap of Rnge• As nside effect of learning to focus his will on the target.
into the real world, the wraith discovers that he can control This art costs Z Pathos per use.
his own movement~, bmh in and out of d1c Shadowlands. Dy
use of thisart, the wraith can make i.ncredible leaps and jumps. '"' Deat~'s Jouc~

System: The player rolls Dexterity + Outroge (difllculty l11is art allows the wraith to manipulate objects in th e
of the loc.1l Shroud). If this art is use-d in the Tempest or the real world. The wraith may type, tie shoes, etc., by using this
Shndowlands. thedifllculcy is6. The numberofStiCCe&'f"!g1lincd art. Alternatively, the wraith ma1• creare fnction, thorcby st.art·
can be ac.ldcc.l to any successes scored when making a jump or ing llrcs in the living world.
le.p.
Synem: The player must roll Dexterity + Outrage (difll·
culty of the local Shroud). The number of successes indicates

th~ delicacy and control of the wr.urh's tou<h, as well as how
long the power lam- up rn one minute per ><rccess gained.

To start a fire, the wroith rolls Strength + Outrage (di(fi.
culty 8). The number of successd mdicate$ the heat and ex·
tent of rhe fire.

This art cosl.i 3 Parhos ro usc.

..... o~li~ate

This truly hid<-ous art a llows o wrdith ro destroy some-
thing or som<"<>ne, banishing it to Obhvion. If used to dcsrroy

,.,L,an objccr in the living world, rhnt object vanishes Into

Oblivion, unless it inhabited by o wr•ith. In that case, it
bKomc a relic. If rhis art is used on objects in the Shadowlands
(including relia), they arc immedrately banished ro Oblivion.

\Vhen this nrt is used on anothc1· wrHith, ir inflictS R~rn~

vated damage. A wraith who is rcduc<od to tero Corpus through

this means 15 immediately forced lnlO Oblivion. Living crta..
turcs merely suffer Health l.evels, although if:r mortal is killed
through this power, his soul de>cends immediately into
Oblivion.

System: The player rolls StrCnAth + Oucrage (difficulty
of the local Shroud, unless t.he chur:rcrcr is attempting "'af·
fect unmher wrnith, in which case th~ difficulty is the t:uget's
Stamina +3). Each success innlets one level ofaggrn1•ared dam·
age: this damugc cannot be soaked.

This an com 3 Pathos to use. In addition, the wrnirh gains
I Anest each time this an is used.

pandemonium

iglus! C'.nmera! POLTERGEIST!!! I Weirdness
Pnndemonium, also c~ li ed the
The wraith can cause something strange to happen to one
1 Wylding, is n power of pure chn06. (c cnnnot individual: he suddenly feels a hot fla.<h, or his hair rises, or he
be commllecl, bur it is very effective in tAm· l!u((crs fl momentary hallucination. O nly one indlvidtml at u
pcring with the living world. Those wnriths
who usc it develop an unsavory repumcion: t ime may he affec ted by this a r£.
dabbling in rhe Wylding is nor conducive m
System: The player rolls C harisma + Pandemonium (dif·
I'Mimninin~ one's sru\ity. nculty of the local Shroud).

Storyteller Notes: Ahl10ugh the Fog clooks most of the This art costs I Pathos.
<ffKl$ ol this Arc.1nos, it ofren causes considerable problems
with local mortnls. People tend to freak outwhen clocksstan " Befuddlement
n11nrng hook""rd,t:II<JOtly lightsdance and whirl, and am·
phibians min down in gdrd roncnc;. Through use of this art the wmlth can cause her
subject to become confused. Tite subject will become
llo"-e'-er, the effects o{ most of these ans vanish
inrn nnrhint.'flC>S quite quickly, leaving no lasting ef. momentarily disorientod and unaware of who he is
f«:r<, and people don't tend to believe wild·t;cdder· or what he is doing.
diets who clnim they saw ghosts. Although pho· System:The arr m:ry be,~'() on nmoon! or an·
1ographyand vidc..'O cquipancnt record effects char other wraith. The pbycr roll< lnrelhb""cc + Ptmde·
dircct1)1 :1ffcct rhc living world, most arc quick monium (difficultY ofthe rorget's Willpower). The
todisbdicve whnt rhey sec. After all, video ef· effects last for <HlC tum per succcss gained. The
subject ofthis an musr make an lmellit,"r>ec roll
foccs ~lfc c:L~Y to f11kc... (difficultY 8) each rum to think cle:ulyor:tccdcci·
sively.
'Tltc difficuhy for :my Pandemonium effects is This art costs I Pathos rouse.
the local Shrood. uniCM smted otherwise. The Fog
pte\'Ctllt p<.'Ople frorn remembering the exa« details Ill Dark Ether
(/ wh.'! happened:sec the F"': Chart on pg. XX.
Througl:t use o{this an, the wraith may affect. c:urrendy
~aunte~ - pandemonium ex~ "-eather-related or liglt(·~l'ICed environmenml eon·
dirions in a small area. She em make the 11rta bittedy cold or
Cl.,..ly •IIred wrth the Spooks' Guild, the Haunt· blisteringly hot, JX'infully brigltt, or impener:r.lhty Wrk. She em
trS wtre somtwh.;)~ mi$.1nrhropic: rhey vicwt.-d themselves c r\L'!C blue-white arcs o{ elcctri<:itY to dance <lboot the room, or
IISCxtcrminators whowoold rid buildingsof"hum~n pe.ts." floating globesoflighr ro shimmer into being. She am make the air
dl)' and bitingorasheavyas a wet wool hhnkcr; she em also produce
Nnw J-l:umrcrs ;trc curu.ic.lcn.:d quite insane. bxause their mists m.U fogs.
ans require them to evoke ::md witness mind~ arn.l n..~tlity-~llter· Sysrem: The player must scme what effect she is attempting
ing cffccl.'l. Mnny of them develop quirks reflecting their shaky nnd roll Intelligence + Pandemonium (difnculty of the local
saniTy: rhc habit of giggling too much, the tendency to usc d'e Shroud). ll>e number of successes indic.1tes the degree of vari·
royal"we/• Cl"c.They arc b'C-ner::~lly high·srnmgm1tl easilyirritmcd. ance and rhe dumtion o( the effect. Five successes on the roll
create sufficient rurbulence to inflicr one level ofdamage (Health
One cnn identify n llnunter by her odd manncri.<m< and or Corvu>) upon beings in the vicinity. Genemlly, howe\'cr, this
1hc fac1 char she often wc~u·s voluminous black cloaks.
art is me:t.nr ro renify, not injure.
Basic Anilities This nrt costs I Pathos to evoke and I Pathos per tum o(

Sense CMo.: The ""tith i> highly attuned to the forceso{ch.-.os mairucnance.
:rd!heShocb.••. llyconccnnannc, rhewr.tith is ableto tell ifa pwticu·
lar a'Mt hilS l~n cnusnJ by ~ium. or i{somethinc h.~ been "" foul Humour
t!Uho<l hy rite Slnlomllli:iart isC\'Cll useful inde!Cilllininc ifa mor·
ttl hasJx,_..,., mmpen~ with ml!Ot11C m:UllllT by a \\T"Jith or Spectre. With this art, a wroith may cause foul vermin :rnd sub·
sr:mccs rn manifest in a small area. l lc can evoke ;'I pl~g\le of
System: The player must roll Perception + Pandemonium
(difficulty 7).

locusts, a rain of frogs, a nest of black snakes, a jXICk of rats or across a lxlllroorn seem loke one step. The wraith, however,
a web full of spider$. Alternatively, he c:.•n evoke blood (dried cannot reverse lime.
or wet), gore, acid, slime, flesh or other noxious substances.
The wroith accomplishes these feats by using Pathos to chall· System: The player must state what effect she is attempting
nel his very Corpus through the Shrood. and roll Intelligence + Pandemonium (difficulty of the local
Shroud). The number ofsuccesses indicates theamountof tempo.
System: The player must Stllte what effect he is attempt· ml or spatial change permissible in the wraith~ immediate vicinity.
ing and roll Intelligence+ Pandemonium(dimculty of the lo-
cal Shroud). The number o( suc<:esscs indicates the extent of Each success alter.~ the now of time by one mm. This can
the manifestation {and how much the Storyteller will elabo· be attempted once per scene. For instance, if• wroith was slow·
rate on the description). At the end of the effect, the mallifes- ing down rime fora victim and scored four successes, an acrion
ration usually vanishes, although traces of it may remain, cs· normnlly requiring one tum would lost for four cums. If she
pecially if the roll scored five or more success'"'. Note that was speeding up rime, anyching requiring four turns could be
anything damaging creared with this power inflicts one die of done in one nom. (Note: d1is will not add to the number of
damage for every rwo successes on the creation roll. actions the target gets fmon Celerity, Rage or Effects of the
11me Sphere. It can, however, prevent them...) Thi.5 art also
Tiu• art costs 4 Pathos plus I Corpus per success. works in the Shadowlands {difficulty 7).

..... Tempus fugit This nrc com 4 Patho.<.

Tiuough this art, a wraith may change the spee-d at which By rolling Dexterity + Pandemonium (difficulty 7), a
rime passes, or nUt)' distort che distance of an area. Thus, she wraith may focus the time/space distOrtion on herself alone
can nccclcnuc rime or make lc pass very slowly; she can. ntuke and thus gain on extra acrion per turn for each success on the
the dismnce across o foyer seem like a mile or rhe distance roll . This applicmion of the arc costs 2 Pathos to use, and the
effects last for one seeM.

•

phantasm

ome 1virh me on wings of dream . 1can take Basic Abilities
)'Ou anywhere 'JOH wane ro go - UIOuld )'Ou
like w have dinner witlo Marlene Dien·ich! Sip Sleepsense: The wraith may observe the dreams oi a mnr·
cappucino on the canal$ of Mars/ Walk with ral. She nmy usc this abili[y co determine where n morml is in
me ll1roo(!(h the Elysian Fields! I promise ro his sleep cycle: REM sleep (dreaming), deep sleep (not dream·
have you lxtck l>efore you wake. ing) or transition. This Mt may also be usecl to experience the
subject's drcMn.
Phantasm is the knowledge nfmurt'..tls'
drcmningsouls. While asleep, mortals' souls rest lightly in their System: The player musr roll Perception + Phantasm (dif·
bodies. It is rchuivcly ettsy, for those who know what the~' Ciculty 6). Each success allows the wraith to view the mortal's
are doing, to slide a soul out of a morwl shell "nd bring it
clrcmn for one turn.

alongon journeys through the Shadowlands. The sleeper •Elysia
doesn't remcrnbcr rhc journey completely- at best, he

renlcmbers n vague nightml.lrc or a good dream. By gently raking the soul ofa sleeping person into
her hands, a Wf'ttith c~m pull it ouc. This causes no
Storyteller Notes: Phantasm offers the Story-
teller the opportuniry ro involve nonnal people di· lasting dnmage £0 the soul. Once freed, lhc wraith
rcctly in the story. While the cvems of a Phan· may carry the dreaming soul along with her.
tnsm-controllcd dream arc not real to the dr~nm·
System: The player must roll Dexterity +
ing soul, {hey do have an imp~u.:t on life and Phant~sm . The difficulty depends on rhe
ptrceprions.Somerirnes these drc:-~m..jottrncys subject's current sleep cycle (sec Sfcef>SJ!ttSe,
:rhove): REM sleep (6), Lransitional sleep {7)
cause operson to reconsider his life and per· or deep sleep (8). Each success itllows the ,
morral to sta)' one scene in the dreantscape.
haps change ir.
Thedre~mer tr~nsl~tes rhe landscape and If the subject is watching television or un..
cler a similar h)•pnotic state, he may be affected
denizens of the Shadowlands into comprehen· by Elysia; the difficulty is 10, however, and at least
sible symbols. Of course, the wraith c~n change three successes are required. This m1mber isdeducted
clcmcnrs of rhc dreamer's dream through use of from rhe numbero( successes for duration.
the Lucidity art.
Th is art costs I P~thos.
For all intentS and purpoc;cs, a dreaming person is a
wr.oirh wirh a very solid Corpus that can only be damaged
byspecial artifacts or things that inflict "L:b"''vated wounds

on wroiths. Ifattacked, adreaming soul rctums imntediarely " lucidity
roher bod\'• slipping 1.hrough the Tcmpcsr, and "wakes up''(in

most c3SCS, though there are rare occasions when the drcarncr This art allows a wraith to change aspccls of a mortal's

does not make it back). Causing perm~nent d~magc ordeath to a dream, For example, a dreamer dreams of being in a thunder·

drcllmcr through usc of this Arcanos isonly possible ac the high.. storm, adrifr on a boat in the nliddlc of the ocean. A wraith

C$1 levels of the art. could use this art to change the rhunclersronn to a<:Him day, or

~andmen - rhantasm the boat to a raft, or rhe ocean to adestrt. Ifa wraith using rhis
art ch::mges enough ~1spec~ o{a drcarn, she can effectively rak~

Sandmen arc the actors and playwrighrs of the Under- it overand guide its path, going so far as ro change a pleasant
world. Their II'Oupes roam the Underworld, tr~vcll ing from dream to a nightmare or tlice versa.
Necropolis to Nccrorx>lis witlt their plays and encenain1nents.
TI1e f.'lCt that theirguild w"s disl"nded me:mt nothing to them: System: 111e Sroryreller must first decide how dmstic the
they do what they do not bc'Ca11se ofsome guild, b11t because it change is and assign an appropriare difficulty, 111c player must
roll Manipuh>tion + Phantasm. For each success, the change is
is what rhcy love. more vivid and permanent. lf the roll botches, the dreamer is
dmwn into the wraith's Shadow :md experiences irs tendermer~
One c:m idc-nti(·y ::l Sandman by his rcndcnq• ro dress in~ cics vi~• an cxtrctnely incense, sanir:y..threa.tcning nighm1arc.

conJ;truously, with cloches woven from wisps of previously in~ This (Ut costs 2 Pmhos.
habirt-d dreams.

