VIRTUES

Using the Virtues A character doesn’t have to bond with a

virtue, but if they do, they can pick which
This is an optional game system for campaigns virtue they are bonding with at the start of
of CAIN, intended to offer an NPC-centric any mission. They immediately get the
alternate progression path for characters. If benefit of the level 0 bond with a virtue. If
you wish to include Virtues in your game, you they survive the mission, they can
can choose to include any or all of them. There increase their bond with the virtue by 1, up
are 6 in total. Virtues are never intended to to a maximum of 3, and gain each
show up in a mission (most of the missions correlated bond ability as they do. A
player exorcists embark on are too small scale, character will therefore have to run three
even the high threat ones!), outshine the missions and survive to finish a bond.
player characters, or undertake actions that
IF ONE IS GIVEN TO PROPRITIATION, IT IS would undermine the player characters. A character can bond with different
BEST TO CHOOSE EARTHLY GODS -Admin virtues each mission if they so desire.
Instead, they are intended to play a role of a These bond benefits remain even if the
XXX0444 background mentor character that the players character isn’t currently bonding with that
1:12 am characters might interact with, idolize, virtue (or any virtue), and become a
As above, so below
emulate, or study under during their time permanent part of the character.
between missions.
Strictures
rs from fiction:
Similar characte During the mission, a character that’s
ainsaw man
Kishibe from Ch attempting to increase a bond with a
from Naruto
By any human standard, exorcists are The blackcoats are a tiny minority of CAIN’s Kakashi Haitake virtue must follow that virtue’s strictures.
Jujutsu Kaisen
terrifying living weapons: able to kill with a main force. Yet from a tiny minory of their Satoru Gojo from A stricture invites a penalty or restriction
gesture or bend the laws of reality to their ranks comes something entirely else. on a character’s actions. A character can
whim. However, as the fiendish and Something verging on the inhuman - those ignore a stricture when making an action
abominable power of their quarry usually that have faced horror time and time again and roll by taking 1d3 stress, which cannot be
vastly exceeds their individual capabilities, the survived where dozens or scores of their There are examples given here for the reduced in any way, but cannot cause
organization is well known internally for having comrades were cut down and devoured. These personality and appearance of Virtues but injuries.
a high fatality rate. The attrition of junior exorcists of category 6 or above are you can tweak or change their personality,
exorcists, recruited from the population at exceptional throughout history and number gender, or appearance for your own game, High Blasphemies
large on short notice, and usually criminally only a few. as long as you keep the parts of their bond
underprepared for their mission, is extreme. To intended for gameplay (see below) At certain levels of bond, characters can
certain factions of CAIN’s senior leadership, Deemed virtues, they are treated as weapons consistent. I use third person gender gain access to unique blasphemy powers,
this brutal reality is convenient: it has the dual of last resort by the organization, dispatched neutral pronouns for them since I have a weaker versions of the extremely powerful
purpose of culling potential threats to the to deal with threats that would mean the ‘canon’ idea of who they are in my version and unique high blasphemies manifested
organization, and also weeding out the weak deaths of thousands or even hundreds of of CAIN, but I want you (the players and by the virtues.
from the strong. thousands. They are kept in reserve on CAIN’s Admin) to figure who they are for your
orbital rail facility, SERAPH, on strict three part table. Any blasphemy power gained as part of a
Many survivors of this grueling process rotation cycles of highly supervised shore bond with a virtue still counts as a
collapse under pressure and find it impossible leave, training, and cryogenic freezing so as to Virtue Bond blasphemy, but doesn’t increase a
to make it to high category before the mental extend their lifespans, hone their powers character’s xp cap or reduce their sin
and physical burden becomes too much to through mental conditioning and dreamspace If you include Virtues in your game, overflow cap (it’s ‘free’ so to speak).
bear, but a tiny minority of exorcists snap, training, and heal their injuries. Well known characters can bond with them during the
break, and reform - becoming something throughout the organization, they are in turn course of their CAIN career. This could High blasphemies typically require
stronger and more terrifying. These make up idolized and feared by its ranks at large and take the form of studying under them or spending all your remaining psyche
the senior ranks of exorcists, those that have have outsize influence on the rank and file of getting to know them in their off time. bursts, with a minimum of 1. Sin cannot
advanced to category 4 or higher. Efficient and CAIN, even if they have no official power, and be used to compensate for these bursts.
ruthless hunters, these prized tools of CAIN are in the end, merely the sharpest sword the Alternately, player characters might never
are informally nicknamed ‘Blackcoats’ for the organization has in its sheath. interact with a Virtue, but might choose to
long ‘Well’ overcoat they typically wear. emulate them and their values instead, in
an effort to follow in their footsteps, or
even surpass them.

