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Blades in the Dark

Compendium

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Crew playbook

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Short description of Crew

You're professional murderers—death is your business.

Add xp trigger. When you play this crew, you earn xp when you execute a successful operation of a few specific types. Some examples include: murder, ransom, battle extortion, sabotage, product supply or sale, espionage, theft, acquiring new contraband or sources.

Add questions to personalize the crew. How is the crew distinguished from other similar crews?

Starting upgrades

  • First upgrade
  • Second upgrade

Favored Operations

A list of operation types that the crew may perform. Some possibilities include: murder, ranson, extortion, sabotage, acquisition, consecration, sacrifice, sale, supply, show of force, socialize, burglary, espionage, robbery, smuggling arms, smuggling contraband, or smuggling passengers.

Contacts

A list of five possible contacts for thew crew, along with descriptions of each. Some possibilities include: a gang boss, a deal broker, a noble, a bounty hunter, a merchant, a blacksmith, a physicker, a ward boss, a taver owner, an academic, an occultist, a magistrate, a dilettante, an explorer, a collector, an arms dealer, a drug dealer, an anarchist, or a dock worker.

Questions can include how you know the friend, what they've done for you, what you do for them, and what kind of relationship you have.

Crew upgrades

A list of five upgrades specific to the crew. Some examples:

  • Rigging: You get 2 free load in two of the equipment categories (weapons, implements, supplies, gear, documents, and tools).
  • Prison Contacts: Your Tier is effectively +1 higher in prison. This counts for any Tier-related element in prison, including the incarceration roll.
  • Elite Cohorts (specify type): All of your cohorts with the specified type get +1d to quality rolls for related actions.
  • Hardened: Each PC gets +1 trauma box. This costs three upgrades to unlock, not just one. This may bring a PC with 4 trauma back into play if you wish.
  • Composed: Each PC gets +1 stress box. This costs three upgrades to unlock, not just one.
  • Underground Maps and Passkeys: You have easy passage through the underground canals, tunnels, and basements of the city.
  • Camouflage: Your vehicles are perfectly concealed when at rest. They blend in as part of the environment, or as an uninteresting civilian vehicle (your choice).

Make a Claim Map for the Crew

Sample claims include:

Turf: You require one less Rep to advance in tier (max 6)**.

City Records: You get +1d to the engagement roll for stealth plans. You can use blueprints and other documents to determine a good approach for infiltrations.

Cover Identities: You get +1d to the engagement roll for deception and social plans. False identities help confuse the opposition.

Cover Operation: You get -2 heat per score. The cover of a legitimate operation helps deflect some of the heat from law enforcement.

Envoy: You get +2 coin in payoff for scores that involve high-class clients. This well-connected liaison will help arrange for a better payoff from rich clients.

Fixer: You get +2 coin in payoff for scores that involve lower-class clients. This well-respected agent will help arrange for a better payoff from poorer clients.

Infirmary: You get +1d to healing treatment rolls. The infirmary also has beds for long-term convalescence.

Informants: You get +1d to gather information for a score. Your eyes and ears on the streets are always on the lookout for new targets.

Protection Racket: Any time during downtime, roll dice equal to your Tier. You earn coin equal to the highest result, minus your heat. Some of the locals are terrified of you and will gladly pay for "protection."

Training Rooms: Your cohorts of a specific type get +1 scale. Extra training enables them to fight like a larger gang.

Vice Den: Any time during downtime, roll dice equal to your Tier. You earn coin equal to the highest result, minus your heat.

Victim Trophies: You get +1 rep per score. Word of your grisly "collection" gets around, and your boldness boosts your rep in the underworld.

Fighting Pits During downtime, roll dice equal to your Tier. You earn coin equal to the highest result, minus your heat. The locals love to gamble away their hard-won coin on the blood-sports you host.

Street Fence: You get +2 coin in your payoff for scores that involve lower-class targets. An expert can find the treasure amid the trash you loot from your poorer victims.

Terrorized Citizens: You get +2 coin in your payoff for scores that involve battle or extortion. The frightened locals offer you tribute whenever you lash out. They don't want to be next.

Warehouses: You get +1d to acquire asset rolls. You have space to hold all the various spoils you end up with after your battles. It can be useful on its own or for barter when you need it.

Ancient Altar: You get +1d to the engagement roll for occult plans. Its blessing is with you.

Ancient Tower: You get +1d to Consort with arcane entities on-site.