... Dreams of Sleep

llois an allows rhe wraith to cause orher wmidu to fall
..Jeep nnd dream in the manner of the living.

System: The player nee-d make a roll only of rhe wraith is
unwilling. In rhb <=<•se, the player rolls Charisma+ Phamnsm
(difficulty of the wmith's Willpower). ll1c LargcL may also re-
siS! using a Slrni~ht opposed Intelligence +Subterfuge roll.

This nrt costs I Pathos.

.... Agon

This is n direct means of ripping <1 mortal's soul from his
sleeping body. This method is ex<rcmcly painful and often de·
structive to the rnonal

Syorcm: The player rolls Strength+ Phantasm (difficulty
8). The number of successes on the roll indicat<-s the number
of HC<llth Levels the dreamer loses upon aw:.kening. It also
indocatcs rhe number of 5eenes during which the wraith may
hold the dreamer's soul. The dreamer may rcsi>t by usiog Wirs
+ Subterfuge (difficulty 8). Agon sometimes becomes an epic
comesc bcrwoen the living and the dead. If the wraith botches,
the dreamer's soul has somehow been harmed: he may become
neurotic. or:.u(fcr a recurring nightmare.

ll1is :orr com 3 Pathos, and the wroith's Shadow ~tnins I
Ansst per usc. Botching will bestow two points of Angst.

IIIII p~antasmagoria

The wroith may weave her Pathos (and Corpus) into lllu·
sions. These illusions are not solid to other wmiths (nlrhough
they can still be dangeroo••l unlus the wraith has invested
O>rpus inro them. A wraith can weave illusions in the living
world if the wraith first Embodies there. The ollusoons can af·
feet all five senses, alrhough rhey last for only a short amount

of time.

System: The roll to create an illusion is Charisma t Phan·
tnSill (difficulty 6). The number ofsuccesses on this roll equals
both the numberofsuccessts required (on a Perception+ Alen·
ness roll) to see through an illusion and <he number of turns
the illusion lasts. In order for an illusion to become qurui-ma•
tcrial (:mel thus dtmgerous), the wroith tnu.St invest nl least
one level of Corpus into the illusion's "lxxly." The number of
Corpus Levels inv<-stcd indicates rhe amount of dama.:e the
illusion con mke before being destroyed. Corpus cannot be
replac:ed in an illusion onc:e it is dan>aged: another Phanrns·

mngoria aucmpt must be made ro recreate it.

If the Illusion is of a dangerous or damaging nature, the
player rn.~y roll Dexterity + Phantasm (diffo<:ult)• 7) as an at·
mck roiL lloe victim may dodge rhe anack. The dam31:e roll is
Strength + Phanmsm (difficulty 7), bestowing one point of
damage for each success. The victim may soak the damage.

lllis art costs 3 Pa<hos rouse, plus I Pathos per tum.

puppet!)'

re )'mt so naive as w think rhtu humanit)' has Attunement
diremd itself over the course of history! Wlhy
do you think there U/11.! no nuckllr holocawt In order for a wraith to perform rome •spects of Puppetry,
during tM Cold \VIorl Cmainly not b..>catlSC he must fin;t prepare • Consort. To prepare a Consort, the
of JlellCe-lo•ing milirnry officials. \Ve puU the wrnirh must spend a considerable amount of time skinriding
srrifllS, cmd they dance for '" - btcouu the individual, spending a point of Willpower each rime. This
Chorcm himself oouldn'c hout ~pt Oblivion represents a process ofidentifymg wirh rheConsort over time.
Ftve points of Willpower are required to prepare the avcr.tge
or ooy •f rhose me~ mushrooms had blossomed. II m~~y have been Consort. I( the Conson is a close friend, rwonr r:hree points of

a:ainsr /tis Code, bur l J>ersonally don't think ht would have Willpower will be sufficient. The Skinrider must succeed at
minded. each nf the lower levels of Puppetry bcforc attempting a
higher level. Once the StOryteller deems rhe rime is right,
Puppetry i~ the forbidden art of possession. Of all the wraith must expend a permanent Willpower point,
Arcanos, it Is the one Charon specifically :~;t iel was the at which point the subject becomes a Consort.
province of his Dc"uhlords and the Hierarchy alone.
Noncrhclcss, an entire subculture of wraiths are ad. Basic Abilities
dieted to this Arcanos' power-tripping ways. They
lo.-c the experience of feeling alive ~g~ln. They Detect Possession: Not only does this abil·
love rhe power they have over their hosts, e'•er\ ity allow a wraith to dctccr rhc signs of posses-
after their hosts are hospirali,ed for mcntlll ill-
ness. sion, buc to sense ifa mortnl h:u !>ten attuned
for the purpose of using p.,ppcuy.
Srorytcllcr Notes: While inhabiting
rhebody ofn subject. the wraith is not con- System: To detect n current possession.
sidered tOIJC "in" rhe Shadowlands. He Is the player rolls Perception + Puppetry (di((i,
lilfe from rhc rnvagcs of that place. However, culty 7). To detect the subtle siRns of past pos·
he takes damage whenever his host wkes dam· session, the difficulty is 9.
oge.
The Skinrider may resist cunenr derecrion by
Note that unk-s.s rhe "'raith i.s m direct con.. using Appearance + Subterfuge (di((iculty 7) or Ap-
trol of rhc hody, you should use the host's Ph)'Sical pe.,rance + Puppetry (difficulty 6).
Attributes and Talents. The Puppeteer is just •
•Skinride
h~ngcr-on.
Before the wraith may attempt to control a mortal in
fuppeleers - puppetry other ways, the wraith must forst learn the an of skinriding.
Skinridin~ is essentially the ability to slip Into the mortal's
The ultimate 8ccrct weap<Jn, rhc Puppereers were more lxKly, thereby temporarily joining with her. This is a very basic
of an elite group of equals than a guild. Chnrot\ himself uS<--.:1 level o( possession; in effect, the wraith is simply along for rhe
their services on more than one occasion, alrhnugh he obvi· ride, and the hoot is mcl\'ing of her own free will, c:~rrying the
ously lo.uhc<lthem. The Puppeteel$ were never a part of the wraith along. However, all other uses of Puppetry first require
Hiemrclly, hm were obviously sanctioned by it. the wrnith to Skinride rhe host.

Poppetccrs believe themselves n:spotuible for rhe well- I( he $0 desires, the wraith may ::mempt to implant a one..
being of mortals and ofren go to great lengths to ensure that word suggesrlon or simple impulse. This Sti,AACS[ion or impulse
other wrnith!' :1ren'l c~using unneccssnl)' deaths in the Jiving
world. Still, mnny Renegade Puppeteers feel rhe exact oppo- cannot be contradictory to the hoot's Nuturc '"very dangerous.
site: thnt mortal hndics rue £heirs to use :md obuse. System: In order to have hisch:trncterentera host's body,

One can idcnrify a Puppeteer by his accem • nd strange the player must roll Dexterity + Puppetry (difficulty of the
mannerisms: P.,ppeteers tcmJ to pick up mnny srrangc accents subject's Willpower). The roll indicates how many succeSSC$
~nd habit> when skinriding different people. arc needed for another wraith ro wrcsr rhe W1'3ith out o( the
hoot's body.

This art costs I Pathos.

Th~ Puppeteer may now send an impulse directly to an
arm or leg and cake fleeting control of it. This :m may b.: used
to force someone to pick something up without knowing ex·
acdywhy.

System: The character must first Skinride the host. The

player then rolls Snength + Puppetty (difficulty o£the subject's

Willpower). The victim is allowed a ruin~d roll ofWillpower.
T he number of succ~sscs indic.11es the degree of control the
character has.

This art costs I P~rhos per usc.

... Master's V01.ce

The Puppeteer briefly overridu th~ speech ccnrers o£ his

host and causes her to speak. The vole~ produced when using
this art is a bizarre hyhrid o( the wraith's and host's voice.•.

System: The player must rolllmellig~nce + Puppetry (dif·
ficulty of the subject's Willp<>wer). The Puppeteer may speak
for one breath per success gained.

This an cosrs I Pathos to use.

....~ein in the Mind

This more p<>wer£ul possc.sion allows the Puppeteer to
controla hosr without her realizing it. In order to do this, how-
ever, the Puppeteer must ha'·~ attunt-d her as a CoiUOI't (see
Armnement, above).

The host remains semiconscious throughout th~ process
and will emerge £rom the p<>Musion when the Puppeteer f..
nally relea~s her. Once relcosed, she will immediately try to
rationalize her actions. This isn't always possible, and many
hom have sought mental h ealth profcssionols. ttsting and
therapy. Note, however, that nny pain felt by the host is felt by
rhe wraith also: electroshock therapy has been extremely use·
ful in throwing a Puppeteer o<u, though nothing prtvents him
from coming back.

System: The player muil roll Manipulation + Puppetry
(di((iculty of the subject's Willpower or the local Shroud,
whichever is higher). The numb<:r of succuses indiClltes rhe
number ofscenes during which the Puppeteer may control the
host. By spending a Willpower point, the host may make a
Willpower roll to thwart the possession (each success versus a
difficulty of the Puppeteer's Manipulation + Puppetry indi·
cates one fe1ver 5eene the Puppeteer may remain in control).

This :m costs 4 Pathos to use and bestows one point of
Angn.

IIIII obliterate ~~e Soul It should be no<ed tha< a body that docs not conroin its
original soul will slowly start ro de<:Jy. One week afrcr rcmov·

After long·time use of Rein in the Mind, a wraith may ing the soul, the body will begin ro rot. For this reason, most

begin ro live full·time within a host's body. The host's person· A wr:tittts who possess this an u.'c i< only in dire circumstnnces.

aliry is subsumed, e.1ren by rhe Shadow ofthe that this form of possession only works on mortal.:md ;,

Whenever the wraith leaves a body that has been so ineffective against supematurals.

it becomes catatonic - sitting about listlessly, with art can only be employt-d once a momh, on the new

iu own. M3.S<er Puppeteers typically exploit and if a wraith doesn't Obliterate rhe Soul rhe first rime,

tals for their own survival. wait another month to rry again.

System: Ifthe character has a Consort who has musr spend 5 Pathos and 2 Willpower to evoke

ditioned through lone uses of Rein in the she gains a number of Ancst poinrs <oqu:olto the

may roll Suength + l'uppeuy (difficulty equ.1ls Willpower.

Willpower or the local Shroud, whichever is ll"l"•·r).

tphoewwer,rashitehctaontadlessetrnooyutchhe ssuocucleosfsethse<h00e$qtuaanl<~~· r:Jf~~~~==:~h

that person.

Usury

11pplyand demand. It's simpk economics. You Basic Abilities
need, we /JTOIIide . You®n'task ItS wl~t.>re we
get tM j11ice, and toe won't ask whm 'JOII'rt Assessment: The wmirh cnn sense the amount of life (or,
planning to do tuitlt it. Fair! I thought so. conversely, the amount ofdeath) within an individual. He cnn
gain a general sense of that individual~ Sramin.1, Health and
Usury Is the art ofexercising the power Corpus. By loold11g at wounds, he c.1n tell how gra••e they arc.
rhatdeath has over life.l'hroogh it, wrnirhs TI1is ability has an adjunct use: the wraith can usc tt "' sense
can gain life cncrb'Y - Pathos. Every day, rhc presence of life energy within :m area.
the Quick die a little more. Usury Is just the process of speed-
in~ the arrival of <he final breath. System: Tile player must roll Perception + Usury (difft-
culty 6). The number of successes indicates the accumcy of
Some believe that the Shadow is the channel for this
:m. Indeed, Usury embodies rhc process of speeding de- the reading.
coy and death, and many Usurers find themselves fi lled
with Angst on a regular basis. Through rhis Arcanos, •Transfer
the wraith infects a living penon with minute quan·
riti<S ofd<'llth, rhereby mallng some of his life. It is The wraith may tmnsfer her own Pathos to an-
also used to steal other wraiths' Corpus. other, if she so desores. Alternatively, the wraith

Storyteller NotCJI: To employ Usury, the may use this art to steal Pathos from :morher
wrn ith using it must somehow touch the wraith. To use this an succes.sf\tlly. che IWO
subject's body or Corpus. Where morrals are wraiths in qucs.tion must be in contflct 1ll the
concerned, this is done throuGh Puppetry [imc of the trttns(crence. The Cll Cflt\' nmni·
(entering a morral and using the nrt on fests ns n glow that infuses the wn•ith re-
him), Embody (materializing and touching ceiving the Pnrhos.
someone), Inhabit (being inside something
that is in contact wirh rhe subject) or Phan· System: The player must roll Manipula·
rasm (touching the dreaming soul). The life en· lion + Usury. If this art is bemg used to trans-
ergy stolen in this fashion appears as an arc of light fer P~thos. the d1fftculty equals the amount o(
that dulls and grays as ir enters the wraith. Pathos rhe receiving wraith currently ha>. I( the
art is being used to steal Pathos, the difftcuh:y equals
At o11c tim•, the Usurer's Guild had considerable po· the subject's Willpower. The number ofsuccesS indi·
lirical clout in Srygin. The Usurers made a bid to rake over cau:s how m• ny points of Pathos may be trnnsferred.
the government of Stygia and were thus cast out along with
the rest of the guilds. For this reason, the Usurers must cnn· " Early With~rawal
duct rheir business in secret. In order to reach a Usurer ofsome
renown or power, a client musr forst follow a seri.s o( direc· By merely touching asubject (livi11gor wraith), the Usu·
tions leading her on a 50mewhat unorthodox wild goose cha!C. rer may siphon life energy from the subject. In order to drain
If nobody follows the client (and if the Usurers decide her In· energy from the liviJ18, tl1c wmirh must physically contact the
rent is good), then the Usurct> will see her. chosen illdividual through some means, generally through use
of the Embody Arc.1nos.
O ne can identify a Us11rcr by her tendency to speak in
precise, numerica.l terms, ns well ns by the scales she carries. System: Once the subject ha.• been touched, the player
which nllowher to keep track of the bnlnnce of energy ll'nns· rolls Manipulation +Usury (difficulty of the opponent's Will-
ferred. power). The number of successes illdicatcs rhc numhcr of
Health or Corpus Levels stolen. The.<c levels arc lmmcdintel1•
marked off on the suhjccr's sheet and added to the Usurer's
sheer. The wrai th may only scenl Health or Corpus Levels up
to his maximum Corpus. Once the Usurer has reached his
maximum Corpus, this abihry becomes usele$$ - unless the
character possesse5 the Exchange Rate art (sec below).