10 11
 JUSTICE
HIGH BLASPHEMY:

LAW
Transmute, Adjacent, 1 Scene Then, choose one effect:
• Grant up to three advantage die (total) to
THE EXECUTIONER You set a rule of physical reality that affects self or an ally while the court is active. These
everything in a circular area around you, called can be given out one at a time or all at once.
the Court, with a radius equal to CAT. Any • Instantly kill all humans in the area or that
Justice is generally regarded as the most powerful exorcist changes made take place instantly and persist enter the area while the court is active.
in CAIN’s current arsenal, a loner of few words given extreme inside the area, but the area itself does not move. • Slash a talisman by rolling PSYCHE. This
leeway in engagement and unusual permission to roam. This This power can always eliminate, destroy, or deals +1 slash on success. This can be
is because Justice’s high blasphemy, Law, will not allow totally change mundane beings, objects or performed when first using Law, then once
them to disobey orders from a superior in any form, making structures. Strong willed or supernatural beings more again while it is active.
them the perfect attack dog. They have the most recorded such as exorcists or sins can partly resist its • Make something specific less hard, or less
executions in CAIN history and a near-flawless fight record, effects, but humans are always affected instantly. risky while the court is active.
standing as an object of awe amongst the regular rank and If you exit the area or the scene ends, the effect
file. ends. This power may easily affect the parameters
of rolls while in the area, and may make it so
For the most part, they seem to regard their position as an To use law, spend all your remaining psyche rolls are not even required for certain tasks.
accepted reality and have come to embody their role as the bursts (min 1), then fill in the sentence:
headsman of CAIN. They are exceedingly efficient and the Additional effects are up to the GM and can
overwhelming nature of their abilities allows them to In the Court, ____ is/are _____ be improvised depending on the fiction.
trivialize even the most tenebrous of opponents.
You can only use words from the list below.

Temerity has a special

It is commonly theorized that
visio n entir ely commi ted to the contingency
subdi
to circu mvent their own
that Justice manages
blasphemy.

TERMS OF LAW
BOND 1. Fast 11. Arrows 21. Fire

2. Slow 12. Blades 22. Water

STRICTURES
Ignore for one roll by taking 1d3 nonlethal stress AFFIX SEAL LIKES DISLIKES 3. Sticks 13. Solid 23. Air
You cannot ignore orders from a superior. Religious Debate Charity 4. Stones 14. Liquid 24. Forbidden
Always roll 0d on any action that would break the law. Classical Music Tardiness
Cleanliness Dogs
5. Paper 15. Metal 25. Pulled
BOND ABILITIES
Gain an extra xp trigger: Did you uphold the dogma 6. Cloth 16. Soft 26. Repulsed
0 of CAIN?
7. Blood 17. Sharp
Gain the Law blasphemy. You can use it once a
I 8. Nails 18. Heavy
mission. FAVORITE FOOD

Lower sin by 1 after halving it. If you executed 9. Skin 19. Light
II a sin rather than sparing it, then lower sin by 1 Health Food
CASTLE

Dates
again. If you spared a sin or failed to execute 10. Slings or 20. Earth
it, increase sin by 1d3 after halving it instead. C bullets

III You may choose two different effects for Law.

12 13
 FAITH
HIGH BLASPHEMY:

NULL
THE TIMID Instant, Charm, 1 scene

Spend all your remaining psyche bursts

Faith is not only an anomaly within CAIN, they are also an (min 1). For the duration of the scene, you
anomaly for the world at large. They were born in a village in become completely immune to psychic
eastern Europe in 1672 and were at a young age forced to phenomena. Anything inflicting physical
joined a monastic order due to the suspicion that they were harm, like the physical attacks of Sins, can
cursed or consorting with the Devil. No matter how old Faith affect you normally. For example, you could
grew, they never seem to age about past their early 20s and be harmed by a thrown piece of furniture or
remained a picture of peak physical health and fitness, a bullet, but not by a blast of purely psychic
manifesting supernatural strength and constitution. After energy or a form of mind control. You cannot
they become a hermit around a hundred years after their be affected by afflictions (though they still
birth, they were discovered by an early CAIN, where it was remain on you, their abilities are merely
determined they were the only purely Graceless and Sinless suppressed for the scene). In return, for the
individual in the entire world. duration, you cannot use or be affected by
any blasphemy other than this one,
Most humans manifest a tiny amount of grace or Sin due to including those from your allies, and any
latent psychic trauma, but Faith is a complete void. It is now currently affecting you end. Unlike other
theorized that this is because they have an ‘anti-blasphemy’, powers, you cannot end this effect early.
a blasphemy that absorbs all others. This has made them
completely immune to psychic phenomena and also
biologically immortal.

