Description
Beneath the Endless Steppe and its shining Six Viziers lies a dark mirror, the Underworld and its Six Demon Princes. Each Prince marks a chosen few of their followers, granting them otherworldly powers in exchange for the occasional favor.
The 30-Second Version
Don’t want to read it all and just wing it? Do the following:
- Reduce your Refresh by 1
- Pick which Demon Prince’s brand you bear, and take the aspect Branded by <Demon Prince>.
- Describe where the mark is on your character’s body
- When you use a skill associated with that mark, your efforts are magical, more like deeds out of legend than mundane efforts. This does not translate into a bonus, but it just means a generally more awesome outcome, depending on the situation.
- The Demon Princes and their associated skills are:
- The Walker of Shadows: Stealth, Deceit
- The Juggernaut: Physique, Athletics
- The Baron in White: Lore, Contacts
- The Whisper in your Ear: Empathy, Rapport
- The Seer of Secrets: Notice, Investigate
- The General of Hell: Provoke, Fight
Mechanics
Skills
As an add-on to the Six Viziers system, this too assumes a fantasy leaning, although not necessarily the standard European / pseudo-medieval one.
The Demon’s Mark
If your character is marked by a Demon Prince, reduce your refresh by one.
Characters marked by a Demon Prince must have an aspect that reflects this. This can be as simple as Branded by the Baron, but if the player has a more complicated relationship with their patron, a name like Watching the Watcher is a great way to account for this.
The Demon Princes will not tamper with one blessed by a Vizier, and the Viziers will not bless a demon-branded without also removing the dark mark. As such, marks by Demon Princes and Viziers are mutually exclusive barring utterly extraordinary circumstances.
The aspect’s exact meaning depends on whose mark your character bears, but there are a few common features. The mark’s location varies, but its appearance is always that of an angry red scar, as if from a branding, in a shape representative of your character’s infernal patron.
There are social elements of being Branded, and they are rarely good: nobody likes the Demon Princes. Some Branded are still valued for their supernatural abilities, but this is at best an uneasy peace. As such, most Branded either hide their mark and abilities, or become outcasts of some sort.
The Walker of Shadows
Skills: Stealth, Deceit
Step Beneath the Veil — If you have a clear line-of-light path to a location, you can attempt to teleport there. Roll Stealth to overcome passive opposition equal to the number of zone borders crossed. - Fail: Nothing happens, or: you arrive sort of near your target and something bad happens (e.g. take a moderate consequence) - Tie: You arrive at the desired location, but you take 2 shifts of mental damage. - Success: You arrive at the desired location. - Success with style: You arrive at the desired location, and you vanish from sight. You get a corresponding boost.
Shadow Step — When you use your Step Beneath the Veil feature, if both your current location and target location are shrouded in deep shadow, choose one: - The passive opposition you roll against is capped at Good (+3); or - Your path can pass through small openings, grates, etc., as long as you can still see the destination.
Never Happened — When attempting to persuade someone:
- that an event did not happen; or
- that you were not present at a particular location and time; or
- that a specific item, person, or location does not exist
you may use Deceit rather than any other skill (even if you are being truthful), and you get a +2 bonus.
The Juggernaut
Skills: Physique, Athletics
Hardened Skin — You have Armor 1 (all physical damage you take is reduced by 1). Does not stack with any armor you may have from equipment or other effects.
Brace for Impact — If you know a hit is coming, you can spend 1 FP to steel yourself and take no physical damage from that hit. You must have at least some warning time, and you must know where and how the hit will land.
Barrel Through — When you use Athletics to move past an opponent or an obstacle, if you succeed, also treat that success as an attack. This means you deal that many shifts of damage to an opponent, or an obstacle like a pile of crates gets smashed to pieces.
The Baron in White
Skills: Lore, Contacts
Speak with the Dead — With a bit of ritualcraft and a few minutes to prepare, you can attempt to converse with the prior owner of a dead body. Roll Lore to overcome, with passive opposition based on how intact the corpse is (minimum Average (+1) for a fresh, intact corpse). - Fail: Nothing happens, or the Baron in White himself speaks from within the corpse. - Tie: The corpse speaks… technically. Good luck convincing it to say anything other than “AAAAAHHHH!”. - Success: The corpse speaks, and you converse as if it were alive again (it does not feel pain from the injuries or decay that the corpse had). - Success with style: The corpse speaks (as above), and is positively inclined towards you.
Friends of the Baron — You may use Contacts to find allied demon cults, Branded, and so on - even if you normally do not interact with them. Additionally, simply showing your Brand may gain you entry to certain clubs and restricted areas.
The Whisper in your Ear
Skills: Empathy, Rapport
Mental Projection — Pay 1 FP to jump into the mind of a mammal you can see. While in this state, you cannot control your body. It remains motionless, except that it stares unblinking at your mind’s current location (i.e. the brain of the mammal you’re possessing). You can stay for as long as you like, but it may not be wise to leave your body unattended for so long. You can jump to another mammal you can see by paying another 1 FP. You can return to your body at any time. You share your host’s senses, but you cannot control their movements or read their thoughts.
Seductive Whispers — While in the mind of a thinking being, you can mentally speak to it. Your host will perceive your words as disembodied whispers in a voice that sounds familiar, but can’t quite be pinned down. Your host cannot answer likewise, but you share their senses, so they can whisper to themselves or just speak out loud. You have +2 to Empathy and Rapport rolls made while communicating in this way.
Whisperer’s Bond — After spending a cumulative 24 hours (one day) in a person’s mind, you form a bond with them that allows you to more easily enter their mind. You can use Mental Projection on that person no matter where you are, and if you can see them, you do not have to pay a Fate Point.
The Seer of Secrets
Skills: Notice, Investigate
Arcane Sight — You can see, hear, touch, or otherwise sense all forms of magic.
Dreamer’s Revelation — You can seek out prophetic or otherwise helpful dreams from your demonit patron, and unlike everyone else you usually get a helpful response. However, the dreams are always disturbing; take a mild (-2) Consequence on waking.
The General of Hell
Skills: Provoke, Fight
Aura of Terror — Spend 1 FP to gain an aura of terror that lasts for the rest of the scene. Animals with any degree of self-preservation won’t willingly enter your zone you occupy, and will do their utmost to leave. Thinking beings are also terrified, and must overcome Fair (+2) opposition to enter or stay in the zone you occupy.
Gaze of Terror — While your Aura of Terror is active, you can look a thinking being in the eyes to instill fear in them. Mechanically, you can attempt to intimidate them if you can see each other, without exchanging words or gestures. Additionally, if you successfully intimidate an opponent while your aura is active, you may freely invoke the created aspect for as long as your aura remains active.
Legion’s Might — When you succeed on a Fight roll against a melee opponent, you may inflict 2 shifts of mental damage. Note: this applies when you attack and defend. Scary!