... charitable Trust

Tiois art allows the wraith m heal a mortal or another
\llrnoth by onfusing her with his own CO<pu<. Tioe subject is
held close to the mouth of the lx-stowing wroith and receoves
the Corpus as a ghostly breath. The wrnith nc.'<l not be mani-
fested in any w·•y w usc this art upon mortals.

System: The player rolls Stamina+ Usury (dWlculty equal
w the injured characrer's current Health or Corpus Levels).
For each succc.<S rolled, one Corpus Level may he transferred
to the subject. A horch on this roll means that the flow of
Corpus reverses: sec the Early \Virhdr~wnl nn, above.

This art cons I Pathos to use.

"" Exchange ~ate

Though a wraith can convert his Pathos to Corpus (S<.-e
Iltaling, pg. XX), Corpus always remains the s.1me. With thos
art, a wrnith may now conven Corpus into Pathos. lie mar
simply convcn h is own Corpus, or he may tose thos art in con-
junction with Early \Vithdmwal (see above).

System: The player rolls Intelligence + Usury (difflculty
6). Each success allows one point of Corpus to be convened
into Pathos.

""' Investment

Through use of this art the wroith may use relics as rc.<er·
voirs to store Corpus and Parho< for future usc. Tioc wraith
musrfirst own a relic in order for this arr robe used; b\1 focus~
ing his will upon the relic, <he wrai[h moy channel energy imo
II, where it is then srored. This borrk-d Pathos is accessible to
anyone who knows the sigil or command phrase with which
the wraith seals rhe relic.

System: The player decides how nmny Pathos 0< Co.pus
poinrs :she wishes to invest. and thtn write,. down tluu num..
ber. The pl,yer then rolls Intelligence + Usury (difficul<y 7).
For each success, one point of Parhos or Corpus is invested.
AII excess poinos"gambled" are losr. Once successful, the char-
acter must seal the relic by spcllding a Willpower poinr and

nssigning a sigil or command thor '"""be used whe11 the en-

ergy wirhin the relic is to be tapped. 011ly one type of energy
mny be stored within a given relic. Note that soulftre is cre-
ated in th is fashion: this art is required tO recharge empty
soulftre Ct)•sr•ls.







You may ncveT urvlntumd
how rhe SITanger is inspired,

For he is no•alwa1s •••l.
and he is nul altvays "'rung...

-Bil ly joel, "The Srronger"

Duality wr:mh, thrt:~tening to consume evel)'thing a wraith holds dear.
Both o( these imerpretaLion.s, in :.a sense, arc rruc.
here :ue rwo main aspects c·o a wraith
character's persMn lity. T he fi rst, the 1l1e "ch:u-acrer" played by a Wraith player is the Psrche
Ps~~c::hc, i:s usually the domin:-mr sirle o ( ;;t aspect. When desperation and suffering grow strong enough,
wraith. The Psyche represenrs 1he force of however, the Shadow side ofthe wrnith emcrucs.1l1isShadow
will and the source of identity. A wraith .liidc ill It scpar:uc character, complete wl{h irs own Traits and
follows his Psyche by being rn1e rn himself ch~raccer sheer, and is usually nor under che player's control.
and acr:ing in accordance with his inner
bclids (his Nocure). The Psyche rrusts, believes. crea1es, hopes This chapter describes how the dark side nf a charac1er is
developed. The Psyche is crea1ed by the plarer with the help
and dre;,ms. The Psyche, however, comnu. exist on irs own. of the StOI)'teller; the Shadow is created by the Stol)'tellcr
with the help ofthe player.1l>e rule$ prcscnred in rhischaprer
Everychamc1cr has a dark side as well. enable 1hc Sroryreller ro define and delineoce the Shadow.

Wraithscall this inner darkness the Shndow. Usually, this shadowguide
isthe reprcs!<!d, hidden side of u wraith. The word "evil" does
not entirely l'iti rhe phrnse "dark sicle" i5 (:u more nppropriate. The Shadmv is an intelligent force. It does not mindlessly
It is the neg:ltlve image of the Psyche. From the vicwpoim of plod along: even the most alien Shadows hnve plans, cycles,
lhtShadow, darkness isa source ofstrength.1l1c Shadow feeds cuMing uicks and brilliant insigh1s imo 1hc Psyche.
doubt, rcsi>mncc, anriparhy and rhe •ubconsclous. From the
vi<'o-poin1 of rhe Ps)'Che, the Shadow isa force of desuuction. To rcprescnr rhis, another player in tht troupe assumes
n(l( crtalion. It is the deathwish, the shard of Ob!ivion in any rhe role of the charactds Shadow. This player is called the
Shadowguide. Thus, each Wraith player uciUally controls rwo
cl1arncu.:rs: her own characrerand :mothtr ch3racter"s Sh3do\v.
The Shadowguide roleplays the subconscious urges of a char·

acu:r. The Shadowguidc woll often whisper hints and promist>
of power, trying ro rrick the plnycr into sclf-dcsrnoctive ac-
tions.

Any roleplal•ing game is playtd by consensus. The Story·
teller usually decides which player will rcprcsrm which Shadow.
l lowcvcr, a pbyercan feel fre-e tochoose her own Shadow!."'ide.
All players must be comfortable with the final deci51on. The
Shadowguidc assistS in developin~ the charncter as the game

pro,::rc~cs.

It should be not<d, however, that during periods when
the Shadow dirccrly domin>tcs (as <>PP<»<--d tn influences) the
wraith, the l>lnyer, not theShadowguide,comrols the Shadow·
ridden character.

As a Shadowgmde, you ha•·e a <k..grcc of power... and a
deurcc of responsibility. You must become fooniliar wirh rhe
wmirh whose Shadow you control. This Jocsn'< necessarily
mean that you should memorize the charncrer sheet, but you
should dcflnirely be familiar wuh what the Psyche of l'our
Sh:odmv can do. You ulsn need tO understnlld the tools you
have at your di;posal.

Finally, you must know when to stop. You must under·

~rnnd when to ease bnck, when ro cease your spiriru:tl n.ssault

on your poor oargcr. If the Shadow i>ahvay• active and always
trying to do harm to the chamct<r, rhe story will suffer. If you
arc roo vicious, lhe person pbying )'Oztr Shntlow rml)1 evenru,
ally find it nccc:'""Y to show you that turnabout is indeed fair
play...

Overall, you must rcali!e that, even thou~h you are ploy-
ing an entity of darkness and dcsuuction. you are playing an
intelligent entity who renlires that small victories, gathered
over timc, are u·onh more than a smgle triumph. The work of
the Shadow requires p:uicnce, cunning nncl insighr. Ust fi..
nesse.

And above all else, ever)·onc on•-olvtd must rememberone
thing: it's only a game. Tile Swryreller is reSJ)Onsiblc for pre-
venting the Shadowcuide from abusing his position; if need
be, she will occasionally imcrvcne and guide a char:ocrer's
Shadow herself.

shaoow charncter Generation

'm harboring afugiri<-e, a tk/ector ofa kind

She lit-es in mJ soul and drinks of mJ urine
Ancl l'cl give m, last lnemlo ro keep liS alive

- h-.di!,'O Girls, "Fugitive"

Afrera pbyer has finishe-d allohe other
swges ofchn.-nctcrcrcalinn, the Storyteller
begins todevelop the character'• Shadow. TheStoryteller must
give depth tOeach char.ocrer on his game. He must make the
''ligh~' in his ~:une briJ;hrer by contrnsting it ncainst the grow·
ing darkncl<'! he evokes.

~tep One:Concept doubts. The Director's ultimate goal is to shatter your will with
terror in one fell swoop. He enjoys watching as you stumble
Yet rhis shall/ne'er know, lnu live in doubr
Til my bod angel fire my good one out. in to trap after trap thac he's laid for you, and loves your sur..

-William Shakespeare, "Sonnet 141" prise and incredu lous disbelief when he shows you what you
have become.
The Storyteller and the player need to pick a concept for
the Shadow. This rcprcscnu the generAl personali ty of the This meticulous, terrify-ing Shadow subtly evokes dark el·
Shadow, but also says something about the personality of the ements here and there, seeds of the soul chat eventually blos-
character. Try to determine exactly what about this character som into something truly horrific. like a demenced game-show
will make it unique. What sccretl; will trouble and rorment host, he pulls back o ne curtain after anorher, revealing weak·
the chamcter throughout the gamer nesses rhat you never even knew you had.

An excellent time to develop these ideas is during a When in power, this Shadow quietly prepares his next
tharacter's prelude. By understanding the forces and desires series of traps. He also enjoys mind games, forcing mhcrs to
!lundrove a character through life, the Storyteller will gain an confront their own weaknesses.
undemanding of what motivates the character not just in
death, but toward death. The Shadow is the incarnation of ~e frea~
lht Psyche's nightmares.
The Freak knows all your secrets and gees a perverse kick
Below are listed severalShadow Archetypes. Some ofthem our of them. It enjoys making you do what you most loathe.
nrc variants of existing Psyche Archetypes (it's even possible, When it whispers to you, it makes you feel like you arc all
insome cases, for a charactet to have the same Archetype for alone, like you are the only one who would ever do the things
the Demeanor, Nature and Shadow). l11e ones listed below you've done. At the same time, however, the Freak gives you
arc only a sampling. Feel free to develop unique Shadow con· permission to do horrific, terrible things. The Freak take.' plea-
ccpts in addition ro the ones provided. sure in your shame.

~~adow Arcnetypes When the Freak is in !POwer, it often tries to shame its
host. It will force the host to indulge in many terrible act,,
These Archetypes mainly apply co the Shadowguide. As Moreover, the Freak rakes almost as much pleasure in dredg-
he deceives and corrupts, the Shadow develops its personality ing up others' perversity and exposing it to rhe world.
and methods. The Archetype can also be helpful to the player
when roleplaying through periods of Catharsis. The leech

l~e A~user 11>is Shadow is rhe hole inside you, a pit of raw need dug
by neglect and hate. This Shadow needs love, sexual fulfill·
This Shadow represents the battered "inner child" who ment, goods, food, attention- everything. The Lec'<:h threat·
has come full circle, grown up out of her terrible beginnings to ens to consume everything around you, including yourself. This
inflict more pain on others. She is alternately childlike and Shadow often aces like a lost child, a creature wonhy only of
rng.-fllled, caring and terribly abusive. Mcmly she is chaotic pity, dwelling within you alld constantly pleading for help. In
and nearly impossible to second-guess. Like the Perfectionist, truth, it is in control, driving you co Oblivion with its vorn~
rhc Abuser makes impossible demands; unlike him, however, cious appetites.
she never expects the character to fulfill them. She hopes rh e
character will fail- failure gives her an excuse for her cruelty. Whell in power, this Shadow attempts to gair\ sustenance
fromothers at any cost. (t thinks norhing of using, ruining and
\Vhen dominant, this Shadow uses her power to abuse discarding ochers. The world owes the Leech, and the Leech
others: mindlessly lashing out, demanding servitude, or me· will lash out spitefully if rejected enough.
thodically inflicting pain and suffering. She wishes the whole
world to suffer just like she does. The ~1artyr

l~e Director The Martyr wishes only to quit its existence as soon as
possible. He may try and drag od>ers down with him, but his
This Shadow is aloofand quiet. He seems mild·rnallllered main goal is co force you co embrace Oblivion, to complete
enough. Indeed, he is quite gendei'nanly and presents a strong the process of death. l-Ie always seeks to die again and again.
facade ofhc'>nor. He is rhe master manipulator. Your secrets are The Martyr often uses your faith and altnrism as levers, offer·
the keys with which he gradually unlocks ironies and inner ing glorious, fulfilling sacrifice for the greater good. But che
preaching it offers is false, leading only to annihilation.