Offertory: You get +2 coin in your payoff for scores that involve occult operations. The frightened locals offer you tribute when you perform your dark practices. They don't want to be next.

Local Graft: You get +2 coin in payoff for scores that involve a show of force or socializing. A few city officials share bribe money with those who show that they're players on the scene.

Lookouts: You get +1d to Hunt or Survey on your turf.

Luxury Venue: +1d to Consort and Sway rolls on-site. Silks, paintings, and crystal impress the clientele.

Surplus Cache: You get +2 coin in payoff for scores that involve product sale or supply. You have an abundance of product, which pads your pockets every now and then.

Covert Drop: You get +2 coin in payoff for scores that involve espionage or sabotage. The perfect hidden exchange point is worth the extra coin to discerning clientele.

Interrogation Chamber: You get +1d to Command and Sway on-site. Grisly business, but effective.

Loyal Fence: You get +2 coin in payoff for scores that involve burglary or robbery. It requires a skilled eye and good contacts to move stolen goods.

Secret Pathways: You get +1d to the engagement roll for stealth plans. You might have access to long-forgotten underground canals, rooftop walkways, or some other route of your choosing.

Tavern: You get +1d to Consort and Sway rolls on-site. Some booze and friendly conversation can go a long way.

Side Business: Any time during downtime, roll dice equal to your Tier. You earn coin equal to the highest result, minus your heat. What kind of legitimate business is this? How do you get paid in secret?

Crew special abilities

Create seven special abilities for your crew. Here are several examples.

Deadly

Each PC may add +1 action rating to Hunt, Prowl, or Skirmish (up to a max rating of 3).

Each player may choose the action they prefer (you don't all have to choose the same one). If you take this ability during initial character and crew creation, it supersedes the normal starting limit for action ratings.

Death veil

Due to hard-won experience or occult ritual, you don't take extra heat when killing is involved on a score.

No traces

When you keep an operation quiet or make it look like an accident, you get half the rep value of the target (round up) instead of zero. When you end downtime with zero heat, take +1 rep.

There are many clients who value quiet operations. This ability rewards you for keeping a low-profile.

Patron

When you advance your Tier, it costs half the coin it normally would.

Who is your patron? Why do they help you?

Predators

When you use a stealth or deception plan to commit murder, take +1d to the engagement roll.

This ability applies when the goal is murder. It doesn't apply to other stealth or deception operations you attempt that happen to involve killing.

Fiends

Fear is as good as respect. You may count each wanted level as if it were turf.

The maximum wanted level is 4. Regardless of how much turf you hold (from this ability or otherwise) the minimum rep cost to advance your Tier is always 6.*

Forged in the fire

Each PC has been toughened by cruel experience. You get +1d to resistance rolls.

This ability applies to PCs in the crew. It doesn't confer any special toughness to your cohorts.

War dogs

When you're at war (-3 faction status), your crew does not suffer -1 hold and PCs still get two downtime activities, instead of just one.

Anointed

You gain +1d to resistance rolls against supernatural threats. You get +1d to healing rolls when you have supernatural harm.

Accord

Sometimes friends are as good as territory. You may treat up to three +3 faction statuses you hold as if they are turf.

If your status changes, you lose the turf until it becomes +3 again. Regardless of how much turf you hold (from this ability or otherwise) the minimum rep cost to advance your Tier is always 6.

High society

It's all about who you know. Take -1 heat* during downtime and *+1d to gather information about the city's elite.

Pack rats

Your lair is a jumble of stolen items. When you roll to acquire an asset, take +1d.

This ability might mean that you actually have the item you need in your pile of stuff, or it could mean you have extra odds and ends to barter with.

Second story

When you execute a clandestine infiltration, you get +1d to the engagement roll.

Synchronized

When you perform a group action, you may count multiple 6s from different rolls as a critical success.

For example, Lyric leads a group action to Attune to the ghost field to overcome a magical ward on the Dimmer Sisters' door. Emily, Lyric's player, rolls and gets a 6, and so does Matt! Because the crew has Synchronized, their two separate 6s count as a critical success on the roll.

All hands

During downtime, one of your cohorts may perform a downtime activity for the crew to acquire an asset, reduce heat, or work on a long-term project.

Just passing through

During downtime, take -1 heat*. When your *heat is 4 or less, you get +1d to deceive people when you pass yourselves off as ordinary citizens.

Attributes

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