Faith has the lowest confirmed kills of any virtue. It is

rumored that CAIN uses them mostly for capture and control
missions of rogue binders, something they seem to be
terrifyingly effective at. IMMACULATE
BOND DEFIANCE OF
STRICTURES
Ignore for one roll by taking 1d3 nonlethal stress
AFFIX SEAL LIKES DISLIKES
HEAVEN
Permanent
Dogs Fortitude
You cannot harm anyone or anything.
Slow Afternoons Rude people
Always roll 0d on actions that would be considered impolite. Taking Photos Work
This power has the same function as Null, except it is permanent. It has
Gachapon Horror Movies the following effects:
BOND ABILITIES Phone Games •You can no longer use or be affected by blasphemies.
Fighting Games •Your sin resets to 0. You no longer gain or use sin or can enter sin
Once a mission, if you are able to eat sweets, you overflow for any reason.
0
can relieve 1 sin. •You can now spend 1d3 stress instead of a psyche burst to gain +1D
on any action by using your powerful physical abilities.
I You gain the Null blasphemy. You can use it once a
FAVORITE FOOD •Fighting sins with mundane abilities is no longer hard. In addition,
mission.
your mundane physical abilities are about 1/2 CAT in capability.
Sin overflow only reduces your sin overflow cap by 1 Fast Food •You gain +1 max injury.
II
CASTLE

instead of 2. Sweets •Your natural lifespan extends by 10d10 years

Hot Chicken
C
When you so choose, your Null Blasphemy
III becomes the Immaculate Defiance of
Heaven. This choice is irreversible.

14 15
 CHARITY
HIGH BLASPHEMY:

ENTWINE
THE TWINS
Instant, 1 mission
A widely feared Virtue, Charity immediately stands out
among their peers due to their unique situation. Charity is You entangle your mind with another’s in a loving embrace. Without spending a
functionally the same person that occupies two bodies - or psyche burst, choose another willing exorcist. For the duration of the mission, gain
alternately two separate people with the exact same the following effects:
personality and physical appearance down to each • When one of you gains or loses stress or spends or gains a psyche burst, you may
individual strand of hair. They may even share emotions and spend or assign it to either person, no matter the distance. Harm, stress, etc,
may pre-emptively react or talk from one or the other body supernaturally appears on each other’s bodies. Anything transferred like this cannot be
as if by reflex. This is because Charity’s high blasphemy, reduced in any way.
Entwine, while extremely powerful, forces a merger of its • You can telepathically communicate with that person over extreme distance. You also feel
users so that over time, they become pefect twins - an any strong emotion they feel reflexively, even involuntarily.
amalgam of the two, blended together, physically and
mentally. Since Charity’s abilities work over any distance, However:
they are often deployed separately to different engagements • When one of you gains an affliction or hook, both of you gain that affliction or hook.
across the globe, although they prefer to work together. • When one of you gains sin, you both gain that amount of sin.
• If either of you suffer sin overflow or instant death, this blasphemy breaks for the rest of
It is common knowledge that there have been several the mission. It cannot be ended otherwise.
generations of Charities over the years, since at least 1850,
and neither of their bodies are the original. When one dies, After the mission, even if this power broke early:
CAIN mandates a replacement from a select pool. • Both of your physical appearances change to match the other (your eye or hair color,
age, gender, height, body or face shape, etc). Each of you chooses a feature to share with
the other. The process takes about three days and is unpleasant *.
By bonding with Charity, you have
put yourself on this list.
Congratulations.

BOND
*Prolonged use of this power over time
STRICTURES will lead to a physical and mental
Ignore for one roll by taking 1d3 nonlethal stress AFFIX SEAL LIKES DISLIKES
merge that is described by Charity as
the purest form of bliss. This has not
When possible, you must participate in teamwork or set up. Fashion Justice been verified by Temerity.
You roll 0d when trying to hide, stealth, or avoid notice. Arguing online Faith
Travel Boring people
BOND ABILITIES Rainy days Long
conversations

You can engage in telepathy with any single

0
exorcist you have skin to skin contact with.

I Gain the Entwine blasphemy.

FAVORITE FOOD

At the start of a mission, you can pick an High tea

II
CASTLE

agenda ability from any other party member. Pork dumplings

For the rest of the mission, you can use this
C
agenda ability as your own.