When this Shadow is in power, it will immediately place
rhe host in the most dangerous situation it can. It will also

proselytize to other wraith• nbnut the futility ofcontinued ex·
istcnce und rhc need to sncrlfice oneself for • higher coal.

T~e ~1onster

l11c Monsrer is n foul3nd unknowable thing. You C3n't
begin to understand whnt it wants, or why. It Is mindlessly
deStructive, lashing out"' everything nround it.

When rhis Sh3dow is In power, it will mindlessly arrack
anything in its p3th. lt seeks to dt-stroy and will not c~ de-
strOying until it dcst!O)'S n1elf on rhe process. lt is also verbally
abu:.ivc, Sl>uuring obscenhits at anyone within earshot.

T~e rarent

Ovcrprorecrive, loving and caring, this Shnclow wanrs to

keep you nice and nC3t and clean. She wants you to love only
her. She wants you to li>1en ro her, and if )'OU don't listen,
she'llmukc you feelcuilty for not listening. She's only think·
ing of you r best intereS[S, anyway. She knows your dirty
though ts nnd vile secrets, hm .<he still loves you (though no
one else could ever love wch a monster. ..). Sherries ro im..
prove your self-estttm, but can't help "accidcnrally" remind•
ing you of how you've failed. She will hdp you, though. Re-
ally. After nll, aren'r you her precious baby!

When in power, thisShadow often seck< m "protect" other
wrnirhs nncl instill guilt fur rhc rhings they've done. She will
also attempt m destroy any and all relationship$ the host has.

T~e rerfectionist

ll1is Shadow sets lirnir:orinns and goals that far exceed
yourcnpncity m accomplish them. Then, when you incvir~hly
fail, he criticizes your every 0ow with all the I:ICt and restraint
o(a drill instructor. He know:~ every weakness In you and never
lets you fu'b"'' ""I' of rhem. Even your successes could have
been bcuer. He offers you the hope of improvement one day,
but it is generally a false one.

When in power, dli3Shndow cries to dRillil~c its host, he·
licving rhnt It Is worthless and weak. Additionally, it will of·
ten castigate olher wraiths 11rc)Und it.

The Pusher is your buddy, your p3l. Uke Mephistopheles,
he is helpful, solicitous ~md charming. He's nlwnys re:Jdy rn
offer a!Silistnncc- (or a price. lie may even give you credit.. .
ofter all. what are friend> for! "Don'r worry, be hoppy": that's
the Pusher's et<"<-d. He wanls you to have fun. As much fun as

you cun nfford...

When in power, the Pusher will attempt to place the host
in grcnt dnn,ger or privlHion, forcing the host to cnll on the
power that only hewn offer.

This Shadow is the r~asoning. thinking person's Shadow. During play, the Shadowguide must keep track of the
She calmly discusses your situation with you, gently explain· character's Angsrscorc. She will also need to know the player's
ing why you should do what she wanr.s and offering ror.ally permanent Willpower score. The Storyteller may choose ro
logical reasons for so doing. Of course, her logic is designed to keep track as well, but she will usually be too busy telling the
IClld you down the path to Oblivion. stOry. The pla}'Cr wOJl always kno w her \Villpowcr SCOre, but
will never know her Angst score.
She neveropenly confronrs you. lnsread. she riddles your
mind with doubts - doubts that only she can allay. This Step Tnree: Dark passions
Shadow has a sensible, rational answer to everything, and of·
(Cr.i you rhc prmection ofdenial as well: certainly, the thoughts Nexr, rhe Storyteller must choose the Passions of rhe
gnawing at you are silly guilt feelings instilled by a repressive Shadow. Deline the Shadow's Passions (or"Dark Passions") in
upbringing. Ccrminly, the thoughts, words and deeds this rhe same way you define rhe Psyche's Passions: each Passion
Shado whas insrigated haven't really hun anyone wo much ... consists ofa brief, one-line description of rhe Passion, followed
by the. appropriate emotion. You should use the Passions of
When in power, thisShadow creates conditionsrhat prove the Psyche as a guide, because Dark Pas.<ionsare generally op·
her various postulates.She also "advises" other wraiths, trying posite from those of rhe Psyche.Still, feel free to make parallel
10 nick rhem imo "logical" behavior. or completely unique Passions as you see lit. lll< Storyteller
assigns seven poinrs of Dark Pt1ssinns when designing aShadow
~tep Two: Angst and rhe palyer can spend freebie points ro rnise them during
character generation. Fulfilling a Dark Passion will give the
"Life," wid Marvin. ;/Don't cnlk ro me abouc life." characrer pure Angsc. See Dark Pa.t.-;;ions. below.

- Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Gala:ry Step four: freeoie points
The Shadow is power<.-d by aTrait called Angst.lllisTrait
represents andquantifies a wraich•s pain,alienacion, se)f.doubr The Storyteller has 10 freebie poinrs to spend on the
and frustration. The higher the Angst raring, the more power· Shadow's Traits. These freebie points can be used to mise the
lul the Shadow. Angst score or purchase Thorns. Note, however, that a
Shadow's permanent Angst score can never init:ially exceed
The Angs[ rating always srarrs equal ro or less r.han rhe the character's Willpower, although temporary Angst can be
chamcrer's initial Willpower. Roll a number of dice equal to as high as 10.
the character's Willpower (di(ficulty 6). The number of sue·
ccsscs indicates the numbero( "pcnnanenl" Angst poims the Permanent Angst - 5 (XJints per doL
character has ar the start of the game. (cannot initially be higher chan pennanr.nr Wi llpower)
Temporary Angst - 2 points per dot
Angst represents the stress and repressed emotion inside a (cannot initially be higher than pennancm Angst)
wmith. Angst also determines the strength of the Shadow.·n,e Dark Passions - I point per dor
Shadow may spend Angsr poinrs just as the wraith spends (maximum of lO dots)
Willpower. Thorns- list~d individually below

Unlike Willpower, ltowcvcr, temporary Angsl can exceed Thorns
the boundaries of its permanent score. When ::1 characrer's t:em..
porary Angst exceeds h is permanent Willpower, the Shadow In tl•eend you will submit -
con attempt to overpower the Psyche and usurp comrol of the lr's gor w hurt a little bir.
wrnirh. If the Shadow possesses iOpoints of temporary Angsr
while it is dominant over the character, the Shadow trades all - New 0Jder, "Perfect Kiss'•
its temporary Angst for a point of permanent Angst. The char· Thoms arc special qualities that the Shadow possesses.
acrer is one step closer to Oblivion. These qualities are lOtally under the conrrol of the Sroryceller,
not the player.
Ol.1ring play. Angst can increase and decrease withom the Spectre Prc.<ligc: I poim/levcl - The Shadow is respected
player's knowledge. l11e idea is that the player should never among Spectres and will often be aided by them. Treat chis as
really know where her character stands. Some Arcanos give Notoriety for the Shadow.
the Shadow temporary Angst poinrs. The Shadow also has Dark Allies: 1point/level- The Shadow regularly com·
weaponry of its own, called Thon1Si certain Thorns provide municates wi th Spectres in the area. Treat th is Thorn as ifrhe
temporary Angst. Finally, the Shadow has its own Dark Pas-
sions. Ifthe wraith fulfills the purpose or inflicts the passion of
a Oal'k Passion on a monaIcreature, she can quickly sate her·
relfwith larger amounts of Angst.

Sh<1dow had the Allies B:.ckground, applicable only the region's Shadow Trait&: 2 points - You can buy one dot of any
Spectres. Anribure or Ability that the Shado"' con bestow as a bonus to
the Oic~ Pool for that Trair. You must specify the Amibureet
Tainted Rellc: l poior/relic- The Shadow has on impor· Abiliry when the Thorn is bought during the creation of the
canr relic that manifcsas only when it is in JlO"'Ct- llti> rcloc could Shadow. The character may acCCM rhe Shadow Trait at will,
be a mask, a ""apon or some other item. The chamctershould be but the Shadow gains one temporary Angst each time the char·
able"' rccogni'e Its origin if it isuescribc-.d to him or ifhe SC('S it in acter accepts help and makes a roll using rhe Shadow Trait.
a mirTOr. The manifcst:nion ofthis rdic demonstrntcs to others in
the wmith's Ciocle th.1t the Shadow is in roorrol. Aura of Corruption: 2 poina - The Shadow "'llrpS lhc
character, making him disrasceful ro other wraitl><: perh<lps he
Infamy: I point/level- People cunle the character's name stinks terribly, or hi.s voice is grtltin,g, or his body orcountenance
as they lie down to sleep. The Infumy Thon> causes • kind of isdi!figured, orhe has a monstrous fonn, etc. Thedifficulties ofall
Memoriam to collect ~t the character's Fetters. O nly the rolls lnvolving social interacrions with other wraiths are rnised by
Shadow can benefit from this energy. Whenever a wraith Slum· twO. This Tbom can be purchased only once.
bers, the Storyteller rolls a number ofdice equal to the Shadow$
rating in this Thorn (difficuhy6). For each success, the hatred Shadow Call: 2 poinas- The Shadow has the power to
of the living convel'S one point of Angn ro the wraith. The summon Spectres by calling to them in the Tcmpcsr. By spend·
maximum ratin~ of this Thorn is 5. illg an Angst poinr ond succeedin~ in an Angst roll (difficulty
7), the Shadow can sumrnun Spectres. The number and
Death's Sigil: 1·3 points - The Shadow causes the chat· atrength of the Spectres are detennined by Lite number ofsue·
actcr ro manifest a distinctive feature that accompanies her cesses on Lite Angst roll. The character must be in the Tern·
wherever she goes. lltis can be :mything from the sound of pest to use this Thorn.
rushing wings that announces her prcscnc'C to glowing hellfire
that drips from her and cover.s everything she touche-s. This Pact of Doom: 3 points - The Shadow can make a pact
sigil even colors her Arc.1nos effects, and makes it quite e:uy with i ts host, grnnrlng increased knowk-dge of Arcanos in ex·
to perceive her presenc~ and track her mm•em~nu. The sigil chance for gt~at~r control. Each pact spells out the host's du·
can be "mrned oil" by the char•ctcr by expending Ol\e Will· ties a.nd exactly how much Areanos knowledge i• granted. A
power per Thorn point spent on the sigil. pact cannot be forced on a character - she must accept it

knowmgly. When a p.-.ct is made. the Shadow gains a num~r
<i permanent Angst points equal to the level or levels of
Arcanos it teaches. A Shadow docsn'L have to know the

ArcanO« ro teach ir: it may simply access thatlnformarlon from

the body of arcane knowledge all creatures of Oblivion can
access. Titis Thorn can be purchased only once.

Tainted Touch: 3 points - Whenever the character touches
nneming or someone, there is a clwlce the thing or person will
l-«oolC taintedwithOblivion. Roll thn:cdicc (diflkulty6).The num-

L.r ri"""""""" equals the number ofAngl( points or Health le\.~ls
6l.1t the Sh.'ldow inflicts oo the ~ The dwocrer can fighr this
Thorn by spcndit'f! a Willpower point and making a WiliJlO""' roll
(diffiatlty 6); thenumberofsuccessesen the roll must~orex~
thet'lnr roll.This Thorn may be pu~ onlyooce.

Trick of the Light: 3 points - Tite Shadmv can subtly

niter the perceptions of a character to fir Its needs. This is a
wy, very subtle power of the Shadow, but is extremely potent
when used correctly. TI1c Shadow spends one Angst point per
5eenc to maintain rhe perception-shift. Note that this tool only
<Xl\'ers one ~n~ per use: multiple ~n.ses require multiple ex-
!'<flllitures of Angst. The Shadowguidc, not the Sto~eller,
de!cnbc:s what the character senses.

Bad Luck: 3points- The Shadow can spend Angst points
to ri!duce the number of successes gained by its host charActer,
just as the playercan spend Willpower to Increase rhe number
ofsucccs.scs.

Doppelganger: 3 points- The Shadow cal\ appear as one
completely different person. The person can be known or un·
known. Thi$ makes it difficult for the charocter's friends to

rteognlze him if his Shadow takes over.
S~dow Familiar: 5 points- The Shadow has a smaller

op1rit of Oblivion that acts as its familiar spirit. This familiar
can be the Shadow's eye$, ears and voice. It is usually rela-
tively harmless, for it is not meant to be anything more rhan a
spy. TI1c familiar lssmall , but may be any shape desired by the

Shadow.

Fr<udiun Slip: 5 points - By spendi ng on Angst point,
the Sh:odow may cause the character to cnke an involunt:try,

!lldden, action, or may insert a single, unbidden thought uno
the character's head. This can be resisted by rhe eharneter
sptnd•ng a Willpower point and making a Willpower roll (dif-
riCUiry 7). One success is needed to resist.

Shadow Life: 5 points - The Shadow lives a parallel life.
Whenever the character Slumbers, the Shadow takes over and

3C1$ wlchout her knowledge. This can lend ro some very inter-
esting pt·oblcms as the character meets people whom the
Sha~ow hits wrtmged or attacked in some way. The character

""'Y not even know about this property ofhis Shadow. For rwo

more points of Thorn, the character suffers a mental block

about the face. ThiS Thom may be purchased only once.

Devil's Dare: 1points- By investing a number of Angst

poinu into a single command and writing that command on a
note to be l•tSscd ro a player, the Shadowguide can stipulate

rome action that the Psyche musr Glke. The Devii's l>are '"'"'
be very specifically defined, and must be something rh01 rhe

character can acrually do. The Angst poinrs ore immediately
spent. E.1ch point or Angst so spent represents the sevcriry of
the action: if the action is very $Cvere. the plnycr mar petirion
the Storyteller ro have it lowered. 1r. by rhe end or the 5eSSion,
the dare isn't somehow worked •nro the characte(s actions,
then the chamcrer lose.< the number or Willpower pointsequal
to the Ang:;r invested in the dare.

