THE SCHOLAR

Some mortals think the magical world holds answers to mysteries or justice for the oppressed. You know the truth: the arcane is a commodity, just like everything else. If you know the right people, you can buy anything. And if you are the right people... then you might be the person selling instead of the person buying.



LOOK (pick as many as apply):
• Ambiguous, Female, Male, Neither
• Human, Dwarf, Elf, Half-Elf, Halfling, Gnome, Half-Orc (half-humanoid killer whale)
• Corduroys and a Button Up, Expensive Clothing, Hoodie and Slacks, Tweed with Elbow Patches

DEMEANOR (pick one): Charming, Cryptic, Shifty, Smug

CHARACTER STATS (Add 1 to one of these):
--Blood -2
--Heart 1
--Mind 2
--Spirit 0

STARTING FACTIONS (Add 1 to one of these):
--Mortality 2
--Night -1
--Power 1
--Wild -1

INTRO QUESTIONS
• Who are you?
• How long have you been in the city?
• What arcane mystery first brought you to the business?
• What habits or comforts does your trade offer you?
• What do you desperately need?

GEAR
• An expensive flat, a steed, a good quality pocket crystal ball, reading glasses
• Messenger bag (pick 1):
----Lucky Bag - When someone searches your bag without your permission, the item they are looking for is not there but instead hidden with your colleagues in your arcane network.
----Unassuming Bag - Your bag disguises any signs and signals that an arcane item may emit. An arcane item placed in the bag is completely undetectable.
----Arcane Bag - The bag itself has an agenda. When you find yourself in a desperate situation, reach into your bag for help. The GM will tell you what item you find...

DEBTS
• You’re someone’s hookup for relics and arcane items. They owe you 2 Debts.
• Someone has been tipping you off to your enemy’s tactics. You owe them 2 Debts.
• You scammed someone out of something rare and priceless they cannot recover. You owe them 3 Debts.

ARCANE NETWORK:
Your arcane network is a collection of powerful and knowledgeable mortals who trade in arcane items, relics, and ancient tomes. Some of their interests are legitimate and above board; others are the stuff of backroom deals and smoky rooms. They don’t trust you. You don’t trust them. That’s business.

Your arcane network has the following features (choose three):
• codes & signals,
• burner pocket crystal balls,
• online messaging boards,
• supernatural bodyguards,
• ritual meetings,
• secret drops,
• a monthly marketplace,
• secluded safehouses,
• a neutral appraiser,
• city guards on the payroll

Make up a name for 3 NPCs:
Whose collection do you covet? ________________
Who keeps things safe for you? ________________
Who do you deal with that suspects you’re scamming them? ________________


When you cash in a Debt with a member of your arcane network to obtain a worthy and useful gift without cost, they must offer you three things. Pick the one you want, but the others will never be “free” again.

When you hit the streets to consult your arcane network, you can roll with Mind instead of Mortality. Mark Mortality as normal. In addition, add this option to the 7-9 list:
• You owe them an object you haven’t yet acquired

When you refuse to honor a Debt to someone to whom you’ve previously sold arcane objects, add this option to the 7-9 list:
• Promise to secure a valuable object for them


YOUR PRIVATE COLLECTION
You have a private collection of ancient tomes, books, and arcane objects that you have acquired over your years of less-than-savory deals. Tell the GM about your most prized possession and what dirty deeds you did to acquire it. When you retreat to your private collection to research an occult occurrence, object, or individual, roll with Mind. On a 10+, pick 3. On a 7-9, pick 1:
• You discover a previously unknown weakness or vulnerability
• You discover a previously unknown resource or ally
• You don’t attract any supernatural attention to your research
On a miss, you discover something terrible in your research that spells doom for you, your friends... or the city itself.


SCHOLAR MOVES
You start with this one:

--Appraisal: When you appraise an arcane object, roll with Mind. On a hit,
ask the MC questions. On a 10+, ask 2. On a 7-9, ask 1.
• What rumors or lies shroud this object’s value?
• What secrets or powers does this object contain?
• Who knows more about this object or its powers?
• Who would want to possess this object?
On a miss, the object is cursed. The GM will tell you what trouble pursues it.

And choose one more move to start with:

--Cowardly: When you abandon someone to escape a situation, roll with Mind instead of Blood.

--Expert Negotiator: When you persuade an NPC by offering an arcane item they need, treat a 7-9 as a 10+ result. On a miss, your offers are accepted as though you rolled a 7-9, but they’ve misled you about their interests in the goods.

--Arcane Detective: When you interview a knowledgeable NPC while pursuing the arcane, roll with Mind. On a hit, they offer you a concrete lead: an important location, supplier, or tome (your choice). On a 10+, you already have a connection in your arcane network that allows you to make good on this info. On a 7-9, the path forward is blocked or precarious for you at this time. On a miss, they tell you little, but your questions put them in grave danger.