Powers that target ‘self’ can now target any

III
exorcist you are Entwined with.
16
17
 FORTITUDE
HIGH BLASPHEMY:

THE DISASTER

Deemed ‘reserve calamity level elimination weapon’, and one

of the only exorcists in history deemed close to exceeding
category 7 in their abilities, Fortitude is kept on a strict
STRENGTH
freezing cycle. An extremely volatile and potent fighter, their Charm, 1 scene
ability to execute sins is only matched by their thirst for
complete, unbridled destruction. Unleashing fortitude on a A rare mutation of the Amplify blasphemy, this
situation is often the equivalent of trying to crack a walnut ability allows the very flesh and blood of its wielder
with a factory grade hydraulic press. to be infused with grace, pushing them past
impossible limits. Without proper training, using this
Fortitude’s high blasphemy, Strength, allows them blasphemy will cause internal organs to violently
unparalleled physical abilities, but without proper training, its burst from the body.
users can literally tear themselves apart. Their marked
disregard for human life and rampant misanthropy have Spend all your remaining psyche bursts (min 1).
made them relatively unpopular within the upper ranks of the For the remainder of the scene, your mundane
organization and they have relatively few admirers even physical abilities are now equal to CAT and fighting
amongst the more pessimistic junior exorcists. sins with mundane forces is no longer hard.
• You can push any physical action to CAT+2
instead by gaining 2d3 stress. This could inflict
an injury.
’s weapon
a l d iv is io n of CASTLE • All weapons you use break after use unless
There is a sp
eci icated to
re a k D ivision’ ded ou t specifically tempered. You can temper your any
division deem
e d ‘B use, as with
p o n s fo r Fortitude to p h ys ic al weapon between missions by spending 1 scrip
wea and the
‘tempering’ e y ca nnot withst ta ke s per weapon.
eria ls th arch te a m
proper mat e sp e cialized rese e • At the end of the scene, you take an injury and
lve d . T h ries h av
forces invo their discove
jo y in th ei r work and ts .
become comatose until your group rests. You

BOND ’s armamen
great recover at the start of the rest period and can
nced CAIN
greatly adva otherwise rest normally.

STRICTURES
AFFIX SEAL LIKES DISLIKES
Ignore for one roll by taking 1d3 nonlethal stress

Fighting Humans
You cannot pass up the opportunity to get into a fight
Strong Exorcists
Roll 0d on actions that would require talk instead of action Opponents All other
virtues
BOND ABILITIES Sins
CAIN leadership
You never roll 0d for inflicting harm or violence
0
(always roll at least 1d)

Any amount of harm you inflict is instantly fatal to

I FAVORITE FOOD
humans.

You gain the Strength blasphemy. You can use it Hot Dogs*
CASTLE

II safely once a mission. If you use it a second time,

when the scene ends, you rip apart from the inside *Per CASTLE addendum 3004, subject
C is only allowed nutrient paste
and suffer instant death.

III You can safely use Strength a second time.

18 19
 HOPE
HIGH BLASPHEMY:

THE DREAMER Instant, long

VEIL
Hope is among the most valuable assets that CAIN possesses. Spend all your remaining psyche bursts to instantly erase
Typically blessed with strong precognitive and telepathic abilities, the memory of a mass of humans in range determined by
their ability to shoulder the Veil high blasphemy has been a CAT. You cannot choose who to target, and must target the
lynchpin of the organization’s activity for hundreds of years and has maximum area and number of people possible.
allowed CAIN to operate in secrecy even in the most dire of
circumstances. They become completely insensate for exactly 11 seconds.
Then, they forget everything they saw and heard for the
Unlike most other blasphemies, the full power of Veil can be last 77 seconds (including the insensate period).
imbued and passed on to other wielders, picked from a pool of Their brain will work over the damage, and for them it as if
exorcists of extreme mental and cognitive strength. There have that time never passed (they are effectively ‘reset’ to 77
been a long line of Hopes (the current is the fourty first) since the seconds ago). They may be confused by the
organization’s inception, and they are typically retired* when the circumstances, for example they might not be standing
stress of Veil proves too much to bear. where they remember.

Due to their important role in the organization, Hope is never

permitted to leave the orbital station SERAPH unless under extreme
circumstances, or once a year at Christmas.
*See CASTLE doctrine note C0447

erase
l capacity, Veil can
When used at its ful not
and rework the me
mory of thousa nd s,
da
if
ys at
MASS MEMORY RUPTURE
nds of people, for
hundreds of thousa pe . At bond rank III, you can push veil for longer periods. If you do, you must pay the associate cost, listed on the right side.
ically kills Ho
a time. This use typ Costs are cumulative. Good luck out there.