Afinal Note on Shadow Creation

Although the Shadow is n very impormm part or n char·

:acrcr, ~'ou mu.S[ make sure thar rhe Shadow's character c.IO<.:s

n01 "upstage" the Psyche or that chamctcr. Even though the
Shadow may eventually t~iumph o••er tltc Psyche, the player's
chnmcter is more important than rhe Shadowguide's.

Guiding the Shadow

The tempmtions or the Sharlow arc offered
by another player called rhe Sh:>dowf(Uide.
Titc Shaclowguide develops a pcr><ma for
rhe Shadow and rolcplnys irlikc a second·
ory chnrnctcr.

I(you choose to be a Shndowguidc, yoo
have an Important job rodo. You musr rtp·
rcscm this dark urge within the wraith. In order to roleplay
rhc Shadow, you need to knnw wh~t drives and motivates rhe
Shadow. When ncring ;u a Shodowguidc, you musr keep erne\:
o( the Angsr on th~ Shadow's sht-et (sec Angsr, below, to fa·
miliarize yourself witlt how Angst increases and dccrca:.cs).

When you roleplay 3nother character's Shadow, ym ' hould
whisper, rhu• indicating that it is the Shndow and not your
primary charocter who is •peaking. Pointing at the P>yche's
player while doing rhis can also make )'OUt imcntions more
evident. If nothing else, you muSt make It cleM that it is not
your characrer speaking, bur rhe Shadow.

psychic Torment: ~e War 1~th the S~adow

Accepr rhe rrwh. 11tere is no ligh1 urirhour shadow...
- Shiwan Khan, The Shadow
The Shadow within each wraith uhimotely se~ks one
rh lng: to be united with Obhvion. The character's Psyche is
what imprisons it. The Corpus acts as the htst vestiges o( a
rnorml cocoon. A cmnsformntion awaiu ...

Many Sh:>dows have unknowable urgtS or cannot fixmc
on one spccifoc ~at. Mos1, howevor, have a definite b""'land
\VOtk totvard it. Tilt primary goal is usually I he ultim~re Sllbju•
g:uion o ( the Psyche. To the Shadow's way of thinkinl(, the
Psyche should allow the Shadow free rein.

DarK passions P~Wions. h may utilite any ofd>c P>ychc's Arc:anos. It may use
Thoms, such as Ooppelcanger, Shadow Relic and Infamy. It

The Sh~dow cannot understand "finer" emotions. Even may not cause t he Psyche to regain Pnthos, nor can it refuel
emotions like love or hope arcat best facaJcs. Still, it has b>Uid· the Pathos of the Psyche once it is spem. 11>c Shadow cannot
ing Pa,.ion~, burnins needs that it must fuiAII. expend Willpower, nor can it reduce the character's Parhos
below I.
FuiOIIIng Dork Passions can strengthen the Shadow. Each
Dark Passion has a purpose. The purpose• of the Shadow arc The Shndow uses Catharsis as a threat: it is the uh:imatc
often the opposite of what the Psyche is trying to achieve. For a<rack agalnu rhe Psyche. During C1rhnrsis, the Shlldow can
11\!WlCe, If the Psyche seeks to protect a lover, the Shadow choose to "cut off" a Psyche from his senses, thereby perform·
may seek to destroy him. Whenever the Shadow fulfills the ing things in ><..'Cret that will later come oock to haunt the
I"!JlO'C of a Dark P~ion, ir can roll its PaMion score (diffi· character. Thos effect can only be reoosted wlrh Eidolon dice.

rulty 7). The number of succC$$C$ on the roll indicates the
amount of AngSL the Shadow receives. The Storyteller has the

Angstq>tion ofchnngins the purposesof Dark P~S$Ions from session
rosesslon, although the emotions behilld them should remain

the same. ngst rcprcscnLS the dcgn:c of pHin and i.So·
Iarion awrairh feels, :md in<Hcates the rela~
TI>c Shadowcan f\tlfoll the essence of his Dark P3S$iOn (as
mdic<lted by the attached emotion) by forcing an emotion on or live strength of the Sh:Kiow. Again, if the

.-1li<U1ganenl0tionfrom someone else. With Dark Passions, wit· Shadow has 10 point> of temporary Angst
while it is domonant, it can trade these for
""""'&"" emocion Isnot enough. For iNtance, ifa Dark Passion one point of permanent Angst. As perma·

• dri>-en by fear, if the Shadow can evoke fear from someone, it nent Angst grows, the charactCl slips ever

..mfulfill that Dark Plls>iot\. If the Shadow achieves this goal,

d11:n it can roll iro Passion score (difficulty 9) and receive an closer to Oblivion.

amount of Angst equal to its successes.Some examples of Dark

Gaining AngstPassions nrc: lust, fear, anger, hate, despair, frustration, pain or

cynicism. IL"hould be nmed, however, rhat some Dark Passions

are merely rcprc$600 emotions, not necessarily "dark" ones. There are several ways the Shadow can gain Angst:

More information on developing Dark Pltssions is detailed • Shadow Dice: The Shadow can offer her Psyche extra

in the S«tion on Catharsis, below. dice on any roll that the player makes. One point of Angst is

gained for cad\ botch that occurs on the Shadow dice. (For

Catharsis each "I" rolled on ShlldowDice, wbtract one success, but only
from the Sh:Kiow Dice.) The Shadow can offer a maximum of
five extra dice LO a ny roll.

his is not hell, nor am I our of ir. • The Shadow's Passions: By accomplishing its gools,
the Shadow can gain Angst points. Roll rhe appropriate Dark
-Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Fat<Sit<S Passion in situations where the Shadow is fulfilling chat Pas·
sion (difflculty 7), and add one point of Ang5t for every sue·
Whenever tcmp<Jrary Angst exceeds cess. When the Shadow forces the emotion underlying a Dark
the Psyche's permanent Willpower, the P~Wion on someone else instead of fulfilling the purpose, d1c
Shadow can attempt to dominate the doffloolty Is 9.
wraith. If this happ<:ns, the Shadow con·
rrolsall thewrnith'saetlons. The player, not • Areanos: Some Arcanos give the Shadow Anll't even
the Shadowguide, runs the character, but must conform to the when the Psyche is dominant (see A"an<n, Chapter Six).
Shadow personality.
Important Note: If rhe Shadow is dnminanr, it can still
The Cathorsis Roll: The Shadow makes a control roll by use Arcanos, but powers rhar normally ~ive the user Angst
lp<:llding one temporary Angst point nnd rolling a number of will instend cosc the Shadow Angst. Regardlessofwhich "side"
dice equal tOits tcmp<Jnlry Angst. The Psyche mny resist with
a (J><:nnancnr) Willpower roll, adding Eidolon dice if appro· is clomln:mt, Arc.anos muse be fueled by Pnrhos.
p<iate. Both rolls are at a difficulty of 6. The Shadow stays in
control (or on entire scene, at which time it returns conuol ro Ofcourse, If theStoryteller feels that it is appropriate,she
the P>ythc. may decide to Rive the Shadow a point of AnRSt based on the
roleplaying ofa scene. The playershould agree ro this, bur any
When the Shadow is dominant, it interacts with the world scene conveying rhe separation and alienation of a ch.~racter
the only way it knows how. Itcan gain Anll't through its Dark may result in a point of Angst.

losing Angst ike you, I mn broken and fragile

There ~re stvtrnl ways the Shadow can lose Angst: Like you, I am I<UtinR my l.eun forth< first

• Castigation by another wrairh: Thi.s Arcanos is spc.. 1 rime

cillcallydesigned rn reduce the Anf(St ofanomer wrdith. Nore. like you, I nm feeding on slumber
however, that unleos a wraith is using the Arcanos: Defiance,
he may n01 Castigate himself. likt you . l't\.lle{c my eyes far behind mt

• Using ce,rtain Arc:t.nos while the Shadow is dominant: Oo111n for che ooum anJ sriU drolllnmg.
When che Psyche is dominaau, some Arcanos give a wraith
Angst if he fails or lx>Lchc; a roll. If rhe Sh~dow is dominant, - Christian l.)(:~uh, ~e Drowning"
these Arcanos insrcaci reduce Angst. Arcanos that normally
cosr Willpower actually incrensc Willpower if rhe Shadow Is Because wraiths do not have to fear deatl>, many of chem
dominant. aer with impunity in the UnJcn.-orld, rhinking that they are
somehow immortal in their Resrless smre. TI1is is no l true.
· • Botching any roll when the Shadow is dominant: The When a wrairh loses ~II her Corpus, she imrncdiutcly plunges
Shadow c~nnoc scand to see its own failure. If rhe Sh:>dow inro che Tempest. ! Jere, she experiences a nighrmore n~ged
botches any roll while duminunr, or~~ point of temporary for her by her Shadow. nus prnceM is called tht llarrowi•'X·
Anf(St.
The Harrowing is like a theatre of torture,a highl1•nrual·
rsric challen~. It is designed to empower rhe Shadow and rip
apart !hose thing$"' dear to rhe wraith: her own Passions and
Fetters.

The scage is sec in tl1e Labyrimh, a rwisred network of
tunnels and cavcms,chambero and endless seairs that theSpec-
tres usc to move about the Tempest. The Labyrinth re;ponds
rn the Shadow's ministrntions, evoking scenery nfstork night·
mare ac a moment's whim. The players ~re shades and other
dread creatures of rhe Labyrinth. The scar is the fallen wnoirh,
bodiless. without a shell tO surround her fr.tgrle Psyche. The
director is che Shooow, who whispers rhe wranh's d~rkest se·
crets to the asscmbk-d hordes, and who manipulates them like

a macsuo.

The result is horror created cxpre.<sl)• for rhe wraith. And
the last act, the Shadow hope<, will be the wraith's plunge
into Oblivion.

The Beginning

lr is important to escablish a sense of normalcy for rhe
~ginningofme Harrowing. The charncrer regains a semblance
ofa body, although rhu "not his Corpus: it is merel1•a mcnml
projecrion. Usuall)'. the Shadow chooses a typical scene from
rhe life of the wraith, thus ~iving the wrairh a sense of<kja <'U,
al[hough some Shadows 5rnrt wirh the gore righc awn~'· In some
cases, rhe Shadow will choose the Quarry of the Harrowing,
an nsptct of the character tlmr it will arrempc to destroy. This
is either a particular P"'t.<lon (In which case the llatTOwit\it is
infused wi[h a morif, mood or tone representing that Pa.uion)
or a ~rticular Fetter (in which case the Quarry is ~rt of the
scenery or one of the players In rhe dark drnma). If the Har·
rowing began because the character lost all his levels of Cor·
pus or all his Willpoll'er, there is no Quarry. The character is
on me verge of Oblivron.

If a Fetter or P:usion is targeted, the Shadowguide should
choose it with care. The Quarry should be a P~•ion or Fett"r
!hat the character has ne~lected, or one that has troubled the
character. h 15 easter to desrmy a weak Passion or Fetter than
it is to destroy a srrong one.

The Shadow must spend six temporory An~t points In
ordtt to Initiate a Hnrrowin~: for the purpose ofscverinR a Fet•
ret or extinguishing a Passion. I( a Shadow doesn't have six
Angst points mspend, it cannot initiate a Harrowing, although
It can still try to call Shades ro the wraith's location. In [his
case, the wraith's Psyche simply Aoats helplessly in the Tern·

pest for a numlx:r of scenes equal to his highest Fetter rating,

at which point it maps back to that Fetter in the Shadowlands,
and the wraith's Corpus re·forms.

J~e Middle

Next, you advance the plot ofthe nightmare along simple

Iones and onrroducc oth<r characters. These charocters will be

played either by the Shadow (in most cases) or by varioos Spec-
tn:s. Build the mood and tone o( the story and add .!Orne repul·
.s.ive elements.

System: You may want to let the character involved in
the story make Ability rolls. This is ai.!O the stage where the
character may make Eiuolun rolls (difficulty 9) to change ns·
pe<l'$ of the nightmare. The change musr. make sense in terms
of the story being told. nn'd it cnn only serve to defend and
help the wraith escape the Harrowing. In general, even suc·
c<SSful Ability rolls should only prolong the rermr, merely giv-
ing the character the illusion of conrrol over an inexorable
force.

J~e End

During rhc climax of the Harrowing, the wraith l.s pre·
S<nttd with a dilemma. The ourcome o( the dilemma deter•
mines whether or not the wraith loses the target of the Har·
rowing, which must be included as part of the nightmare.

System: The dilemma shouldn't be a simple roll. You
sh011ld etcher make It n decision on the part of the character,
which you rhcn judge in terms of a "succe,ssful" decision, n
l;fuilure" decisionora 11botch" decision;ormake the dilemma's
outcome dependent Ol\ roleplaying culminating in a single,
modified rnll.

Succus: Successfully solving a dilemma lets a wraith es•
cape from the llnrrowing. He issnapped back to a Fetrer, where
h" Corpus re-forms (the wraith regains a number of Corpw
~elsequal to Srnmma). No Willpower i.s lost (at\y spem dur•
ing the Harrowing 15 regained), nor does the wrnirh lose a Fet·
ttr or Passion.

