When a PC takes a scar, we encourage the player to look deeply at their character, and consider the way they might change throughout the campaign. You might say:

My character was injured and now walks with a limp, so I’m moving a point from Move and putting it into Survey. My character has new mobility constraints and experiences pain, so they will be slower on their feet. They will also be more observant of their surroundings because they want to avoid danger and protect their fellow circle members from harm.

Equally, you might decide:

My character was injured and now walks with a limp, so I’m moving a point from Survey and putting it into Move. My character is afraid of being injured again, so they know how to get out of the way of attacks and are quick on their feet. Because they’re experiencing a new fear as a result of their injury, they’re more focused on moving quickly than staying observant of their surroundings.

When you make choices regarding your character’s injuries, remember: people are affected by harm in a myriad of ways. Disability and mental illness are facets of the human experience and are not convenient narrative beats behind evil actions, or “evil people.” Players should build their characters with care so that they can explore the world of Candela Obscura to the fullest.

Due to the legacy of harmful mental health representation in the horror genre, we would like to clarify: Brain marks represent mental and emotional stress. In the same way a week of long work days, a friend receiving an injury, or witnessing a death (violent or otherwise) would weigh on a person in your world, Candela Obscura members face stressors and traumatic events that impact them beyond the immediate moment. If a character takes a Brain scar, consider how the traumatic or stressful events they’ve experienced will affect them long-term.

Character changes from scars may manifest in a variety of ways, such as:

My character misused a magickal artifact to devastating effect and is now overwhelmed by high-stakes decisions. Because of this experience, they are even more dedicated to becoming a master of their arcane artifacts, and spend all their free time training. I’m going to move a point from Control to Sense, because they are now focusing their studies on the magickal rather than the mundane.

Or:

My character saw a beast explode out of an innocent civilian. They are now confronted with their own mortality and are hesitant to confront the danger they once eagerly faced. This experience has also made them especially protective of their fellow circle members, so now they create meticulous plans for every situation. I’m going to move a point from Strike to Survey because they are slower to action, and more observant.

Or:

My character failed to save a friend from magickal harm. In their state of grief, they exhibit outbursts when they feel out of control. At the same time, they’re incredibly empathetic, and after this experience they’re especially good at talking with witnesses. Because my character is too distracted after their loss to behave subtly, I’m going to move a point from Hide to Read, as they can now connect more deeply with others.

In our experience, roleplaying “insanity” is neither ethical nor mechanically viable. Scars—especially Brain scars—should be understood as a change, never a lessening.

While Bleed scars may seem removed from this discussion, you should treat them with similar care. The addition of magick does not make the experience of harm any less human. Furthermore, we often analogize what we don’t know—rituals from other cultures, sacred rites, and practices from traditions that aren’t our own—to be “strange” or “mystical.” When crafting the magick in your game, we ask you to design with empathy. Every table is different, and many may not appreciate having deeply sacred symbols, artifacts, and rituals fictionalized.

My character witnessed something terrible and, in retaliation, a monster cut the pupil of their eye in half. They now see mysterious apparitions overlaid on the mundane world. They are afraid of this change in themselves, but don’t feel safe telling anyone about it, for fear of endangering an innocent person. I am going to move a point from Focus to Sense, because they now have a harder time perceiving details, but can see supernatural phenomena they never noticed before.

See the following chart for examples of scars.

Candela Obscura’s fight against the corruption of supernatural forces is an allegory for the fight of good, everyday people against the corruption within the world. The mechanics of marks and scars within Candela Obscura are straightforward, but the legacy of mechanizing how people experience harm and disability within the horror genre is not. For each mark, but especially when taking a scar, it is of vital importance that players make choices that serve a nuanced narrative over basic rules.

The idea of “permanent scars” does not align with the modern understanding of healing trauma. But just like you, consider that your character cannot begin the process of tending to deep physical, mental, and even magickal trauma until they are in a safe place for an extended period of time. Over the course of a campaign, your circle should experience only brief moments of respite—this is a challenging game of horror. If you want to see your character heal from scars they’ve taken, you might choose to play a different character for some time and return to this one down the road when they’ve had a chance to recover. Work with your GM to decide which scars they could have healed during this time away.

Above all: make choices that will facilitate the story, while keeping the well-being of your fellow players in mind. To best explore this world of magick and monsters, we urge you to build and play your characters prioritizing specificity, humanity, and compassion.

Strixyn: Its mouth splits down the throat allowing it to swallow large animals whole. The tongue is barbed and will whip it around to ensnare prey.

-I’ve only heard stories about these. Did you see one?

-Yes, she nearly took my arm on the western cliffs. I have one of her teeth in my office.