--Wielding the Arcane: When you unleash by invoking an arcane item or relic, you may choose to treat your roll as a 10+ without rolling. The item is permanently-- and obviously-- damaged or consumed by this process.






DRAMA MOVES
»Scholar Corruption Move
When you exploit someone’s ignorance of the arcane for personal gain,
mark corruption.
»Intimacy Move
When you share a moment of intimacy—physical or emotional—with another
person, they get a Debt on you...and you have what they desire. Ask them to
name an item they have been seeking; that item has recently turned up in
your arcane network.
»End Move
When you die or retire your character, choose one character to inherit your
collection of tomes and artifacts. They gain the Private Collection move so
long as they care for and protect these arcane holdings.
STANDARD ADVANCES
Advances available at beginning
of play:
b +1 Heart (max +3)
b +1 Spirit (max +3)
b +1 Mind (max +3)
b A new Scholar move
b A new Scholar move
b A move from another Archetype
b A move from another Archetype
b Add two features to your
arcane network
b Change your Faction
After 5 advances you may select:
b +1 to any stat (max +3)
b +1 any Faction (max +3)
b Erase a scar
b Take Channeling and two spells
b Erase a corruption advance
b Advance 3 basic moves
b Advance 3 basic moves
b Retire your character to safety
b Change to a new Archetype
CORRUPTION ADVANCES
b Take a corruption move
b Take a corruption move
b Take a corruption move
b Take a corruption move from another Archetype
b Retire your character. They may return as a Threat
31
Playbooks
CORRUPTION MOVES
b Occupational Hazards: Mark corruption to keep your cool with Mind
instead of Spirit when faced with arcane or supernatural threats.
b In the Bag: Mark corruption after successfully escaping a situation to
reveal that you pilfered an arcane object from the previous scene.
b Don’t Trust Anyone: When someone double-crosses you, mark corruption to reveal how you already planned for their sudden but inevitable
betrayal. You immediately gain the upper hand in the situation.
b Interested Parties: When you are outnumbered, outgunned, or surprised,
mark corruption for a third party interested in your dealings to interrupt
the proceedings. Their intrusion creates an opportunity for you, but you
might be going from the frying pan into the fire.
PLAYING THE SCHOLAR
Cautious, greedy, clever, compromised. The Scholar is the best and worst of
Mortality all at once—a dealmaker and information broker who puts their own
success ahead of pretty much everything else. They know the price of everything…and the value of nothing.
To some degree, you’ve got it all figured out. The city is your marketplace, and
you know the mortals (and supernaturals) who will pay top price for arcane
objects and ancient tomes. You’ve got more than one plan to make a buck
off everyone—even your closest “friends”—but you’re perfectly willing to play
the long game. After all, you can’t spend a dime when you’re six feet underground.
And yet…your unique proximity to power means that you see things, hear
things, know things that might make a difference for this bleeding and broken
metropolis. You live at the fringes of mortal society, and right in the middle of
everything else. Everything that matters.
You got into this business to take care of yourself. But sooner or later you’re
going to start wondering: is that enough?
32
DARK STREETS
»Notes on Your Moves
Appraisal isn’t about recognizing arcane objects when you find them; you’ve
been in the business too long to get fooled by a forgery or cheap trinket.
When you appraise an object, you’re looking below the surface, sussing out
the true nature of the mystery that’s found its way into your hands. You might
need time—or equipment from your private collection—to do the job right,
but you’ll always get to the truth.
When you escape a situation by leaving someone behind, your escape has
to put them in danger for you to use Mind instead of Blood. You aren’t really
abandoning someone when you try to run off and leave them with folks who
are neutral or friendly to them.
Wielding the Arcane results in harm equal to the rarity and power of the
arcane object you sacrifice when you make the move. The MC will tell you
how much damage you do, including any tags that might apply (area, armor
piercing, etc.). In general, small trinkets are no more dangerous than a small
knife (1-harm) and priceless artifacts can bring down a whole gang (5-harm
area ap messy).
Your arcane network is composed entirely of mortals—if someone was a
vampire pretending to be a mortal, you’d know—but that doesn’t mean they
don’t have secrets. The people who buy and sell objects from you are surely
more than they seem, much more than the demons, vampires, and faeries
who peddle favors for a hint of political power.
You’ll obviously need to mark corruption when you mislead an innocent
mortal about the arcane, but remember that lies to supernatural creatures
(or other humans aware of the true nature of the city) also count as exploiting someone’s ignorance. Any time you’ve got more information about the
arcane than someone else—and use it to get ahead—mark corruption.
If you use In the Bag to obtain an object you desire, you still might face an
angry owner down the line. The move allows you to get the object out of the
scene without being caught, but that doesn’t mean that the previous owner
won’t follow up on the missing treasure. After all, anyone with something
worth stealing will probably figure you as their most likely suspect.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:51, Tue 14 June 2022.