Failure: When a wraith (uit. to solve a dilemma, he must
roll the rating o(his Passion or Fetter (difficulty 8). He losc'li a

number of poinlS from rhe mting equal to his number of fail-
ures or botches. Still, he escapes the Harrowing and can roll
for Corrus renewnl normally.

Botch: If a wn1ith botches the dilemma, he lo.1es the Pns·
sion or Fcner ourriaht. Additionally, he plays right into th<
Shadow's clutches and experiences a moment of weakness as
it triumphs. The Shadow rolls liS Angst versus rhc wraith's
Willpower: if the Shadow wills, the charocrer is dead forever.

If the Harrowing began because the character was rcducal

to z.ero Corpus, 1cro Passion or ztro Witii>Ow<:r, no one Fetter
or Pnssioll is applicable, so no such roll is made. The character
is dirccrly confronted by the possibility ofher own death. Th<
end of~ Harrowing results in an opposed roll between per·
manellt Willpower and permnnellt Angst. If rhe Shadow wins,
the character Is utterly consume-d byOblivion.

Hert are some ideas about how you could run • Harrow·
lng, based on the Shadow's Archetype.

Aouser

Beginning: A nice Sunday afternoon - qtnct, calm...
except forsomewhere, of( in the disr.tnce, a suangc, mcw.llic
gmting coming from another room. You wolk through your old
hoose, looking here and there. Mother! Father! Who's there!
Yoo tum rhc comer, and...

Middle: ...there stands your father, sharpening n srmighr
raror. l-Ie looks down a< you and hisses, "Don't move." You
freeze. He srans to shave your eyebrow$, )'OUr hair...he moves
the cold steel across your skin •nd soon yoo're totally hairless.
You shiver. He screams, "DON'T MOVE!" and slaps you...

End: ...you try to scream back at him, to run, and you run
through the door of~ bathroom, trying to escape. You mn
outside, throogh the front door. Your father chases you, scream·
ing obscenities, hiseyes blazing red like fire. Looking up in the
window, you see your sister, her hair on firt, waving down a1
you, crying. As the house goes up in flames, you b<gin to rise.
You reach our 10 grab your sister, and you rise past her, fum·
bling 10 reach her hand. Will you save her?

Success: You grab her hand and, for a moment, remember
a brief moment of peace long ago. As )'"" rise up, you hear
your si!lter say, ..Thank you..."

Failure: Your sister screams as the Romes engulf her, and
you turn away.

Borch: You scream as yoor sister tnnsforms il\lo a hor·
rible beast that snaps at you, and n Oery aura burns you all
over.

Director

Beginning: All around you, you sec hallways. Corridors
stretch nff in all directions. Doorways line the corridors. Each
doorway has a small red button next to it. Tile burrnns Rash
slowly, on and off. You push a button, nnd ...

Middle: ...one of the doors opens. It leads down anorher
haliW3y, and you follow ot. You catch flashes of terrible scenes
from )'OUr previous life as )'OU pass <he tiny windows in the
oloooi. You hear whispers about you.Someonescrtanl$ om your
name, and you non to identify the O<igin of the sound. Your
turn the comer and discover your Shadow sea<ed •• a desk. He
grins. ..Come in. Plcnse - sit do\Vn, Iwon't bite. Not yet any·
WJy." He o«crs you n scat, unc..l you sit...

End: ...nnd your Shadow smiles as he clicks a bu<ton on n
small box in his hand. '111•0 blinds slowly recede, revealiOJ: rwo of
roor loved onCll hchind two·wny glass. Tiley are both bound nnd
~.and arulowly being lowered inro pirs ofacid. "Quickdcnth
or slow clcaoh!" your Shndow asks you. "\'ilhich one! Choose."

Stocce.!$: You gnob your chairand throw it through the glass,
shanering it. As light surrounds you and you start to move
up~~'3rd, you gmb your loved one and pull her to safety.

Failure: You "TOlle with )<lW'Shadow and throwa chairthrough
ontQ{the window$, whichshaners. Yougrnb)"OUrlovedonc, but, as
yooris<slowly intothcair.)'OU rtalizethat)'OU are holdingodummy
lll3<k to tool< like your lov!:d one. Turning, )'OU see your ocher loved
one's feet disappear into the acid tank below him.

llorclo: You wrestle with your Shadow, who pushes a but·
ron on rhe box in hi> hand. Both of your loved ones drop im·
mediately into their pits of ~cid . Your Shadow laughs as acid
spillsour illto rhe roon1 you're in, burning your feet and follinu
1he room wirh :t11ickly sweet smell.

freaK

llcginninl(: You're in j)ublic, walking down the srreer, a
nameless individual in the crowd. Faceless pcoj)(e walk past
JW. All of a sudden, someone whispers ro you from an alley·
way. A fingercrooks in yourdirection. You rum to look, and...

Middle: ...you sec '"' okl friend of )"OUrS. He gives you a key
and whisper$, "behind the W3rehouse." You h<-ar voices and sec
men with rorches nnd shotguns stalk down the alley, lookiOJ: for
'crearuros" just like yuu. You run. and dley call out your name.

End: ...you n.m behind the warehouse and down to the door.
0pcllilllt thedoor with your key, you se:e a whole bunch ofpeople
jiLl! lrke you, hiding, hunched down, tryillg not to be secll.This ls
where you belong. You co and embrace one of your old friends
and beuin rodallcc. Suddenly, a gtlllshot reverberates throuch rhc
n:)()ln,:mel your friendconvulses in your anns. You whirl around
...and see the men with torche.• •tanding in the stairway, laugh·
irog at you, callins: you awful things, their guns leveled at you.

SucceS$: You scream in anger at the men with guns, who
5tand there looking befuddled. They step back. Your anger is
like fire. You step forward, rising up. surrounded by lighr. You
tell rhcm rn ~ocr the hell out and never come back. One by one
they leave, and as you me up, )'OU sec others standing up and
shouting out their rage.

F:oilurc: Yc•onttnck the men.One by one, they empty their
shoccuns Into you. As you rise up in a nimbus ofcrimson lis:ht,

you realize that the ones you left behind arc cowering as they
laugh at their own fear.

Botch:Yoo nl1lltk the mob. but somehow they're on \'OU. They

crnb you, calling \'Ott "Freak," and C3ny you OUtSide. There's~ flrt
there for you,and rhey lash you to astake. They hold a brond co d~e
kindling. and you scream as the flame< begin tosear your~

Leech

Beginning: You're sitting down co a bountiful feasc. h's
eleeant and tasty; evcl)'thing on th" roble is something rhac
you love to eat. It's all there for you. Then, you hear romeone
call ing you in the next room...

Middle: ...you sec your Shado'v there, lying on the bed,
demanding to be fed, complaining, saying tha< you don't u.re
about him, that you only care abour you~lf. You bring him
food and drink, and try to nuff his pillows, but nothing is
enough. Still he complains, whining, demanding, griping...

End: ...uncil, flnally, he stops and plaintively asks if you re·
ally care about him.And bow you plan to shoo• him. And then he
asks you to feed him some more, nnd youdo, and l'"'' begin to feel
empty inside. You realize he's sucking your wul fTom your body.

Success: Finally, indignantly, you throw down the scn•ing
my. You take a piece of bread for yourself, and as the light

' surrounds you and you begin to rise, ymo see your Shadow
:;cream in pure jealousy and rage.

Failure: You cram more and more food into the Shadow's
hideous mouth. Finally he gets ovenealous. You secream as he
clamps down on your fingen and bites them off.

Botch: He eats more and more. .(lnd you soon run out of
food. Finally, the Shadow opens his maw and begins to take
bites out of your Oesh - but you are cold and dead. You feel
no pain and can only watch in hormr as he consumes you.

Martyr

Beginnine; You're on an airplane.. thousands offeet in che
air. Suddenly, shots ring out, ~nd a masked Lcrrori.r &rorms
throuRh the plane...

Middle: ...stnnding up, you offer youl'$elf as a hostage, co
protect the other innocent$ on the plane. Titc gunman draes
you up to the Oi~t deck. One of the llighr crew secreams nnd
breaks free, pushing and kicking at che terrorist. You scc1tim .
lower his machine gun, and you step in from of the bullets...

End: ...you feel hot lead rip through you as you fall for·
ward. Blood sprays everywhere. The terrorbt steps oveq'OU...

Success: ...and you see remorse in his eyes. As you ore
surrounded in light and begin to rise up, you realize that you
did nor die in vain. Your death had a lastin& effect on him.

Failure: ...and you see that )'OUT death was meanin;less.
He unloads the rest ofhis clip into the crew member and stalks
down rhe aisle, looking for more victims.

Botch: ...~nd you realize dmt, somehow, you're still ~live. So

I'""""'Jupagain.and again you gcrshm. At!'tin you stand. Again,

rou gcr shot. You take the bullets for everyone on the plane. Fi·

nall)•, in :m orgy nf .w:lf-dc:.truction, l'OU make your way ro the

""""""'doorand slam it open. You leap out into nodlingn=

~lonster

lk'l!inning: You're comfort•hly ensconced in your bed,
durchmg the covers aroulld you. You look at the shadows on
tht wall, and rhe1• •lowly bt.--gin to mo,•e...

Middle: ...all around rhe bed, tentacles whip and writhe.
One of the tcntack-s lashes out for your teddy bear, l(ra~ it,
and yanks it away. Ynu wub nt the teddy be~r. trying to Sllvc it,
and more tentacles wmp :1rmand yuu. They begin to drng you
of(the bed. You scream, but you know no one will hear you...

End: ...you gcr up, wrc11ch your teddy 3WO)', and mn rm.,lnl
tht light swirch. One of the monster'• tentndes snares )'00, and

Y'••trip aud (all. The tentacles pull you closer; you stmin a~ainsr

\'OUrslimy bonds. You rend1 out to flick the switch,and...

Success: ...you nick iron. Light floods the room.The monster

''""i!I>CS, lc·•,•ing onlyn tmil ofslime, as l""·' rise up into the light.

Failure: ...you nick un the light, and it illuminares the
most terrible mon.su:~r ynu'vc ever seen. You scream in horror,
dropping your teddy benr. The l~st thing you """'· save for n

wrlthint; net of slimc·cUvcrcd temncles, Is your teddy sitzling

In the ncld of the thing'• body.
Botch: ...a tentacle gr.~~ yoor hand jw.t as you uy. Another

ttnt:~Cie, then ancxhcr, then another. then another... covering\'WI'
~holebody, dragging you :lCroSS the floor tO thegaping, open beak.

rarent

lkginning: You're with the most beautiful person you've
.....,. bt."'" with, and it's going well. You stan to get intimate,
and suddenly rhe door to your room fliu open...

Middle: ...your P:lrcnr Shadow stands there,a look ofdi•·
•l>i>rovul on his face. l ie screams at your lover to get out, and

}'Our lover v:mishcs. T hc1·c is no reasoning with h im. He cnr-
rits you upstairs ro '\v:uh your mouth out''. ..

End: He fills a sink with water and wn:stlcs\'OU into place,
thnt!ttng your head under the water. The soapy,..,.,., fllls)'Our
mouth, ~nd he bring• your head up again. "Are you ever coing
to be with that nasty person ~sain?" he scrcruns.

Success: You spilt he water out at your Shadow, covering
his (nee in soap. He scrc;uns in rage ns you begin to rise up,
tk11\llnding that you "come right b.1ek down here." He is still
Kretming as you k-:wc.

f':lilure: You shokc your head slowly. "No," you mutter. Your
l'flrcm smiles and s.1ys, "Th~r'.s more like my baby." He <nrries you
into n lx:droom and >Imps you to d1c bed. "Nighty·Night," the
Pnrrnr says, and shuts our the light. You nrc utterly alone.