BOND Up to ten minutes 1d3+1 stress

STRICTURES
Ignore for one roll by taking 1d3 nonlethal stress AFFIX SEAL LIKES DISLIKES Up to one hour … and also gain 1d3+1 sin

You cannot take actions that would be loud or attract attention. Video Games Loud Noises
You roll 0d for set up actions Luxurious Baths Nosy people Up to ten hours … and also permanently lose an important
Holidays Justice memory, such as the taste of something, the name
BOND ABILITIES Fortitude of your parents, a childhood treasured memory.

Once a mission, you can re-roll any action taken in Up to one day … and also lower sin overflow cap by 2
0
stealth or to avoid notice, taking the second result
as final. Up to ten days … and you forget your own name. You cannot use
I Gain the Veil blasphemy. You can use it once a agenda abilities or gain any further xp this mission.
mission. FAVORITE FOOD You must change agendas before the start of next
mission.
Mundane humans always forget you were Pre-packed meal 402A
CASTLE

II there if you are out of sight for 77 seconds or

Full reset CAIN forgets you exist. You forget you exist. Your
more. You cannot turn this ability off.
C allies forget you exist. You become a hollow husk,
III You can use Veil to erase memory for longer periods. a walking mindless corpse that nobody
See the table on the following page. remembers. You are not dead but not truly alive.
Make a new character.
20 21
 PRUDENCE
HIGH BLASPHEMY:

1 scene, short
SHAKE
THE NEGOTIATOR You may spend all your remaining psyche bursts to instantly enforce
a game from the list below on yourself and all other humans, sins, or
exorcists in range determined by CAT. Breaking the rules of the game
The wielder of the powerful Shake blasphemy,
causes excruciating pain, hemorrhaging, and eventually death. As long
Prudence is an amicable and charismatic Virtue with a
as the rule applies:
very busy schedule. Aside from being a powerful
• for you and allies, actions become harder when you must avoid
combatant, Prudence serves a vital role in both CAIN’s
breaking the rule with your actions
internal structure and its relationship with mundane
• If through your actions you or an ally intentionally breaks the rule,
governments due to their unique ability to enforce
you take 2d3 stress, which cannot be reduced in any way and
deals. They have multiple cover identities, speak
could inflict injuries as normal.
multiple languages, and generally have a very light
In return:
freezing schedule, as CAIN deploys them on long range
• If the target, through their actions, breaks a rule intentionally, they
and long duration missions. When appearing in public,
take 1d3 slashes on their execution talisman. Humans are killed
they are always exceptionally well dressed and spoken.
instantly. They are aware of this effect.
• You may set up an ally for free, three times, while the rule is
As CAIN’s front facing emissary to human
active, and without rolling. Describe how you are taking advantage
governments, their identity has been an object of
of the rule. Any normal effects of setup apply to these special setup
speculation amongst online conspiracy theorists,
actions, and you can take them without counting is as an action in
something the organization has tried vehemently to
a conflict scene.
suppress.
You cannot end this effect early, and it lasts for the scene.

works off
It is unclear why “SHAKE”
is rumored to be
playground games, but it
ire in humans to
related to a inherent des
ory.
play, the ‘homo ludens’ the

BOND
STRICTURES
AFFIX SEAL LIKES DISLIKES
Ignore for one roll by taking 1d3 nonlethal stress

You must honor all deals and promises.

Roll 0d when choosing violence over negotiation.
Neat Whiskey
Romance Novels
Trains
Charity
Justice
Explaining
GAMES
Long walks things to slow
BOND ABILITIES people
The Floor is Lava (Don’t Touch the Ground).
When you shake hands with a willing human on a deal or King of the Hill (Must stay inside a small area).
0
promise, if someone breaks it, they suffer instant death.
Reverse Tag (Don’t touch a sin, human, or exorcist).
This applies to you, and both you and your target are
aware of the effects. Look No Hands (Don’t Use Your Hands).
FAVORITE FOOD No Talking Contest (Don’t speak or make loud noises).
I Gain the Shake blasphemy. You can use it once a
mission. Marco Polo (Don’t open eyes. Targets must say ‘Polo’ when you say
Nuts
‘Marco’ and cannot stray from short range from you).
CASTLE

Your rank 0 ability now applies to exorcists and Red Light Green Light (Those affected by the rule see a phantom red
II sins. C and green light and are forced to stop moving on red light).

III You can use Shake once again during a

mission, but if you do, the GM picks the game.
22 23