Roteh: You "'Y "Yes!" throujth. mournful ofsoapy water. but you feel chat it's of no concern, and say ;o. As }'OU use up
Your Parent backllamls you, sendon; you reeling into the wall. into the light, rour Shadow h<~:ins unraveling his own suit.
He bc)(ins [0 rccire a lir:my o( ~Vrl')' b.1d, dirty, terrible thinx
thnr you've ever done, all the wllile !(rubbing your heod and Failure: Yo;r ntg on !he thread. It seems to be stuck. Yuu mg
thrusting you underd,c wHtcr agnin... :md again... and again.
:~gain. lr starts to come throul(h, and ~rou can feel that thi<is a
You feel ~~our life rlrai n from you"$ the water fills your lungs. pretty important thread. lr seem< tO wind its way throu~h \'OUI
entire suit. You pull on It again, and it comes entirely free. TI1cn,
perfectionist lookingdown, you realize dun your cnrire suir has come~"'1rt nnd
is pooled around your ankle<. You look at !he Shadow, who >.1)'>,
Beginning: lr's rhe morning of your big interview. Every· "I'm afraid weMve noopenings for \'OU right now, sir,'" and lcowcs..
thin~ hM to be perfect. You go to tile mirror and check your
suit to see how I'OU luok... &tch.: You t\lg on the tlm.-...J, and n nps comple!el}· out. Yoo
find another one, and an<>ther """· until fmallr \'OU're ~
Middle: ...and you look perfect - except for one >Lrdy wtrh unraveling}'OUr domes.The inrervie"-ercalmI)•watd><:> 100
and men beginsgoingovcr )'OUT resume while \'011 pull 001 !hrt:><JS.
thread, which rou pull away. So you ~·· inm the taxicab- He brings up cvCI)' small mi.rake thot you've ever made, nnd you
rc•lize,suddenly, that you won't be getting the jobat all. In facr.al
nnd halfway to your inu.:rvicw, )'lm find ~mother thrtnd. You the Shadow gleefully 1clls you, you've heen blacklisted frorn your
~ul l it out. Anmher one. And still more threads, sprouting elllirc industry. Looking up, you realize that everything is flawed.
from your suit like black weeds. nnd rhar the gre3tt$t flaw Is your continued existcn<:-.:. TI1c end of
the thread is attached to your flesh, "nd yoo begrn ro rear ir awoy...
End: You reach your intcrv1cw after throwing a handful of
thrc•Js in !he mtsh. Your Shadow is !here,seated behind the d.:sk. pus~er
As }'<>ll walk in, you realize that an entire 'mil of !he mom 1s a
giant mirror, one designed cunnongly ro sho"· eve!)• part of }'OU. Beginning: You're at a really nice P""i'• and you feel great.
You havcn'tcvcn !houghrofalcohol. Yousi1down on the couch
You lx:gin !he inrervtew and look down at }'OUrsleeve. A thn:ad! and realite that someone's left on emire boule of cxpcnSI\'C

Sue~: You ignore tile tilread, c:onccnmt<ing on rhe in·
tcrview at hand. Your Shauow cnnsrnnrly brings up the thread,

whiskey righc there in front of you. You see a glass with ice in the midst of it you realize that this is what you w<>nt, to feel
cubes sparkling next to it. Your hand srorts to shake... the white fire and to burn up in it. You fall over, and the last
thing you remember is your Shadow smiling at you.
Middle: ...you reach out co rake the glass, and then some-
one offers you a mirror with cocaine on it. You re.ach for rhat, ~ationalist
roo, 3nd someone offe~ you a remote control, which he sticks
in your hand. You're trying to experience everything. Some~ Beginning: You're roaring down ;1 winding rm1d hue at
nisht, feeling the exhilaration of speed as the car responds to
one is stuffing food in your mouth... your slightest touch. Suddenly your headlights illuminate...

End: ...and you realize that you're the only onedoing any- Middle: ...a child numing along utc mltl. She cuts in front
thing, that you're drinking and snortingand eatingand watch- ofyou, and you nm ·right over her. You hit the brakes and skid to
ing the TV alone, while rhe rest of rhe party has long since astop. Gettingout, you see the child'scrumplcd bod)' on the road.
left. Your Shadow stands next to you with ahypodermic needle,
s.1ying, "Come on, g\ty. let's really bum it up..." End: Your Shadow, a "friend o( ~~ours" sct&tcd in the car
nex[ to you, says. lfGo on, nobody saw you. Let's just lc(lve."
Success: You gmb the need le from him and throw it across
the room. Standing, you throw of all of the other crop and run Success: You get in the car, pull our the c<>r phone, and
for thedoor. As you run through the open doorway, rising up dial the number of the local police. Titcy arrive and put you in
into the light, you hear your Shadow say, "Ym1'll be back..." handcuffs for the crime. As you ascend into the Sh3dowlands,
your Shadow shakes his head in disbelief.
Failure: You grab the needle from him and plunge it inro
your ann. You feel the white fire dancing through you; you feel Failure: You gc.r backin thccHr,close thcdoorandsay, "Noone
ilwinciblc. Your Sh:.1dow leads youover ro awindow and whispers has to know." Your Shadow agrees. You drive off into the darkness.
one word in your ca.r: "Fly."You run toward the window, throwing
you~If through it. You fall, endlessly falling, into the dark. Botch: You get back in the car and drive off. You're driv-
ing fast on a high mountain road. Your Shadow tells you to
lXn<:h: He plunges the needle into your heHn, shooting bear left, and youdo so. Your car nics off the side of the moun·
thewhite fire directly into your blood,and you scream in pain rain, spinning end over end, and crashes in a deep gorge.
Mit burns all over you. He plunges another, and another, and,

.\·'•I .. I '
.1.1
'\
I 11I ,~

~

I

·,I ~

I

I

'

. '7 ~

Understanding doo nor cure evil, bw ir is a definite l•elp, inas-
much as one can cope wirh a comprehensible difficulry far more
easil)· than with an incomprehensible darkness.

-Carl Jung, Preface ro Psyche & Sy1Jibol

his chapter discusses lhe different ways a chatacter ~lopment
character can change during the course of
a chronicle. It des<:ribes many different sys- od,''n Ha.sidic ma.n. er rema·rketl, fldid nm SCI)'
rcms for resolving changes to characters, rlwr 'it lv<lS Rood' aftercreating man; rhis indi-
cares rhar t~hile rhe caule and everytlting else
whether 1he change in quesrion is the ac· werefinished ofter beingcreared, man was nor
cunH.1Iation of experience or the accumu· finisl•ed.•
Iarion of wounds.
-Erich Fromm, You S/wJI Be As Gods
This chapter is divided into rhree sections, each of which
discusses anumbcl' ordifferent systems for implementing char- This section discusses the ways a char·
aC[Cf changes. Ch:.uactcr Dcvclopmcru describes how Traits accercan increase (or decrease) in power and abilities.
can increase (and decrease). Physical Srates includes systems
for injuries and recovery from injuries. Mental States includes Experience points
sysrems forrhe Fog, the Shroud and additional information on
Tr.tnscendence. Humans arc lc~mling machines, and we learn constantly
- ~Imost de$plte ourselves. By acquiring not only facts and
One of the most exciring things about playing charactcl'll figures, but new ways of being, we cnn make ourselves imo
is seeing them change over Lime. Watching a character de~ wh:;.t we want to be. Change occurs in wraiths as well.
velop ~nd grow is like watching a child grow up before your
eyes. In Wraith. however, development doesn't always mean During a story. ch~rnccers learn manythings. Much of whnc
Lhccharacter gets better. h o(ren means the character slowly they lcam is not the type of thing that can be recorded on
and steadily sinks into the <1byss. Such is the nature of this character sheets, but rather something the playerssimply keep
game. Focus on getting better ~nd surviving the rough periods, in mind. They may have learned never co leave a Nihil
and tr\'to appreciate the l:lrtiscic impact of losing your human· ul\watched o r never to walk into a dark alley wirh a light be-
iry oryour mind.
hind rhcm. Sometimes, however. whac characters learn can be
This is ach:~prer o(permutations, not n._tles. There is norh~ recorded.
ing conwined in the next several pages thac you need to know.
only things you 1nic:hl wam ro know.

At the end of each story. the Storyteller a1V'dtds experience • One point - Acting: 1l1c player mlcpl:.ycd well -
not just enrertaini"lll\', bur appropriately. Award for exceptional
points to each e:hnmctcr, nonnally giving rhe same amount to roleplaying only; your smndards should get illcrensingly higher.
each one. Tile plnycn~rhcn simply record how many expe,·iencc
poinl'llrheyg<~ined. Experience pointscan be used to increase Tmill<. In most cases, award this only to the person whn did rhe best
The cost for raising Trairs varies wic.k:ly; sec the chart below for
specifics. 1l1c c.uot i.l nlmnst always ~ on the present rating roleplaying in the troupe.

times a certain number. Thus, if the character has an Alcnncos • One point - Concept: The player nctcd out her
character's concept very well.
"'""''·.rJJII mtingof2, and the player wants to r•isc It to3, it costs l'oorexpe-
• One point - Hcroi•m: \Vhen acharncter risks herseff
rience points to do so. If rhe charocter does not have the Trait at for od1cn, such as when she suffers multiple disn1;>tions of her
Corpus fighting offspectres while the rest of the Circle c.<caflC',
all, the C05t is listed ns n •'new"' Troit. A TmiL can only be mist-d give her nnexpcricnc<: poil tt. Don't lctchamcrcnJ t~1kc advanmge
one dot per story - never more. of this; there is a fine line hetween heroism and stupidity.

As the Storyteller, you should nm let a player spend her End of Each Story
experience pomrs tn roise any Tmit she wishes - it's a liulc
more involved tht'ln that. The increased Trait mun be some· At the end of each muy, you c.1n assign each player one
thing the character had a chance "' lcnrn or use during the to three cufdirionol experience points over and 11lxwc the one
story - either the chnr•ctcr achieved great success throuRh to five points enrned for completing the chaprcr.
usc of the Trait, orshe made a big mistake from which she can
learn. In the case of Willpower, somcthlnc must have actually • One point - Succc•s: T he Circle succeeded in its im·
occurred to bolster rhc character's self-<:onlidencc. mediate mission or go:~l. Perhaps it was noL n complete sue·
cess, but at least a mnrginal victory was achieved.
You should only allow Trait increnscs if they have been or
c:m be woven imo the story. At the very lea.<r, changes need to • One point- Danger: The cha.rocter experienced great
danger during the story and survived.
make sense in terms nf the story and not simply be changes the
player makes bccnuse she wnnrs her chnroctcr robe accm1in way. • One point - Wisdom: The plaj•cr (am! thus the char·
This experience system can be as realbtic '" you make it. The nccer) exhibited grcuL wits nr resourcefulness, or c;unc up with
>Ill idea rhat enabled rhe Circle to succeed.
more you force the playcn; m make sense ofthelrtxperiences, the
more charncrer development as a whole is furthered. I( you w:mt to nwnt'd even more points, rhu~ allnwing rhe
characters to develop even more quickly, simply invent new
Awa~ing Experience points categories in which to award experience. These c:nn even \'al)'
from story to story, and can be based on the spec1flc circum·
The o/Mr o man grows, the more mysterious life beccnne.• ro smnces of that story.
him. Wle sometimes say ro a your/, rl•ut when he grows up he will
know more, but t/tat is a hnlf·rrurll. In general ,an increasing cx/)<- personality Development
rieru:e of lift only du/)tns the sense ofiu mystery.
A man is exactly whm he has •no& himselfand wh<tr he rhm-
- I larry Emerson Fo.dick, Ri•IC'TSitlt Sermons
fore~tobt .
Assigning expenence points requires a careful balance
berween rewarding the players and maintaining game balance. - Franklin ~rton, The BIIQgaiiOd·Gua
If you follow the guidclil\es below, you prohnhly won't get Into
too much truublc, hut feel free to experiment as you see fot. A cllllrdctcr's personality can changt over the course of

End of Each Chapter rhe chronicle, but for the most pare, the chan~tc> occur <hrough
roleplaying and not simply by changing rhc character sheet.
Give each characrer one to five experience points at the for inscnncc, dmn•ctcr moriv:.~rions ch::mgc widl the pc'lssing
end ofeach chapter {game session). One point is given whether o( rime. Deciding when and how a charnctcr's motivations
or not the C ircle succeeds or fails, as a funcrion ofsimply par- change can add great depth to roleplaying. Hmvcver, when a
ticipating (rcnlcmhcr, somc[imes we le::-rn despite ourselves). character's Dcmeannr or tn1e Nature changes. the change
should be recorded on the character sheet. No aspect of per·
• One point - Automatic: Ench pln~~cr gets one puint sonality can change through the use of expenencc points.
after every game session.
Demeanor
• One point - Learning Curve: The character learned
something from hi.lexperienc.sduring the chapter. Ask the pla)'Cr Though the Demeanor listed on the dmmcter sheet is sim·
to describe what hischaracter leanled before l"•••ward r.he point. ply the way dlc chamctcr m<><r commonly presentS herself, it is
no< an absolute srancl1rd ofbehavior. Changing the Demeanor of
a character may help the player focus on the dlll•lgC in pcr.;onal·

ity. Aplayer may chan&oc hischaracter's Demeanorat any poult in increasing ana Decreasing Traits
me game, but should either tell the Stor,~eller he has done so or,
prefembly, make it evident through his roleplaying. The costs for pennanently raising the Traits list(.'(] below
are listed on the Experience Chart.
Sometimes the Storyteller might suggest the change after
watching the way the character is played, simply as a way of
alerring the player that she has noticed rhe change in person·
aliry. Keep in mind that Demeanor is only a tool the player
uses 10 focus and direct roleplaying. If a change in Demeanor
is called for or seems appropriate, the player should feel free to
go ahead and change it.

Nature

A player may also change hercharacter's Nature, but rules
for cllis are somewhat mote strict than the ones for changing
Dcme:mor. A character's Nature is cenual w who and what
he is- it is the locus ofhis being. A change in Nature is akin
to a change in personality - evctything is different after it
occurs. It should nm be decided on the spur of the moment,
but must be thoroughly considered. The Storyteller should re·
quire the player to roleplay the change over a number ofgame
scssionsja story might even be created around the tumultuous
transformation. Conversely, sometimes it may make sense for
the change ill persollality to occur suddenly, as a reaction to
what has happened to or around the character.

1\aising Arcanos

lr is possible for a wraith to learn Arcanos on his own, btu
it takes longer and I'Cquii'CS more efforr. Jf a wr~ith has the
Mentor Background, he mn)' roll this Background; each suc-
cc« reduces the cost o( learning an Arcanos. For example, a
character with four dot> in Mentor can roll four dice (diOl·
culty 6); each succe"' reduces by one the exp<rience poim CO<It
to gcr rhar Arcanos.

Willpower

Characters can raise their maximum Willpower with ex·
p<rience points; sometimes the Sroryrcller may give a playera
specific chance tn ra ise his Wil lpower. The opportunity toknin
Willpower isa great motivation foa·stories, especially the more
bizarre ones.

When temporary Willpower reaches zero, theShadow will
attempt a Harrowing.

Ifa wraith's p<rmancm Willpowcrdmps ro ,.ro, the wr.~ith
loses all consciousnc.<s and be<:omes a Drone. A Drone is ne1·tr
n rlayer character.

passions

lr gers dark, it geu loatcly
On tltc other silk from yuu.
lt>in• a lor, I findolot,
Cnm rlrrough wit/tout 1()11.

- Kate !lush, "Wuthering Heights"

losing apassion

TI1e Storyteller has complete control over whether nr nnt :a
Passiondiminishes.There arc rwn wa\'~ th:lt !:1 Pa..~ion candiminlsh:

Neglect: If~ wmlth neglects n Passion~ ovc1· time it will
diminish. If the Storyteller feels that a wraith has ncglccuxl
her Passion, he can call for n Pil$1tnn roll (difficulty 9) to sec if
the Pas.,ion raring IS reduced by one. A botch indicates that
two points of Passion are lost.

Narrowing: Tile Hnrrowmg 1s a snul·sc.1rring experience.
Often, a wraith's P:tssion Is the focus, or Quarry. o ( a HarfOII'·
ing. Ifshe fails to resist the horror ofthe Harrowing, her ent ire
Passion Trait mny be ripped away.

Numbing: Many Spectres, especially Shades, hnvc the
power to numb thr spiriwnl 11hcnrt" o( a wraith untl chu:s dam·
age a wraith's Passions. Through a succe..~ful awack, the .spec.·
trc can n.'ducc the wr:tith5 Passion by one. (See Spectres, PI!· 232)

Ifa wraith's Passion is reduced to zero. it \~"J.nUi.hcs :and can
no longer gh•e him Pathoo..11uu tic to his morrnl ltfe has been
.cwrcd. If a wrnlth loses all his Panlons, he immediate!)•slijlS
mtn Obiivion and uoses to bc a character.

Increasing apassion

There are no hard.-and.-fast rules for increasing or gaining Very rarely, a wraith may gain a new Fetter by interacting
anew Passion. Passionsonly increase at the behest of the Sto. with the living world and coming to care forand identify with
ryteller, who must make a decision based on roleplaying and people, places, or things. Although there are no hard-and-fru;t
the circumstances of her chronicle. Passions may not be in· rul~ for chis process, it should generally be easier for a wraith
creased by spending experience points. to g-.tin a person, rather than a place or thing, as a Fetter: the
living are much more important to wr3iths.
Although a player can suggest when a Passion of hers
should be increased, the Storyteller has final say in the matter. Backgrounos
There is110 attached roll: theStoryteller simply tells the player
Background Traits never change through the use of expe-
to mise the Trait. Experience points need nor. be spent on the rience points. Changes to Background Traits happen during
the normal course of events in the chronicle. Evennmlly, the
Passion. Storyteller will note the changes, and the ch~racter's Traits
l11e Storyteller should permit a Passion's increase only in will increase (or decrease) app.-opriately. A player may wish to
ask the Storyteller if one of her character's Background TraitS
extreme circumsranccs. after a major even_t in che character's should be changed, bur this should nor be done coo often.
existence. The increase should make sense in terms of the Pas-
sion and the character. The Storyteller may design a list of things charoccers must
accomplish in order to increase each Background Trnit, nnd
Gaining aNew passion the players may or may not be shown the list. To gain a new
Contact, for example, a wraith has to find the right subject
A wraith may gain a totally new Passion only by becom- and befriend him.

ing involved wirh the living world and interacting wirh the For the most pare, &ckground·ra ising decisions take place
over the course of a story. Backgrounds generally increase one
living. The Storyteller decides when a new Passion is gained, dot at a time, but major victories or upsets in nstory can lc:ad
although a player may choose not co accept the offer of a new ro the gain or loss of more rhan one Background clot ac a time.
Passion if she docs not feel that the Passion is warranted. The •
new Passion cannot be meed greater thm' 3, but may be in-
creased from there. Injury

fetters Here's a quick imf>ression for you: Caw! Caw! Caw! BANG!
Oh, fuck! l'm dead!
Givt nu life
Give me pain - Top Dollar, The Crow
Give me myself again. Wraiths arc paradoxical in chat they are both fragile and
incrediblyresilient. Even though there are many different ways
-Tori Amos, "Little Earthquakes" that a wraith con be injured, only one Trait deals with injury:
Corpus. A wraith's Corpus is the shell o( plasm that surrounds
losing afetter and protects her Psyche. A player records injuries by marking
off levels of Corpus, signifying damage co that body.
The Storyteller has complete control over whether or not Unlike humans, who lose blood, visccrn, and viwl orgnns
aFetter diminishes. There are three ways that a wraith may when they are damaged. wraiths lose substantiality- physi·
looc a Fetter: cal coherence. When a wraith's Psyche is no longer protected
by her Corpus, it becomes cx<remcly fragile and susceptible ro
Destruction: If a wraith's Fetter dies or is destroyed, she the pull that Oblivion exerts over all things.
looes her connection to that Fetter immediately. For this rea·
son, most wraiths seck m protect their Fetters. Corpus States

The Harrowing: A wraith's Feuer might be the Quarry Material: This state is accessible only through use of the
ofa Harrowing.11'e entire Fetter can be lost if the wraith fails
the Harrowing. Embody Areanos. A Material wraith is made ofsolidified spiri·
cual energy. When injured in this state, the wraith takes nor•
Rending: A Spectre, particularly a Shade, can rend a mal damage and suffers penalties to Dice Pools (pg. 200), just
wraith's Fetter, thus reducing its rating by one. as though she were a physical being (of course, the soak roll
still applies- sec Combat in Chapter Nine).
If n wraich's Feuer is reduced w zero, it no longer binds
him to chis world. If a wraith loses all her Fetters, she can no
longer operate in the Shadowlands: she can only stay there for
afew mint1tcs at the very most. \Vrniths without Fetters should
either find a "safe" residence in the Tempest or emigrate to
Srygia or some other realm within it.

--_',

Corporeal: This state is the normal sr~te of the wo1oith as Healing
she exists in rhe Shadowhonds. When damaged in this stare
"through the Shroud," i.e., by anythinll from rhe living world, Luckily for wniths, their ghosrly shells don't require much
the wrairh l=s one Corpus l<:\•cl and suddenly becomes In· maintenance. and chey may cnnvert theirown Pathos energy
corpore~! (sec below). A Corporeal wraith injured in the into Corpus. By spending n point of l'udms, >t wraith con re·
Shadowlands receives normal Corpus clunmge but does not gain nne ofher lost Corpus Levels (only one point may be thus
become Incorporeal. spent per turn). Using <he Arc.1nos known as Usury can abo
restore a wmith's CArpus. A wroith may :tlso he.1l Corpus Lev~
Incorporeal: When a wrnhh is Corporeal and is damaged cis hy Slumbering. n,e Slumbering character will fade imu
by an object in rhc living world, he becorncs lncorpore~l with one of her Fetters for eight hou,... The plnyer then mils 1he
respect ro the living world. Thisalw·• ys com a level ofCorpus. chamcter'sStanuna (difficulty 6): thechamcrcr healsone level
His form immediately becomes misty ~nd indistinct. Thissrare of nnnaggravated damage for <-ach success.
lasts for a number of norm equal to his Stamina.
Aggravated Damage
Destruction: When a wraith lose• all his Corpus, he is
immediately sucked imo the Tempest. n,ere is n strong chance Ccrrnin cre;1tures and items damage wraiths .so $C\'Creh•
that his Shadow will drag him into the Lubyrinth and there rhat rhey CannOt easily ref"llr the damage. n1ese injurocs,
bc~in the nightmarish experience called the Harrowing (sec known as aggnwntccl wounds,ore commonly inllicu:d by 1nagl·
The H(m'()wing, pp. 184). It ''possible that over tl1c course of calwcapotts (both in the living world and rhc Shadowlnnds).
the Hnrro"tin~, the wrailh may discorpomtc, passing on to weapons made ofSty~ian steel, nnd the claws and teeth uf>p<.'<·
Oblivion and ceasing to be a playable chnractcr. If a wraith «ts and other foul crcanti'C$. Several Arcanos powet> al50 have
:,urvivcs the Harrowing, he is drn\vn ixtck to one ofhis Fcncrs:, the potential ro damage wraiths (Sec Oumoge and Us11ry. pp.
where his Corpus rc·fonns. When this happens, he begins with 161 :md 170). The Storyteller may declare any particulurly
a number ofCorpus Levels equal to his Suomina rating. severe injury to be aggravared.

When an aggrnvot«< wound is inOict«<, the player must

cross off one Corpus Level per level of l!AAnlvatcd damage. Occ.'slonnlly, charocters will fall. Use the chort below to
AJ«ravatcd damage "'"I' be rcpair<-d only thmu~:h Slumbering colculate damoge. Note that damage from fallin~t is never con-
and rhe expenditure of three Pathos pet day. Healing one ag·
sidered ••through rhc Shroud"i falling wrairhs acru;;tlly irnp;acr
grovatcd wound requires eight hours ofSlumber or meditation

(sec Lhc Mc<litatinn Abil ity on pg. 127). the material of the Shadowlands. Also note that there is no

If a wrahh loses a total of 10 Corpus Levels because of consmm gravity in the Tempest; at any Aivcn momcm, falling
aggrnvat«< damage. she immediately t01nblcs into Oblivion. dam~c may be more or less than in the Shadowlands.
The chumctcr is deemed dcmoycd, and the player must create
Oi$t•nce (in feet) Injury
anew c.hamcrer.
5 One Corpus Level

&lurces of injury l0 Two Corpus Levels
20 Three Corpus ~vets

Despite wr;'liths' resilience, there nre mnny ways to harm 30 Four Corpus Levels
them. Son>C 111'C shared with ami readily understandable by 40 Five Corpu~ l..c, •cls
mortals; n1 her~ nrc S('lecific ro wrniths. The~e sources of injury SO Six Corpus Lev-els
are described below. 60 Seven Corpus Level>

Characters, huma11 or wraith, can make SLamina rolls . ..and so on, to a maximum of 10 Corpus Levels.
(difficulty 6) 10 "stxtk"damage. Each succcsstndtcarcsone fewer
Corpu$ Level (or Health Level, in the case of non-wraiths) is fire

lost. Each botch means an additiot\allevel is lost. Fire is hazardous to mortals, and can inJure wrairhs when
ignited In rhe Shadowlands. Fire in the living world c:m hurt
Physical objecno in rhe world of rhe living can harm wraiths "through the Shroud,• but, like any O[her sort of physi·
'1111irhs, provld«< rhat the object could have harmed them in cal da&uagc from the living world, iL simply c:1usc,s them to go
life. n>crcfore, because min, snow and Nerf ArrowstormT~
arrows ~:~rc ntlt hHnnful m the living, rhey do nor d::1mage wraiths Incorporeal. Fire in theSh~dowlands. also c~lled barrow·Oame,
ci1her. On the other h~nd, unfriendly COI\tnCt with an oncom· always causes aggravated damage to wraiths a11d therefore can
ing tn1ck, bullet or sword - decidedly hnrmfulthings- rc· poLcmially destroy them. Barrow-llamc l!xists solely in the
suiLS ill the loss of a Corpus Level and rhe remporary Underworld and as such cannot horm the living. It functions
jusr M flredoes in the world ofthe Quick, sove f()( the fact that
incorpnr""lity of the wraith.

Combat it is cold rather than hot. It is said that lxtrrow-Oame is fed
with the power ofOblivion.

Combat wounds arc de-alt with at length 1n rhe Mdu and Any sl.e Aame can potentially harm acharocter. The player
Firefight •ectlons of Chapter Nine. Each succo« on an may roll a number of dice equal to the cl1nrocter's Stamina
rating again>L Lhc difficulties liSLcd below. 11tc pla)•cr must roll
oppone11t's clnmnge roll causes the character LO lose one Cor· e~ch rum rhc ch:u::.c{er is in rhe names to see if she c..1n resist
the damafie. If the roll fails, the character tokes from one to
pus level. Remember r:h:u dHmazc from an ;ur:.1ck ;across the three Health Levels of darnagc (sec Lhe sccuml chart below),
Shrourl (from the living world) merely results in the assump·
while if the roll succeeds, the charocter takes one fewer Health
tion of the l11corporenl state.
Level of domage per success than she normally wo.,ld. If rhe
~in..:arms wurk normally, bur: firc:s and other chemical re~ roll is botched, the character is hannd in liiOmc sp<:cial way-
acuoru produce no heat in the Shadowlnnds.

perhaps •he loses her eyesighr or her limbs are maimed.

Many Sry~lan we;~pons are forged from the peculiar alloy Difficulty Heat of Fire
called dnrksteel. Developed by Nhudri, the Oral\d High Arti· 11uec Heat of a candle (flrn·dcgrcc bums)
fleer, durkstccl is an aHoy of Stygian Irem :mel wr~ilh plasm Five Hear of a torch (second-degree bums)
Seven Heat ofa Bunse11 burner (third-degree burns)
that is reportedly tempered in the stuff of Oblivion. It bites Heat of a chemical fire
deep into wraiths' Corpus bodies, causing a~gravaLcd damage. Nine Molten Metal
Wrailh$ who usc Uarkstccl to ::&r:mck other wrairhs ofcen gain Ten Size of Fire
Wounds Torch; part of body burned
Anl}"t poinrs. One

Two Bonfire; halfof body bum«!

Three Raging inferno; entire body burned